UNESCO World Heritage Site #133: Old City of Dubrovnik
From the World Heritage inscription: The ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’, situated on the Dalmatian coast, became an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains. Damaged again in the 1990s by [...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site #132: Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn
From the World Heritage inscription: From the 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and is full of outstanding examples of decorative art. Together with its gardens, the site of the world’s first zoo in 1752, [...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site #131: Historic Center of Vienna
From the World Heritage inscription: Vienna developed from early Celtic and Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It played an essential role as a leading European music centre, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. The historic centre of [...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site #130: Historic Centre of Ceský Krumlov
From the World Heritage inscription: ?eský Krumlov is an outstanding example of a central European small town dating from the Middle Ages that owes the structure and buildings of its historic core to its economic importance and relatively undisturbed organic development over some five centuries. The town grew up within a meander of the Vltava [...]
When Things Seem Slow They Are Actually Quite Busy
The last week or so I haven’t posted much. It has been an extreme case of Gary’s Paradox. This has been due to my manic schedule across Europe and the limited Internet access I’ve had on the Carnival Magic as we have been sailing around the Mediterranean. Just to give you an idea how hectic [...]
