Preview hidden europe 26

Summary

a look ahead at hidden europe 26

hidden europe 25 / Preview / By hidden europe

In the next issue of hidden europe, we shall look at a remarkable trio of Swiss-born female travel writers who have powerfully influenced our travels and writing - though we have surely never undertaken anything as daring as Isabelle Eberhardt, Ella Maillart or Annemarie Schwarzenbach.

That apart, we shall report from the coast of Croatia, explore a spa town in eastern Germany and indulge a little in Europe's sweeter side as we review some iconic desserts from across the continent. hidden europe 26 will be published on Wednesday 6 May.

Editorial hidden europe 25
Editorial

By hidden europe

Welcome to the twenty-fifth issue of hidden europe magazine. We travel from Belgium to Belarus, from Latvia to Spain and from Iceland to Turkey. And we launch our manifesto for slow travel - an agenda for restoring some sanity and even a little quality to European travel.

Read on
From Plopsaland to Preventorium: Belgium's coastal tram
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

Belgium's coastal tram (De Kusttram) is the longest tram route in the world. Running the entire length of the Belgian coast, the tram blends surrealism, fantasy and the utterly mundane. Join us for moules et frites, and lots of gnomes too, as we ride the coastal tram from Plopsaland to Preventorium.full article available in pdf format

Read on
Belarus: Tanya's Story
Feature

By Nigel Roberts

Vetka is a small town in the southeast corner of Belarus. This community and the surrounding landscape of lakes and forests were terribly affected by the nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl in 1986. Nigel Roberts, a first-time contributor to hidden europe, knows Vetka well. Here he introduces us to Vetka life through the eyes of one family.

Read on
Latvia: song is power - dance is power
Feature

By Toby Screech

Guest author Toby Screech was in Riga in Latvia last summer and chanced upon a remarkable cultural event. In the Baltic region, song and dance festivals are an important medium for asserting national identity. Toby reports for hidden europe on the Latvian Festival of Song and Dance.

Read on
Northern Cyprus: reading the stones in Famagusta
Feature

By Laurence Mitchell

Famagusta, on the east coast of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, was once a great trading outpost of the Venetian world. Great churches have been converted to mosques and the city is now very Turkish in demeanour. Laurence Mitchell reports from a city full of the ghosts of history.

Read on
Rallying support for the nation
Routes

By Nicky Gardner

In western Europe, long distance car rallies of the inter-war years came to symbolise glitz and glamour. Just think of the Monte Carlo rally. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union the car rally became an important tool in the building of socialism. We look at how sport blends imperceptibly into propaganda.

Read on
A manifesto for slow travel
Perspective

By Nicky Gardner

Slow travel is about making conscious choices, and not letting the anticipation of arrival undermine the pleasure of the journey. By choosing to travel slowly, we reshape our relationship with place and with the communities through which we pass on our journeys. In 2009 we launched our 'Manifesto for slow travel'. You can read the full text here.

Read on
Keeping faith with the past: Iceland
Words

By Nicky Gardner

Yes, you can go to Iceland in search of glaciers and geysers, but you can also travel north, just as William Morris did, in search of heroes and gods. These are landscapes full of eddic myth and powerful sagas. Iceland is a country that has kept faith with the past.

Read on
Britain's weakest links
Railscan

By Nicky Gardner

What do the English railway stations at Denton, Reddish South, Pilning and Teesside Airport have in common? The answer is that they have virtually no trains. Ghost trains, ghost stations and more as we review Britain's weakest links.

Read on
Tomb of the roses
Hidden histories

By Nicky Gardner

Gül Baba presides over Budapest with the serenity and repose of one who rests in Allah. We forsake the streets of Castle Hill in Buda, forever full of tourists, and go in search of hidden Budapest.

Read on
Dates galore: the Palmeral de Elche
Outpost

By Nicky Gardner

Early Arab settlers in the Spanish Levante created at Elche a remarkable region of palm groves. Curiously, a cultural landscape that was so Arabic in inspiration now serves mainly Christian interests. We take the slow train south from Alicante and stop off at Elche.

Read on
Architecture of deceit
Sights

By Nicky Gardner

A new book called 'Follies of Europe: Architectural Extravanganzas' inspires us to explore Europe's architecture of deceit. We find buildings conceived with no purpose at all, and others where exterior design deludes as to the real purpose of the building.

Read on
The princess of Lake Van
Special spaces

By Karlos Zurutuza

The island in Lake Van, shown on modern maps with the name Akdamar, has a more historic name: Akhtamar. The island is rich with Armenian associations, but Turkey has been keen to distance the island from its cultural history. That change of name is part of a wider tale. Karlos Zurutuza reports from eastern Turkey.

Read on
More than a streetcar
Snippet

By hidden europe

Inter-municipal tram routes still survives here and there in Europe. We survey examples from the Ruhr region of Germany, Bohemia, the Isle of Man and England.

Read on
Northern palms
Snippet

By hidden europe

Scourie Lodge in northwest Scotland may claim to have the most northerly palm trees in the world, but we think they are wrong. We travel north up the Norwegian coast in search of palm trees that seemingly defy geography.

Read on
Pomor visa fiasco
Snippet

By hidden europe

Way up north near the Barents Sea, Norway borders onto Russia. The Norwegian port of Kirkenes depends heavily on good links with its Russian hinterland. But all is not well in this Arctic wilderness.

Read on
Latvia's Liv minority
Snippet

By hidden europe

A remote coastal area of northern Latvia is at the heart of a modest revival of Liv culture. The Liv community of Latvia have their own language and way of life and are one the Baltic region's most distinctive cultural minorities.

Read on
Preview hidden europe 26
Preview

By hidden europe

a look ahead at hidden europe 26

Read on