What constitutes a “beautiful landscape”? Opinions on this may vary, but most people will agree on at least one of the five reasons why rivers make great travel companions.
A a beautiful landscape must contain some ….
1. Body of water
For the simple reason that we are programmed to find beautiful what is good for us, and water happens to be the number 1 condition for an environment that can sustain human life. If you don’t believe me: check any book on art history and you will notice that nearly all painters, when asked to produce a landscape, have included a river somewhere. (Even the Mona Lisa has one.) So if you look for a destination that is ISO-certified with a beauty guarantee: make it a river.
2. Variety
Where there is a river, there is a gradient, and where there is a gradient, there are often rolling hills, craggy cliffs and scenic valleys – or, at the very least, where rivers are slowly meandering through the flatlands on the last stages of their voyage to the sea, there are frequent bends where a new scenery is waiting for you behind every twist and turn of the trail. Either way, rivers are a guarantee for variety, that most precious of commodities in a longer hike. Follow the banks of a river and you will never get bored.
3. Structure and orientation
I am sure we all agree that the best way to experience a landscape is on your own two feet. Walking and hiking do, however, throw up their own specific challenges, and not only to the “directionally challenged”: it is all too easy to get lost in the woods (just ask Hansel and Gretel), and sometimes, in the thick of a forest, not even the best map can give you a clue as to where you are. Rivers, conversely, provide landscapes with an easy-to-read structure, and where the trail runs right on the river bank, even the most helpless hiker will know where to go. And for the more experienced walker, it is simply one less thing to worry about.
4. History
Where there is a river, there are not only rolling hillsides and lush valleys, but also people who have inhabited them for hundreds, sometimes for thousands of years – in villages, towns, and cities with often colourful and fascinating histories. Stop by, rest for a few minutes in an old country church or enjoy a meal in an ancient roadside inn: there is always something to see and some story to discover along your way.
And finally, ….
5. The comfy option
The best way of experiencing a landscape may very well be on your own two feet, but it is not the only way. For those who cannot go on a hike (or simply do not feel like it), there is another option: a river cruise. This has the added bonus that you can cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time and see much more of the river than you can cover on foot. (Try to walk from Vienna to Budapest, for example, and you will know what I mean.) This is certainly the best option if you are pressed for time.
