Andrew_Kerr Profile
I wouldn't say I let UNESCO listings dictate where I go but whenever I have decided to go somewhere I check to see what is nearby. UNESCO sites, tentative sites and former tentative sites are usually worth a visit.
Recent Reviews Andrew_Kerr
Studenica Monastery
Andrew_Kerr UK - 17-Nov-24
Studenica Monastery is one of the WHS that means much more to the people of the nation where it resides than it does to outsiders. I went there with my Serbian friends while staying with them and it's a bit of trek to get to being somewhat buried in the Dinaric Alps.The reason that the Serbian people revere this monastery is because it was founded by Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the medieval Serbian nation. It's an important site for Serbian people and that is very apparent when you're there.The actual monastery comprises of the original Byzantine church and it's later extension plus some monastic buildings
Read OnTrakai Historical National Park (T)
Andrew_Kerr UK - 16-Nov-24
In October 2024 I was lucky that my planned balloon flight over Vilnius was changed at the last minute for a flight over Lake Trakai and the castle. I say lucky because you can get pretty good views over Vilnius from the many hills that surround it and being a bit further up wouldn't have made a huge difference.
The flight over Lake Trakai though, was spectacular, a truly memorable experience and the opportunity to see this region from the air.
The star of the flight was Trakai Castle and thanks to the skill of our Aeronaut we flew directly overhead for an amazing perspective.
It's a shame that the park won't make the full UNESCO list because it's absolutely stunning.
Historical-town planning ensemble of Ston (T)
Andrew_Kerr UK - 12-Nov-24
I came across Ston by accident really. I was holidaying in the area and searched the WHS list and tentative list for any interesting sites nearby and so I "discovered" Ston. What is remarkable is that I have reached retirement age and never heard of the place before I did that search, I say remarkable, because the walls that surround Ston for 7 kms, are the second longest fortified walls in the world, after the Great Wall of China. The Croatians need to have a quiet word with their tourism marketing people.The town itself is quite small but has some nice streets, a castle and an interesting church but the draw is definitely those 7 kms of walls that surround the town and were built to protect it's major asset, salt
Read OnCity of Motovun (T)
Andrew_Kerr UK - 02-Nov-24
If you're staying on the Istrian coast then an excursion to Motovun (30-40 minutes away) makes for an enjoyable couple of hours. My suggestion would be look for a few other interesting hilltop villages and make a trip combining them.The problem with Motovun is its size, it's a very small village and once you have walked the defensive walls, stopped in the village square for a drink and mooched around one or two of the many shops selling local wine, you're struggling to keep yourself interested.Possibly the best thing about the village is view from the approach road, where the walled village sites magnificently on top of the hill and surveys all around it
Read OnRocks of Belogradchik (T)
Andrew_Kerr UK - 21-Oct-24
A great place to spend a couple of hours. The rocks are unique and the way that they have been used to build a fort around them and utilise the natural defensive nature of the rocks is impressive.
Getting there is another matter, I was lucky enough to be staying with my friend in Serbia and we drove there but it is a fair way off the beaten track through miles of sparsely populated farmlands.
Once there, the trip was certainly worth it, I've not visited anywhere that is similar before or since.
There are facilities in the local town including a nice hotel and places to eat but nothing else much to see.
Profile Data
- Name
- Andrew_Kerr
- Country
- UK
- Most Impressive
- Old City of Havana or Valley of the Kings
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 17.11.24
-
Visited WHS
Rating StatsBrugge 5Kotor 5Mostar 5Rhodes 5Riga 5Rome 5Verona 5Acropolis 4.5Budapest 4.5City of Bath 4.5Edinburgh 4.5Florence 4.5Istanbul 4.5Mystras 4.5Oporto 4.5Prague 4.5Westminster 4.5Corfu 4Ephesus 4Granada 4Kraków 4Modena 4Naples 4Pompei 4Salzburg 4Sintra 4Tallinn 4Vienna 4Belem 3.5Guimarães 3.5Ironbridge Gorge 3.5Kairouan 3.5Lake District 3.5Medina of Sousse 3.5Pergamon 3.5Thessalonika 3.5Vilnius 3.5Belfries 3Saltaire 2.5Reviewed WHS
Visited TWHS
- Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
- Archaeological site of Ancient Messene (T)
- Arsenal de Rochefort et fortifications de l'estuaire de la Charente (T)
- Central Park (T)
- City of Motovun (T)
- City of York: historic urban core (T)
- Ellis Island (T)
- Fortified Manasija Monastery (T)
- Gorge of Samaria National Park (T)
- Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
- Historical-town planning ensemble of Ston (T)
- Jerusalem (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril's and St. Andrew's Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (T)
- Le Portail du Monastère de Ripoll (T)
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)
- Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
- Rocks of Belogradchik (T)
- Rouen : ensemble urbain à pans de bois, cathédrale, église Saint-Ouen, église Saint Maclou (T)
- Smederevo Fortress (T)
- The Bodrum Castle (T)
- The historic town of Korcula (T)
- The historic urban site of Počitelj (T)