There are places in the world with UNESCO status that make me think “Whaaaaat? Who’d they bribe to get that?!” Old Town Vienna, though, is definitely NOT on that list. The parts I enjoyed most were many of the civic buildings, away from the tourist madness of St. Stephen’s Church. […]
Tag: World Heritage Sites
Kronborg Slot and Hamlet in Denmark
The Danish city of Helsingor is mostly famous for one thing: Hamlet. The modern-day version of Hamlet’s Elsinor, Kronborg Slot is supposedly the castle where Shakespeare set his famous play. You know what the least awesome part of Helsingor is, though? Kronborg Slot. Under construction, surrounded by construction, and with […]
Ruins of Konye-Urgench
En route from Ashgabat and the Darvaza Gas Crater to the Uzbek border and Khiva is one of Central Asia’s saddest historical sites and most poignant memories: the ruins of Konye-Urgench. With the dubious honor of being one of the bloodiest massacres in human history, Genghis Khan’s destruction of Konye-Urgench […]
Sultanahmet
Istanbul: Sultanahmet Sultanahmet is the tourist heart of Istanbul, home to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern and more hotels and guesthouses than I care to remember. For good reason, too. The whole neighborhood is resplendent with beautiful old architecture and street food and Istanbul highlights, and […]
Streets of Old Warsaw
I’ve talked before about how much I like my bonus days in cities, places that I’m flying through anyways where I’ll schedule a few extra hours or days to explore before continuing on to wherever I was supposed to be going. Some places, like when I’m stuffing my face with delicious […]
Palau’s WWII Heritage
Palau was a huge battleground during much of the World War II fighting in the Pacific, and as a result the islands are dotted with little remembrances of the war. Whether a tank rusting away in the jungle or a monument to the soldiers that died, there were lots of […]