Places SamS Wants to Go

This magnificent castle grew from a small Moorish fortress, and reportedly inspired two iconic Disney castles.

This precariously perched fortress was once ruled by a crow-worshipping baron.

Live data is transmitted from the Atlantic coast to instantly recreate the ocean waves in this fountain at the NOAA headquarters.

The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.

Some of the smallest works of art in existence.

Extensive Orthodox icon collection in Andorra.

A disquieting Aztec sculpture displays hundreds of stone skulls representing the victims of human sacrifice.

These haunting ruins of a 700-year-old Prehispanic city have witnessed centuries of wars and massacres.

On a cornerstone of the City Museum is the head of a monstrous serpent stolen from an Aztec pyramid 400 years ago.

These biodiverse university gardens form a green oasis amid the urban chaos of Mexico City.

The Mexican painter Diego Rivera created this unusual museum to display his collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts.

This strange sculpture of a menacing skull surrounded by sun rays was discovered at the foot of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Gilded heaven for philatelists and architecture freaks, still in full working order despite sitting atop tremulous ground.

The only castle in North America to ever house European sovereigns.

Meant to be one of the most extravagant hotels in the world, now an eerie, abandoned architectural gem in Mexico City.

Diego Rivera's massive tiled fountain and failed infrastructure project.

A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.

Frida Kahlo's childhood home, now a museum of her life and works.

This futuristically sylvan church is a glass-enclosed marvel of modern architecture.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

This ceremonial Mexican square looks as though it belongs in a science fiction movie.

The striking and little-touristed ruins of an ancient city destroyed and rebuilt by the Aztecs.

The largest of only eight working transporter bridges left in the world.

One of the most spectacular bridges in Spain spans a narrow chasm that divides the city of Ronda.