Half-German-half-Polish Usedom is used to playing second fiddle among Germany’s Baltic coast islands, but has a unique distinction Usedom is Germany’s sunniest spot. Talk about damning with faint praise, eh? But before any of you can accuse me of sneery sarcasm, let me point out that Usedom gets an almost Mediterranean 1917 hours of sunshine…
As seen on an iconic, world-famous painting – and by Kaiser Bill’s mother Ruegen is Germany’s largest island and one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Unsurprisingly, considering the German love for hiking, Ruegen also has a dense network of hiking paths, all centred on the 140 km long Hauptwanderweg – the “main hiking path”…
Scenic landscapes and a historical monument on the beach promenade of Rügen, Germany’s largest island It may be a truth universally acknowledged (at least across that section of the universe where English is spoken) that Binz Means Heinz. In modern Germany, Binz means beach It has always stood for sandy beaches and seaside fun –…
The German city of Stralsund is the gateway to Ruegen and Usedom in the Baltic Sea and before you set out for a hiking trip on either of these two fascinating islands, you should take the time to explore what is in many ways the most interesting of the great German Baltic sea ports. We…
More places to discover on our walk through the land that time forgot. Villages along the Italian Riviera In our last post, we took you down the Riviera memory lane from San Lorenzo to Santo Stefano. Today, we shall hike further down the coast, passing through more villages along the Italian Riviera that have become…
From Imperia to Bordighera, there is a stretch of Italian Riviera villages that have become unstuck in time All the small coastal towns between San Lorenzo al Mare and Santo Stefano look as though they had retreated into a time capsule, a little like the New England hamlet in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village”, with…
On our last day in Kosice, we did what the locals do when they want to experience a small slice of nature After two urban walks to explore the cultural treasures of Kosice, today we will be heading out of town in search of some greenery in the countryside of Slovakia. There is quite a…
When Kosice became European Capital of Culture in 2013, the municipal authorities took a bold decision: resisting the temptation of putting all the money into their historic town centre, they allocated a significant proportion of the budget to the city’s modern, residential areas. Rather than hiding these quarters away – in terms of surface as…
In today’s world, what is a traditional building? Here is something about Eastern and Central Europe (the countries that used to lie behind the former Iron Curtain) that many of you may not know: most of the locals that you meet in the streets are no more intimate than you with their cities’ fantastic urban…
A walk through the beautiful streets of this city in Eastern Slovakia can teach you a thing or two about Europe and its common culture Many people like to sneer at the whole concept of the “European Capital of Culture”, but there is some good thinking behind it, as there is behind so many of…