Be enchanted by Germany’s Harz Mountains What first springs to mind when thinking about Germany’s fairytale landscapes of the Brothers Grimm may be the Black Forest. Think again and cast your eyes further North, to one of Germany’s undervalued but extremely fascinating regions: the Harz mountains. In fact, many of the stories collected by the Brothers Grimm originate from the Harz Region. ... Read Full Article
Things to Do in Algarve: 3 Day Itinerary from Faro to Lagos
Things to Do in Algarve, Portugal: 3 Day Itinerary from Faro to Lagos If you are heading for Portugal’s Algarve, you are in for a treat. From the westernmost point of Cabo de Sao Vicente to Cacela Velha in the east at the border with Spain, you find a cornucopia of sites. Beaches, mountains, thermal springs, cork and ceramics, castles and museums, you won’t know what to do and where to go ... Read Full Article
Discover Western Algarve: Monchique
Discover Western Algarve: Monchique – Think Mountains not Beaches Many people who consider Portugal’s Algarve as their holiday destination, will think about the dramatic coastline, with breathtaking rock formations, alternating with fine, sandy beaches. But that is not all that Western Algarve has to offer.Discover Monchique in Western Algarve What’s not so well known are the treasures of ... Read Full Article
Experience Lausanne like a Local
Experience Lausanne like a Local I’m still nursing a few blisters, but that’s before I learned how to explore Lausanne like a local. What I didn’t consider was that Lausanne is built on three rather steep hills, connected by bridges, narrow streets, vertigo inducing staircases and, if you are lucky enough to find them, the odd elevator. But Lausanne locals, as I learned from my guide, know short ... Read Full Article
Easter in Spain: Tips for Tourists
Make the most of Easter in Spain Tips for Easter in Spain Easter, or Semana Santa in Spanish, is the most important religious holiday of the country. More important than Christmas and it also lasts a lot longer. Although the word ‘semana’ (week) indicates a week, the entire festivities cover more like two weeks, during which time most of public life grinds to a halt. Everybody is gearing up to ... Read Full Article
Barcelona like a Local
Experience Barcelona like a local I have the good fortune to have a friend, born and bred in Barcelona, who kindly took me by the hand, sometimes literally, to let me experience Barcelona like a local. Of course, there are many places every visitor to Barcelona just has to see, like the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi buildings, the Liceo and Palacio de la Musica or the Montjuic mountain and park. But, ... Read Full Article
Get Ready for Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland
This year I made my way to Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland. I am on a mission. Over the next years, I want to visit and participate in as many carnivals all over the world as I possibly can. Last year I went to Venice, Italy. What better way of getting a real insight into local culture, in fact into the essence of other peoples’ idiosyncrasies than watching them when they let their hair ... Read Full Article
Canal of Corinth, Agamemnon’s Tomb and Epidaurus
I hadn't expected to visit the Canal of Corinth, Agamemnon’s tomb and Epidaurus on this trip, but Athens was a nightmare. I had arrived in the middle of violent demonstrations against the government’s austerity measures. Roads were closed off which made getting from A to B extremely difficult, even on foot, unless you wanted to risk life and limb. The Acropolis was shrouded in scaffolding and ... Read Full Article
Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach: a Study in Contrasts
Just a few miles from Nesebar lies Bulgaria’s most popular and much advertised seaside resort: Sunny Beach. A summer destination much favored by locals, Russians and many other Europeans who come in search of sand, sunshine and anything else usually associated with Spain’s Costa del Sol but at much more affordable prices.After thoroughly enjoying Nesebar, I hopped in my little rental car ... Read Full Article
Nesebar: Bulgaria’s Gem on the Black Sea
Just what was it that brought me to Nesebar, Bulgaria? Well, for one, I love the Black Sea. I caught my first glimpse of the Black Sea when visiting Turkey. A trip to the towns of Amasya and Samsun revealed a surprisingly beautiful landscape, with dense, green forests, pastures, poppy fields, and apple orchards strung along the shore line of a sea which was anything but black. Where, I ... Read Full Article