Solivagant

Member since December 2005

#None 0 0

I am now retired but have been "travelling" for a "hobby" since I was 15 (1957!) whilst pursuing otherwise normal mundane career and "home" things in UK - thus being limited by "annual leave" allowances. During that time I have visited 164 "independent countries" - defined by me as the 193 full UN members plus (somewhat illogically, but they are generally accepted as "sovereign") Taiwan and Holy See (but am not pursuing "193"!). Unfortunately quite a few relatively easily accessible current WHS got "missed" along the way. If only I had known they would get chosen - they are not all obvious choices! Despite the weaknesses in the list and the politics involved in the selection and voting mechanism they provide a quick means of grasping the highlights of many countries and sometimes lead down interesting knowledge and research "avenues" which would otherwise have remain unexplored. 
Proposal for a new WHS:- Roca Agostino Neto Cocoa Plantation Sao Tome.
There are just too many European WHS relative to the rest. Little Sao Tome became the world's greatest producer of cocoa under the Portuguese. So poor were the social conditions that Cadbury boycotted Cocoa from there in early 20C. At Roca Agostinho (and other crumbling colonial sites on Sao Tome) you might just get a feeling for the economic system which created it and "fed" Europe with a raw material so often taken for granted - a really atmospheric place. But it isn't even on the "Tentative list"!

My most impressive site: Machu Picchu. I would like to choose somewhere

My proposal for a new site: See under

Recent Visits
  • 11
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    July 28, 2024
    Beijing Central Axis, Funerary and memory sites of the First World War, Gedi , Hegmataneh, …
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    4
    Jan. 1, 2020
    City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Dunhuang Yardangs, The Lijiang River Scenic Zone …
  • 0
    5
    Jan. 1, 2020
    Ancient cities of Upper Myanmar, Bago, Inle Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda, Wooden Monasteries of Konbaung Period
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About Solivagant

First name
Solivagant
Member since
December 2005
Country of Origin
None
Visits
Rank
#None
WHS
0
Tentative Sites
0
Website Participation
Reviews
442
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
855 0
Photos
N/A
Locations
N/A
Zones
N/A

Reviews by Solivagant

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Cyrene by Solivagant

Cyrene (Inscribed)

Cyrene

If you are really keen on ruins then your trip to Libya should include the long journey along the coast from the province of Tripolitania to that of Cyrenaica. There …

Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska by Solivagant

Wooden Churches of Southern M… (Inscribed)

Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska

The Southern border of Poland with Slovakia contains wonderful unspoilt scenery and justifies detailed exploration by car and on foot over as many days as you can spare during a …

Dresden Elbe Valley by Solivagant

Dresden Elbe Valley (Delisted)

Dresden Elbe Valley

In English the title of this site gives the impression that it is the Elbe which is the main site, limited to that part which is at Dresden! In fact …

Everglades by Solivagant

Everglades (Inscribed)

Everglades

If you are visiting the man-made and theme park attractions or beach resorts of Central Florida it is certainly a bit out of the way to get down to the …

Durmitor National Park by Solivagant

Durmitor National Park (Inscribed)

Durmitor National Park

Serbia and Montenegro are probably not figuring highly in people’s travel plans yet, even some years after the end of hostilities. We last went there when it was part of …

Hollókö by Solivagant

Hollókö (Inscribed)

Hollókö

The preserved village of Holloko is set a convenient return day trip’s distance from Budapest. When we visited it in 1986 towards the end of the communist era it was …

Orkhon Valley by Solivagant

Orkhon Valley (Inscribed)

Orkhon Valley

As an inveterate “listophile” I maintain a large number of travel-related lists. “Ancient Capital Cities of the World” is one – so the chance to “pick up” that of Ghengis …

Mystras by Solivagant

Mystras (Inscribed)

Mystras

As of 2004 the Greek inscribed list of 16 mainly “classical” sites also contains 7 “non classical”, mainly Byzantine. Mystras is one of these, but unusual, in that it is …

Quito by Solivagant

Quito (Inscribed)

Quito

Quito got in on the “WHS act” as early as 1978 when it was 1 of the first 12 sites inscribed (I have seen it claimed that it was in …

Ellora Caves by Solivagant

Ellora Caves (Inscribed)

Ellora Caves

In my opinion Ellora is one of the great sites and sights of the world. It easily enters my category of “Worth a journey”. Don’t even think of not going …

Old City of Jerusalem by Solivagant

Old City of Jerusalem (Inscribed)

Old City of Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem holds special memories for me – not for religious reasons but as my first non European/N American travel destination as long ago as 1964. Those …

Samarkand by Solivagant

Samarkand (Inscribed)

Samarkand

Samarkand is the largest of the WHS cities of Uzbekistan (c half million population). Possibly as a result it lacks much of the “eastern atmosphere” which can be sensed in …

Great Smoky Mountains by Solivagant

Great Smoky Mountains (Inscribed)

Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains have been designated as “one of the world’s finest examples of temperate hardwood deciduous forest”. For those interested, they also apparently have “possibly …

Lalibela by Solivagant

Lalibela (Inscribed)

Lalibela

Lalibela is wonderfully “Ethiopian” – you really do feel that you are seeing something which is different from anything you would see elsewhere. There are other “rock cut” religious structures …

Taos Pueblo by Solivagant

Taos Pueblo (Inscribed)

Taos Pueblo

From houses to shopping malls to hotels – indeed, wherever you go in the SW USA you will see examples, from the good to the clichéd, of “Pueblo Revival Architecture”. …

Waterton Glacier International Peace Park by Solivagant

Waterton Glacier Internationa… (Inscribed)

Waterton Glacier International Peace Park

Don’t go to Waterton/Glacier expecting to see glaciers – for that you want Rainier or Alaska! The title is somewhat misleading and seems to relate more to its post glacial …

Saint-Emilion by Solivagant

Saint-Emilion (Inscribed)

Saint-Emilion

The “Jurisdiction of St-Emilion” is in effect what is called a “cultural landscape” in other WHS inscriptions. It is a historic landscape which has been developed over many centuries for …

Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans by Solivagant

Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Sen… (Inscribed)

Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans

When we visited the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans we were not really aware of what we were going to see. We were somewhat surprised to discover a site much broader …

Vézelay by Solivagant

Vézelay (Inscribed)

Vézelay

Now anyone doing a relaxing touring holiday in Burgundy would give Vezelay a few hours. Michelin gives it 2*. The walk up to the abbey and ramparts through the main …

Jelling by Solivagant

Jelling (Inscribed)

Jelling

Somewhat surprisingly Jelling is the only Danish UNESCO inscribed “Viking” site. In fact I feel that Viking archaeological sites as a whole are under represented on the list! Sweden has …

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