Again: happy new year everybody!

As in past years, maybe you would like to join in some WHS-reckoning of the just expired year! What were your exploration patterns? What did you like the most, and the least? What was the biggest surprise for you?

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This time I took the time to do some more fine-grained data analysis and I am a little surprised, in such a messy and yet again rather complex year at all levels (I transfered to Belgium for work), to have squeezed in 30 new WHSs, of which only 1 (via Appia, what else?) got ticked as a result of the WHC in India, and 18 new TWHSs; to this, I have to add ca 15 revisits. Usual disclaimer that I know these figures pale in comparison to others, but it looks a rather good rythm to me given the previous years, and so I am satisfied!

I actually took care to sign down all locations, as I tend to dive deep and go for all components. Their number surprised me and their distribution gives a good picture of the routine I ploughed between Belgium and Italy in those months: out of a total 158 new locations (including 7 aspiring [mostly Cluny] and 22 tentative ones) a third was in Belgium, then a dozen in France, slightly fewer in Gemany, then some other sparse across Europe (Latvia, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Czechia, Switzerland [pile dwellings]) and a big cluster from the "long trip" to Japan. Whereas speaking of overall WHSs, Japan, Belgium, Germany and France more or less have the same number, while Belgium wins as of tentative sites. All but a handful are of cultural type.

So yes, Belgium not unexpectedly wins, also because of its dense network of belfries and beguinages, but it's still not complete! I managed to completely complete (WHSs & TWHSs), out of some kind of divine inspiration, one country, Latvia (admittedly not a big one), and then I slightly favoured France over Germany for new additions, recovering on some big classics (Loire, Rhine) I was missing, all the while neglecting my Italy. And I managed to foray into Japan as my only new country, though a rather conspicuous one!

WHS-wise, I am happy to have completed the exclusive Horta series (and even happier that this happened during the community's meet-up!). I still have quite a way to go for the belfries (19/33), though, and I miss one beguinage (Kortrijk - sooo far on the other side of the country). Let's not speak about funerary sites of WWI (5/43), they are too many... I am also very happy to have added a couple of Struve geodetic points. And finally, in Japan the scattered temples proved more demanding than expected, and so I still have plenty of them in Kyoto and Nara waiting for me (and all mounded tombs...). It seems that Japanese like their sites in multiples.
On the TWHS side, I went wild for the Roman causeway in Belgium and its surrounding tumuli, a joy to explore and an excuse to scour the remotest corners of the Belgian countryside. Waterloo was also an unexpectedly exciting discovery, and I am particularly proud of having delved into the Viking heritage of Grobina in Latvia, despite its invisibility.

I would summarise my personal awards as follows:

* Best (= most spectacular) WHS of 2024: Kyoto - so many beautiful temples, each with its own story and great art, not to speak of the "castle". A dizzying concentration of beauty. The best of the batch: Byodo-in in Uji

* Worst (= most disappointing) WHS of 2024: Wortel of the Colonies of benevolence - Their story is intriguing and needs more recognition, but the visiting experience is rather weak

* Best TWHS of 2024: the meanders of the Daugava - A pristine fluvial landscape, I loved it. It shows the great natural potential of the Baltic region, and it is in a culturally rather complex region

* Surprise WHS of 2024: SchUM - Maybe it was their intrinsic melancholy, the serene atmosphere in the mikveh, or the splendid sunny days I visited them

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What about 2025? The WHC looks better for me than 2024's with four proposals (Domus de Janas, Minoans, Moens klint, Olives), but who knows. I still regret that my trip to the Eastern Mongolian steppes some years ago shattered against COVID.

Anyway, for this year I wish for more stability allowing me to reach farther away than the cloister of my six "on-the-road countries" (Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy), but I admit having no plans yet other than a desire for desert countries. Maybe I'll also give more attention to our northern neighbour, the Netherlands :-) Unfortunately, the conference pattern this year does not look too enticing, even if they often allow for some quick site-grabbing... I'll start with a revisit of Budapest which won't leave me much space for explorations.

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So, this were my data-analytic ramblings, now I am curious to hear from you! :-)

I love this statement and I have a similar feeling now and then, despite living close to the Mojave desert!


I resonate with this mindset, more than ever when feasible, I will try to 'complete' a serial WHS, there is a feeling of accomplishment and often greater appreciation having done so.

What were your exploration patterns? What did you like the most, and the least? What was the biggest surprise for you? What about 2025?

I noticed only afterwards that the countries we (including my spouse) visited from the very end of 2023 to just a few weeks ago were Spanish speaking (Mexico twice, Costa Rica, and Spain). It was not something we were trying to do, it just happened. Last year we completed a trip to Central Mexico (Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Querétaro) on New Year's Eve and arrived back to the US just in time to celebrate the New Year (2024) with friends in San Diego. In March, we took a short trip to Costa Rica and enjoyed multiple hikes over a few days within the Area de Conservación Guanacaste. During the Summer, I revisited Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Chicago while visiting family in Wisconsin. My first visit to Unity Temple was January 2010, so it had been a while. In November, inviting some friends with us, we returned (driving) to a favorite place of ours Sonora, Mexico and specifically El Pinacate and the Gulf of California, where we visited a remote component for the first time - Isla San Jorge. Both were revisits, but it has been particularly rewarding to keep chipping away at the massive Gulf of California world heritage site and we look forward to other trips to see its various islands. The last trip of the year was the holiday season in Spain, my 3rd trip (2007, 2018, 2024). Reviews are completed and queued up. It was a lot of fun to fully visit all 7 components of the Works of Antoni Gaudí and perhaps a potential Gaudí extension component or two. Seeing a concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalana is a special memory from 2024. Its counterpart, Hospital de Sant Pau made for some fantastic pictures. Getting a chance to explore Mudejar Architecture in Zaragosa and then staying right next to Vizcaya Bridge in Portugalete / Bilbao was special.

During the 2024 WHC I only picked up one new site, Beijing Central Axis. At least 2025 is a bit more hopeful, with past visits to Álvaro Siza's Architecture (though only 1 component), Faya Palaeolandscape, and Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream.

I enjoyed all the WHS I visited the past year, but the 3 natural sites stand out Guanacaste, El Pinacate (3rd visit), and the Gulf of California (2nd visit - approaching half of its components). Thoroughly visiting the Works of Antoni Gaudí was also a major highlight, especially after only visiting the exterior of Sagrada Familia in 2007!

In 2025, only the Summer is planned out, a return to Korea for the first time in 9 years! I guess my previous trip I did a good job visiting the right tentative sites, since Korea's WHS remains complete for me. Since the trip will be for about 50 days, we will have plenty of time for some excursions in various parts of Asia. A trip South to Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia will be exciting for us and likely a short flight from ICN to Hokkaido to explore Shiretoko. In Korea, I will revisit a few WHS and hopefully tick off any last unvisited components (various Getbol, Sansa, Seowon, Dolmen, Joseon Tombs, etc). I am crossing my fingers that Korea will do a little update of its tentative list by June, but if not I will cover the last few tentative sites that I missed previously or recent additions (Unjusa, Hoeamsa). A handful of the more promising 'aspiring' candidates are also on my itinerary. Not sure about the 2nd half of the year, but return trips to Mexico may be the most likely, either short trips to Paquimé and/or El Vizcaino, or a longer trip to the Yucatán Peninsula utilizing the somewhat controversial Mayan Train.

Thanks for starting this, Astraftis! I'm traveling right now, so I haven't had much time to respond, and even now will have to make this short. Last year was quite an eventful year for visiting European sites, and I ended 2024 with 41 new sites, as well as visits to additional belfries and World War I cemeteries in France, another ShUM site in Germany, and, at last, Hadrian's Wall in northern England. I really enjoyed the impromptu weekend in Belgium that Astraftis prompted with the Horta visits -- it was great to see so many folks from this site in Brussels. I also had my favorite World Heritage day of the year, starting off in the TWHS of Dinant (Les citadelles mosanes); continuing on to a canal boat ride at the The Four Lifts (site #300); ending the afternoon at Waterloo, an amazing historic site to see in person (albeit with redundant TWHS), then catching up with meltwaterfalls and his friend in Brussels in the evening, walking around the Grand Place. Spectacular day, all around.

Will have to give some thought to which sites I liked most and least. Since I'm about to lose reception shortly, i'll have to revisit later.

Also, thinking of you in LA, winterkjm, and hope you're safe from the fires. Sounds like you had some great trips to Mexico and Spain last year, and I look forward to your updates front Korea this summer.

I was just thinking the same, hope you and yours are all safe at the moment.

Thank you for the well wishes, I am about 8-10 km from the nearest wildfire, so we certainly have been monitoring evacuation orders and have been prepared to leave at a moment's notice. A lot of destruction, we have been fortunate thus far.

Glad to hear you are safe, and hope the wildfires stay far from where you are. It's really sad to see how much destruction they've wrought so far.