# My personal view on UNESCO World Heritage Sites



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Several decades ago, UNESCO decided to designate cities and places across the Globe as "*World Heritage Sites*" as a means to protect outstanding examples of both human-made places and wonders of nature. Unfortunately, we know that such an effort is useless in some scenarios and now amazing cities like Palmyra, Syria or Bamiyan, Afghanistan have almost or completely disappeared .

On the other hand, travel is a passion for me and, fortunately, for my life partner, too. So far, I've been to 137 out of the more than 1,000 places designated by UNESCO in the World, in more than 40 countries. I must say that, after having been to those and other places, I sometimes wonder why some of those World Heritage Sites have been designated as such. And also I'm sure some others deserve such an honor. Probably, some of them will be named in the future. However, my goal here is not to criticize UNESCO decisions.

By opening this thread, I intend to show some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I have had the luck to visit. Unfortunately, I don't have any photographic proof of some of them, since I visited them a long time ago and I've lost most of my photos in paper. Anyway, I've rescued some of them and I will add them to this thread later.

In the following posts I will try to show those places and briefly explain my own perceptions while there.

I hope you like it. Thanks.


*Table of Contents:*

1. Oaxaca, Mexico (Historic Centre)
2. Antigua, Guatemala (Historic Centre)
3. Salvador de Bahía, Brazil (Historic Centre)
4. Kerkyra, Greece (Historic Centre) and Butrint, Albania (Archaeological Site) 
5. Mont Saint-Michel, France
6. The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, France
7. Macao, China (Historic Centre)
8. Þingvellir National Park, Iceland
9. Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania



*Next place:*

10. Kilwa Kisiwani (Archaeological site), Tanzania


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*City of Oaxaca, Mexico (visited in Jan. 2017)*

The *Historic Centre of this city* and the nearby *Archaeological Site of Monte Albán* were designated together as a *single World Heritage Site in 1987*.

Among other things, Oaxaca's Historic Centre was chosen because of "its iconic architecture and the buildings representative of a cultural tradition of more than four centuries of art and history." A total of 1,200 historic monuments has been inventoried and listed.

In the case of Monte Albán, its marvellous terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds carved out during the a period of over 1,500 years by a succession of peoples – Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs, constituted strong reasons to be designated by UNESCO.



Some pictures I took during my visit to this beautiful city:

The *Church of Santo Domingo and its neighboring former Convent* are one of the most outstanding examples of *Baroque Art in America*. Some say that this church, together with the Church of "la Compañía de Jesús" in Quito, Ecuador and "São Francisco" in Salvador, Brazil represent the best examples of this architectural style in the continent (I had the opportunity to visit the latter, BTW):


The façade of the church:









Interior decoration




























Convent internal courtyard:











The Convent is now home to one of the best and most interesting museums in Southern Mexico. I really enjoyed the visit to this place. I hope to visit it again. The only detail visitors should note while visiting the church is that there are a numbre of unofficial guides inside (seemingly, they only speak Spanish). If you don't say "no" in advance, they will "explain" to you some of the symbols and stories behind the interior's decoration and then they will ask either for a tip or a fixed (usually small) payment at the end of the explanation.


----------



## Xtartrex (Feb 18, 2013)

Given the nature of this thread it looks like it will have enough room for expansion.


----------



## Antonio227 (Mar 10, 2006)

Good luck with the thread.


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Xtartrex said:


> Given the nature of this thread it looks like it will have enough room for expansion.


Thanks for commenting. I will publish more posts, little by little...



Antonio227 said:


> Good luck with the thread.


Thank you!


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Here are some other pics of the interesting *Museum at former Convent of Santo Domingo*:


Prehispanic objects and artifacts: Quartz cup from Monte Albán:











Colonial art: Plateresque Altarpiece of the XVII Century.











European Painting of the XVIII Century: A nobleman of the House of Bourbon











Beautiful Library:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

More pics of the City of Oaxaca and its beautiful Historic Centre:


*Macedonio Alcalá street* -named after a famous local music composer- is the main pedestrian walkway. Lots of Art Galleries populated by local painters' works, restaurants and handcraft stores are on its sides:


Macedonio Alcalá at dusk:











Art Gallery exhibition:










Painting at an art gallery:











Entrance to a handcraft store:











Macedonio Alcalá theatre, opened in 1903:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

On the other hand, *Oaxaca* has perhaps the *most varied and sophisticated* regional *cuisine* in Mexico (BTW, Mexican cuisine is one of the few named as "Intangible Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO) and it is one of the *chocolate birthplaces* (ancient prehispanic cultures used it either as money, sacred drink or ingredient of recipes). So, it's not strange to find some of the best chocolates in the World:



Jars containing *multiflavored Chocolates* at Casa Crespo











*Chocolate Dessert* at Catedral Restaurant:












... and as an example of its sophisticated recipes, Oaxaca has *more than seven different "moles"* recipes. I had the opportunity to taste some:


*Mole de Maíz* ("Guiñadooxhuba" in a local language):











Delicious *Mole Amarillo* at Downtown's Food Market:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

The *Archaeological site of Monte Albán* was continuously inhabited by several cultures for more than 1,500 years (from 500 BC until 1100-1200 AD). In fact, it was the *Capital of the Zapotec* people and during its most gloriuos period it may be have had up to 40,000 inhabitants.


Despite it was abandoned more than eight centuries ago, its ruins say something about its magnificent past:





















The agora:











Astronomic stele:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Now, I had to depart and leave this beaufitul city, which is full of friendly people. Since I have some very good friends there, this will be an excellent reason to go back in the future.


The Historic Centre from the plane. The huge *Santo Domingo complex* stands out below in the pic. *Monte Albán* is on top of the mountain in the background:











A close-up to Monte Albán site:











Cheers


----------



## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Oaxaca seems very worthy of WHS designation. Enjoyed your tour and commentary!


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos, RegioManio


----------



## ech wel (Apr 21, 2009)

Nice thread! kay:

I had the same idea a few years back and started a similar thread. Unfortunately I didn´t have much time lately to update it because I started to blog about WHS as well. You´re more than welcome to have a look of course. You might like it.

In terms of visited sites. You´re just one site ahead of me! 135 so far and still counting. Just today I booked a trip to Ireland for its two very promising sites.

Good luck with the thread! Look forward to see more of your pics. :cheers::cheers::cheers:


----------



## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Great thread! Brings back good old memories: Oaxaca and Monte Alban are really worth the visit.


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Why-Why said:


> Oaxaca seems very worthy of WHS designation. Enjoyed your tour and commentary!


Thank you very much! Yes, Oaxaca and Monte Albán are worth their designation. Hopefully, their authorities and society will continue protecting them.



christos-greece said:


> Great, very nice photos, RegioManio


Thank you, christos-greece !



ech wel said:


> Nice thread! kay:
> 
> I had the same idea a few years back and started a similar thread. Unfortunately I didn´t have much time lately to update it because I started to blog about WHS as well. You´re more than welcome to have a look of course. You might like it.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry I didn't know about your thread before! Before Yesterday I randomly came here. The only related thread I knew of was one in the "Urban Tourist" section, but it's no specifically aimed at self-made photos.
BTW, yours is very interesting and it's a very good idea to keep a table of contents at the beginning of the thread. I think I'll do the same later (when there are enough number of posts and places) 

:cheers:




Benonie said:


> Great thread! Brings back good old memories: Oaxaca and Monte Alban are really worth the visit.


Thank you for commenting! I'm glad you liked it. I hope you go back there in the future.


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Antigua, Guatemala*

*Antigua, Guatemala (visited in Jan. 2017)*

This time, I will post some pics of *Antigua, Guatemala*, which I've just visited some days ago. The city, originally named as "*Santiago de los Caballeros*" was founded in the XVI Century and was the *Capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala*, whose territory included most of Central America, for more than 200 years. 

Unfortunately, the site is prone to violent earthquakes and during the XVIII Century it suffered three very strong seisms. The last one was in *1773* and the devastation left by this Act of God, together with the interest of the Spanish crown to diminish the great power acquired by the Catholic Church and its religious orders in the Kingdom, triggered *the foundation of a New Capital* (modern City of Guatemala, 35 km to the East) and the subsequent abandonment of the old city. 

In the end, these disgraceful events permitted that the Colonial era buildings, fountains and streets remained as they were more than 200 years ago and avoided the construction of modern structures. Though the city was never totally deserted, seemingly until the 40's the city was in very bad condition, when the Government started to restore the most important structures of the city. As a result of this, nowadays Antigua is one of the best preserved Colonial cities in the World. 

It was named a *World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979*, mainly because 1) its fabulous Baroque monuments 2) its outstanding city planning in which the basic grid plan inspired by the Italian Renaissance, dating from 1543, has been maintained, and 3) the integrity of its 16th-century layout and the physical integrity of most of its built heritage.

Today, approximately 45,000 people live permanently in the city. It attracts lots of national and international tourists and also indigenous people from the surroundings that offer their goods to both locals and tourists.


The following pictures and posts will try to do some homage to one of the most beautiful cities I've known.


Santa Catalina Arch, built in 1693 to be used by the nuns of the Convent of Santa Catalina. Now it is considered Antigua's symbol:











Living main street in the weekend:











View of Cerro de la Cruz from the town:











Restored houses have this old kitchen chimneys as one of their very distinctive elements:











Cobbled streets and the nearby "Volcán de Agua" (the Water Volcano), an extinguished volcano.











Most of old "patios" have been restored and now belong to hotels, small shopping centers, or private houses:










Handicrafts on exhibition and sale at one of El Convento Hotel courtyards:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Convents and churches* were central to the city life in the Colonial period. Antigua was full of them. Some of them have been restored while some others are still in ruins, but these give Antigua a very unique feeling.


*Former Convent of the Capuchinas* Courtyard. This convent is one of the best preserved. It was relatively new (built in the XVIII Century), and as it can be here, its columns are very thick:



















However, the Church of the Convent was not so lucky:











At the other end, the once imposing *Cathedral* was heavily damaged in ons of the earthquakes.

Model of the original Cathedral:











*The Cathedral* now:






















After those earthquakes, a small part of the Cathedral has been rebuilt... and this is its *current Façade*:











... inside of the restored part of the Cathedral:


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Really amazing, very nice updates


----------



## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Great new set! kay:



RegioManio said:


> I'm glad you liked it. I hope you go back there in the future.


Never say never. 
We crossed Southern Mexico back in 1997, Guatemala the next year. That was the last time we've visited Latin America. We consider revisiting Central or maybe Southern America in the future, but I suppose we'll choose another destination.

Costa Rica seems to be gorgeous...


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

christos-greece said:


> ^^ Really amazing, very nice updates


Thank you, christos-greece!



Benonie said:


> Great new set! kay:
> 
> 
> Never say never.
> ...


I've never been to Costa Rica yet, but I have good friends there and I know it's really a beautiful country, full of natural attractions. I agree it's a good idea for your return to Latin America. Good luck!


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Now, I will post about two UNESCO sites I visited last year:

*Kerkyra (Corfu Island, Greece) Historic Centre and Butrint (Albania) Archaelogical Site (visited in 2016)*

I visited these two sites during the same getaway last year. That's why I will put them together here. However, Butrint was only a side trip of my visit to Corfu.


*Where are Kerkyra, Corfu and Butrint?*

I start by indicating where Corfu and Butrint are relative to their respective countries:













Now, let's continue with some information about *Kerkyra, Corfu's main town*.

*UNESCO* designated *Kerkyra* as a *World Heritage Site* in *2007*. According to UNESCO website, the town "has its roots in the *8th century BC*. The three forts of the town, designed by renowned *Venetian* engineers, were used for four centuries to defend the maritime trading interests of the *Republic of Venice* against the *Ottoman Empire*. In the course of time, the forts were repaired and partly rebuilt several times, more recently under British rule in the 19th century. The mainly neoclassical housing stock of the Old Town is partly from the Venetian period, partly of later construction, notably the 19th century. As a fortified Mediterranean port, Corfu’s urban and port ensemble is notable for its high level of integrity and authenticity."

As we'll see in the following posts, Kerkyra and Corfu Island in general, remind us a lot about Venetian/ italian towns and the previous paragraph explain very well the reason of that.



*Arrival*

Arriving from Athens at sunset, these were my first views of Corfu Island, neighboring Butrint and their surroundings:

Mountains at sunset












Corfu airport


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

The next day we took a walk around the town early in the morning. Streets were almost deserted, so we had the chance to see its beautiful streets still empty of tourists, but with locals getting ready to start their working day:





















































I found the city had a very *strong Italian flavor*, very different from other Greek cities I've been to before. There are also a lot of Italian restaurants, as a heritage of *Venetian* occupation for four centuries.


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Kerkyra has several museums, something understandable given its long history. Unfortunately, the Archaeological Museum, perhaps the most important of the city, was temporarily closed by then. 


We visited the *Byzantine museum* instead, which occupies an old *Byzantine church*. It was very interesting to see the influence of *Renaissance painting* on the classic *Byzantine* style:












*Altarpiece
*










*Fresco*











View of the church and museum interior


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

The *Old Fortress* is another interesting attraction in Kerkyra. It was built by *Venetians* in the *15th Century*, modified during 16th Century and rebuilt in the *18th century* after a powerful explosion destroyed it. The Fortress was key to successfully defeat *Ottoman Empire* several times from 16th to 18th centuries.


The Fortress and a view of the Continent. The Partenon style building in the lower part is the *St. George church*.











*Byzantine painting* at the fortress











The Fortress as seen *from Kerkyra downtown*











*The Fortress and its lighthouse*























The *Fortress* is also a *magnificent viewpoint* and a good opportunity to take either personal or landscape pictures


*View of Kerkyra from the Fortress*































*View of Sarandë, Albania from the Fortress*












View from the Fortress towards the Continent framed by a _*nopal*_* tree* (a Mexican cactus widespread throughout the Mediterranean now)


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

More about this beautiful *Venetian-Greek* city:


*Banknote Museum and Cypriot Struggle Square*











*The Museum of Asian Art at the Royal Palace*











*Chorus at the City Hall* to celebrate the *300th Anniversary* of the second *Ottoman siege* of the city











*Interior of an Orthodox church*











*Kerkyra streets at night*












*The new fortress*, built in the *XIX century by the British* is also an interesting place to visit and a good viewing point of the city











*View of Kerkyra from the New Fortress*. The *Old Fortress* stands out from the background. Unfortunately, we weren't as lucky as during the first days and clouds and rains prevailed throughout the day.











As can be observed from these and the previous posts photos, *pastel colors * can be found everywhere in the city: pink, yellow ans salmon are the most common to paint houses' façades. Together with their relatively uniform architectural style, the city gives you a very pleasant feeling when you walk around it.


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

As I said before, we took a side trip to *Butrint Archaelogical site*, a magic place full of history in *Southern Albania*, pretty close to Corfu Island.

Butrint was inscribed in the *UNESCO World Heritage sites list in 1992*. It's a place inhabited since prehistoric times. The *Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Venetians* among others, have passed through the place and left their imprint in the place, before the city was *abandoned in the late Middle Ages after marshes formed in the area*. The ruins we can see now represent each period in the city’s development.



We usually like to visit a place on our own, but we soon realized that visiting Butrint that way would be very difficult, given also our time restrictions. So, we had no option but to hire an organized tour to the place from Kerkyra.

The day of the tour happened to be very cloudy and forecast said it was to become worse during the day. As we could see, they were totally right! 



The pier where we took the catamaran to Sarandë, Albania. *Kerkyra* receives lots of *cruises* during the year. This is not uncommon, given the beauty of the city and the whole island











*Kerkyra from the catamaran*











A *small lighthouse* in the middle of the route











Another cruise heading to Kerkyra and the *Albanese coast* in the background












Finally, we saw *Sarandë, Albania*. This town was a dissapointment. According to our guide, there was frantic housing development several years ago expecting to get a lot of visitors after the Soviet era ended, and that led to a real-estate bubble. When it exploded after realizing all those foreign visitors weren't be coming after all, the town was left full of decaying half-empty tiny skyscrapers.











There, we took the bus to *Butrint* site


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

The extensive *lake Butrint* surrounding the area appeared as we approached the site, .





















This lake has changed a lot through the ages and its changes have determined the fate of the human settlements in the area through the *last 2,500 years*, as we can see on this explanatory panel at the site:












Those were rainy days so we couldn't approach most of the buildings since they were *totally flooded*. The area is very green thanks to these rains, though: 





















*Roman baths*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Graffitti* isn't a new phenomenon, as evidenced by this wall at the *Theatre of the Sanctuary of Asclepius*, during the *Greek* era:











*Wall from the Greek and Roman eras*











*Lion Gate (Greek)*











*A Byzantine Baptistery*











*Heads and statues found at the site, exhibited in the Butrint Museum*











*View of Lake Butrint from the Roman walls*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Even though the rest of Corfu is not part of UNESCO WHS listing, I have decided to include some pictures of other places in this beautiful island. For example, its beaches are among the best in the Mediterranean. 

One day, we drove the island and this was some of what we found there:


*Kassiopi* is a lovely town with nice beaches in the North of the Island. However, that day clouds and rains prevented most people from bathing there:











Inland and not far from Kassiopi, *Old Perithia is an abandoned Venetian-era town*, which has recently been rediscovered by tourists:











*Old Perithia's Churches*




















*Ancient Olive trees can be found all over the island*











*Mushrooms time!*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Sidari* is another place that is worth a visit. Its eroded sandstone cliffs next to some very nice beaches make it a very scenic area:





















*Angelokastro is an old Byzantine fortress in the West of Corfu*. The views from there are amazing!











*
Caves inside the fortress*











*View of Corfu coast and Ionian Sea from Angelokastro*













Finally, the trip finished and we had to leave this beautiful island. It is not necessary to say that the Greek hospitality industry is very developed and that *Greek people are always friendly and smiling. Their food is simply delicious!*. This time was not the exception, so our stay there was perfect. I hope to go back sometime in the future.


*Kerkyra from above* on our departing flight


----------



## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Beautiful Corfu, great set of pictures!


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

^^
Thank you, Benonie! I hope you also like the next sets I will post here shortly


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos from Kerkyra, Regio :cheers:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Thank you very much, christos! I'm glad you like my contributions here


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay, France (visited in 2016)*

Mount Saint Michel is a promontory just off *the coast of Normandy, France*, at the mouth of the *Couesnon River* and not far away from the *beaches* where *Allied* forces disembarked on the so-called *D-Day during WWII*. The place hosts a Gothic-style *Benedictine abbey* dedicated to the *archangel St Michael* and a small town in the lower part.

The islet is separated from the continent by *sandbanks* subjected to *powerful tides*. Before the construction of a causeway in the *19th century*, it was only reachable by boat and depending on the tidal conditions. This feature, together with the steep slopes of the small promontory gave it a double character: on the one hand, it was accesible for pilgrims, but on the other hand the strong tides made it safe and defensible against potential attackers.

Because of its unique geography and beautiful buildings has been named as the *'Wonder of the West'*. Besides having been an *abbey*, the fortified buildings were also used as a *prison*. It was declared Historical Monument in the 19th century and designated as a *World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979*.



We reached this beauty on a sunny day and at low tide. So I had the opportunity to take some pictures from the continent, like these:






















Once we crossed the causeway, we could admire Mount Saint-Michel from below:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Some tourists prefer to cross the causeway on these funny horse-drawn carriages:











The abbey against the light











"*La Mére Poulard*" is a very old and famous restaurant at the entrance to the town. Certainly, prices in this tourist-crowded town are not cheap at all, but this restaurant perhaps beats the rest in this category.











The abbey from the town











The crowded houses of the town


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*The fortress is imposing*





















*View of the continent from the town*












Some years ago these sandbanks almost dissapeared. The pastureland, mainly developed during the last century, decreased the distance between the shore and the island, and the Couesnon River has been canalised, reducing the dispersion of the flow of water. These factors all encouraged *silting-up* of the bay. So, in 2009 French govenrment built a *hydraulic dam* using the waters of the river Couesnon and the tides to help remove the accumulated silt, and to make *Mont Saint-Michel an island again*.


*People crossing the sandbanks on foot, surely they know low tide will last enough time*











This place is amazing. However, it's one of the most popular tourist spots in France and was packed at that time of the year. I don't really like places too crowded, so we decided that perhaps we'll visit it again but avoiding high season.

Once we left the place and returned to the continent, I took some other pictures of this picturesque place from other angles:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, France (visited in 2016)*

This site * is part of the UNESCO WHS list since 2000*. It actually includes several* towns, villages, natural landscapes and castles *(châteaux) in a large area in *Central France following the course of the Loire River*. UNESCO chose Loire Valley because "_the quality of its architectural heritage, for being an outstanding cultural landscape along a major river which bears witness to an interchange of human values and to a harmonious development of interactions between human beings and their environment over two millennia, and because its many cultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design_."

The following map (taken from the UNESCO website), clearly depicts the location of the site:










Given the nature of this "site", it's not easy to cover it in a single journey, unless you live in the area or you have a lot of free days to spend there. This time, we had the opportunity to visit four places: the *Châteaux de Chinon* next to the homonim town, the *Fontevraud Abbey*, the town of *Richelieu* and -very briefly and with no photographic proof- the city of Tours.


Our *first stop was Richelieu*, the "dream city" *created in the 17th century by the Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu*. The town is a unique example of 17th century urbanization. Its beauty comes from its regularity and symmetry. From the air its rectangular shape of this fortified town is clearly visible. We couldn't see this, but we could see the ornamental moats that surround the fort and some of the monumental doors to access the city:











The old moats are now occupied by nice gardens and backyards of houses:











We then continued our way through beautiful towns and landscapes:


----------



## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

What a beautiful thread, RegioManio!
All the pictures are just great and le Mont Saint Michel... C'est magnifique!


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Gratteciel said:


> What a beautiful thread, RegioManio!
> All the pictures are just great and le Mont Saint Michel... C'est magnifique!


Thank you very much for your kind words, my friend! Yes, Mont Saint-Michel is lovely, it's not by accident that this place is one of the most visited in France, just behind Tour Eiffel if I'm not wrong.




techmasti said:


> This is really nice images, I love this information and pictures.



Thank you! I'm glad you find useful this information


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Tours was our next stop within the Loire Valley. It's a beautiful city on the Loire river banks. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before I couldn't take any picture there 

We spent that night in Poitiers (which is not part of Loire Valley site) and we visited the *town of Chinon and its historic castle* on the next day. Chinon and its castle are on the *banks of Vienne river*, close to where it joins the Loire.

The castle was founded in the *10th century* and throughout its long history has served as a *Royal and Nobility residence*, as *a prison* and, lately, as a museum. The castle has witnessed several historic events. Perhaps, the most notorious is the *meeting between Charles VII and Joan of Arc in 1429*, during the *Hundred Years War* between *France and England*.


*The castle and Vienne river from Chinon:*











*Castle's Clock Tower and walls:*











*View from inside the castle walls to Clock Tower, Chinon and the river:*











*The recently restored Royal Apartments:*











*Window with a view of the town and the river:*











*Another view of the river and the valley:*











*Clock Tower:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

The *Medieval town of Chinon* is also worth a visit. The town has preserved most of its old houses and wolking through its streets is like going back in time hundreds of years:


*Streets of Chinon:*











*Detail of a house in Chinon:*











*The town from above:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Our last stop in *Loire Valley* was the *Royal Abbey of Fontevraud*. The foundation of this abbey at the beginning of *12th century* gave birth to the *monastic Order of Fontevrault*, made up by both male and female members. The *most relevant event* in the history of this abbey is that the powerful *Queen Leonor d'Aquitaine, her husband the King of England, Henry II, and son, King Richard the Lionheart* were buried here at the end of the 12th century. Disestablished as a *monastery* during the French Revolution, it served as a *prison* from 1804 to 1963. Now, the complex hosts a *cultural centre*.



*Façade of the Abbey:*











*Interior of the main church:*











*Abbey's main Courtyard:*











*Sarcophages of the Queen Leonor D'Aquitaine and her husband, the King of England:*











*Sarcophage of the King Richard the Lionheart, and his wife Berengaria*











*Strange kitchen chimneys: from outside and from inside*





















So, this was my visit to this historic and beautiful area in France. Certainly, we missed other famous monuments and towns in the area, like the magnificent Châteaux de Chambord and the city of Orléans. I hope to have the opportunity to go back in the future, but at the same time I know there are still many places to go.


----------



## buho (Sep 15, 2008)

Great thread!


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Historic Centre of Macao, China*

My next contribution to this thread is about a vey unique site in the World, from my point of view:

*Historic Centre of Macao, China (visited in 2015)*


I think* Macao* is very unique because there are not too many places in the World where *Far East and Western European cultures* mixed for so many years (maybe with the only exception of The Philippines). The place was under *Portuguese administration* for *more than 400 years*, from the mid-16th century until 1999, when it came under Chinese sovereignty. 

*UNESCO inscribed Macao's Historic Centre in 2005* because "_it provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West. The site also contains a fortress and a lighthouse, the oldest in China. It bears witness to one of the earliest and longest-lasting encounters between China and the West, based on the vibrancy of international trade._"

In fact, Macau, together with a handful of other places, can be considered as a key element in the Globalization process of the World.

The city looks very modern, like many other Chinese cities full of skyscrapers, when crossing the bridge that links it with the island where its airport is located.


*Macau Tower through the bridge:*











*Macau's skyline: *


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

However, once we crossed the bridge and *entered to the old part of the city, some imprints of Portuguese heritage* started to appear before our eyes.


*Old apartment buildings and houses:*











*Rua do Almirante Sergio:*











*Old art deco building under restoration:*











*View of the historic district from the hotel. The Grand Lisboa hotel & casino stands out with its characteristic shape from the background:*











*Another view of the historic centre. The trees in the center of the photo partially cover the old Portuguese fort (Monte Forte) and frame the ruins of St Paul*:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Walking Macau's Historic Centre* is a unique experience. It's a very interesting mix of *the modern and the old*, and of *Chinese and Portuguese* cultural elements in a very small area:


*Typical Chinese neon signs at dusk...*











*... then, Pastelaria Koi Kei...*











*...sells its delicious "Pasteis de Nata" (Portuguese Egg pies):*











*A sidestreet close to Senado Square, the main meeting point in the Historic Centre:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Our visit to Macao was between *Christmas and New Years' Eve* holidays, so Macau streets and public squares were decorated according to that season:


*Senado Square (Largo do Senado) *is perhaps the most notorious *architectural complex* in the Historic Centre. According to Wikipedia, "_the square was named after the Leal Senado,a meeting place for the Chinese and Portuguese in the 16th to 18th centuries,located directly in front of the square, where Leal Senado Building stands today_".


*Senado Square showing a nice Christmas tree:*











*"Feliz Natal e Bom Ano Novo" at Senado Square:*











*Covered walkway at Senado Square, as part of the Macau Light Festival (Festival de Luz de Macau) held during December of that year*











*Close-up at people enjoying and taking photos as a souvenir of their visit to Macau (just like us):*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

*Portuguese heritage is seen in the street banners written in both Chinese and Portuguese languages. However, it should be noted that it's hard to find anybody that speaks Portuguese on the streets. Apparently, only 3% of the population speak Portuguese. A local dialect called "Macanese Portuguese" is more prevalent instead:*































*Street Art in Macao:*











*These slices of sweetened pork called "Honey glazed pork jerkies" are very common:*













*Macao Streets are very livable. More than 600,000 people live in an area of barely 30 km2. For that reason it is considered the most densely populated region in the World!*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Another famous spot of the Historic Centre is *St Paul's ruins*, close to *Monte Forte*. 

*St Paul* was a complex composed by a church and a college dedicated to *Saint Paul the Apostle*. It was built in the *17th century by the Jesuits*. Unfortunately, it was *destroyed by a fire in 1835 *and was never rebuilt. 


*St. Paul's ruins during the day:*











*St. Paul's ruins at dusk:*











*The ruins of St Paul's held the Macau Light Festival and we were lucky to see it while we were there. During 15 minutes approx, different special effects were displayed on its façade thanks to a high-tech light and sound show:*
































https://flic.kr/p/RxZtiqYou may click on this link to see a small video I made of the show 




*Other churches in Macau:*











*Santo Domingo church, next to an ugly residential building:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

We had the opportunity to visit the *Museum of Macao*, located at *Fortaleza do Monte*, which is a fort built in the 17th century to protect the properties of the Jesuits, especially from pirates. This is perhaps the most important museum of the city. It *opened in 1998*, after an old weather observatory was closed and demolished at the same place.


*A plaque (in Portuguese) at the fort entrance still reminds the visitor the strategic relevance of the Fort for Macau and Portugal:*











*The views of Macau and surrounding areas from the Fort are fantastic:*


*View of the Lighthouse*











*One of the 32 cannons at the Fort seems to points towrds Grand Lisboa hotel at dusk*











*View of the close Chinese city of Zhuhai and its new St- Regis hotel:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

As for the museum's permanent exhibition, it shows the *history of Macau*, since the first human settlements to nowadays. The museum highlights little known events, like for example, the fact that similarly to European countries like Portugal or Spain, *China also explored by sea* far countries like *East Africa or South Asia*. Those achievements were possible thanks to a type of ships developed by them named "*junks*", as the model shown in the picture below:











Perhaps, the little difference was that Chinese were more interested in trading only rather than in trading and dominate the others. Besides the interest in developing long maritime routes didn't last enough. However, their interest in trade with others always existed.


*Porcelain and ceramic pieces traded with Europe from 14th to 17th centuries:*




















On the other hand, *Portuguese* were sea people and they were interested in finding new ways to *trade by sea *and to avoid the usual land routes. So at the *beginning of 16th century* they reached *China and Japan* by sea. They discover and followed the *route depicted on this old map*:











Later, they successfully settled in Macau area. Given its strategic position for trade, Macao became one of the *most important ports in the World * during 16th to 19th centuries and has also ben a key element in the *World's globalization process*.


However, Macau relevance as a port declined at the end of the 19th century, after British took control of nearby *Hong Kong* and developed its port. Fortuntely, Macao discovered the *firecracker industry* as an alternative:


*Posters of Macao's Firecracker industry at Museo de Macau:*











At some point, this industry also declined. But, then Macau became a *big gambling place*. Gambling is forbidden in the rest of China, except here. They took advantage of this and now its big Casinos resemble Las Vegas. In fact, some say that *Macao has already surpassed this US city as a gambling center*.
In summary, the resilience and capacity for self-reinvention of this city is amazing!


*Giant aquarius at one of the big Casinos in Macao:*












*View of Grand Lisboa Hotel& Casino from Fortaleza do Monte at dusk:*


----------



## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Well, I've learned a lot about Macau today! kay:

Thanks for the interesting information and fine set of pictures.


----------



## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great new sets, RegioManio. Very, very interesting!


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Benonie said:


> Well, I've learned a lot about Macau today! kay:
> 
> Thanks for the interesting information and fine set of pictures.


Thanks for your kind words, Benonie! Certainly, I learned a lot about this city during my short visit there 




Gratteciel said:


> Great new sets, RegioManio. Very, very interesting!


Thank you very much, Gratteciel! I hope you like the next sets, too


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really wonderful, very nice photos from Macau; well done, Regio! :cheers:


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

So far, I've been only posted stories and pictures from my visits to urban UNESCO WHS. I would like to add now some examples of *Natural Heritage* sites that I have visited. 

*UNESCO* has defined the following *sub-categories* under "*Natural Heritage*" category:

*a) natural features* consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view;

*B) geological and physiographical formations* and precisely delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation;

*c) natural sites* or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty.

The site I'm going to present now falls under the third sub-category (natural site) and, despite I just stayed there for a very few hours, it was really impressive and a good example of the natural beauty that country has:



*Þingvellir National Park, Iceland (visited in 2015)*

Þingvellir (or Thingvellir in English) is a beautiful park in West Iceland, not far from Reykjavik. I visited this place at the end of November, so ice and freezing temperatures were already common by then.

Additionally to its outstanding beauty, the value of this place according to UNESCO parameters, is that it hosted the *Alþing and its hinterland*. *Alþing (or Althing)* was one of the *first popular assemblies in the World*. From around the year 930 to 1798, an *open air parliamentary assembly was held annually*. This assembly and its legacy was crucial for the independence of the country from Denmark in the XIX century. For those reasons UNESCO *designated this place as a WHS in 2004*.


*Park entrance at 11:00 am (at sunrise by then):*











Now the (very small) *Althing complex at Þingvellir*. Despite its size, its relevance and symbolism is huge. And, undoubtedly the beauty os its surrounding is undeniable:




















*Sun at noon at Þingvellir:*










*Þingvellir Church:*




















*Solar clock:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Unfortunately, we didn't spend a lot of time within the Park. But, I had the opportunity to walk around and take some more pictures:


*The colors of the sky during the looong dawn at this time of the year:*





























*Snowed mountains:*





























*Paths:*






















*Halo effect over the sun at noon:*











*A happy snowman:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

My last set of photos regarding *Thingvellir National Park* don't correspond to the park itself, but to surrounding places, which are also very beautiful (in fact, the entire country is very picturesque. I think I will open a different thread of Iceland since I took enough pictures to do so...)


*Three different moments of an exploding geyser at Geysir (original Icelandic word, which has named this type of phenomenon in the World):*





























*Silk effect on Seljalandsfoss fall at night:*











*... and same effect on Skógafoss waterfall in the morning:*











*Gullfoss falls in the afternoon:*











... and finally, three pictures of *the Northern Lights*, one of the most magical wonders of nature we can see in our life. I had the fortune to see them several times during my trip in Iceland. The ones posted here were relatively weak (grade 3 or 4). However, I saw a much more powerful next day (grade 6), but I think I will post it on the thread of Iceland I will open:


*Close to Jökulsárlón lake:
*










*Next to Skógafoss waterfall:*


----------



## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

Now I would like to introduce an amazing place I visited some time ago. It's the "hidden treasure" of African reserves, but it's as large as some European countries:



*Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania (2014)*

This National Park was *designated in 1982 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site*.
It covers an extension of approx. *50,000 km2*, which makes it *one of the largest natural sanctuaries in the World*. Among other big mammals, it is possible to find *large numbers of elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, and hippopotamuses*. Unfortunately, like other places in Africa, *poaching is jeopardizing* some of these species 

It is also home to numerous *bird species*, reptiles (like *crocodiles*) and other mammals. The park is crossed by the mighty *Rufiji river*, and also has several lakes inside.

This map is just to locate this Park within the country and Africa and relative to other better known Parks like the Serengeti or Ngorongoro:











The park can be reached either* by air* (there are several small airstripes inside the park) or *by road* (an unpaved road reaches the Park entrance). The inaccessibility has also been good to keep the park treasures away from the massive tourism until now (unlike the Serengeti or Ngorongoro). We arrived there by road, and it took a long trip from a relatively close point (Kilwa Masoko).


The main road that links *Kilwa and Dar es Salaam* is mostly paved and nice* savannah* landscapes can be seen along the road:











*The road crosses the Rufiji river:*











*Traffic and people walking on the edge wearing those beautiful typical clothes:*











*Some stretches of the road were under repair at that time due to the last rains:*




















Once we left the main road and took the road to Selous, it was possible to see some wild life:


*Macaque monkeys were commonly seen:*











*Small villages along the road:*




















*Road junction with banners of Lodges near Selous:*












*Finally, the Park Entrance:*




















We stayed at one of the lodges within the park and were cheered by the staff at arrival:


----------

