Meteora, Greece / Konstantinos Koukopoulos

But forget the cityscapes of Bruges and Paris, as beautiful as they are, because the originality just isn’t there. These are the tours that everyone does, and they don’t require that much effort either.  Instead, to truly discover those inspiring landscapes that had your jaw dropping at the credits, check out these fascinating European locations that can form the backdrop to your next European holiday.

Meteora, Greece

Perched precariously on top of the rocky Meteroa mountains in Thessaly, Greece, are a collection of monasteries which are incredibly difficult to reach. The original 9th Century monks had formed an order by climbing these formidable rock towers and occupying the hollows and tunnels which ran across their surfaces, and it wasn’t for another three thousand years or so before solid structures began to appear.

Named Meteroa, meaning ‘In the Heavens Above’, only a handful of the original 24 are still inhabited by monks, and although visitors are welcome, you really do need to put in the effort to get to them. Stone steps and walkways lead intrepid visitors up the edge of uncertain cliffs to get to the buildings atop them.  Fans of the James Bond movies will recognise one of the monasteries, Holy Trinity (which is the least accessible of them all), from the movie For Your Eyes. Whether you manage the climb all the way to the top or not the view from this area is inspiring.

Marktschellenberg, Germany

Located just south of Salzburg is an open meadow that should be instantly recognisable to fans of the Von Trapp family.  It is of course the meadow through which Julie Andrews ran and sang with such wanton abandon in The Sound of Music nearly 50 years ago.  The meadow has reportedly changed little in that time, although producers do admit to having added one or two background trees to their shots during production for the effect.  This iconic location is easy to get to and, along with other locations from the film in the neighbouring towns, forms a tour that has quickly become one of the most popular walking holidays in Europe.

Mamores, Scotland, UK / Graham Lewis

Mamores, Scotland

The Mamores isn’t actually a place, but rather a mountain range in the Scottish Highlands.  Lying close to the town of Fort William, the Mamores incorporates ten of Scotland’s highest mountains that form a continuous and circuitous route from one to the next.  This is the type of walking that requires specialist gear, so don’t think about hopping up the nearest hill in your trainers when you’re on a day trip to the area.

The height of these mountains makes the weather unpredictable and confusing so experience is essential.  If you do fit into this category and you find yourself standing at the top of Stob Ban or Am Bodach, you’ll be following in the footsteps of Mel Gibson’s epic trek as William Wallace in Braveheart.  And while you might not be lucky enough to meet a wild man in a kilt on your holiday, the spectacular view of the surrounding mountaintops should more than make up for it.

Byline: Fiona Galloway is a travel writer who has written about walking holidays in Europe.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by daniel.herding

Maritime theme park
The first exhibition called Maritime theme park is located in buildings of the former fish market. This exhibition is interactive and can be divided into several parts: Bruges and the sea, military-Zeebrugge harbor, fishermen earlier and now, the International port Zeebrugge or Pirate Paradise. Here you can take a closer look at the Zeebrugge port – its history and present, or at a hard life of fishermen and through the film into the depths of the sea.

Lightship West-Hinder II
The second exposure of Seafront Zeebrugge is Lightship West-Hinder II. It is the ship, which until recently served as navigation and was moored at a position at sea to mark the coast near the town of Nieuwpoort. You can walk through it, touch and learn more about the role of beacon ships.

The Russian submarine Foxtrot
The third exhibition is The Russian submarine Foxtrot. Submarines of this type were used until 1994. During your visit you will learn, how is the life in such submarine when it is filled up with 75 crew members.

Seafront Zeebrugge theme park is open every day from 10am to 6pm and in July and August to 7pm. Keep in mind that the tour of all three parts of the Seafront Zeebrugge takes about two hours. You can buy tickets up to one hour before closing time. Children up to one meter in height, accompanied by parents, have free entry. Children to 12 years pay €8.50, and adults €10.50. Special rates apply for the groups and Seafront Zeebrugge offers many other additional programs for schools and companies. The nearest tram stop is Zeebrugge Kerk. Parking is free right at Seafront Zeebrugge.

For further information, visit the official site of Seafront Zeebrugge.

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Bruges is the administrative center and the capital of the province of West Flanders, located in north-western part of Belgium. The city’s history dates back to about 9th century, when Bruges served as an important sea port for trade with England and Scandinavia. Around the 11th century the city experienced great prosperity and eventually became the commercial center of European importance. In 1127 the massive walls and moat were built around the city, which protected its inhabitants against enemy troops. A year later Bruges acquired city rights.

The brightest days of Bruges were in the 11th century, when it became the center of international trade. Even the first international exchange in the world was established here in a house of known merchant family Van der Beurs. It became a place where prominent merchants of that time, met here and bargained on the prices of goods loaded on ships.

The fifteenth century was a period of Art – painters Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling had their studios here. And then Bruges travelled through the political geography – it firstly belonged to Spain, then to Austria, France and Holland.

Now Bruges is not focused on international trade any more. It is a place with many cultural monuments. However it looks a bit sleepy, but it’s a pleasant sleep, which gives it an unforgettable atmosphere.

And then there’s the chocolate – with honey, marzipan, nuts and brandy. Pralines are sold on every corner and only true “barbarian” could miss these shops. But how to choose from those multi-shapes, ornaments and huge chocolate sculptures? You’ll find help in Praline Shop, just ask the sellers. You can also visit a Museum of chocolate or its manufactory Sukerbuyc.

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