hidden europe 45

Join us on a journey exploring Europe's unsung byways.

Issue 45 of hidden europe is a tour through some of the most extraordinary landscapes and communities in Europe. We stop off on a number of islands off the coast of Provence, slip through the back door of Belarus and discovered sacred landscapes in Brittany and Lithuania.

Picture above: Île de Porquerolles, Provence, France (photo © Sam74100 / dreamstime.com)

Summary

Join us on a journey exploring Europe's unsung byways.

Issue 45 of hidden europe is a tour through some of the most extraordinary landscapes and communities in Europe. We stop off on a number of islands off the coast of Provence, slip through the back door of Belarus and discovered sacred landscapes in Brittany and Lithuania.

Editorial hidden europe 45

Welcome to the forty-fifth issue of hidden europe travel magazine. In this issue we reach out to the extremities of the Schengen area, roaming from the south of Italy to the north of Norway. We venture west to Brittany and east to Lithuania.

Into the Blue

For Swiss scientist and mountaineer HB de Saussure, the sky held "in its grandeur and its dazzling purity, an element of death and infinite sadness." Guest writer Iain Bamforth invites us to jump into the blue. Wrap up warm, and bring your cyanometer along.

Offshore Provence

Sailing east from Marseille along the coast of Provence to the Italian border, there are some two dozen islands, many of which are overlooked by visitors to the region. Climb aboard the hidden europe private yacht (if only!) as we set sail for the Côte d'Azur.

Real flying: Norway by plane

The consensus is that flying has become boring. But fly on small planes offering a web of scheduled services up the Norwegian coast to discover a very different take on civil aviation. Travel by plane can still be immensely enjoyable. We review flying with Widerøe, a small airline based north of the Arctic Circle at Bodø in Norway.

A touch of Russia

Europe has so many very comfortable train services, but it's really hard to trump the top-of-the-range Russian trains used on routes from Moscow to many cities in central and western Europe. For inner-EU journeys, these trains are often great value. Hop on board for Russian style.

Tall statements

Faith has evidently replaced politics as the motivation for some of the world's tallest sculptures. In Europe, the largest such structure is the massive statue of Jesus Christ at Swiebodzin in western Poland.

Remembering Anna

Anna Walentynowicz died five years ago this spring in the plane crash that also claimed the lives of many in the Polish leadership. We recall the woman who was a welder, crane driver and political activist - a woman who quietly helped shape modern Poland.