Places Ru Chia Wants to Go

Monuments don't get much more metal than these three giant viking swords planted in a Nordic hill.

One of the most breathtaking railways in Europe also takes one of the steepest climbs, from fjord to mountain plateau.

The burning of this 12th-century church kicked off a campaign of Norwegian Black Metal terror.

The convergence of two currents makes this a surprisingly pleasant getaway in the Arctic Circle.

A stunning silver lining to global warming's gloomy cloud.

Home to three historic ships from the age of Vikings.

This "preacher's pulpit" once used for pagan ritual, is home to a new, and dangerous ritual.

Norway has built what may be the world's most beautiful public toilet.

This giant boulder is pinched over a 1000-meter abyss by two mountains.

Walk 2,300 feet above the ground on the "Troll's Tongue."

Crawling into this primordial cave may feel disconcertingly familiar.

A beautiful Arctic museum and nature center preserves the culture of the Sámi people.

A lumberjack in Finnish Lapland did not want to cut down his Arctic pines, so he offered them up to be adopted by nature-lovers.

Fortifications built for a Soviet invasion that never came now sit abandoned in a losing battle against nature.

These 5,000-year-old cave paintings provide a glimpse into prehistoric Finnish life.

This honeycomb-textured tafone looks like a petrified troll head.

This cairn marks the only place where Central European Time, Eastern European Time, and Further-eastern European Time meet.

A rare octagonal brick beacon on an isolated island in the Baltic.

Finland's oldest astronomical observatory once played a crucial role in seafaring and timekeeping.

This intricately spiralling forest was created as a monumental work of art.

Villas that once served as playgrounds for the rich now fall away in decay.

This lake-bound geographical marker sits at the point where three European countries intersect.

Legend has this precariously placed rock was placed by giants. Science has another explanation.