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One of the things I found during my weeks long trip in Czechia was that it is a country of Baroque, its World Heritage Sites are mainly built or have some element in this style, as a result when I visited Tugendhat Villa, the visit was like a fresh air. On the way to the villa from my hotel which I carefully picked because of its location that I could walk to the villa easily after leant a problem of lacking carpark, it was clearly that Tugendhat villa was located in the nice wealthy neighborhood with many nice houses around. When I finally approached the villa, its appearance was quite surprising, while the architectural design of this white building was quite striking, it one story height remind me some kind of garage or storage than a living house. When the gate was opened, suddenly almost twenty persons appeared from nowhere for the guide tour, all of them were Czechs and Slovakians.

After showed the e-ticket and paid for extra photo fee, surprisingly I was the only person who made advance booking! The lovely guide asked all visitors to wait at the rear outdoor terrace where I could see the great view of Brno. The tour was only in Czech, but the guide was kind enough to explain everything I questioned in English. After briefing welcome explanation, the guide took us inside to see the first floor or the street level floor. I was surprised that all the bedrooms and …

In July 2018, I spent a few days at the Jungle Inn in Bukit Lawang, the gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park, probably the best place to see Sumatran orangutans, where I spent two days hiking in the national park and saw more than a dozen orangutans over both days, ranging from an infant being carried by its mother to a large male.

On my most recent trip in June 2018, I rented a car and drove to Al Zubarah in northwestern Qatar to visit its fort and archaeological zone, the Persian Gulf nation’s only inscription on the list of World Heritage Sites. Most of the site, which flourished as a pearling center in the 18th and 19th centuries, is buried under hundreds of years of desert sand, so I didn’t spend too much time in the torrid afternoon exploring the little that has been excavated, instead spending most of my visit inside the fort, which offered a shaded respite.

This patchwork or tapestry (take your pick) of historical Lisbon spans sites (not limited to) a Roman theatre, São Jorge Castle (Moorish 10th century), Sé Cathedral (13th century), and 18th century Pombaline Lisbon. Logistically, the boundary of such a diverse span of history in Lisbon would include a large territory spanning several neighborhoods. Here listed: Alfama, Bairro Alto, Baixa, Bica, Castelo, Chiado, Mocambo, Mouraria, Pena, Santa Clara, São Vicente and Sé.

Prepare comfortable walking shoes as these areas cover the hills/stairs of Afalma, the waterfront, and central Lisbon. Besides walking, the metro train is convenient, the tram system includes 6 routes, and perhaps surprisingly "Tuk Tuk" 3-wheeled vehicles navigate the hard to reach medieval hillside streets. 

Lisbon is a city that is perhaps still discovering what makes it unique. It is special no doubt and worth exploring, but the two Lisbon nominations do reveal the complex web of cultures and architectural themes that are on display. 

Two reviews of Lisbon! Pombaline refers to a Portuguese architectural style developed in the 18th century following a devastating earthquake. That said, what is experienced by any visitor to central Lisbon is a well-laid out grid dominated by Praça do Comércio. The streets are lined with elegant structures (typically 4 storied buildings), pattern tiles and a pleasant color palette are in abundance.

What I appreciate about the design and layout of Pombaline Lisbon is its functionality for a more modern cityscape and how the royal character of Lisbon (post-earthquake) was transplanted to a commercial zone linked to the Tagus River. This is felt by any person walking the street today, regardless of their architectural interest. The commercial character of the district is undeniable, the grid layout is easy to navigate, and even the most directionally challenged traveller should with relative ease be able to find commerce square.

Unfortunately this was a disappointing visit for us. We had booked two nights in Milazzo on the Sicilian mainland to use as a base for visiting the Islands, but on our first day the weather was perfect and the seas horrendous - no boats were running! The second day, the weather was horrendous but the seas perfect - boats were running but in heavy rain. In the end we managed the ferry out to Vulcano, visited the sulphur vents just near the docks, and managed to climb up the crater as well. The hike was about as enjoyable as any hill-climb hike in heavy rain can be, which is to say not especially! We eventually admitted defeat in the early afternoon and returned to Milazzo, hoping to return another time in better weather. It does seem like a nice spot, but not one I can really leave an honest star-rating for.

We visited Mistaken point on Canada Day 2018 and was greated with cake at the visitor center. It was rainy and cold, not the best for a hike out to the fossil site.

The visitor center is on the highway at Portugal Cove South, outside the sites boundary. It is about 2 h by car from St. John and you will need a car to get to there. You also need to join a tour to get into the core zone. We had pre-booked a tour on the website at 13:00, the only one that day. Quite a steep price, 24 CAD per person. The visitor center was small and kind of boring. No cafes or store around either, so bring some food and drinks because the tour took about 2-3 hours.

First there is 10 km drive to a parking lot followed by a 3 km hike through the marshland. Some places were really wet, so hiking boots are recommended. The rain and wind really made it a cold walk, but as a miracle it stopped raining when we got to the core zone 😊. The site is by the ocean and sometimes whales can be seen although we didn’t.

At the actual site we had to take off our shoes and put on some soft slippers before we could walk out on the fossil site. On our tour in Canada we visited all the fossil sites, and this was clearly the most interesting one.

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The name alone conjures up shipwrecks and those who ventured where they should not have. This is a challenging site, and weather conditions should be taken into account. While it is only 70 kilometres from St. John’s, it feels a world apart, and the road had surprisingly little traffic. However, in July there was a waiting list to do the tour, which is the only way you can see the fossil area. You need to book a few weeks ahead, and checking the forecast is a good idea too. The tour does not go ahead in very wet, foggy or windy weather, so call before you proceed. The landscape is stunning, with open fields and wide vistas, as well as having sections with wildflowers and stunted forests created by the strong winds. We were lucky to draw a dry day, and the 3 km walk each way is mainly difficult near the end where you have to ford a river by stepping on rocks. These can be slippery when wet, and sometimes the water may be too deep to see the actual stepping stones.  

  Once near the fossil area, you need to put on felt booties, which protect the delicate rock faces but aren’t great for grip near a steep cliff edge and raging seas below. The fossils themselves are interesting and are of sea life from ancient times and fairly eroded, so the guide is quite useful. Our tour consisted of mainly older people and one rambunctious child, …

Palermo is a fascinating place. Despite being the capital of Sicily, it was the last major city we visited on the island and for the first time in months it felt like we'd almost left Europe (and in many ways, we had!). The heat, the noise, the chaos - it sort of felt like we'd been transported across the Med to Cairo or Tunis. And then you see the buildings with their enormous mix of styles - Arabic, Norman, Byzantine, and later Italian as well. We had a fantastic day wandering around checking out the various sights, and were particularly impressed by the mosaics in the palace. I'm a huge fan of mosaic art and this was extremely impressive. 

This was a difficult site to truly appreciate. I think it's quite difficult to really grasp the subtleties and nuances behind the Appellation of Controlled Origin moniker without tasting lots of different wines from the various winemakers, experiencing how the small variations in soil, climate and so on can strongly alter the final product. So we opted to enjoy the area the same way most people do - marvelling at the landscapes in the full bloom of spring, and enjoying a glass or two of vin along the way.

It's not as big as I expected! That's probably your first thought when you see it on the walk over from the train station. It's further away than you think, and it's bigger than you first realise. It's difficult not to focus on the scale of this palace because it honestly is colossal - the largest palace in the world by volume, and it definitely feels like it. The internal tour of various rooms is interesting enough, particularly the four themed "season" rooms, and of course the throne rooms too, but if you've seen the inside of other baroque European palaces this one isn't especially striking. The gardens are great, and we did manage the 3km walk along the entire canal up to the fountains, but our garden exploration was cut short by a massive thunderstorm that blew in. If you watch my video below, you'll see the shuttle bus departing in the background, leaving us to walk the full three kilometres back to the palace in heavy rain. Mrs World Heritage Journey was not impressed!

Known as the smallest National Park in Canada, this site is a gem, and the Visitor Centre is beautifully organized. It is in a remote part of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, and we stayed the night before in Carleton sur Mer, a resort area on a lovely bay near the park. This area is known for its extremely old fish fossils of the Devonian Period. Aside from the view, and wonderful exhibits, the geologists make the cliff tour interesting by leading the group on a discovery quest of looking for fossils. Using a tool to chip the rocks to uncover the hidden gems, and bringing a few back to a lab where a technologist cleans, enlarges, and identifies the pieces. This gives an in-depth understanding of the process. One hopes no precious things get damaged by amateurs, but the geologist does supervise carefully. Heads up to the friendly and helpful staff. This was a memorable site and would also be beneficial for older children, at least 12 years of age and up. There was no Tour provided in English on that day, but I speak French and somehow managed to follow the process better than I had expected. English tours are limited in frequency so book ahead as much as possible!

Visited 18JUL2018

Most of my photographer friends who visited Czechia during the 90 always came back with sets of photos of the iconic old square of Telc, I even become more intrigued with this city after leant that many of my friends from Asia came to Czechia with specific plan to visit Telc, so when I planned to travel around this country, Telc was one of the top five I want to see with high expectation. I travelled from Cesky Krumlov with a short break at Trebon to be arrived at Telc around noon.

At first, I walked around Telc’s old city area, it was lovely but nothing particular striking after medieval marvel of Cesky Krumlov. Then I went to see its famous city square, when I approached the square, I knew immediately that this place was really a reason why people come to Telc. The triangular shaped square was indeed really beautiful with stunning building around the square. Each building’s façade was truly a fine example of this kind of architecture. Few of renaissance buildings did make the square to be more interesting than plain baroque one which could be found in other city square in this region, strangely these baroque-renaissance buildings were harmoniously blended into one beautiful single square. I also did visit the nice renaissance castle; however, after walked around the square, I felt something not right.

This city maybe beautiful, a must see that truly match my high expectation, but there was nothing apart from the …

Coimbra is a city in two parts. Indeed, the upper section was a city unto itself. One of the aristocracy and clergy, while the lower section was inhabited by merchants, artisans, and labourers. Therefore, it is not unexpected that some of the more refined or classic monuments reside in the upper section, but most of the fun is to be had in the lower section! 

My wife and I walked the entire boundary of the inscribed area (probably twice). While the university buildings are excellent, particularly the library, and some of the views are superb, many of my favorite places were slightly hidden or not obvious points of interest. These are the places I will discuss here, since they have not been mentioned yet.

Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra

The garden, which includes exquisite terraces, a glass greenhouse, and monumental fountains was a perfect place for a walk. The garden really is pleasant and I found much more than I expected! These places really make exploring fun, when its far better than originally thought. I notice on wikipedia it states "The garden, considered one of the most beautiful of Europe, occupies 13 hectares and can be divided in two parts." While that judgement may be slight hyperbole, I found the garden far more interesting than the typical austere symmetrical gardens that blanket palace grounds throughout Europe. The garden is quite large, but it also feels secluded, a place for contemplation and relaxation. You could imagine …

If you are spending time in the department of Dordogne, it is possible with the right planning to see 3-to-5 locations of this WH site in one day. 

My day in May of 2018 started with a wash. Grotte de Font de Gaume is among the most popular of the caves. You cannot buy tickets in advance, and only 50 people are allowed in during the course of the day. The caves open doors at 9:30am, and you realistically need to be there no later than 8:30 in order to get a ticket for some later time in the day. We arrived around 9:05 and were approximately at #70 in line, and left at 9:30 after hearing from the ticket clerk that our chances for the day were slim. I knew in advance that there was a fair possibility of that happening, but getting up much earlier to spend an hour or more in line for tickets is rarely an acceptable strategy for yours truly; I was hoping that in the shoulder season there may be less competition for tickets, but was proven wrong.

Instead, we went to Abri de Cap Blanc, where there was no line for the opening at 10am, and only a dozen of other visitors joined us in the following hour. This is not a cave, but a preserved rock overhang (abri means "shelter" in French), where the art form is not painting but sculptural relief. The sculptures were magnificent beyond any of …

UNique – 5/10

The impressive 88-meter twin towers of the Burgos cathedral not only dominate the landscape of the town but also represent one of the most significant Gothic buildings on the Iberian peninsula. While from the outside, it appears similar to many other significant cathedrals, like Reims, it is the inside decoration that really makes it stand out. The numerous chapels are individually decorated with Spanish Renaissance and Baroque elements.

ESsential – 6/10

The full inside tour of the cathedral takes several hours. For many people, the highlight of the tour is the impressive Golden staircase at the north transept of the cathedral. For me, however, it was fascinating to see the beautiful geometrical ceilings of the various chapels. It is clear that the Medieval donors have invested heavily into the decoration of the chapels, as they are adorned with elegant sculptures and paintings. Just when you think you are done with the tour of the cathedral you turn into the high cloister, which is brought to life with the colourful stained-glass windows.

COst-effective – 6/10

I will probably be a little biased on the cost-effectiveness of this site, as I managed to enter for free on a Tuesday after 16:30. The regular entry fee of €7 is definitely not small, however, it is somewhat justified by the extent of the collection of paintings and sculptures that it provides access to.

Little do they know that I came here as a little girl, stenciled all over the place and now it's considered prehistoric... Okay so not really. They claim the inverted hand prints are older than anything around the world (read: Spain).

You can easily visit the caves from Makassar by car. From the airport there are hundreds of taxi drivers that want to make a deal with you for a day trip and it saves you going into town. The two places to visit are Leang Leang and Rammang Rammang. What's more striking is that the these caves are at the edge of Balai Taman Nasional Bantimurung Bulusaraung, a huge park known for its fantastic razorsharp karst limestone formations. You can get a glimps of these at both places, with RR being the better due to the boat ride offered. But enough about the park.

Cave art can be found at LL easier. I think the locals don't care so much about it and it has an icon for the place but they don't even point it out much. There are a few hand stencils and a massive hog. There was another closed off cave which apparently had one more. I only found this interesting due to the Karst which makes for a relaxing stroll with plenty of shade and cooler than back in town. The caves are not big and the entrance structures are impressive. All this for 20,000 plus of course the transport. They have guides …

I visited this WHS in June 2018. I used Gallivare as my base and stayed there for 3 nights focusing mainly on the inscribed Muddus National Park and Stora Sjofallets National Park.

The Laponian Area is a mixed WHS and is inscribed for its nature and for the Saami culture. There are protected rivers, vast boreal (taiga) forests, glaciers, mountain massifs and a landscape that bears geological testimony to its formation over eons. 4 National Parks (Padjelanta, Sarek, Muddus and Stora Sjofallet) and 5 nature reserves (Stubba, Staunja, Tjuolta Valley, Sulitelma glacier and Rapa delta) are inscribed. The national parks and nature reserves are jointly managed with the Saami people which reminded me of a similar agreement in Australia at Uluru.

For thousands of years, the Saami people lived in these mountains and forests. The sun and the wind steer people's nomadic lives here. Reindeer provide humans with food and clothing. The few Saami remains which can be seen are a number of barely visible stones in a ring on the ground which form hearths which marked the Saami's temporary homes, settlements and reindeer foraging areas.

Today Laponia is where Saami people from 9 communities live and work. They follow the reindeer herds on their seasonal foraging migrations. On a wider scale, the Swedish Laponia forms part of what is known as Lappland or Sapmi, which stretches from Norway to Russia. The best way to visit this immense area (9400 sqaure km) is either by weeks of …

Utilizing a car rental (Fiat 500) my wife and I drove from Coimbra to Lagos. However, once we passed Lisbon and approached the Northern portion of the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Park, we got off the toll road and took the highway that runs along the coast (though not ON the coast like the PCH in California). Our first stop was in Almograve, which did not disappoint. We've explored the California coast for a decade and fallen in love with its rugged beauty and I was so pleased to see this equally rugged and beautiful coast in Portugal! Its hard not to compare these coasts, but it should be noted they are still vastly different in regards to inland habitat, biodiversity, and geology. Where they do compare however is in the visitor experience, as you park your car and are rewarded with expansive coastal views, secluded coves, and interesting rock formations. My two stops along the Western coast (Almograve and Odeceixe) worked out very well and the detour off the toll road was more than justified. Before I move on to the sites in the southern portion of the park near Lagos, I should mention a special feature about Odeceixe which is situated on the Rio de Seixe (River Seixe), right on the border between the Algarve and the Alentejo. When rivers and oceans meet, they often form quite spectacular landscapes, Odeceixe is certainly no exception to this. Far more busy than Amograve, but very special nevertheless.

Having …

UNique – 7/10

In 1893, Vizcaya Bridge was built at the mouth of the busy Nervion River, just 11 kilometers away from Bilbao. It was meant to connect the sides of the river without disrupting the shipping traffic coming in and out of Bilbao, which was at the time Spain’s biggest port. The man who was tasked with the project was Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel’s students. Just like his mentor’s famous tower, Palacio’s creation may have been imposing initially, but quickly became an attraction and a symbol of the city.

ESsential – 3/10

The solution that Palacio has come up with was a transporter bridge with a gondola shuttling back and forth between the banks of the river. The gondola service has been running non-stop since the construction of the bridge and was famously interrupted only once when the architect saw his creation partially destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.

COst-Effective – 9/10

The bridge is easily reachable by public transit from Bilbao. The ride on the gondola costs only 40 cents and lasts less than two minutes. If you have the time, I strongly recommend visiting the adjoining town of Portugalete for leisurely strolls on the cobble-stone streets and spectacular views on the bridge and river.