An interesting site - "World Heratige List" -

Sites around the world, with a pic and a brief discription of each - ancient cities to natural wonders:


Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur



Brief Description

Evidence of the rise of Mahayana Buddhism in Bengal from the 7th century onwards, Somapura Mahavira, or the Great Monastery, was a renowned intellectual centre until the 12th century. Its layout perfectly adapted to its religious function, this monastery-city represents a unique artistic achievement. With its simple, harmonious lines and its profusion of carved decoration, it influenced Buddhist architecture as far away as Cambodia.


Medieval City of Rhodes
Greece



Brief Description

The Order of St John of Jerusalem occupied Rhodes from 1309 to 1523 and set about transforming the city into a stronghold. It subsequently came under Turkish and Italian rule. With the Palace of the Grand Masters, the Great Hospital and the Street of the Knights, the Upper Town is one of the most beautiful urban ensembles of the Gothic period. In the Lower Town, Gothic architecture coexists with mosques, public baths and other buildings dating from the Ottoman period.

tons more here -


http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31

it's a great fantasy to imagine visiting all those places.

thought I'd kick this up in case some of the less nocturnal duers might find it interesting

made the list, there was a big ceremony at the park, and I got to go.

It was cool, lots of folks from UNESCO, congress, governor, etc. I went because I was part of Cave Research Foundation, one of the entities behind the nomination. This was a big coup to get it in the World Heritage because the water drainage system from that big cave is just huge, and keeping pollution out of the subsurface streams is just critical.

What a great list of sites!

wish I could visit all of them.

Tracing my family though my father I'm Lithuanian...



Brief Description

Political center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 13th to the end of the 18th century, Vilnius has had a profound influence on the cultural and architectural development of much of eastern Europe. Despite invasions and partial destruction, it has preserved an impressive complex of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classical buildings as well as its medieval layout and natural setting.