Turku, Finland’s “First City”, dates back to 1280 when Swedish, Danish and Finnish merchants met 0n Finland’s southwest coast at the mouth of the Aura River to trade goods. Over time Turku needed a cathedral (consecrated in 1300) and a bishop to govern the unruly heathens attracted by the marketplace. This region, Finland Proper, was the heart of the country in terms …
Coastal paradise on the azure Aegean, or great crossroads of the ancient world? Or both? Modern day Izmir on Turkey’s west coast is one of the most popular destinations for northern European vacationers and is also the birthplace of Homer, one of the greatest poets and storytellers of all time. The city was founded by …
Arcachon, located in the southwest corner of France, was once a wooded Atlantic coastline with just a few huts, endless oyster beds and the biggest sand dune in Europe. That all changed in 1857 when Napolean III christened the town of Arcachon and brought all of the debutantes from Paris and the Cote D’Azur to the Atlantic …
Imagine a perfect little pocket sized nation, green as the greenest hills you have ever seen and ruled benevolently from a castle perched on a hill. If you happen to stumble and trip into Slovenia on your way from Austria to Italy or down to Croatia, you will indeed have found it. Slovenia is …
Frankfurt cuisine revolves around a few dishes, without which any dining experience in the city must be considered incomplete. One of them, Gruene Sosse (Green Sauce), is an emulsion of eggs and oil with a variety of green herbs (dill, parsley, sorrel, chives and others) that was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s favorite dish. He …