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Category Archives: In Europe
In the Höhe Tauern
Time flies.. although it seems like yesterday, it’s almost a year ago now since we spent an interesting couple of weeks exploring the Pinzgau region of Austria’s Salzburger Land, a mountainous area which includes part of the Höhe Tauern range of the Central Alps. Höhe Tauern National Park is one … Continue reading
Winter in the Vulcan Eifel
When you think of the Earth’s great volcanic regions, you tend to think of places like Pacific NW America, Indonesia, Iceland or the Aleutian Islands; Germany, by contrast, certainly isn’t a location which naturally springs to mind. Despite this, as little as just 10,000 … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Lieser, Manderscheid, Meerefelder Maar, Mosenberg, Vulcan Eifel
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Neuschwanstein – In the Fantasy World of the “Fairytale King”
With 1.3 million visitors annually, King Ludwig II’s fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein certainly isn’t “off the beaten track” by any stretch of the imagination. The iconic Castle is one of the Europe’s best known tourist haunts and has provided and inspired the backdrop for many a … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, In Europe, Mountain Treks, Uncategorized, Wild Places
Tagged Allgäu, Alpsee, bavaria, Burg Falkenstein, Füssen, Hohenschwangau, Loengrin, Ludwig II, mass tourism, Nesselwang, Neuschwanstein, Oberbayern, Pfronten, Starnberger See, Tannheimertal, Tristan and Isolde, Wagner, Walt Disney
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Season of Mists
Autumn is my favourite time of year to be out and about exploring the woods, fields, moors and meadows of the surrounding countryside. As well as the vibrant red, gold and orange hues of wild cherry, maples, birches and beech, there are … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Urbanism, Wild Places
Tagged autumn, autumn colours, biodiversity, birch, conkers, cultural landscapes, fly-agaric, foraging, Hohes Venn, mushrooms, norway maple, steuobstwiesen, street trees, sweet chestnuts, Urban Greenspace, urban trees, wild cherry, wild harvests
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Down in the Orchard
Over the last few weeks we’ve noticed a lot of fruit going unpicked in local orchards and decided eventually to do something about it. Today we knocked on the door of a local orchard owner who was only too happy … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces
Tagged Aachen, ancient trees, apples, biodiversity, birds, cultural landscapes, fruit growing, healthy eating, invertibrates, local distinctiveness, local produce, nature conservation, orchards, organic produce, pears, sense of place, streuobstwiesen, sweet chestnuts
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A Harvest for the World
The sleepy German town of Walheim by Aachen this weekend celebrated its annual “Erntedank” or harvest festival. The Festival has its roots both in Christianity and in paganism and celebrates the annual autumn bounty of nature. The Walheim Fest has been growing over the … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe
Tagged Aachen, autumn, Erntedank, germany, Harvest festival, heavy horses, Seasonal festivals, vintage tractors
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Alps at the Crossroads: Green Utopia or Developers Paradise ?
It all looked great; a traditional apartment in the alpine village of Oberjoch, located at 1200m in the Eastern Allgaü region of Bavaria and close to the beautiful Tannheimer Valley in neighbouring Tyrol. With Germanic diligence I scanned the latest version of Google satellite maps for any items … Continue reading
Posted in In Europe, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Allgäu, architecture, Bad Hinderlang, bavaria, Bavarian Alps, climate change, farm tourism, forest education, Green Tourism, Hintersteinertal, local distinctiveness, Oberjoch, Schattwald, ski developments, Slow tourism, Sustainability, Sustainable tourism, Tannheim, Tannheimertal, timber constructure, Vilsaplsee, wellness resorts
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Secrets of the Wild Wood
Like a scene from a distant lost world, the damp woods of the Inde valley between Hahn and Walheim hang with a mass of tangled ivy. Dead branches, rotten tree stumps and slippery, moss-covered rocks litter the ground, making for treacherous conditions underfoot. Ominous, … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Aachen, ancient woodland, Blaustein, Bluestone, brophytes, Camperdown Elm, Devonian limestone, Eifel, Eifelsteig, Hahn, Inde, Konelimunster, Lime kilns, mosel, nature, nature conservation, outdoors, Raeren, saproxylic species, spirit of place, venwegen, Walheim, woodlands
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Charlemagne’s Warriors
A haunting spectacle could be viewed in recent days behind Aachen’s ancient octagonal cathedral; ranks of solemn, stately figures could be seen lined up in neat rows, oddly reminiscent of the terracotta Emperor’s Warriors or the Lewis Chessmen. The figures celebrate the 1,200th birthday of Charlemagne, the Dark Age … Continue reading
