Category: Europe
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Peak District, England – The land of inspiration
The Peak District in England is a national park that draws an estimated 20 million people every year. They hike around the rural areas, including farmland, moorland, hills and the peaks themselves. History Historically this area has been very important to England and the UK as a whole. Settlements of the area have been dated…
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Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft, Germany – The sea is calm tonight
You may not connect Germany with the ocean in your mind. However you would be remiss to forget that Germany actually has two coasts. One the eastern side of the country, directly north of Berlin, lies the Baltic Coast. On the Baltic Coast lies the Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft, or the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National…
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Cap Norfeu, Spain – A small peninsula in the large Mediterranean
If you are ever near Girona in Spain and have some time, check out Cap Norfeu! It is a area of natural beauty on the Mediterranean coast in Catalonia, Spain.
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Schiefergebirge, Germany – My Heart’s in the Highlands
The Thüringer Schiefergebirge, known as the Thuringian Highlands in English, is an area of the German federal state Thuringia (German: Thüringen) featuring steeply hilly areas on the border between Bavaria and Thuringia, through which the Saale River cuts. As the German name suggests, this area contains a lot of slate rock. There are very few…
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Crestasee & Felsbachschlucht, Switzerland – Winter Wonderland
When you say “Grisons, Switzerland”, what comes to mind? For most people this Swiss canton conjures up images of skiing in the Swiss Alps, for example the ski resort in Laax/Flims/Falera. But what happens when you can’t or don’t want to ski? What else is there to do? Here is one option:
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Monasterio de Obarra, Spain – Monastery in a valley
In the foothills of the Pyrenees near Roda de Isábena lies a Romanesque monastery. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Santa Maria), mountains surround it on all sides and you can only access it by hiking or through a small road that goes between Ballabriga and Bonansa. Because it is difficult to access, not many tourists…
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Lakes of Covadonga, Spain – The Roof of Spain (Lagos de Covadonga)
High in the Picos de Europa National Park in Asturias, Spain lies the town of Covadonga. Near the town lies the Lagos (Lakes) of Covadonga. They form due to glacial run-off at an altitude of over 1,000 metres. They consist of a series of three lakes (or two when not during the glacier’s melting period).…
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Covadonga, Spain – The village of Kings
Located on the northern Spanish coast, Asturias is one of the Spanish autonomous communities that lie to the west of Cantabria. Officially known as the Principality of Asturias, the area is well known for its mountains (the Picos de Europa). The mountains also set the culture apart from the rest of Spain. For example, individual…
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Mariazell, Austria – A Pilgrimage in Winter
Nestled between mountains in the North Styrian Alps lies the small town of Mariazell. With approximately 3000 inhabitants, you may think that having to drive through valleys and around mountains to get to it, the town would be relatively unknown and easy to miss. You would also be wrong. Mariazell as a settlement probably dates…
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Hiddensee, Germany – Baltic Island Hideaway
In the Baltic Sea just off Germany‘s northeastern coast lies the island of Hiddensee, an island known for its beautiful nature and for the fact that there are absolutely no cars on the island. As the island is long and thin with an area of 19 square km (7.34 square miles), the 1300 inhabitants and…
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Glastonbury Abbey, England – Walking the ruins
Nestled in the sleepy, mystic town of Glastonbury in Somerset are the ruins of what was once one of the most powerful institutions to have existed in the UK. I am of course referring to the famous Glastonbury Abbey. History Foundation The history of the Abbey goes back to the 7th century. The king of…
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Malbun, Liechtenstein – High in the Alps
High in the Alps in microstate of Liechtenstein lies Malbun, a small town a few kilometres from the Austrian border and Liechtenstein’s only ski resort. It has a single access road (through Triesenberg) to access Malbun. Malbun lies in a U-shaped valley; as one would expect from a ski resort, is mostly hotels, restaurants and other ski resort-related…
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Pedraforca, Spain – The Double-Peaked Mountain
Pedrafroca, located between the Provinces of Barcelona and Lleida in Spain, is a mountain in Catalunya. Mountains in Catalunya, you say. What is so special about a mountain when the Pyrenees run along the northern border? What makes this mountain not only special but also a symbol of Catalunya is its rare shape. It is a…
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Roda de Isábena, Spain – Defence against the Moors
Set at the top of a hill in the mountainous region of Huesca, a village known as the Roda de Isábena overlooks the valley of Isàvena. Nestled at the very top, you can access it by one road or two footpaths. In fact, parking for the village is found at the bottom of the hill…
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Jaén, Spain – Spending a little time in olive heaven
To the north of the province of Granada in Andalucia in Spain lies the province of Jaén. In the southwest of this province lies the city of the same name, the capital of the province. History The city of Jaén has a long history: the Neolithic period saw humans arrive here celebrated by the well-known…
