Tag: world cultural heritage

Vigan

A pretty old town with a fusion of Spanish colonial style and the influence of Chinese traders in northern Luzon (Philippines).

Røros

In Røros, the idyll lurks around every corner. All the cute colourful wooden houses, the hills of the slag heap behind the copper smelter…. You really forget what hard working conditions prevailed here. The museum is worth seeing, it’s unbelievable how much wood was used in the mining industry. It’s just a shame that not … Continue reading “Røros”

Cairo

The Islamic old city of Cairo is a wondrous collection of domes, minarets, market alleys, fountain houses; most of them in dusty brownish-grey colour. In between, a dense throng of market criers, porters, shoppers and tourists. The most beautiful buildings were built by the Mamluks. These were originally soldier-slaves, Turks bought by the Middle Eastern … Continue reading “Cairo”

Sinai

Deep blue water full of coral reefs, with reddish granite mountains towering behind. So beautiful that this is the third time I’ve come to this coast. In places, the granite rocks are criss-crossed by swarms of black dykes like a zebra pattern. Nuweiba is almost deserted, the camps and restaurants are empty and the few … Continue reading “Sinai”

Svaneti

Wild mountain villages in Georgia: Cycling from Mestia to the defence towers in Ushguli and a hike to the Coruldi Ridge with a view of Ushba

Baku

Baku is oil. A whole row of oil platforms can be seen on the horizon in the bay, even in the suburbs there are oil pumps on every corner and in every second front garden, and the wider surroundings of the city are a tangle of pipelines. In the many bars, money is immediately converted … Continue reading “Baku”

Istanbul

Istanbul serves us as a gentle introduction to the Middle East, after all, this city still has one foot in Europe. A fantastic backdrop of domes, minarets and water, but also a vibrant nightlife, hardly any headscarves… Hagia Sofia (6th century) is also a good historical introduction, as it is the architectural model for many … Continue reading “Istanbul”

Cuba

Isn’t it fascinating how stubbornly this small country and its inhabitants defy everything that befalls them? The collapse of the Soviet Union, economic blockade, the lack that comes with it…. Who knows what will happen when Fidel is gone; high time I thought, to drink a mojito to the revolution on this green island lapped … Continue reading “Cuba”

Guatemala

How pleasant to be met by Marta at the airport! We spend the first night in Guatemala City, a chaotic metropolis with broken, crowded streets, street kids, …. In a minibus we drive down from the coffee town of Coban through beautiful tropical karst landscape. In a village with a colourful market, more and more … Continue reading “Guatemala”

Xian

For around 2000 years, Xian was the capital of China regardless of the ruling dynasties. Accordingly, the city and its surroundings are full of ancient temples, gates and tombs. One of the most interesting buildings is the Great Mosque, it looks like a Chinese temple, the minaret like a pagoda. But the main reason to … Continue reading “Xian”

Beijing

The city is criss-crossed by wide avenues lined with skyscrapers, but in between there are still remnants of the hutons, the old neighbourhoods of low, grey brick houses, where old people drink tea in the shade or play board games in the narrow alleys; coal sellers cycle their wares to customers… The centre of the … Continue reading “Beijing”

Sukhothai

The charming 15th century ruins of this town (and of Si Satchanalai, another one a little further north) are set in a large park that blends into the green of the surrounding hills. As you would expect, it’s all about Buddhist temples and monasteries, stupas of all shapes, sitting, standing, walking Buddhas…. The kingdom of … Continue reading “Sukhothai”

Plain of Jars

We went to the Plain of Jars, where hundreds of cubic metre-sized monolithic stone jars (made of sandstone) are lying around. Around 2000 years ago, they were probably used for burial. Read on 13 months as a backpacker through Asia Vang Vien Luang Prabang Muang Ngoi Neua

Angkor Wat

Angkor: hundreds of temples from the 9th to 16th centuries are scattered across the plain here, Angkor Wat is only the best known and largest. Depending on the whim of the respective ruler, they are dedicated either to Buddha or Hindu gods, but in any case to the god-king at the same time. In most … Continue reading “Angkor Wat”

Kama Sutra in Stone: The Temples of Khajuraho

This small village, completely removed from any city, is home to some of India’s most exciting temples – known mainly for the many erotic depictions dating back almost 1000 years. Better than the Kama Sutra. All the possible and impossible positions stand in stark contrast to modern Indian society, where (except perhaps in Bangalore, Mumbai, … Continue reading “Kama Sutra in Stone: The Temples of Khajuraho”

Delhi

A stark city, packed with people, an unbelievable chaos. The best thing is to sit on a cycle rickshaw and watch people go by. It’s hard to move forward, sacks of chili or whatever are being unloaded from other cycle rickshaws or bullock carts everywhere, men with all kinds of beards and headdresses, women in … Continue reading “Delhi”

Agra

In the fog – quite frustrating after weeks of cloudless skies. The Taj Mahal is really not without reason the most famous building in India, built by a Mughal king for his 2nd wife. The best of the 20000 workers had their fingers or hands amputated afterwards so that something so magnificent could not be … Continue reading “Agra”

Gujarat

Ahmedabad is a rather noisy and smoggy city. Well, some interesting mosques and pretty old houses between Le Corbusier concrete, a fascinating fountain house, but never a quiet place to linger. The bugs I discover in the morning when I take down the mosquito net finish me off. But I only get one bite and … Continue reading “Gujarat”

Goa

The beach vendor looks at me incredulously: “why do you come to the beach if you don’t want to buy anything?” Well, why? To forget the stress of university, to swim, relax in the sun or read a book in the shade. Eat delicious fish in the evening… And just in time for the European … Continue reading “Goa”

Turkey 2003

Three weeks in Turkey – exactly the time of the war in Iraq, which gave us a cheap flight. I am particularly excited by the ignimbrite landscape of Cappadocia, eroded into fascinating shapes. Early Christian churches set the mood for Byzantine and Ottoman architecture in Istanbul…. and the antiquity of Pergamon or Ephesus. The sinter … Continue reading “Turkey 2003”

Sri Lanka

Six weeks in Sri Lanka: the small town of Kandy offers more than the temple with Buddha’s tooth, above all also beautiful surroundings. We drive past the cave temples of Dambulla to the impressive fortress of Sigiriya, perched on a rock. In Polonnaruwa we admire the wonderful semicircular moonstones that mark the entrances of the … Continue reading “Sri Lanka”