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I visited Salvador in July 2018, probably the best place to check this tentative site as 5 of the nominated forts are in that city: Santo Antônio da Barra Fort, Santa Maria Fort, São Diogo Fort, São Marcelo Fort and Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat Fort. All forts are managed by the army, but is possible to visit all of them easily, except for the São Marcelo Fort, currently closed after a restoration (as far as I know, they still don't have a decision about the new use of the building). None of the forts belong to the WHS Historic centre of Salvador. I did the best I could to take a look at the 5 forts, and here's my impressions about them:

Santo Antônio da Barra: The most famous of all 5 forts, it is usually called just Barra lighthouse (Farol da Barra), because there's a typical striped lighthouse inside the fort. It is very imposing, and settled in a nice place, with beautiful views of the coast and the nearby Santa Maria Fort. The entrance is not free, as it functions as the Nautic Museum of Bahia. The exposition is ok, it must be more interesting for people who likes ships, not much my case. The visitors can also go to the top of the lighthouse. It is a must-see if you're in Salvador, a typical fort, very well preserved, and easy to reach, as it's located in a very touristic area.     

Santa Maria: From Santo …

Between the 5 new WHS in north-eastern Bulgaria and the next one in Bursa (Asiatic Turkey), I had planned a full day to spend in Istanbul. I had been in this city once before: that was already in 1992 during my aptly named All Turkey Tour. So I gave myself a leisurely program this time, including only a few sights not too far from my hotel. I skipped the biggest crowd magnets such as the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace and I also entered places selectively.

My first stop was the Sirkeci train station. This used to be the final destination of the Orient Express, the train that travelled from London to Istanbul in some form between 1883 and 1977. The old station has been preserved as a monument, next to it lies a new station that is in full use. The abandoned station is now ‘owned’ by stray dogs and cats. I found one cat even entrenched on the dashboard of an old locomotive and another one sleeping on a table in the railway museum. Nevertheless, the building is well maintained and the stained-glass windows in the waiting areas are still beautiful.

Walking towards the most historic part of the city of Istanbul, you encounter a historic building every 100 meters or so. Each of these are explained by a handy column with information in 3 languages. One example is Paşakapısı, the gate of the Pasha. This beautiful entrance from 1799 led to the palace of …

Together with Meteora, Bursa was the WHS I most looked forward to on my recent 2.5-week long trip through Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. And it certainly did not disappoint. I spent 2 nights in this city that has a very positive vibe; I actually walked all over the place for a day and a half as its WH locations are so scattered. It also has an impressive live call to prayer from the ‘competing’ mosques to wake up with ánd there are great food stalls.

My hotel in Bursa was just inside the Citadel, the ancient part of the city where the Byzantines had their center. When the Ottomans conquered the city in 1339 and set up a new civil and religious center, they did so away from these old city walls. From the Citadel though you have a good view of the Grand Mosque with its 20 domes and 2 minarets.

That Grand Mosque was also my first goal in the city. It was crowded with domestic visitors – both tourists and worshippers. This mosque has a very special layout: in the center, under a kind of atrium covered with a glass dome, is a large fountain for ablutions. Around it, there are niches to which believers can withdraw. The most striking features of this mosque though are the large texts on its walls - 192 prayers and slogans have been done in calligraphy by 41 artists.

The mosque is part of the Orhan Ghazi Kulliye, …

My trip to Sinta was blessed with triumphs and (unavoidable?) pitfalls. I planned early based on reviews in our community that a day trip was not enough. Moreover, staying one night and using a rental car allowed me to see a pleasant mix of what Sintra offers. Granted, there was plenty I did not see.

Weather was not great, overcast, and spotty showers were always a threat. Tourism numbers at some key sites were reminiscent of China. Considering, I arrived early on Thursday and left late morning on Friday, I was not quite prepared for this. In fact, I would describe my driving as absolutely courageous and I will always be proud that my rental did not suffer a scratch. 

Pena Palace was over-the-top, a bit over-rated and yet still charming. I certainly enjoyed exploring this tapestry of color, but was left wondering how this assemblage of vanity and endearing madness became a world heritage site? If Hearst Castle ever wishes international recognition from UNESCO, they surely have a precedent! The romantic in me was smitten, the Historian was dumbfounded in the resources expended in such a endeavor that served only the wild dreams of royalty. Admittedly, this can be said of royalty throughout the world, from China to Portugal and beyond.

Castle of the Moors was a pleasant hike, which provided great views of Sintra and the National Palace. There is not so much on display here, but the fortress does feel part of the landscape. …

I visited Fujian Tulou in 2005, when there was only limited road access for tourists. It is important to note that these villages are defensive in nature for the Hakka people. The Hakka people migrated from north central China to flee wars in Henan Province in four major waves from the 7th to the 9th Century, and are resettled chiefly in four southern provinces, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan and Sichuan. Hakka in their language means Guest People. As outsiders, they were subject to persecution and attacks, hence the circular shaped building where all activities are enclosed in the middle. Homes are attached, with the defensive wall facing the outside. The ground floor is for livestock, second floor for living and third floor sometimes used for storage. There is a Hakka Museum in one of the buildings, giving a history of the Hakka people, including many prominent people in history, including political leaders of various stripes. Included are the rebel leader Hong Xioquan (God's Chinese Son), who lead the civil war from c. 1840-60 that killed 30-40 million people, Mao, Deng, Singapore founder Lee, etc.

Interesting anecdote from the Cold War. The US satellites took pictures of the Tulou back in the 60's and the Pentagon thought they were missile silos.

The late roman tomb is Silistra is a small, almost forgotten place (there are few visitors in Silistra, which is, first of all, a border town with Romania), but it is a real gem. Visits are only with a guide and have to be arranged some days before the planned date with the Archeological museum of the city. Visits are limited to preserve the paintings inside the tomb, but my feeling is that there are not so many visitors anyway.

On a Monday morning in August 2018 we picked up our guide in front of the door of the museum (closed on Mondays) and drove together to the Roman tomb. A recent building protects the tomb, so you need the key (and therefore the guide!) to get inside. The tomb is a one room construction, laying in the basement of the modern building, but big enough so one can stand inside. Internal walls of the tomb are fully covered with paintings. I was astonished to see how bright the colours still look like: red, green, blue… In front of the door are represented a man and his wife (probably the ones the tomb was intended for), and on the side walls, servants are shown bringing them clothes, belt, mirror, etc. The ceiling is covered with small drawings such as birds, animals, flowers. With the exception of one hole in the ceiling (the tomb was discovered during agricultural works on the surface), it is intact.

For unknown reason, this …

This TWHS is made of three different components, more precisely three mosaics which were covering the floor of three different buildings: two churches (basilicas) and a house. While nothing is left from the buildings, these mosaics are still showing great artistic value. All were designed at the end of the Roman period, when the Empire had already adopted Christian faith.

Our visit started at the so called “Small Basilica”. Mosaics at this place were discovered at the end of 20th century, but only recently a modern building was set to protect them and allow visits (2013). Although the building is modern (and bright red), its external shape was designed as the basilica may have looked like. Inside, glass floors, walkways and an overlooking platform allow a close look at the different parts of the mosaic. Most famous ones are located around the small baptistery, added around 100 years after the basilica was built: they show doves, symbol of Holy Spirit, and stags, symbol of Christ for the early Christians. Small basilica is open daily, and although easily reachable by foot from the city centre and main attractions of Plovdiv, it is just off the beaten tracks. This may explain why we were the only visitors in that week day of August.

Few hundred meters further, we stopped at the site of the “Great Basilica”, which is supposed to be the main component of this TWHS. This place is still under archaeological investigation. Parts of the mosaics were known …

L’anse aux Meadows is really a just small community right next to the site where the Norwegian Leiv Eiriksson and his men first time set foot round 1000 A.D. It’s a 5-6 hour drive from Red Bay (waiting time for ferry Blanc Sablon - Saint Barbe) and it’s a very pleasant drive (except for the potholes). On a chilly June day, we arrived at the very northern tip of Newfoundland which has an arctic climate. Even though we were coming from a couple of days in Red Bay Labrador this environment seemed kind of tougher and harsher. A thousand years ago though they say the climate was much warmer, so the Norse travelers might have had an another experience. They came to a continent of opportunities and make contact with the locals which must have been a challenge. They came back several times and just maybe they tied to settle, but no permanent settlement lasted.

The visitor center is very informative and visual and it has a good 20 minute informative film telling the story of the Vikings and their visit in Helleland, Markland and Vinland introducing the concept Completion of the circle. Humans have for thousands of years been migrating from the origin in Africa through Europe and Asia, across the American continent all the way to the Atlantic coast. With the Viking voyage the humans completed the full circle around the globe.

The site itself is not very scenic. There is little to see at first …

Visited this site in May 2018.

This is quite remote site requiring careful planning, we started from Camaguey and then proceeded to Santiago de Cuba via road 20, which was extremely challenging for our old good Peugeot. In one place there was almost broken but still open for traffic bridge. In another place you have to pass unpaved road within several meters from the sea. But this road 20 goes directly through inscribed area and provides many outstanding views. All in all that involved about 600 km and about 14 hours of driving in one day. 

This part of Cuba is considered to the hottest place on the island. Combined with risen bottom of the sea it resulted in creation of unique natural terrace system and very rich and endemic biodiversity. While the place of Granma ship embarkation site in 1956 only provided formal name for the park and site, it seems to be included in the inscribed area as per official map.

In Las Coloradas there is entry point for the site, where you have to pay for the park and El Guafe guided archeological path (we paid 15 CUCs for 2 people). The guide joined us in our car, as there is about 9 km from entry point to the path itself. The hiking trail is about 2 km long, during the hike we climbed down to several carst caves and saw famous Idolo del Agua carved by indigenous Taino people (small and not impressive). …

I have been to West Lake several times, both before and after major clean-up and reconstruction. As one of the famous sites in China's history, it is incredibly crowded year round. Prior to the clean-up in around 2000, it was a dirty, filled with filth, as it was a culture relic of the "Old Civilization" which the Cultural Revolution was trying to get rid of, or at least, neglect. Since that time, they have build many hotels and entertainment facilities to choke it with tourists and chintz, including color-lit water displays. Wonder how such crass commercialism deserves a UNESCO WHS designation. 

Visited this site in May 2018.

As described, this city, founded in 1528, provides a unique irregular urban layout plan with numerous squares dominated by religious buildings. Such irregular street design was likely needed to confuse and make life difficult for possible invaders (didn’t help as Henry Morgan burned the city).

There is in fact several squares dominated by a church or colonial building and connected by narrow streets. Our most favorite was Plaza del Carmen with lovely sculptures of locals doing everyday staff, like carrying famous clay pots or reading newspapers. It is also place for excellent Martha Jimenez Perez gallery. She is one of the most famous contemporaneous Cuban painter. We even purchased beautiful sketch for 80 CUCs.    

In overall, decent city with its pluses and minuses, not star attraction, probably deserving WHS status.

This beautiful site is a must if you visit Jiuzhaigou, a more famous site nearby in the Himalaya foothills in Sichuan Province, China. It is quite a climb, from about 3,000 meters at the entrance to 4,000 meters at the top, the length is about 3-4km, so it is quite steep. You would go up along the river "Yellow Dragon" or Huang Long, to view the waterfalls and mineral deposit pools (all in yellow). All paths are set in stone steps, as the management has taken all the natural hazards out, and porters can be hired to carry you up in a sedan chair. Although this is frowned upon. Oxygen canisters are available at the entrance, I didn't need it, but used it anyway when I reached the top.  

My time in the Algarve was centered around Lagos. Therefore, it was easy to explore some of the historic sites of the city that are connected with "Globalization". The city walls have an imposing gate that faces the harbor, yet the walls themselves are not well preserved and much of their authenticity has been lost. The expanding vacation city of Lagos, tourist infrastructure, and visitor services has certainly strained the historic heart of the city. Indeed, most people are not going to Lagos for its history, they are going to enjoy a slice of the Algavre coast.

As you approach the two capes West of Lagos (Sagres, St. Vincent), you are struck by the wildness of this coast. These windswept rocky outcrops tower over the sea and more than once I imagined this area as the boundary of the ancient world. It took many centuries before individuals like Henry the Navigator sailed West toward the unknown.

Sagres Fortress - Visited more for its location, rather than its historical importance, Sagres is interesting, but not a must-see site alone. The cape is dramatic, but as I said in my review of the Southwest Coast (Alentejo), there are more unique, beautiful locations of coastal geology.

Beliche Fortress - A small fortress (partially ruined), that you pass on your way to Cape St. Vincent. I found this site more interesting than Sagres, because of the rugged authenticity and the precarious location on a cliff. The views are stunning and …

Visited La Isabelica in May 2018.

This coffee plantation (cafetal) is the only easily accessible and preserved site of this group. While inscription dossier tells about 171 plantations, we haven’t identified en route any indications or directions for other sites. As we understood they're completely ruined and accessible only with unmarked hiking trails. So, this most famous cafetal La Isabelica (constructed in the second half of 19th century by a Frenchman migrated from Haiti) provides best synthesis of this serial site. There is 2-km walking hike from La Gran Piedra (huge rock formation on top of the mountain) with some stunning views up to the sea. The entrance fee is 2 CUCs and the guy provided overview of the house and surrounding coffee constructions plus described briefly the whole process of coffee cultivation. On the ground floor, there is also exhibition of various torture instruments for the slaves. The French owner (who married slave woman) lived on the first flow and there is carefully reconstructed interior. The most impressive external constructions are secadero (drying surface in front of the cafetal) and grinding mill for the primary processing of the beans (on the foto). Position on the slope of the mountains of Sierra Maestra (La Isabelica is located somewhere 1100 meters over sea level) provided best humid and cool climate for the coffee growth.  

Interesting site providing insight on history of probably the most used beverage in the world (or tea is number one?). However, for the future would …

Visited this site in May 2018.

Trinidad is super star attraction of Cuba. As for me, this was really the most authentic town with earliest clocks stopped in my life (ignoring Pompei, of course). Trinidad has accumulated its fortune thanks to booming sugar mills in the neighboring Valle de los Ingenios. Cobblestone streets are leading to the central square with Iglesia Parroquial de la Santissima Trinidad (and internet catching crowds on the steps). While strolling the streets you could glimpse into the old houses and see the pictures from real life of the locals watching TV, relaxing or chatting with each other. Tourist crowds make sure that Trinidad is also packed by cozy cafes, interesting art galleries and classic Cuban music venues, including Casa de la Musica and Casa de la Trova.

We enjoyed Trinidad and this is certainly top site with three Heritage Michelin stars. Very atmospheric place.   

My last monastery in Portugal, therefore its inevitably the least interesting. That's not to say that it was not a worthwhile site to visit. Nor is this convent lacking its own special charm. On the drive from Coimbra to Lagos, we arrived at the Convent of Christ in Tomar as it opened. Weather was overcast and the exterior of the convent is stark and uninviting. For me this convent felt evocative of those monasterial complexes found in the UK, lying in ruin. In this case, the "ruin" part of the convent was in fact, left unfinished. 

The Charola is the highlight, its splendor (arguably) unmatched in all other medieval interiors in Portugal. It really is stunning to walk into this space, I was not prepared for it. As I left this monastery, I felt fully satisfied. I had completed the "monastery" circuit in central Portugal and while I did not wish to visit another particularly soon, I was never bored. Nor did I regret a single moment in these beautiful testaments to medieval Portuguese life.

Visited this site in May 2018.

Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro is located about 10 km to the south from Santiago de Cuba on a strategic rock controlling harbor entrance. After over 150 years of painful planning, designing and construction, many times interrupted by the military attacks from competing colonial powers and pirates and earthquakes, it was more or less completed only in 1700s. The fortress served as prison once pirate threat declined in 18th century (you could visit some tiny prison cells). Castillo is considered the best-preserved Spanish colonial military fortress. It is quite compact site with stunning views over the sea, deep mounds, sharp edges and everything you expect from a military fortress. For a European eye is does not look something special but taking into consideration all the circumstances Castillo found its deserved place in the WHS list. Inside there are some rooms dedicated to the Caribbean piracy.

All in all, good site and pleasant excursion from Santiago de Cuba.

Vineyards are not the most popular type of WHS among the community of this website. One reason is certainly that they belong to an over-represented category. Our vineyards connection comprises a total of 32 WHS, almost half of which are devoted exclusively or predominantly to viniculture. On the other hand, viniculture is one of the oldest and most traditional agricultural technique. And vineyards are often picturesque landscapes, especially if they are along a winding river. And these qualities are given in the Douro Valley.Alto Douro is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world with a protected designation of origin. The core zone of the WHS covers an area of about 24,000 hectares, a stretch of 80 kilometres along the Douro river from Peso da Régua to the Spanish border with branches to include also the mouths of the tributaries Corgo and Rio Pinhão.

Coming from Guimarães on the N101/N108 I first saw the Douro River in the small village of Rede. This is also the western end of the core zone. A few kilometres further on is Peso da Régua, one of the main towns on the Douro. It is not a particularly pretty town and is not within the core zone, but the Museo Douro is worth a visit. The exhibition is well done and you will learn everything you need to know about this WHS: the history of the area, the nature and geology and the peculiarities of viniculture here, the rock art of the …

Geirangerfjord is one of the two West Norwegian Fjords that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List because they are among the longest and deepest fjords in the world. They are also known for their beautiful and dramatic landscape with many glaciers, waterfalls and lakes.

During my visit, I based myself for two nights in the town of Geiranger. The town has a remote location: I spent over 2 hours driving from the nearest airport in Alesund, hitting less than 50km on average because of the many hairpin bends, the long and deep tunnels and an unavoidable ferry crossing. The approach to Geiranger via Eagle road is epic though: you feel so tiny in your car amidst these surroundings. The term ‘dramatic landscape’ is overused in general, but fully fits this area which already is in the rather large core zone around the fjord itself.

On my first morning in Geiranger, I joined a 90 minute-boat tour. This is a very touristy affair and the trip only involves navigating Geirangerfjord until it meets the Sunnylvsfjord, and then it returns the same way. But from the water level, the many waterfalls in this area can be seen well. The running commentary on the audio guide also directs one’s attention to the historic farms. These are somehow plastered to the very steep cliffs.

A totally different experience than the sedate fjord cruise is the road trip up to Dalsnibba. More hairpin bends and narrow roads through a barren …

As of August 2018, there are many minibuses departing Kraków bus station around every 10 minutes to get to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in 45 minutes. The bus station in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is around a 15 minute walk up a fairly steep hill to the basilica. I found it to be lively but not overly busy. I particularly enjoyed the walk around the other small chapels. From the basilica, it is mostly downhill apart from a couple of steep sections near to the basilica. There are two possible trails, but they follow an almost identical route and with a reasonable map (I highly recommend the offline mapping app maps.me) it is possible to visit all of the monuments without much backtracking at all. The trails are, for the most part, wide grassy paths or unmade roads. The whole visit took me just over 2 hours.