Places watsonswanderlust Wants to Go

A gigantic statue of a Russian soldier watches over the ancient city of Plovdiv, a prominent reminder of the Soviet period in Bulgaria.

The second-largest Jewish temple in Bulgaria was deserted after World War II, seized by the communist government and then abandoned again.

World War II ended before these tunnels built to protect vital oil from Japanese bombs were ever used.

This gracefully curving formation looks like a massive wave that was suddenly turned to stone.

A monument to Lenin has been transformed into a statue of everyone's favorite black-helmeted, fool-choking Sith Lord.

Thousands of abandoned statues of deities are taken to this hillside in southern Hong Kong.

A colossal floating restaurant built to look like a ancient Chinese imperial palace.

A surprisingly large and sturdy ruin on the outskirts of a remote village.

These underground shelters dug by the Japanese during World War II later helped Timor-Leste achieve its independence.

These sacred totem houses connect the Fatakulu people with the spirits of their ancestors.

No one is quite sure of the origins of these idyllic natural hot springs at an abandoned mountain resort.

This hulking behemoth is actually five interconnected towers built in the 1960s.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

Planned as the world’s first zero-carbon city, it had lofty ideals—but is only 5 percent completed and aiming for 50 percent carbon-neutral.

Hide from the tourist hordes in these relatively unknown, and unguarded lava caves.

Earth's tallest volcano is sacred to Native Hawaiians, and home to a dozen world-class observatories.

A controversial memorial at the place where Captain Cook met his violent end.

The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.

Lebanese castle built by one man, over a lifetime.

A monumental underground karstic wonderland is also the water source for over a million citizens of Beirut.

After this one-of-a-kind palace was built the architect's hands are said to have been cut off to keep it that way.

Launch site for nuclear war against Western Europe.

The world’s first museum dedicated to exploring human rights unleashed a wave of controversy.

It took 28 years to build this massive statue of the Hindu god Vishnu riding a mythical bird.