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First things first: Finnish place names get me each time. At the latest it takes two syllables before I give up: Petä-the-what-not? Frankly, the wild and indiscernible combinations of seemingly random letters ... Finish is stunning.

Lucky me, most Finnish speak English and you don’t have to deal with the Finnish language all that much. So, after a chaotic train ride from Kouvola, I arrived in Petäjävesi in the afternoon to visit the old church. Side note: Old is the only Finnish word I know by now (Vanha).

The church is on the outskirts of the village. It’s entirely built of wood, including the interiors and decorations. Don't expect a stellar cathedral. It's a simple work of vernacular art by the local population. But personally, I like these better than yet another grandiose cathedral. So it's a nice site and a welcome stop on a trip through Finland.

Getting There

To get to Petäjävesi, you probably will pass through Jyväskylä (copy pasted, otherwise I would not have managed to spell this). From there, you can take a train or a bus taking you to Petäjävesi. These do not run frequently and even less so during the weekend, but they run. So it seems feasible to visit the site all year long by public transport.

The bus station in Petäjävesi is close to the site near the gas station and the roundabout. The train station is north of town. Everything is within walking distance.

In …

One of my more indelible travel memories is of watching a truckload of pilgrims departing for the Hajj, joyfully singing and cheering as they left Luxor, Egypt, in October 2012. I thought about those pilgrims embarking on a pilgrimage as I hiked along some of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Spain last month, and wondered whether the pilgrims starting off on the Camino felt similar joy as they started their journeys. The routes were great places for reflection and for enjoying the varied nature of the north of Spain. Although I traveled with a tour group, there was ample time to appreciate the trails in relative solitude, and even as we neared Santiago and more pilgrims appeared on the trails, it was still not terribly crowded in late May. In total, we spent six days hiking the routes: two days admiring the rugged coastal beauty of the Camino del Norte; two days crossing the hills of the original Camino Primitivo, which Asturian King Alfonso II established from Oviedo in the 9th century; and two days along the more traveled Camino Francés, which was the first section of the Camino in Spain inscribed on the World Heritage Site list. The weather was remarkably sunny and warm for the entire trip, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tranquility of the trails. While I didn't get to witness any of the pilgrims as they first embarked on the Camino, I can say with certainty that those I saw at Monte do Gozo, …

The site is only 15 km from Vienna through the Vienna Woods. 

There is no train station by this Abbey, and the only two ways to get there by public transportation are by bus either from the Baden bei Wien train station or from the Mödling train station. 

I visited from the former. 

The bus will drop you right off at the parking lot for this Abbey. This means that you enter the Abbey complex from the back, but I would recommend entering the Abbey from the front gate in order to orient yourself for this large complex. 

Heiligenkreuz has existed without interruption since its founding in 1133 and is the only such Cistercian monastery in the world.

The importance of the Abbey can be felt just by seeing how impeccably well-kept this large monastery is. It already has the aura of a World Heritage Site (and you will most likely know what I mean when you visit), and the aura may be what is important, considering the fact that some World Heritage-listed churches don't have such aura and disappoint non-Christian visitors. 

It is also tourist-ready and has tours offered by a monk on the hour 5 to 6 times a day everyday of the year (except on Good Friday and on Christmas Eve). 

The tour I took was in German, but the papers in English they gave me at the ticket office offered just about enough info to leave enough time for …

Verla is a well-preserved example of a 19th century Finnish wood processing plant. The most renowned product in Finland was the cardboard that was used to print maps on display in Finnish schools. At least, that’s what our resident Finnish traveler - Juha - mentioned over beers in Helsinki.

The mill remains in a mostly original, 19th century state. Because of size limitations, the owners never extended or modernized the mill. Instead, the company slowly phased it out. They continued to operate it in the traditional way until the last workers reached retirement age (1960s).

While interesting and somewhat fitting for a country, that produces loads of timber, Verla is not a great site. It’s relatively recent (late 19th century) and of a rather small scope given the period. The comparison that came to mind is Engelsberg, but that site is a century older.

Getting There

In summer (roughly June to early September), and then only on weekends, there are two daily shuttle rides from Kouvola station to Verla. These continue to Repovesi National Park. Outside summer or on a weekday, I am not sure how you can manage. The only recommendation I found online was to rent a bike.

The bus itself is new and really comfy. It was paid for by the EU. The region tries to boost tourism. On summer weekends, the bus does a morning round (2019: 9:15-10:00, returning 11.40-12:25) and an afternoon round (13:10-13:55, returning 15:35-16:20). 1:30h is enough …

The Convent of Christ in Tomar is the oldest in the Portuguese World Heritage monastic triangle (the other two are Alcobaça and Batalha), founded in the 12th century. It has been built and improved upon for several centuries afterwards; the variety of the styles in its construction came to symbolize the opening up of Portugal to different civilizations.

Unlike the other two, the convent does not sit in the town center, but instead is located high on a hill within the walls of a castle. The surrounding castle and some of the parts of the convent are either in ruins or in a state of a degree of disrepair. In that, it projects the least amount of being cared for among the three. Some people may look at it from the angle of the convent being the most antique and authentic.

The convent complex is vast, with eight cloisters and a number of interior spaces of note. Although all locations are signposted and marked on maps along the way, you can’t help but feel at times that you are lost in this huge maze. Of the cloisters, only a couple might be called truly impressive. One is the tiled Gothic Cemetery Cloister; the other is the “principal” cloister of Dom João III, an elegant Renaissance two-storey structure. The remaining cloisters have notable features here or there and were used for different purposes but are less remarkable from the visual standpoint and exhibit occasional signs of neglect.

There …

Ferrara was a surprise for me. I expected just another WHS Italian town, but it can be described as a flat urban landscape stuffed with monuments such as Duomo, Castello Estenze, Palazzo Diamanti and others monumental buildings and palaces. So, my advice how to enjoy such sites is to be lost in the streets and to be “shocked” by random finding of something exceptional – for example 15th century Casa Romei (PHOTO) with very nice courtyards, loggias and original wooden ceilings. The town is quite big, thus tourists are evenly scattered within the large area, which is very refreshing after visiting touristy spots like Florence.

Palazzo Diamanti and its neighborhood are also very nice. The gallery inside the palace was officially opened, but the cash desk was locked. So, it was possible to enter but not possible to buy a ticket… that was eventually OK for me as I enjoyed the façade decoration from outside only. I would not expect anything inside that would beat my impression from what I have seen outside. Duomo, at least from outside, is in quite a bad shape, it is covered by lichens and other flora, and seemed to collapse soon, and thus it is closed for visitors and under reconstruction. The main façade is hidden under scaffolding. As I saw magnificent cathedrals in Modena and Parma, I was not disappointed and enjoyed the narrow streets and palaces all around. It was also very interesting to see that the former ghetto with synagogue …

Iznik now is a small and insignificant town not very far from Istanbul but centuries ago it was an important center of Byzantine empire and then, for a a short period, the capital of Ottoman empire. First soup kitchen in the world was founded in Iznik. Later Iznik became famous of its ceramic industry. For Western culture Iznik is much better known under its latin name Nicaea. It was this place that hosted the Counsils of Nicaea and creed that was adopted after The First Council of Nicaea is until now named the Nicene Creed and is used in Christian liturgy all over the world.

Not too much if left from the Christian heritage of Nicaea but quite a lot survived from Byzantine and newer periods. These are mainly fabulous city walls, that, although crossed by more modern roads, until now surround the town. Most of the walls survived but of course they require reconstruction. So far only the most important parts, such as city walls, have already been or are being reconstructed. Most of the elements, such as arches or reliefs, survived in original and now are significant tourist attractions. After the Turkish government finishes the reconstruction, the inscription of Iznik on World Heritage List can have quite a chance. Based on what I saw, I won’t be disappointed seeing Iznik as a WHS.

I spent a week in Modena in June 2019 and did short trips to other interesting places around (Parma, Mantova, Bologna, Ferrara, etc.). Despite warnings and quite low ratings by other travelers, I found Modena very nice town and a good place to stay. Luciano Pavarotti would agree with me. It was very pleasant week in Modena, and I would imagine even living there for some time. The town center is quite compact with picturesque streets, porticoes and ochre facades of houses. The traffic is limited in the center that also helps making Modena good place for living.

The Duomo with Ghirlandina tower and Piazza Grande are situated in very center. The tower can be seen from everywhere and it is the tallest structure in Modena. The Duomo is rather small but it is an exceptional structure, which deserves a status of WHS. I must laugh when reading the comments of some travelers: they know what to expect in Modena, but eventually they were disappointed that it is only/just a church – I cannot understand that. The Duomo has exceptionally rich decoration of exterior with several porticoes flanked by lion statues. There are so many details and exceptionally elaborated features. The interior is darker than shiny exterior. The vaults in aisles and the large rosone in the west wall were modified in 13th century, but it is still very compact structure with fine details from period around 1100.

Other places in Modena are not such exceptional as the …

Baden bei Wien

This is the 5th Great Spa in Europe I have visited. The other 4 are Karlovy Vary in Czechia, Baden-Baden in Germany, Spa in Belgium and Bath in the UK.

I guess Bad Ischl in Salzkammergut, which I have also been to, is no longer included in this Great Spas of Europe nomination, but Baden bei Wien is. I'm not exactly sure how these decisions were made. 

I enjoyed visiting this small town outside Vienna quite a bit, but I see some problems in this nomination. First of all, there are not many traces of spa facilities in this town. At other spa towns included in this nomination you can either drink the spa water (Karlovy Vary; Spa) or soak in it (Baden-Baden; Bath) at their historic facilities. But here are no historic drinking or soaking facilities available for tourists. 

The nomination says, "Among the most significant spa buildings there are Josefsbad, Leopoldsbad, Frauenbad, Engelsbad, Franzensbad, Grand Hotel Sauerhof, Kurhaus, and the theatre."

To begin with, the staffs at the tourist info were not able to give much info on the specific sites related to this nomination. They just said the whole town is nominated. They did not even mention the fact that the tourist office building itself had been converted from the Leopoldsbad mentioned in the nomination. 

To be sure, there is a modern spa facility in town, aptly named Römertherme, but this is rather like a water park that …

Amasya was on our way from Ani to Istanbul and, considering it required only a short detour from main E80 road, I decided to go there. It was Saturday afternoon and the town was bustling with tourists. There is no doubt the town is worth its popularity – it was undisputedly one of the most beautiful places in Turkey we visited. The town, like many Turkish settlements, is located on the slope of Mount Harşena, along the river of Yeşilırmak and its city center is well preserved. The buildings just on the river bank are really picturesque. To fully admire the beauty of the town one has to climb up the mount Harşena. As a WHS fan I had to do it anyway because the mountain is on Turkish Tentative List. The uniqueness of Harşena stems from stone tombs carved in its slopes. The tombs were carved by several Pontic kings, who resided in Amasya as a capital of the kingdom from 3rd century BC.

The Pontic Kingdom was established by Persian satrap Mithridates who adopted Persian tradition of rock tombs (of which the most prominent example is Naqsh e-Rostam near Persepolis). The ones carved in Harşena are very big – up to 15 meters high, but in terms of artistic value are far away from their Iranian counterparts. I dare say they look much nicer from a distance than near. There are no reliefs, just carved caves with small entrance (you cannot look into the tombs but I …

I visited Mantua two times already, first, as a stop during the trip from the Garda Lake in direction to Tuscany and Umbria. My first impression from historical town located between lakes of river Mincio was quite good but not exceptional. I returned to Mantua this year, and the reason was to visit S Andrea church and Palazzo Te. I skipped Palazzo Ducale even this time because it looked too vast and expansive to me…

S Andrea is really a masterpiece, quality of which can be recognized mostly in the interior. The entire building documents how architects tried to find a way from Middle Ages towards modern times… The main façade (PHOTO) looks a bit odd demonstrating that it is a experiment of the architect to find a balance between exterior and interior. It proves that doing a progress from dark ages towards bright future was a difficult task... The interior is really stunning with colorful paintings and decorations, which are integrated into a consistent structure of highest qualities.

My next stop was Palazzo Te that is quite distant from the main squares between Palazzo Ducale and S Andrea, but it is definitely worth a detour. From outside it looks quite strict and clean, but the interiors are incredibly decorated in a style of mannerism. I knew only imitations built by Italian architects in Czechia and central Europe, but I must say that Palazzao Te is a masterpiece.

I also did an attempt to visit Sabbioneta: I …

Batalha Monastery is a masterpiece of Gothic and Manueline art. I visited all three WH monastic complexes in the Centro Region of Portugal in April of 2019, and the contrast between Alcobaça and Batalha, specifically, is one of the strongest impressions of seeing these places. Where the cloisters at Alcobaça are restrained, the ones in Batalha are outright exuberant.

There are three main impressive components to the Batalha site, starting with the Founders’ Chapel, the first royal pantheon of Portugal. The square-plan chapel is unexpectedly bright for what is technically a crypt, including vivid stained glass. Next are the cloisters of King João I, intricately decorated throughout. The decorative details range from very complex to sometimes simple, but all are just delightful to explore. A small detraction from the overall impression are the black stains on the yellow stones. Again contrasting this with Alcobaça, the monastery there appears very thoroughly cared for, whereas Batalha feels not exactly neglected but also not really in the best shape it could be.

The last component of the complex are the Unfinished Chapels. The principal work on the monastery construction continued into the 16th century (having been started in 1386), but the adjoining yet separate octagonal structure of the Capelas Imperfeitas was never fully built. It is the killer feature of the monastery, resplendently decorated with lacework of Manueline motives.

Most of the visitors will likely come to Batalha from Lisbon, which should take about an hour and a half by …

Driving on this road means visiting 2 TWHS at once, as this road runs north-south in the middle of Höhe Taurn National Park, which is another TWHS. 

I took a bus tour on this road from Zell am See to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, which is the centerpiece of this TWHS, for 34 Euros with a company called Blaguss. The entrance fee to the National Park itself is 36 Euros per car, so it's a good deal. There is no public transportation from the north end of this road to Kaiser-Firanz-Josefs-Höhe at this time. 

I was told that due to the abundance of snow on the road, this road did not open until late May this year whereas it usually opens in early May. But while they were clearing the snow on the road, it seemed like a lot of snow has melted on the mountains, exposing some ugly traces of avalanches. 

The Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe area is fully ready for tourists with an info office, one glass-caged viewing platform, and at least 3 restaurants, 2 of which were open. That should be the case, as the OUV of this site is supposed to be its status as a prototype of mountain roads created for tourism. 

The tour was led by a ranger from the National Park, who was quite informative but tended to go too much into detail, cutting into our lunch hours.

This road reminded me of Highway 93 that connects Banff NP and Jasper NP in the …

Prior to my visit to Parma, I heart already about the ensemble of Tower, Baptistery and Duomo with Romanesque façade and Baroque decoration of the dome by Corregio, and, of course, about prosciutto crudo and parmiggiano reggiano… So, I was very curious. Eventualy, I was slightly disappointed by what I have seen in Parma (but definitely not by what I ate there…)

It is true that the highlight of Parma is the ensemble of Duomo with Bell Tower and Baptistery (PHOTO). The latter is really masterpiece - especially interior. The cathedral has the west façade comparable to churches in Pavia or Arezzo. Its shape is quite special: it has three apses, which are not parallel to each other but perpendicular - as seen also in Pisa. The bell tower reminds me S Zeno in Verona. Almost every inch of interior is covered by Baroque frescoes (go also to nearby S Giovanni Evangelista to see something comparable!) with the focus point in the dome with famous Assumption of the Virgin (I must frankly say that I expected that it would be more spectacular…)

But the rest of town lacks something that would make the historical center really exceptional. The frame of streets is compact and quite big, but besides few other large churches and Galleria Nazionale there is nothing that would compete with the ensemble seen in Piazza del Duomo. There are better examples of historical towns in Emilia such as (already WHS) Ferrara or even Bologna. The Duomo …

Bologna is very interesting town, and it reminds me a blend of Milan and Florence. The Piazza Maggiore with all the historical buildings with S Petronio basilica and Fountain of Nettuno is worth visiting and seeing. Other nice places of quite large center of Bologna are the area around the towers – Torre degli Asinelli, the University area and the churches of S Stefano, S Domenigo and S Francesco.

However, the feature nominated for inscription is not historical center of Bologna but its Porticoes. They are almost everywhere in the center. They are of diverse age, size, shape, color, material and style. The most interesting examples can be found around Torre degli Asinelli, around S Stefano, in Strada Maggiore (PHOTO) and also directly in the Piazza Maggiore and the Quadrilatero district, but I do not know what exactly is nominated as TWHS. However, the world longest porticoes, which is mentioned in the nomination indeed, is located outside the historical walls of Bologna: It starts just behind the Porta Saragozza and goes ca. 3.5 km towards Basilica Madonna di San Luca, which is located on the top of green hill that is nicely visible from train in direction to Modena. The portico is merged with houses, of course, in the part closer to town, but it is a free-standing structure once it goes uphill to the Basilica. I must say I was not such an enthusiast to follow it and reach the sanctuary. It was quite hot day in June. …

Chichicastenango was a fascinating small city to visit. You don't come for nature's beauty, ancient stone artifacts, or grand palaces, but for its unique living culture. The people and their culture descend from the ancient Maya, and that heritage still infuses everyday life. The evolution of culture is on evident display, a mix of the modern and the ancestral. Sometimes in easily visible things like the traditional clothing, sometimes in many more subtle ways, like the cartoonish mask of a colonial Spaniard used in a local folk dance. The ancient religious practices mix unabashedly with Catholicism. The pretty colonial church on the plaza mayor had the most incense-saturated atmosphere I have ever been in. We were invited to accompany a local shaman into the woods to observe some religious ritual, an experience that was amazing at the time (and in hindsight, maybe a little scary). The central open-air market is an amazing place to check out the local foodstuffs, as well as notice the colorful fabrics and their weave patterns representing individual villages.

Our hotel was also a unique experience. No locks on the door, but we were assigned one man who was responsible for our room and making sure it was secured. No central heat -- if the cool mountain air was too cold, you had your guy build a fire in the fireplace.

I think Chichi definitely has OUV, but it is mostly of the intangible type that is harder to preserve.

We visited Chichi …

I was taking a Flix bus from Brno, Czechia, to Linz, Austria, and this bus went through 3 WHSs (Trebic, Telc, Cesky Krumlov) and 1 TWHS that is Fishpond Network in the Trebon Basin. I had been to all the 3 WHSs before on two different occasions. It seemed like groups of Chinese tourists were using this bus line to go from one WHS to another.

But I did not go into the town center of Trebon because the bus station in Trebon is a little farther out (500m?) from the center. 

Still, I was able to take this photo of Svet Pond, one of the 5 sites included in the nomination, from the bus when it was running on E49. 

I don't know the boundary of this nomination, so I'm not sure if I can claim that I was there, but I got to read about this site and understood the way the carps the Czech people ate on Christmas were supplied. This site would be a unique one if it gets on the WH list.

Although this site covers six different forts, we were a bit short on time and opted for the easiest one to visit the Amber Fort just outside of Jaipur. It's pretty easy to access, though I'd recommend using a ride-hailing service like Uber or Ola instead of organising a car through your hotel.

The Amber Fort is really more of a palace than a fort, though it certainly serves that purpose as well. There are multiple terraces and courtyards inside, each leading to an earlier and more exclusive part of the fort. There's fantastic details here at every turn, with impressive sizes matched against exquisite Mughal detailing. 

Sadly, elephant rides are still available here as an option instead of climbing up several ramps and staircases to enter the fort. It's not a long or arduous climb, though the heat and hawkers can make for a less-than-pleasant experience. 

As with every other site run by the Archaeological Survey of India (which covers most World Heritage sites), you can buy tickets directly online from the dubiously-named but actually legitimate https://asi.payumoney.com. You can then show tickets on your phone to the gate inspectors.

All up, we really enjoyed our visit to the Amer Fort. It's a large enough site that aside from a couple of areas it never really feels all that crowded, and there's a whole lot of fascinating stuff to see. Well worth a half-day of exploring at the very least. 

This is a fantastic, hidden gem of India. Stepwells are large, flat wells that were once quite common in this part of India, and the Queen's Stepwell here is one of the largest and most ornate. It's surprisingly large in area: about 60x20 metres in area, and 27 metres deep. On the inside, every inch of the walls is covered in carving, mostly of Hindu gods but there are some secular figures in there as well. The carvings are extremely beautiful and in fantastic condition as well, as the site was completely silted over until its discovery in the 1980s. The surrounding area is well manicured as well, though there isn't anything to see at the site other than the stepwell, which unless you're super into photography, probably won't take longer than an hour to thoroughly inspect.

We accessed the site via a private car from Ahmedabad. It's about 2.5 hours each way, and we ended up paying about 3500 rupees to hire the driver for the day. 

Overall this is a strongly recommended site. It's definitely a bit out of the way, but a trip that we definitely found worthwhile. It's a site unlike any other we've visited so far!

Out of all proposed properties we visited only one – Yakutiye Madrasah in Erzurum. I did not read a description on UNESCO site so I did not realize there was another one in Eurzurum - Çifte Minareli Madrasah, very close to Yakutiye.

Yakutiye Madrasah is located in the very center of Erzurum, one of the biggest cities in the East of Turkey. The whole building has been preserved in original shape and it looks very nice - epecially its minaret with vivid blue ornaments. The entrance to the building is beautifully carved with ingenious iwan. There is a museum inside and normally the entrance is paid but we were there during a holiday, so no fee was required and there were many people inside. The museum shows a bit of everything – arms and armors, costumes, daily life ages ago and how the teaching in madrasah was conducted.

Madrasahs, originating from Iran but then spread along all Islamic world, do not have their own representation on World Heritage List. Of course many of them are inscribed under “historic center of…”. Maybe Turkey wants to fill out this gap. For us at least visiting the one in Erzurum was worthwhile so if you are nearby, consider a detour.