olaobrien's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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London, England

Algerian Coffee Stores

Since 1887, this old-school shop has stacked its shelves with extraordinary coffees and teas.
London, England

The Burney Relief

This bewitching Babylonian goddess haunts a hallway of the British Museum.
London, England

The Morpeth Arms

A historic London pub with prison cells in the cellar and a "spy room" on the second floor.
Verona, Italy

Whale Bone of Arco della Costa

A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.
Verona, Italy

Juliet's Balcony

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Signal Hill

The first transatlantic wireless signal was received at this 17th-century fort.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Dance of Death Bridge

This historic covered bridge contains a series of macabre paintings that communicate one thing: everyone dies.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen Swiss Guards of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.
Strasbourg, France

Stained-Glass Demons

Explore this medieval cathedral by trying to spot all the malevolent monsters hiding in its beautifully colored windows.
London, England

V&A Dog Memorials

Hidden in the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum is a little-known tribute to two celebrity pooches.
London, England

Victoria & Albert Museum Dining Rooms

Revel in the Victorian splendor of the world's oldest eating establishment inside a museum.
London, England

London's Rose-Ringed Parakeets

Legend says these colorful, invasive residents are the descendants of birds released by Jimi Hendrix.
London, England

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Vectors of Disease Frieze

The Art Deco artwork depicts gilded carriers of deadly illnesses.
London, England

Urine Deflectors of Fleet Street

One of the few remaining examples of 19th-century London’s attempt to clean up its reputation.
Ottawa, Ontario

Château Laurier

The mastermind behind this palatial hotel perished on the Titanic weeks before its grand opening.
London, England

Wolf-God of Woodeaton

A gruesome and mysterious ancient sculpture of a pagan deity from the Roman occupation of Celtic Britain.
London, England

Shield of Parade

This magnificently macabre shield shows the power of chivalrous love in medieval times.
London, England

The Four Mother Goddesses

One of the figures in this Celtic sculpture continues to puzzle archaeologists.
London, England

Viking Tombstone

This Viking gravestone carved in a rare runic style was dug up from a London churchyard.
London, England

The Lewis Chessmen

These mysterious Viking chess pieces spent centuries hidden on a remote Scottish island.
London, England

PsychoBarn

A traditional American farmhouse plopped in the middle of a Piccadilly courtyard.
London, England

York Water Gate

These ornate arches show how the course of the River Thames has changed.
London, England

Peace Garden at Tavistock Square

A quiet, semi-secret square with statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Virginia Woolf, and a conscientious objectors stone.
London, England

London Underground Labyrinths

A labyrinth hides in plain sight at each of the city's 270 Tube stations.