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In 2008, we watched the movie In Bruges and were immediately captivated by the charming town. The cast of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes didn’t hold a candle to the beautiful buildings and romantic canals in the town.

Years later, in 2018, we had the chance to visit Bruges twice: once in summer and once in the winter for Christmas. Bruges is not far from Brussels and can easily be visited as a day-trip from the capital. However, the ambiance of the town is magnified in the early morning and late evening hours when all of the day-trippers have left for the day and you can wander the streets between the Hanseatic buildings by yourself.

The incredible medieval town city was everything that we hoped for. We fell in love with the Dutch-Gothic architecture of the beautiful Beguinage cloister, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site (a UNESCO site within a UNESCO site).

In many ways, Bruges is lucky. It was twice captured by the Germans in the World Wars, but both times it escaped destruction – by either the Germans or the Allies. In visiting Bruges, we got a glimpse of what other cities in Europe may have looked like if they had avoided destruction.

The best part of Bruges may be the chance to do nothing at all. It is the perfect place to take a canal cruise and sit by the water while enjoying some of that famous Belgian chocolate. Or maybe …

March 2019 - After two days in and around Catania, we went further north to Milazzo. That day we stopped in Taormina. You can park next to the Isola Bella and take the cablecar to the twon. Bad luck, it was in renovation, when we were there. However a bus took us up to town. Taormina is a nice old city with charming houses, churches and Piazzas, but also many souvenir shops and snops in fancy jackets.

The most stunning in Taormina was the Giardino pubblico. It looks like made from toy bricks and parrots are making funny noices. Back to Isola Bella you can take the stairs. In total it is a nice destination. WHS yes, but rather as an extension 

March 2019 - day 3 we arrived in Milazzo. Next morining we took the fastboat to Vulcano. Seems to be the first choice for WHS enthusiast. Although it was only March this day was quite warm. Nvertheless, what sahll you do on Vulcona during off-season. Climbing the Vulcano was the only option. We followed the sulphur aroma and took the steep climb to the top. Nice views even to Stromboli and down the caldera. The natural environment is beautiful, maybe a bit to many houses on that island. Maybe thats different on the more remote islands. However, we enjoyed the trip to the island.

For many years, Greece was at the top of our travel bucket list. Specifically, we wanted to go to Athens to see the Acropolis and the Parthenon. The economic downturn hit Greece hard and we put our plans on hold. But dreaming became reality in 2017.

Athens is everything we thought it would be. There is so much history around every corner, but nowhere is more impressive than the rocky outcrop of the Acropolis, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of the city. Over 3,000 years ago, this massive rock became the religious center of Ancient Greece.

And at the center, the Parthenon stands over the city. This temple dedicated to Athena was completed in 438 BC and much of the Doric structure still stands today – albeit under scaffolding. We were shocked to learn that Greece started the preservation project in 1975 and it is still going to this day!

One of our favorite things to do in Greece was to sit in one of the cafés at the bottom of the Acropolis and look up at it illuminated at night. The building is just so beautiful.

We’re not museum people, however, we were really pleased we visited the Acropolis Museum at the base of the rock. All of the important artwork from the Acropolis that wasn’t looted is now preserved here. There are sculptures and friezes, but we were shocked to see the number of vases, figurines and other artifacts that were …

March 2019 - our first journey with daughter. We decided to go to Sicily. It was on our list for ages and finally we made it.

From the plane, landing in Catania, one can see the Aetna Volcano rising above the island.

During our day in Catania, we always were looking up to the Vulcano, hoping to see some fumarols.

Day 2 we took the Circumetnea train to Bronte and back. We got some nice views at the Volcano and understood its extend.

Bronte was not as interesting as exoected, but the stunning views at the lava beds and the train ride itself, were worse it.

Next time Sicily we will definitely visit the top of Aetna, but with a 3 months baby and March with the snow, are not the best circumstences. We drove further to Palermo, than south and than back to Catania. Always in the shade of Aetna.

I had finally made it: Wutaishan. It's not the last one for my China WHS but certainly one that should have been visited earlier than a few odd ones on the list especially seeing that it's only a <5h ride from Beijing (west 2nd ring road even but rush hour would add another hour for sure). Personally I had always put this off because I wanted to go via public transportation or at least a long-distance bus but in spring there is only one bus from Beijing daily, the train arrives at the nearby town of Shahe at midnight, the return train (requiring to buy a ticket from Taiyuan but can be boarded anywhere) is a sleeper - altogether this doesn't sound so bad but then you take a minivan to the Wutaishan area, pay for the green bus routes to get around, return to the main town. All this hassle? I found a tour instead. I usually hate them but avoided all shopping and prayer sessions, didn't mind the 5am wakeup calls, the mediocre food and the staff were super friendly. The only downside was the local guide who was BSing a lot of the religious aspect, i.e. "you give a certain deity a (monetary) gift and you'll feel better - get rid of your nightmares...", the restaurant also tried to offload "blessed" beads before you get something to eat.

As part of the tour the entrance ticket was included, the green bus ticket is not mandatory, but …

Made a quick stop here while in downtown Rio (it's not far from the Valongo Wharf WHS). It's the strangest approach to a monastery as access is by elevator from a modern building on the street below (addresses are for that building if taking an uber or taxi) and the security guy points you in the right direction.

The monastery is free though only the small church is open to the public. The exterior is simple and would never suggest one of the most ornate interiors I've ever seen. Despite its smallish size you could spend a long time in there trying to pick out every detail. 

Although it's on a hill in the middle of the city, there are no views and it was surprisingly quiet and peaceful. As this is not difficult to get to, it is a worthwhile quick stop while collecting the other sites of Rio.

March 2018 - Our Roadtrip through England was coming to an end. Rather coincidentally we passed Stratford. Wait, isn't that Shakespeares Hometown? Let's make a stop!

But honestly, there are some timberframed houses, the rest of the city got obviously destroyed. It is not worth visiting, unless you are a drama geek. 

After visiting Zacatecas I had to choose the road to Guadalajara. It was possible to drive quickly and conveniently on the motorway or a bit slower and certainly less comfortably via an alternative route through the mountains. The alternative route had the advantage - it led through the ruins of La Quemada, T-List site with encouraging photos on the Internet. We chose an alternative route and after an hour of driving, we appeared at the entrance of La Quemada.

It was a hit. At first glance, La Quemada is a ruin of many but with picturesque location on the mountainside, with a beautiful view of the surrounding area. However La Quemada stands out from the sea of ​​Mexican ruins, known from the south of the country - the pyramids and urban buildings have slightly different shapes, the city is distinguished by a thick wall, and unimaginably steep stairs lead to it. It was so steep, that my 3-year-old daughter simply could not reach the higher step and I had to carry her all the time. I give my word that I got tired three times more than going to the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan.

Researchers in pre-Columbian cultures do not agree on the essential facts from the history of La Quemada. According to one of the hypotheses, the city was a legendary Chocimostoc from Aztec traditions and this nickname has already officially clung to it - the archeological site is called Chicomostoc-La Quemada. It is known …

Třeboňsko fishpond landscape is one of very few cultural landscapes in Central Europe that would deserve the WHS status. Třeboňsko region, now protected natural area and the UNESCO Biospheric reservation, was intensively cultivated since 14th century, but the most extensive works occurred in 16th century. Due to flat geomorphology and plenty of water, the area used to be vast marchlands covered by thick forests before the colonization in 12th century. Most of wetlands were turned to fishponds (all together over 500 fishponds of diverse sizes) with very sophisticated water management.

The largest fishpond is Rožmberk with original area around 1000 ha (now 490 ha) built by Jakub Krčín z Jelčan in 1584-1589. Seventy-six oaks of age upto 400 years strengthen the 2.4 km long embankment. The most prominent work for the water management is Zlatá Stoka (Golden Canal), which is 46.2 km long, wide 2-4 m, deep 1-1.5 m, slope 30m, and built in 1508-1518 by Štěpánek Netolický. Besides works for the water management, the historical center of the area, town Třeboň, was also included to the series. It has an intact town center with prolonged square, houses with porticoes, a castle, and preserved fortification (the ponds were also utilized for this purposes). Třeboň is somehow similar to WHS Telč, but it has different fleur.

(The main altar of the gothic Augustinian church in Třeboň was originally decorated by paintings of the Master of Třeboň Altar from 14th century, now in National Gallery in Prague. It is magnificent …

The palace is located in the center of Dosso, near the main road Zinder-Niamey, which is also the most important road for the whole country. It is quite easy to find although the photos available in the Internet may be misleading – they show different palace in Maradi, not the one in Dosso. Sultan’s palaces may be found in almost all bigger cities in Niger, but the one in Dosso stands out a bit and, out of around five I saw during my trip, is the one I liked the most. It is very nicely painted, though its architecture from the outside is typical. We tried to enter but could reach only the first room – which had something like a wooden dome. The sultan was not home and the guardian perhaps saw “visitors” for the first time – he was literally scared that somebody wants to enter the palace in the absence of sultan. Overall the place does not deserve WHS status, but as a serial nomination of „Sultans' palaces in Western Africa” might be worth considering.

Visited in the summer of 2012. Very beautiful and well preserved monastery in an area full of impressive monasteries and definitely a highlight of a visit to southern Armenia. Didn't take the cable car but it was accessible by bus from Goris and made an easy 1/2 day trip. Whether or not it makes the WH list (it should) the setting was stunning and quite peaceful and worth the visit. Easily hitchhiked back to town as I recall. 

The United States celebrates National Library Week each April, but libraries in the US and around the world would be in poor shape were it not for publishing houses and the printed word; hence, the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, finds its place on the World Heritage Site list. I had high expectations for the museum when I visited last August, and the audio tour I took easily met those expectations. The Plantin-Moretus Museum showcases a 16th century publishing house run as a family business. While walking through the house, guests have the opportunity to view and learn about the library, typesets and printing presses (including the two oldest printing presses in the world), and famous works the family had printed, including the Biblia Polyglotta and an atlas by fellow Antwerpenaar Abraham Ortelius. I was particularly amused to learn that Times New Roman, a font I use often when writing, is based on a typeface designed by the Plantin Press. In addition to printing books, the presses also were used for illustrations and drawings, including a fantastic piece showing what the business looked like 400 years ago. I highly recommend this site to anyone visiting Belgium.

Logistics: The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a short walk away from central Antwerp.

Though I like nature, horses or animal farms have never been a target of my interest. The reason I visited Kladruby nad Labem this weekend was the nomination of “the Landscape for breeding and training of ceremonial carriage horses at Kladruby nad Labem” as WHS this year. The stud farm is considered as one of the oldest in the world (it celebrates 440 years in 2019!) with uniquely preserved function and structure.

The public transport to Kladruby nad Labem is rather infrequent, there is direct bus connection with nearby town Přelouč only during weekdays. So, I travelled from Prague by train to village Řečany nad Labem (quite nice place with interesting Romanesque church), which is on the main train route from Prague in direction East. Fast trains do not stop here and one has to change in Kolín for local trains. From Řečany there is marked blue trail from the railway station to Kladruby along local road - it is ca 3-4 km long and it takes around 3/4 hour of fast walking. As the nominated area is quite large, you enter the core zone soon just after crossing the bridge over river Labe (Elbe).

Soon, it was also clearly evident who is at home in this landscape as indicated by all senses - by smell first of all! All roads and pastures in the area are flanked by white fencing, and one can spot Kladruber breed horses quite frequently. The landscape, though flat, is quite picturesque with …

I'd never heard of this WHS until looking at the list just before entering Argentina. It wouldn't have made my itinerary either if not for Michael Novins' detailed review on how to get to Talampaya by public transport. Suddenly it seemed like a very doable stop between Mendoza and Jujuy and we are glad we made the effort. 

From Mendoza we took a bus to the tiny town of Patquia, planning to catch the Facundo bus on its way from La Rioja and saving us an hour of sleep and backtracking. What we got for our troubles was standing room on a very crowded and hot bus. It was running late but we easily had enough time for a tour before catching the return bus at 4pm (also running late). 

Entry fee and tour fees were a little high considering that this is not a popular or busy site with foreign or even domestic tourists as far as we could tell. We were easily able to pick whatever tour we wanted. There were options for short walking tours and driving ones. At 40 degrees we weren't going to walk any more than necessary. We ended up in a van. It seemed to be the most common option and the one that worked best with our timing. There is no choice but the set 4 stops or a slightly longer tour with a 5th stop in another narrower canyon. The 5th stop was actually quite nice and the group …

This site lays near the border with Nigeria, about 20 km from main Nigerien road connecting Zinder and Niamey. It contains three elements: Lake Madarounfa with neighbouring 'classical forest' as well as the tombs of 99 saints. During our short stay we could not locate the tombs, but we crossed the forest (in fact, not very dense and not spectacular at all) and spent a while on the shore of the lake. The lake itself is not spectacular but we loved the experience a lot – this is because after 15 minutes since we arrived there was whole village came to see a group of white strangers. There was a lot of talk, smiles and photos. Obviously I cannot fully assess the OUV of this place as we did not see the main component of “tombs of the saints”. Based on what we saw the site itself is ordinary with no real outstanding value.

Segovia has long been on my wish list, also because of some raving reviews on this website. On my first afternoon in the city I started with the three famous highlights:

I found the Alcázar more impressive from the outside than from the inside. This may be partly because of the fire in the 19th century after which they replaced the interior by ceilings and furniture from many buildings from all over the country. The cathedral I found more and more appealing the longer I stayed inside but I think I have developed a certain weakness for this strange late Gothic style that they call the Isabelline Gothic and that I find very similar to the Manueline Gothic in Portugal. Its interesting curved lines seem to be inspired from plants and perhaps they even inspired Gaudì. With this style the lady who expelled all Jews and Muslims from Spain left at least one good thing of which the Spanish can still be proud.

I also walked along the aqueduct up to the monastery of Saint Anthony which has very impressive mudejar ceilings. If you compare this aqueduct to other Roman aqueduct like the Pont du Gard it is constructed with much rougher stone blocks. Since I was on foot I didn’t get further along the aqueduct then the obvious aboveground section. The core zone however extends for many more kilometres and include the full length of its (partly disputable) course. If you have a car and some time …

The uniqueness of this ensemble of wooden churches - There are at least 4 other similar WHS! - can be found in the broad variety of styles given by co-existence of 3 faiths, Protestant, Roman-catholic, and Greek-catholic, in small area of Slovak Carpathians, and in the fact that all of them are still in active use of their communities.

(Greek-Catholics religion is unusual combination of Catholics and Orthodox Church that still exists in eastern Slovakia with cathedral located in Prešov. As there is quite large minority of Rurthenians in Prague, they use originally roman-catholic church of S Kliment close to the Charles Bridge in Prague for purposes of their faith).

This is one of on my favorite sites in Slovakia. I liked especially wooden churches of Eastern part of the country built for Greek-Catholics. There are plenty of them, ca. 30-40, in north-east corner of Slovakia close to Polish borders, and I visited many of them, but not all of them yet, during my trips to beech forests of eastern Carpathians. I was lucky in several cases, and had opportunity to visit also their interior. Only 3 Greek-Catholic tserkvas were selected according strict rules of Slovak state party.

I visited 6 churches from 8 in total:

Roman Catholic churches of (1) Tvrdošín and (2) Hervartov that were interesting for me to visit but I found them not such unusual for me as I know similar churches from Czechia and Poland. In general, they adopted and expressed …

I visited two of the three castles in this serial property ages ago. They likely deserve full WH recognition purely on the strength of the world-wide fame of Neuschwanstein. Just type "most famous castles" into Google search - and literally the very first picture on top will be that of Neuschwanstein.

The purported inspiration for Disney does look incredibly fetching from distance, but the closer you get to it the more it feels contrived. An over-the-top concoction of a mad king who never got to enjoy his creation. Neuschwanstein is a pretty damning artifact of the royal excesses of the 19th century, but the lack of any other historic significance makes it all the more a theatrical decoration with little substance.

My friends who resided in Bavaria at the time advised me to skip interior tour of the castle, since none of the spaces inside were considered remarkable. I followed their advice, spent a bit of time in the main castle courtyard, which was accessible without a ticket, and then went to and lingered on the Marienbrücke, taking in the iconic perspective of the castle.

Afterwards I drove to Linderhof. The shortest driving route crosses into Austria and goes through delightful Alpine scenery. Linderhof is a proper royal retreat, with a large park full of impressive features, such as the Venus Grotto, a couple of elaborate fountains, and a few other structures worth checking out. The palace itself has relatively intimate dimensions and just a few rooms, …

I can't imagine Lake Titicaca not being inscribed one day though it will be interesting to see which parts make the cut. So many culturally and historically significant areas are being altered and modernized by mass tourism that I worry it might be lowering their chances of actually getting it done.

While I generally agree that the tourist parts of the lake on the Bolivian side (Copacabana, Isla del Sol) are nicer than the touristy parts on the Peru side (Puno, Uros, etc) we were glad that after a brief debate over skipping it entirely we decided to give Peru's side ac hance. Puno is unpleasant and so many areas smelled like urine it was very offputting. Don't bother staying long and don't bother with the tours. By far the nicest area we found on the lake was in the Capachica peninsula at the village of Llachon. The is beginner's DIY. There are minibuses that go direct to Llachon from Puno (saving you from the longer boat trip that is also possible) and a handful of affordable family run guesthouses that provide food too. If you want an authentic village experience, freedom to wander and explore the hills with some excellent views this is the place. We saw a few other visitors but for the most part this is still somehow "undiscovered" by the backpacker and package tourist crowds. The only thing it was missing were the significant ruins you'd find around other parts of the lake.