For five years I was lucky enough to live near the Cape Spear lighthouse, the most eastern point of Canada and one of the most beautiful spots in the entire country. I would regularly drive the 15 minutes east of the capital city of St. John’s, past secluded ponds and wild moose, and just sit on the rock outcropping, my back to the bleached lighthouse with its striped red roof, and stare out across the North Atlantic towards Ireland. On more than one occasion I witnessed grounded icebergs that had drifted down from Greenland crumble apart and minke whales troll past 50 metres offshore. It was a site that was at times serene and, at times, the focal point of some of the harshest storms known to mankind.

Lighthouses are a testament to ingenuity of human beings. They were built on some of the most exposed areas on earth and over the course of decades (and in some cases, centuries) they withstood hurricanes, ice storms and 80-foot ocean waves and brought sailors home to safe harbour. (Which is more than we can say for these structures reclaimed by nature.) And to think lighthouse keepers used to live through all those intense weather systems! Today most lighthouses are controlled electronically but there’s still a certain mysticism to them, which is why they’re such popular tourist attractions.

Whether you’re in France, Portugal, England, Ireland, Iceland, Canada, the USA or any other coastal region on earth, you’re sure to find sightseeing guides who are more than happy to show you these beautiful structures. Just be sure to go on a calm day.