Exploring cultures and communities – the slow way

Surely the most bizarrely eccentric article we have ever published. We take a look at European communities with palindromic place names. From Eye to Eze and Sarras to Serres!

article summary —

In the classics, the goddess Circe is alleged to have lived at Aeaea, a place name that is memorably consonant-free. It also happens to be palindromic. Eccentric we may be, but a few years ago, we went to quite some lengths to be in the very centre of a German village called Burggrub at lunchtime on a particular day. The day was 20 February 2002 , and at 12.21 we positioned ourselves in the square. Nothing special happened, but there was something peculiarly satisfying about enjoying a palindromic moment on a palindromic date in a palindromic village. Magic, actually!


This is just an excerpt. If you are a subscriber to hidden europe magazine, you can log in to read the full text online. Of course you can also read the full article in the print edition of hidden europe 17.

About the authors

hidden europe

and manage hidden europe, a Berlin-based editorial bureau that supplies text and images to media across Europe. Together they edit hidden europe magazine. Nicky and Susanne are dedicated slow travellers. They delight in discovering the exotic in the everyday.

This article was published in hidden europe 17.