hidden europe 7

Europe beyond Europe: a French-Dutch border

by Nicky Gardner

Summary

there really is a spot where the Republic of France borders onto the Kingdom of the Netherlands. hidden europe sets out from the coastal port of Marigot in search of this unusual frontier

The downside of professing any interest in travel is that one is deluged by promotional material from tour operators and travel companies anxious to peddle their wares. A little gem from Fodors's Guides crossed our desks recently:

This picturesque area of sandstone cliffs, white sand, and shoreline caves is actually a series of beaches that come and go according to the whims of the sea. It is very close to the Dutch- French border.

Hey up, what's this? Has Mr Fodor somehow reconfigured European geography to give France and the Netherlands a common border?

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Into the hills: a Bohemian diversion

Of course one can speed across Europe on sleek, fast trains. But slow trains, the kind that dawdle along branch lines, are so much more interesting. We ride a rural rail route in northern Bohemia, where fading railway stations reveal a Habsburg history. Join us on the slow train to Dolni Poustevna.

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City of the Golden Fleece: Batumi, Georgia

Glitzy casinos and gilded statues tell of Batumi's ambitions to become the Dubai of the Black Sea. But the Georgian city curates an important cultural legacy as the supposed home of the Golden Fleece. Guest contributor Laurence Mitchell slips over the border from Turkey into Georgia to explore Batumi.