Category: Europe

Freiburg, the southern sunny green city

Baden-Württemberg Europe Germany

Freiburg, the southern sunny green city

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Germany is becoming more and more popular for young people and the city of Freiburg is no exception. I was able to discover this lovely little town thanks to my friend Elodie who spent a year there. Through her eyes and her statements, Freiburg appears very simple yet so friendly and lively. And this is indeed the feeling I experienced during my few visits.

Situated at the foot of the Black Forest mountains, Freiburg im Breisgau is a quiet little town in south-eastern Germany, which is easy to visit and where there is a lighter and kind of carefree atmosphere. With almost 1,800 hours of sunshine per year, it is the warmest city in the country. Thanks to its geographical position, many Germans, Swiss and French people take advantage of coming for a weekend, or sometimes just for a short visit, to soak up what it has to offer.

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36 hours in Salzburg, between tradition and modernity

Austria Europe Salzburg

36 hours in Salzburg, between tradition and modernity

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Salzburg is a baroque gem that is a must-see! Whether musical, historical, vibrant or traditional, the Austrian city can be discovered in less than 48 hours. With a thousand-year-old fortress, a sparkling river that divides the city and a mountainous environment, you will feel like you are in a fairy tale from the moment you arrive.

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The complete guide to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

The complete guide to Edinburgh

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“There’s no leaving Edinburgh, No shifting it around: it stays with you, always.”

Alan Bold

With my eyes fixed on the gloomy sky that covers Lake Léman with an opaque mist, I see no ray of sunshine emerging from my balcony. I am simply reading but my thoughts are elsewhere. My heart too. I am nostalgic, happy to be back in my beloved Switzerland, but I can’t repress the tiny depression that hugged me when I returned at the beginning of the year 2020. It seems that students often feel this feeling when they return from a university exchange. I miss it, I miss my adventure, I miss my Scottish life, and above all I miss Edinburgh!

This state of mind doesn’t go away but, life goes on, you get used to it again, you start classes again. Then, Covid-19 takes over… It’s almost a year since I left for Edinburgh. But I look back and ask myself: How did this city manage to fascinate me so much, to give me an incredible feeling of freedom? Everyone is different and will experience the same thing in a totally distinct way, yet Edinburgh is worth visiting, worth living, and I will reveal its secrets in this article. This is the complete guide to discovering the Scottish capital.

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The must-sees of the Swedish capital, Stockholm

Europe Sweden

The must-sees of the Swedish capital, Stockholm

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Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, appears to be a quiet and trouble-free little town. However, beneath its apparent tranquillity, it hides a dynamic city. Situated on the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is built partly on fourteen small islands at the mouth of Lake Mälaren and is mainly grouped into five districts that are not to be missed (Gamla Stan, Ostermalm, Södermalm, Djurgården and Norrmalm).

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The Vintgar gorge, between limpidity and hordes of tourists

Europe Slovenia

The Vintgar gorge, between limpidity and hordes of tourists

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Slovenia has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world, and the Vintgar Gorge is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful places of all! But all this instagrammable beauty comes at a price, and it can be frustrating to struggle to get a glimpse of it without crowding and bumping into hordes of tourists along the narrow paths and trails.

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The Romantic Road, an enchanting road trip in Germany

Bavaria Europe Germany

The Romantic Road, an enchanting road trip in Germany

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From the vineyards of Franconia to the first foothills of the Bavarian Alps, the Romantic Road is a lovely trail that meanders among the most authentic and historic German towns for approximately 400 kilometres.

It is the most renowned and valued itinerary in Germany and whether we are foreigners or native Germans, we all have the same feeling: an impression of going back in time to discover the rich history of that region and its culture. All of that is pleasantly accompanied by landscapes which change over the crossed territories: vineyards, countryside, meadows, forests, and to conclude marvellously the journey, the Bavarian mountains.

From Lower Franconia in Würtzburg to the south of Bavaria in Füssen, gateway to the prestigious castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria, let yourself be guided by one of the most charming roads in Europe.

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Hallstatt, an idyllic alpine village overwhelmed by mass tourism

Austria Europe Hallstatt

Hallstatt, an idyllic alpine village overwhelmed by mass tourism

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Nestled among the rugged Dachstein and Salzkammergut mountain ranges and overlooking a crystal-clear lake, the alpine village of Hallstatt in Austria offers a truly breathtaking sight. In recent years, however, this place has become a major centre of European mass tourism. When I visited it in the summer of 2019, I never thought I would be surrounded by so many tourists, even in the middle of July. I mistakenly thought that this village was not affected by the summer tourist season.  But at the same time, if I had been able to discover this place on social networks, a lot of people could have done the same…

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Visit through Edinburgh’s bookshops

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

Visit through Edinburgh’s bookshops

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Edinburgh has seen the birth, growth and death of many writers and especially their greatest masterpieces. It is therefore not insignificant that the city was declared the first by UNESCO: City of Literature. A well-deserved title, since the city, arouses curiosity, that impalpable atmosphere that gives inspiration to the greatest writers. And host nowadays a dozen of Edinburgh’s bookshops.

It is true that culture, in all its forms, is present in Edinburgh, but literature is the one that stands out the most, or I would say that has touched me the most. My only desire is to return in August for the International Book Festival, which is one of the most famous in the world. And then, I discovered the history of these writers linked to the city but also to Scotland.

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The complete Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

The complete Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh

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Who doesn’t know Harry Potter? I may not be a fanatic, but it is a universe that is fundamentally rooted in my generation (I was born in the year the first book came out). And then, when I arrived in Edinburgh during my university exchange, I learned that the Scottish capital was the birthplace of the young wizard.

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Highland Games: an expression of the Scottish culture

Europe Perthshire Scotland United Kingdom

Highland Games: an expression of the Scottish culture

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I have always wanted to attend the Olympics, indeed, as a huge sport lover (yes watching sport on television is a sport to me) being able to attend such a competition would be phenomenal. Then, two weeks before I left for Edinburgh, I discovered a documentary about the Highland Games. For twenty minutes or so, I was stunned on my sofa by what I was seeing on television – no, but who has the idea of taking a tree trunk and turning it into an event? I absolutely had to go and see it for real, but it quickly went off into a corner of my head with the last final touches before I left for my university exchange.

However, what was my surprise, when I saw the list of events for the university’s fresher’s week, to see a one-day expedition to the Pitlochry Highland Games. I could not resist the temptation.

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