(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Continuing my chronological list of cultural and historic highlights of the year…

9.  Split, Croatia – Diocletian’s Palace

While I visited Rome itself very early in the year, I encountered Roman reminders throughout my adventures.  Split, on the Adriatic coast, looks like any other city when you arrive by bus.   Once you get to the walled city, however, it becomes unique. The Roman emperor Diocletian built a massive palace here many centuries ago…and rather than remove it, the locals kept recycling and building on top of it!  It reminded me of the Forum in Rome, except that in Split my room was actually “in” Diocletian’s Palace!

10.  Dún Aonghasa on the top of a cliff on Inis Mór (Aran Islands), Ireland

Dún Aonghasa is a 2,000 year-old fortress located at the highest point of Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland.   The fort is so remote that you must hike up a rocky path:  even my locally-rented bicycle had to be left at the base of the path.  This cliff-top location made the fort impenetrable…until the cliff began to crumble and the fort slowly began to disappear with it.  Only about half of the fortress is left but it is still possible to walk right in and go to the edge of the massive cliff.  No security barriers are here to prevent you from tumbling into the sea below!   This is one of many Irish sites that combined a fascinating cultural/historic site with a stunning setting.

11.  Incan Terraces at Moray, Peru

The Incan Empire was around for a very short time; it is remarkable how much they accomplished and learned.  The terraces here were agricultural and not just for show…each level was a microclimate and plant species were moved around in order to adapt them to different altitudes, etc.  Above and beyond that, it was a lot of fun to climb around the terraces using 500 year-old stone ladders!

12.  Ollantaytambo, Peru

While not quite on the same scale as Machu Picchu, this was another Incan site that leaves you in awe of that empire’s accomplishments.   People still can’t figure out how (or even why) these structures were built, let alone how they could engineer the site so that nearby mountains would glow on the summer solstice.   Once again, the site was fun to explore even without considering the thought and technology that went into it.  Breathtaking in more ways than one, given the high altitude!13.  Old Delft, the Netherlands

These are by no means the most impressive buildings in Delft, but where does one start?  The massive churches, the huge city hall, the canals…all of it beautiful and all of it carefully restored.  If I had to pick one city in the Netherlands for historic sightseeing, I think it would have to be Delft.

14.   Adriaan Windmill in Haarlem

I’ve chosen this particular photo because the neighbouring three-story houses help show the massiveness of the Adriaan Windmill.  We went on a tour of the windmill and were amazed by not just the size but also the highly advanced technology that was inside.  They were awfully clever, those medieval Dutch!

15.  Prague, Czech Republic

As with Delft, it is hard to know where to begin in Prague.  The ancient Charles Bridge?  Prague Castle?  The Old Town Square that dwarfs pretty much any other town square in Europe?   How about Wenceslas Square (shown in photo at the top of this post) – where the desire for freedom in Czechoslovakia boiled over?  It was somewhat unsettling to stay in a hotel on Wenceslas Square and then see a video (at the Museum of Communism) showing brutal police beatings in that very same place, as the communist regime of the late 1980s desperately tried to maintain its grip on power.

16.  Houses of Parliament, London, U.K.

There was a lot of history and culture in London.  However, I’ve chosen the Houses of Parliament as a particular highlight.  The clock tower is iconic, the scale is massive…and the inspiration behind Canada’s system of government is suddenly brought into very clear focus.   On top of all that, I managed to see a debate in the House of Commons and to set foot in the House of Lords.  I’m very fortunate to have had that opportunity, especially after visiting Canada’s Parliament Buildings just a few weeks before.

Stay tuned:  there are still more year-end posts to come!