UNESCO World Heritage Sites Archives

Mont Saint Michel in the Distance, France

March 11, 2015November 14, 2014 by Tom Bartel

There’s so much construction going on at Mont Saint Michel monastery off the coast of Normandy that the better photos of the exterior are probably shot from a distance. Like … Read more

Up in the Air in Meteora, Greece

June 30, 2024November 5, 2014 by Kristin Henning

There’s a saying in Greece, “I’m in Meteora.” It means ‘I’m up in the air,’ or ‘I’m in limbo.’ Meteora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in north central Greece, outside … Read more

Temple of Apollo, Delphi, Greece

October 20, 2023October 28, 2014 by Tom Bartel

It’s quite amazing how much of the shrine of Delphi remains, given 2500 years of looting, earthquakes, harsh weather and general indifference. What you can see of the Temple of … Read more

Musings on the Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

March 10, 2017October 20, 2014 by Tom Bartel

There are some nice pieces of ancient Greek art at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Unfortunately, most of them are not from the Parthenon. A lot of them have been … Read more

Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park

October 20, 2023September 14, 2014 by Tom Bartel

We spent 11 hours in the Mesa Verde National Park, including driving over 100 miles (160 km) within the park to see many of the cliff dwellings. We went back … Read more

The Centennial Hall, Wroclaw, Poland

October 20, 2023July 8, 2014 by Tom Bartel

We make a point of visiting all Unesco World Heritage sites that are within easy reach of where we are. So, we took a bus from our central Wroclaw hotel … Read more

Visiting the Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi Death Camps

September 1, 2024July 6, 2014 by Tom Bartel

The gate where we entered the Auschwitz concentration camp bears the overarching black iron legend, “Arbeit Macht Frei” – Work Will Set You Free.

St. Mary’s Basilica, Krakow, Poland

October 20, 2023July 1, 2014 by Tom Bartel

Every so often, you walk into a church, expecting nothing special. And then you get something like this. St. Mary’s Basilica on the Main Square of Krakow is simply, one … Read more

Altar Portrait of John Paul II, Basilica, Krakow, Poland

October 20, 2023June 28, 2014 by Tom Bartel

In Krakow, there is no more popular figure than Pope John Paul II. He, along with Lech Walesa, deservedly get a lot of the credit for Poland’s independence from Moscow. … Read more

Saints Peter and Paul Church, Vilnius, Lithuania

October 20, 2023June 25, 2014 by Tom Bartel

We were warned that when we came to Vilnius, Lithuania that we should be prepared for Baroque overload. Well this is it. Saints Peter and Paul are, of course, probably … Read more