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Feeling The Medina of Marrakesh. Before coming to Marrakesh, people told us, you’ll either love it or hate it. This wasn’t our first trip to the country, but this particular trip would let us have two weeks in Morocco to explore. So setting up a base in Marrakesh for a few days made sense on our trip in April 2018.

Our first step into the main square, Djemaa El-Fna, and it just felt so right. The square was a teeming mass of people, the smells from the nightly food stalls filled the air, and everywhere was the cacophony of noise. Everywhere. Horns, music, yelling, screaming, laughing.

But beyond the square and the souks, there’s a cultured influence here. It’s clear to see this is the one of the world’s great Islamic capitals.

The El Bahia Palace was absolutely remarkable in its architecture and beauty. There is perhaps no finer royal palace anywhere in the world. The courtyards and gardens bring a serenity that we didn’t expect to find in Marrakesh. But the ornate ceilings are the highlight and not to be missed.

When it comes to artwork and Islamic tilework, a visit to the Ben Youssef Madrasa is in order. It is beautiful!

However, we weren’t prepared to get lost in the medina. Perhaps we should have been. We now tell friends visiting that one of our top Moroccan travel tips is to be prepared to get lost – and enjoy it.

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July 2019 - we visited my uncle in Hamburg. Of course it was a weekday and the cemetary was closed, but if you walk around it, you can see actaully everything, that you could see when going onto the cemetary.

I know the Berlin Jewish cemetray, of course the one in Prague and we have been to Trebic. I dont know whetehr this one is really all that special. Interesting the Iberian Quarter in Hamburg, that has to do with the Sephardic Jews that came here from Portugal.

Next time i will be here on a sunday and actually visit the cemetery.

There are many petroglyphs on and around Saint Vincent. Are all accessible? Unsure, and I only visited one of them not on the list. Reason why it's not on the list is unknown, reason for me to go there is because it was advertised, it was a high chance to be open and it has a museum. There is one petroglyph right in Kingstown but I didn't try to visit but for those not willing to take a ride up to Layou then think if it as a possible alternative. Anyway I was on my way up to the volcano and the bus dropped me right off at the road towards the museum. As the website says there is a sign and 0.4 miles later you end up at the park office. Entrance fee is $2 or EC$5 which is the better deal. A lady gave me a quick introduction totally different to what I read online. The "museum" is just a bunch of photo collections from what must be their best bunch. I actually expected to see these but after a lady takes me to 7m wide rock the tour is already done. Now I could use more time relaxing at the picnic area as the river has a cool aura effect but she leads me back outside and locks the door. 5 minutes well spent. I suppose I'm happy I can tick this off and head on.

Apparently the face represents a god called Yocahu. I read …

In the heart of Romania, The Oltenia-area is a land dominated by wide fields and gentle hills, represented the granary and, on the other hand, the good wine or the fruit distillate.The small local governors - the boyars, have accumulated over time wealth, through the exploitation of poor-people and the fruitful land. But as they all have a price, insurers for the protection of goods had to be taken.Hard to believe, but on the territory where the Wallachian population lived mainly in specific medieval dwellings dug in the ground, it can be noticed here constructions that anticipated the appearance of blocks with 3-4 levels.The word "cula", which draws its origin from the Turkish tKula (tower), designates such creations, specific here only to the Oltenian area.And why the Ottoman influence? Well, it was from then on that the boyars of the place appeared to protect their household and their lives, by striving to erect buildings with 2, 3 or even 4 levels - small fortresses.Their location was strategically designed, it would have been easy for them to retreat in case of distress, but to observe their movement in the distance, and from all sides fire could be carried through numerous firing holes.And it was not just the fear of the Turkish-attacs from the top of the Danube, but also to the haiduks of the place, who could easily access from the surrounding area.Despite the lack of interest of the central or local authorities, we have found near them good hearted people …

Mývatn lake is right on the 1 loop road around Iceland and thus impossible to miss. Lots and lots of people come to the area for the hot spring baths (mainly via Akureyri from the looks of it) and I have to say: don't do the Blue Lagoon - come here instead! Just open TripAdvisor for the Blue Lagoon and sort by negative reviews first to read how disgusting and overpriced it is plus the scenery down there is nothing spectacular for Iceland standard, thus it's basically for those with little time or lack of venturing further than Reykjavik and the Golden Circle. But this isn't a review for the hot springs anyway.

The lake is large but I don't find anything special about it. There were some ducks but overall, boring. The interested sections were the natural baths were they filmed Game of Thrones (look it up yourself as I won't post any story info no matter how old/minor). Unfortunately just a handful of people crowd out the small entrance and tourists often hang around here longer than one would think is worth checking it out for. There are quite a few of these and you can do mini hikes. The ever changing weather in Iceland made it a no-go for anything but 10min outside the car.

Unfortunately I didn't find it too amazing (the hot spring spa was nice) and it just seems like a regular place in Iceland. Still nice, don't get me wrong, but …

The giraffes stared down at us. We stared up at them. Animals that had seemed gentle and almost comic from a vehicle were much more imposing when viewed from on foot. One became agitated by our presence so we retreated back to the cover of the trees lining the gorge. “Take care”, urged Taletien, suggesting we grasp the tough sisal leaves – oldupai in Maasai – as support ropes while we descended the riverbank. But as I jumped the last foot down to the fine black sand I caught the edge of my palm on a leaf tip. Blood welled up. Taletien inspected the prick: “Let me show you some Maasai medicine”. With his knife he chopped down an oldupai leaf. He twisted it so that its greenish soapy-smelling liquid dripped onto the cut. This, he explained, was a local (in both senses of the word) anaesthetic. But he still recommended a wash and a plaster once we left the gorge.

The gorge in question was, of course, Olduvai (or Oldupai) Gorge, one of the most famous paleoarchaeological sites in the world. Unlike Louis and Mary Leakey we were not searching for the remains of Pleistocene hominids; we were merely taking a breather between the two big finales of our safari, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. But we were already in the World Heritage Site: the Ngorongoro Conservation Area extends far beyond the crater itself. In the north-west it abuts the Serengeti National Park itself, then stretches …

I visited this tentative WHS in July 2019 and mainly focused my visit on the Certosa. The monastery and complex is one of the biggest in Italy and 2nd most important Carthusian monastery after the one in Padua. Built in 1396-1495, it was once located on the border of a large hunting park belonging to the Visconti family of Milan, of which today only scattered parts remain (so no par force hunting landscape here left).

The Certosa is open everyday except Mondays all year round from 09:00 till 11:30 and from 14:30 till 16:30/18:00 depending on the season (always make sure to check out for holidays before visiting just in case). Incredibly enough for such a great site, it's completely free! Though the Carthusians in their early centuries were known for their seclusion and asceticism and the plainness of their architecture, the Certosa is renowned for the exuberance of its architecture, in both the Gothic and Renaissance styles, and for its collection of artworks which are particularly representative of the region. That said, the marble facade is more reminiscent of Tuscan monuments!

The small and large cloisters are accessible from the church and the red brick architecture and Verona marble angel figures adorning the arches are a sight to behold, both for the quality and detail as well as for the sheer size of the whole structure. By visiting the gift shop you might be able to meet some of the few friars who still live here and …

Clearly lacking the understanding of outstanding universal value, this is one of those sites that should be dismissed right away. I'm not an expert, I may just be missing the location and real value because until it is reviewed by an expert and inscribed there is little info available.

I tried to get such understanding from the museum but it was closed both times I drove through and the state of the locked lobby makes me think funding was cut and this had to closed a while ago. So I walked southwest a couple of blocks to find a pizzeria oops I mean ruined church and that's what you see on the picture. (I did get a pizza too not to waste all the time in this town)

It's locked off, trashed, overgrown, nothing is happening here. I don't think tourists really know this place exists anyway. I only know it from the website here. There ARE some ruins 7km south of town that are recommended by the tourist bureau but i guess that's something totally different. UPDATE: apparently the ruins to the south are the real attraction but an internet search revealed them to be in a horrible state. Not worth seeking out. If the church is also going to be part of an inscription attempt remains to be seen.

Obviously not worth visiting but I had to drive through anyway. The description also talks about what "should" be done to protect it, maybe a mistranslation …

The buffalo were nervous. Their ears twitched as they shifted uncomfortably. Visibly reaching a collective decision, they turned and started to walk away from our vantage point. It was at that point the first lioness appeared, padding purposefully through the long grass. First one, then another, then two more lionesses joined her. The buffalo started to run. So did the lions. The buffalo stampeded. Their galloping hooves threw up clouds of dust. And the lions were right on their tail. The herd turned as one to the right… except for one. One buffalo turned left. We have watched more than our fair share of David Attenborough documentaries. We knew what that meant. A lioness sprang onto the back of this lone buffalo, sinking claws and teeth into his black hide. That checked his run long enough for a second to leap aboard. He fought, bellowing and bucking. But the game was over for him. If he dislodged one lion another would take its place, using their superior numbers to tag-team him. One ran in from behind to nip at his hamstrings. One approached from the front and sank her jaws into his muzzle. Starved of breath he quietened. His bellows softened to snorts and then to gasping moans. He fell to his knees. Then, as one, the lionesses relaxed their grip and stepped back. It was over.

Before we arrived in Africa we had asked ourselves how we would react to seeing a hunt in progress. We had both …

I visited this tentative WHS in July 2019. Although I can understand that it is quite an important historical site for Italy, it is yet another very niche site and not only lacks any OUV but is in dire state of conservation.

Even though there was a military festival going on when I visited, most of the buildings inside the citadel were fenced off as their roofs were collapsing or have collapsed. The whole place needs to be cleaned from overgrown grass and weeds before it can even be compared to some of the Vauban sites like Neuf-Brisach or Peschiera del Garda. Still, I seriously doubt that it can provide any added value to the WH list.

The best view of the citadel star-shaped fortifications is from the air and since this site is no longer a military-owned place, we tried getting used to our drone here and took our first few drone photos. Once again, there are many other places with star-shaped fortifications on the list already which are far more elaborate but at least this made our short stopover worthwhile.  

Staigue Fort is one of five early medieval drystone enclosures that make up the Western Stone Forts, a site on the Irish Tentative List. It is located along the touristic route known as the Ring of Kerry, a few kilometers off the main road at the end of a narrow way. I visited it on my way back to Cork Airport after an unsuccessful hit at Skellig Michael (BTW - I did see the island so well from the Kerry Cliffs that I was tempted to count it as a ‘visit’! If it had been inscribed on natural criteria as well, I would have).

Back to Staigue Fort: it lies in a lovely location, against a hill and due to its massive size (up to 5.5m high and 27m in diameter) it can be seen from afar. There were two other cars at the parking lot when I arrived, plus a shepherd and his two dogs. At the entrance gate they want you to put a 1 EUR coin into a moneybox as a “Land Trespass charge”, though there’s no one to enforce it. The trespassing sign may indicate that this land is in private ownership, which limits its chances of ever getting inscribed as a WHS.

The dates and function of these Western Stone Forts are all very unclear. Wikpedia has it that the one at Staigue was built somewhere between 300 and 400 AD, as a defensive stronghold for a local lord or king. The …

The inclusion of the “Ferrocarril Central Andino” on Peru’s T List in Aug 19 has led me to revisit my trip on it from Lima to Huancayo made way back in Dec 1973. Doing so has provided evidence of just how much has changed across those 45+ years!

I have looked out my faded diary and discovered that I booked the train at the Desamperados station the previous evening for 70 Soles - the same cost as the night at my nearby, somewhat downmarket, hotel (c $1.60 at the then exchange rate of 43!). The train left on time at 07.40 and chugged into Huancayo 9hrs 35mins later (where my hotel cost me 115 Soles/$2.67!). Starting at c150m/500ft. the journey divided into a number of sections – grotty Lima suburbs which, even in those days, seemed to extend for ever, along the fertile Rimac valley, then the real climb which started at around 54kms at Chosica and continued up to the highest point at Galera tunnel and station (4781m/15681ft/c175kms), followed by a drop to the ugly mining town of La Oroya (3,745m/12,287ft/c200kms) and then a level journey of c120kms wending its way through altiplano landscape to Huancayo (3,259m/10,692ft). The next day I started a 2 day bus journey to Cuzco via Ayacucho over what, in those days, were very rough roads.

The passengers were mainly locals, plus a few "gringos", and in nearly every respect the train provided a "normal" service with no special features for …

The Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas, the "Sistine Chapel of the Andes" was mostly lost to me in 2009. Its hard to appreciate such a structure without information and during a pit-stop on the way to Puno! Granted, the church does not take much time to explore, its murals and elaborate interior are exceptional. Considering this nomination has 10 components, this can barely be counted as a visit. However, since The Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas is one of the key properties I though I would write a review.

Between Cuzco and Puno, bus routes can be organized (at least as far back as 10 years ago) to stop at Andahuaylillas and Raqch'i for a limited amount of time. As I sleepily exited the bus, I appreciated the exterior of the church, but it's something else altogether to cross the threshold into the church where gold and murals await. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the interior (or I tried), but the light was poor and the images were immediately deleted because of poor quality. I also remember having battery issues with my camera at the time, leading to a tight economy on pictures!

The proposed nomination may be underwhelming for some, but Peru is under-represented on the world heritage list and even their average tentative list entries are arguably worthy of inscription. Sites like the Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas were built over a pre-columbian ceremonial space, the emphasis on …

I would love to say it was highbrow literature that made me excited to visit England's Dorset and East Devon Coast in May of 2018, but On Chesil Beach just wasn't that inspiring to me. Instead, it was the BBC's excellent television production of Broadchurch that brought me to West Bay, Dorset, next to the iconic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast which formed the backdrop for the murder mystery. After visiting the scene of the crime (as well as the fictional Wessex police department), I hiked up and down the beach admiring the towering sandstone bluff while listening to the waves crashing in, before ascending the hill and hiking east along the clifftops. It is easy to see why this has been labeled an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" in the UK. Back in West Bay, signs near the harbor explained the history and geology of the Jurassic Coast (also mentioning its World Heritage Site status). So as not to ignore other sections of the coast, the next day I made sure to stop by Chesil Beach, where I spent a morning trudging through the pebbles that form the shingle beach. I much preferred the Jurassic Coast by West Bay.

Logistics: To visit both West Bay and Chesil Beach, it is easiest to use private transporation; trails along the coast provide hiking opportunities as well.

I visited this WHS in July 2019. I spent 4-5 days in a lovely agriturismo in the middle of the rolling hills of the Barolo vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba and used it as my base for basically half of the 6 locations of this WHS (Langa of Barolo, Castle of Grinzane Cavour and Hills of Barbaresco). Going to and from Milan, I spent another 2 day trips covering the other 3 locations of Nizza Monferrato, Canelli and Asti and the Infernot. After covering all the locations in quite some detail, I returned to Barolo for the yearly agri-rock festival/concert (together with the Giro d'Italia, this is something to keep in mind as all of Barolo is closed down and almost impossible to visit just before, during and just after the concert).

I must confess that although this WHS is the home of some of my favourite Italian wines, I was a bit skeptical to allow such a 'long' visit to 'yet another vineyard WHS'. However, now that I visited I can only urge you to try to allow much more time to this beautiful WHS than a mere day or two. First of all, the Langa of Barolo, Castle of Grinzane Cavour and Hills of Barbaresco are on one side, while Nizza Monferrato, Canelli and Asti, and the Infernot are on another and it takes a lot of time to cover them all. Those of you who rely on public transport may want to think twice here as it …

The Okavango Delta is by far the most visited of the two WHS’ in Botswana, but still there aren’t many people that have visited it. We visited the Okavango delta from both north and south in April 2019. It was the dry period between raining season and the yearly flooding of the delta.

While visiting Tsodillo Hills we stayed at a lodge at the riverside of Okavango Panhandle. The northern part of the Okavango site is quite different from the south. It is not yet a delta but more like a couple of rivers.

We had two afternoon boat rides on one of the rivers with a local guide. As a native he could tell and show us a lot about the area, the animal life and the delta in general. He really cared for the place. He thoroughly picked up garbage from the water while telling his stories. The river is a bird paradise - a heaven for ornithologists! Our best catches were a “hard to see” Pel's fishing owl and a shy Sitatunga. Last sunset was amazing, a kind if Africa-on-fire experience! We didn’t have high expectations, but it turned out to be special.

About a week later we visited the delta from the southern side. We stayed in Maun and did one long daytrip into Moremi Game Reserve and one Mokoro trip. Moremi is great for animal spotting. We hoped for "the big five" and a lion in particular. We made 4/5 wich is …

Short update from my return visit to Daphni monastery in July 2019, when almost all the scaffolding was removed (only mosaics 24-29 are not clearly visible due to restoration work in progress). The entrance is still free and the monastery is now open from Wednesday to Saturday, from 11:00 till 15:00. The mosaics are amazing and unbelievably well preseved given that they date back to the 11th century. Mainly the ceiling is covered with remaining mosaics, but the original interior probably fully covered with golden colorful mosaics was likely to be something exceptional.   

Just 3 weeks after the St. Kilda failure, I went on my way to another Atlantic Island WHS: Skellig Michael. Months before I had booked a tour for Saturday the 17th of August, but already on Friday morning it was clear that boats would not sail either on Friday, Saturday or Sunday because of rough seas. So I tried to make the most of my time and have a closer look at the Irish Tentative List. The country so far has only 2 WHS. And although the island isn’t exactly dotted with highlights, there must be some more potential. My first stop was in the town of Cashel, where I visited one of the Royal Sites of Ireland also known as the Rock of Cashel.

The Royal Sites TWHS comprises 5 locations, mostly in the Dublin area. Cashel however lies about an hour north of Cork, where I had flown into. They were sacred sites and places of royal inauguration for the medieval kings of the Irish provinces. Cashel was the place of the kings of Munster. Like the others, it “is strongly linked to myth and legend and are associated with the transformation of Ireland from paganism to Christianity and Saint Patrick”: Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century.

The historical remains of Cashel lie on a prominent rocky outcrop, just above the modern town of the same name. The best views …

I had already visited several places which are part of the Via Francigena (some of which already inscribed as separate WHS) but in July 2019 I specifically visited the Sacra di San Michele, perched on top of Monte Pirchiriano on the south side of Val di Susa in Piedmont. It is the first main stop on the Via Francigena in Italy and served as one of the inspirations for the book The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

Apart from the magnificent views of the Alps and of Turin from the Abbey gardens and right behind the abbey church, the intricate elements of both Gothic and Romanesque architecture are worth viewing as well as the remains of the Tower of Bell'Alda and those of an early 11th century church, monastery and a separate building with guestrooms for pilgrims on the popular Via Francigena, probably on the remains of an ancient Roman castrum.

After the uphill walk from the car park, and after visiting the splendid interior, we hiked for a short while along the poorly signposted pilgrim route to a small bench on a hilltop overlooking the Sacra di San Michele. Apart from the breathtaking panoramic views, we practiced our drone flying skills here. We also met a few pilgrims walking on the Via Francigena in Italy as well as the impressive Itinerario di Gerusalemme which is an imaginary straight diagonal route connecting Skellig Michael, St Michael's Mount in the UK, Mont Saint Michel in France, the …

Visited this site in July 2019 exactly during the weekend when Pskov was inscribed. However, most local guides were quite sure that Pskov was already inscribed for a while. I concentrated on 10 churches recommended by ICOMOS for inscription. As I understood, there was a bit of mess whether 10 sites or all 18 proposed were finally inscribed. Now the official site shows 10 locations. In overall, Pskov and Nogvorod white churches, not influenced by Mongol invasion, have distinct features (like thick walls, unusual bell towers), as compared to traditional ones. The majority of the monuments date back to 15th and 16th centuries, but the most interesting one, in my opinion, is the oldest – Transfiguration Cathedral of the Spaso-Mirozhsky Monastery has clear Byzantine origins of the 12th century and as the most impressive frescos of all sites. This Cathedral is open from 11:00 until 18:00 and costs 200 rubles. The Cathedral is closed for visit in case of rain, fog, snowfall and high humidity in order to preserve impressive 12th century frescos painted by the Greek masters.  

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God of the Snetogorsky Monastery also has some 14th century frescos, but they’re much less preserved and this church is closed for restoration works as of July 2019, we were let in by chance by one of the nuns.

We also managed to enter inside a number of other churches, but they are not very impressive inside, however outside architecture is …