All our reviews

Vienna was a stop on my honeymoon, and the highlight of our visit was Schonnbrun Palace. The impressive gardens, ornate decor, and charming zoo made for a wonderful day and served as a reminder that it truly is good to be the king.

In a land of superlatives, Fiordland National Park earns the highest ranking possible in all around natural beauty. My jaw hurt from repetitive dropping as we made our way to scenic Milford Sound, passing through majestic glacier-topped mountains ringed with temperate rain forest. At Milford Sound, I suggest the boat tours, as the raging waterfalls, dolphin encounters and lazing seals are best seen from this vantage point. I have traveled extensively and I do not say this lightly when I call this area the most beautiful spot on earth.

Just got back from an asian vacation that included Angkor. I have always wanted to see it, and it was spectacular!

It was so huge, and the temples so numerous and massive. The impact of the Khmer Rouge was very apparent; the heads of many statues had been chopped off to be sold on the black market by soldiers, the condition of the ruins in general is perilous. The guides let people touch, walk, and climb all over the temples and its grounds which has also contributed to its condition. It is truly a remarkable sight, and anyone interested in ancient culture and heritage should not miss this.

The town of Siem Reap was small, nice and safe. People were kind and friendly, and hotels were decent.

I hitch-hiked all over France in the 1960s. The most moving day for me and my imagination

was the approach to Chartres cathedral. Approaching this beautiful cathedral stood on top of a

hill, clearly visible as it had been for centuries Mind boggling and fully functional.

This beautiful area which is easily accessed from Derby via the A6 is a very interesting journey through the history of Derbyshire's Mills.

Each of its sites is set amongst picturesque Derbyshire countryside with many other attractions such as stately homes,museums and industries to visit nearby.

Using the transpeak bus service my family and I enjoyed a wonderful day there.

Durham cathedral is a lovely place to ralax at night when the lights shine up at the cathedral the scene is unberliveble and is breath taking.The sight is not only breath taking but is a memory which will last a life time i would recomend a visit to durham cathedral to anybody who is interested in historicsl sights.

Just to tell al of you, we had a wonderfull time out there!

It's like entering a different world, it's very impressive...

We found a room, very authentic en truly romantic...

The streets bring you to the middle ages, at night, all the tiny light on the walls give you the impression you're walking throuhg heaven on earth... a bit poetic, but I don't know how to discribe it otherwise!

San Gimignano is surrounded by beautiful nature, enjoy the view just outside the walls of the town!

That image is printed on your mind forever.

Just go there and you will know what I mean,

La Bella Italia, il vino bianco,

greets of Belgium!

An area of spectacular natural beauty. Easily accessable at Cradle Mountain, and Lake St Claire. The Franklin river is amazing and it is scandelous that there was pressue to flood and destroy it in the 1970's. The flooding of Lake Pedder, which is also part of the World heritage area, was an unbelievable act of government anti environment policy

Lord Howe Island is one of the most magical places on Earth.

It has an amazinf natural beauty, the high mountains rising up from the coral encrusted lagoon. The diving is amazing, as the sea life is so prelific.

While not very cheap, due to limits on the number of people it is definately worth the trip out from Sydney.

This is a wonderful trip from anywhere on the island of Sicilia. In the summer it is usually very hot, especially with the sun beating down on the protective roofs that cover the mosaic floors. The entire site is worth a half-day visit, especially the room of the dodieci fatiche d'Ercole (the 12 labors of Hercules) and the long main corridor that shows the many daily chores (hunting, fishing, etc) that were performed daily. Excavations continue through today, with only 1/3 of the site being excavated thusfar. The craftsmanship of the slaves (presumably from nearby Africa) in this Villa is not to be missed.

medina of marrakesh is for me one the most peaceful on in all morocco. full of berber people imigrated from the after atlas villages south morocco. main square j'ma el fna sure is the staring point of the imense labirinth of the huge medina of marrakesh. from tapestry, food, local clothes and shoes, islamic items,books (theres even a astore called "FNAC BERBER" funny!!) jewely, handicraft of all sorts. everything can actually be found over there. the old medina helds the museum of marrakesh. be careful during sunset time. take enough time to see some stores, get lost, talk to people and get out of medina before full dark night comes. may be hard, maybe not...never been there to check, but somefriends born in marrakesh told me they don't go there.

near the old medina and the market square: cutubia mosque. huge mesquita with astonishing calling tower. in the square restaurantes may have dangerous food. it's normal to et some stomach sixkness after some dinner in j'ma el fna. personally i never was sick. i always go to restaurant number one called aicha, named after the cooks name, fat lady, bossy and very very nice always smiling. in the morning instead of drinking orange juice in the hotel, try to go to the ones on the main sqaure also.number 6 is my favorite.

hope you have great time in marakesh.

I tried to visit the Flint Mines at Spiennes this 6th October 2002, but there was no possibility to visit, nor any indication whatsoever of Time when this was possible etc.

Needless to say I was very disappointed.....

The mines are probably very interesting but the visiting organisation is a disaster.....

Paramaribo is one of the most beautiful and excited cities in south america. It has a great history. Which can be seen by the streets and houses. Its a small city, but with great people from different origines (hindi, creool, javaans, chinees, indiaan, bosneger, europeanen). Further more it has wonderfull jungle areas and sightseeing places, like new nickerie. The food/drinks are great.

I think everybody should have visit Suriname for one time it his/hers life. The climate is warm with a cool breeze. The people are great and welcomes everybody who visits the country. The history of Suriname and Paramaribo is nice and colorfull. It tells about the dutch, britisch, spanisch and portugeese influens during the past centuries. Wonderfull and nice houses, churches, buildings, etc. Go and see for your self. Greetings,

Cahokia Mounds is located just east of St. Louis, MO. This was the last of the USA world heritage sites that I visited. The natural site was very interesting. Some of the mounds are more than 100 ft. tall. The site contains at least 70 mounds that are between 800 and 1000 years old. The entire site (a large residential city of the Mississippean Native Americans) was almost completely surrounded by a very impressive fortress.

The museum at the mound site is quite good. It has actual artifacts unearthed at the site as well as representations of the city. Several grave sites have been excavated here. One, a high ranking man, was wrapped in a cloak covered with more than 10,000 round shells sewn into the shape of an eagle.

The site is all the more interesting since it presents a fascinating contrast between present day Mississippi river life and that of a millenium ago. (You can see downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch from the top of the Monk's Arch)

The video in the Bauhaus Museum in Weimar is a perfect introduction to the history of the Bauhaus school. It was literally a school: with pupils (men and women), a curriculum and inspirational teachers. A half-year introduction course with a strong theoretical emphasis (and some meditation!) was mandatory. After that, the students were trained by both artists and craftsmen.

The museum exhibits documents related to Bauhaus history and shows several functional objects made by Bauhaus artists. Some chairs and household utensils are still being produced. I found it really worth visiting.

I also had a look at the three WH-listed Bauhaus monuments in Weimar. The Haus am Horn is situated in a residential street near Weimars classical monuments in the Park on the Ilm. It's a simple building. The two buildings that housed the Art Schools are also preserved quite well. One can almost imagine the long-haired, artsy students coming and going.

Entering the town by car, I noticed a sign displaying Weimar's city partnerships with Siena and Trier. It has picked its partners well, as Weimar turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The town sees about two millions visitor a year after the German unification. I visited it during Easter, and was certainly not the only one around.

Although Weimar is quite small, it has enough on offer to entertain a visitor for a day or two. Its market square for example is one of the finest examples of a typical European square I have encountered. And then there are of course the number of elegant houses that belonged to prominent citizens like Goethe and Schiller. These famous artists are everywhere in Weimar, in the many book shops and on tacky souvenirs.

The Park on the Ilm is a good destination for a Sunday morning walk. The main point of attraction here is Goethe's Garden House. The author obviously had thought well about its location, as the views of the park from his house are lovely.

A surprise visit this one was. After spending the Easter weekend in Weimar, I noticed I had to pass Eisenach to drive back to Holland. And my way-too-big-to-be-handy Germany road map showed "Wartburg Castle" next to Eisenach and the motorway. So I just had to take the chance. I always enjoy the anticipation that is involved in visiting sites unprepared. Will I be able to find it? I hope it isn't closed today! What's the story behind this site anyway?

The castle is well-signposted in Eisenach, even in Japanese! As castles go (and monasteries), Wartburg is located strategically on the top of a hill. According to reports I've read, the view from here on the surrounding countryside must be marvellous. However, the weather was so misty that morning that I didn't see the castle until I arrived at its bridge.

The castle has a quite unusual shape, a bit bulky. With a guided tour I visited its interior (I even had to queue to gain entrance, this is a really popular sight). In some rooms, only the Romanesque design can be admired (the 12th and 13th-century ones), others are brilliantly decorated (the ones that date from the 19th and 20th centuries). I finished my well-spent morning with a local Thüringer Bratwurst, providing more than enough calories to burn during the six-hour drive home.

Cracow's historical centre can be easily explored on foot. It was snowing a bit when I walked around (that's why the photos look somewhat bleak). At Wawel, the Castle, I joined a tour inside the Apartments. These living quarters exhibit many Renaissance decorations and furnishings. Some Dutch china (with oriental themes), Flemish tapestries, and Italian majolica chimneys. It got me thinking about the originality of many sites, and that I should stick to visiting the "originals" (Rome instead of "The Second Rome", Venice instead of "The Venice of the East", Jerusalem instead of "Polish Jerusalem").

The most impressive monument of Cracow is the 14th-century Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), situated at the centre of the square. It's a huge building with a very distinctive shape: all gables wherever you look. There are little (souvenir) shops inside now. On the first floor, there's a fine exhibition of large paintings by Polish artists from around 1900.

On Sunday morning I picked a walking tour from my guidebook and went to the old Jewish neighbourhood Kazimierz. Already a considerable number of people were present at the clothes market on Plac Zydowski, although it was freezing and before 9. There are a number of synagogues in this area, all a bit more decorated on the outside than usual (perhaps to rival at least somehow the exuberant Catholic churches in Cracow). The Jewish community in Cracow has been minimalized for a long time, so these synagogues and the adjacent Jewish cemeteries are merely reminders of …

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is an important attraction in the Krakow area. It has a long history of tourism: already in the 15th-century visitors were taken underground. Prominent Europeans like Copernicus, Goethe and Chopin also visited. The site nowadays attracts thousands of visitors every day in summer, and group tours are conducted in several languages. Fortunately, I was here in February, when it wasn't too busy. There are frequent minibusses from Krakow to bring you here.

The underground tour takes you on a walk of two km. It passes through 20 caves, many of them adorned with sculptures the miners made. It's quite clean and spacious here, unlike in a coal mine for example. The walls are dark grey everywhere; you can only see they are made of crystals when you hold a light to it. The gangways are held upright by complex wooden structures.

The highlight of the tour undoubtedly is the Underground Cathedral. Everything in it is made of salt: the wall decorations (The Last Supper and other biblical scenes), the altar, the religious statues, the floor and the ceiling. Even the chandeliers are made from salt crystals. This masterpiece was created by three miners in their spare time, taking 68 years of work.

Hourly buses connect Cracow in about 50 minutes with the town of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. Of course, I took the wrong way from the local bus station at first, until I sensed that this road wouldn't take me anywhere else than the bleak outskirts of town. The correct way turned out to be a half an hour uphill walk. There are subtle marks to guide you (signs to Kloiszter), and to make it even easier the large Benedictine monastery can be seen from almost everywhere in town.

This Benedictine monastery and its adjacent church are the major landmarks of the area. The church, where frequent services are held, is rather loud on colours and gold on the inside. I arrived just after a service had finished, and could still smell the strong odour of incense. Worth seeing also are the traditional wooden houses on the right of the church.

I had planned to walk along the Stations of the Cross on this Polish Via Dolorosa. There are three separate tracks however, none of them are too visible under some 30 cm of snow. Without clear directions, I just roamed around a bit. In all, I was a little disappointed with my visit. I had expected Kalwaria to be more of an active pilgrimage site. Probably I just arrived in the wrong season.