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I visited the Casa Curutchet in Argentina on the day after its inscription as WHS in 2016.

It's on the right side of the Rivadavia Park so it's quite easy to find. From outside you can already see some of the principle elements Le Corbusier used on his architecture design, including free facade and long windows.This might look normal to you but imagine this was built in 1953 where majority of the buildings were built on bricks (you can compare to the buildings both on the left and right). This really stands out as a modern architecture and many architects followed his concept of design. That's why it's inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

This place is considered cheap as a WHS compared to those in Argentina and quite easy to access. The building has three floors. I was totally amazed by the big tree in the middle of the house when I first walked in. I really love the concept putting nature as priority and keep it as it supposed to be. After walking passed the tree you can go to the so called backyard (the other part is occupied by architect college with no access). I like the first floor the most as they have a big space with a lot of information on the wall, and you can go out to the balcony to see the tree and the park. The second floor is more to office like with many cupboards. 

It's really worth …

As a small extension of the 2018 community meetup I joined Philpp on a trip to the Danube Delta. For some reason I had long wanted to visit the place where the Danube, this great European river, meets the sea.

We had been on the Danube for two days now. As part of the meetup we slept in Russe (Bulgara) and visited the Roman fortifications (T). From Russe we drove to Srebarna and then to Silistra (T) where our meetup ended. Silistra also marks the end point of the Roman Limes.

As mentioned in nearly everyone's review of Srebarna it was kind of a let down. We wanted to see birds and there were none to be spotted. So I was a bit anxious to see if we would spot any birds in the Delta, especially considering how busy with locals, tourists and fishermen the place is; the Delta is not a fully protected area, only parts are.

My worries were quickly dissolved as within the hour we had seen a kingfisher and an eagle up close. There were also plenty of pelicans and what not. Under normal circumstances I am not really keen on birds, but this was quite nice as it also combined with some beautiful scenery. Admittedly, the vegetation is what most Europeans will recognize from their own lakes and rivers at home. But this is a great representative for this type of ecosystem. Add to this the size of the site and …

As a first stop on my Asia trip I visited Macao. For centuries this was a Portugese colony and it shows in the town center with plenty of colonial houses and churches. In addition, there are also plenty of unique Chinese buildings and temples that are part of the inner city. This gives the town a unique Asian touch that its Indian counterpart in Goa does not have. And the site is well preserved, also unlike Goa. Personally, I felt more reminded of Panama. But maybe that was due to all the cars, casinos and skyscrapers Goa also prominently features.

Places of note for me were the Mandarin's house, the Robert Ho Tung Library and the mint green church.

Getting There

Most visitors will likely arrive from Hong Kong as a day trip by ferry. Tickets can be bought online and have to be exchanged at the ferry terminal. In Hong Kong you have multiple ferry operators offering the trip as well as multiple ferry ports to depart from. If you are staying in Kowloon as I did, departing from the ferry terminal in Kowloon might be the easiest option.

Most ferries go to Macao Outer Harbour. From there you can already see the Guia lighthouse and fortress. Most reviewers seem to have taken the cab to the city and if you are short on time that's probably recommended. In my case after a few detours I managed to walk to the lighthouse and from …

Having discovered that the Robert Wilson production of Oedipus by Sophocles, which premiered in Pompei last summer and which I watched in Vicenza this month, will also be staged in Epidaurus next June (three World Heritage theaters! ) , I had to reminisce my absolutely unusual and even surreal experience I had when I visited Epidaurus. 

I believe it was the summer of 2004 right before the Athens Olympics. That was when I toured Greece visiting most of the WHSs in Greece I have visited so far. 

In Athens I purchased a ticket for the National Theater of Greece production of Lysistrata, a comedy by Aristophanes, at the Epidaurus Theater. The theater is the summer home of the National Theater of Greece based in Athens, and I just thought, what could be the better way to experience this most complete Greek theater in the world than watching an actual Greek play there?  

How to get to Epidaurus:

But the ticket I purchased was actually for the whole tour from Athens to Epidaurus, which included a bus ride from Athens to Pireas, a ferry ride from Pireas to some port in Peloponnese, and another bus ride from there to Epidaurus and the same on the way back. I did not know what I got myself into. They just told me to get on the bus in Athens at 4 pm.  

When I boarded the ferry and freely walked around the boat was when I realized that, …

We visited Norway in late March and the mountains were still covered in densely packed snow. As we made our way out to the west fjords, there was a chilling wind in the air, but we were excited to discover the majestic beauty of the fjords we’d heard so much about. Whatever hype we’d heard about the fjords, they lived up to it and then some.

The West Norwegian Fjords of Naeroyfjord and Geirangerfjord have received UNESCO World Heritage designation for their natural beauty. According to UNESCO, these two fjords are perfect examples of the geological processes that carved deep, glacial paths through the rock on the way to the sea. The near vertical cliffs that plunge into the icy cold Nordic waters make for incredible pictures.

The Naeroyfjord features prominently on the Norway in a Nutshell route that is popular with tourists. Nearly 20 kilometers long and at points only 500 meters wide, it’s tough to imagine room for the massive ferry boat, but the expert captains maneuver in such small spaces. We followed the route and were pleased to discover this long, narrow Naeroyfjord by boat.

Of all the natural features in the world, we loved the fjords. We absolutely recommend visiting the West Norwegian Fjords.

What do you think when you hear "Klondike"? Gold Rush, Charlie Chaplin, German tourists in camper vans (YES!), First Nations...wait what? Yes! So actually what people probably don't even know is that the original town of Dawson City has been reduced to a sheer third nowadays because the First Nation has been given back the land across the south called the Tr’ochëk fishing camp. I did not attempt to go over there but there are probably tours because there are dozens of tours every day in peak season starting from the well-organized National Parks office in town. The town is actually part of the national park although there is a "real" park entrance across to the west just beyond the free car-ferry crossing.

My main focus was doing historic tours. They are very informative, also telling you about Klondike today. I had the feeling that knowing more about the history we had to ask questions and luckily others in the group all did the same. The tour is the only way to visit the old buildings such as the post office where everyone in town had a deposit box to pick up their mail, something that is still done today in the new post office (apparently things like Zip codes, sealed roads and 911 services are new to the city only for like a year now). The saloon was nice, and the bank is still in great condition. I wasn't quite clear now if they have been renovated inside …

Due to switching to a new employer, I had some unexpected days off on my hands in late October to finish up my unused holiday allowance. Almost immediately I knew that I wanted to spend them on a city trip to Cairo – not too far away but good for 3 quality WHS within 5 days. I started my trip with a long-awaited visit to Memphis and the pyramid fields of Giza and Saqqara. The good thing about this WHS is that it covers the entire history of Egyptian pyramid construction, not just the big and famous pyramids of Giza.

My plan for the first day was to take a bus from the Egyptian museum to Giza. There should be 2 bus lines (355 and 357) that ply this route - but where do these buses stop? The surroundings of the museum are a jumble of multi-lane streets, a fly-over and a roundabout. There are many buses but no bus stops and I also did not see the 2 right bus numbers passing by. So I decided to switch to the metro, which turned out to be a lot easier. Metro station Giza is only 6 stops from downtown. From there I boarded a minibus that runs up and down the main street for the final kilometers towards the 'haram' (Arabic for 'pyramids').

This is the site where the ancient Egyptians perfected their art of building pyramids. Especially the great pyramids of Cheops and Chefren are perfect in …

Wadi Al-Hitan (the Whale Valley) is “the most significant site in the world to demonstrate the evolution of whales”. The valley lies 190km south of Cairo in Egypt’s Al Fayoum area, to which the Dutch foreign travel advice still applies the label “necessary travel only”. Well – it was necessary for me! There is no reason to avoid this region nowadays. Large tour groups are assigned escorts according to the Lonely Planet – and indeed we met a tourist convoy of 4x4s accompanied by armed police. I was with a local driver (who seemed to know everybody) and we were just waved on at the only checkpoint near Lake Qarun.

In the early morning, I was picked up at my Cairo hotel with a 4WD jeep. Due to the busy traffic, getting out of (and into) Cairo is quite time-consuming. Once outside the city limits we hardly saw anyone anymore. The road has been completely paved up to the last 32km, but occasionally some sand hills have blown over the road and a 4WD (or just high clearance) is helpful. The final stretch is on a reinforced sand road. My driver found it more fun to drive off-road though. Some 3 hours after our departure we arrived at the Wadi.

This is one of the most modern and best-organized attractions in Egypt. There is a demarcated parking space, a café, clean toilets and a brand new museum. All these outbuildings are made in an adobe style so that …

A lot can be said about Historic Cairo and Cairo in general, but I will focus my review on the mosques of Islamic Cairo. I was in the mood for it: just before this trip I bought the book Mosques. Splendors of Islam and I recently re-visited Istanbul – famous for its exquisite Ottoman mosques - as well. Cairo, however, might be the best place in the world to see the architectural development of mosques: from the Samarran style to the designs favoured by the Fatimids, the Mamluks and the Ottomans.

Beforehand I had made a list of mosques from the different periods that I wanted to see: Ibn Tulun Mosque (Samarran) + Al Hakim & Al Azhar Mosque (Fatimid) + Sultan Hassan & Aqsunqur Mosques (Mamluk) + Muhammad Ali Pasha (Ottoman). Due to the considerable walking distances between them, I ended up only visiting the ones that I have underlined.

The first of these was the oldest: the Mosque of Ibn Tulun (879). It exemplifies the early tradition of the Arab-plan or hypostyle (“many columns”) mosque, with a spacious courtyard (“to accommodate the large number of worshippers during Friday prayers .. in the warm Middle Eastern and Mediterranean climates”) and a flat roof dominated by a single minaret.

From downtown, I first rode 2 stops southwards by metro to Saad Zaghloul station and then - with a map in hand – looked out for this mosque. I immediately walked in the right direction, but it still …

Johannes Gutenberg’s movable-type was quicker than the traditional woodblock printing. This paved the way for the rapid printing of the bible (“Gutenberg Bible”) which eventually placed the movable-type as an important “invention” in the early modern European period. The printing press even assisted Martin Luther in the quick dissemination of the infamous “Ninety-five Theses” or “Disputation on the Power of Indulgences” which shook the authority of the Catholic Church. Eventually, the technology of the press rapidly spread in the European continent. One of the figures who was influenced by Gutenberg’s invention was Christophe Plantin.

Plantin’s printing company was founded in the 16th century. The workshop (printing press) was established in his house in Antwerp, Belgium. During his time, Plantin was considered a major figure in printing, especially since he was constantly printing manuscripts in the humanities. 

Today, the once-upon-a-time workshop house and mansion is now a museum. The 16th century-printing technology and system is still functional. Once in a while, some documents/manuscripts are still being printed through the movable type. Now known as the Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, nominated by City of Antwerp in 2002 and finally inscribed in 2005.

The museum was excellently curated. Entering from the first section ("the house") to the workshop itself was a walk back in the early modern era - the decorations, the arrangements of the furniture and the ambiance.

The museum houses a massive and impressive collection of 16th to 19th century printed …

The ridge, or dragon spines as they seem to call it locally, is easily seen from the highway north of KL. Getting closer to it, as the other review already points out, is a little odd. There is a place to stop and hike up if not closed for...ever? There was even a sign of an annual marathon of sorts but I suppose the weather killed off any chance of hiking around the area for the foreseeable future. My visit was in June 2017. KL's attempt to have a WHS in the capital's area? The FRIM place is a little laughable as well. I kind of doubt I would visit this place if it opened up a proper trail, add a real parking area, have a SIGN posted for driving directions as well as actually explaining better what we are here to see, maybe even a website or something. I say "doubt" rather than "never" because the closeness of it to the capital means I might do this one day if I have a stopover or something, like 2027? Normally I'm into places off the beaten track so it could be worth a look if they can guarantee me the trail is open.

Mulu National Park has to be my favorite park I have stayed in, not only because it offers so much nature, variety of activities, amazing professional staff, but also because the limit of guests that can visit the park makes this a safe and enjoyable experience. Plus if you aren't into homestays or the only official guest house from the park offices (it was fully booked) there is a 5 star Marriott a few minutes drive off that boasts luxury accommodations without breaking the bank. They offered a shuttle to and from the park but you may have to wait a little for it to pick you up. The park offices has a nice cafe with affordable food if you don't want to eat at the Marriott.

Getting here is also easier than expected. Coming from Brunei I took the bus to Miri, had lunch, took a taxi (unfortunately costs more than I think it should, and whereas it is a little far I tried to carpool with others and the taxi drivers won't hear any of that), then fly directly to the park. I heard the flights may easily get canceled due to the weather, mainly fog, so I assume some people could have a nightmare experience getting stranded in Miri where there isn't really anything to do. The views from the plane are beautiful.

I reached the park in the afternoon and immediately signed up for the night tour. Good idea too because they only do …

From the heaps of places that are trying to inscribe I visited La Union near Murcia. The first sights I saw were the typical rundown, forgotten and left behind buildings of a mining landscape. I knew I was at the right place. The first stop was at El Rojo, a lake now so red from the acid resulting from the mining. This isn't a tourist spot and the lookout even had a big no parking notice plus the typical danger sign, but it was only a few meters to get a good view. This all wasn't so much to see so there was surely something they are trying to inscribe?

It's a landscape so you get a lot of buildings. Go into the town proper and you can find the old market, a pretty building, and a few casas & villas from former head honchos in the mining industry. I wasn't all impressed but it didn't take much of my time.

I can't speak for all the heritage sites but this seems more of a national importance rather than a worldly one.

At the heart of Mumbai is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or more popularly known as Victoria Terminus. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, Victoria Terminus is currently the headquarter of the city’s Central Railway System. The building was designed by Frederick William Stevens inspired by the concept of Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture. At the same time, it was meant to have some similarities with Indian Goth architecture.

The terminus is still functional, and to date, it is one of the busiest railway stations in the entire sub-continent of India. The Victoria Terminus serves as a terminal for both long-distance trains and commuter trains.

Two options to visit the terminus: public transportation (obviously, it is an easy access because it is the central station) and on a private tour. For this trip, I was on a private tour provided by my hotel. 

Anyhow, the entire terminal (building) is not accessible for everyone. The only section open to the general public is the station. Going inside the station is a sight to behold. The interior is so charming. Most of the time, my idea of a train station is “industrial.” In other words, the priority is “function” more than “form.” I mean, I come from a country where train stations are not eye-catching “destinations.” I have seen other train stations where stations are constructed artistically such as the metro in Stockholm and Antwerp Central. However, Victoria Terminus is so far the only train station that …

We recently drove around the island of Sicily for a week. We weren’t specifically in search of World Heritage Sites, but stumbled on the most incredible cathedral in the town of Cefalú and it changed the way we thought about the trip. By the time we got to Palermo, we were blown away by the beautiful and intricate cathedrals of this Italian island.

Along the northern coast of Sicily, remarkable cathedrals bear testament to the mix of cultures, ethnicities, and religions that have moved through the country at varying times. These sites show the influence of Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Byzantine/Orthodox influences with a trace of Venetian/French flair thrown in for good measure. The cultural influence is more than just on architecture, it is on the cultural traditions that surround these sites.

The cathedrals are located in the heart of their respective cities, so they are very easy to visit. The only one that was a challenge was Monreale because of the limited parking in this mountainside town. It’s easiest to reach by bus from Palermo or parking in the small lot below the cathedral.

We visited:

• The Cathedral of Cefalú
• The Cathedral of Monreale
• The Cathedral of Palermo
• The Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti

If you find yourself in Sicily, we would recommend you visit the Arab-Norman Cathedrals. We’ve visited UNESCO sites on our travels before, but these cathedrals have been some of our favorites.

After visiting Ivrea from Torino in the morning I visited the Sacra di San Michele, one of the ten elements of this TWHS, in the afternoon. 

Of a few TWHSs around Torino I decided to visit this particular one after hearing about "The seven churches related to Archangel Michael on a mysterious straight line (ie, his sword)", and this Sacra is one of the seven. 3 out of the 7 are already WHSs: Skellig Michael in Ireland, Mont Saint Michel in France and Sanctuary of San Michele (Longobards) in the south of Italy. 

On this Sunday there was a shuttle bus at 16.30 from the train station of Avigliana, which is about 40 km west of Torino, to the Sacra, where I arrived at 17.15. Although I was the only passenger in the shuttle, there were several dozen tourists at the Sacra. The entrance to the Sacra closes at 17.30 on Sunday. The last shuttle back to Avigliana train station left the Sacra at 18.45. So I had 90 min. there, which seemed to be the minimum time one should spend here. 

Having approached the Sacra from the foot of the mountain by the shuttle bus, I can testify that the view of this imposing church on top of the 962 m Mt. Pirchiriano is no less spectacular than the view of Mont Saint Michel in France. This Sacra has the Italian Alps in the background while Mont Saint Michel has the English Channel. As such, the …

Chasing these wind mills a la Don Quixote is not necessary. If you are anywhere near Murcia you can easily plot your drive past one them. With these flat lands it is also easy to spot them. They are not operational anymore but the one in the picture still looks in good condition. Another one just down the road is missing several blades. They appear to be on private land but you can go close enough to see everything.

The documentation for inclusion is severely lacking any criteria and uniqueness. They have influence from the Dutch and Belgian windmills.

Something to see on the way, not something to make a day trip out of and don't waste your money hiring a taxi for this.

The Danube Limes was the Roman military border along the Danube. The Romans here used the river as a natural boundary: there was no boundary wall such as for example the Hadrian's Wall in northern England. This 'border' consisted of a series of defense towers, auxiliary forts and larger legionary fortresses.

The Danube Limes is nominated to become a WHS in 2019. It will be an additional site to the existing Frontiers of the Roman Empire WHS, not an extension of it. The nomination includes no fewer than 164 locations in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. And for 2021 an extension into Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Croatia is already scheduled. The rationale behind this is explained as: "Unlike the Roman monuments already inscribed, the ... constructions are evidence from the edges of the Empires and reflect the adoption of Roman culture by its subject peoples."

From the sparse remains that are left of this border, I visited those in the Austrian town of Klosterneuburg. It lies half an hour drive from the airport of Vienna and thus was a nice ending of my WHS weekend in Czechia. Approaching in my rented Opel Corsa, my navigation app suddenly showed a 'ferry crossing'. Klosterneuburg lies on the 'other side' of the Danube and there is no bridge in the area. So I reluctantly took the third spot of four that the car ferry can transport - at least it gave me a feel for the width of the Danube again.

Augsburg must be aggrieved at not being on the WH list. It is one of many 2** Michelin cities in Germany with a fine historic pedigree but, unlike others which got in earlier with palaces and cathedrals, it would seem to have “missed out”. Its overall historic ensemble isn’t perhaps “special” enough and, whilst it possesses many important buildings (The Rathaus has been described as the "most significant Renaissance secular building north of the Alps" - though Michelin grants it not a single star!), none would seem to justify individual UNESCO recognition (Though the “Fuggerei” claim to be the World’s first “social housing” complex still in use - there are many existing WHS which gained their inscription with rather less “significance” than that!). What to do??? Clearly something was needed which, as the Turismus Augsburg Web site comments - “fallen sie nicht in die Kategorie jener Kulturstätten, die auf der Welterbeliste bereits überrepräsentiert sind und damit geringere Aussichten auf Aufnahme haben.” (“is not in the category of cultural sites that are already over-represented on the World Heritage List and therefore have less chance of admission.”)

It appears that Augsburg has, across at least 6 centuries, been a “Cluster Wasserwissen” (“Water knowledge Cluster”), and even the “Silicon Valley der Wassertechnologie” (Genuine quotes!) - and has constructed its nomination for 2019 around that aspect of its history. Now, my Michelin guidebook seemed to know nothing of this beyond a very …

Pharaoh's Island is a tiny island off the coast in the Gulf of Aqaba, between Sinai and Jordan. You can't miss it when you travel north from Sharm to the ferry towards Jordan. I strongly assume the inscription is for the crusader castle, now called Salah El Din Citadel, that takes up most of the space on the island as seen in the picture. To get across one has to take a small fishing boat but it's a really short ride. Most people on the tour didn't bother going and just took pictures from the coast. I suppose in retrospective that would be good enough for me too but at the time it was nice to get off the bus (the ferry port is actually just 5 more minutes north where you get off anyway).

The ascend into the citadel in the heat is not much fun but you can find plenty of shade inside the walls. There is not much left to see but they point out certain spots where that were supposed to be sleeping quarters etc. The trip was not even an hour and most were eager to go back anyway.

Seeing this gearing up for an inscription makes me wonder if the island is enough. The official description is appalling and surely won't make the cut. They still have a couple of years to get this done I suppose. This is place is actually also being considered as a Crusader Fortress inscription along with …