The collection of churches at Lalibela in Ethiopia are built deep down into volcanic rock and are connected in a series of tunnels and crypts underground. It is no wonder that they are the unofficial Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World. In a hidden chapel, the legendary Ark of the Covenant is monitored by one guard who is never allowed to leave its side. They say it has been there for 3000 years, but no one else has seen it. Lalibela is a place of great faith with a range of mysteries. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/secretpassagespod. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

Beyond Scotland’s mainland to the north is an archipelago of nearly 70 little islands. Collected together they are Orkney. The Maeshowe chamber at Orkney is older than the pyramids of Egypt. It is naturally occurring, but everything under its surface is due to the ancestors of the first people of these islands. The subterranean complex has held many treasures, legends, and stories for the Icelandic sagas. But the real magic comes at the Winter Solstice. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Become a Patron, add a tip at https://www.patreon.com/secretpassagespod. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

Paranormal explanations for the dangers of the Bermuda Triangle begin in the 1960s but stories of unexplained occurrences and disappearances have surrounded these waters since Christopher Columbus. Recurring strange happenings like the ghost ship of the Ellen Austin and the never-again-seen airplanes of Flight 19 brings varying accounts, ranging from UFOs to time portals to the lost civilization of Atlantis. The depths of the Atlantic are a mystery. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Become a Patron, add a tip at https://www.patreon.com/secretpassagespod. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

When over 1100 ancient manuscripts at the Sainte Odile Abbey in the mountains on the French and German border went missing, it was a mystery to the priests and local police. It's like they disappeared into thin air. Magic has always been in these mountains with stories of Celtic battles, Grimm’s fairy tales, and the miracles of the namesake saint of the abbey. But when a bookshelf in the library was found to swing open to an abandoned chamber, an amazing book heist was revealed. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Become a Patron, add a tip at https://www.patreon.com/secretpassagespod. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

In its time, the Hellfire Club gained a reputation as London's most notorious fraternity party with secret rituals, high stakes gambling, anonymous sex, and costumes to rival those of Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. At what is now West Wycombe Park, where Downton Abbey and The Crown have filmed on-location, there are a series of tunnels and caves that hosted some of the most powerful people in the British Empire. What were they up to down in the dark? Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Become a Patron, add a tip at https://www.patreon.com/secretpassagespod. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

There are many strange and wild things in the northern Cascades, a mountain range in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. There are still many undiscovered creeks, waterfalls, and ridges. And due to one AM radio show, there is an intense search for Mel's Hole. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Become a Patron, add a tip at https://www.patreon.com/secretpassagespod. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

Miners of Cerro Rico in Bolivia have worked for centuries on the threshold of sustainable life. The locals call it the Mountain that Eats Men due to its dangerous conditions. Still, they continue to dig for treasures. They pay their respects to El Tio, Lord of the Underworld, to help them survive. But there are other dark interests in Potosi. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

Mikhailovsky Castle, in the middle of St Petersburg, is unlike anything else found in Russia. It is a fairy tale medieval castle complete with moats and drawbridges. It was designed by the paranoid Tsar Pavel I of the Romanov family dynasty and later housed a young Fyodor Dostoevsky. Inside there are walls of marble, wide gentle stairways, and dark corridors with hidden escape routes. It is a peculiar place, perfect for a palace coup. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

'Twas the episode before Christmas... a time to look at the mysteries of Santa Claus and other gift-givers from Saint Nicholas to fairy stories of chimneys as doors to other worlds to Sinterklaas and to that jolly old man in the Coca Cola advertisements. Follow a reading of Twas' the Night Before Christmas to warm up through the cold, winter months. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.

It is hard to survive on the Greenland ice cap. Just ask the Thule people and their ancestors. They tell stories to fill the flat white void with spirits and creatures. Others have tried to make it on the ice but did not stick around. The Cold War U.S. Army base Camp Century built a 50s-style town under the ice, but it was all a show. The top-secret Project Iceworm only came to the surface recently when the snow started to melt. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@secret.passages.pod). Get in touch at https://www.secretpassagespodcast.com/. Researched, written, and produced by E.S. Rodenbiker. Cover art by @game.of.pricks.