Norfolk Broads, UK by Russell Smith

But of course, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Millions of travellers prefer to find locations which offer a more tranquil way of life, surrounded by beautiful scenery and with plenty of peace and quiet thrown in. For them, one of the most welcoming destinations of all is located in Eastern England, and it remains one of those places in which time appears to have, if not stood still, been meandering along in a sedate manner for many decades.

The Norfolk Broads isn’t a hidden gem or a closely-guarded secret, it’s a vibrant and extremely popular tourist destination that attracts visitors from all over the world. It’s a location that is something of a rarity in the modern world; somewhere which offers tourists all the up to date facilities that contribute to a wonderful holiday, but in a quiet and understated way that underlines something that East Anglian people have known for centuries – that life is not a race.

Smell the flowers, taste the coffee, enjoy the scenery

Dotted throughout the area are picturesque villages and hamlets that would not look out of place on a chocolate box, and which have changed little over the passing years. The Broads themselves are waterways that provide boat-users with a golden opportunity to soak up some truly spectacular scenery at a pleasantly slow place. Locations such as Horning and Ranworth are stunning, and have become popular bases for tourists from across the globe.

The local pubs and restaurants offer visitors an old-fashioned warm welcome from the moment they arrive. There are plenty to choose from, providing a wonderful selection of Norfolk beers and of course a superb choice of freshly-cooked food. Cromer, a town that’s on the coast to the north of the region, is famous all over the world for the quality of its crab, so be sure to give it a try.

As you might expect from an area that’s well-known for its slow pace, driving around the Norfolk Broads isn’t suitable for boy racers. The roads are fine and allow for easy passage between locations, but you should expect to take it at a leisurely rate. After all, there is some wonderful scenery to take in along the way and, of course, it really isn’t a race!

David Showell is a regular visitor to the Norfolk Broads. He works for www.carhiredirect.co.uk

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Visitors of Scillato can admire the typical Sicilian Baglio house from the 19th century. Its owner is old aristocratic Sicilian family since its inception. It is surrounded by extensive parks full of rare trees and centuries-old trees. This house is nowadays used as a hostel for tourists and there is even a swimming pool with cloak-room. The house stands on the edge of a protected natural park, the Parco delle Madonie and is situated near a large golf course.

Do not look for the sea in Scillato (in fact, not all of the places in Sicily offers swimming in the sea), but if you have a car, you can go to the beach town of Cefalu, which is located approximately 40 km away. Cefalu preserved its picturesque and medieval atmosphere. Above the town rises interesting reef La Rocca resembling a fortress, which was once overlooked by the temple of Diana. Cefalu’s dominant is the cathedral of 1131, which was originally a royal tomb, and the main temple of the kingdom of Sicily. The coast is lined with some beautiful sandy beaches.

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I am talking about Vlkolínec, which is now a part of the city of Ružomberok. It lies at an altitude of 718 m in Revúca Valley, south of the rocky mountain massif Sidorovo, also called Žiar (1099 m asl), which belongs to the mountains of Veľká Fatra.

Vlkolínec is in fact a reservation of folk architecture, a kind of outdoor museum of medieval village with wooden houses, that are typical for the mountain areas. This is the best preserved, most complete and most original collection of folk buildings in the Slovak Republic, spreading on an area of ​​797 hectares.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

Archaeological findings confirm the existence of a fort on the hill Sidorovo already 2,500 years ago. The name of the village is supposedly derived from the ancient presence of wolves in the area (these animals can be still seen here). The first written mention of Vlkolínec dates from 1376, where is mentioned as one of the streets of Ružomberok. Originally, there were just a few houses, although the number of houses and population gradually increased.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

At present, there are 73 listed buildings, 55 residential houses. Of these, 18 are now permanently settled with 35 inhabitants. Owners of other houses are here just seasonally. Everything is built of wood, including a local landmark – a two-storey wooden belfry from 1770.

Interesting is also a timbered well from 1860, previously the only source of drinking water for the whole village. One of the few brick buildings is a local Classicist-Baroque Church from 1875. Also the local cemetery is worth a visit.

The whole complex is rare also due to the fact that it was not affected by any new constructions. Already in 1977 the village of Vlkolínec was declared the Reservation of Folk Architecture Monuments, and in 1993 inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Menorca boasts several “Best”, it is not only the second largest and geologically the oldest island of the Balearic Island, but also the easternmost and northernmost situated island. Covers an area of ​​702 km2, which is a mere fifth of Mallorca. From west to east is approximately 50 kilometres long and from south to north just 17 kilometres wide. In the north of the island there is the wild and unspoilt area called Tramuntana. South of the island known as Migiorn is characterized by reddish soil plains with snow-white beaches and rocky cliffs. Inland of the island is full of fields, pastures and picturesque villages where the time has stopped years ago. They are a far away from a lively tourist centers on the coast. Inland also houses the island’s highest peak, Monte Toro which is soaring to an altitude of 358 meters.

Many visitors of Menorca, talk about it as a “green island”. The green color is really typical for the island, lush green vegetation surrounding you at every step. This is due to high humidity. There are trees that managed to adapt to the quality of soil and climate. These are mainly oak, pine and wild olive trees. Along the roads you can see prickly pear or cactus figs. In addition, there are about 250 kinds of medicinal aromatic herbs and rare Menorca’s flowers Socarell and Daphne.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jaume Meneses

Green colour on Menorca is certainly the major, but not the only colour which the visitors encounter with here. The island is surrounded by azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea, warmed by the golden rays of the sun. There are red-brown rocks and along the coast you can see the villages with bright white houses.

Menorca has a rich history as well, in the past a number of nationalities have changed here, which left traces not only in architecture, gastronomy, nomenclature, but also in the style of life of local residents. So Menorca still retains its unique character and is quite different from the other Balearic islands. The Romans named it Balearis Menor, which means “small island”, which subsequently evolved the present name of Menorca.

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Local residents are working hard to save the virgin nature on the island and preserve it for future generations. In 1991, almost half of the island has been declared a protected area, two years later has Menorca been even declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. As a result is a good balance between man and nature. On the island there are 19 protected areas under the highest level of protection. These areas are home to many animal species like small mammals, reptiles, insects and birds.

The construction of the high hotels is not allowed here and all accommodation structures have to meet certain standards. Thanks to it they all fit nicely into the landscape and does not affect its character. Menorca offers 60,000 hotel beds, which is in comparison with other tourist destinations very few. The number of tourists who can visit the island is so limited and hoteliers, of course, use this situation and raise the prices. All services on Menorca are significantly more expensive than in mainland Spain.

Coast of Menorca is very rugged, about 200 kilometres long and is made up of picturesque beaches, which are separated by rocky cliffs. Very interesting are the rocky bays having the shape of the fjord, a typical example is the area of ​​Cales Coves. The longest and of course the most popular beach on the island is a sandy beach Son Bou, reaching a length of over two kilometers. But will certainly find the beach that suits your needs and thoughts.

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Blarney boasts a long history and magical charm and offers a number of beautiful sights and places to explore. One of the places that is definitely interesting for tourists, is beautifully preserved square, which today operates as the main point of village life.

The village has been subsequently developed around this square in Tudor times and was always owned and carefully managed by the owner of Blarney Castle.

Places of interest include, for example The Blarney Stone, which is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle. Also thanks to it the castle attracts more than two hundred thousand tourists each year. Visitors are coming here mainly because of the known stone they want to kiss. The legend says that whoever kisses the stone will be blessed with the gift of eloquence. Blarney Castle is surrounded with more than a thousand acres of beautiful woods that are ideal for walking, rest and picnic.

Those who do not know Ireland, should know that the term “village” is not sufficient for Blarney. This place plays an important role in tourism for more than 100 years and is known throughout the world. About a century ago a tourist would probably visit the castle and take a tea in one of two hotels in the village. Along one side of the square would have seen a number of cozy cottages, which still stand here. There is also a church nearby that was built in 1766. Another great attraction was old power plant founded in 1843, which had a room with steam and Turkish baths.

Now the visitors can play golf or do shopping in a cozy little shops on the square, but of course the most important is to kiss The Blarney Stone!

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Porticcio holiday resort which is situated in one of the most beautiful bays of the west coast of Corsica has become a popular destination for water sports lovers from all over Europe. You will find a wide and long sandy beaches here lined with numerous restaurants and bars. There is also the only water park on Corsica nearby. Visitors can go diving, sailing, surfing, water skiing or playing tennis. There is also a sailing school. Very popular here are Porticcio ship cruises.

Tips for your trips

The advantage of the site is that you can easily get to Ajaccio and other parts of the southern half of the island. South of the capital of Corsica, Ajaccio, you will find one of the most beautiful bays of the west coast. It is right opposite the Bloody Islands (Les sanguinaires) in the Ajaccio’s bay, protected by guard towers Capitello a Frassu. There are numerous hiking trails and mountain biking trails. Very attractive are the central parts of the island with picturesque villages and beautiful countryside of Corsica’s National Park.

The most romantic way how you can get to Corsica across the sea, is by ferry either to Bastia in the north or to Bonifacio or Ajaccio in the south. If you have a luck, you can see some dolphins around the ship.

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Vikos Gorge is 20 km long and 400 m wide but at some places it is only a few meters wide. Its walls are high in some places over 1000 meters. Due to its size, the Vikos Gorge ranked the world’s deepest canyons and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Onno Zweers

Part of the Vikos Gorge is covered by the National Park Vikos-Aoos, which was founded in 1973. Except of canyon, there is also Tymfi mountain, river Aoos and several villages. The main part of the gorge stretches from village of Vikos to the village of Monodendri. The river Voidomatis flows through the canyon which constitutes the breathtaking scenery. Along the gap there are several view-points, offering breathtaking views. In the local unspoilt countryside there are many species of plants and animals such as bears, deer and foxes, which are protected by park.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Onno Zweers

The area around the Vikos Gorge is ideal for many sports. Among others, climbing, mountain biking and of course hiking, which is the most popular. It is better to hike with a guide as it is very easy to get lost here. There are ongoing organized excursions, including a tour through the Zagori picturesque villages and famous stone bridge.

You can get to the Vikos Gorge e.g. by public bus transportation service. The journey from Athens to Zagori takes about 7 hours.

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