The Amhara Plateau incorporates the ‘Simien National Park’ which is a World Heritage Site and was inscribed by UNESCO during 1978 – one of the first localities to receive inscription.
It is located in northern Ethiopia, 120 km north-east of Gondar. Erosion over the years of the Great Rift Valley, has created an amazing landscape of majestic peaks and deep valleys. Ras Dashen, at a height of 4620m, is the fourth highest peak in Africa.
The Gelada Baboons, Simien fox, Ethiopian wolf and the Walia Ibex (a goat) are found nowhere else in the world. Sadly, these species are diminishing. Consequently, during 1996 the park was added to the UNESCO register as a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’.
The 5th Edition ‘Ethiopia Bradt Travel Guide Book’ comes highly recommended
One great reason to visit the Amhara Plateau and Simien National Park is to watch the fascinating Gelada Baboons negotiate the steep cliff-sides and manage it successfully!
Situated in the south-eastern Province of Quebec in Canada, Quebec City is the capital and its history dates back to the first permanent settlement in 1608, making it one of the oldest European settlements in the North Americas.
It is also the only fortified city north of Mexico. Quebec has a fabulous collection of 18th and 19th century architecture and ancient sites. Its ancestral walls are home to a beauty all of its own, this making it worthy for inscription during 1985 as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Old Quebec overlooks the meeting of the St Charles River and the larger St Lawrence River. Some of the heritage buildings to see include the Parliament Buildings, City Hall, Citadelle de Quebec, Le Manege Militaire, Chateau Frontenac and Notre-Dame de Quebec basilica-cathedral.
One great reason to visit Quebec City is to experience the only old, genuinely European city with its city walls and historic French architecture in the North Americas.
Hallstatt is a small village on the banks of Lake Hallstatt in Austria. It’s surrounded by the beautiful Austrian Alps and is a picture postcard travel destination. The homes display splashes of colour from the many window boxes and even the small, local cemetery is a delight. Hallstatt is a UNESCO listed World Heritage site.
Diary extract – 4 August, 1988
“…I disembarked from the train and headed to the ferry to cross the lake to the township. WOW! Once the ferry drew closer and the town could be seen through the fog, it was an absolute picture. It was a fairy-land, full of little doll-like houses. Hallstatt is the prettiest place I have ever set my eyes upon. The houses built behind one another, up the slope of the mountain. Each with window shutters and surrounded in a brilliant shower of colour from the window boxes.”
The medieval city of Brugge is situated in northern Belgium and has nearby access to the North Sea through an extensive canal system. Access to the port allowed Brugge to have significant economic and cultural importance being centrally located to London, Paris and Amsterdam. Other than Amsterdam that is built around canals, it is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’.
Many of the medieval buildings within the old city still remain beautifully intact and for this it gained UNESCO inscription during 2000 for both its medieval and its Flemish significance. The combination of the historic architecture, cobblestone square, canals and bridges, creates such a romantic atmosphere and what better way to totally indulge, than to sit and enjoy Belgian chocolates. Sheer bliss in Brugge!
Suggested reading – Bruges – Landmark Visitors Guides
One great reason to visit Brugge is for the splendour of the canals and medieval buildings combining to make it very much a romantic travel destination.
The Traveler IQ challenge ranks geographic knowledge of cities such as: Punta Cana, Willemstad or Columbia by comparing results against 5,473,834 other travelers.
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