One Man Spent 60 Years Building a Mysterious and Sketchy Cathedral

Plus, One of the 21st-Century's Greatest Buildings Is a Library in Mexico

Subscribe View in browser  The entire world in your inbox. Hello all—   I hope you're enjoying a nice start to 2021. I've been getting some fresh air hiking in National Parks. I managed to get to the beautiful and remote pocket of Texas that is Big Bend National Park—and nearly got snowed in!  To kick the new year off, we have Benjamin Kemper in Madrid. A few weeks ago he trekked out to the blue-collar suburb of Mejorada del Campo to learn more about a jaw-dropping church an ex-monk spent decades building by himself. However, Kemper found that there seems to be something off about the whole project. We also have our latest installment of our once-a-month series on the World's Most Beautiful Libraries—Vasconcelos in Mexico City! And, continuing our theme of covering travel that is currently possible and happening, Mary Holland shares her experience on safari in Kenya (which is open)  en route to her home country of South Africa. Enjoy!   — William O'Connor, Travel Editor One Man Spent 60 Years Building a Mysterious and Sketchy Cathedral An ex-monk spent 60 years building a temple to the Virgin Mary. Now everyone is wondering: What will happen to it when he's gone? One of the 21st-Century's Greatest Buildings Is a Library in Mexico From the outside, Biblioteca Vasconcelos seems uninviting. But wander in and you'll surely be amazed. Is this Baboon Skull a Clue to Egypt's Lost Kingdom of Punt New evidence based on a mummified baboon skull may help unlock the secrets of a lost civilization. Here's What It's Like Visiting Kenya Right Now Kenya reopened its borders a few months ago. Here's what it's like to visit right now. How To Realistically Achieve Your New Year's Resolution of Eating Healthy Now that the new year is here, you may find that you've made one of the most cliché resolutions of them all: to eat better. Whether you're doing it to lose weight or just to feel healthier all around, it can be tough to change your diet, especially as your busy lifestyle picks back up.   The best thing you can do is to be as prepared as possible. This means stocking your pantry and fridge with the right foods, but also having some helpful products on hand.    We hope to make things easier for you with this list of items that will help you eat healthier in 2021.  Good luck! READ MORE >>> "A COVID-19 outbreak, pissed-off customers, and a public fight with local government. For a resort chain that promises 'a no-worries vacation,' Sandals Resorts seems to be plagued with them." —Emily Shugerman reports on the rough start for Sandals Resorts' mid-pandemic reopening. Travel to the World's Best Lost and Restored Buildings   There are few things we love more at the Beast than things thought lost. We have a whole series called Lost Masterpieces that dives into works of art that were destroyed or never completed. We've also talked in the past about how nowadays, so much of discovery travel isn't unexplored places but those that have just been forgotten.   Here we highlight Ruin and Redemption in Architecture by Dan Barasch. Designed to impress with its snazzy half-cover in reflective gold, the book is divided into three parts.   The first dives into places that are gone—from the Hall of Nations in New Delhi to the Singer Building in NYC. The second section focuses on those that are still standing, but have been abandoned—the Torre de David in Caracas and the Council of Ministries in Georgia. And the final, and perhaps most fun for travelers, section focuses on once abandoned places that have been redeemed by designers and architects with vision. Think the Grain Silo Complex (now the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art and the iconic Silo Hotel) in Cape Town or the former Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire, England which is no the Bombay Sapphire Distillery.   Check out our previous selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked. BUY ON ASSOULINE >> Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts or newsletters, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales. © Copyright 2021 The Daily Beast Company LLC  555 W. 18th Street, New York NY 10011  Privacy Policy If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add emails@thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can safely unsubscribe.