Break within a break Borders within the European Union may have become largely symbolic, scars of ancient conflicts, but there are also places where the underlying wounds are relatively fresh. When you are crossing European borders for a “break within a break”, you should not expect to see a sudden and dramatic change of scenery….
The provincial capital of Bolzano has a long history, rich cultural attractions – and even some lessons for all of us. One thing is for sure when you go hiking in the Gardena Valley: sooner or later you will come to Bolzano, in nearly all respects the hub of the province, if only between trips…
… is how Edward Lear described the Maltese island of Gozo. But that’s not the whole story. In our last post, we gave you a few tips for your autumn city break. Today’s post is all about our own, which will take us to Malta – and not to Malta at the same time. Admittedly,…
It’s back to the Middle Ages on the road from Lefkes to Prodromos – or is it only back to the 1950s? Hiking on the Greek islands is overall a very pleasant experience. The blue skies and the blue sea can be counted on to provide an attractive backdrop, and there are always plenty of…
San Gimignano, the New York of the Middle Ages Truly great hiking trails are a mix of four elements, and the Via Francigena – stretching for nearly 2000 km from Canterbury to Rome – has them all. Firstly and secondly, the Francigena Way features beautiful landscapes and variety: the combination that defines any “good” hiking…
Easy Hiking in the French Riviera French Riviera Hikes that combine the genteel and the (semi)-wild Today’s walk completes our short series of excursions to Beaulieu-sur-mer, the small town to the east of Nice on the French Riviera which is genteel, effortlessly elegant and everything else that Monaco so feverishly wants to be. The trail…
Urban walks in the South of France A walk through Little Africa in the Riviera One of the things I have been wondering about ever since we started to come regularly to the Riviera is: where did the Petit Afrique area in Beaulieu-sur-Mer get its name from? On one of our recent hikes, we had the…
Hiking in the South of France A Hike Offering a Ultimate View of the Riviera Like a good story, the walk from Beaulieu to Eze-sur-Mer reveals its plot in many twists and turns If I read an article about hiking and the author recommends a specific trail by praising its view, I know immediately: this…
Easy Hikes in the South of France What do you prefer: the glamour of the lowlands or the solitude of the mountains? When does the hiking season start ? Obviously, this depends very much on where you are. In some parts of Germany, they turn this into an “official” event with speeches, oompah bands and Bratwursts,…
Hiking in SpaiN To start off the New Year, I will tell you about a hike we did NOT do. In Mallorca, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a man should have done the Torrent de Pareis hike at least once in his life. Or so we were told when we arrived in Sa…
