Letter from Europe

Hidden europe launch - more than just a travel magazine

Issue no. 2005/1

Summary

The first issue of hidden europe magazine is published on 1 March, and we are confident it will make its mark as an English language bi-monthly aimed at the enquiring traveller. Launching a new travel magazine may seem like folly at a time when we all suffer from information overload.

Welcome to hidden europe's first e-newsletter!

The first issue of hidden europe magazine is published on 1 March, and we are confident it will make its mark as an English language bi-monthly aimed at the enquiring traveller. Launching a new travel magazine may seem like folly at a time when we all suffer from information overload. But we think there's still a place for the quieter, more reflective, style of writing which we hope will become our hallmark.

Contents of hidden europe 1

Join us in Sicilyon New Year's Eve (Il Cappadonna), when hidden europe retraces the steps of The Godfather and visits an Albanian speaking community in the hills. Take the slow boat to Stromboli with us, and check out our message in a bottle, which this issue comes from the Hebridean island of Eriskay. Find out how a wee moment of cinematic history in 1935 led to Eriskay getting its first road.

In this issue, we check out summer festivals in Vilnius (Lithuania), explore travel options for getting to Russia's arctic outpost at Franz Josef Land, and, under the title steel, Stalin and socialism we attempt the near impossible task of promoting some of eastern Europe's erstwhile industrial metropoles as tourist destinations. Share our confusion in Albania where in many towns the streets have no names, and find out why at Brasov railway station in Romania several folk stand on the platform all claiming to be Maria Bolea.

In our regular consuming matters column read how a community of Cistercian monks from southern Poland are making their mark in the Slow Food movement. And in flight scan read about some of eastern Europe's home grown discount airlines. Ever heard of Albatros Airways or Blue Air? No, well hidden europe 1 is the place to get up to speed on the new generation of budget carriers.

And that's not all! We've a snippet on why Americans sometimes pay massively over the odds for their European train tickets. So find out how a fare of €24 in Germany is €340 when sold in the USA. And we follow Russia's Orthodox church on rails. Closer to home, we check out Bohemia's four quarters and visit some of Europe's smallest countries.

hidden europe 1 on the net

To see the extended table of contents of issue 1, please click here to visit our website. You will also find a selection of original articles in pdf format that you can download for free. Our website also contains subscription details to the hidden europe magazine.