hidden europe 35

Slow travel is the thread that weaves through hidden europe 35. We take the slow boat from Iceland, the slow train through the valleys of Germany’s Harz Mountains and savour slowly unfolding landscapes on a local bus through the valleys in mid-Wales.

We wander through the Bukovina area of Carpathian Ukraine, explore the border between Russia and Estonia at Narva, visit the Lenin museum in the Finnish city of Tampere and ponder on the fruits of Paradise.

Picture above: En route to the top of the Brocken in Germany's Harz Mountains (photo © hidden europe).

Summary

Slow travel is the thread that weaves through hidden europe 35. We take the slow boat from Iceland, the slow train through the valleys of Germany’s Harz Mountains and savour slowly unfolding landscapes on a local bus through the valleys in mid-Wales.

We wander through the Bukovina area of Carpathian Ukraine, explore the border between Russia and Estonia at Narva, visit the Lenin museum in the Finnish city of Tampere and ponder on the fruits of Paradise.

Ukraine's Bukovina region

The Carpathian region of south-west Ukraine has fabulous beechwoods and rural lifestyles that tell of another world – one far removed from much of modern Europe. Laurence Mitchell introduces us to Chernivtsi and to villages in the hinterland of the town – places where echoes of the verse of poet Paul Celan still touch life today.

Steaming through the Harz Mountains

The Harz Mountains lie astride the erstwhile border between East Germany and West Germany. The forested hills of the Harz preside over the North European Plain. The eastern portion of the Harz benefits from a legacy of East Germany: a wonderful narrow-gauge railway system. This is slow travel at its best, as we explore the Harz Mountains in autumn.

Celebrating British buses

Buses are experiencing a happy renaissance in Britain. The advent of concessionary bus passes to senior citizens has tempted many diehard motorists onto the top deck. In a special two-part feature for hidden europe, we look at a new book that showcases fifty great bus journeys from across Britain.

In the days of prosperity

The River Narva marks one of Europe's more conspicuous frontiers: that between the European Union (and the Schengen area) to the west and the Russian Federation to the east. But cultures do not always respect borders and in a visit to Narva, on the Estonian bank of the river, we encounter a city that is very Russian in demeanour.

Unforgiving stone

The poetry of Paul Hadfield has featured before in hidden europe. When he sent us a poem on the Whaligoe Steps in north-east Scotland, it set us thinking about some of the iconic stairways that we have encountered on our travels around Europe.

An Indian summer of passenger shipping

We have been taking a look at some ferry timetables of yesteryear. Forty years ago, there were still regular ferry services from the Scottish port of Leith to Iceland. This, and many similar routes in north European waters, was a slow travel experience par excellence. We cast back to the days when ferries still ran to Svalbard and flit boats were still in use at many ports.

Timing matters

Russia's decision this year to abandon seasonal changes of clocks has prompted much media comment. Belarus has followed Russia's example. Ukraine, after much prevarication, has opted to stick with alternating winter and summer time. In this short piece for hidden europe, we take a look at the politics and time.

Red Star Sofia

Whatever happened to the massive five-pointed red star that for many years topped the communist party headquarters in Sofia? For years, it was hidden away in a cellar, but now it greets visitors to a new museum of socialist art in the Bulgarian capital.

Better prospects

During the 1960s and 70s, trains full of guest workers (or Gastarbeiter as the migrant workers were called in Germany) were a common site arriving in German cities. This autumn marks the fiftieth anniversary of the accord between Turkey and Germany that prompted on of the largest migrations of workers in recent European history.