k8bliz's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal

The Village of Monsanto

Houses are tucked between, on, and underneath giant boulders.
Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.
Luso, Portugal

Palace Hotel Bussaco

A majestic hotel for dreamers rises from the center of a fairytale wood.
Elvas, Portugal

Fort of Graça

This star-shaped military outpost is now simply trying to protect itself from neglect.
Santa Maria, Portugal

Poço da Pedreira

Rainwater transformed this old quarry into a peaceful pond you won't find in most tourist books.
Mafra, Portugal

Mafra Palace Library

At night, bats patrol this magnificent 18th-century space in search of book-eating pests.
Tomar, Portugal

Museu dos Fosforos

Europe's largest collection of matchbox designs is a fascinating exploration of the cultural history of the world.
Almeida, Portugal

Fortress of Almeida

The medieval town's star-shaped walls are geometrically dazzling, though not entirely impenetrable.
Lisbon, Portugal

Electricity Museum

Located in the thermoelectric factory that once powered the entire city, this Portuguese museum is shockingly fascinating.
Washington, D.C.

Hoff's Harmonica Case Collection

More than 500 unique and specially designed cases collected by D.C.'s "Harmonica Case Man."
Washington, D.C.

Washington Aqueduct Castle Gatehouse

A building shaped like the Army Corps of Engineers logo, because why not?
Washington, D.C.

The Sun Building

This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.
Washington, D.C.

The Tabulating Machine Co.

The early data processor factory founded in Washington for the 1890 U.S. Census went on to become IBM.
Washington, D.C.

Senate Bathtubs

Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Access Hatch

Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.
Washington, D.C.

FDR's Swimming Pool

There's an old indoor swimming pool hidden directly underneath the White House Press Briefing Room.
Washington, D.C.

Volta Laboratory & Bureau

Helen Keller once broke ground on this historic center for the study of technologies to benefit the hearing impaired.
Washington, D.C.

The National Gallery's Art Materials Collection

The institution is sitting on a goldmine of 21,000 paints, varnishes, pigments, and primers preserved for posterity.
Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel

A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.
Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Washington, D.C.

Abandoned Drawbridge Control Room

The hidden offices underneath Memorial Bridge have been locked up since 1976.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Lightning Rod

The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.
Washington, D.C.

Southwest Duck Pond

This lovely pocket park is one of the most under appreciated in D.C.
Washington, D.C.

NIST Newton Apple Tree

A clone of a cloned tree that was so important it allegedly had its own guards.