Fancy Taking a Gentrified London Walk?

November 10, 2017, 2:28 am

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One key difference between London and Paris is the pace at which these two largest cities in Europe change their face: in Paris, any such change is slow. Very slow. When I see photos of Parisian street scenes from the years before WWI, more often than not I can recognize the location.

In London, conversely, you turn around for a moment, and when you look again a whole area has disappeared.

... Fancy Taking a Gentrified London Walk?

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An Easy Hike in Salò, a Most Charming Part of Lake Garda

November 17, 2017, 8:36 am

≫ Next: Team Eze Hiker Conquering the Peak in the Sequel

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There are three things that we found out about Lake Garda on our recent short stopover. One: the trains from Venice and Milan all stop on the lake’s southern shore. Two: all the interesting hiking routes are in the North. Three: it is mighty difficult to get from one to the other, because the distances are large, the buses infrequent, and the traffic congestions horrible. In summer, apparently, the entire road network around

... An Easy Hike in Salò, a Most Charming Part of Lake Garda

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Team Eze Hiker Conquering the Peak in the Sequel

November 24, 2017, 4:04 am

≫ Next: In the Footsteps of Great Writers in Menton and Monaco

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Several years ago, when we had already established our base on the Riviera but not yet turned it into a proper home, we decided one day to walk from Eze-sur-mer all the way up to Eze village.

This turned out to be a fairly tough hike, particularly for that half of the easy hiking team (aka “my other half”) who was not wearing the right shoes because

... Team Eze Hiker Conquering the Peak in the Sequel

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In the Footsteps of Great Writers in Menton and Monaco

November 30, 2017, 10:39 am

≫ Next: This Fascinating Hike in Sasso of Bordighera

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Granted: not many famous writers have come from the Riviera. Writers, however, have always loved to travel to the southern coast of France, sometimes only to relax and to have fun, but sometimes also to work and – eventually – to write about it, in one form or the other.

The list of visiting writers is long and includes 19th century greats like Chekhov and Dickens as well as modernist authors

... In the Footsteps of Great Writers in Menton and Monaco

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This Fascinating Hike in Sasso of Bordighera

December 7, 2017, 11:53 am

≫ Next: Why Visit Sampierdarena When in Genoa?

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Hiking trails on the Riviera generally fall into one of two categories: mountain hikes and coastal walks. Today, we will be offering you an alternative in this fascinating hike in Sasso.

The Sasso is a small river, but it nevertheless comes with its own valley and its own patch of wetland. The Sasso’s waters flow down from the Maritime Alps, but when they arrive in the lowlands, they have dwindled

... This Fascinating Hike in Sasso of Bordighera

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Why Visit Sampierdarena When in Genoa?

December 14, 2017, 12:29 pm

≫ Next: Cozy Christmas Reading for Hikers

≪ Previous: This Fascinating Hike in Sasso of Bordighera

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As those among you who are blessed with the gift of observation may have noticed, we are quickly approaching the climax of the festive season. And it was in the spirit of Christmas that I, on our last visit to Genoa, decided to fulfil myself a long-held wish, descending from the train in the suburb of Sampierdarena, one stop before the central station.

I had always been intrigued by what

... Why Visit Sampierdarena When in Genoa?

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Cozy Christmas Reading for Hikers

December 20, 2017, 9:34 am

≫ Next: Europe by Rail – An Indispensable Train Travel Companion

≪ Previous: Why Visit Sampierdarena When in Genoa?

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Across most of the northern hemisphere, the Christmas season has always been a time for quiet contemplation rather than hectic activity, the time for thinking things through rather than actually doing them. For hikers, it is a time for remembering past adventures and for planning new ones – and for reading about hikes from the comfort of their armchair.

If you are looking for reading material about specific hikes and hiking in general:

... Cozy Christmas Reading for Hikers

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Europe by Rail – An Indispensable Train Travel Companion

December 29, 2017, 12:58 pm

≫ Next: Getting Over Our Dutch Midwinter Blues

≪ Previous: Cozy Christmas Reading for Hikers

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Book Review

Today’s post is about more reading matter, not for quiet contemplation (in contrast to last week’s Christmas reading list) but focusing instead on a single book for your active planning. If you are looking forward to travelling through Europe in 2018, intending to rely on public transport for any part of your journey, this book is for you.

An Indispensable Train Travel Companion

Europe by Rail, now in

... Europe by Rail – An Indispensable Train Travel Companion

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Getting Over Our Dutch Midwinter Blues

January 4, 2018, 9:57 pm

≫ Next: Hiking Part of Canal du Midi in Toulouse

≪ Previous: Europe by Rail – An Indispensable Train Travel Companion

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This is a despatch from the Central European lowlands where winter is neither the season when snowmen freeze to death – as they currently do in North America – nor the right time to sit outside in some balmy sunshine. This, after all, is not the Mediterranean. Not that you would be in danger of mistaking one for the other.

The Habsburg Emperor Charles V is known to have boasted

... Getting Over Our Dutch Midwinter Blues

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Hiking Part of Canal du Midi in Toulouse

January 11, 2018, 9:02 am

≫ Next: Who has 1 Unique View, 2 Dynasties and 101 Champions?

≪ Previous: Getting Over Our Dutch Midwinter Blues

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The Canal du Midi is one of the greatest feats of civil engineering in the history of the world. Its construction stretched the 17th century’s technological knowledge and ingenuity to its very limits, much as the Channel Tunnel project would 300 years later.

For nearly 2000 years, people had been dreaming of a navigable waterway to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. But where previous rulers – from

... Hiking Part of Canal du Midi in Toulouse

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Who has 1 Unique View, 2 Dynasties and 101 Champions?

January 18, 2018, 9:49 am

≫ Next: What Easy Hikers Can Do in Lourdes

≪ Previous: Hiking Part of Canal du Midi in Toulouse

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If you travel to the extreme southwest of France in bleak midwinter, the Pyrenees – whose distant peaks are distinctly visible throughout much of the region – provide something like a permanent tease: shrouded in clouds and covered with snow, they are clearly not sending out any “come-and-get-me“ signals, but at the same time they hover disdainfully over all your outdoor activities, challenging you to react to their majestic presence in one way

... Who has 1 Unique View, 2 Dynasties and 101 Champions?

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What Easy Hikers Can Do in Lourdes

January 25, 2018, 10:44 am

≫ Next: Now You Can Discover More of Diano

≪ Previous: Who has 1 Unique View, 2 Dynasties and 101 Champions?

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Before you travel to a place – any place – for the first time, you should always try to wipe the slate of your memory clean of everything you have ever heard or read about it. Otherwise, why come at all? You can save yourself the money and effort of actually going there by just reading a guide book or by watching a YouTube documentary. Travelling with an open mind, however, is easier

... What Easy Hikers Can Do in Lourdes

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Now You Can Discover More of Diano

February 1, 2018, 8:30 am

≫ Next: Seeking Out Three Ancient Ruins in Ventimiglia

≪ Previous: What Easy Hikers Can Do in Lourdes

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If you have ever visited the Italian Riviera, one of the things you will fondly remember is the train that connects the various small resort towns along the coast. This train is not one of those fancy high-speed bullet numbers that dash through the countryside. Instead, it takes its time – this is Italy, after all, where all the good things in life demand that you take the time to enjoy them.

... Now You Can Discover More of Diano

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Seeking Out Three Ancient Ruins in Ventimiglia

February 8, 2018, 10:46 am

≫ Next: In Camogli on the Enticing East End of the Italian Riviera

≪ Previous: Now You Can Discover More of Diano

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It was Mrs. Easy Hiker who drew my attention to the site. I wonder what these ruins are, she mused: not once, not twice, but repeatedly, and in the end – when that had failed to stir me into action or at least a bout of in-depth research – almost every time we passed the site in the train during our weekly shopping trips to Ventimiglia. That’s when I realized: I had no

... Seeking Out Three Ancient Ruins in Ventimiglia

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In Camogli on the Enticing East End of the Italian Riviera

February 15, 2018, 9:12 am

≫ Next: Let Us Tempt You with a Sedate Walk on Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi

≪ Previous: Seeking Out Three Ancient Ruins in Ventimiglia

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It actually pains me to write it down, being a “local patriot” who considers the Italian Riviera west of Genoa as his playground and friendly neighbour. But here it goes: in the highlight reel of the Italian Riviera, the East End has all the good bits.

A trip to the east of Genoa feels very much like a theme park ride (Disneyworld’s take on coastal Italy), with ocker-and-terracotta-coloured sceneries tumbling down

... In Camogli on the Enticing East End of the Italian Riviera

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Let Us Tempt You with a Sedate Walk on Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi

February 22, 2018, 12:24 pm

≫ Next: Care for a Walk in Nervi Park with Empress Sissi?

≪ Previous: In Camogli on the Enticing East End of the Italian Riviera

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Last week, we told you about hikes – easy ones and not so easy ones – in the rugged Regional Nature Reserve between Camogli and Portofino.

Today, we will stay in the Riviera di Levante (the coast east of Genoa), but for a much more civilized contrast programme. You can bring your lazy old dog, small children, even wheel out granny, because we are not intending to break sweat while enjoying

... Let Us Tempt You with a Sedate Walk on Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi

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Care for a Walk in Nervi Park with Empress Sissi?

March 1, 2018, 12:39 pm

≫ Next: Let’s Follow the Money in the French Riviera!

≪ Previous: Let Us Tempt You with a Sedate Walk on Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi

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One day late in the 19th century, Empress Elisabeth of Austria – on a visit to the Riviera di Levante – decided to go out for a walk. Elisabeth, the semi-estranged wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, was famous for her eccentricities and, among other things, an avid walker.

That afternoon, she took a ride in her personal coach and, having arrived at her destination, told the driver to wait

... Care for a Walk in Nervi Park with Empress Sissi?

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Let’s Follow the Money in the French Riviera!

March 8, 2018, 9:03 am

≫ Next: Take A Monaco Movie Walk for Location Discovery (Co-Starring Menton)

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What is it that gives the French Riviera its unique flavour? It cannot be the mix of sunshine and spectacular landscapes, because many other places in the world have that, too. It cannot be a richness of history and culture, because there is – frankly – little of either. No: the one ingredient that gives the Riviera its unmistakable character is money. And there is loads of it, in different varieties: old money, new money,

... Let’s Follow the Money in the French Riviera!

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Take A Monaco Movie Walk for Location Discovery (Co-Starring Menton)

March 15, 2018, 2:18 pm

≫ Next: Finding George Michael and Marx in London Highgate

≪ Previous: Let’s Follow the Money in the French Riviera!

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Hollywood and Monaco: at first glance, this appears to be a match made in heaven. There are probably no two places on earth that share the same combination of glamour and money – or the same type of cheerful, unapologetic vulgarity.

Upon further review, however, you will realize how rarely this seemingly perfect match has been, well, consummated. In fact, a surprisingly small number of Hollywood films, given

... Take A Monaco Movie Walk for Location Discovery (Co-Starring Menton)

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Finding George Michael and Marx in London Highgate

March 22, 2018, 8:50 am

≫ Next: If the City You Visit Offers One, Take the Wall Walk

≪ Previous: Take A Monaco Movie Walk for Location Discovery (Co-Starring Menton)

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A shrine for a world-famous pop star, the second largest private residence in London, the grave of London’s most iconic political émigré: you will come across all that and more in today’s walk – on top of some surprisingly wild scenery, so wild in fact that you would never expect to find anything like it in such relatively close vicinity to central London.

Today’s walk takes us to

... Finding George Michael and Marx in London Highgate

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