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I had been to Amsterdam numerous times before of course, but in “celebration” of its WHS nomination, I decided to approach the capital as if it was just another WHS city to explore. At home, I prepared by printing a map and marking on it the most promising sounding monuments mentioned in the nomination file. I also looked for more background info about these places on the web. So I set off with a map, documents and photo camera by train to Amsterdam.

The best time for any visit to Amsterdam is early Sunday morning. The city then displays its historic feels at its best – on any other day in the week it often gets too crowded and commercial.

I went on August the 1st, the day after Amsterdam's designation as a WHS. The city apparently didn't think it necessary to dress up for the occasion - the area in front of the Central Station is a big construction site. The Palace and the Maritime Museum also are totally covered because of restorations that will finish in 2011 at the earliest.

Leaving the station I turned to the left, away from the ugly Damrak. Here the 15th-century Schreierstoren is the last remaining defensive tower of Amsterdam's city wall. The wall was torn down in the 17th century to enable the prospering city to expand.

From here I walked south to the Mr. Visserplein. I decided to visit the Portuguese Synagogue, I hadn't been there before. …

I visited Sergilla and othe villages in the reagon for 3 days from 18th till 21st August 2010. I was not aware of it's existance and I was surprised. The society, that built thiese villages roughly 1500 years back, were using skills long forgotten. Till date building fully made of rock exist.

Sergilla is also an earthquake area, still many building are standing after such a long time.

Maybe it was not the best time to travell, August is the hotest month and it was Ramadan aswell. Late fall or spring must be better.

Inside the Valdes Peninsula there are only one village, Puerto Piramides and you can sleep there, this beautifull place is waiting for you. Every year, hundreds of Southern Right Whales close in on the waters of the Valdes Peninsula, Province of Chubut. Puerto Piramides is the only port town offering Whale Watching tours.Its surroundings are ideal for all sorts of open air activities and excursions, as well as for catching up on your rest and dinning, so you pay the entrance only one time and enjoy the wonders that nature has stored in this World Heritage. You can visit the site of this village www.puertopiramides.gov.ar

Visited Salzburg over Christmas weekend of 2008. We were looking for a place with a good holiday feel to it. Salzburg delivered. A culinary must while there- white hot chocolate. Visit the Festung and walk along the hilltop for some great views of the surrounding area.

Place to stay- Ramada. Sounds bad but it is fairly new and very trendy. Much nicer than the ones you might know in the USA.

A couple of details not mentioned in previous reviews. The huge chandelier was given to the church by Barbarossa who apparently was a fan of Charlemagne. And there is a large painting in the church's treasury depicting, among others, King Wenceslas, another significant figure.

Yunnan, the land of Southern Cloud well known for its beautiful natural wonders and unique local culture of many tribes, was chosen by my Chinese Language Club for this year field trip. After wonderful experience from my last year Shanxi trip, I decided to join this program immediately and back to China again.

From all natural wonders of Yunnan, Shilin or Stone Forest, a part of South China Karst, seemed to be the most famous tourist attraction, located not far from Kunming, the capital and gateway of Yunnan, by superhighway in just 1.30 hours. Shilin was a fantasy land of complex bizarre gigantic stones in the beautiful well designed stylish park. With the hefty entrance fee of 175 Yuan, as of 2010, Shilin was still full with Chinese tourists who came to see their "national scenic area".

I was quite surprised to discover that Shilin was located next to the modern city of the same name and had asphalt road rounded Shilin to serve tourists for utmost convenient. However, the paths inside Shilin were really confusing and small, under the shadow of the rocks; all turns showed the different angle of labyrinthine strange stones and pretty ponds. The center point of Shilin was the small Chinese pavilion built on the top of one rock for view grazing; the view was quite nice and made me understand where the idea of stone decoration in Chinese garden came from.

Even though this was not my first time to see karsts or stone …

I have been there, I don't live too far, and I must say, even though they show you fakes, in this country you cannot afford to let the real ones just be there.... but i must say it is as close as you can get to the real thing and all the extra first hand information about history that you can experience in a very futuristic way definitely makes it worth your while..

After seeing this on the iPhone App, I visited the Volklingen Ironworks today. Signs are in German, French, and English. Not only are the views and history incredible, but the staff and additional accommodations are unbelievable: art studio, childrens museum, 50m viewing stand (you must wear provided hard hats). If you find yourself near Saarbrucken and have a few hours, it's easily worth the 10 Euro entrance fee. I'm going back soon--don't forget a camera!

Sanchita Jindal, New Delhi, India

Been to Dambulla Rock Temple/ Golden Temple on 31st July 2010. Besides the unbelievable craftsmanship, the temple has so much serenity, calmness and peace that as soon as I entered the temple inside where reclining Buddha is, I said "WOW" to myself. Enjoyed the climb to the temple as the surrounding is lush gorgeous green with Sigiriya at a distance. Inside the temple, the series of statues of Buddha, each one carved beautifully and the painting on the ceiling is stunningly breathtaking. Went to Sigiriya also where you have to climb 1222 steps however, nothing to beat Rock temple. It would be good if somebody can direct at the entrance only that foreigners have to buy ticket, it would have saved climbing two times up to quite a distance, however enjoyed this too as the weather was very good with slight rains.A memorable experience. I am impressed by the upkeep of the temple- absolutely clean.

Most people rave about the theatre, but the real attraction is the sanctuary. The current curator has a programme of limited restoration - the main target being the Tholos, but the rebuilding of a section of the Propylea and the Abaton are astounding - would that the whole of the magnificent entrance could be restored. Well worth a visit - forget the theatre!

I have visited Philadelpia National Park and I am in awe of the entire park and what it offers. You can actually see the rooms and sites where our "Founding Fathers" met, discussed debated, quarreled and heatedly discussed the actions and documents that have given Americans the freedom we experience on a daily basis. If you are an American an want to see where our country began, schedule a visit to Philadelphia National Park.

You have to visit Suomenlinna "the Gibraltar of the North" when you're in Helsinki. But if you're visiting Helsinki in winter then you can leave it out because everything is under snow and it can be very cold on these windy islands. Ferry ride offers nice views to Helsinki (and the ferry is not free!). Fortress offers scary tunnels, big cannons and beautiful views to the sea and the city. Be there in the evening when the big cruise ships to Stockholm leave and past the islands (best place to watch this is the area near the King's gate). Remember that Suomenlinna is not just a museum area. There are about 800 inhabitants living on the islands and parts of them are still owned and used by military so respect their privacy! Suomenlinna has a grocery store, day care center, outdoor theatre, church, cafes and restaurants.

Out of over 500 cities I have visited in Europe, this site puzzles me the most in regard to why it has not been inscribed on the list yet. I believe it has been in nomination over 2 decades. The natural setting on which this cultural town sits is so unusual and therefore so mind-boggling. It has to be the politics, although I don't know the politics. Preservation works have been underway but would probably take years to complete. It's unfortunate that, since this town is located in the middle of nowhere with no ohter attractions nearby, very few foreigners visit this site. I'd say if this town were in Western Europe, say in France, it would be as big a tourist attraction as Mont-Saint-Michel or Carcassonne. So the town wouldn't get much money from tourists, either. It's all the more reason why the UNESCO should inscribe it and protect/preserve it as soon as possible.

Update 2017:

There is a bus that directly runs from Prague through Poland to Kamenets-Podilsk in western Ukraine. The two cities are the terminus of the line. This line goes through several WHSs, such as Wroclaw, Krakow, and Lviv.

There is also a bus that directly runs from Prague through Slovakia to Rakhiv near the Beech Forest WHS area in western Ukraine.

This may not be so surprising in light of the fact that the country of Czechoslovakia extended all the way to the current western Ukraine in early 20th century.

In 2008, I visited Hanoi with no expectation as my prime interest was the famous Ha Long Bay, but I also made a sightseeing tour to many places; apart from the beautiful Hoan Kiem pond in the city center, I also visited many temples such as Van Mieu, and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and its museum. I thought I had seen all the must see of Hanoi which in my opinion except Ho Chi Minh’s, the historic sites in Hanoi were just fine with no significant or unique.

When I saw the news that Hanoi Citadel became a WHS, I had to raise my eyebrows to question that “Am I able to count that I have been?” When I visited, the Citadel was still closed to the public as it was the military barrack and no tourist information, after checking with the nomination paper, the site was separated into two parts, the Citadel and the archeological zone. The only part of citadel I saw was the Flag Tower which actually just located next to the busy road to the Mausoleum with many tree blocking the view; however, for me the eye catching statue of Lenin opposite the Tower was much more interesting as its evidenced that I were in communist country.

The archeological site location was much more shocking, it was located next to the Ba Dinh Square, which is the Red Square of Hanoi, opposite the mausoleum of Uncle Ho, similar to the GUM with Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow! …

Above, David Berlanda has written an excellent overview of this marvelous site. I went in Feb. 2008 by Swiss rail to Scoul where I stayed overnight at the excellent hostel next to the train station followed the next day by post bus to the Val Mustair. While I had only a few hours at St. John's Convent it remains one of my most treasured memories for the beautiful sweep and tranquility of the valley and the perfection, beauty and clarity of the frescoes in this intimate church. The religious architecture and art mesh in a pleasingly direct manner. There is a smaller chapel in front of the church where there may be more frescoes yet to be uncovered as I was told by a photographer working with an infrared camera.

I was told that the Benedictine hours have been continuously kept for over 1000 years first by monks, now by nuns and that the present order has invited younger sisters from the Philippines to join them. Some distance above the convent I've been told there is a lake possibly to hike to. I have Brother Antoine Galliker (deceased Jan. 2010)of the Abbaye de Fontaine-Andre in Neuchatel for encouraging me to visit The Convent of St. John at Mustair.

I am from Tabriz. Interesting part of memories about Tabriz Bazaar goes back to my childhood time even before grade school walking with my family in this wonderful and naturally well warmed covered places watching shops after shops with almost anything a child might think about,while it was snowing with hard winter whether outside. In summer, just avoiding the heat of mid-day sun,I used to enjoy walking in this covered and naturally well air-conditioned cool air of any Tabriz Bazaars.

In my teen years I had my 25 minutes fast walking to school or back to home going through three different connected bazaars with my teen friends avoiding snow and cold weather in winter and heat of of late spring days.

One should be in these bazaars to see the wonder of the world miles after miles which was completed almost over 7 centuries ago. I think the creation of miles of Bazaar in Tabriz was one of the Wonder of the world. Visit that place if you are interested to see a Wonder of the world.

When I went to Tasmania for the first time in April 1997, I visited Port Arthur. It was almost one year after the massacre that claimed the lives of 35 people on site. A memorial was already built to remember those who had lost their lives. Port Arthur's penitentiary and other buildings were basically ruins due to bushfires and years of wear and tear. It is still picturesque with green rolling hills, colourful leaves (during that time of year), and clear water. I took the boat cruise around the Island of the Dead but found it a bit boring and the boat was quite crowded. However, there were lots of opportunities for taking pictures, not only of the ruins but also theh Tasmans Arch and Blow Hole.

Modena's 85m high bell tower Ghirlandina can be seen from afar. So we noticed right away that it is hidden under construction material at the moment. Unfortunately, that also proved to be the case for large parts of the Cathedral. Only the Preda Ringadora (from where orators spoke to the public) was completely visible (though easily overlooked).

We first settled down for a cappuchino at the Piazza Grande, trying to get over the disappointment. The square itself I found not nearly as impressive as I had imagined it. The other buildings look plain and have been taken over by various commercial companies. The cathedral and its tower are the real landmarks here.

The interior of the cathedral and its museums were closed too. We had to make do with a slow circumambulation of the famous cathedral. Both facades in the front and the back were still visible, as well as the Porta della Pescheria with its very early carvings of a King Arthur scene. These reliefs and fine sculptures are what this Cathedral does stand out, and fortunately, some were still left out in the open to admire.

This is one of these WHS where you really have to make an effort to get in. I already set out 3 months beforehand to book tickets online, and still, only a time slot at 8.45 am on Sunday morning was available. The entrance fee is only 6.5 EUR for adults, and free for children and over-65's. I also got a simple audio guide for 3.50.

The painting (it's not a fresco) is located in the refectory, accessible at the back of the church via a separate entrance. Every 15 minutes groups of 25 people are let in. You go through a series of electronic doors, opened up one by one to heighten the anticipation. It made me think of the same spectacle at the Altamira Cave. However, that is only a replica, while this is the real thing.

My mother and I were the first to enter the huge dining hall. It has the Last Supper covering the complete wall on your right hand, and a Crucifixion fresco by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano doing the same on the left.

There are benches to sit on from where you can quietly take it all in. The painting is unbelievably bright, it has been restored many times as the paint will not hold very long on the drywall. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to "brush away" the large door opening in the center that hides Jesus' feet.

After our scheduled 15 minutes gazing at the paintings was …

Well, with the inscription of this site Mexico has really outdone France both in getting places inscribed twice (5 here are already on the list - Mexico City, Queretaro, San Miguel, Guanajuato and Zacatecas!) and in creating an inscription which encompasses so much of the country. No wonder ICOMOS had some “problems” with the nomination and wanted it referred for, among other matters, re-consideration of “the inclusion of the five already inscribed World Heritage properties”.

That said it contains many of Mexico’s great colonial sites – but I wonder how many of the additional sites are really worthwhile and to what extent they are riding on the coat-tails of the overall concept. We have really only visited the southern part. My photo taken in 2008 is of a sign “advertising” the Camino Real taken in the, already WHS inscribed, city of Zacatecas (about a third of the way up!)

The real driver behind the nomination (and various web sites show that it has been a 10 year project) seems to have come from the state/city of Durango – which happens to be celebrating its bicentenary this year. As Durango proudly proclaims “10 States are included in the project (but) Durango has 16 sites (more than any other)” - The full list is given as “Chihuahua has five, 16 Durango, 5 Zacatecas, 2 Aguascalientes, 3 Jalisco, 3 San Luis Potosi, 4 Guanajuato, 3 Queretaro and two state of Mexico” –yes I know this is only 9 states but I quote accurately …