Where to Go in Germany Sauerland – Germany’s Best Kept Secret The Sauerland is one of Germany’s best kept secrets, unknown even to many Germans (at least to those who live outside of the Sauerland’s home state of North Rhine Westphalia), never mind to foreigners. And since it is such a quiet and unspoilt area,…
Easy Hikes in Germany Getting Off at the Hiking Train Station The train station in the West German town of Iserlohn is officially labelled a Wanderbahnhof, a “hiking train station”. When I came across that term for the first time, I was as clueless as you are now. It turns out that once a year,…
Urban Walks in the French Riviera Sunny Menton is to die for When Menton’s old chateau was razed in the late 19th century, the city administration decided to convert the grounds into a municipal cemetery. This turned out to be an excellent business decision, because at the very moment the issue was decided, thousands of…
Themed Walks in Paris Walking in Montmarte by Chansons It seems to be more difficult to say goodbye to Paris than originally thought. This is a postscript to last week’s post. A postscript appears in order because more songs have been written about Montmartre than about any other part of Paris, and rather than leaving out…
Themed Walks in Paris Paris by Chansons This, in a way, is our farewell note to Paris. After 20 years, we have recently moved on to sunnier climes. We will certainly come back for brief visits and a walk or two, but most of our “easy hiking” from now on will concentrate on the Mediterranean….
Easy Hiking in the South of France Oligarch for a Day in Cap Martin One thing many people know about the French Riv is that it’s for millionaires only. When I told my 87-year-old mum, God bless her, that we were moving there, she cried. She could not help it, she explained: the thought of…
Hiking in Spain Tenerife for Easy Hikers The island of Tenerife may be mainly known as a winter resort for sun-starved Northeners, but it turns out that is has a lot to offer to “easy hikers”, too – and many of the island’s trails can be enjoyed in all seasons. Here are a few tips…
Themed Walks in Paris The Bastille Day Walk What better way to celebrate the 14th of July, the French national holiday, than to trace its events, following – as literally as that is technically possible – in the footsteps of history in one of our themed walks in Paris? Whatever you may think of the…
Hiking Reads Summer has – finally! – arrived in Europe, and not a moment too soon, just in time for the peak of the holiday season. For hikers, however, temperatures above 30° centigrade (that’s the high 80s and 90s for you) are a mixed blessing. For some trails, perhaps even for all trails, this is…
Walks in Italy Border to Bordighera Ventimiglia must be one of the most visited cities in Italy. Nearly every tourist on the French Riviera from Cannes to Monaco and beyond hops on to the local train at least once for the brief journey across the frontier and a taste of la bella Italia. Ventimiglia, however,…