j501's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Baarle-Hertog, Belgium
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Places visited in Maastricht, Netherlands
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Places visited in Vaals, Netherlands
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Places visited in Haarlem, Netherlands
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Places visited in Trutnov, Czechia
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Leiden, Netherlands

Gebouw Leidsch Dagblad Elephant Drainpipe

This historic Dutch newspaper building is covered with media-themed details—and one unrelated oddity.
Leiden, Netherlands

Het Roze Huisje (Pink House)

This 17th-century house has a long and colorful history.
Leiden, Netherlands

Bibliotheca Thysiana

This public library and its impressive collection of academic books have not changed since the 17th century.
Leiden, Netherlands

Hortus Botanicus Leiden

A 'living museum' in Leiden, the oldest of its kind in the Netherlands.
Leiden, Netherlands

Victoria Amazonica

People have been placing babies on these lilies for photoshoots since the Victorian era.
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Paul McCarthy's Santa Claus

Rotterdammers' dirty minds gave this santa a dirty nickname and cursed it to a life of wandering.
Vernazza, Italy

Chapel of Santa Marta, Vernazza

This tiny chapel withstood a massive mudslide and flash flood.
Vernazza, Italy

Cat Shrine

On the walking path from Monterosso to Vernazza, a small shrine dedicated to feline friends.
Monterosso al Mare, Italy

Il Gigante

The bomb-ravaged remains of of a colossal Neptune.
Florence, Italy

Vasari Corridor

This private skyway is filled with art and was expanded explicitly so that Hitler could appreciate a river.
Florence, Italy

Bronze Replica of Michelangelo’s David

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.
Florence, Italy

Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents)

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.
Florence, Italy

Statue of Fernando I

A plaque on the base of this statue holds a bewitching design.
Florence, Italy

Michelangelo's Hidden Drawings

The doodles of a genius line the walls of a secret room under the Medici Chapel, where they were hidden for nearly 500 years.
Florence, Italy

Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.
Florence, Italy

Plautilla Nelli’s 'Last Supper'

More than 450 years ago, an Italian nun became the first woman to paint the iconic subject.
Florence, Italy

Platform 16 Holocaust Deportation Memorials

Memorials at a Florence railway station remember the citizens who were deported from Italy and sent to extermination camps.
San Gimignano, Italy

Towers of San Gimignano

These medieval skyscrapers dominate the skyline of this small Tuscan town.
San Marino, San Marino

Prisoner Art of Guaita Tower

High in the clouds of San Marino sits an ancient tower with some curious prisoner graffiti.
Ravenna, Italy

Baptistery of Neon

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung reported a paranormal experience after visiting this mosaic-lined Roman baptistry.
Ravenna, Italy

Flooded Crypt of San Francesco

Filled with goldfish swimming in a shallow pool of sea water, this ancient crypt is more wishing well than burial site.
Ravenna, Italy

Dante's Tomb

Italian poet Dante Alighieri is entombed in this small mausoleum in Ravenna, and his hometown of Florence has never been too happy about it.
Ravenna, Italy

Arian Baptistry

A medieval, mosaic-lined baptistry built by a heretical Christian sect.
Ravenna, Italy

Basilica of San Vitale

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.