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I am afraid that this review will bring very little new information, as I visited the same two monasteries as most of the previous reviewers, la Catedral de Cuernavaca and Tepoztlán Ex Convento Dominico de la Natividad. These two sites offered an interesting perspective on the beginnings of the evangelization of indigenous peoples in Mexico, but the September 2017 earthquake in the state of Puebla affected my appreciation of the sites. Indeed, although I visited the monasteries in March 2019, almost a year and a half after the earthquake, the damage had still not been repaired and the interior of the monasteries was inaccessible.

I first visited Tepoztlán, where the monastery is clearly visible from all over the city. Its size is imposing, its walls are high and bear merlons, which makes it look more like a military fort or a castle than a place of worship. This reflects the situation when religious congregations were involved in the invasion and domination of the Auochtone communities and had to protect themselves from them. Unfortunately, the earthquake seems to have been stronger than the monastery. In 2019, the two towers (one of which had visible cracks) were supported by wooden frameworks, a tin roof covered the monastery and the access to the convent was fenced off. Only a shop and a few rooms with faded frescoes were accessible from the left side of the building.

The situation was similar in Cuernavaca. El Recinto de la Catedral, although more ornate and …

A way to get history wrong is to apply a modern understanding or concept to a historic context. One such term is religion. The term itself is actually rather modern and deviates substantially from the classical or even medieval definition. As such, seeing the image of a classical church when you visit a Greek temple is misplaced.

Epidauros shows this quite nicely. Devoted to the Greek god of healing (Asklepios) this nominally is a temple, i.e. a religious institution by our modern standards. But in reality you are rather in a medical facility where patients would seek treatments for ailments and the priests acted as physicians. The treatments are very similar to what you find in a spa town nowadays.

The highlight of the site, by far, is the amphitheatre. Akin to modern spa towns with their theatres, casinos and concerts, culture and entertainment were considered part of the treatment. The scale and the state of preservation of the amphitheatre are exemplary. In addition, you find a stadium and plenty of ruins of old temples and medical facilities.

At some distance and apparently outside the fenced are of the main site is the Sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas. I missed it as I had assumed it to be within the premises or at least see some signs for it. I didn't and when I had realised it, I was already on my way back to Nafplio.

Overall, the site is less spectacular than e.g. Olympia or …

I am quite disconcerted at reading other travellers' comments that Delphi might not be the best in Greece, or that its ruins might be disappointing... allow me to claim that Delphi actually is among the top 3 archaeological sites in Greece (at least for me)!!! And this comes from a blend of history and setting.

My first (and until now only) visit to Delphoí came quite late (October 2018) when considering my numerous previous forays in Greece, and I was quite excited at the idea. Delphi, the navel of the world, home to the prophetic Pythia! If you have ever studied Classics and Greek at high school (a quite common thing in Italy) or at university or wherever, this name will be covered in legends. We might well say that, whenever an ancient text tells of two Greeks meeting along any road in Greece, one of the two is always heading to Delphi. 

A fact I found astounding: what we see now is a result of excavations and partial reconstructions that could only happen at the end of the XIXth century after an entire village was dislodged and relocated where we find it now. The village had stood there for centuries, and Delfi had vanished and been long forgotten. Was it ethically acceptable? I don't know. Could such a thing happen today? I don't know. Was it worth it? I am inclined to think so.

The natural scenario is stunning. You are high up in the hills, …

Oaxaca, the capital and largest city of the eponymous state, has a remarkable colonial centre. I spent six days in this region in March 2019, often using the city as a base camp for excursions to the surrounding area.

The colonial centre is noteworthy for its rectilinear urban plan and massive cantera stone architecture. The Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución), one of the few tree-lined areas in the centre, is particularly lively and very pleasant. It is bordered to the north by the gigantic Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca. The current building, dating from 1733, has a stunning Baroque façade, but a rather banal interior. A little to the north on the pedestrian Calle Macedonio Alcalá, lies the breathtaking Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, one of the most beautiful churches I have visited in Mexico (photo). Exuberant bas-reliefs cover the walls and ceilings, notably illustrating the Dominican family tree. It is a true Baroque masterpiece. The last remarkable church, located west of the Zócalo on Avenida de la Independencia, is worth a visit. The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, completed in 1690, is also in Baroque style.

I used the next four days to visit the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley and the Prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca. I opted for an ecotourism company based in Oaxaca for the first one, whereas the Central Valley is easy to visit on your own. We not only strolled through Yagul, but also visited Mitla …

Disclaimer: at first I was convinced I had visited exactly one of the three sites of this TWHS, but then, after better checking, it seems that in mid-August 2018 I was at a smaller field of deer stones of which I can't remember the name between Khatgal (the town on the Khövsgöl lake) and Mörön and near to the Erkhel lake (Эрхэл нуур), not far from the proposed one of Uushgiin övör (Уушгийн өвөр). It was off the beaten track and not so easy to find, but still not so distant from the main road (and of course absolutely no signs). Since the deer stones there are of the same kind as in the other sites and in the same area, I think I can count this as a "visit".

In fact, the official proposal as it stands now probably tries to limit the wealth of such monuments, that one finds scattered in all of Northern Mongolia, just to the most iconic and extended groups. I think, though, that it would make a lot of sense and also benefit the proposal to list other minor, but not less interesting nor significant, sites. It would also give a better sense of the magnitude of this heritage.

That said, I am absolutely favourable to the inscription of deer stone (= буган чулуу/bugan chuluu) monuments in the definitive WHS list, and I think that there are quite good possibilities now that it has been nominated for 2020 (if some …

Visited this site in August 2020 as weekend trip from Moscow. I decided to visit Manpupuner Plateau, which is located in the heart of Pechoro-Ilychskiy Nature Reserve, part of Virgin Komi Forests site. The quick visit here without hard backpacking is only possible with helicopter tour. The logistics has changed as compared with visit made by Martina Ruckova back in 2017. The change is explained to improve accessibility of the helicopter flight due to weather conditions. You first fly on your own to Ukhta, then the car drives you 170 km through sometimes good and sometimes awful road to Troizko-Pechorsk. Troizko-Pechorsk is a depressive municipal village located on the shores of the Pechora River and is the closest large inhabited point to the Pechoro-Ilychskiy Nature Reserve. The only accommodation option is Pechora hotel – very basic and tough place to stay, for example, there was no hot water during our stay. However, it has the only café in the village with no menu and strange operating hours – it closes at 6 p.m. and afterwards you are only left with noodle soup and snacks from nearest supermarket as dining options. We were unlucky with the rainy weather and were sitting in the hotel whole Saturday waiting for green light from the flight control – but it was rainy and foggy in the Plateau and the flight was finally postponed to Sunday. On Sunday after additional couple of hours of waiting, we were finally given ok to fly. Tour operator is …

The La Maddalena archipelago comprises the Italian part of the future Strait of Bonifacio transboundary nomination. After having visited the Corsican side earlier on this Mediterranean trip, I also checked out this Sardinian location. It has a very different feel about it, nothing like the steep cliffs at Bonifacio. However it must be said that I did not visit the Corsican Lavezzi Islands (“miniature paradise of sandy creeks and crystal-clear water”) which may be more similar to La Maddalena. 

Between Palau (where I was staying overnight) and La Maddalena ferries sail back and forth in 20 minutes all day long. La Maddalena is the 'capital' of the La Maddalena Archipelago, a national park consisting of seven larger and many smaller islands. La Maddalena itself is a fairly large town, so for the real nature experience you have to go to one of the other islands. For example the neighboring island of Caprera, which is connected to La Maddalena by a dam. The island measures only 15 square kilometers, so I was going to explore it on foot.

The bus dropped me – the only passenger - at the Garibaldi museum. I had planned to do a hiking trail along the north coast from here, but I couldn't find the starting point! So I first walked to the other side of the island via the main road. The scenery here on Caprera is captivating: large boulders that seem to have fallen from the sky, surrounded by typical Mediterranean low …

Tiya was one of the first things I saw of Ethiopia, on a morning of August in 2015, after having been picked up by our drivers/guides from the airport together with my small group at dawn, after little or no sleep (it seems that my experience was quite similar to Juha's). Our final destination was the south and the Omo valley, but on that first day the guides had planned to bring us (also) here on the way to our first stop-over in Hawassa; from this and the fact that a troupe of a local television was there to take an interview with us, I got the impression that they were trying to promote the site somehow.

Anyway, I didn't know anything of Tiya, but, despite a general sense of negligence (the stelae were in a fenced field with unmown grass, and at the time the only nearby building was a toilet shack), we (as the only visitors) were very well received and I found that the local guide was well prepared and passionate, and could explain us what is known and speculated about these stelae in a good English. Neither is to be taken for granted, and I greatly appreciated it. This surely improved my understanding of the site.

I noticed that my travel companions were disappointed by the visit. I have to admit that the site is not a spectacular one, albeit its position is amidst a very beautiful countryside, dotted with huts and trees. In …

I visited this tentative WHS in August 2020 as a convenient stopover during my road trips to Poland. Perhaps due to the recent unexpected positive experience I had while visiting the synagogue in Zamosc, combined with the lack of hospitality shown by the old synagogue reception staff in Erfurt, I really did not enjoy my visit and sincerely hope this tentative WHS never makes it on the list as in my opinion it lacks any tangible OUV.

That said, at least I got some value out of the 8 euro entrance fee from the Erfurt treasure permanently displayed inside since 2009. The treasure was discovered in 1998 buried underneath the wall of a cellar entrance most likely during the pogrom of 1349. This is probably the main reason why the site is heavily guarded and photography inside is strictly not allowed. Bags (even very small ones) have to be left in free lockers at the reception. The old synagogue is closed on Mondays and entrance is free every first Tuesday of the month. The highlight of the Erfurt treasure for me was the intricate early fourteenth century Ashkenazi wedding ring. The ring features a beautifully crafted ornate miniature version of a gothic tower and six engraved Hebrew letters that spell out "mazal tov", meaning good fate or good luck, on the tower's roof. I have never seen anything like it.

The Jewish community of Erfurt first appears in historical records of the late 11th century with the Old …

Again, a place I went to as a last-minute decision and probably the most fascinating archaeological site I have visited up to date.

Some personal story of the visit: it was back in early August 2012, so the site had just been nominated on the list. In fact, I do not remember if I was aware of its World-Heritage status, but surely my guide book wasn't. I was just curious of the description and, as it happend that we (a group of 5 people) were in Konya and heading to Kapadokia the next day, I managed to convince a friend to set off for Çatalhöyük at 6am, so as to be back at a decent time to continue with the others. And so it was!

I remember that it was very easy to reach the site: we were by car and just took the road to the south-east across the country, and after less than an hour we were there. There is not much else on the way, just cultivated fields and small villages. I don't remember particular signs. At first we thought the site was closed, there were no signs and no indications of opening hours nor any obvious entrance. But it just turned out that it was before 8am and we were the ones to waken the people there on that morning... poor fellows, no peace for them!!! However, the site was already somehow prepared for visitors, since the archaeologist who, before "going back to …

I visited this tentative WHS in August 2020. The 17th century paper mill in Duszniki-Zdroj is only 1.5hrs away from the Church of Peace WHS in Swidnica or the Centennial Hall WHS in Wroclaw.

This paper mill environment is very similar to the Derwent Mills WHS in the UK even though the two-lane road leading to the town is much closer to the mill. If you visit by car, there is free parking a couple of metres before the mill proper next to a huge Chopin graffiti. The mill seems to be quite popular especially among Poles and already at 9am I wasn't the only one waiting to go in. From November to April it is open every day except Mondays, while during the rest of the year it is open every day. The paper-making demonstrations usually only start at 10am.

This paper mill combines fragments of the building from the mid-16th century extended in 1605 with the remaining part of the ground floor as well as the three storey attic. Paper was manufactured in the basement and dried in the attic. The ground floor served administrative and residential purposes. Since the paper mill belonged to noblemen, in the early 17th century it was given the form of a traditional manor house. In the 1740s, the western facade was adorned with a characteristic volute gable and on the eastern side a vast wooden drying room was added.

The entrance pavilion in the shape of a tower was …

As everybody described Lithuanian part of Curonian Spit I will focus on Russian part of this cultural heritage site. Visited in July, 2019, while it was possible to visit Kaliningrad Oblast (Królewiec Area) without Russian visa.

Access from Polish side - border crossing at Grzechotki / Mamonovo - 2 by own car, and then normal transit via Zelenogradsk towards Curonian Spit National Park (Национальный Парк Куршская Коса). Entrance to the park from Russian side is paid - 150 rubles per person and 300 rubles per vehicle. The point where they collect money is located here 54°58'33.0"N 20°31'13.7"E (Kontrol'no-Propusknoy Punkt Natsional'nogo Parka Kurshskaya Kosa, контрольно-пропускной пункт национального парка Куршская коса). The booth is located some 30 meters from the main road, so if you want to buy the ticket to enter the park, you just stop the car on the road (there is no parking space) blocking the passage. There is always a huge traffic jam before the ticket booth in the morning (the queue usually starts at Zelenogradsk - 2-3 km from the booth).

Russian part is pretty similar to Lithuanian one but for me the villages are far less preserved. First on a way, Lesnoy looks like any other Russian village - many new houses built of white bricks. Rybaczij (Rossiten) is a little bit more similar to German towns (some old buildings are still preserved) but overall impression is somehow disappointing. As far as I remember Lithuanian villages are far more better preserved and maintained.

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I am honoured to be the first to describe this tentative WHS site. No wonder, though, because if it ever makes it to the list, it will surely be one of the toughest and most laborious to tick off in its entirety: Mongolia is huge and extremely sparse, and each of these peaks easily requires days of travel hiring local drivers to go there, and travelling is never an easy nor a fast task in Mongolia.

I realised to have been lucky enough to ascend one of these "dear ones", as many mountains are euphemistically called (traditionally, out of respect you should not utter the names of mountais or passes, especially difficult ones, when you are near them, so as not to attract misfortunes), namely the Khan Bayanzürkh (Хан баянзүрх xайрхан) mountain back in August 2018. The name more or less means "King Rich-Heart", and one of its symbols is a crown. On the same journey, I also should have seen from afar the imposing (4021m) and snow-capped Otgontengger (Отгонтэнгэр, "youngest son sky") in the north-western mountainous region of Zavkhan (Завхан), consecrated to the wrathful deity Ochirvaan' (Очирваань, better known as Vajrapāṇi), and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country. So my recount and considerations will be mainly based on the former. Just as a comment, the Otgontengger itself is not accessible because of its sacredness, and this might apply to other Mountains of this TWHS too.

Khan Bayanzürkh lies in the south-east, in …

I visited this WHS in August 2020 after a never ending drive due to roadworks and deviations. It will always have a special place in my memory as by visiting it I completed Poland's WHS and reached my 500th WHS milestone.

Zamosc is quite a small WHS and its main square can be compared to Telc's in Czechia or to Bardejov's in Slovakia. While the latter lacked any outstanding element, the former was more complete with excellent varietes of townhouse facades all around the square. Only a few 'Armenian' town houses next to the town hall (photo) are on par with Telc's townhouses. On the other hand, the old town of Zamosc has a unique layout and an outstanding implementation of the theory of the “ideal town” based on a plan of a human figure. The Zamoyski Palace was the head, the Zamoyski Academy and the Collegiate Church were the lungs, the Town Hall was arranged at the heart, and Grodzka Street formed the backbone running from the Palace to Bastion VII. The bastions embodied elbows, knees and hands to be used for defence. This concept was developed by the Italian architect Bernardo Morando and implemented by Jan Zamoyski, the founder of Zamosc.

I really enjoyed walking around the town's fortifications at different times of the day. For a panoramic view of the town's layout, it is possible to go up the cathedral tower for 5 zloty. Entrance to the rest of the cathedral complex is free. Another …

This was a case of serendipitous discovery for me during my car trip in Southern/Central Czech Republic (August 2020). I decided just the day before to spend a night in Třeboň on the way from Český Krumlov to Telčm following sugegstions from the locals, and then, the day after, it was just because I took the "wrong" road trying to reach the Renaissance church in the minuscule hamlet of Hamr that I could really appreciate the fishpond network.

The day was moody, foggy and rainy, very unlucky for late August, but this might have let me appreciate it more. The number of fishponds is incredible. There is no village that doesn't have its own, either in its "town centre" or hidden in the wood behind the main group of houses. Many are also connected by canals. At some point I felt as I was a guest in the realm of ducks (there are fish, too, of course, but they're not so apparent and decidedly less loud): it is not uncommon to drive/ride on narrow embankments between fishponds, through rows of tall trees, and see large groups of lake birds roaming the cane fields. All the region is very enjoyable by bike, and you'll see many in the high season.

Besides the natural fascination, there are interesting histories too. First of all, just the fact that most of the ponds are the fruit of century-long labor and still at work these days is astounding, especially with regard to one …

The Bouches de Bonifacio (in English: Strait of Bonifacio) is the narrow, navigable waterway that segregates Corsica and Sardinia. This natural ensemble is on the Tentative List of France as a placeholder for a future transboundary nomination with Italy’s La Maddalena Archipelago. The countries are working on the establishment of the joint “International Marine Park of the Strait of Bonifacio”.

The Strait is named after the town of Bonifacio, located at the southern tip of Corsica. It lies on and against a massive rock, part of a rugged coast with vertical rock walls. I stayed there for 2 nights, with the plan to hike in the nature reserve and to make the crossing to Sardinia. “The strait is notorious among sailors for its weather, currents, shoals, and other obstacles.”, Wiki tells us. I certainly got to experience that!

The first day it rained from early on in the morning. Only late afternoon I was able to go out. I still wanted to do the coastal walk that I selected beforehand: the Sentier Campu Romanilu. It would take only an hour and a half. Clearly I was not the only one with this idea: all 50 to 80 tourists present in Bonifacio climbed the rock at the same time. However, we found the path directly along the coast closed: too dangerous, stones could fall down and one could be blown into the sea.

So we took the flat path on the top. This one is broad and normally …

I visited this WHS in August 2020. The near total reconstruction of the Historic Centre of Warsaw is really outstanding and unlike other WHS such as Regensburg in Germany or Torun in Poland itself, the quality of the reconstruction is so high and on such a large but meticulous scale that it wouldn't be unheard of to think that most of the old city centre is from Medieval times.

Warsaw was deliberately annihilated in 1944 as a repression of the Polish resistance to the German occupation. The capital city was reduced to ruins with the intention of obliterating the centuries old tradition of Polish statehood. The rebuilding of the historic city, 85% of which was destroyed, was the result of the determination of the inhabitants and the support of the whole nation. The reconstruction of the old city centre in its historic urban and architectural form was the manifestation of the care and attention taken to assure the survival of one of the most important testimonial of Polish culture. The city as the symbol of elective authority and tolerance, where the first democratic European constitution of 1791 was adopted was rebuilt, including a holistic recreation of the urban plan, together with the Old Town Market, the town houses, the circuit of the city walls as well as the Royal Castle and important religious buildings.

I'd recommend starting your visit of the historic centre by entering through the Barbican gate and gazing at the different pretty motifs on most …

Visiting the national park of Galician Atlantic Islands requires a little bit of anticipation. It is made of four groups of islands ashore the Rias of Galicia, but only two of them can be easily accessed: the ones of Cies and Ons. There are different companies operating boats from different Galician cities to the islands, from Easter until autumn on weekends, and daily during summer. The number of visitors every day is limited, so you must first obtain a permit from the National Park website: you request it online (one per person) and receive a code (by e-mail) which you must then indicate when booking the boat trip. You cannot book without the code and the code is valid for a few hours only, so it is better to look at the boats offers and timetables first and be ready to book as soon as you get the code. Finally, codes can be requested maximum 45 days before the wished date, and you cannot change your date afterwards. This said, we had no difficulties to go through this process and had our tickets ready for a day trip last August, from Cangas to Cies islands. We chose Cangas as a most family friendly alternative to the big city of Vigo, and the sailing was only 30 minutes each way.

For being in the Atlantic Ocean, Cies Islands and Galicia are in general quite exposed to bad weather, even during summer, but luckily the clouds were gone by the time …

Searching high and low for unvisited WHSs in Russia, we followed a visit to Sikhote-Alin to a visit to Dauria on the Russian side. From what we understood, the most interesting aspect of the site are lakes that dry out and then refill with water in 30 year cycles. Those attract many interesting species of birds and the stepe is a wonderful place to look for all kinds of fauna and flora. However, as for the lakes, that's a visit to be planned well in advance - they are located in the border zone and you have to file an entry permit with Russian FSB - not a problem, but it takes 60 days to be issued. We did not have luxury of such time advance as we planned a trip something like three weeks before we departed. But fear not, there is a pocket of a place inscribed as the core zone called Adon Chelon, which means "A herd of stone horses" in translation.

We wrote to the Dauria National Park Administration and I have to say, after initial radio silence for a couple of days, they were extremely helpful: they arranged transport to and from Chita (main access hub) for us, along with accomodation and the excursion itself. For the visit to the park, make sure to arrange their transport with the UAZ vehicle as most of the hour-long drive is on a dirt road. The accomodation is basic but clean with a small kitchenette. Meals in …

I visited a couple parts of the fortification system on the Slovakian side in Komarno with my Slovakian friend back in August. The smaller fortresses and the walls sure are interesting, but the real gem is the main fortress, Pevnost in the centre of Komarno. For only 3 euros (student fare, it's either 4 or 5 for adults) you can get a guided tour of the fortress, lasting around 1 hour and a half and it is trully worth it. You get to see once the bigest army barracks in Europe, the Leopold's gate and the old fortress, magnificent views of the Danube and you even get to see the abandoned fortress on the inside on many occasions, including interesting little easter eggs like the swimming pool the Soviets built smack in the middle of a fort from the 12th century or the stables, where horses had to be lifted through the ceiling, since the doors were to narrow for them. The tour concludes with an interesting labyrint inside the old part of the fortress, that you get to experience in complete darkness, which is quite the experience.

There are some signs of parts of the fortress being renovated, but only in the newer part near the entrance and unfortunately only on a small scale. Renovating the fortress as a whole would be a huge overtaking and I doubt the economic feasibility of the project, since the complex trully is colosal and doing it just for touristic purposes would …