Maritime Greenwich

Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, London

From the World Heritage inscription for Maritime Greenwich: Symmetrically arranged alongside the River Thames, the ensemble of the 17th century Queen’s House, part of the last Royal Palace at Greenwich, the palatial Baroque complex of the Royal Hospital for Seamen, and the Royal Observatory founded in 1675 and surrounded by the Royal Park laid out …

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Defense Line of Amsterdam

Defense Line of Amsterdam - UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for the Defense Line of Amsterdam: Extending 135 km around the city of Amsterdam, this defense line (built between 1883 and 1920) is the only example of a fortification based on the principle of controlling the waters. Since the 16th century, the people of the Netherlands have used their expert …

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Beemster Polder

Beemster Polder UNESCO World Heritage Site, Netherlands

From the World Heritage inscription for the Beemster Polder: The Beemster Polder is a cultural landscape located north of Amsterdam, dating from the early 17th century, and an exceptional example of reclaimed land in the Netherlands. It was created by the draining of Lake Beemster in 1612, in order to develop new agricultural land and …

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The Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for The Wadden Sea: The Wadden Sea comprises the Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area and the German Wadden Sea National Parks of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. It is a large temperate, relatively flat coastal wetland environment, formed by the intricate interactions between physical and biological factors that have given rise …

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Why Travel Blogging Isn’t Like Regular Blogging

This is the second article in my pre Blog World Expo series about blogging and the travel industry. Yesterday I talked about travel writing vs travel blogging. Today I’m just going to talk about blogging. In particular, why travel blogging is different from blogging in other niches. I’m also going to be talking about blogging …

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D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station

D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station - UNESCO World Heritage Sitem Netherlands

From the World Heritage inscription for The D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station: The D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station (Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal) at Lemmer in the province of Fryslân opened in 1920. It is exceptional as the largest and most powerful steam-driven installation for hydraulic purposes ever built, and one that is still successfully carrying out …

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Travel Blogging vs Travel Writing

I’m in Vegas for Blog World Expo this week, so I’ll be devoting some time to talking about blogging and the travel industry. Here is my first installment. The impetus for this post came from an off hand comment made by Jen Leo before one of our podcasts a few weeks ago. I mentioned that …

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Schokland and Surroundings

Schokland and Surroundings - UNESCO World Heritage Site, Netherlands

From the World Heritage inscription for Schokland and Surroundings: The struggle of the people of the Netherlands against water has endured, for more than six thousand years, and still continues today; without constant vigilance, more than half the present area of the country would be entirely submerged or subject to periodic inundation. Schokland was a …

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Why I Love Vegas

I don’t gamble and seldom drink, yet I love Las Vegas. I know a lot of seasoned travelers who loathe visiting Vegas. I understand their apprehension, but despite all the places I’ve been I still get a rush when I drive down the strip at night. It has been two and a half years since …

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