Giant stone letters dedicated to the founder of Armenia's alphabet.

Nestled in a peaceful valley, this Armenian monastery may have been saved from Mongols thanks to the eyes of God.

The world's longest nonstop reversible cable car soars through spectacular scenery to the medieval Tatev Monastery.

After visiting hours, this picturesque waterfall is essentially turned "off" to be used for hydroelectric power.

This ancient monastery complex was transformed from an island to a peninsula when the lake was partially drained.

Centuries before the modern seismograph, Armenian monks measured quakes with this tilting pillar.

The most visited pilgrimage site in Armenia once held a saint in a pit for 13 years.

This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

Right up until the 20th century this network of man-made caves was the biggest village in Eastern Armenia.

A geological oddity topped with a 2,000-year-old pagan temple.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

A bit of the Berlin Wall was gifted to the Icelandic capital to commemorate the 25th anniversary of German reunification.

Twisted girders are all that remain of an Icelandic bridge that was wiped out by a combination of volcanic heat and glacial floods.

These enlarged egg sculptures represent the native birds of eastern Iceland.

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.

This beautiful, historic church looks like something out of a simpler past.

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.

The oldest hall in Iceland was written of in the Sagas and features a centuries-old escape tunnel.

A formerly glacier-tipped volcano that inspired none other than Jules Verne.

This tumultuous Icelandic lava field looks so alien European researchers want to use it as a stand-in for Mars.

A sulfuric martian landscape that looks far better than it smells.

This tiny museum's sizable collection is jammed into a former underground public toilet.

This replica Viking village was created for a film that was never shot and is now open to visitors.

Three columns of volcanic rock shoot out of the ocean.