sightseeing
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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
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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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Roda de Isábena, Spain – Defence against the Moors
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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…
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Laxenburg, Austria – The play park of emperors
Laxenburg is a town in the federal state of Lower Austria /Niederösterreich located to the south of the capital city, Vienna. Laxenburg is well known for its castles. It has three: the Altes Schloss (old castle), the Blauer Hof (Blue Court) and Franzensburg Castle. For a small town of under 3000 people, this is quite…
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Como, Italy – Italian riches
When taking a long road trip (for example, from France to Liechtenstein), it is always a good idea to have a point to stop, stretch one’s legs and see something interesting to break up the monotonous hours of motorway/autobahn/highway travel. This specific stop was a nice city on the Swiss-Italian border (on the Italian side): Como.…
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Vaduz, Liechtenstein – A tiny capital for a tiny country
Vaduz dates back to the 1100s (at least, it appeared in manuscripts from the time); a castle dates from 1322, but the Swiss completely destroyed both in 1499. Until 1719, the Hohenems family held Liechtenstein. This is when the Liechtenstein family purchased it. The family originally came from Castle Liechtenstein in Lower Austria. They wanted…
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Loarre Castle, Spain – The final defence
Loarre Castle is quite a special place due to its history; it is not only one of the oldest castles in Spain, but also a fortified abbey. Originally built as the line of last defence in northern Huesca (Aragon) against the Moorish invaders. Then it became a fortified religious site and expanded over the next…
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Triesenberg, Liechtenstein – Beginning the ascent of the country
Just south of the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz, there exist two towns with similar names. The first is Triesen, which like Vaduz, is located next to the Rhein River. Triesenberg (as the name suggested if you understand German), sits above Triesen on the side of one of the mountains in Liechtenstein. It is hard to…
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Balzers, Liechtenstein – On the valley floor
Balzers is a small town in Liechtenstein that is located in the south-west portion of the country, across the border (and the Rhein River, which is the border) from the Swiss town of Sargans. Balzers (like all places in Liechtenstein) is a small town a few thousand inhabitants. What sets it apart is the castle,…
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Arlon, Belgium – Religious overload
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Vianden Castle, Luxembourg – The birthplace of the lowlands
After visiting Luxembourg City, our next stop was Vianden and its famous castle. Vianden lies in a valley along the German–Luxembourg border where the river Our passes through. The town is located on both sides of the river and has grown along it rather than up the steep sides. It is also partially located in…
