Top Romantic Places for 2014

by Barbara Broadbent

San Francisco: the steeped streets, vintage trollies, eerie romance of Alcatraz and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge are all part of this unique and alluring city. Head north to the Napa Valley; pick up your bike to discover wine country, fabulous hotels and dreamy cycling routes.

Dalmatian Coast: Croatia is basking in the glory that is its own archipelago, the Dalmatian Coast. Experience life in a turquoise watery edge, island- hopping and lounging on golden beaches. Dubrovnik Extension offered.

Prague: This city comes into its own at night. The warm orange glow illuminates the city’s impressive buildings and narrow cobbled streets. In addition to the cycling trip from Prague to Vienna, there are also several new Czech walking trips.

Florence: The jewel of Renaissance Italy … a city for lovers of art and music. The city is filled with flowery green spaces, benches and quiet piazzas. It is also the gateway to one of the country’s most romantic regions, Tuscany

Cinque Terre: These colourful, fairytale villages perched on the side of a rugged cliff have a natural unhurried, calm and pure character. This is fueled by the modest luxury of boats and footpaths as the only points of access.

Cote D’Azur: The French Riviera hardly needs any help in getting people attracted to its glistening shores. This coast is one of the most revered in the world. Close by are lovely small hilltop towns and attractions...overlooking the glistening blue water.

Rome: The Eternal City’s ornate allure offers a part dream, part reality experience. The most impressive structures from the ancient world loom over lunching Romans canoodling over a shared prosciutto Panini. From Rome, Puglia is an easy train ride away.

Barcelona: Painters, poets, writers and sculpturers have graced the Ramblas of this fine city to capture its allure, its enchantment, its romantic heart. When a city becomes an artist’s muse, you know it’s something special.

Vaison La Romaine: It has one of the oldest markets in France, superb restaurants and wonderful hotels. You can cycle (or hike) to Seguret, Gigondas and the Luberon if you wish. Have a dinner in a lovely countryside restaurant not even mentioned in guidebooks!

Vienna: This magical city attracts travelers by its genius musical heritage, architectural magnificence and impossibly cozy coffee house culture. Arriving in Vienna after the Prague to Vienna cycling trip is worthy of a celebration.

A young man's perspective on solo travel

To give our readers some insight into the draw of solo travel, we interviewed Bruce and Wendy’s son Robert Fougner. Rob has been traveling solo for four years, since he was 20. Having heard numerous stories from independent travelers who had gone abroad and done their own thing, he had always wanted to travel solo. He had the chance to do some solo travel when he went to South Africa with a basketball team, so he took the opportunity to go off on his own at the end of the trip. The World Cup was coming up in South Africa at the time, so Rob traveled around Mozam­bique and Swaziland and then returned to South Africa for the World Cup.

When asked what he like about solo travel, Rob said the great thing is that “everyone can accept a party of one.” Whether you are couch surfing, get­ting invited to someone’s home or catching a ride to your next destination, there is almost always room for one. When you travel solo you are more likely to get invited places than when you travel with a friend or a group. Solo travel also forces you to be social, to get out there and do things that might be out of your comfort zone. When you travel with friends or family, you tend to stay within your own little bubble and don’t need to branch out and con­nect with as many people. When you travel solo, you have to branch out and you end up meeting so many more people. Rob said that after traveling solo for several months he only ate two meals by himself. When traveling solo, “you’re by yourself, but never alone.”

Some of Rob’s favourite solo destinations have been Jordan, Mozambique, Israel, Serbia and Aus­tria. In Jordan, Rob went out to Petra on his own, an experience he de­scribed as “absolute­ly unreal.” He visited Jordan during the political unrest in Egypt, which meant that there were sig­nificantly less tour­ists traveling to the Middle East. Usually thousands of people swarm the treasury every day, but there were way less tour­ists at Petra and Rob was able to cruise around by himself and take everything in. Another high­light in Jordan was having a beer in the oldest bar in the world. In Mozambique Rob met a group of American Peace Corps volunteers who were thrilled to meet a Canadian that they could speak with in English. As he traveled around the country they helped set him up with a number of places to stay for free.

A couple of years ago, Rob had the opportunity to stay in Israel for a week. He described Israel as a really interest­ing place and found that people were very friendly and welcoming. Another favourite of Rob’s was Belgrade, Serbia. He called Belgrade “a cool party city” where “the people are gorgeous and everyone is dressed to the nines.” It’s a great place to let loose and have some fun. One of the places that Rob felt most at home was in Austria. He said that he felt he could live in Innsbruck and would love the opportunity to work there. 

Rob’s biggest tip for first time solo travelers: “go with an open mind and be open to anything that happens”. He said that you should always be willing to change plans be­cause some of the best experiences arise when you change your course. For instance, when Rob was in Istanbul it was pouring rain, he wasn’t enjoy­ing himself and he wanted to leave Turkey and go to Greece. He trav­elled to Bodrum where he planned to take a ferry to Greece when met a friend who was going on a boat cruise around Turkey. He convinced Rob to join him on the cruise, sailed around and had an amazing time. Rob also said to “assume the best in people and go with your gut.” Throughout all his solo adventures, this has only led him astray once. Overall, when solo traveling, Rob said that if you’re open and willing to meet people, most of the time you will enjoy yourself.

Discover Croatia

by Barbara Broadbent

This stunning and affordable destination has become one of Europe’s “hot spots.” Visit traditional mediaeval cities with winding streets, city walls and oldtown squares; historic monuments and beautiful Roman or Austro-Hungarian architecture; pretty islands easily visited by a superb ferry system; spectacular mountains, rugged coastlines and sparkling lakes. And although many areas are still visibly war-torn, the cities are still steeped in rich history and culture.

The capital, Zagreb, is divided into an Upper and a Lower town, and has a majestic Cathedral. Take an excursion to the Zarorje region to learn about the local traditions and visit the house of Marshall Tito. The lovely seaside resort of Opatija was once a summer retreat for Roman Caesars and the Hapsburg monarchs. Take time to stroll past the luxurious villas along the tree-lined seafront promenade.

Plitvice Lakes National Park has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stunning forested hills enclose sixteen terraced turquoise lakes that change hues depending on the rainfall and are linked by spectacular waterfalls, wooden footbridges and pathways. The historic inner city of Split is built around the Roman Emperor’s Diocletian’s Palace … another UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. It was built from white stone from the island of Brac, marble from Italy and Greece, and sphinxes and columns from Egypt. It is more a labyrinth than a castle, with passageways and courtyards filled with cafes and shops.

Zadar is a major city southwest of Zagreb, and is a key transport hub to Croatia’s Adriatic Islands. It is home to the unique Sea Organ, designed by a local architect, an organ powered by the ocean’s waves. It produces whistles and hypnotic notes that increase in volume when boats pass by. The most well-known Croatian city is, of course, Dubrovnik, another UNESCO World Heritage Site This mediaeval baroque town dates back to the 13th – 16^th centuries. Its elegant marble streets, high city walls, and forts hint at the deep and tumultuous history of the area. Visit the Dominican and Franciscan monasteries, the Rector’s Palace, Onofrio’s Fountain and maybe even walk the walls.

Lesli's Lists: Europe’s Top 10 Scenic Rail Journeys & 1 Epic Journey!

by Lesli Heron

Europe train travel is all about efficiency and comfort but it is also about experiences. Some of the most difficult terrain has given us the most picturesque journeys. The following are some of Europe’s best scenic train routes. Not necessarily the fastest journeys—just the most memorable!

1. Sarajevo to Mostar Traversing superb Balkan scenery, the train from Sarajevo climbs to its highest point near Konjic. The descent into Herzegovina passes through dramatic gorges to the town of Mostar, famous for the 16th-century stone bridge that was destroyed during the Bosnian War in the 1990s and rebuilt. Duration: 2.5 hours.

2. Sweet Switzerland – The Chocolate Train. This train climbs from Montreux to the medieval town of Gruyères, home to the cheese of the same name and continues on to Broc. Bus to the Cailler-Nestlé chocolate factory for free samples before making the return trip. Duration: 9 hours

3. Tunnels Galore – The Bernina Express – Chur, Switzerland, to Tirano, Italy. This narrow-gauge, vertigo-inducing train takes on seven-percent inclines, a 360-degree spiral, 55 tunnels, and 196 bridges—reaching an apex of 7,391 feet and then descending 5,905 feet before coming to a stop. Part of the route is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Duration: 4 hours

4. A Hotel on Wheels – Francisco de Goya – Paris to Madrid.

Leave Paris in the evening, enjoy a three-course dinner and the increasingly rural scenery, slumber to the soothing rhythm of the rails, and wake the next day as you arrive in Madrid, rested and ready to tour the third-most-populous city in the European Union. Duration: 13 hours

5. The Flam Railway – Flam to Myrdal, Norway. The Flam Railway, rising from a village on the shores of Aurlandsfjord, mounts a steeper climb than any other normal-gauge railroad in the world. In just 12 miles, the train climbs over 2,838 feetto reach the mountain plateau of Myrdal in under an hour. Duration: 1 hour

6. Bavarian Bullet – InterCity-Express – Munich to Nuremberg. Want to go fast? This high-speed wonder zooms you between two historic Bavarian cities at speeds up to 199 miles an hour. Duration: 1 hour

7. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – London to Venice. Step aboard and the calendar turns back to the golden age of rail on the Continent. Dine in authentic 1920’s carriages and share travellers’ tales over glasses of champagne. Awake to breakfast in bed and the stunning scenery of the Alps out your window. Duration: 2 days, 1 night

8. Central Rhine Railway – Bingen to Koblenz. Offering romantic German landscapes straight from a fairytale – castles rising above swirling waters, past the narrows where the siren Loreley sings sailors onto the rocks. Duration: 50 minutes

9. Glacier Express – Zermatt to St Moritz. On this route the chances of meeting a millionaire are higher than average as you curl between the eastern and western Swiss Alps, through pristine Alpine landscapes. Duration: 7½ hours

10. Andalucia Spanish steps – Algeciras to Ronda. Climb from Algeciras to one of Andalucia’s finest examples of a Moorish hilltop town via an ascent only made possible by a network of tunnels and viaducts before emerging in Ronda, perched high on the edge of a ravine. Duration: 1½ hours.

The Epic Journey – Trans-Siberian Railway – Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia
The world’s longest railway, an icon of Russian culture, crosses eight time zones and 16 major rivers linking Europe to Asia. Experience the diversity of the landscape, culture and people as you travel 9,288km. Duration: minimum 7 days