Welcome to hidden europe 26. This issue of hidden europe travel magazine contains articles on the Croatian village of Jovici, the German spa town Bad Saarow, a village in the Basque Pyrenees and the Danish town of Roskilde.
hidden europe 26
This issue of hidden europe travel magazine contains articles on the Croatian village of Jovici, the German spa town Bad Saarow, a village in the Basque Pyrenees and the Danish town of Roskilde.
Picture above:
The UK's first national park: the Peak District (photo © James Thew / dreamstime.com)
Summary
This issue of hidden europe travel magazine contains articles on the Croatian village of Jovici, the German spa town Bad Saarow, a village in the Basque Pyrenees and the Danish town of Roskilde.
Krste Jovic has lived in Jovici (Croatia) for almost a century. Regular hidden europe contributor, Rudolf Abraham, introduces us to Krste's home village. Wars, struggle and strife sear the history of a coastal region now known mainly for its sun, sea and sand.
The hinterland of Berlin encompasses some of Europe's finest forest and lake landscapes - too often missed by visitors to the German capital. hidden europe makes an excursion to Bad Saarow, a lakeshore spa town east of Berlin, which was until 1990 divided by a wall.
Think of Roskilde, a smallish city on the Danish island of Sjælland. Yes, the annual rock festival. Yet there is much more to Roskilde than the rituals of one of Europe's premier open air music events. It is a place that captures the very essence of Danish identity.
The tiny village of Urzainki in the Basque Pyrenees is a mere fleck on the map. But it is a place with connections. Can it really be true that this one village has a link with an erstwhile Pope, an American President, the Bronte family and a South American political leader?
The great majority of Europe's citizens will probably not visit a national park in 2009. But for all of us, their very existence is a reassuring reminder that even in a crowded continent there is space to experience wilderness and peace. As Europe marks the centenary of its first national parks, we look at how the concept of a national park has evolved.
Skip the club sandwich and the frozen margaritas. Remember that the central rite of passage for successful travellers is to escape the prevailing tide of uniformity that engulfs Europe's prime tourist centres. We review a series of guidebooks, all written by Duncan JD Smith, that celebrate that which is unique to various central European cities.
If you do not have Lithuanian ancestors, don't even think of trying to make sakotis, the spiky punk-style confection that is Lithuania's trademark dessert. We make a diversion through the sweeter side of Europe.
To walk aboard the Pride of Rotterdam as she prepares to leave Hull for the overnight crossing to Holland is to engage with a piece of maritime history. The flag of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company still flies on the ships of P&O Ferries.
Jordsand is no more. The island in the Wadden Sea was once German then Danish and provided valued summer grazing for livestock from Jutland. Now it has been swallowed by the waves.
Three Swiss-born women travel writers slipped from our shared literary consciousness until they were rediscovered by feminist critics. hidden europe editor Nicky Gardner finds in the writing of Isabelle Eberhardt, Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart a dash of inspiration for her own writing.
We review a new edition of Thomas Cook's Rail Map of Europe, a map that uses minimalist cartography to good effect in a map that is remarkably useful.
A forgotten incident in the history of the Polish Tatra Mountains invites us to consider whether public access really can be reconciled with conservation objectives in European wilderness areas.
Nicolai Gogol's Ukrainian connections come under the spotlight as we stop off at the spa town of Saky in the Crimea region.
There are new shipping routes aplenty for the 2009 summer season. We take a look at what's new in the world of European ferries, with many developments in the North Sea, Baltic and Mediterranean markets.
As long as the radishes grown on Hesselø remain red and white, so shall the island be forever Danish. At least that is the perspective of one of the island's last remaining residents. Hesselø is a little remnant of Denmark that is coveted by Sweden - a rare instance of strife disturbing a Nordic harmony of nations.
a look ahead at hidden europe 27