europe
Whether embarking on a Eurotrip or a weekend jaunt to a foreign city, European travel requires some smart planning; you may know all the must-see landmarks, but we provide the hidden gems.
Insight into the Duomo Florence Tour
The Duomo in Florence is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tuscany. The Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral is Florence's central church. One of the most popular destinations in Europe is the Piazza del Duomo in the center of Florence. This is for the very good reason that these structures are works of great architecture and art.
By Duomo Florence3 years ago in Wander
Bremen on the Weser River
Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. Hanseatic referred to a league of trading cities in the 13th century. It is a commercial and industrial city with a major port on the Weser River. It is also one of the largest seaports and centers of seaborne trade in the country.
By Rasma Raisters3 years ago in Wander
An Innocent Abroad
Nursing my kanelsnagle (cinnamon bun) at Zaggis on Frederiksboroggade and watching young Danes cycle past on their way to work, I have to admit I was feeling pretty chill. The Scandinavian word for contentment, hygge, came to mind and while its common to both Norway and Denmark, each country interprets it differently. The Norwegians think of hygge as simply a word meaning cozy. The Danes, on the other hand, take it one step further, incorporating hygge in the broad sense, into their national identity. The Danes are very, very chill.
By John Thomson3 years ago in Wander
How Spain changed my life
As a child, I had always hoped that one day I would get to travel the world. I have seen about half of the states in the US, and my wanderlust often drives me nuts. I'm talking about the feeling we get we see a plane soaring across the sky and taking its passangers to some unknown destination. That feeling of intense longing.
By Serena Norris3 years ago in Wander
Salzburg On the Salzach River
This is the lovely Austrian city on the German border where the hills came alive with the sound of music. In and around Salzburg, where many of the scenes of the popular movie about the Trapp Family Singers, “The Sound of Music” was filmed so many years ago. There are tours available that take you to all the familiar sights seen on the silver screen. Salzburg is divided by the Salzach River. The city has impressive Medieval and Baroque-style buildings with the pedestrian Old City on the left bank and the 19th-century New City on the right bank. It is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
By Rasma Raisters3 years ago in Wander
New Year's in Kiev
They greeted us at the hostel with salo, pelmeni, and syrniki. It was a narrow room, featuring a cracked old, black fake-leather couch across from the receptionist’s counter. It was New Year’s Eve—not the Orthodox, Julian New Year, but the Gregorian—and they were preparing for a celebration. I took the meat and cheese and shoved it greedily into my gullet. I was hungry, and I loved trying new foods. I had never been to Ukraine before. Everyone in Moscow had told me that the culture was similar, but no one in Moscow greeted you at the door with snacks.
By Robert Pettus3 years ago in Wander
A Trip to England (Part III)
There are moments in your life that cloud things; that make things seem so difficult to comprehend that you just do not deal with them in a way that would seem proper. I was given that photograph of my half-sister and kept it hidden in a drawer from any curious eyes in my house. I did not mention it or even hint at it until my mother confessed that she knew all about her and we both realized that two lies were living in the same house. As I think about that scene between us, I realize that I would not believe it if I had heard about it from a friend (not even the film studios of Hollywood could have imagined such things). But it was too real and made me more aware of what was true and what was imaginary. I paid more attention to the racist graffiti I saw on an embankment wall as we travelled to a cricket match (contrasted with a wheat field that appeared like liquid gold, it was startling to see an attitude so honest). I noted that fruit sold in the markets came from South Africa. This was during apartheid and I made a point of buying a t-shirt that recommended that one Boycott South African Goods. I then looked carefully around that neighbourhood. Cramped homes, grey weather, narrow and mugger-friendly lanes and walls, appalling programs on TV (comedy specials seemed to have to volume of the audience turned way up for the weakest jokes) and I have already commented on the food.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Wander
