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.
From Red Deer to Nessie
Like many days in Scotland, it was cloudy with rain slowly falling on Loch Ness. The cool March day kept most tourists from looking for Nessie. The ash and larch trees looked thick and healthy on the hillsides surrounding the loch. The strong breeze pushed the water back and forth, and any splashes that reached the boaters felt quite cool. The tour boat set out with the guide pointing to his house on the hillside. Imagine waking up every day and looking down on Loch Ness; the hillsides surrounding it beautiful with trees and a light dusting of snow or a warm day with rays of sunshine shimmering on the loch.
By Noah Glenn5 years ago in Wander
10 fully movable glass igloos in Finland
Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos – one of the first places in the world with fully mobile glass igloo accommodation Glass igloos have become an integral part of winter tourism in Finnish Lapland over the past decade. Admiring the northern lights through large glass windows has become something that finds its way onto the to-do list of more and more international travelers. But what if there was a glass igloo that offers both domestic and foreign travelers a year-round igloo accommodation experience? After all, natural phenomena in Lapland are not limited just to winter and northern lights, but Lapland is well worth experiencing in all seasons.
By Tuomas Haapala5 years ago in Wander
Natural Beauty In the Czech Republic
Krkonose National Park The Krkonose National Park is located in one of the most valuable of all-natural areas found in Central Europe. Here visitors will find the highest Czech mountain range the Krkonose which features many unusual ecosystems. There are wonderful things to explore like alpine meadows full of colorful wildflowers. Looking down upon the landscape is the highest Czech mountain called Snezka. For hikers there are many levels of climbing difficulty and all of the hiking trails are specifically marked.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Wander
Beyond the Pool Pump A read that will take you behind the scenes, to meet the castle renovators from Channel 4’s Escape to the Château DIY (a spin-off from Dick and Angel Strawbridge’s Escape to the Château).
Are we a random and eclectic collection of Brits. Reckless investors? Lovers of old buildings? Plain bonkers? Follow me on a deeper journey into the trials and tribulations of renovating in France.
By Sophie Duncan5 years ago in Wander
Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
Peterborough Cathedral is perhaps the second finest Norman church in England after Durham Cathedral, and is certainly one of the least altered. The city of Peterborough, in north Cambridgeshire, has relatively few attractions for the visitor, but the cathedral makes the trip very worthwhile.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire
Lichfield Cathedral’s claim to fame is that it is the only cathedral in Britain to have three spires (“The Ladies of the Vale”), two at the west end and the third, and tallest at 252 feet, at the crossing. It is unfortunate in that it has suffered from considerable damage over the centuries, and the various efforts at restoration have not always been sympathetic to the original design.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
Ely Cathedral is one of England’s architectural masterpieces, made all the more stunning by its location in the fens of north Cambridgeshire, such that it can be seen rising majestically from its flat surroundings from many miles away.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Historic places of worship in Norfolk
Norfolk is a large county that contains one modestly-sized city (Norwich), a port town (Great Yarmouth), a number of small seaside resorts (e.g. Cromer and Sheringham), a scattering of market towns (e.g. Kings Lynn and East Dereham), and a huge number of small villages that bear witness to the main industry of the county, which is agriculture of the rich soils that cover much of the terrain.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Hereford Cathedral
The beginnings of Hereford Cathedral Hereford has had a cathedral since the 8th century, although the Saxon building that contained the remains of St Ethelbert (a murdered king of the East Anglians) was destroyed in 1055. Bishop Robert de Lotharingia built a small chapel on the site in 1079, but very little of this remains. It was not until Bishop Reinhelm came along (bishopric 1107-1115) that anything substantial in the way of a cathedral was built, in the Romanesque style, although that was by no means the end of the story.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Hadrian's Wall, northern England
Hadrian’s Wall is a remarkable relic of the Roman Empire, having been in place for nearly 1900 years. The size of the wall, which stretches for 73 miles across northern England, is amazing in itself, as are the remains of various forts and other structures along its length.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
