People like to travel because we are all looking for something that lifts life fleetingly above the level of repetitive routines and rhythms: something that takes us beyond the drumbeat of everyday life. We search for the hardest possible break from daily routines that our budgets and time schedules allow: for new sceneries and experiences,…
After our first foray into the spectacularly beautiful landscapes of Elba – a coastal walk, nominally, but one which turned out to involve quite a lot of climbing – we were a little apprehensive before our second tour on our itinerary. This route, after all, was to take us all the way up to Marciana…
Savannah, jungle, farmland: most landscapes on Planet Earth fall into one of these categories. They are quite frequently separated by dozens or even hundreds of kilometres But on Mont Vinaigrier in the outskirts of Nice, you can visit all three of them within a couple of hours: arranged in a neat vertical stack and sprinkled…
Today and over the next couple of weeks, we are going to learn how to do easy hiking the German way. I can feel your feet are itching already! But we shall have to discipline our urges and, in the ancient tradition of German teaching, do some theory first before we can unleash our selves…
Once upon a time, Genoa was a global power. The city republic was one of the most influential and dominant players around the Mediterranean Sea and across Europe, with far-ranging interests in both the Old World and the New, in the Orient as well as in America. As a consequence, the Genoese became rich and…
River walks are popular, and it is easy to understand why. There is always a variety of scenic motives on show (inland and water landscapes). Villages, boats and other elements of river (bank) traffic provide a constant stream of entertainment. Plus you can concentrate on the sights because the trails are always easy to follow….
What exactly does “easy hiking” mean? Occasionally, people still ask me that question, particularly if they have just received our calling card. One would think that I, after all these years, had developed a one-sentence standard reply, something along the lines of “adventures for beginners” with a bit more meat on the bones, but one…
Last week, we went in search of the Holy Grail – the Holy Grail of Riviera Easy Hiking, that is. Did we find it? Well, probably not if you apply the most rigid of standards (angelic voices from above, wounds that suddenly close after festering for decades, 1000-year-old guardians who fall down on their knees…
Borderlands are special places. Even small towns freely mix cultures and languages in a way which you would normally associate with airports or the great cities of the world, and are characterized by an attractively easy familiarity with diversity in its many guises. But borderlands are also no strangers to violent conflicts, and even along…
Every season in the hiking calendar has its special rewards, but also its specific problems. On the northern Mediterranean rim, at around this time of the year, winter with its forbiddingly short days is coming to a close and the mimosas – those harbingers of spring – brighten up the hillsides with their sparkling yellows….
