Unesco (done 146- august 2012)
Unesco 1995 (de 8 eerste)
Mexico 3: Palenque, Chichen-Itza, Uxmal
Belize 1: Barrier Reef
Honduras 1: Copan
Guatemala 3: Tikal, Antigua, Quirigua
Unesco 1996 (4 nieuwe = 12 in totaal)
Vietnam 4 : Hué, Ha Long Bay, My Son, Hoi An
Unesco 1997 (6 nieuwe = 18 in totaal)
Turkije 1: Pamukkale
Cyprus 2: Paphos, Churches Troodos
Egypte 3: Cairo, Abu Simbel, Thebes
Unesco 1998 (5 nieuwe = 23 in totaal)
Syrië-Jordanië 5: Damascus, Palmyra, Bosra, Aleppo, Crac des Chevaliers
Unesco 1999 (5 nieuwe = 28 in totaal)
Spanje 1: Barcelona
India 4 : Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jantar Mantar
Unesco 2000 (3 nieuwe = 31 in totaal)
Praag 1: Praag
Egypte: al gedaan in 1997, geen nieuwe
Mali 2: Djenné, Dogons
Unesco 2001 (7 nieuwe = 38 in totaal)
Pisa-Firenze 2 :Pisa, Firenze
Hongarije 2 : Budapest, Tokaji wine region
Transsib 3 : Red Square Moskou, Lake Baikal, Kazan Kremlin
Unesco 2002 (4 nieuwe = 42 in totaal)
Rome 1 : Rome en Vaticaanstad
Dublin : niks
Turkije 2 : Cappadocië, Nemrut Dag
Cambodja 1 : Angkor
Unesco 2003 (9 nieuwe = 51 in totaal)
Myanmar 3: Mandalay, Bagan, Inle lake
Thailand 2: Ayutthaya, Sukhotai
Oezbekistan 4: Itcha Kala, Bukhara, Shakrisyabz, Samarkand
Unesco 2004 (10 nieuwe = 61 in totaal)
Indonesië 2: Borobudur, Prambanan
Milaan 1: Da vinci: Last supper
Marokko 6 : Fez, Marrakesh, Aït Ben-Haddou, Meknes, Volubilis, Essaouira
Laos 1 : Luang Prabang
Unesco 2005 (11 nieuwe = 72 in totaal)
China 7 : Imperial palaces Beijing, The Great Wall, Mount Emei, Chengde, Lijiang, Summer palace Beijing, Xi'an
Rotterdam: niks
Venetië 1 : Venetië
Midden-Spanje 3 : Avila, Segovia, Salamanca
Unesco 2006 (11 nieuwe = 83 in totaal)
Sri Lanka 1 : Polonnaruwa
Krakow 3: Krakow, Auschwitz, Wielickza zoutmijn
Griekenland 6 : Acropolis Athene, Delphi, Epidaurus, Olympia, Daphni, Mycene
Maleisië 1 : Melaka
Unesco 2007 (7 nieuwe = 90 in totaal))
Roemenië 3 : Donaudelta, Kerken in Transsylvanië, Sighisoara
Madrid 1 : Escurial,
Nepal 3 : Kathmandu vallei, Chitwan, Lumbini
Los Angeles 0
Unesco 2008 (5 nieuwe = 95 in totaal))
Cambodja 1 : Preah Vihear temple
Transsib 1: St Petersburg
Calcutta : -
Argentinië 3 : Iguazu, Cordoba, Humahuaca
Unesco 2009 (13 nieuwe = 108 in totaal))
Ethiopië 4 : Simien National Park, Lalibela, Gondar, Aksum
Riga 1: Riga
Berlijn 2 : Potsdam, MuseumInsel Berlin
Bratislava : -
Armenië 3 : Haghpat & Sanahin, Echmiatsin, Geghard
Georgië 2 : Mtsketa, Bagrati & Gelati
Alicante 1 : Palmeral of Elche
Unesco 2010 (13 nieuwe = 121 in totaal))
Bulgarije (3) : Boyana, Rila, Kazanlak
Litouwen (1) : Vilnius
Köln (1): Dom
Peru (5) : Cuzco, Lima, Machu Picchu, Arequipa, Nasca
Albanië (2) : Butrint, Berat/Gjirokastra
Malaga (1) : Alhambra
Unesco 2011 (14 nieuwe = 135 in totaal))
Tunesië (7) : El Jem, Carthago, Dougga, Kairouan, Sousse, Tunis, Kerkuana
Frankrijk (4) : Chartres, Versailles, Provins, Reims
Finland (3) : Suomenlinna, Rauma, Petäjävesi
Unesco 2012 (11 nieuwe = 146 in totaal))
Zuid-Korea (7) :Changdeokgun (Seoul), Jongmyio (Seoul), Suwon (Seoul), Haeinsa Temple (Daegu), Hahoe Folk Village (Andon), Gyeongju Centre, Bulguksa & Seokguram (Gyeongju)
Luxemburg (1) : Luxembourg City)
Germany (3) : Trier, Brühl (Schloss Augustusburg und Falkenlust), Aachener Dom
Butrint | " | Everyone lived there from the Greek over the Romans to the Venetians until the site was overwhelmed by marshes from the sea. Lovely place to wander around (2010) |
Berat and Gjirokaster | Two medieval cities which resemble each other but still have a different feeling to be in for a few days (2010 |
Argentina
Iguazu National Park | As well the Argentinian as the Brazilian side of the Falls are spectacular and unforgettable (2008) | |
Cordoba | Typical Spanish Colinial Style of which I wasn't too much impressed (2008) | |
Quebrada de Humahuaca | With a rented car, we spend 4 days through this amazing scenery. One of my best 'nature experiences' (2008 |
Armenia
Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin | Small but very scenic, these monasteries with beautiful frescoes (2009) | |
Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots | Important pelgrimage church for the catholic Armenians (2009) | |
Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley | Impressive mountain monastery with magnificent khatshars (stone stelae) |
AUSTRIA
Historic centre of Vienna | Well, I've been there once in 1976, once in 2001 and passed again in 2005. I can only say that I looked up to all the beautiful buildings in this Waltz-city but didn't make the time to visit them profoundly |
BELGIUM
Since I live in Kortrijk, one of the cities with a béguinage, should it be a wonder that this one come first in my list. I must have seen it as a child. I have visited most of the others too. | |
Popular destination for studytrips by children of the first grade. I did them in 2004. Great experience | |
I walk over that splendid Market a few times a year. Don't try to drink or eat something there, it's a rip off. | |
Well, same story as with n° 1 | |
Only 40 km from my hometown. Still fascinated by the smalle streets, the beauty of the old school and the herds of Japanese tourists. | |
Ask the Tourist Office for a map of a Horta Walk Through Brussels. The Musical Instruments Museum is my favourite | |
Being a librarian, it would be a real shame if I wouldn't have visited the beginning of bookprinting. | |
In need for restoration but wonderful gothic cathedral |
Belize
Had my first ever snorkeling experience there. Unforgettable. Could say I witnessed this World Heritage Property from the inside (1995) |
Bulgaria
Boyana Church | Very, very small church but with splendid frescoes. You can't go in without a (paid) guide but the explanations were worth it (2010) | |
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak | Strange, strange: for the real thomb you have to pay something like € 20, for an exact copy only € 1 Why bother to find a guard? (2010) | |
Rila Monastery |
Cambodja
China
The Great Wall | Try not to climb the fully restored part at Badaling but move some 100 km up north for unforgettable, steepy experience. Maybe someone in a moon-shuttle saw me waving ??? (2001) | |
Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties | The Forbidden City (with the enormous Mao above the entrance) is a never ending compound with innumerable palaces and halls. You can go on and on without being bored (2001) | |
Climbed up this wonderful mountain, in the snow. Forgot my socks but my barefoot sandals did get me to the top. Because of the limited visibility, it didn't look as beautiful as could be (2005) | ||
Too many tourists but once you leave the centre, you can really enjoy this old and wonderful town. The first Himalayan Mountains are not far away and are definitely worth a visit: one of the best experiences in my traveling carreer (2005) | ||
Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing | Walk around the lake and enjoy the summer breeze amidst the green banks to end at the amazing Marble Boat and hundreds of meters of painted walls. Lovely walk with a great omelette at the end (2001) |
Cyprus
Paphos | Visit the place where Aphrodite was born and stroll through this city to admire the luxuruous mosaics (1997) | |
Painted Churches in the Troodos Region | Rent a car and lose your way in the Troodos Mountain, only to discover casually some wooden churches with beautiful fresco's and icons (1997) |
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Historic Centre of Prague | Ex-East-European city where you easily can get a stiff neck by constantly looking up at all the magnificent buildings. Erase all the tourists and you'll have a fine time (2000) |
Egypt
Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur | Hey, what can I say ? Three years later I came back with the wife and three children who were also impressed, who's not? (1997, 2000) | |
Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis | ||
Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae | Once not reachable by bus, now it's the perfect example of how men kan protect cultural heritage from nature - by moving it (1997) | |
Islamic Cairo | It's a mess, believe me, but a wonderful mess where you can stroll for days without being bored. Maybe not a typical Muslim picture here, but that was the only place in Caïro where you could have a beer. (1997) |
Ethiopia
Inntriguing how they carved these churches in these rocks (2009) | ||
Nearly alone, we had the palace for ourselves. Lovely to stroll around but more important for its history than for its beauty (2009) | ||
FRANCE
Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct) | I was impressed by the sight when driving very near to it. Couldn't make out the details but it must have been an architectural highlight of the Romans |
Paris, Banks of the Seine | |
Canal du Midi | |
Historic Site of Lyons |
Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery | Visit the place where Aphrodite was born and stroll through this city to admire the luxuruous mosaics (1997) | |
Historical Monuments of Mtskheta | Holy church for the Georgians, very nice (2009) |
GERMANY
Aachen Cathedral | Stopped there once, some years ago and can only recall that it's extremely beautiful | |
Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier | Being young and not culturally minded at that mind, I've seen it and been inside but don't remember anything about it | |
Wonderful city, 4 days was far from enough (2009) | ||
Wonderful city, 4 days was far from enough (2009) | ||
Cologne Cathedral | One of the most famous Gothic churches in Europa (2010) |
GREECE
Archaeological Site of Delphi | In 1976, I was young, pure and insane. I remember playing The Oracle, sitting on top of the flat stone that was the Delphi site. In 2006 it stll was the same, impressive. | |
Acropolis, Athens | Impressive sight, even from beneath. I recall, it was nearly 30 years ago, that you couldn't enter bare chested... In 2006, the five of us were there together | |
Archaeological Site of Epidaurus | Unbelievable. What they say is true: you can hear a needle fall when you're on the top stairs. | |
Archaeological Site of Olympia | I was a sportsman way back and those 120 meters in the blasting sun were not that hard. Could have been Olympic Champion... | |
Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns (1999) | This is the picture you see everywhere but I took this one: the famous Lion Gate of Mycene. The rest of the site is quite disappointing. | |
Knossos | ||
Monasteries of Daphni, Hossios Luckas and Nea Moni of Chios | Daphni is for me synonym for the Wine Festival that's been held in summer months. Maybe I've seen the monasteries ... In 2006 some of them were closed for restauration |
Guatemala
Tikal National Park | The most impressive Maya ruins in the whole of Central-Amerika. Amidst the jungle arise very high and steep temples. Enjoy them while sitting between tapirs, tucans and howler monkeys. Was there for the second time, ten years later and it was still as impressive as before | |
Antigua Guatemala | Been destroyed a few times by earthquakes, the old city show signs of these times. Very touristy but very worthwhile. | |
Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua | no picture | Just was there for a very short time. Having seen all the beautiful Yucatan, Guatemalan and Honduran Mayaruins, it was a bit of a disappointment. |
HOLY SEE
Vatican City | Despite all the wealth disposed here and thinking about of all the poverty in other countries I visited, I must admit I was overwhelmed by the Vatican Church. The Swiss Guards on the other hand were a laugh. |
HONDURAS
Maya Site of Copan | Very famous for its inscribed stairs and its wonderful stelae. For the rest, I can only say that it's embedded in an astounding nature. |
HUNGARY
Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue | Spent three days in this lovely city which isn't as beautiful as Prague but there are far less tourists. The Fisherman's Tower, The Gellert Spa and The Parliament ware well worth visiting. |
India
After our terrible experiences in New Delhi, we didn't feel like staying there longer than we should be. Just drove by. But, it looks very nice | ||
Taj Mahal | Most wonderful tomb in the world. You can't get enough of watching the symmetry and the marble. Unforgettable |
INDONESIA
You should see this Buddhist temple in the early morning, before sunrise and before the crowds invade it. Gorgeous structure on several levels which each have a specific meaning (2004) | ||
Old Hindu Temple, not be compared with the former one. Extremely intricate and fine sculpturing. One of the best I've seen in my traveling career (2004) |
ITALY
Historic Centre of Florence | The Dom is beautiful, so are milliosn of churches, palazzi and other sights but the most impressive is the David in the Uffisi Museum | |
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa | I didn't believe it in advance but yes, it's leaning very hard. I even saw it from my bedroom window: it was the first thing I did in the morning | |
Just read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and looked at the waalpainting with different eyes. A cornerstone of Italian Renaissance painting. | ||
What can I say? San Marco is one of the most beautiful plaza's in the world, the cathedral mosaics are impressive and the Palace of the Doges is splendid. It's a pity it always rains in that romantic city when I'm there... | ||
Four days in Rome wasn't enough to see all the beauties there. Will come back, for sure |
JORDAN
Petra | In 1998, the $ 20 entrance fee I paid, was more than worth it. Just going through the siq and arriving at the Kasbah was a great experience |
LAOS
Many, many temples in this little town that has nothing else to offer. By the way, the monks begging for food at 6 a.m. are a bit overpraised. Go to Birma if you want to see thousands of them |
LUXEMBOURG
City of Luxemburg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications | Must have passed them but didn't notice. Is it really worthwhile? I don't know |
MALI
Old Towns of Djenné | The most impressive mud mosque in the world, surrounded in the morning by one of the most colourful markets of Afrca. | |
Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) | We dwelled four days and nights in Dogon Country and, though it was extremely warm and dry, they were some of my best days abroad. Very nice to see all the old dwellings and traditions. |
MEXICO
Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque | Amidst the jungle lies the magnificent Maya temple of Palenque. For me, it's the best in Mexico | |
Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza | Figure the thousands of Americans away and try to think how it must have been before the great restoration and this should be a wonderful spot. | |
Prehispanic Town of Uxmal | Less restored than Chichen Itza and more authentic thus, this is only a secondary site, compared to all the others in Mexico and Guatemala. |
MOROCCO
Medina of Fez | We did it as a daytrip from Meknes. The old town of Fez is a narrow maze of small streets which isn't more special than the one of Meknes, e.g. | |
Medina of Marrakech | It isn't especially the Medina that is wonderful, it's the vivacious living market with its storytellers, snake charmers and strange sellers that is wonderful | |
Set apart in the desert, this Ksar is a like a fairytale. Hot and steep narrow streets wind up to the top where you have a splendid panorama | ||
I love Meknes: it isn't as touristy as Fez and is smaller than Marrakech. We had three wonderful days there in 2004 wandering through the souks and enjoying the Babs | ||
Archeological site of Volubilis | Mosaics in the open air: it must be unique in the world. And they're wonderful | |
Very busy port with a very cold sea. Nice but too busy for us, we only stayed there for one day |
POLAND
Old town of Krakow | Very nice city centre with the impressove Wawel Castle on top. Relaxing strolling in this clean baroque city with nearly as many churches as tourists. | |
Auschwitz-Birkenau | Not the most happy day in my life, this visit but as must on my Experience List | |
Wieliczka | 135 meter underground in probably the oldest Salt Mine in the world. Sometimes a bit of a tourist trap but a must do. |
PORTUGAL
Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belem in Lisbon | This is the place where the explorers like Vasco da Gama and alikes departed to find new territories. Lovely Tower and nice monastery | |
Cultural Landscape of Sintra | I'm not sure but I think this was a castle near Lissabon I visited. If I'm wronng, I'd gladly deduct it from my list |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow | The buildings and the treasures of the Kremlin are unforgettable, of course, but what made th biggest impression on us was Basil's Cathedral (even in the rain) | |
Lake Baikal | We saw this enormous lake from our Transmongolian train. But, we gazed at it for hours and it never bored us. The blue water against the green trees and mountains wil remain forever on my irises |
SPAIN
There has never been a more extraordinary, abstract, absurd but purposeful artist than Gaudi. Unique in the world. Could never get enough of it. Here I'm standing at the top of Casa Mila | ||
The Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona | Created by 'friends, enemies..' by Gaudi and symbols of this architectural innovation era. | |
Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches (1985) | Mid october 2006 and it was snowing. That gave an extra to this small religious city. | |
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct (1985) | Mid october 2006 and the umbrellas couldn't keep me from wondering about this famous constrcution | |
Old City of Salamanca (1988) | This cathedral was, next to the Plaza, one of the things to remember here |
SRI LANKA
My first transcontinental UNESCO sight: it was impressive, full of Buddhas and monkeys and ... so hot... (1994) I went back in 2006 | ||
Ancient City of Sigiriya | Standing atop a 200 meter high rock gives you a feel like a king warrior, overlooking his empire. This is what it must have been. Great. This one is from 2006, at the Lion's Paws | |
Sacred City of Kandy | Hey, I nearly saw Buddah's tooth in this wonderful but touristic temple | |
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications | Our neighbours, the Dutch, have been here and I can see it: the dullness of the monuments is obvious | |
Golden Temple of Dambulla | Rock cave with many many Buddhas: intrigating |
SWITZERLAND
Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn | Being 14 years old, I went to a summer camp nearby and won't forget the highest mountain I saw at that age |
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Ancient City of Damascus | This city has one of the busiest souqs in the world. They even make movies there. | |
Ancient City of Bosra | Imagine me standing there in the amphitheatre, performing a song by one of my favourite artists. Before a non-existing audience (otherwise I wouldn't dare). Next to Epidaurus in Greece, the nicest amphitheatre I've ever seen | |
Site of Palmyra | Don't know how many square miles of ruins but surely they're of the most beautiful ones I've ever ssen. Especially at sunset | |
Ancient City of Aleppo | Very impressive Citadel and also a lively souq |
THAILAND
Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns | ||
Historic City of Ayutthaya and Associated Historic Towns |
TURKEY
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia | What a fairy tale like landscape with all these wonderful rock ormations. Couldn't get enough | |
Nemrut Dag | Sunrise there among the tall heads was one of my greatest experiences | |
Hierapolis-Pamukkale | It was a pity we couldn't get in the lakes but I understand the preservation geople. Strange, strange natural phenomenon |
UNITED KINGDOM
Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Saint Margaret's Church | |
Tower of London | |
Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church | |
Dorset and East Devon Coast |
UZBEKISTAN
This is the name of the intricately delicately decorated minaret in the middle of the too much restorated town of Khiva | ||
Historic Centre of Bukhara | I'll aways remember the Central Place where lots of old men are drinking tea, in the shades of even odler trees and wonderful medressa's | |
Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz | Nice 15-16th century monuments but it's known mostly for the birthplace and tomb of the great Timur. Place of pelgrimage for the Oezbeks | |
Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures | Forget Brussels, Venice, the Red Square: this is definitely the most impressive Grand Place wherever in the world. Unbelievable. |
VIETNAM
Complex of Hué Monuments | Imperial City with a nicely restored Forbidden Place and many lovely tombs around the city | |
Ha Long Bay | Called the 8th wonder by the French. And it certainly is a great experience sailing between the 3000 rocks emerging from the sea | |
Hoi An Ancient Town | Lovely, small town with very old visitable wooden merchants' houses, a nice Japanese bridge | |
My Son Sanctuary | Located in the hills, this place is the only one in the country that bears remains of the very old Chamdynasty and architecture |