Bakar – Croatia

Bakar is a peaceful fishing village in northern Croatia, not far from Rijeka.

Giverny – France

The home of Impressionist painter Claude Monet, Giverny is a great day trip from Paris.

Hallstatt – Austria

I wrote about Hallstatt yesterday; it’s a beautiful alpine village.

Bohinj – Slovenia

Bohinj is a large village located next to a stunning glacial lake in Slovenia.

Ston – Croatia

The main sight in the southern Croatian village of Ston is the 5.5 kilometre wall which surrounds the city known as the ‘European wall of China’.

Villages is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

The East German Trabant or Trabi is not something you see everyday, at least not in my part of the world but I have spotted them every now and then in Germany. They were produced in East Germany from the 50s until the fall of the Berlin Wall and are easily recognisable as the design never really changed much in all the years of production.

Trabants are adorable cars and a bit of a collectors item nowadays even though they have been rated as one of the worst cars ever! There are more than 32,000 still on the road so hopefully I’ll spot a few more next time I’m in Germany.

The cars shown above are part of a tour you can take in Berlin where you drive around in your Trabant and see the sights of the city. What a great idea!

Going Retro: The Trabant is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

It was the Budget Traveller who convinced me to go to Hallstatt, insisting it was one of the most beautiful places he’s visited and I can totally understand why. A UNESCO World Heritage listed town located right on the water and surrounded by massive snow capped mountains, I too loved it as soon as I arrived.

Hallstatt has always been a wealthy city due to its situation at the base of a prosperous salt mine and it shows as you walk around the town. Perfect cobblestone streets, with perfect houses and perfect geraniums growing in window boxes. Unfortunately that perfection has lead to the biggest problem; many, many, many tourists. Bus loads of tourists and independent travellers descending upon a small town of less than 1000 inhabitants does not make for a nice visit. That’s not the fault of Hallstatt of course but nonetheless, it’s not my idea of fun.

Thankfully there is always a solution to a problem and the way to avoid the hoards of tourists in Hallstatt is to hire a boat and head out onto the peaceful lake. As soon as I got away from shore everything changed and I could admire the historic town and finally relax.

The lake is the best place to get photos of the town and I’d suggest going out for at least half an hour.

Later in the day many of the tourists moved on and the evening in the town was much quieter.

What to Eat

Your best option would be to eat the local specialty which is fish fresh from the lake. We weren’t too hungry so just had pumpkin soup from one of the restaurants in the main square. I was worried it was going to be poor quality and overpriced but it was actually quite good and affordable.

We weren’t very hungry because we had splurged on hot chocolate and cake that afternoon at the bakery just inside the main entrance to Hallstatt. This was a great little place; the cakes were delicious and the staff very friendly.

Where to Stay

Not realising Hallstatt is super touristy, I thought we could just rock up and organise accommodation when we arrived. Not so. Most places were already fully booked by the early afternoon and in the end the tourist office found us one of the last rooms in Hallstatt at Gasthof Simony. €100 for a double room with dirty bathroom in a 2 star B&B isn’t exactly good value but at least we had a room over our heads and the location and view of the main square was fantastic. I would suggest booking something at Booking.com before you arrive.

While I don’t enjoy having to push through tourists to visit a place, the fact is it’s touristy for a reason. Hallstatt is one of the most scenic locations in Europe so it’s definitely worth visiting if you are going to be in Austria or nearby.

Lakeside Town: Hallstatt is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

Girona

Until recently, all I knew about Girona was that you drive by it on the way to Barcelona. Then I read about the Girona Flower Festival and I saw how beautiful the town looks and now I can’t wait to go. I will be there too early for the festival but I’ll have to chance to wander around the medieval city.

Figueres

Figueres is home to the Dali Museum where you can find the largest collection of the surrealist painter’s works. I’ve only seen a few Dali paintings here and there so I’m looking forward to visiting a museum dedicated to his work.

La Calçotada

La Calçotada is a Catalan festival where barbequed calçots are the main attraction. They are kind of like a leek or large spring onion and once grilled you dip them in romesco sauce before downing them like a sword. Of course there will be plenty of wine flowing too which you drink from a porron. You can see all about it in this video of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. It’s going to be messy!

I’ll be staying in a few different places including this villa in Cadaques. If anyone has any tips for places to visit in Catalonia please let me know. I’ll have a couple of weeks there so plenty of time to explore.

February Travel Plans is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

Trafalgar Square on a typical cloudy day in London.

Travel Photo: London is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

I was in Dresden in December and was expecting bitterly cold temperatures and snow but instead the weather was sunny and mild. It was unusual for that time of the year but it gave me the opportunity to spend hours each day walking and exploring the city. Here are 7 great things I discovered about Dresden while I was there.

1. Dresden has been completely rebuilt

The Allied bombardment of Dresden in the final days of WWII completely destroyed the city and killed at least 25,000 civilians. That was followed by decades of communist rule so I wasn’t expecting too much in terms of architecture. Fortunately though, much of the old town has been rebuilt in its original style and structures like the beautiful Frauenkirche stand once again.

2. The Balcony of Europe

Brühl’s Terrace is an elevated area along the Elbe known as the Balcony of Europe. It’s a great place to walk and admire the scenery and the paddle steamers located below.

3. Meissen Porcelain

While porcelain gets a bit of a bad rap for being old fashioned, the famous Meissen porcelain is now being produced in more modern designs. Unfortunately it’s a little out of my budget but the incredible porcelain painting on the side of the Furstenzug is completely free to admire.

4. Food at the Christmas Markets

Dresden has the oldest Christmas market in the world and in my experience the best Christmas market food. I was travelling solo in Dresden so it was nice to be able to snack on fresh and healthy (sometimes) street food instead of having to eat alone in a restaurant.

5. The Stunning City Skyline

The rebuilding of the city is best appreciated in the stunning city skyline. The New Synagogue, Frauenkirche, Hofkirche and the Semperoper are all located along the Elbe and make for a beautiful sight, especially when lit up at night. This view is from my room at the Hotel Am Terrassenufer which you can read more about here.

6. The New Green Vault

Dresden has some fascinating museums but the one which really blew my mind was the New Green Vault at the Residenzschloss. There you can see a cherry pit which is said to have 185 faces carved on it. I can’t imagine why someone would do that but kudos to them. There are gold and ivory statues with the Royal Household at Delhi being one of the most elaborate.

Image: Wikipedia

You can also get a close up look at the Dresden Green Diamond which is 41 carats (!) and flawless. It is green in colour because it was exposed to natural radiation.

Unfortunately it’s not possible to take photos in the museum so it’s difficult to show how amazing it is but I think it’s worth visiting Dresden for this museum alone. I have never seen anything like the intricate and elaborate statues and ornaments found there.

7. Coffee and Cake

The afternoon tradition of stopping for coffee and cake is well respected in Dresden. I enjoyed a cake break at the famous Grand Cafe Coselpalais, just next to the Frauenkirche. The baroque style building was rebuilt and completed in 2000 and they are once again serving traditional food and desserts on beautiful Meissen porcelain tableware.

I spent most of my time walking around Dresden but also did a hop on hop off bus tour which was great for seeing sights a bit further out of the centre and to keep warm when it started to get a little chilly.

It seems like each time I visit a new city in Germany, that city becomes my favourite. Cologne, Munich and Berlin have all been my favourite German cities at one time or another but now it’s most definitely Dresden, a city which deserves more attention than it gets.

7 Great Things About Dresden is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

A: Age of first international trip: It was a long time ago but I believe I was 12 when I first left Australian shores and headed to Singapore and Malaysia with my family. Back then Singapore was super cheap and I remember buying loads of fake Lacoste t-shirts!

B: Best (foreign) beer: I don’t usually drink beer, foreign or otherwise but I did try a flavoured beer on my last trip to Lille. I hated it.

C: Cuisine (favourite): In the past I would have said Italian but I’m a little bored with that and now choose Turkish cuisine whenever I can.

D: Destination (favourite and least favourite): This is a tough one. There are so many amazing places I’ve been lucky enough to visit. I’d have to say Croatia is right up there with it’s beautiful coastline and relaxed way of life. Of course I love Paris too but it’s different when you live somewhere for a while, the reality of day to day life takes the shine off after a while. Least favourite destination would be Singapore, without a doubt. I’ve been 4 or 5 times now and I hope my trip last year will be my last.

E: Event experienced abroad that made you say “wow”: On my first ever trip to Europe I was travelling by car with my parents. I was driving and we were completely lost. I kept asking, ‘where are we, where are we?’ and then out of the blue a massive iron structure was in front of me. I was in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower and it was definitely a ‘wow’ moment.

F: Favourite mode of transportation: I love to travel by train but now that I finally have a car I’ve been enjoying going on road trips around the continent. Last year we drove from Paris to Innsbruck, down through the Balkans then over to Italy and back via Annecy. It was quite a trip and I can’t wait for our next big road trip which is coming up soon.

G: Greatest feeling while travelling: I’m sure it’s the same for many people but the greatest feeling for me is the excitement of visiting somewhere new. Seeing different things, experiencing new cultures and especially trying new food is always a lot of fun.

H: Hottest place travelled to: Kalgoorlie, for sure. The last time I was there the temperature gauge in my car said it was 52 degrees and it wasn’t even in the middle of summer! Needless to say I didn’t stay long.

I: Incredible service experienced and where: I can’t think of any one experience in particular but when we were in Japan two years ago I felt like the people there went out of there way to make sure we were taken care of and had everything we needed, even though there was a huge language barrier.

J: Journey that took the longest: Back when I was a student in Paris I took a 24 hours bus ride to Prague. That wasn’t fun but it’s still less than a typical journey from Paris to my hometown Perth.

K: Keepsake from travels: Other than photos I don’t really have any keepsakes from my travels. For me, travel is all about the experiences and great memories, not so much about things I find along the way.

L: Let-down sight, why and where: The Grand Canyon. I flew over the Grand Canyon and then visited a small section not far from Las Vegas. Maybe it was the part of the canyon where I was but it didn’t exactly blow my mind. It probably didn’t help that I had been sick on the flight.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel: I’ve always been interested in visiting far away places but I vividly remember my high school English teacher coming back from a trip to Petra and falling in love with idea of visiting Jordan and the rest of the world.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in: I loved my stay in the Roomers hotel in Frankfurt. It was brand new when I went and their wellness centre was pretty much untouched. They had an amazing water massage bed which I will never forget.

O: Obsession – what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while travelling?: Water. The photos always turn out to be unimpressive but in the moment I can’t resist trying to capture the beauty of the crystal clear turquoise water in front of me.

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where?: Too many to count. Countries: Australia, Japan, Singapore, Dubai, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Albania, Slovenia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Morocco. I’m disappointed I didn’t get one from Liechtenstein when I was there last year.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where: The Corrigin Dog Cemetery in Western Australia.

R: Recommended sight, event or experience: Visiting Monkey Mia in Australia’s north west. Not only can you hand feed dolphins (if you are one of the lucky chosen ones) but you can see the unusual, endangered dugongs in their natural habitat.

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while travelling: Food of course! When travelling I usually eat lunch in a cafe or restaurant as it’s often cheaper than eating dinner out but I won’t hesitate to go somewhere special.

T: Touristy thing done: In Krakow I went on one of those horse and carriage rides around the city. You don’t get much more touristy than that! I must admit it was a relaxing way to spend half an hour.

U: Unforgettable travel memory: Sharing the stunning beach in Lucky Bay near Esperance with kangaroos. The whole region is incredibly beautiful and I can’t wait to go back at the end of this year.

V: Visas, how many and for where?: I’m usually too lazy to go to the trouble of getting visas which is why I’ve yet to visit Russia and China and a few other places of interest. Looking at my 9 year old passport I see there is only one visa, a two year spousal visa for the UK. Even though I lived there for quite a while I never bothered to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

W: Wine, best glass of wine while travelling and where?: I don’t drink much wine but I do believe champagne tastes great everywhere!

X: eXcellent view and from where?: The sun rising over the mountains in Tirol is one of my favourite views in recent memory.

Y: Years spent travelling?: I’m not going to say as that will give away my age but let’s just say a lot but not enough.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where: I love tennis and have travelled to Wimbledon and the Italian Open and have been to the BNP Paribas Masters and Roland Garros here in Paris numerous times.

That’s my A to Z of travel. Now to tag some other bloggers:

• Femme Francophile
• Expat Life in Belgium
• Tour Absurd
• Monkeys, Mountains and Maultaschen
• La Tortuga Viajera

Another ABC of Travel is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

Crossing the 400 metres of flat, open no man’s land was a disaster waiting to happen. The Germans on higher ground were easily able to mow down the approaching soldiers and no one made it across enemy lines. Further along, the no man’s land was only 90 metres wide and a tenacious group of mostly Australian soldiers made it across into enemy territory. It seems like this achievement was unexpected and while the British commanders were deciding what to do, night fell and not long after the small group of soldiers found themselves surrounded by the more powerful, professional German army.

Bloody hand to hand combat ensued with rifles, bayonets and grenades being the weapons of the day. Many of the Australians were killed and the few who survived were taken as prisoners of war.

In the small French village of Fromelles in 14 hours beginning on the 19th July 1916 more than 8,500 Australian, British and German troops were killed, wounded or taken prisoner with 5,533 of them being Australian. One of the deadliest battles in Australian history.

Fromelles Mass Graves

Soldiers killed behind allied lines were identified and buried in British cemeteries along the front line while those who died in no man’s land were left there for two years until the end of the war. Those who perished behind German lines were buried in mass graves in Fromelles, 50 soldiers per grave.

Even though the existence of the graves was well documented by the Germans, their existence was largely ignored by the French, British and Australian authorities for more than 90 years. It wasn’t until French and Australian amateur historians shared their extensive research that something was finally done about these forgotten soldiers. After years of bureaucracy and delays the bodies were eventually exhumed in 2009. DNA samples of 250 soldiers were taken and so far around 110 bodies have been identified.

Fromelles Military Cemetery

In 2010, the soldiers recovered from the five mass graves were given individual funerals with military honours and are now buried in a new military cemetery in Fromelles. Fromelles Military Cemetery is not far from the battle location and the woods where the mass graves were located (known as Pheasant Wood).

There are a number of other military cemeteries located in the area which are worth seeing. You can also visit Australian Memorial Park which is a small piece of Australian territory in France which commemorates the contribution of Australian soldiers in Fromelles during the Great War.

Hitler in Fromelles

During WWI, Adolf Hitler worked as a messenger transferring messages to and from Fromelles each day by bike and he is believed to have taken part in the Battle of Fromelles. During WWII when Fromelles was once again in German hands, the German soldiers created a plaque to commemorate the contribution their Fuhrer made to the city during WWI. At the end of the war, the plaque was immediately pulled down by the returning French and it can now be found at the Fromelles Museum.

Fromelles Museum

The Fromelles Weppes Terre de Mémoire is currently located on the first floor at the Fromelles town hall. There you can find all kinds of memorabilia and information on the Battle of Fromelles including uniforms and ammunition found in the area. The growing museum will be moved to a dedicated building next to the cemetery in the near future. The museum is open on the 2nd Sunday of the month or by appointment.

Fromelles Tours

Fromelles is located 20 minutes drive west of Lille and while you can visit the museum and cemetery on your own it will help to have a guide to show you around as points of interest are not sign posted. Our guide showed us the location of the German front line, no man’s land, the Allied front line and the precise location of the one on one final combat. Lille Tourism will be running tours to Fromelles starting this summer or ask them about arranging a guide.

Battle of Fromelles

I must admit I didn’t know anything about the Battle of Fromelles before arriving in the town. Looking around the museum and discussing the battle with the local historians was fascinating and their passion for the details was contagious. There is a small group of historians dedicated to preserving the memories of the battle and what happened afterwards and they are happy to share what they know.

It’s incredible to think that so many soldiers were sacrificed for nothing. Nothing was achieved. No ground was gained. The diversion failed. There was just a mass loss of life. If you are interested in Australian or military history then I’d definitely recommend a trip to Fromelles to find out more.

In 2006, 60 Minutes did a segment on Fromelles before the mass graves were excavated which you can watch here and if you are based in the UK you can watch a Channel 4 documentary on the subject.

I’d like to thank Lille Tourism and Fromelles Tourism for making our trip to Fromelles possible and Jean Marie Doual for driving us to and from Lille and for helping to translate. Special thanks to Jean Marie Bailleul for kindly sharing his immense expertise with us and for showing us the battlefields.

Australia’s Forgotten Soldiers is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge.

Since 2008 people have been placing ‘love locks’ on the bridge and there are now thousands of locks on the fence between the footpath and the train tracks. Iain from MalloryOnTravel wrote about Cologne’s love locks and most comments seem to be in favour of them but I’m not so sure. I know the love locks on the Ponts des Arts in Paris are regularly removed by the authorities but in Cologne they seem to be accepted. What do you think, romantic or an eyesore?

Travel Photo: Cologne is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.

My three days in Munich last month were extremely hectic so the city definitely doesn’t quieten down in the colder months. If anything I’d say December is a very busy time with all the Christmas markets, the Tollwood Festival and everyone out Christmas shopping. It’s a great time to visit because there is no chance you’ll be bored and you can avoid the cooler weather by heading indoors to visit any of the many museums and art galleries.

Tollwood Winter Festival

The Tollwood Winter Festival is more than just a Christmas market. It has more of an international flavour and there is entertainment like circus acts and a special New Year’s celebration. There are themed tents depending on what you want to do and these are the best places to keep warm on a wintry day.

Christmas Markets

The main Christmas market in Marienplatz is a nice place to wander around but you might want to avoid visiting on the weekends when it can get very, very crowded. A better option would be to stick to the smaller markets which still have a lot to offer but you don’t have to worry about pushing your way through the crowds. I particularly liked the small market off Odeonsplatz and the medieval style Christmas market at Wittelsbacherplatz.

From Wittelsbacherplatz you could cross the road to enjoy coffee and cake at the historic Cafe Luitpold.

Museum Quarter

Not far from the main train station you’ll find many of Munich’s most well known museums and art galleries conveniently located within a few minutes walk of each other. For €12 you can get a day pass to the 3 Pinakotheken (Alte, Neue and Moderne) and the Museum Brandhorst.

The Alte Pinakothek (Old Masters Gallery) is particularly well known for it works by Rubens including the The Dying Seneca where philosopher Seneca is forced to commit ‘suicide’.

At the Neue Pinakothek (New Picture Gallery) there are a huge number of popular works by Renoir, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and my favourite that day, Woman in Red Dress by Edvard Munch.

I particularly liked the Pinakothek der Moderne (Modern Art Museum) for its design museum which includes computer design through the decades (Apple is well represented) and a great section on furniture and product design.

Shopping

Munich has always been one of my favourite places to go shopping. You’ve got all the popular chain stores along pedestrian street Kaufinger Straße, more upmarket shops at Theatinerstraße and Fünf Höfe and window shopping only (for me) at Maximilianstraße. Smaller and cheaper shops are found in Sendlinger Straße and Schwabing. One of my favourite shops is Manufactum which has an odd mix of gourmet food, clothing, office and gardening products. I don’t quite get it but it’s fun to walk around.

Eating

Normally I would recommend going to Viktualienmarkt to pick up picnic supplies but obviously that’s not a good idea in the middle of winter. Instead, I’d suggest heading next door to the recently opened Schrannenhalle which is an indoor market where you can pick up gourmet food to go or sit and eat at the informal tables. This has quickly become one of my favourite foodie places in Munich.

Across from Schrannenhalle is one of my favourite cafes of all time, Cafe Frischhut. It’s a Munich institution and not to be missed.

There are a million other places to eat in Munich so I might have to go back just to research the best places to eat. If you’re feeling particularly touristy you could always eat at Hofbrauhaus but once was more than enough for me. 

Where to Stay

On this trip to Munich I stayed at the Schiller5 Hotel. The location is perfect as it’s walking distance to the main train station, Marienplatz, the Tollwood Festival and the museum area. The hotel itself is very modern, spotlessly clean and with large apartment rooms (with kitchen) so if you want to shop at Schrannenhalle and eat in your room you can. Read my full review of Schiller5 here.

Munich in Winter

I don’t think there is ever a bad time to visit Munich. It’s a big city where there is always something going on and always something new to see. Hopefully this year will be the year I finally get to go to Oktoberfest but if not I will happily return any time.

Munich in Winter is a post from Europe travel blog Destination Europe.