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May 2015 - I went on a Business trip to Graz with my colleague. We took the car ride all the way from Berlin at one attempt. We had 2 nights but had to attend a conference at the Graz University. HoweverI took some hours to wander around the old town. It is attached to a mountain therefore the scenery is perfect.

There are some nice houses, but in the end, i dont have extremely remarkable memories of the city. The Flair however is very different from the rest of Austria. High influences from the Balkan, some Italian. Definitely worth a visit.

Previous reviewers have already covered the main points of visiting Istanbul, so I'll stick to the specific angle of visiting the city on an intraday layover. In November of 2019, while flying to Israel from the United States, I used the connection in Istanbul to plug a gap on my travel résumé, if only a little.

I had under five hours to explore central Istanbul. That is about enough for a “scratching the surface” type of tour. I visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cisterna, Nuruosmaniye Mosque (which has a separate tentative entry on the WH list), the Grand Bazaar, Suleymaniye Mosque, and the Galata Bridge and the surrounding waterfront area, interspersing that with stops at rooftop cafés for coffee, sweets, and views, as well as one döner stop. Topkapi Palace, unfortunately, could not fit into that timeframe, since I am told it requires at least a couple of hours by itself. I suppose overall that is sufficient to firmly consider the WHS site as "visited", but I certainly did not come anywhere near getting to know Istanbul on par with my familiarity with other great European capitals. I suspect that two or even three full days must be the absolute minimum to achieve that level of exposure to Istanbul.

The new Istanbul airport is located much further out of the city than the old Ataturk Airport was – the ride between the airport and the city takes no less than 40 minutes and can last over …

Chan Chan is super impressive on first sight. It looks great, has the feel of a great place, people highly recommend it and I really wanted to go. So why am I little disappointed? The walls. The walls are re-made. I know it seems picky but it kinda looks like the whole place has been constructed recently. The original parts are overgrown areas that aren't too interested at the moment, or maybe never. The covered section has the detailed decorations everywhere and like I said it's great to look around - just looks fake. It's a shame, I think the restoration work is overdoing it.

There was no guide offer but they sell a small brochure to explain items on the way (it's only in Spanish). I first visited the museum at the main road and then took a collectivo down the road to the archaeological site.

March 2010 - on a trainride to Vienna, we made a few hours stopover in Regensburg. We walked through the charming streets entered a few churches and got a bite of good sausages. Finally we sat next to the Donau in the historic Spital Brauerei and had a refreshing Helles. All in all, it is a nice town, but other Bavarians towns are as well. Perfect stopover before continuing to Vienna.

Visit in November 2019 

Sites that have been inscribed primarily to protect important areas containing ancient Rock Art are among my favorite types of sites to visit and it had been a fairly long time since I had been to a site from that category. Consequently, I was definitely looking forward to my visit to Serra da Capivara National Park. Though I only had one full day available for this visit, I found the park to be beautiful and fascinating, and felt that my time there was well spent.

As the previous review mentioned, the park is a long way from anywhere else that most travelers might be when visiting Brazil, so getting to the area will generally be time consuming. The transport infrastructure is in reasonably good condition coming from any direction, but, while the small cities and towns that one will pass through along the way are friendly, and contain most of the important services, they are usually not the most attractive examples to be found in Brazil. One of the nicer places is São Raimundo Nonato, the main service center for the park, located just to its south. I used that town as my base for this visit, but there is also a small hotel with a restaurant in the park, adjacent to the main entrance, just to the west of the village of Coronel José Dias. If my timing had been a little different, or if I was able to spend more than one …

I think Sucre gets a bit of a bad rep because it's "another colonial town" and basically it is. I still liked the town because it grows on you. It's very laid back, there are many foreigners coming here to learn Spanish so you always run into friendly people and start to see familiar faces. When I made Sucre my base for a few days to explore not only the town itself but also the surrounding area I also took advantage to take some Spanish lessons at my hostel.

There was also a big banner that they are planning some celebrations for the 20th anniversary - that's still 2 years to go - but it shows how they really care about the title of being a UNESCO town.

The best view is from the roofs of the San Felipe Neri church. The church itself isn't that great but it's worth it for the view and the sisters were again really, really friendly. Spend a lazy afternoon in the central park where kids like to roam around and everyone else likes to have a rest on the benches.

So I almost feel this place is worthy of the title not for the buildings but for the feel you get.

From the German locations included in this huge nomination, I have seen only remainings of CASTRA REGINA in Regensburg (already WHS by itself) as several parts of its fortification are still visible "in situ" (I have seen maybe two- or three-times during my occasional visits of Regensburg). The best known and at the same time the most spectacular part is PORTA PREATORIA (PHOTO), which is quite nice and impressive structure takeing into account how old this gate is. I had also oportunity to see the excavations below Niedermunster church located quite close to the gate, and parts of walls of late Roman barracks or residential villa are presented for organized tours in the underground of the church, but these are not very spectacular.

My opinion is that it does not deserve WHC status at all. Regensburg is already WHS and better preserved PORTA NIGRA in Trier has been already inscribed as well. Despite my skepticism towards this TWHS, I expect smooth after-referral inscription in 2020.

Vila Vicosa was a pleasant stop on our way from Lisbon airport to Elvas WHS. It is a pretty and small town with white houses as you can find dozens in Portugal, nothing special from that point of view. The main point of interest is the Renaissance ducal Palace, which large front side (more than one hundred meters long) stretches on one side of a wide, cobbled square, also bordered by churches and more white buildings.

Vila Vicosa was the hometown of the Dukes of Braganza, one of the most powerful and influential family in Portugal, and who eventually became the last reigning family of the country when Joao IV became king of Portugal. Almost 150 years before they took the throne, the ducal palace was already a clear manifesto of their power, built by Duke Jaime I at the very beginning of 16th century, as he wanted to get out of the old, medieval castle, which had been the home of his fathers. Front side of the palace has clear Renaissance style, while most of the rooms inside have been changed and refurbished over the centuries: mainly the global layout and the ceiling in few rooms survived. The visit is by guided tour only (for about 50 minutes), and in Portuguese. Luckily, our guide was excellent and was speaking very distinctly, so if you speak another Latin language, as we do, you are likely to understand most of the explanations. Those are mainly about portraits and object that …

I saw excavated parts of VINDOBONA on Michaelerplatz in the very center of Vienna many times (PHOTO is from my last visit one gloomy day in November 2019). I am also pretty sure that I saw walls, ramparts and watchtowers dating to Roman times during my numerous visits of Wachau valley around Melk and Krems, but honestly I have no memmories on this particular point. Moreover, all the parts I saw (or potentially saw) are already included in the existing WHS Vienna and Wachau, and I would not be surprised if they are mentioned as justifications of OUV of these WHS.

Though the remainings the Roman outpost at Michaelerplatz are quite huge and nicely presented to everybody who is walking from Hofburg to Graben, I do not really understand the reason why this should be declared as WHS.

Some of us maybe remember why this extremely huge nomination was reffered during the WHC session in Azerbaijan in 2019... I gues it will be inscribed in 2020 anyway.

September 2012 - I decided to fly to New Zealand to visit my sister, who was there for one year. A stopover in Chiangi, gave me just enough time to put my feet on Asian Ground for the first time and to see a bit of Singapore.

It has some interesting modern architecture, food courts with panasian specialities, a Chinatown, little India and colonial history. But the only whs worthy place is probably the botanic garden. The airline allowed me to have a free roundtour on the Island. So i took the bus to the garden. Except the Orchidee garden, the entrance is even for free.

Although I was not at all adapted to the tropical heat and moisture I enjoyed seeing all these terrific plants and the garden architecture. I spent about 1,5-2 hours here. I was even happier when I got to know 3 years later, that it became a WHS.

I managed to get to Zabid in March 2007, just before UNESCO gave it a "last chance" to fix itself up. It was in a terrible state of decay but not totally forgotten. There was already a small team of foreign conservationists computer-mapping the entire town to help come up with the best approach to right the ship so to speak. I spent a few hours chatting with them and got my first lesson in conservation and an inkling of understanding that while it might be World Heritage to us, it is just home to the locals and they might be more interested in making a living or just surviving than self-sacrificing to preserve ancient history. There must be some sort of moral/ethical dilemma here. 

I don't remember there being a lot to specifically see and even if it were in a better state there probably wouldn't be much to get very excited about. What I have written in my journal suggests that what I mostly ended up doing was befriending many of the schoolkids who led me rather aimlessly all about town while practicing their English. One of the kids also hooked me up with a place to stay. It ended up being on the top floor of one of the taller buildings, in an open room where local men sat around chewing qat all day before clearing out for me to sleep at night. The views would have been good except every time I went near a …

The Land Rover came to a stop. Just ahead a roan antelope emerged from the brush and started to step delicately across our path. I was just pulling out my camera when Maria, our guide, suddenly screeched something about giraffes. The antelope panicked and fled as our driver Amadou gunned the engine and swerved the truck left off the track. I ducked back inside the vehicle as it jounced over the dry earth, breaking through stands of high, brittle grass. Two more Land Rover appeared alongside just as we ploughed to a halt in front of a covey of surprised looking Cape Giraffes. They stared thoughtfully down their noses at us, as though unsure what to make of us. Then, with a switch of their tails they made their decision and, as one, turned and ambled off through the trees.

A bit of an odd review this. It’s a review of a visit to a World Heritage Site that did not go anywhere near any element that got it inscribed in the first place. The Saloum Delta is a decent sized chunk of mangrove creek landscape and a hotspot for West African wildlife, particularly migratory birds. The mangrove creeks of Senegal and Gambia are particularly representative of the landscape of these countries and my partner and I had been converted to enthusiastic bird-spotters on a trio of walks and early-morning boat trips on the south side of the River Gambia. Yet the Saloum Delta is inscribed solely on Cultural …

The old Bedouin man waved to the west. “My tent is over there.” He lived still in Petra, had done all his life, as had his father and grandfather before him, generation after generation. Lives lived among the city of the dead. Every morning, still sprightly in his sandals, he trekked from his tent up Jebel Madbah. For what? The chance to sell a handful of grubby coins? Or the for the pleasure of gazing out over the chasms and tombs of his ancestral home? How, I wondered, had Petra changed during his lifetime? How would it be sustained? Did he have children of his own to continue his vigil, or was he the last of the guardians of Petra, a Petra that lived and breathed and interacted with the awe-struck visitors from across the globe? But I had no way to ask him. He pointed out the path further into Wadi Farasa and returned to his vigil. The last I saw of him as I turned to call back “Maasalama!” was a solitary robed figure sitting on a jutting spur of rock, head bowed, staff across his knees.

The rose-red city of Petra deserves every single word of hype it receives. Despite the crowds (though there are ways to escape them as I discovered) there is still something raw and mysterious about this once-hidden city. The archaeology itself is often beside the point. The central section of Petra, the stretch containing the theatre, the colonnaded street, the market …

Unintentional visit Feb 2007. I hadn't set out to specifically visit Thula but while at the rock palace of Wadi Dhahr I was offered a ride with an American woman who had hired a car and driver for the day. We were taken to Shibam (not the more famous one in the east), Kawkaban (worth a visit if in the area, it is built on top of a cliff with great views) and Thula. Thula was our last stop, it had started raining and the driver anxious to get back so we didn't have much time to explore. Unlike villages in many other regions of Yemen, homes in Thula were made of stone instead of mud and overall were in a much better state of preservation than elsewhere. Great stylistic elements especially on the windows as seen in the photo.

I actually didn't plan on going to Odessa. I love Kiev and spent a week there a few years ago almost feeling like a resident living in an apartment at the golden gate and leaving a coin at Panteleimon every morning on my way out. From Kiev I wanted to take the train to Tiraspol (Transnistria) but it was already sold out. Kind of surprising really but instead I took a flight to Odessa and took the train onward from there after a day looking at the town. It was better than the long train journey.

I believe there are already way too many "historic centers" on the WH list. It's maybe unfair to Odessa because some historic centers around Europe suck and got their status earlier when no comparison studies were requested or made, because Odessa is nice to spend time in and check out the buildings while just having a nice relaxing day to walk around, have some food and drinks, well, the typical "old town" affair I suppose. To quote Wikipedia: "Its historical architecture has a style more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings are built in a mixture of different styles, including Art Nouveau, Renaissance and Classicist.." It was also mostly spared in WW2 and retains the original buildings. Probably should be a WHS a couple of decades ago.

Don't forget to visit the Pushkin museum.

Visited Feb 2007. Maaloula is less than an hour by minibus from Damascus but I made an overnight trip of it, staying overnight with the nuns in the Convent of St. Takla and woke to a light dusting of snow the next morning. Maaloula's small population and relatively isolated location have helped it preserve much of its history and local culture. The monasteries and churches here are among the oldest in Syria and contain some of the oldest Christian icons in the world. The village is also one of only 3 left that still speak Western neo-Aramaic, perhaps the closest remaining language to that of Jesus. While visiting one of the local churches I was able to hear the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic which was a pretty amazing experience even for someone generally inclined toward religious cynicism. The village is backed against a mountain/cliff and homes are built so close together and nearly on top of each other that the "streets", which are little more than footpaths are often tunnels passing beneath the homes built above.

There is plenty to be said about how Syria has been run in the last few decades but Maaloula also struck me as a good example of how tolerant the country was of its historical and cultural diversity at the time. Much more than I had expected for the region. I hope the village hasn't suffered too much through the civil war but I doubt many will be visiting any time soon. Even …

To be such a late inscription Pergamon is an impressive, diverse and large site. And hordes of tourists haven’t yet discovered it which makes it enjoyable site to visit. Compared to Pamukkale and Ephesus, which are surrounded by tourist villages, Pergamon is an authentic city that lives its own life. There were some tourist groups in the Acropolis but otherwise the sites were quite empty. I visited Pergamon on my exploring of four classical sites of Western Turkey on October 2019.

Getting from Izmir to the city of Bergama is quite easy. The only reasonable public transport option is bus. Mini buses depart every hour from the second floor of the main bus station. Note that only the mini buses go to the center of Bergama. The terminus of mini buses at Bergama is so called Soma Garage. Long distance buses stop only at the main bus station of Bergama which is located seven kilometers from the city center.

The World Heritage Site of Pergamon has ’Multi-Layered’ on its name. The different layers belong to the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantium and Ottoman Periods. Although this site is diverse, the monumental Kale Hill with the Acropolis is a clear centrepiece. Kale Hill dominates the landscape of Bergama and it can be seen from kilometers away. Kale Hill is composed of two parts: the Acropolis on the summit, and the Lower City on the southern slope.

The setting of the Acropolis on a steep hill 200 meters above the …

This TWHS had quite positive recommendations from IUCN in 2018. After deferral, I believe that the modified nomination that followed all the recommendations has high chance to be inscribed in 2020. It consists of 4 islands (Amami-Oshima, Tokunoshima, Northern Okinawa, and Iriomote) covered by subtropical forest southwest from Japan mainland. In original nomination, it was proposed for criterions (ix) ecological processes and (x) biodiversity and endemic species. New nomination for 2020 focuses only on the criterion (x), since the islands represent biodiversity hotspot of isolated islands in Pacific Ocean with numerous endemic and endangered species such as Amami rabbit, Okinawa rail, Okinawa woodpecker, Amami woodcock, Iriomote cat, and several kinds of endemic rats, turtles, lizards, newts and frogs among others. It is clear that animal species are not very spectacular, thus I do not expect that this site will be overwhelmed by tourist industry even after the inscription.

I visited only Okinawa component (partly in March 2016 – see my “un-official” review below, and more thoroughly in November 2019), but I would like to visit more islands in the future. Actually, Northern parts of Okinawa Island is the most problematic component because of the issue with the US military training areas. Some areas were returned to Japan very recently and joint to Yanbaru National Park as well as to the core zone of the nomination, but it is still a controversial point.

In November 2019, I spent 2 days/3 nights in Yanbaru National Park in the area of …

In November 2019, I spent two weeks in Okinawa Main Island. Thus, I had an opportunity to explore most of the interesting sites that Okinawa offers (1 WHS, 1 TWHS and much more…). It was my second visit to the island (first visit in March 2016). By coincidence, I arrive to Okinawa just few days after the disastrous fire of Shuri Castle that I fortunately managed to visit 3 years ago.

WHS consists of 9 components in total: 5 castles, 1 mausoleum, 1 garden villa, and 2 sacred places (Utaki) from which only one remains intact as the cultural landscape while only the stone gate survived from the other. Selected sites, monuments and landscapes complement each other and express the unique Ryukyuan heritage that is still living in part: Utaki places are still used by locals and I could see a shock of Okinawa people after the fire of Shuri castle, which is a true symbol of Okinawa culture.

This year I visited 6 components (Shuri and Nakijin castles, Tamaudun royal mausoleum, Shikinaen garden villa, Sefa-Utaki cultural landscape and Sonohyan-Utaki gate) thus I now fully understand OUV of this WHS. I have not visited 3 more castles (better said what remained from them) but I think it would not bring anything new to me as Nakijin and Shuri are considered as the best examples. Though it is probably not a world-class, it is certainly unique and I really enjoyed my visit.

I used only public transport or …

Handmade paper? I'm game. I bought a small supply of lovely paper from the shop and one would think this is a gimmick but some people actually order piles to their home and it took a long time to check out. Velké Losiny isn't unique in the world and there are several other locations in Europe that are similar so they finally started talking to other sites in Germany, Poland and France. A serial combination has a better chance and alone I would have dismissed it as "nice but not good enough". Now that this is perhaps a serious contender I felt to add a review after all.

Inside is a great museum. Keep in mind I went a couple of years ago and maybe things have changed but tours were only in Czech with audio guide in other languages. You can point at a dot in the room to start the info and they often don't show that clearly, something they should improve on. The information you get is good though. There are also 2 kind of tours, 30 and 60 minutes, unfortunately I don't quite remember which one I took.

The tour starts with information on paper, as we know it's a Chinese invention and they have Chinese cartoons to show it, cute. A chart shows the spread from China across the Middle-East and into southern Europe. The next parts of the museum are the machines used to make the paper in the mill. At one …