UNESCO World Heritage Site

Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana

Julio Moreno Peru, UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , , , , , 0 Comment
Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana

Astronaut - Nasca
click to enlarge [No image modifications]
Location: Nasca, Ica, Peru

Visited: June 30, 2013

Opinion and Background:

[Note: This post is dedicated to the Columbian guy who was on the same plane and asked if I could upload the pictures I took. Also, for the purposes of originality, I noted any alterations I made to the pictures.]

The Nasca (sometimes spelled “Nazca”) and Pampa Lines and Geoglyphs are some of the more mysterious finds of ancient Peru. Tagged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they are a set of drawings depicting animals, geometrical shapes, and people which were carved on the desert floor near the towns of Nasca and Pampa nearly two thousand years ago. The drawings are amazing because they range from 30 meters (“the astronaut”) to over 300 meters across (“the heron”) meaning they can only be truly appreciated from the sky, which begs the obvious question, why would a civilization that lacked aviation technology make something that would only be seen from above? (Cue dramatic music and Read more →

Archaeological Area of Agrigento

Julio Moreno Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , 2 Comments
Archaeological Area of Agrigento

Concordia - Archaeological Area of Agrigento

Location: Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

Visited: July 29th, 2012

Background and Opinion:

The Archaeological Area of Agrigento, also known as the Valley of the Temples (Valle Dei Templi) is one of the best preserved signs of Greek civilization and architecture still standing today. With the earliest building, the temple to Heracles, being built at around 890 BCE, the history of the temples spans almost 3000 years. By comparison, when Angkor Wat was completed, this site was almost two thousand years old! Just the fact that anything remains is a minor miracle. The main structure, the temple of the Concordia is almost completely intact giving one of the most insightful views into ancient Greek architecture.

The archaeological area is divided into two main zones across southern Agrigento. On one side of the road, upon entering the area, is the temple to Zeus and Polloux. Not much remains of these besides a few scattered columns and some large atlases, an architectural column in the shape of a man (possibly Zeus himself?) Despite this, it is still quite incredible to see. On the far side of the temples was a hidden garden which cost 5 Euro to enter. While I am going to label this a tourist trap, the jam that the lady in charge sold was definitely worth it (4 Euro). In fact, I am eating it as I type right now, almost a year later (maybe not a good idea).

Atlas - Archaeological Area of Agrigento

The other side of the ruins has the more impressive and complete temples of Heracles, Hera, and Concordia.

Before coming across this Open Travel article, I actually had no idea Read more →

The Great Wall

Julio Moreno China, UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China

Location: North Eastern China (Accessible Through: Beijing, China)

Visited: February, 2010

Background and Opinion:

“What is the Great Wall of China” you ask? No you don’t, no one asks this EVER because everyone knows right? Actually, you might not know as much as you think you do.

First, the Great Wall is not a single wall at all (excellent map here) and would be more appropriately called “The Great Set of Walls.” This name doesn’t sell as many tickets, as you may imagine, so lets just continue calling it the ‘Great Wall’ for now. Secondly, it is built horizontally. While city walls are built in a circular shape to protect from all sides, the great wall was built as a barrier separating the northern people of the steppes (modern day Mongolia) and the Chinese people in the south. Third, it was built by a number of different Dynasties. The wall was started by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China who, coincidentally, also ordered the construction of the Terracotta Army and was the founder of Unified China (busy guy). It was built from 200 BCE – 1400s CE to protect different parts of China from external threats. Over the centuries, the numerous parts linked up in many places, but to this day, more and more parts of the wall are being uncovered. Something else that you might not know is just how many sections are accessible. There are dozens of entry points from Beijing alone if you know what you are doing.
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Jongmyo Shrine

Julio Moreno South Korea, UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , 0 Comment
Jongmyo Shrine
There are nineteen gates holding the spirits and tablets of the first nineteen Joseon monarchs.
There are nineteen gates in this particular building of the Jongmyo Shrine, holding the spirits of the first nineteen Joseon monarchs.

Location: Seoul, South Korea (Scroll down for a map)

Visited:  April, 2011; June, 2012; May 5th, 2013

Background and Opinion: I have been waiting to visit the Jongmyo Shrine one more time during the Jaerye Festival before I did a proper assessment. However, I have decided against awarding this site more points based on an event that happens only once a year since that doesn’t reflect what a typical person would experience any other day.

If you followed my series of top things to do in Seoul, you already know Read more →

Vatican City

Julio Moreno UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican City , , , , , 0 Comment
Vatican City

Basilica of St. PeterLocation: Vatican City (within  Rome, Italy)

Visited: August 3, 2013

Opinion and Background:

Vatican city is the center of the Roman Catholic Church, which has over one billion followers world wide. The only other groups with that many members are Facebook, Islam, China and India. Now go tell your friends this fun fact! (I actually don’t know if that’s accurate, so don’t quote me on that!) However, for such a powerful organization, Vatican City is also officially the smallest country in the world. Its entirety is located in the city of Rome, and is about 0.2 square miles (just over 100 acres).

Since the death of Jesus around the year 33 C.E., it is believed that Peter founded the church and effectively became the Bishop of Rome, a title now known as the Pope. Back then however, this did not mean what it does today. The pope was simply the bishop of the largest and most powerful city in the Roman Empire, and held no power above any other bishop.
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