Belgrade: The Late Bloomer of the East
“Traffic here works according to the principle of self-determination,” my friend Oliver tells me. “You wait for a good opportunity to cross. If there isn’t one, you have to create one. Just stare down the cars and hope for the best!” The wide street is feeding more cars into the roundabout on Slavija Square, in [...]
Ischgl: A Smuggler’s Paradise
Spring skiing can be the finest of the year. When the sun’s growing warmth turns the hardened early morning snow into softened meadows of glistening corn crystals, you can effortlessly swish down the mountain before lingering over lunch on the wooden terraces of the mountain huts. After the long months of thermal underwear, it’s now [...]
The Faded Glory of Bad Gastein
An icy breeze was blowing steam sideways across the mountain vista; a curtain of vapour, tinged pink by the red floor lights of the pool. From my perch in the thermal bath, it looked as if a Saharan sandstorm was sweeping across the darkened woods and snowfields of Bad Hofgastein’s Schlossalm ski area. At dusk, [...]
Taming the Slopes of Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel is a place of dreams for skiers. This small town in the Tyrolean Alps is home to the Streif Piste – surely the most iconic 2.6km of snow on the planet. Since 1931, the brutally steep racecourse with its 80m jumps, tight corners and ferocious compressions, has hosted the Hahnenkamm classic, the world’s most [...]
Berlin – Crossing Borders
“Berlin ist nicht Deutschland,” says Kathrin, sitting on the grass. Behind her, a guy spins a diabolo, an hourglass-shaped piece of plastic, on a length of string attached to two wooden sticks. From somewhere out of sight, the sound of bongo drums glides through the air, amplifying the liveliness that the whirl of people bestows [...]
Discovering the Kingdoms in the Clouds
In these austere times, it’s refreshing to realise that sometimes the most valuable European travel experiences are also the cheapest – such as trekking across the Alps and staying in mountain refuges. These huts stretch in a long chain from Slovenia and Austria in the east to the Maritime Alps of France in the west. [...]
Dvořák, the Moldau, and the Cubists
The only time you can see Prague’s Charles Bridge is at dawn. At all other times of day it is hidden by a mighty stream of tourists, as well as trinket vendors, buskers and reputedly, the occasional pickpocket. But at daybreak, the beauty of the mediaeval bridge, built in the second half of the 14th [...]
Alpine Motorcycle Diaries
O.K., so it wasn’t a motorcycle, we were on a Vespa. But let’s not begin by splitting hairs. Zigzagging through the Alps on two wheels is a humbling experience, whether on a Ducati or a small motorbike, what the Germans call a Zwiebacksäge a “Zwieback Saw”, for apparent reasons. I was sceptical when my husband [...]
A Tuscan Pilgrimage
Is Florence a real city? There are some who write it off as a living museum, trodden with tourists and impossible to appreciate. Don’t believe them! Whether a maiden visit or an annual pilgrimage, to me, three days in Florence are always memorable and invigorating. This high altar of Renaissance art and architecture, as well [...]
