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Travel / Europe

The Stockholm Guild, which runs the market, was founded in 1914 to bring the tradition of a Christmas market back to Stockholm (there was a Christmas market here as early as 1523).

Europe

Christmas Markets Might Be the Best Reason to Spend the Holidays in Europe

From mulled wine to intricate ornaments, Europe’s Christmas markets are a mix of food, goods and holiday cheer

Hartsdale is the world's oldest operating pet cemetery.

Commune With Pets of the Past at These Five Pet Cemeteries

Far from scary, these burial sites can be relaxing, beautiful and even inspiring

A Bolivian farmer stands next to dinosaur footprints. Bolivia is home to thousands of dinosaur tracks.

Where Dinosaurs Walked: Eight of the Best Places to See Prehistoric Footprints

Step in the footprints of giants on “dinosaur highways”

Europe

The Real-Life Places That Inspired Frankenstein

How Mary Shelley used ideas, events and places to invent her famous monster

Today, the water tribunal in Valencia, Spain meets on the same day, in the same way and at the same time as it did 1,000 years ago.

Drink in History at the World’s Oldest Court

Valencia’s water tribunal doesn’t have written records or lawyers—but that doesn’t mean it’s outdated

Bioluminescent Algae Light Up London’s Merge Festival

This interactive art installation is part science, part fairytale

Krzyżtopór Castle in Ujazd, Poland, once the largest castle in all of Europe, now in a state of ruin.

Visit the Ruined Castles of Poland

Grand but dilapidated structures from many centuries ago dot the country’s landscape

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Sponsor Content: Ireland

The 45 Best Places to Eat, Admire and Explore Your Way Through Ireland

Explore this interactive map of Ireland’s top destinations

Artist Jeff Koons admires his Puppy (1992). Carpeted in colorful swaths of flowering plants, the 41-foot-tall Westie joined the Guggenheim Bilbao’s permanent collection in 1997 and stands in the square just outside the museum entrance.

Shine On: Jeff Koons in Bilbao

Frank Gehry’s titanium-clad Guggenheim plays host to a stunning survey of Koons’s larger-than-life career

A paternoster elevator can be thrilling, or just scary.

Ride This Bizarre, Old-School Elevator Before They All Shut Down

The paternoster elevators of Europe are weird, a bit scary and getting harder and harder to find. For now, there are still a few you can ride

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Paris

Haute Stuff: Nine Unique Gifts to Buy in Paris

Leave room in your suitcase for these irresistible items made by French artisans

American-born novelist and playwright Jake Lamar says of living in Paris that life's easier when he gets in an elevator and "no one's clutching her purse."

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Paris

Is Paris Still a Haven for Black Americans?

The City of Light once drew thousands of black expats across the Atlantic, but does it still have the same appeal?

Only a Handful of People Can Enter the Chauvet Cave Each Year. Our Reporter Was One of Them.

A rare trip inside the home of the world’s most breathtaking cave painting leaves lasting memories

In an eerie green hue, this upside-down Medusa head threatens to turn onlookers to stone. The color seems to come partly from a slick covering of algae.

Europe

Two Eerie Medusa Heads Watch Over Turkey’s Waterways

Why the Greek monster stares out from an ancient cistern in Istanbul

Journalists walk along the new Caminito del Rey in El Chorro-Alora, March 15, 2015.

“The World’s Most Dangerous Trail” Reopens This Week

A once-deadly path is now a modern tourist attraction

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Ask Smithsonian: Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Ever Topple?

Imperceptible changes are occurring, but no worries, a collapse is not in the forecast

One of two newly installed wind turbines at the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower Gets a Green Upgrade

The landmark now has two wind turbines above its second level

7 , 5 ° Rø, designed by German artists Wolfgang-A. Lüchow, Sebastian Andreas Scheller and Anja Kilian, offers a unique take on space by dividing the suite into 12 frames, each at an angle of 7.5 degrees from the other, forming a spiral-like suite that creates the illusion of infinity.

The Making and Remaking of the Original Ice Hotel

Often imitated but never duplicated, the world’s original ice hotel turns 25 this year

Neuschwanstein Castle, the ultimate fairy-tale castle, is the 13th most visited castle in the world.

The World’s Most-Visited Castles and Palaces

From Paris to Beijing, these historic castles and palaces draw millions of visitors for a glimpse of the lifestyles of the rich and famous

A devil burns gunpowder during the festival of Els Foguerons de Sa Pobla.

Catalonia

One Night Each Winter, Devils Run Through the Streets of Barcelona

Since the early 1990s, Barcelona’s winter bonfire festival has celebrated the intersection of Catalan and Majorcan cultures

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