Unusual Places

7 Unusual Places To Visit In San Francisco

September 25, 2018 By J.F. Penn

In many ways, San Francisco is a high-tech city, with Silicon Valley just down the road, Twitter on Market Street and Ubers on every corner.

But it also has a rich religious history and some unusual places to visit if you want to venture further than the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here are some of the places that I found interesting when I visited on a book research trip for my thriller, Valley of Dry Bones.

(1) San Francisco Columbarium

The city banned burial and cremation in the early 1900s when bodies and graves were moved out to Colma, where the dead outnumber the living. The Columbarium is one of the few places left for human remains within the city limits.

Unusual Places San Francisco Columbarium by thriller author J.F.Penn — San Francisco Columbarium. Photo by J.F.Penn

It's a Neo-classical building with a copper-domed roof surrounded by red and white sculpted rose bushes in well-kept grounds. Inside, the circular space opens out into a spacious central hall with three gallery levels filled with glass-fronted niches, each with an urn or casket inside holding the remains of a life.

15 Strange Underwater Places

February 10, 2018 By J.F. Penn

I first learned to scuba dive on the West Coast of Australia and have spent a lot of time diving off the coast of New Zealand. The picture below is from the Poor Knights Islands. Living in England now means I don't dive much – it's just too cold around the coast here, but watching Blue Planet II recently definitely gave me the itch to get back underwater!

Diving is a fantastic way to reach the world’s strange underwater places, some of which I've featured in my thrillers.

For example, The Sunken Cities exhibition at the British Museum in 2016 laid bare the lost Egyptian cities of Thonis-Heraklion, and inspired my short story The Dark Queen.

Here are 15 more sites around the world that harbour strange underwater places.

1) The Sea of Galilee ‘Mound’

A circular stone structure lies 9m beneath the Sea of Galilee. Found in 2003 following a sonar survey of the lake, the ancient structure is made of basalt rocks arranged in a cone shape. Around 70m wide, it reaches 10m in height. It’s also twice as large as Stonehenge.

According to archaeologists, it could be an ancient burial or ceremonial site. No other structures this size are currently known, so experts can only guess at how it was built or used. Its location makes it difficult to study, and experts place its age between 2,000 and 12,000 years old.

Traveling south from Galilee, you reach the Dead Sea, where the salt water can kill you if inhaled. Morgan Sierra dived there in Gates of Hell, looking for an ancient key. My research process just involved watching videos on YouTube, in case you were wondering!

2) The Stonehenge in Lake Michigan

Another stone henge lies at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Discovered in 2007 during a sonar survey, the stone circle lies 12m beneath the water. One stone bears what looks like a carving of a mastodon. They became extinct 10,000 years ago, adding to the mystery of the circle.

You might not be able to visit yet, but you can still imagine the people that built it.

3) An Underwater City near Cuba

Archaeologists conducted another sonar survey off the coast of Cuba in 2001. It revealed mysterious submerged structures. They cover an area of almost 2sq km, at varying depths between 609m and 750m.

Some experts believe the structures are too deep to be man-made. Yet both the Maya and the Yucatecos told ancestral stories of an island that sank. Geologist Manuel Iturralde points out that naturally occurring unusual structures also exist elsewhere. There's no guarantee that the ‘city' belongs to an ancient civilisation.

But it’s easy to imagine the daily lives experienced in such strange underwater places.

4) Port Royal, Jamaica

Once branded “the most wicked and sinful city in the world”, Jamaica's Las Vegas was an infamous pirate town. It was also badly built, and a 7.5 earthquake in 1692 sent 33 acres of the town into the sea.

Caribbean Twilight Landscape of the Port Royal Coastline, Jamaica

The town was the second largest city in the New World (after Boston). In 1675, it was so lawless that a pirate even became the Lieutenant Governor – the notorious Henry Morgan. He died in 1679, and even the cemetery where he lay ended up beneath the waves.

The ruins of the city now lie 12m underwater. Archaeologists continue to find well-preserved artefacts on the site. It became a National Heritage Site in 1999. You need special permission to dive there. Instead, see recovered artefacts at the Museums of History and Ethnography in Kingston.

5) The Yonaguni Monument, Japan

Discovered in 1986, the Yonaguni Monument lies off the coast of Japan. Experts debate the provenance of the massive rock formation – is it natural or manmade? Some believe the site began as a natural monument, later modified by humans.

Ten structures lie near Yonaguni, while five lie near Okinawa. Marine geologist Masaaki Kimura has identified man-made structures. Roads, temples, a castle, retaining walls and even a stadium lie among the ruins.

Divers discovered fireplaces, pottery and even stone tools that date to 2500 BCE. But other experts dismiss the drawings and carvings present on the monument as scratches. But it's unlikely that so many would be present in the same place.

The strange underwater places could even be the remains of the lost civilisation of Mu. According to legend, Mu disappeared beneath the sea like Atlantis.
Tourists can dive at the site so why not visit and make up your own mind?

6) Shi Cheng, China

Built between 25-200 CE, Shi Cheng (or “Lion City”) spans around 62 football fields. It also lies over 30m below Quiandao Lake, created in the 1950s as part of a dam. Surprisingly, flooding the city helped to preserve its ancient architecture. The water shields it from sun and wind damage.

Much of its arches and buildings remain intact. Shi Cheng's strange underwater places aren’t yet open to divers. But Quiandao Lake is a popular tourist destination if you want to visit the area.

7) Cleopatra's Palace, Egypt

Much of ancient Egypt's history disappeared over the centuries, looted by tomb raiders or reclaimed by the sea.

Many believe the palace of Cleopatra to be one of these lost secrets, sunk during an earthquake. Archaeologists point to a temple to Isis, a tomb (believed to be that of Cleopatra herself) and a museum on the site.

Experts have reclaimed over 140 artefacts. It isn't currently accessible but there are plans to one day open it to divers.

8) Neptune Memorial Reef, Miami

Neptune Reef, Miami — The gates of the Neptune Memorial Reef, Miami

Yes, I've even sneaked a cemetery into an article about strange underwater places! This subaquatic cemetery is also an artificial reef. It’s home to coral and sea creatures such as angelfish and loggerhead turtles.

It combines fake ruins with concrete memorials containing cremated remains. The Neptune Society, who sponsor the reef, balance the eco-system with the memorials.

Divers can explore the 16-acre site and access is even free. You can find the Neptune Memorial Reef 3 miles off the coast of Key Biscayne.

9) Dwarka, India

According to legend, Lord Krishna had a city comprising 70,000 palaces made of precious metals. When Lord Krishna died, the whole city, Dwarka, disappeared beneath the waves.

In 2000, experts discovered a series of ruins 40m under the waters near Dwarka’s modern-day settlement. The city is one of the seven oldest cities in India. Engineers conducted acoustic studies and found the ruins were geometric.

While archaeologists have recovered lots of artefacts, one caught their eye. Dated to 7500 BCE, it suggests the ruins could be ancient Dwarka after all.

divers underwater caves diving Ginnie Springs Florida USA — Ginnie Springs

10) Ginnie Cavern, Florida

Divers in Florida enjoy a range of freshwater caves. But Ginnie Springs features one of the most accessible. It also boasts crystal-clear water which makes the experience so much more magical.

You can take lights into Ginnie Cavern but the upper room of the cave already enjoys natural daylight. Its limestone walls help to reflect that light. The “Ballroom”, further inside, is the cavern that contains stunning rock formations. This is where you’ll need lights.

Open-water certified divers can even enter to explore the 100ft cavern.

11) Museo Subacuatico de Arte (MUSA), Mexico

We're used to museums as having guides, description panels, and walls. The Museo Subacuatico de Arte (also known as the Cancun Underwater Museum) has none of them. It's also underwater.

Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, the museum fulfils two intentions. Artist Jason deCaires Taylor wanted visitors to appreciate art in beautiful surroundings. His art drew visitors away from the nearby struggling reefs.

Man made reef, made of sculptures at the Grenada Underwater Sculptures park

Over 400 of his sculptures act as artificial reefs on the seabed. The two galleries are both open to snorkelers, and one of them is also accessible to divers. If you don’t fancy diving, you can also see the sculptures from a glass-bottomed boat.

12) Rummu Underwater Prison, Estonia

The Soviet Union established a prison near Rummu, Estonia, in the 1940s. A nearby limestone quarry provided backbreaking work for the inmates.

The authorities abandoned the prison and quarry in the 1990s after Estonia regained independence. With no one to pump water out of the quarry, it filled up and formed a lake. Some buildings disappeared beneath the water.

While it's not open to the public, adventurous divers often brave the wall anyway. Beyond, they explore the machinery and buildings submerged in the quarry.

13) Christ of the Abyss, Portofino

Diver Dario Gonzatti died while diving at San Fruttuoso, near Portofino, in 1947. His friend, Duilio Marcante, wanted to memorialise him. He commissioned a sculptor to create an underwater statue of Christ. The 8ft tall bronze statue stands 50ft below the waves. Christ of the Abyss isn't just a subaquatic memorial. He also acts as a reference point for divers if they get into difficulty.

The statue was removed for refurbishment in 2003, but he returned in 2005. Copies also exist in Key Largo, Florida, and St George, Grenada.

14) The Underwater Sculpture Park, Molinere

If you go to St George to see Christ of the Abyss, pay a visit to the underwater sculpture park in Molinere Bay. Created in 2006, it helped regeneration of the area following storm damage. The statues provide a home for coral and algae.

Sea life in the area gives an otherworldly feel to the sculptures. Creatures colonised the statues, making them look like lost shipwreck treasures.

damien hirst demon — Demon from Treasures of the Wreck of the Unbelievable by Damien Hirst, Venice 2017

Perhaps they inspired Damien Hirst’s Treasures of the Wreck of the Unbelievable exhibition in Venice.

15) Shipwreck of the Sweepstakes, Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada

Speaking of wrecks, shipwrecks are more obvious strange underwater places you might visit. Few are as accessible as the Sweepstakes. After sinking in 1885 in Lake Huron, it lies just 15m from the shore.

It's also only 6m down, making it easy for visitors to Fathom Five National Marine Park to see her. While divers can swim around her, a wire fence stops them from going inside, to preserve the wreckage.

That’s a lesson we need to learn where these underwater secrets are concerned. While they might be lesser known now, they still need to be preserved for future generations.

I'll be revisiting some of these places in future stories, but for now, sink beneath the waves in this supernatural short story, The Dark Queen.

A sunken city. A lost goddess … and the woman who longs to find her.

Lara is part of a dive team exploring the sunken city of Thonis-Heraklion off the north coast of Egypt. When a storm threatens the site, there's only time for one last dive and Lara is determined to be on it – even if it means diving with the man who threatened her this summer.

Because The Dark Queen is down there and Lara intends to find her before it's too late …

Sink beneath the waves in this supernatural short story from New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, J.F.Penn. Available now in ebook editions.

Purchase now in ebook format

The Hidden Side Of Strange And Unusual Bath, England

November 29, 2017 By J.F. Penn

I've been living in Bath for several years now, and although on the surface, it seems like a genteel little place, there is a darker side to the city – if you know where to look.

Bath straddles the River Avon in Wiltshire in the South West of England. Made famous by Jane Austen costume dramas, the city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

But beneath the charming streets, Roman baths, and Georgian grandeur, lies a weird city. A strange Bath, a place haunted by Druids with Masonic symbols hidden in plain sight. Ley lines crackle with mysterious power along the same streets used by tour buses, and under these streets lie curses to ancient gods.

(1) Ancient curses in the Roman Baths

In the pre-Roman era, a hot spring existed in the area frequented by the local pagan population. Dedicated to Sul, the goddess of healing, the spring’s popularity drew the Romans’ attention. They combined Sul with their own goddess, Minerva, to create Sul Minerva. They built a temple to her and the resulting town became Aquae Sulis. It sounds idyllic, but excavations in the late 1970s revealed a darker side to the Romans in Bath.

Archaeologists uncovered around 130 thin sheets of metal in the waters of the King's Bath. They turned out to be curse tablets rolled into tubes and dating back to the earliest centuries AD.

Curse tablets occur across the Greco-Roman world and they fall into two categories. One group takes the form of binding curses. These were ideal if you wanted to curse love rivals or sporting competitors. The Romans were asking the gods to take matters into their hands.

The second group involves asking the gods to mete out justice against thieves and the Bath tablets fall into this category. Some of them address Sulis Minerva as the guardian of the spring. The text asks her to persecute the guilty party until they return the stolen property. Many of the tablets refer to small items stolen at the baths.

It gives a whole new insight into the people frequenting the Roman Baths in their ancient heyday.

(2) Druids, The Circus, and the Freemasons

The Circus is a gorgeous, circular Georgian terrace with three layers of classical columns. Five enormous plane trees stand in the central garden, blocking the view of the buildings and it's really hard to get a picture of the curved facade. I walk through The Circus almost every day, so it's a place I have come to love. When I wrote Map of Shadows, which opens in Bath, I started to research the area and found it has an incredible background.

Inspired by Bath's alleged druid past, architect John Wood the Elder designed the Circus by modelling its dimensions on Stonehenge. The outer circumference matches the ancient Druid standing stones, as well as incorporating the pagan circle and crescent of The Circus and The Royal Crescent just along the street.

Freemasonry was used in the design. The layout of The Circus, Gay Street and Queen Square form a key, a common symbol in Freemasonry, representing power or hidden secrets. There are over 500 carved emblems along the frieze of the columns, including serpents, stone tablets of the 10 commandments, lightning bolts, and more.

According to legend, a ley line connects Bath Abbey and The Circus, cutting along Brock Street. If that’s true, it makes The Circus the heart of strange Bath, and it plays an important part in my story, Map of Shadows.

(3) A pagan god in the Botanic Gardens

The Botanic Gardens are fantastic to visit in any season, with its ever-changing landscape of trees, flowers, fat pigeons and cheeky squirrels. I walk there several times a week and enjoy watching the seasons pass.

Detail of carvings on the frieze at The Circus. Note the 10 Commandments tablet

But there is one strange object in the gardens – a huge pagan deity carved from a tree.

William Lobb brought twelve Giant Redwoods to the UK in the 1850s. One of them ended up in Bath's Botanic Gardens and it died after contracting Honey Fungus. In 2001, the council commissioned a local artist to create a piece celebrating its life. Lee Dickson created the chainsaw sculpture that stands near the Dovecote. The 7m-tall Mankind’s Hand in Nature preserves what's left of the redwood. It helps to celebrate the Druid roots of the city.

(4) Literary inspiration and Gothic horror

Jane Austen is Bath's most famous literary inhabitant. She lived in the city between 1800 and 1809. But many overlook the short presence of an even greater writing resident – Mary Shelley.

Bath street view — This Bath street with its map shop is the inspiration for Map of Shadows

She came up with the idea of Frankenstein and his monster during the infamous evening at the Villa Diodati. Later in 1816, the writer arrived in Bath with Percy Shelley and took rooms at 5 Abbey Churchyard (now long gone) and 12 New Bond Street. When they left the city five months later, she'd finished the first volume of the novel that would make her famous.

Shelley may have given birth to Frankenstein in Switzerland, but she brought him up in strange Bath.

Charles Dickens also paid frequent visits to the city. He stayed at the Saracen's Head on a visit in 1835. Rumour has it that Dickens created The Old Curiosity Shop’s Little Nell during a stay in St James' Square in 1840. Bath's nineteenth-century social life appears in The Pickwick Papers.

(5) Angels and the dead at Bath Abbey

Close up of angel climbing down Jacob's Ladder, Bath Cathedral

The most arresting view of Bath Abbey comes at the grand West facade where angels climb stone ladders alongside the stained-glass windows, a gorgeous carved entrance doorway, and carved figures from Biblical history.

According to abbey legends, Bishop Oliver King dreamed of angels climbing to heaven in the early 1500s, and although Jacob's Ladder is a common enough motif on cathedrals, if you stand beneath the angels, you'll see some are climbing down. Are they angels – or demons?

In 2011, excavations revealed the bodies of around 6000 people beneath the floor of the abbey. Interred at the abbey until the mid-19th century, the burials stopped when they ran out of space. As the corpses decomposed, they caused voids under the stone slabs. Work is underway to repair the floor before it collapses.

(6) Ghost signs preserve Bath’s literary heritage

Ghost signs are the remnants of old advertisements painted onto walls. Sometimes the signs are legible, reminding passersby of long-gone products or local businesses. In places, you can see several signs painted one on top of another.

On Milsom Street, a building bears the ghost sign of the Circulating Library and Reading Room. The sign dates to the early 1820s and Sébastien Ardouin notes Frederick Joseph ran a bookshop at no. 43 – the building bearing the sign.

Circulating libraries found popularity in the 18th century due to the cost of books. Booksellers founded them to lend copies of the books to earn extra income. Members paid a subscription fee to borrow one or two books at a time. They were much like an early literary version of Netflix.

(7) Kennet and Avon Canal

Canal boat trip on the Kennet and Avon Canal

The Kennet and Avon Canal stretches for 140km, linking the River Avon and the River Kennet. Built between 1794 and 1810, the canal fell into disrepair after the Great Western Railway opened. Volunteers restored the canal which reopened in 1990, and I walk along it several times a month. It's one of my favorite walks, and one of the characters in Map of Shadows, Mila, lives on a canal boat.

The canal is now a popular destination for boating and it's an important site for wildlife. But we're interested in strange Bath, so if ghosts are your thing, head to the Cross Guns pub in Avoncliff. You can see the canal’s aqueduct from the gardens.

Reports tell of a Blue Lady in the women's toilets, though she appears elsewhere. She dresses in Victorian fashions and looks down to the river. Witnesses describe feelings of being watched and a sudden drop in temperature before she appears. Staff see shadows in the kitchen while patrons also see an old man in the bar. The figure of a monk sometimes appears near a fireplace in the lounge where there is a priest hole.

So, if you visit Bath, be sure to look beneath the tourist facade to the dark side beneath …

My dark fantasy novel is based in Bath. Read on if you'd like to know more.

A map of skin etched in blood.
A world under threat from the Borderlands.
A young woman who must risk the shadows to save her family.

When her Grandfather is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Sienna Farren inherits his map shop in the ancient city of Bath, England. Once there, she discovers that her family is bound up with the Ministry of Maps, a mysterious agency who maintain the borders between this world and the Uncharted.

With the help of Mila Wendell, a traveller on the canals, Sienna discovers her own magical ability and a terrifying place of blood that awaits in the world beyond.

But when she discovers a truth about her past and the Borderlands begin to push through the defenses, Sienna must join the team of Mapwalkers on their mission to find the Map of Shadows – whatever the cost.

In a place written out of history, a world off the edge of the map, Sienna must risk everything to find her father … and her true path as a Mapwalker.

This dark fantasy novel is the first in the new Mapwalker series.

Available now in ebook or print format!

14 Weird And Wonderful Places To See In Spain

September 30, 2017 By J.F. Penn

Spain is one of my favorite places, somewhere I return to over and over again. I particularly love the Sagrada Familia and the beachside tapas of Barcelona, the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the chilled vibe of Malaga, and the cultural heritage of Granada and Cordoba.

But Spain has a darker side.

Bloody religious statues and relics fill the Catholic churches, resonant with the history of the Inquisition and the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, who forced the Jews to convert, leave, or die. Their empire took the faith to Latin America in search of gold and converts … at any cost.

Much later, Spain suffered during the Spanish Civil War with torture, killings, and mob violence. The fight against fascism characterizes memorials around the country and still scars many of those left behind.

The deep religious and cultural history brings beauty in the strange and wonderful places that you can still visit and many writers find inspiration there. My ARKANE thriller, Gates of Hell, delves into sites related to Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, while Dan Brown's latest novel, Origin, has scenes in Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Bilbao.

So which of Spain's strange places should you visit?

1) Sagrada Família, Barcelona

Multi-colored columns of the Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Família church has been under construction for over 100 years. Begun in 1882, it's estimated to be finished in 2026.

Architect Antoni Gaudí scrapped the original plans for a neo-Gothic cathedral and turned the building into a monument to Modernism. Only 15-25% of the building work was finished when he died in 1926 but his vision lives on. Two of its three major façades have been finished (the Passion and the Nativity). Work only began on the Glory façade in 2002.

The church is famous for its incredible stained glass windows and awe-inspiring towers. Inside, a forest of columns stretches into the gloom above. It really is jaw-dropping and a must visit if you're in Spain. The Sagrada Familia proved an ideal location for one scene in Gates of Hell. Click here for more of my pictures from Barcelona. Here are Morgan Sierra's thoughts on entering the church.

“An elvish kingdom, a fantasy forest of marble pillars rose from the floor separating into branches that supported the high coffered ceiling in Gaudí's unique design. The impression was organic, as if the earth had grown up into this space, reaching to meet high above them in a forest canopy.

It was light and airy and Morgan could imagine Cirque du Soleil performers in here, leaping and twisting in praise to the Creator. It was a far cry from the austerity of Gothic architecture and somber darkness of most great European cathedrals. This was all light and pattern, rippling in the evening sun. The palette of color moved across gentle pinks and blues from the Montjuïc stone to darker granite and the almost burgundy of Iranian porphyry. Light streamed in through multi-hued windows of rainbow glass, all circles and curves, caressing the flagstones as light would ripple through the forest leaves.

Stained glass windows at the Sagrada Familia

Those who worshipped the pagan gods of nature would feel at home here. The only obvious nod to Christianity was the figure of Christ on the cross under a parachute above the simple altar. But it was dwarfed by the sheer overwhelming beauty of the stone trunks and intricate design of the basilica, lifting the worshippers' spirits above their earthly pain.”

Excerpt from Gates of Hell, Chapter 6.

2) Museo de las Brujas, Zugarramurdi

Apart from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall, there aren’t many witchcraft museums. But many consider the small town of Zugarramurdi in the Navarre region the centre of witchcraft in the nation’s history. The Museo de las Brujas takes visitors back to the Inquisition, one of Spain’s bloodiest periods.

torah scroll — Torah scroll from the synagogue in Barcelona, where the Jews were massacred in 1391. It was only opened again in 2002.

Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella established the Spanish Inquisition in 1478. Heretics formed the original focus, rooting out spies among apparent converts from Islam and Judaism. In 1610, the Inquisition arrived in Zugarramurdi to investigate rumours of witchcraft. Officials tried over 7,000 people and found 53 guilty. Many now condemn the atrocities of the Inquisition, recognising the ‘witchcraft' as being simple folk medicine.

Located in a disused hospital, you can explore occult myths and legends surrounding the town. The museum aims to dispel the myths and misconceptions around witches. Exhibitions explore herbal remedies to explain how some may have confused them with witchcraft. The town celebrates the summer solstice in nearby caves and the Witch Museum takes part in the festivities.

3) Cave of the Moon, Titulcia

Titulcia lies to the south-east of Madrid, home to a bizarre underground world. Restaurant owner Armando Rico discovered the subterranean complex in 1952. The archways, medieval art and plasterwork show potential Renaissance origins, but no one knows who built the catacombs – or why.

Tunnels link a series of domed chambers where symbols cover the walls. German researchers in the 1970s thought the tunnels may have been a meeting place for the Knights Templar. It derives its name, the Cave of the Moon, from the fact some believe the central vault represents the full moon.

But researchers also found Celtic, Roman, and other medieval remains in the cave. Some visitors believe it holds psychic power while Rico believes it to represent the Earth and the moon. If you want to explore for yourself, you'll need permission from Rico to enter through his restaurant.

4) The Temple of Debod, Madrid

As weird places go, you can’t improve on an Egyptian temple in a Madrid park. Yet that’s what you can see in the Parque de la Montaña.

Many historical sites faced destruction during the construction of the Aswan Dam. The Spanish government helped saved some of these sites, including the Abu Simbel temples which appear in ARKANE thriller Ark of Blood.

Egyptian authorities gifted the 4th century BC Temple of Debod to Spain as a thank you. The single-room temple stood in the Nile Valley near the temple complex of Philae, used to worship the goddess Isis. Specialists dismantled the temple and shipped it to Spain in 1968. The site proves a popular attraction for photographers at sunset!

5) Gernika (or Guernica)

Stamp shows painting by Pablo Picasso Guernica — Stamp printed in Spain shows Picasso's Guernica

Guernica stands for devastation and loss in the annals of European history, made famous by the Picasso painting of the same name.

German forces targeted the old city during the first aerial bomb attacks on civilians and the rebuilt city now houses a Peace Museum. The museum tells the story of the 1937 bombing alongside other war atrocities, and explores conflict resolution and human rights.

The original Picasso painting now rests in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, and a tapestry version of it hangs in the United Nations Headquarters in New York, at the entrance to the Security Council room. A reminder of the horrors of war.

6) Montjuïc Cemetery, Barcelona

No article on weird places to see in Spain would be complete without a graveyard. You don't imagine the dead needing a good view, but they have one anyway in Barcelona's Montjuïc Cemetery. High on the hill overlooking the city, the cemetery opened in 1883. Its 57 acres have seen over one million burials across 150,000 plots and cremation niches.

Much like the city itself, the cemetery boasts monuments in classic, Gothic, Art Nouveau and Modernisme design styles. Surrealist artist Joan Miró rests here.

There's a Roman crematorium at the top of the cemetery, while el Fossar de la Pedrera lies to the west. This silent area, the Grave of the Quarry, is the resting place of around 4,000 people executed by the Franco regime. If you want to see the whole park, it can take over 3 hours to walk around it.

casa batllo barcelona — Casa Batlló, Barcelona exterior

7) Casa Batlló, Barcelona

You can’t miss the influence of Antoni Gaudí around Barcelona–he’s the king of weird sculpture and architecture in Spain. The Casa Batlló is one of the more obvious examples. The architect re-designed the facade and the interior of the building for the wealthy Batlló family.

Sometimes called the House of Bones, the lower floors resemble a giant ribcage. The exterior decoration further up the facade looks more like blood vessels. Many compare the ridged, undulating roofline to the back of a dragon.

If you enjoy his work, take a trip to the Park Güell overlooking the city. Gaudí’s former home in the park is now a museum, and you can’t miss its shocking pink exterior.

8) Museo Lara, Ronda

This private museum is one of the best weird places to see in Spain. Founded by Juan Antonio Lara Jury, the museum displays his vast collections. You'll see anything from vintage typewriters to old watches, handguns and microscopes.

But the Museo Lara is also home to the second Spanish Inquisition connection on this list. The cellar contains exhibits about the Inquisition and witchcraft. It includes torture equipment, mannequins in historical costume, and crazy taxidermy including a tarantula with the head of a bat. Perfect if you’re fascinated by the occult and the macabre.

Statue of the Angel Fallen From Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

9) Monumento del Angel Caido, Madrid

Cemeteries and parks play host to thousands of carved angels, but few focus on the fallen angel, Lucifer – except the Parque del Retiro.

Created in plaster in 1877, the sculptor drew inspiration from the Fallen Angel as he appears in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The statue won a prize during the National Exhibition of Fine Arts.

The recast bronze version became part of a fountain where devils form waterspouts. Inaugurated in 1885, the statue divided opinion. Many hated Satan’s beautiful appearance though critics appreciated the technical skill behind its creation. It stands at 666 metres above sea level.

10) Capilla Real de Granada

Catholic churches often have fascinating icons, depictions of saints and the method of their martyrdom. The Royal Chapel of Granada features some of the most bloody and explicit scenes I've seen in my travels around the world, perhaps appropriate since the monarchs buried there, Ferdinand and Isabella, presided over some of the most brutal times of Spain's religious history. Gruesome stuff!

Inside the Grand Mosque Mezquita cathedral of Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain

12) Mezquita, Córdoba

This incredible building combines the beauty of Moorish architecture in the red and white archways with the ornate chapels and altars of the Catholic cathedral.

Córdoba was a hub of learning during the Caliphate over a thousand years ago, famous for the books collected by its knowledge-hungry rulers. Baghdad and the East were far in advance of Europe then, inventing the Arabic numerals and algebra still used today, along with decimal notation and the zero. The Mezquita was a mosque and later became a Christian cathedral during the Reconquista.

There are 856 columns inside, some of which become clues in Gates of Hell based on a Kabbalistic code that lead Morgan and Jake on to further adventures.

13) The Alhambra, Granada

With a name loosely translated as ‘the red one', the Alhambra contains stunning examples of Moorish architecture with a fantastical palace of courtyards inside the Nazrid Palace. Intricate geometric designs and Arabic calligraphy line the walls and the Court of the Lions seems to defy gravity with its slender columns and water features.

Book your slot early if you want to visit and try to avoid the crowds! More of my pictures of the Alhambra and Andalucia here.

14) Monastery of St Geronimo, Granada

Monastery of St Geronimo, Granada, Spain

This monastery is off the tourist beaten track and rewards visitors with a stunning chapel interior. You almost get vertigo staring up into the myriad vaults, all richly decorated.

There are also some freaky-looking relics and icons in the side chapels. Well worth a visit!

So these are some of my picks for weird and wonderful Spain – no doubt I'll add some more on the next trip! Happy travels.

12 Of The World’s Best Anatomical Museums

September 13, 2017 By J.F. Penn

When you book a trip to a new city, thoughts turn to popular attractions or places you might like to see. For most people, anatomical museums don’t usually rank high on the list.

But for a writer, medical museums prove fertile ground in which to find new ideas or story seeds.

If you write crime thrillers, they’re also an excellent way to ensure you’re getting the details right!

As an avid fan of such places myself, I’ve collected together 12 of the world’s best anatomical museums. If you're into the macabre as I am, then you might enjoy them too!

1. Anatomy Museum, The Hunterian, Glasgow, UK

There are two Hunterian museums in the United Kingdom because there were two Hunter brothers. The Glasgow collection is that of William, the famed teacher of surgery and obstetrician to the wealthy. William Hunter opened a ground-breaking medical school in Covent Garden to teach anatomy through practical classes.

After a rift with his brother John, William donated his collection to Glasgow University. Perhaps the most famous exhibit is the plaster cast made of a pregnant uterus. It accompanies his masterpiece textbook, The Anatomy of the Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures (1774). His preparations of lymphatic tissue, injected with mercury to highlight the vessels, are artworks in themselves.

Of course, with tales of resurrection men murdering people to provide bodies for the anatomy school, you have to wonder how many of these were voluntary specimens …

2. Hunterian Museum, London, UK

While William Hunter’s collection went to Glasgow, John’s collection stayed in London. The vast array of preserved specimens bears witness to Hunter’s tireless efforts to understand the body. The Hunterian Museum collects together preserved body parts and even the skeleton of a ‘giant’.

specimen jars Hunterian — Specimen jars from the Hunterian Museum, London

It’s also a central location for Desecration, the first book in my London Crime Thriller series. As fascinating as anatomical museums are, and they’re essential to medical progress, they raise ethical questions about the treatment of the deceased. That made the museum the ideal location for the story.

3. Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, USA

Founded in 1863 by Dr Thomas Dent Mütter, the museum is perhaps America's best known medical marvel. It uses a ‘cabinet museum' format to display the collections of specimens, instruments, and models.

Among other things, you can see part of John Wilkes Booth's spine, slices of Einstein's brain, and the famous skull collection belonging to Dr Joseph Hyrtl. The museum features a mix of temporary exhibitions and permanent displays. The Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden is a fascinating stop if you’ve also seen the Chelsea Physick Garden in London.

As their website explains, the Mütter Museum “helps the public appreciate the mysteries and beauty of the human body while understanding the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease.”

4. Old Operating Theatre, London, UK

While the steady march of progress continues in the nearby Shard, the Old Operating Theatre lies in a quiet Southwark garret above St Thomas Church. All that remains of the old St Thomas’ Hospital, the theatre served the women's surgical ward.

Hundreds of students would have watched the surgical procedures from the galleries surrounding the operating table and remember, this was before the invention of antiseptic or anaesthetic. Gruesome stuff!

apothecarybox — Apothecary box from the Old Operating Theatre, London

You can attend fascinating talks about the equipment by museum curators and I've even attended a Death Drawing workshop there. Like the Hunterian Museum, it provided me with plenty of research material for Desecration.

5. International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, USA

Founded in 1935, the IMSS aimed to promote surgical knowledge worldwide. In 1954, it opened to the public and in 1959, the museum dedicated galleries, hallways or rooms to individual nations and their surgical contributions.

The museum holds plenty of art and documentation to trace the development of surgical techniques. You can also see original x-rays, transplant equipment, and a cast from Napoleon's death mask.

The IMSS was also another of the anatomical museums to give me a story idea. It was there that I found the 4000-year-old Peruvian skull showing evidence of trepanation.

chicagoskull — Skull that inspired Sacrifice

The skull inspired American Demon Hunters: Sacrifice, the dark fantasy novel I co-wrote with Lindsay Buroker, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon on a train from Chicago to New Orleans in 2017.

6. Museum Vrolik, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Named after Gerard and Willem Vrolik, a 19th-century father-and-son who were both anatomy professors, the museum is an interesting place to visit in Amsterdam.

It started life as the pair's private collection, viewable at their house. Their specimens included both normal anatomy and malformed examples, such as one-eyed foetuses and corset livers. The museum stresses the importance of specimens such as Siamese twins, given how rare such cases are in the 21st century.

7. Warren Anatomical Museum, Harvard Medical School, USA

The Warren Anatomical Museum was founded in 1847. Attached to a working medical school, the anatomy lecturers still use the Exhibition Gallery as a teaching space. It’s a small museum, comprised of four display cases on a single floor, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a trip. The 100 medical artefacts on display are less than 1% of the entire collection.

The displays contain actual human remains so photography is not allowed in the Exhibition Gallery. Its most famous exhibit is the skull of Phineas Gage (see image left), a railroad worker who suffered an iron bar driven through his brain. While he survived the trauma, the resulting change in his behaviour and personality revolutionised neuroscience.

8. Museum of Human Anatomy, Pisa, Italy

A lot of universities boast anatomical museums, but few have the lineage of the Museum of Human Anatomy in the Medical School of Pisa. The town was one of the first in Italy to get an anatomy school.

The museum itself dates to the early 19th century. A Second World War blast in 1944 caused flooding, damaging some of the exhibits, yet plenty of wonderful specimens remain. They specialise in osteology, displaying a range of different bones. One model is a skull, known as an exploded model, due to the separated bones on display. They also have other specimens representing different anatomical systems, such as circulation.

vesalius — An illustration from the Vesalius anatomy book

The museum even boasts a collection of embalmed Peruvian heads, alongside two Egyptian mummies. You can also pop next door to the Pathological Anatomy Museum to see all kinds of aberrations, including a two-headed cat.

9. Medical History Museum of the Hamburg University Teaching Hospital, Hamburg, Germany

Some anatomical museums attempt to trace the history of medicine. The Hamburg museum focuses on modern medicine, from the 19th century until now.

The curators are unafraid to face the darkest eras in human history. They included a display about Nazi eugenics programs. It returns a voice to those murdered by the regime for being deemed mentally or physically unfit to live. It’s a harrowing display, but it’s important to remember the sacrifices suffered by others in earlier times. I used aspects of the Nazi eugenics program in Desecration.

10. Paul Stradin's History of Medicine Museum, Riga, Latvia

The collection started in the 1920s, begun by Dr Paul Stradins. A two-headed dog rubs shoulders with Chernushka, the dog who travelled into space on Sputnik 9 and survived. Note the two-headed dog was a manmade creation. It seems horrifying today, but the work of Vladimir Demikhov inspired techniques still used in organ transplants.

Elsewhere, there are fascinating dioramas, including a medieval pharmacy and town which explains medieval healing.

11. The Museum of the History of Medicine, Paris, France

Some of this museum's collections date back to the 18th century. They specialise in the medical instruments, but they also hold anatomical specimens and other items related to surgery.

streetartskeleton — Skeleton street art in London shows enduring interest in anatomy and death culture

Chronological displays in the Museum of the History of Medicine lead you forwards through time as surgical devices evolve around you. From trepanning to anaesthesia, it makes you appreciate the advances of modern medicine. You can even see the autopsy equipment used on Napoleon.

12. Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charité, Germany

This museum hosts a permanent exhibition that traces the past 300 years of medical history.

A specimen hall lies at the heart of the museum. Visitors can see 750 wet-and-dry examples on display. Like the Hamburg museum, the museum features displays that explore the ways in which the Nazis used science for their own ends. Elsewhere, temporary exhibitions shine a light on other aspects of contemporary medicine, such as forensics.

Any, or all, of these museums preserve knowledge that has been hard-won by ingenious–and diabolical–scientists. One thing is for certain–you’ll leave with a greater appreciation of modern medicine.

10 Beautiful And Unusual Places To Visit In Venice

August 12, 2017 By J.F. Penn

Venice is naturally a strange place to visit. Rising out of the Adriatic Sea, the city comprises 118 islands, connected by over 400 bridges and walkways. Getting lost is all part of the fun though you're never lost for long.

The Doge's Palace and St Mark's Campanile are obvious tourist attractions, along with the famous Rialto Bridge, spanning the Grand Canal with its souvenir shops, stalls, and selfie seekers.

But turning away from the main thoroughfares helps you avoid the tourist crowds. You’ll find more of the real city by navigating the narrow alleys and crossing the spectacular squares.

On a recent trip, we stayed on Lido island, only a short ferry ride to San Marco. Absolutely recommended for avoiding the tourist throng! Click here for my photo album.

Get more out of your stay by exploring these unusual places to visit in Venice.

1. Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable

This stunning show by British artist Damien Hirst spans two palazzos at the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, and if you miss Hirst, then these venues have exhibitions throughout the year.

The entire exhibition is a single body of work, devoted to the story that frames the show. The sculptures are treasures apparently salvaged from a shipwreck 2000 years ago. According to Hirst's legend, the collection belonged to a freed slave, Cif Amotan II, who was sending his art to a temple on board the ‘Unbelievable’.

The exhibition runs until December 3, 2017. You can buy tickets online here.

I also wrote about Hirst's art, money and ambition on my writing blog and you can see more of the pictures there too.

2. St Mark's Basilica

The basilica marks the site of the Pentecost mosaic that appears in the first ARKANE book, Stone of Fire. Look up and you will see the tongues of fire coming down onto the apostles.

The basilica also houses the treasury where you'll find a collection of reliquaries. They contain the bones of various saints. We've already looked at bizarre religious relics but these reliquaries are something else. The reliquaries themselves are beautiful, made of gold and crystal.

It costs a little extra to see, but it's one of the more unusual places to visit in Venice.

3. Libreria Acqua Alta

If you're anything like me, you can't resist a visit to a bookshop. But how would you cope as a bookstore owner in a city built on water that regularly floods?

This particular Venetian store hit on an elegant if eccentric solution. They store books, maps, and magazines in bathtubs or waterproof bins. One room even boasts a gondola as a makeshift shelf.

In English, its name means ‘Library of High Water'. So every time the local canals flood, the contents rise with the waterline. Its stacks have even been known to house the occasional stray cat, keen to avoid the flooding.

4. The Flooded Crypt of San Zaccaria

Speaking of flooding, the San Zaccaria church has used the surrounding canals to its advantage. A church has occupied the site since the 9th century though the current incarnation was established in the 15th century. Its architecture blends Gothic and Renaissance, capturing the changing styles of the day.

That said, the undercroft mostly contains the bodies of local leaders (or doges) from the earlier period. The crypt is a beautiful space of columns and vaults, but the permanent level of water adds to its otherworldly charm.

The main church is breathtaking too, but this quiet crypt is one of the more unusual places to visit in Venice. If you'd like to visit, use the entrance in the Campo San Zaccaria, and turn right. A docent sits at the desk and will admit you through a mundane-looking door that belies the beauty beyond.

5. San Servolo Insane Asylum Museum

A network of small islands makes up Venice City. But a collection of other islands in the lagoon stands testament to both its darker past and its craft heritage. While Murano and Burano might attract the tourists keen to learn about glass or lace making, the other islands offer far more unusual places to visit in Venice.

San Servolo is known as the “Island of the Mad”. Opening in 1725, it acted as the city's official mental asylum for 250 years.

During its years of operation, it admitted over 200,000 patients. It closed in 1978 though the Venetian government decided it wanted to preserve the history and the documents of the hospital. They created the Institute for the Study of Social and Cultural Marginalization and reopened in its current form in 2006.

The museum is divided into nine sections, including the Laboratory, Straightjackets, and the Anatomical Theatre. As well as housing disused equipment, the archives also hold photo albums and library collections. You can see rare trees and plants in the park which originally provided ingredients for the pharmacy.

San Servolo puts a public face on the history of mental illness in Venice. Another abandoned asylum quietly rots on Poveglia Island, which is currently closed to visitors.

6. Lazzaretto Nuovo

The Venetian authorities didn't just use the islands as industrial outposts or mental hospitals. They also used them as quarantine spaces for plague victims.

The Lazzaretto Vecchio (Old Quarantine) opened in 1423 as a plague hospital, as well as a quarantine zone. In 1468, the Lazzaretto Nuovo (or New Quarantine) opened as a way station for incoming ships. Thousands of people were sent to the islands during plague outbreaks in 1576 and 1630, which explains the mass graves on both islands.

The Lazzaretto Nuovo is perhaps the better known of the two, and it’s also famous as the home of the Vampire of Venice.

It gained its supernatural reputation after a skull was discovered in a mass plague grave in 2005. The woman's skull had a brick jammed in her mouth, which ties in with old superstitions around killing vampires. This method of dispatch relates to the ‘Shroud Eater' vampires, which allegedly cause destruction while still in their grave. The brick apparently gave them something else to chew on.

The Lazzaretto Nuovo later became a defensive fort under Napoleon and it was abandoned in the 1970s. Recent restoration allowed the island to be reopened to the public. Visitors can now see maritime artefacts, as well as museums that explain the strange history of the island.

The number 13 ferry runs nearby but you'll need to make a request to stop at the island, one of the eeriest places to visit in Venice.

7. Torcello

While we're on the subject of islands, you can learn more about Venice's history on Torcello.

The city was first established here in the 7th century and some think it was occupied by the Romans. In the 12th century, a malaria outbreak on Torcello saw the nearby Rialto settlement eclipse the island as the heart of Venice. Its cathedral harks back to the Byzantine style of the era while museums on the island tell its story.

You can reach it by taking a ferry to Burano, switching to another boat once you're there. The museum and churches lie a 10-minute walk from the ferry stop. So you'll have plenty of time to admire its crumbling beauty. It's not abandoned, but it's definitely off the beaten track. Hemingway certainly loved its quiet tranquillity.

8. Arsenale

With all of these islands and canals, it's no surprise that Venice was proud of its naval power. You can visit its former shipyard in the Castello district.

The Arsenale gave birth to the galleys of the Venetian Republic during its heydey during the Renaissance period.

The site boasts exhibitions during the Biennale, but it's still worth a visit during the rest of the year. Restoration work is underway in many of the buildings and workshops of the vast walled area. The Naval History Museum is a must-see for fans of warships, but it also holds maps, weapons and gondolas.

They even hold a Bucintoro, a replica of the doges’ ceremonial barge.

9. The Jewish Ghetto

It can be easy to get swept along by the quirky charm and magical atmosphere of Venice. But the city's dark past isn't restricted to the islands of the lagoon.

The Jewish Ghetto stands as a testament to the segregation that once characterised the jewel of the Adriatic.

The Ghetto Vecchio and Ghetto Nuovo campos in Cannaregio comprise the Jewish Ghetto. It's separated from the medieval heart of the city as it was originally a foundry. The authorities could minimise the risk of damage if fires broke out.

But in 1516 the authorities decided to use this remote area to house the Venetian Jews. Rules and laws regulated their lives in the district. The bridges were even guarded at night to keep the Jews in their ghetto. There was no room for expansion so the Jews built upwards, which explains the lofty heights of many of the buildings.

Yet they hold remarkable secrets. Some of the buildings boast beautiful synagogues on their top floors, hidden from prying eyes behind simple facades. You can take a tour of these spaces, or visit the museum. As with any area characterised by persecution and cruelty, be respectful to the surrounding history.

10. Strange architecture

Venice is famous for its Byzantine architecture, often mixed with Gothic or Renaissance styles. The city is also synonymous with bridges; 72 of its 417 bridges are even privately owned. Two of the bridges (one public and one private) have no guardrail – something which would be unheard of in England!

The Devil's Bridge is accessible, so you can try crossing without falling in the canal.

If that's not enough strange architecture for you, then pay a visit to the Bovolo Staircase. You'll find it in a cul-de-sac near Campo Manin, clinging to the walls of the 15th century Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. According to legend, the owners asked for an extra staircase, and when the architect could find no space for one inside, he simply added it to the outside of the building.

The tower is off limits due to renovation work, but you can still see it from the outside. Its spiral of arches is great for the photographers among you and the courtyard garden provides a breather from the bustle of the city. It's definitely one of the more unusual places to visit in Venice.

I love Venice and will definitely be heading back there.

Once you have ticked off the main sites, you can spend more time in the back streets and more curious places. Perhaps I might see you there …

13 Of The Most Mysterious Places In India

July 28, 2017 By J.F. Penn

India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, as well as having a deep cultural history with Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It is a country of ancient faith, with a rich mythology that mingles with marvellous architecture and incredible food!

I've been to India twice now – on a cultural tour of the ‘golden triangle' in the north, from Delhi to Varanasi and back through Agra; and then cycling through the south west through Karnataka and Kerala. Both times I have longed to return and it's one of those countries I feel at home in.

The burning ghats of Varanasi feature in the opening scene of Stone of Fire, but I returned to India for Destroyer of Worlds, a story that centers around the Brahmastra, a Hindu relic with the power of a nuclear weapon. The thriller was a finalist for the 2017 International Thriller Writers Awards for Best Ebook Original, so clearly the story resonates.

With so many religions rubbing shoulders, India is both a mystical and an unusual place to visit, so I’ve compiled a list of 13 of the most mysterious places in India.

1. Tower of Silence, Mumbai

The tower of silence stands as a complete contrast to the familiar Western cemetery. Favoured by the Zoroastrians, use of towers to dispose of the dead appears in records as early as the 9th century. In Zoroastrian doctrine, both earth and fire are sacred but the body is unclean. The sun and carrion birds such as vultures remove the need for traditional burial or cremation. Yes, they eat the flesh of the dead …

Three concentric rings make up the roof of the tower. Men occupy the outer ring, with women in the middle, and children at the centre. The bones are left until they're sun-bleached when they're moved to a pit in the middle of the tower. Lime helps them to disintegrate.

The 300-year-old tower in Mumbai stands on Malabar Hill, within a 54-acre forest. Locals noticed a drop in the vulture population in 2015, delaying the natural process of exposure. Unless conservation efforts can boost the number of carrion birds, the process remains under threat. Reading about the plight of the vultures prompted the use of the tower in Destroyer of Worlds.

2. Funeral Pyres, Varanasi

sunrise varanasi — J.F.Penn, Sunrise, Varanasi, India, Dec 2006

The immense cremation ghat formed the backdrop for the opening scenes of Stone of Fire. The pyres, which burn 24/7, force visitors into close contact with the dead. This is not the clean, clinical cremation we’re used to in the West. Seeing the burning ghats for myself gave me the idea for the opening scene and I used them again in Destroyer. Varanasi is crazy busy and overflowing with pilgrims, but it's a place I want to return to. It feels like Jerusalem in its combination of spirituality and mass tourism, and it resonates with energy.

The popularity of the pyres derives from the Hindu belief that laying ashes in the Ganges at Varanasi allows the soul to escape the reincarnation cycle and reach heaven. Since Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest cities, it is the most sacred site along the Ganges.

Despite the introduction of gas and electric-powered crematoria, many still opt for traditional cremation on the ghat. Around 50-60 million trees fuel the ghats every year.

As a result, the funeral pyres are expensive for those wishing to be cremated there. Access to heaven doesn’t come cheap.

3. Bhangarh Fort, Bhangarh

This sprawling complex is less of a fort and more of a city. Boasting vast gates, palaces, and temples, it looks like a picturesque, fairy tale spot. Or is it?

Local legends claim supernatural unrest in the area. The Archaeological Survey of India even posted a sign prohibiting entry after sunset. The city remains accessible during daylight hours.

One story claims a wizard attempted to cast a spell on a woman, who crushed him with a boulder. As he lay dying, he cursed the city with complete destruction. Attackers soon sacked the fort, massacring the inhabitants.

That’s one legend among many. While we may scoff at such tales in the 21st century, the fact remains that the locals abandoned the city and established Bhangarh nearby.

You wonder what may lie among the quiet ruins, festering after dark…

4. South Park Street Cemetery, Kolkata

It wouldn’t be my blog without at least one cemetery. In the 19th century, this eight-acre necropolis was perhaps the largest Christian cemetery outside Europe or America. Almost 1900 graves jostle for space inside the brick walls.

Like a Kolkata version of Highgate (although older than the famous London graveyard), you'll find a range of monument designs. Obelisks and urns rub shoulders with Saracen graves and even cairns.

Who knows what you might find among the prehistoric ferns and moss that quietly reclaim the cemetery?

5. Kalighat Temple, Kolkata

The current Kalighat temple dates to the early 19th century, which explains its Victorian aesthetic. It's home to a unique image of Kali made from black stone with a long tongue made of gold. Some believe the name ‘Calcutta' comes from ‘Kalighat'.

The temple is also one of the Shakti Peeths of India. A princess married Lord Shiva and killed herself after her father disrespected her husband. Lord Shiva began the dance of destruction, and Lord Vishnu dismembered Sati's corpse to stop him. The Shakti Peeths are the sites where Sati's parts fell to earth. According to the story, Sati's right toe fell where the Kalighat now stands.

Attendants behead goats daily in Kali's honour. Since the temple is one of Kolkata's most holy spots, it gets very busy. They even offer queue-jumping services to reach the main shrine. I haven't visited but it's the setting for one of the pivotal scenes in Destroyer of Worlds.

6. Kumbh Mela pilgrimage

The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage rather than a place to visit. Four different festivals carry the name, and they occur at four different locations on rotation. The Mela always takes place on the banks of a sacred river. Organisers calculate the dates using the zodiac positions of Jupiter, the sun, and the moon. Millions of Hindus gather to bathe in the river to cleanse themselves of sin, led into the water at the most auspicious time by the sadhus, the holy men.

No one knows how old the festivals are, but medieval Hindu tales explain that Lord Vishnu left drops of Amrita, the Hindu drink of immortality, at the four sites of the modern-day Kumbh Mela.

While the pilgrimage is largely peaceful, stampedes have led to a loss of life, even as recently as 2013 in Allahabad. In Destroyer of Worlds, the Kumbh Mela is the site for an apocalyptic display of ancient power.

7. Jal Mahal, Jaipur

The ‘Water Palace’ looks like one of the most mysterious places in India, but the local Raja built it as a hunting lodge. A drought in the 16th century prompted locals to build a dam. The resulting lake flooded the lower floors of the lodge, creating the stunning spectacle seen today.

The roof still supports plant life, and some years ago visitors reached the lodge by gondola. Tourists can’t visit the building at the moment though tentative plans want to turn it into a restaurant. If you’d like to see the Jal Mahal at its finest, wait until evening. Illumination within the building gives the appearance of a secret meeting across the water.

8. Taj Mahal, Agra

Despite its name, ‘Crown of the Palace’, the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum. Commissioned in 1632, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan wanted the building as a tomb for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the tomb acts as the central focus of the site. Its design is Persian and a mosque and gardens occupy the rest of the site.

Inside the mausoleum, the sarcophagi in the main chamber are ‘decoys’. The actual graves lie on a lower level in a plain crypt to suit the Muslim traditions against elaborate graves. The faces of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal turn right towards Mecca.

According to the legend, even the lower graves are empty. Doors in the basement level have been blocked, leading to the myth that the real graves lie far underground so they're not disturbed until Judgment Day.

Another long-running myth claims Shah Jahan intended to build a black marble mausoleum across the river from the Taj Mahal, a testament to his love of symmetry. Experts discovered blackened marble ruins on the site, lending credibility to the myth. But an excavation in the 1990s proved the marble stones were originally white, overturning the myth.

Other tales abound, including contracts for construction workers, forbidding them to work on similar designs elsewhere. It may be a popular tourist destination but it’s also one of the more mysterious places in India if you look beyond the souvenirs. In Destroyer of Worlds, there's an even more ancient temple underneath …

9. Mahabat Maqbara, Junagadh

While not as famous as the Taj Mahal, this impressive mausoleum is worth a visit. The building mixes Indian, Islamic, Gothic, and European architecture to create one of the more fantastical places in India.

Built between 1878 and 1892, the mix of styles reflects the changing rule of the area. Junagadh was founded in 1748 and became a British Protectorate in 1807. Despite British rule, the region was part of a princely state until 1947. The area joined Pakistan when the British left India but rejoined India three months later.

The Mahabat Maqbara is a silent monument to the political turmoil that accompanied its construction. Its mixture of influences reflects the changing times. Access to the grounds is free, but you can only see the outside of the mausoleum.

10. Ellora Caves, Maharashtra

The Ellora Caves stand testament to both the mingling of faith and the high level of workmanship in medieval India. Craftsmen carved 34 temples, dedicated to Buddhism, Jainism and Brahmanism, out of the mountainside itself. Many believe it was the faiths working together that allowed builders to excavate solid rock using the rudimentary tools of the 5th century.

Like the mingling of Egyptian religion and Greek beliefs at Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus in Egypt, the Ellora Caves are a monument to religious tolerance and the peaceful sharing of spiritual space. Could a piece of an ancient weapon hide in one of the most mysterious places in India?

11. San Thome Basilica, Chennai

In Stone of Fire, the stone of the title refers to the Pentecostal stones spread around the world by Christ’s disciples.

According to Catholic traditions, St. Thomas reached India in 52 CE, where he preached for a further twenty years. He preached in Chennai until he was martyred nearby.

No evidence exists to confirm this legend, and accounts of Thomas’s time in India weren’t written until centuries later. That said, South Indian Christians still hold the story dear.

The San Thome Basilica stands on the site where Thomas was buried. Followers scattered his remains across the Near East and Europe, some parts even reaching Italy. But a chapel in the basement apparently contains a bone from his hand. The basilica is also one of only three churches in the world built on an apostle’s tomb.

12. Baba Kinaram Ashram, Varanasi

Founded by Baba Kinaram, this ashram is the main headquarters of the Aghori sect. These ascetics are devotees of Shiva, and they deviate from traditional Hindu beliefs since they see opposites as identical. As a result, they see no distinction between purity and pollution.

Some of them live in or near cremation grounds. They smear themselves with human ashes and use skulls as begging bowls. According to some, they also eat human flesh and meditate among corpses. An Aghori sadhu features as one of the important characters in Destroyer of Worlds.

While that sounds extreme, sites of cremation are the final resting place of the body, giving them associations with peace. All cremation grounds are considered holy so they live across the country. But if you're in Varanasi, visit their ashram, truly one of the mysterious places in India. You'll spot it by the skulls either side of the entrance.

13. Great Wall of India

We’ve all heard of the Great Wall of China – but the Great Wall of India? Built 500 years ago, it guards the ancient fort of Kumbhalgarh. The fort is home to over 300 ancient temples.

The wall runs over 36km, and it’s the second longest continuous wall in the world. It resembles its Chinese cousin in both its scope and the terrain it crosses. In places, the wall reaches 15m thick. Despite its use as a defensive measure, decorative work makes the wall a beautiful destination for more adventurous tourists.

But take note. The wall boasts many traps and defence mechanisms. Many of them have been deactivated, but others may potentially lie in wait for the unwary traveller. Given the remote nature of the ruins, who knows what else hides in the mountains?

Any, or all, of these places are stunning and inspirational in equal measure. I look forward to going back to India to explore more!

13 Strange But Awesome Places To See In New Orleans

June 27, 2017 By J.F. Penn

So far, my ARKANE books have largely focused on the ancient world and Europe. But ever since Jake went to America for One Day in New York I’ve wanted to explore the legends and occult traditions of the New World.

What better place to start than The Big Easy, New Orleans?

Especially as I visited the city in early 2017 as part of the research for American Demon Hunters: Sacrifice. You can see some of my pictures in this article and the whole album here on Flickr.

Founded in 1718 by the French, New Orleans passed to Spanish control in 1763. It finally joined the United States in 1803. This change of hands, along with its history of slavery and connection to the local Chitimacha tribes, makes New Orleans a unique place to visit.

It’s suffered many disasters over the decades, including devastating epidemics and hurricanes. More recently, Hurricane Katrina took 1,836 lives in 2005. Thankfully, the city recovered and is open to visitors.

st louis cemetery — Graves in St Louis cemetery, New Orleans

Here are thirteen strange places to see in New Orleans if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in this very unusual city.

1. The Tomb of Marie Laveau

Vodou is never far from the surface in New Orleans. While we're used to spelling it as Voodoo in the West, it’s originally Vodou. Otherwise, you're confusing a legitimate religion from Haiti with the West African folk magic practice of hoodoo.

Either way, one of its most famous priestesses, Marie Laveau, continues to draw the crowds.

Born around 1801, the half Creole hairdresser became famous as a purveyor of charms and gris-gris bags, fortunes and advice. According to legend, she even saved condemned men. But rumours also imply she ran a popular brothel – which could explain her fame.

She died in 1881 and allegedly rests in St. Louis Cemetery No.1, one of the top places to see in New Orleans. Her burial place is named in her obituary though some scholars say she lies elsewhere. Visitors used to scribble an X on her mausoleum in the hope she'd grant their wish. But after a restoration in 2014, the authorities now fine visitors for writing on the grave.

St. Louis Cemetery No.1 opened in 1789 and is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. It has over 600 tombs and preservation work began in 1975.

If you'd like to visit St. Louis Cemetery No.1, then you can only gain access with a tour guide, unless you have family buried there.

2. Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo

Vodou Priestess Marie Laveau gave birth to a daughter in 1827, also named Marie. A museum and shop now stand on the site of the house where Marie Laveau II lived.

voodoo altar, new orleans — Voodoo altar

You can see a Vodou altar and associated items while the owners hold spiritual readings in a back room. You can even buy various Vodou items and books.

But perhaps Marie Laveau II isn't happy with the commercialisation of her home. Many believe her ghost still haunts the property. Visitors report cold fingers kneading their shoulders. Others have seen her in the back room during readings.

3. New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

Marie Laveau's shop isn't the only museum dedicated to Vodou. A local artist named Charles Massicot Gandolfo founded his own small museum in 1972. It focuses on New Orleans Vodou and is a fascinating place.

Vodou priest John T offers psychic readings and fortune telling, which start at $40. You can also book onto a walking tour of St. Louis Cemetery No.1.

The gift shop sells many products, including chicken feet and snake skins, as well as the famous Voodoo Love potion and the New Orleans Voodoo Coffin Kits.

If you're not that brave, then you can buy books and candles instead.

jfpenn nuawlins nate new orleans voodoo — J.F.Penn with Nu'Awlins Nate, New Orleans voodoo tour guide

You can find the Historic Voodoo Museum at 724 Dumaine Street. I did a great walking tour which included the museum with Nu'Awlins Nate, a regular tour guide of the city.

4. Boutique du Vampyre

New Orleans is full of vampires, at least it has been since Anne Rice set some of her Vampire Lestat books in the city.

There is a very cool shop full of vampire gifts and if you get chatting to the (pale) staff, you might get invited to one of the private clubs where entry is only allowed if you are invited by or accompanied by a vampire.

You can check out the shop at 709 St Ann St, or visit their online shop here.

5. New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

Not everything in New Orleans is devoted to the supernatural. The Pharmacy Museum in the French Quarter is an important monument to the development of scientific medicine.

You can see pharmaceutical ingredients in apothecary jars, original wheelchairs, medical instruments and tools, and even old eyeglasses. It’s one of the more unusual places to see in New Orleans.

A recreated pharmacist's lab lies at the back of the shop, while exhibits explain the original role of the ‘soda fountain' in Victorian medicine.

Though it wouldn't be New Orleans without at least a handful of Vodou potions.

6. Séance Room at Muriel's Jackson Square

Head to 801 Chartres Street if you'd like to combine Creole cuisine with paranormal activity.

Muriel's Jackson Square was a holding facility for slaves before it became a family home after the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788. Its owner committed suicide in 1814 on the second floor after losing the house in a poker game.

Once the building became a restaurant, the second floor became a séance room after guests reported a lot of paranormal activity. Despite stories of disembodied voices and breaking glasses, the owners claim the spirits are harmless. They even lay a table for the previous owner every night.

Of course, if you're in the area, you need to get a muffuletta from the Central Grocery, followed by beignets and cafe au lait from Café du Monde. Sugar rush!

7. LaLaurie Mansion

While many houses in New Orleans claim to be haunted, not all of them boast the pedigree of the LaLaurie mansion. Standing in the French Quarter, the cruel Madame LaLaurie allegedly tortured slaves in the house.

Fans of American Horror Story will recognise the house and Madame LaLaurie from the Coven series. Kathy Bates played the Madame.

Actor Nicolas Cage even bought the house and lost it to foreclosure in 2009. Few were surprised since legends of curses surround the house. The imposing mansion is one of the must-see places to see in New Orleans.

You can hear more of the ghost stories by doing an evening Ghosts, Legends and Lore walking tour with Strange True Tours.

8. Metairie Cemetery and Lafayette Cemetery

If you like visiting graveyards (as I do) then Metairie Cemetery is another recommended visit. It's notable for having been built on the site of a race track. The cemetery even follows the original contours.

Like the other city graveyards, it boasts fantastic monuments to house the above-ground burials. Some believe the trend to bury above ground comes from problems with the city's water.

But it was a popular burial style in the Mediterranean due to the rocky soil in southern Europe. French and Spanish colonists introduced the tradition. Paupers were buried in any available ground, so tombs act as a sign of status in the community.

Or you can travel to the Garden District to find the Lafayette Cemetery. Established in 1833, you can find it at 1400 Washington Avenue. It’s one of the definitive places to see in New Orleans.

The cemetery holds over 7000 inhabitants and will be familiar if you've read any of Anne Rice's vampire novels. She even staged her own funeral here in 1995, complete with horse-drawn hearse and brass band, to publicise the release of Memnoch the Devil, book 5 in her Vampire Chronicles.

You'll find plenty of monuments honouring Civil War dead and those lost to regular epidemics of yellow fever.

9. The Museum of Death

With perhaps the most striking name in the history of museums, this weird museum lies in the French Quarter and is one of the more disturbing places to see in New Orleans.

You need a strong stomach because they include plenty of photos from morgues and crime scenes, body bags, antique mortician equipment, coffins, and car accident photography.

It offers a self-guided tour that lasts for around an hour. But if you're of a stronger constitution, you can stay at the Museum of Death as long as you can stand it. I wouldn't recommend taking your Mom!

10. St. Augustine Catholic Church

Found at 1210 Governor Nicholls Street, the church itself isn't the destination. The rusting cross made of thick chains outside is what you need to see. This is the Tomb of the Unknown Slave, installed in 2004. It honours the nameless slaves who died and rarely received proper burials.

chain cross — Cross made from slave shackles, New Orleans

Officially, no one is buried under it, but a bronze plaque nearby explains that slave labour built a lot of the parish. A number of unmarked graves likely lie beneath it.

It's an important memorial in the city and it’s worth seeing it to pay your respects.

11. Backstreet Cultural Museum

Many associate New Orleans with a range of African American celebrations, including jazz funerals and Mardi Gras.

If you want to know more about them, then pop along to the Backstreet Cultural Museum (though it's closed on Mondays and Sundays).

It holds permanent exhibits related to the community-based processional traditions. But it also holds an archive of filmed records of over 500 events. It hosts public music and dance performances and chronicles the jazz funerals held every year.

shotgun houses — ‘Shotgun' houses in New Orleans

You can also visit the House of Dance & Feathers on Tupelo Street to learn more about the Mardi Gras Indian costumes.

12. Escape My Room

If you believe the stories, the DeLaporte mansion stood on the site now occupied by the hospital complex near the New Orleans Superdrome. After the last owner, Odette DeLaporte, became a recluse, the house fell to rack and ruin. In 2005, urban explorers broke in, later describing the house and its fabulous contents.

But when the neighbours returned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they realised the house was completely empty. Where did everything go?

If you believe the website, Escape My Room recreated two of the mansion’s rooms using the items from the house in the remains of a former perfume factory. Players wait in the cabinet of curiosities styled waiting room, furnished with antiques and weird taxidermy. It's typical of the legends and eeriness that hang around New Orleans.

Players get to choose the Jazz Parlor or the Mardi Gras Study. You get one hour to solve a mystery using the clues in the room. There are 8 of you in a group, so it's advisable to work together.

If you solve it without help, you learn something new about the occult in New Orleans that you couldn't have found elsewhere. Only 1 in 3 players solve the riddles unaided. If you're one of the 2 in 3 who can't, a guide will reveal everything you've missed.

If you want to play, you can find it at 601-699 Constance St. Just make sure you book in advance – it's fiendishly popular.

13. House of the Rising Sun

The infamous brothel that inspired the song by the same name isn't open to the public, but I was lucky enough to be taken round by some locals.

These are just some of the awesome places to see in New Orleans.

Because of the diverse range of faiths, lifestyles, and beliefs of the people of New Orleans, you should always be respectful. The whole city is a community, so take an open mind with you.

Who knows which stories you may tell when you leave?

I'm going to be writing an ARKANE novel set in the city, but in the meantime, check out American Demon Hunters: Sacrifice, which I co-wrote with three other authors there after we took the train from Chicago down to New Orleans in March 2017.