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I visited Krakow this past Christmas (2003) and found it to be a delightful and charming city. The people there are so helpful and kind to strangers. Of course, there was a lot of activity going on especially for Christmas, but I was never at a loss for something to do or something I should see. I had a marvelous three days and would like to do it again for a longer period of time.

I visited the Penisula Valdez in November of 1983. In my visit, I saw Sea Lions lounging on the beach at Punta Norte; a literal mass of birds on Isla de los Pajaros; an enormous Elephant Seal on the eastern shore; and viewed right whales from the bluff overlooking Puerto Piramide. It was a long time ago and I understand that the area has seen many improvements. This was a memorable trip and I look forward to a return visit in the future.

I have visited the Church of Peace in Swidnica. There is another one in Jawor and the third one was built in Glogow, but it burned in 18th century. The churches were built after the Peace of Westphalia, when the Lutheran Protestants were allowed by German emperor to built their churches. The building conditions were very restrictive as they must have been built during one year only, at the back of the city walls and only timber, clay and sraw as unstable materials could have been used. They were supported by very rich protestant famillies and they made something, what considering the condition is really breathtaking. The church in Swidnica is in a peacefull park and the timber-framed walls of the church look interesting. The inside is absolutelly excellent. There is a great baroque interior completely carved in wood. There are two galleries, so the church seats about 7,000 people. The wood is painted in gold and the frames of the galleries look like laces. Really exceptional place.

My trip to the Orkney Islands was wonderful. I spent one full day and parts of two. With my friend I visited the Ring of Brodgar, the Maeshowe tomb, and the settlement of Skara Brae. All were very interesting.

The ring is very large and can be walked around freely (unlike, say, Stonehenge). You can walk right up to the slabs. It's right off the road.

The tomb is awe-inspiring. The space is maybe 15'x15'x15'. It is pretty completely dark except for the light from the guide's torch (flashlight for us Americans). My friend and I were the only folks in the tomb with the guide, and it was all the better for it. Not only do you get a 5000-year old stone tomb that took a hundred thousand man hours to build, but you also get a collection of 11th century Viking graffiti, too. The tomb is in a grass mound a short way from the road; you must buy a ticket (I think it was 10 quid) at the converted farmhouse opposite.

And the settlement is the most beautiful. Set right by the ocean, it is a sprawling area of holes in the ground, surrounded by rocks, and with some treasures inside. You can actually see a 5000-year old "stone dresser", which is clearly a shelving unit built out of rock for the room's inhabitants. It's still standing. On a nice day this is a really wonderful place to be. Another 5 or 10 quid.

Dubrovnik was the most magical, beautiful city we visited in the late '70's. The burnished stone of the streets glowed from the lamps, the dark coffee was delicious, the atmosphere incredible. My husband and I sat and sipped coffee by the Adriatic, ships in the harbor, while a group of musicians played violin. Exploring up the next level of streets was a surprise, as well. We took our own tour.

We traveled up the treacherous road to the top of the windy mountain as it neared evening. As we pulled to the top of the hill, the sun was just setting behind the mountains, making the sky a brilliant orange. The kurdish ranger allowed us to pitch our tent on the top of the mountian, and he entertained us long into the night with his talk of multiple wives. Just as we were settling down for the night, a group of Turks settled right next to us, and with their loud banter kept us awake all night. We got up at the wee hours of the morning in the frigid air to watch the sunrise. The Euphrates sparkled below as the statues of kings and eagles gave a mystical aura to the view.

All at once I felt a sort of awe for the relics that connected that age to ours. Mt. Nimrod was far from dissapointing, it was inspiring.

i had the chance to see the genbaku dome in the year 2000' its something interesting. the only structure leftstanding in the area where the first tomic bomb exploded on august 6,1945. It is amazing how that building has a lot of meaning to the citizens from hiroshima, it attracts people from everywere, including my country, Honduras.

Other than for its population of 5,000 donkeys roaming the narrow streets among kanzu-clad men and women in flowing buibui robes and 40 mosques, Lamu looks like any other ancient Islamic town. The only motor vehicles in the ancient centre are a Land Rover belonging to the District Commissioner and a tractor owned by Lamu County Council.

Yet Lamu is a Mecca of sorts. More than 20,000 Muslims visit Lamu annually to mark the holy Maulidi Festival that also attracts tourists from East and Central Africa, Europe, North America, the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East every August.

Prague is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. I have been there counless times and remember the city from times before the iron courtain fall. That time you could walk alone at the mysterious old Jewish cemetery, peopleless Charles Bridge or even Zlatá ulièka. Nowadays you can avoid crowds of tourists if you go apart the main tourist routes. The historical city is big enough, so just take a city map and enjoy your walk around the quiet streets and squares.

Returned to Canada from a great tour. Enjoyed our time at the crater very much. Had excellent guides/drivers with Leopard Tours, stayed at Serena Lodges and enjoyed them all very much. The Serenena Lodge at the Crater being one of my favourite. Food excellent, staff wonderful. Room very comfortable, enjoyed the cooler evening for sleeping. Saw an amazing rainbow late afternoon over the crater out my door - great photo. Saw lions, rhino, huge elephant lots of other animals also. Would have liked to see more rhino, but at least saw the one. Great day, would like to explore area surrounding crater more - next time! Enjoyed seeing the Maasai with their herds, missed them when we got to the Serengeti. Was not overly impressed with Olduvi Gorge, but it was OK.

The rice terraces are already showing signs of irreversible degradation especially those in that are accessible to land transportation. Structures are indiscriminately built on the terraces areas. Some areas are abandoned as people leave the place in search for more economically viable livelihood activities. The rice terraces is taken cared of by the older people with the younger generation getting aversed to terrace work as they get more educated. When nobody is willing to work in the rice terraces, that means the end of this heritage. Yet the national government is not concerned as shown by its abolition of the Banaue Rice Terraces Task Force and passed on the responsibility to the Provincial Government. The Provincial Government is so cash strapped that it depends on funding allocation from the national government with no other fund sources.

Hi! My name is Anders. I have grown up in the area around this cemetery. In high school, my six-kilometer walk to school included a shortcut through the cemetery. It was, in spite of what you think, a wonderful walk (perhaps because of the nice weather in May 1993). When I and my friends were young, we used to play in the forests. It's still the place I think of when having a long walk when I visit my parents, who still live in the area. I could go on and on about childhood memories experienced at Skogskyrkogarden. We played hide and seek there, we've played soccer and land hockey there. In our teens, we crossed the forests a few times because we were drunk and wanted to reach "Daisy's" (burger place) at the other end. Once, on Halloween some ten years ago, I was dressed in a robe and held pitch torches in my hand (we'd had some drinks that evening...). As I said, I could go on and on, Skogskyrkogarden will always bring back memories to me...

As a graduation gift from my parents I was sent to the south of Holland to visit with my mother's family. My second eldest aunt, and her sister-in-law took me on a day trip to Aachen and we visited the Cathedral there. The exterior is in the midst of restoration, and hence covered with hscaffolding, but the interior of the octagon took my breath away. I had studdied Roman culture and archetecture in high school and was amazed at the quality and magnificent state of preservation of the mosaics that cover the interior ceilings of the Dom.

aside from considering it a beautiful site, I didn't really appreciate the historical significance of the site until I began my university education, and in courses in both art and history, learned about the great significance of the aachen dom to the cultural history of Europe.

Downtown Bern is outstanding, blocks of arcaded shopping streets, with a beautiful 16th century clock tower in the middle of the main street. Around the city we saw many very nice houses and apartment buildings, and the countryside and the Bernese Alps (mountains), within 50 miles of the city, are exceptional. After several visits, we think Bern would be our favorite city to live in Europe.

The city name, Bern, means bear in German, so we went to see the famous bear pits, where the bears sit up and beg for food. The day we were there, they especially liked to eat carrots.

If you do get the chance, to go up to Jungfraujoch: The Top of Europe. SBB will take you up to the bottom of the mountain, and then a special train - which is very expensive at CHF150- will take you up to the observatory known as Top of Europe. I was fortunate to get a very special deal, where I commuted all the way from Geneva at about CHF189. There are scientific experiments being undertaken up there, including global warming, pollution, oxygen levels and so on. The view is amazing, absolutely stunning views of glaciers and green, especially in May and September. This is Switzerland at its very best. You can ski, use discs as surfboards in the perpetual snow at 10,000ft. Take in the Eispalast, a beautiful museum of ice carvings, and two levels of viewing, the Sphinx area being the better one. The restaurant is not bad either. This was one of my most memorable trips.

We visited the house where the painter El Greco lived and worked for years. Many of his paintings were on display. In one set of 12 pictures, each of the Apostles had small parts of each picture unfinished. For example, there would be a hand, but no fingers. While we were there, some important looking officials arrived for a tour of the museum. They rode in a large limousine, complete with guards and guides.

We drove down a street into a small plaza and found several narrow streets came into the area, but only one seemed to go out. As we were trying to decide what to do, a small truck about our size went through, so we followed, then found we had plenty of room. That is, about 2 inches between each mirror and the buildings.

I presently live in Kansas City, but I was born in Slovakia. In 1996 I visited my parents who live very close to Spissky castle. One afternoon I decided to go and see the castle with my family members because I planned it for years. I took several pictures during our visit and whenever I have a chance to show them here in Kansas City to my friends or aquintances they are amazed how unique and beautiful this place is. It makes me feel good that UNESCO took notice of the castle because this "jewel" of Eastern Slovakia, so dear to my heart, is heritage not just to Slovaks but to the whole world.

It goes without saying that this cathedral is an astonishing example of medieval architecture. The 12th (?) century stained glass windows behind the altar were a great surprise to me. I have never seen such a masterful use of color and light. It was a very moving and spiritual experience to see tthese depictions of Christ in stained glass.

I find it interesting that Jokhang is listed as a World Heritage site. While Jokhang is very significant, the present one in Lhasa is rebuilt. Original Jokhang or Tsuglakhang was almost completely destroyed by the Chinese invasion and during the Cultural Revolution. The complex was rebuilt in the 80s to the current state.

I have been fortunate enough to be in Guadalajara, Mexico. Not only the Hospicio Cabañas, but all the BEAUTIFUL colonial buildings downtown (Degollado theater, the Cathedral, the goverment palaces, the expiatorio temple, and a long etc) are impressive. The frescos inside the Hospicio Cabañas are a must see. That whole city is full of history and beauty. Guadalajara has uniqueness and character. Everyone should get the chance to go there! And the night life there... there is always something going on.