One of the best preserved castles and one of the loveliest to see, State Castle in Český Krumlov is a definitely must see for those who happen upon this city. The castle is hard to miss as it dominates the skyline of the small town and adds to the overall picturesque quality of this town. This 13th Century castle was the home of the poweful … [Read more...]
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Egypt: Saint Catherine’s Monastery et al.
The way down was fairly uneventful for us. Whiskey seemed to reprise his role in our group or perhaps his uncanny body double. But the benefit of morning hiking is that you can actually see where you go. The clot of hikers slowly flowed down the mountain steps onto the trail below and Whiskey bounded along laden with our friend upon … [Read more...]
Into the Eastern Desert – Qasr-ain
In Arabic the word “Qasr” means palace. These were possibly palaces, although some were mere fortresses, and most were simply lodges and houses, which I guess could be seen as a palace. There were two famous examples on the outskirts of Azraq that see the most tourists (mostly from tour buses from the capital) and we opted to visit these before … [Read more...]
UNESCO: Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian
One of the most impressive sites along the Dalmatian coast is Diocletian’s Palace within the city of Split, Croatia. The Palace actually constitutes much of the old town of Split. Built between the 3rd and 4th century AD by the Roman emperor Diocletian near the city of Salona (the Roman capital of the province of Dalmatia). The Emperor, … [Read more...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Old Bridge Area – Mostar
“The bridge is like a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies, extending from one cliff to the other. ...I, a poor and miserable slave of Allah, have passed through 16 countries, but I have never seen such a high bridge. It is thrown from rock to rock as high as the sky” – famed traveler Evliya Çelebi One of the most beautiful cities I have visited … [Read more...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Rideau Canal
Built in 1826 for military defense purposes, the Rideau Canal is a historical and cultural artifact of a past world and past wars. The interesting part is that the canal was built in relation to prevent an invasion of Canada by the United States. Back in the War of 1812 when the US was at war with Britain there were reports that the US had planned … [Read more...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera house is one of the more recent additions to the UNESCO World Heritage site list, added in 2007. I have had the privilege of visiting this site on several occasions during my trips to Australia but have not yet had the opportunity to see a show there yet! Hopefully one of the times I will do so. … [Read more...]
My Mishaps in Croatia – Part 2
Sorry I had to break the posts up. I'm in England at the moment and if I don't separate them a bit I won't ever get it finished. For those who may not have followed this is a continuation of my quick trip to Croatia for a day that definitely did not go as planned. If you want to know how it began check out Part 1. OK so now … [Read more...]