#admiral markets zagreb

[sitatoursandtravels1]

Discover the Charms of Croatia with Sita Tours' Land and Sea Tours

Embark on a captivating journey through the stunning landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture of Croatia with Sita Tours' exclusive Land and Sea Tours. Explore the enchanting cities, picturesque islands, and azure waters of the Adriatic Sea as you immerse yourself in the beauty and charm of this Mediterranean gem.

Exploring the Adriatic Coast:

Croatia's Adriatic coastline is renowned for its breathtaking beauty, dotted with charming towns, historic cities, and pristine beaches. Our Land and Sea Tours allow you to explore this stunning region from both land and sea, offering a unique perspective on Croatia's diverse landscapes and cultural heritage.

City Highlights:

Begin your journey with visits to Croatia's iconic cities, including the medieval marvel of Dubrovnik, the ancient port city of Split, and the charming capital of Zagreb. Wander through narrow cobblestone streets, admire historic landmarks such as Diocletian's Palace and the Dubrovnik city walls, and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of bustling markets and lively cafes.

Island Hopping Adventures:

Experience the magic of Croatia's islands with visits to idyllic destinations such as Hvar, Korčula, and Brač. Sail along the azure waters of the Adriatic Sea, stopping to explore secluded coves, hidden beaches, and charming fishing villages along the way. Swim in crystal-clear waters, soak up the Mediterranean sun, and indulge in delicious seafood cuisine at waterfront tavernas.

Cultural Immersion:

Immerse yourself in Croatia's rich cultural heritage with visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites, ancient ruins, and traditional villages. Learn about the country's fascinating history, from the Roman ruins of Pula to the Venetian influences of Rovinj, and discover the unique customs and traditions of Croatian life.

Outdoor Adventures:

For outdoor enthusiasts, Croatia offers a wealth of opportunities for adventure and exploration. Hike through lush national parks such as Plitvice Lakes and Krka, kayak along scenic coastlines, and cycle through picturesque countryside. Whether you're seeking adrenaline-pumping activities or peaceful nature escapes, Croatia has something for everyone.

Expert Guidance and Support:

Throughout your Land and Sea Tour, our experienced guides and local experts will be on hand to ensure a seamless and enriching experience. From arranging transportation and accommodations to providing insider tips and recommendations, we are committed to making your journey unforgettable.

More Details:

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Conclusion:

Embark on an unforgettable adventure through Croatia's land and sea with Sita Tours. With our expertly crafted itinerary, immersive experiences, and unparalleled hospitality, you'll discover the beauty and charm of this Mediterranean paradise like never before. Contact us today to book your Croatia Land and Sea Tour and start planning the adventure of a lifetime.

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What are the best places to visit in Europe?

Europe is the paradise for backpackers, whether you’re looking for an adventurous trip, a relaxing trip, or a romantic one. This continent is packed with gems of the places that’ll leave you in awe of their mesmerizing beauty, rich culture, and intriguing history. Fasten up your belts as we go on exploring the best places to visit in Europe for you.

1.Rome, Italy : Found on the shores of river Tiber, Rome is regarded as one of the world's most photogenic cities with its romantic blend of culture and history that attracts tourists from all over the globe. The capital of Italy is the UNESCO Heritage city. Here, you can absorb yourself in vibrant streets and nightlife. Get captivated by the iconic ruins of the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Roman Forum, and St. Peter's Cathedral. Walk down the history lanes to admire Roman culture and heritage.

Places to Visit : The Colosseum, Piazza Navona, Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese, The Appian Way

2.London, England : The confluence of old and new London makes it a popular tourist destination in Europe that houses numerous attractions from marvelous architecture to heritage. Situated on the River Thames, this city is made from two ancient cities: the City of London and the City of Westminster. Get spellbound by the historic Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, National Gallery, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Hyde Park. You may discover places where iconic Bollywood films were shot. Additionally, London offers the best art, culture, entertainment, shopping, dining, and history in the world, making it one of the world's most diverse and happening cities.

Places to Visit : London Eye, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace

3.Paris, France : Bonjour! Explore the City of Light: Paris, which is synonymous with art, culture, food, fashion, and enchanting architecture. Experience enchanting nightlife in Paris by exploring the Eiffel Tower, a wrought-iron spire towering above the ethereal skyline of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe guarding the mesmerizing Champs Elysees, Notre Dame cathedral, lamp-lit bridges traversing the Seine, and art nouveau cafes spilling over onto terraces lined with wicker chairs. Go shopping in the fashion city of the world. You'll come across chic designer boutiques, vintage shops, flagship haute couture stores, and flea markets to revamp your style.

Places to visit : Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur, Arc-de-triomphe, Montmartre

4.Croatia, Europe : Have you watched Tamasha? If yes, you can recall mesmerizing and heart-melting views of Croatia in Imtiaz Ali's movie. This coastal country located in Eastern Europe has a history laced with architecture, great swimming, Balkan wines, and some of the best seafood. The most popular cities are Dubrovnik and Zagreb. The country has idyllic islands that are breathtakingly beautiful, making it one of the best places to visit in Europe for a great and happening vacation.

Places to visit : Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Zadar, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Hvar Town, Mljet

5.Vienna, Austria : One of the most visited cities in Europe, Vienna is a city that boasts architectural wonders, a thriving culture, pulsating music, and streets lined with stunning restaurants and cafes. Vienna, nestled along the eastern bank of the Danube, was once the capital of the sprawling Habsburg Empire. It is the largest commercial and cultural center in Austria, featuring notable historical sites, museums, concerts, and other live events.

Places to visit : Opera House, Hofburg Palace, Schonbrunn Palace, Museum of Fine Arts, St Stephen’s Cathedral, House of Music, Belvedere Complex, Wiener Rathaus, Burggarten, Ringstrasse, Hundertwasserhaus.. Book now…..

[lilycalvin]

Complete Guide on Hiring Private driver in Croatia

Croatia tour is of the famous tours in the world that is getting admiration from travelers. If you have landed in Croatia, then hiring a private driver is essential for sightseeing for a few of Croatia's amazing tourist destinations. Here we are giving Private driver guide Croatia so that you can enjoy your trip completely. The driver will help you to reach destinations such as markets, clubs, beaches, restaurants, and all that.

When you arrive at the airport, we will give you a transfer split service from the airport to the entire Croatia. We will pick you up from the airport and drop to the hotel and accommodation you have booked to stay during the Croatia trip. Croatia has many tourist attractions in which the central square of the city is foremost p[lace. After taking you to the Zagreb cathedral, which is the highest building in Croatia in Zagreb cathedral, you can explore ancient things such as the stone gate first revealed in 1429. Other places to be visited are the popular Zagreb funicular, Lotrscak Tower, and St. Marcus Square.

After completing your visit to Croatia, we will provide a Private transfer split to Dubrovnik, a famous place. Dubrovnik was founded in the seventh century. The ancient name of Dubrovnik is Ragusa, an independent Republic. The old town of Dubrovnik has Hill SRD for an amazing scenic view. After that, you can go to the town of Cavtat to explore.

Why hiring a Croatia private driver for sightseeing

If you are n the airport and don't know where to go and explore Croatia's city, what will you do? Well, hiring a Private driver guide Croatia is the best alternative.

They can help you with sightseeing, booking hotels, etc. So you will require a private driver to explore the whole city.

With the help of a driver cum your guide, you can know about the city, and he can also take you to the important places where you can enjoy it completely. You don't have to worry about the routes and destination because the private driver knows how to handle things properly.

There are holistic attractions in Croatia, and spending a great trip with your beloved on is awesome.

So having a Private transfer split to Dubrovnik is always the finest alternative. The pleasant view of waterfalls, lush green valleys, culture, and custom of Croatia markets, all you will get after having a certified, experienced, and genuine private driver-guide in Croatia.

[olympic2020tickets]

Olympic Ice Hockey: IIHF releases locations for 2021 World Championships, including Olympic qualifying tournaments

The IIHF officially assigned the locations for the 2021 World Championships at all levels following an Extra-Ordinary Congress. They officially approved Halifax and Truro hosting, after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. The proposed dates are April 7-17 in 2021.

Winter Olympic fans from all over the world are called to book Winter Olympic 2020 tickets from our online platforms for Winter Olympic Tickets. Olympic Ice Hockey fans can book Olympic Ice Hockey Tickets from our ticketing marketplace exclusively on reduced prices.

Two of the three lower division 2021 Championships will also be held where the 2020 tournament would have been held. The Division I, Group A tournament will be in Anger, France. Division II, Group B championships will still be in Jaca, Spain.

The sole tournament to change is Division I, Group B, which moved to Beijing and is currently slated to be played in the arenas to be used for the Winter Olympic games as a test event. The 2020 edition was planned for Katowice, Poland.

The Division II Group B tournament will be in Zagreb, Croatia, and the Division III tournament will be in Kaunas, Lithuania. Both of those levels were able to play their 2020 tournaments as they were played in February 2020 and December 2019, respectively. Estonia is returning to the senior level while Bosnia & Herzegovina join the women’s senior category for 2021.

Olympic qualifying tournaments

In April, the IIHF published its rankings which seeded sides for the 2022 Olympics and placed the first six teams into the 10-team tournament, the first year of the expanded field. Also, China, as the host nation, received a spot as the sixth team to qualify thus far. Three spots remain open.

USA, Canada, Finland, Russia, Switzerland were the top five teams and placed in Group A. Japan was the sixth seed and will be in Group B, along with China. The three qualifying teams will go into Group B as well.

According to the IIHF, 31 countries submitted a team to the Olympic Winter Games and Qualification. The countries ranked seven through 15 were guaranteed spots into the Final Qualification Round with the top seeds among them having the right to host.

In each round, the winners of each group move on to the next round, filling the “Qualifier #” spot in the listed countries. The country that wins Groups C, D, and E will qualify for the Olympics. As a note, the IIHF release named Norway in both Group C and D, but it would seem as if Denmark should be in Group D.

Olympic 2020 admirers can get Winter Olympic Tickets through our trusted online ticketing market place. Sportticketexchange.com is the most dependable way to book Olympic Packages.

[usuallyhauntednight]

Zagreb - history of the Croatian capital

The beginnings of the town date back to the 8th century, when the Slavs established the settlement of Gradec. It was a place where craft and trade developed intensively.  In the 11th century Kaptol was founded on a neighbouring hill.

This center was inhabited mainly by clergy and its development was concentrated around St. Stephen's Cathedral. Formally, the two cities are not merged in Zagreb until 1850, although the capital of the country has been called since 1557.

Historical districts of the Croatian capital

Visiting the tourist attractions of the city of Zagreb (official website) is facilitated by concentrating the most important monuments in the area of the city center, which consists of three districts. Historical Gradec and Kaptol together form Gornji Grad, are filled with wonderfully preserved monuments, and the third is Donji Grad, created in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century located on their southern side.

Visiting historic districts of the Capital of Croatia

The tour of the oldest part of the city should start with St. Stephen's Cathedral. The original temple was, significantly destroyed by an earthquake. The current appearance is the result of the 19th century reconstruction. The cathedral's distinguishing feature is undoubtedly two 110-metre high belfries. Near the cathedral there is the Archbishop's Palace. After visiting the cathedral, it is worth going in the direction of Dolac, where a colourful vegetable and fruit market takes place every day. After leaving the market we go to the Bloody Bridge, with which we leave Kaptol and go to Gradec. Crossing the most famous promenade of Zagreb we head north.

We pass the monument of St. George fighting the dragon and reach the unusual Stone Gate. The Stone Gate is famous throughout Croatia for its miraculous painting from the 17th century. The painting depicting Our Lady and Child survived an intact fire that completely destroyed the wooden gate. Nearby, there is the Parliament building and the President's office, before which every Saturday and Sunday there is a ceremonial change of guards at noon.

Going south we have the opportunity to visit St. Catherine's Church, where there are examples of wonderfully preserved illusionist paintings. Going further we should necessarily go to the square Lotrščak tower, from where we can admire the panorama of the town. The trip is also unforgettable thanks to the extraordinary cable car from 1891, which connects Gradec with the Lower Town.

[noromannet-blog]

The 10 best Christmas markets in Europe

Christmas in Europe feels different and special. There are few cities that have Christmas markets and that delight both large and small. If you are going to travel to the Old Continent at this time of the year, a recommendation is to create a road map to visit various spots in Europe, because in each country the Christmas spirit is lived differently. If you are thinking of enjoying different parties this December, discover the 10 best Christmas markets in Europe.

1. Colmar, France

The Alsace region occupies the northeast of the country. Among all the Christmas markets that we can find in France, that of Colmar stands out as one of the best known. And not only in the country, but it has also become so famous, that it already has a well-deserved position in the lists of the most beautiful Christmas markets in all of Europe. Colmar has a curiosity that makes it a special city, to the west with Germany, there are few German customs that have inherited its inhabitants, these are even more abundant than Latin. Colmar is one of the Christmas cities that is most worth visiting. In addition, it is one of the most charming villages in France and that transports us to those stories we read as children. You will not be able to resist the smells and flavors of the Christmas market in Colmar. Its half-timbered houses, which already attract attention by themselves, are decorated with colored lights to shelter the beautiful market that makes its way to its feet. Without a doubt, the perfect place to enjoy the mulled wine and other delights of the area in the street.

2. Zagreb, Croatia

Traveling to Croatia at Christmas is one of those things you should do at least once in your life. The Zagreb Christmas market stands out for being one of the most recognized, becoming one of the best Christmas markets, receiving even an award that accredits it for three consecutive years. Although we normally connect the country with long beaches and very marked coastal tourism, we cannot forget the city in winter. Zagreb is a capital that stands out for maintaining a very strong European center style. This makes Christmas markets one of their best-kept treasures and that they are enjoyed to the fullest. This holiday season is where we will find a greater number of tourists, which has made its Christmas market become one of the most important in Europe. As a curiosity, we must bear in mind that it is not just one, but we can find a market in each tourist spot in the city.

3. Nuremberg, Germany

If we talk about the most beautiful cities in Germany at Christmas, Nuremberg should be at the top of the list. Its most important Christmas market is the one located in Market Square. As a curiosity, everything is so beautiful and every detail is taken care of perfectly, as there are prizes for the best wooden stalls. This makes it one of the most careful Christmas markets in Europe and that receives more visitors each year. There are a few things that we can find in this particular market. Do you feel like trying the real gingerbread? Do you prefer to buy handmade toys or various pieces of decoration for this Christmas? Everything and more is what you can find among its alleyways. When you finish taking the walk through the whole network of bungalows, do not forget to stop and taste the delicious German sausages that you can find in many stalls, bathing them with a comforting hot wine. You will want to come back!

4. Bolzano, Italy

Bolzano is an alpine town in Italy that has a marked Christmas tradition. If we talk about the best Christmas markets in Europe, there is no doubt that this Italian town must be present on the list. This romantic medieval settlement already attracts attention by itself. However, if we add to its natural charm how it is decorated when Christmas approaches, we will achieve an explosive result. Two markets are those that meet in this town every Christmas. One is the largest, the other is the oldest. That is, both stand out equally. Although enjoying a beautiful snowy Christmas is a strange thing in the Italian country, thanks to its Alpine characteristic, Bolzano is one of those villages where we can enjoy the beautiful snowy peaks while we impregnate the best Christmas spirit. One of the cities to visit in Europe this Christmas to enjoy something different.

5. Strasbourg, France

If we talk about a Christmas city par excellence in Europe that is Strasbourg. Strasbourg has a Christmas market that stands out above the rest and where you can breathe an atmosphere full of romanticism. The entire city turns over during the last month of the year to welcome and unite through its narrow streets full of charm an impressive Christmas market that extends throughout the center, delighting visitors and locals alike. One of the things you should do yes or yes if you visit the Christmas market in Strasbourg is to try their delicious mulled wine. It will help you get warm and, if you taste it in the enclave of the old square, it will automatically transport you to another older time. We can not forget the delicious crêpes, which here we can taste both sweet and savory and accompanied by other rich products such as jam or fresh fruits.

6. Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm at Christmas is a city that develops and acquires a special charm. The city of Stockholm in December gives its best, especially in the old part of the capital. The streets decorated with hundreds of lights, the Christmas spirit, the garlands that crown the establishments, etc. they confer a romanticism difficult to match at other times of the year. The one in the capital of Sweden is one of the Christmas markets in Europe that stand out most thanks to its already extensive experience since it has been active since 1914. Here we can find all kinds of Christmas ornaments, as well as various wooden toys made to hand and endless events and attractions with which to live to the fullest one of the most important parties in the Old Continent. Its marked Christmas spirit, its traditions, and its romanticism make Stockholm one of the best places to spend Christmas in Europe.

7. Tallinn, Estonia

One of the things you should keep in mind if you are going to travel to Tallinn at Christmas is that, after living the first-person experience, you will most likely want to repeat at any other time in your life. If the city already has a special charm throughout the year, it is at Christmas time where it makes a display of all that capacity to capture the attention of visitors and locals that knows how to take advantage of it. This Christmas market is installed in the city of Tallinn approximately one month before the holidays so that anyone who is here can enjoy it or come expressly to admire it. Christmas sweets stand out in the stalls. However, surely what he manages to fall in love with, especially the little ones, is the small zoo that rides in it. Here we can enjoy reindeer and geese and the occasional animal. In addition, we will also have fun thanks to the various dances and performances. Without a doubt, a different Christmas that you will not forget.

8. London, England

If we make a list, London is also one of those cities that is worth visiting at Christmas. It is true that the English capital deserves a visit at any time of the year, but in December it is when it is more beautiful thanks to the decorations, lights and all the Christmas charm. London has the most impressive Christmas markets in Europe. The most advisable thing is to visit the Winter Wonderland, but in the city, you can find many more since the month of November. In Trafalgar Square, we can enjoy the fir that the Norwegians give each year to the English people as thanks for their participation in World War II. There are few streets that are closed to traffic on these dates to house the various markets that meet in the center of the capital. To enjoy all the charms of these markets, the idea is to make a route highlighting the most important tourist points of the city.

9. Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen at Christmas has that "I don't know what" that fills it with charm. It already stands out for being one of the happiest cities in the world. Therefore, when the Christmas spirit reaches its streets we cannot imagine anything better. In addition to the fact that its Christmas markets are among the most important in Europe, we cannot forget that this time of year is ideal for visiting one of the European cities that receives more tourists every year. In addition to the spectacular Tivoli Amusement Park, the stores also want to take advantage of and capture the attention of visitors and locals by putting in their shop windows a succulent and elegant Christmas decoration. Buy, eat, rest. All this and much more we can do at this time of year if we get lost between the streets of the city. Lights, garlands and endless Christmas decorations will welcome us in each of the parts of Copenhagen inviting us to celebrate with the Danes one of their favorite times.

10. Zurich, Switzerland

If we talk about spending a Christmas in Switzerland we cannot prevent the mind from evoking how beautiful the city of Zurich is at Christmas. There are different Christmas markets that are distributed throughout the city center, so it is good to take a guide to not miss anything. In the train station and in front of the Opera building is where we find Rapperswil-Jona, one of the largest. Here we can get lost, try different types of food and, of course, buy any of the things we find and get our attention. Those in Zurich are one of the most important Christmas markets in Switzerland, which makes it worthwhile to enjoy every step you take in the city. If you have finished your purchases at the Opera Market, you can finish a beautiful day full of meaning ice skating on the track that is right next door. Undoubtedly, a different way to enjoy Christmas that stands out above other European corners and not only for the markets, because there are other related attractions in the city such as the Santa Claus train. Do we go for a walk? Read the full article

[wikitopx]

The main square divides the hilly Upper Town – museums, institutions of national importance, panoramic views – from the flat, grid-patterned streets of the Lower Town, with its gastronomic landmarks, designer boutiques and art galleries.

Take a tour of Mirogoj

A 15-minute journey from Kaptol, Mirogoj is also an architectural gem. Behind a series of green, onion-shaped cupolas, which cap ivy-covered brick walls, are tiled arcades, monuments to Croatia’s most prominent citizens.

Don't miss: The best time to visit is on All Souls’ Day, November 1, when everything is shrouded in a halo of candlelight.

Dander round the daily market

Farmer from surrounding village comes to sell their home-made foodstuffs, the freshest fruit and vegetables you willl ever taste.

Don't miss: In the covered market downstairs are butchers, fishmongers and old ladies selling the local speciality sir i vrhnje (cheese and cream). Flowers and lace are also widely available.

Admire great art at the MSU

What is it? The MCA – MSU in Croatian – is the most significant museum to open in Zagreb for more than a century. Its collection includes pieces from the 1920s and gathered since 1954 when Zagreb's original MCA (in Upper Town) was founded.

Why go? Croatia's exceptional 1950s era of abstract-geometric specialists (Ivan Picelj, Aleksandar Srnec, Vjenceslav Richter, Vlado Kristl) plays a featuring part within the collection, nearby photos and movies recording the more freakish tricks of incredible execution specialists like Tom Gotovac and Vlasta Delimar. The new-media and computer-art works produced by the Zagreb-based New Tendencies movement in the late '60s and early 70s reveals just how ahead-of-its-time much of Croatian art really was.

Don't miss: Of particular note are Carsten Höller's slides, similar to the 'Test Site' installation he built for Tate Modern's Turbine Hall but custom-made and site-specific for Zagreb – pieces of art patrons can ride to the parking lot.

Marvel at the Cathedral

If Zagreb has an iconic feature, it’s the twin towers of its Cathedral, created by Hermann Bollé after an earthquake struck the city in 1880.

The Cathedral is Zagreb’s most visible tourist attraction. Though much of the exterior has long been veiled behind construction sheathing, the neo-Gothic twin towers are visible over the city and are as close as Zagreb gets to a visual identity worthy of calling-card status. They were added by architect Hermann Bollé in the post-1880 rebuild, while the interior received neo-gothic altars, 19th-century stained glass, and a relief by Ivan Meštrović that marks the resting place of controversial Croatian Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac.

Don't miss: The statue of Christ by the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović.

Browse Britanski trg

What is it? On Sundays the fruit and veg stalls that fill Britanski trg during the week are cleared away, and an attractive bric-a-brac and antique market is laid out.

Why go? In total, some 100 stallholders trade goods from first thing in the morning. Paintings, jewellery, old currency, badges, glass bottles, posters, crockery, silver, old farming tools and religious icons are all on display on wooden trestle tables. The morning is also a social occasion, locals gathering at nearby cafés such as Kava Tava to gossip and show off their purchases.

Don't miss: Look out for Yugoslavian film posters and original screen prints by Croatian graphic artists like Boris Bućan.

Go green at the Botanical Gardens

What is it? The Botanical Gardens form the east-west anchor of the ��Green Horseshoe’, a U-shaped band of greenery laid out by Milan Lenuci in the 19th century. Approciate 10,000 plant species come mainly from Croatia, a few from as far as Asia.

Why go? Near but removed from the bustle of the train station, it offers a wonderfully relaxing way to escape with your travelling companion amid the plots, plants, footbridges, lakes and ponds.

Don't miss: The English-style arboretum, and containing rock gardens, lily-pad-covered ponds, symmetrical French-inspired flowerbeds and ten glasshouses.

Go underground at Grič

What is it? Opened as a tourist attraction in 2016, the 350-metre-long Grič tunnel once served the city in extremely different ways. Created as an air-raid shelter during World War II, it lay empty for decades until the earliest days of techno when hosted the seminal Under City Raves. Also in the 1990s, it again saw use as an air-raid shelter.

Why go? Accessed from Mesnička, the Grič tunnel has already put on fashion shows and exhibitions, and plans call for a Museum of the Senses to beset up here. For the time being, it provides an atmospheric however well lit 5-minute walk far below the most historic part of Zagreb.

Don't miss: The tunnel forms a part of the Advent festival when it's illuminated with swirls of sparkling Christmas lights.

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/things-to-do-in-zagreb-701722.html

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“NOTHING HAS REMAINED of those times,” writes Daša Drndić in the final pages of her last book about the generation that built the postwar Yugoslavia and who then lived to see it fall apart in civil wars. EEG is narrated by Drndić’s literary alias Andreas Ban, known to the readers from Belladonna, but Ban’s father Rudolf has much in common with Ljubo Drndić, Istrian anti-fascist resistance leader and a prominent figure of the liberal wing of the Yugoslav communist government after the war. In EEG, we learn of Rudolf’s last days: in an old people’s home, in poverty, alone. Drndić mockingly spoke of the contemporary English-language fictional pursuit of “well-rounded characters” and “well-told stories,” but Rudolf is a beautifully rendered character and the most sympathetic one of the Belladonna/EEG diptych. The society that he helped build has gone, and he is on his way, too. Likewise, when those of us born before the 1980s die off, so will the living memory of a unique society — the experiment in equality and fraternity (but only sometimes liberty) that was Yugoslavia.

Like Drndić herself, Ban spent most of his adult life in Belgrade, the Yugoslav and Serbian capital. Drndić was an established radio drama producer when, in the late ’80s, the nationalists within the Communist Party’s ranks took over the institutions and led the workers out into the streets. The introduction of the multiparty system in Yugoslavia ushered in the era of nationalism. Planned economy was abandoned, public ownership of manufacturing and banking transitioned to private ownership in the manner of the Wild West. The newly converted nationalists and free-marketers proceeded to reshape the society. Federal institutions located in Belgrade (and its embassies abroad) became Serbian, including the army. Slovenia and Croatia were the first to separate. Drndić and her daughter, as did Andreas and his son, connected with a Serb who was looking to leave Croatia and they swapped apartments. She packed her Belgrade life (the Ban equivalent of the customs’ declaration listing their possessions can be found in Belladonna) and headed to Istria the roundabout way, across Hungary — as the federal army was already at war in Croatia.

This annus horribilis is the background to all of Drndić’s writing currently available in English. Leica Format is told by a female narrator and it shares the texture of much of Drndić’s other post-Yugoslav work, including the Andreas Ban diptych: a writer in forced exile in her old home country, infuriated by its parochialism and xenophobia, takes short trips to European cities and longer trips into history to document the atrocities just under the surface of this civilized continent. There are no traditional dialogues. The conversations take place between the victims of crimes against humanity, between victims and their murderers, or between an imaginary tribunal and the perpetrators of crimes who reintegrated into civic life.

Other writers visit the narrator to interject or whisper in her/his ears — Thomas Bernhard, Witold Gombrowicz, Joseph Roth, T. S. Eliot, Baudelaire, Beckett, Pessoa. More frequently, we are in the company of recurring characters: close or distant family members, friends from the Belgrade life, the exiled, the dying and the already dead, the survivors, all entangled in politics and history of the region. Andreas Ban of EEG tells of an old love affair with Leila, but this brief excursion into privacy takes us through the history of chess to the 1930s Baltic, and the Soviet and Nazi atrocities committed there. Love affairs are “most often boring, standard and in terms of content intolerably repetitive,” Ban explains. As Drndić’s own literary criticism (collected in After Eight) and interviews attest, she considered storytelling framed within families or couples outside history and politics rather old-fashioned and a waste of literary effort.

And no wonder, as withdrawal into private life and its corresponding literature, is a luxury comparatively few have enjoyed in the course of the South Slav history. Where I grew up, in Montenegro, a stable middle class emerged, paradoxically, only under communism, after World War II, and so did the novel (the largest urban areas of Serbia and Croatia did get the novel earlier, in the 19th century). Montenegrin aristocracy, peasantry, and the slight middle class relied on poetry as the nation’s literary vernacular, and there are to this day more poets than novelists in Montenegro.

The more intimist Drndić, who indeed wrote about love, sex, and the freedom to date whomever a young woman wants, is hidden in her out-of-print first novel published in Serbian, Put do subote (Belgrade, 1982). It’s a lively, nonlinear, concise novel narrated by a young Belgrade painter of Croatian origin who follows her husband to Switzerland but returns home without him and starts dating again, without much fulfillment or pleasure. She has an abortion, the event told as painful and isolating, but not traumatic. The book is for the most part in the comic mode, which is at odds with Drndić of later years. It’s a novel that emerged out of a much different, hope-filled society.

“It’s 1955 and critic Matko Peić says to painter Josip Vaništa: ‘You’re mistaken to think that in one of your strolls through Zagreb you’ll run into Marcel Proust. Remember: there’s no Proust here!’” writes post-Yugoslav Berlin-based expat writer Bora Ćosić in his memoir revisiting the Balkans, Put na Aljasku. “From this spot where we’re standing in Zrinjevac park, to the Black Sea, there’s only a house with a straw roof, muddy back yard, axe in a tree stump, maybe a rooster. Then: nothing. Followed by a house, yard, axe […] and in that vein all the way to the Danube, the sea.”

Exaggeration, but not by much, though in 1955, 10 years after the liberation from the German and Italian occupation and the communist takeover, the landscapes were already filling in, the new country modernizing and its multinational culture emerging out of the mud and ashes of World War II. The decades of Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia have arguably been the only period of tranquility in the region. When it all fell apart in the ’90s, hundreds of thousands of people emigrated as refugees or migrants for economic and political reasons, as did Ćosić (who appears as a friend in EEG and April in Berlin), Dubravka Ugrešić, David Albahari, and Aleksandar Hemon.

Drndić left too, and settled with her daughter in Toronto, Canada. The book of personal essays Umiranje u Torontu (Croatia 1997; Serbia, 2018) and the more novelistic Canzone di guerra (Meandar, Croatia 1998; free digital book here) cover this period. Toronto also appears in Andreas Ban’s memories. Dying in Toronto chronicles the odd jobs, unemployment, food banks, secondhand clothes, brutal summer and winter temperatures, smog, and the then-still-polluted Lake Ontario. After two years, the narrator and her daughter return to Croatia, where the war has finished.

When Drndić settles for good in Istria on the Croatian coast — as Andreas Ban did with his son Leo in EEG and Belladonna — a different set of problems await. She may have been too Croatian for the Milošević-era Belgrade, but for Croatia of the 1990s she was not Croatian enough. Her (and Ban’s) degrees are not from Croatian universities, her papers are in Cyrillic, the way she speaks and writes too Yugoslav. Andreas Ban frequently hits a conversational wall when he uses a Serbian variant of a word in his new/old home country that’s urgently purging the culture. Ban’s disdain for his homeland and his hometown Rijeka is relentless and multifarious, sometimes comic, more often dark. In this he is a twin to Thomas Bernhard’s furious narrators of Austria, its parochialism, its burghers, and its self-serving memory of World War II. (Drndić’s essays on Bernhard in After Eight are delectable.) Anti-patriotism is the only position from which Andreas Ban can speak — that is, the incessant questioning of one’s nation and a permanent awareness of its wrongs. In the part of the world such as the South Slav Balkans, which have seen a succession of authoritarian regimes of the right and the left, it is a matter of moral urgency not to lend one’s literary voice to the nation-building.

Ban doesn’t reserve his grim documentarian eye for Croatia only; wherever he travels, he sees the scars. Just a few decades ago, the elegant, art-rich European cities and their bucolic surroundings have been places with functioning concentration and labor camps; their universities have been propaganda arms, their largest corporations engines of war, and their hospitals and orphanages labs for eugenics. But not even Ban sees everything. The admirable obsessive streak in documenting and naming the victims of fascist violence and civilian quietism that normalizes it does not exist to the same degree in Drndić’s books with regards to the crimes by communist regimes. It is there of course — the Soviet crimes in the Baltic are documented in EEG, and in April in Berlin it detours from the KGB prison in Potsdam to the polar circle gulag town Vorkuta. But Stalinist or Maoist or Eastern European brutalities behind the Iron Curtain occupy much less space on the narrative radar, as any Drndić completist will notice.

I expect the reason for this is our global condition in the last 20 years, as well as the politics in Croatia and the western Balkans. It is not communism that’s on the rise around the world, nor is it likely to be; it’s the hardening right wing and authoritarian populism, the suspicion of the outsider’s differences, and not the calls for wealth redistribution or equality of opportunity. Drndić would probably argue, as her opus certainly does, that the default human instincts are fascist, not communist. What does one write about while Trump is in the White House, Bolsonaro in Brazil, Putin ensconced in Russia, many East European countries back into the reactionary fold, China now an illiberal capitalist society? And one’s own country, Croatia, as Andreas Ban is heard fuming in EEG, “basking in a swamp of historical revisionism that is becoming fascistized and ustasha-ized […] entranced by abstractions such as the homeland and the Church.”

The flaws and crimes of the communist Yugoslavia are not entirely missing from the historical perspectives of Drndić’s Bernhardian curmudgeons, but they get modest airtime. The rigged postwar elections get a mention in EEG, as do the memories of the stressful ups and downs of Rudi Ban’s career as a high-ranking government employee. The politics from the time of SFR Yugoslavia are largely missing from the narration: when the Yugoslav past appears, it’s through the memories of the loved ones who are gone, and irretrievable moments of a once-peaceful life. It’s as if the stable decades of Yugoslavia where much but not everything was possible, gave Andreas Ban a private life — that most coveted Balkan phenomenon. And yet I close her erudite, compassionate books feeling that more should have been said on Yugoslavia. That it should not have been largely skipped as an island of relative sanity in the long line of historical misfortune. I say this as someone who admires many of its unlikely historical accomplishments and still calls it her country of origin. What needs problematizing about Yugoslavia is hard to do from the position of an anti-nationalist left, but not impossible. Literature is getting there: Ivana Sajko’s History of My Family from 1941 to 1991 and Later (Meandar, Croatia, 2009) for example.

The post-liberation reprisals, the rigged elections, the labor camp for suspected Stalinists, the expropriation of private property, the limited freedom of speech and art, the post-1974 worker self-management, and the red bourgeoisie — the New Class that Milovan Djilas wrote about in 1957 and which Marina Abramović psychoanalyzes in her 2016 memoir Walk Through Walls — are all as much Yugoslavia as are its redoubtable liberation from fascist occupation, the successful modernization of a largely agrarian society, its openness to the world, and its imperfect but functioning multiculturalism. The furthest Drndić went into problematizing the inner workings of Yugoslavia is the second novella in the recently translated Doppelgänger, which features offspring of the Yugoslav red bourgeoisie, one Printz/Pupi Dvorsky (name translates literally as “prince of the court”) whose mind seems to be disintegrating after the old country. It’s a strange little book, its tone veering between disdain and pity.

There is however a less visible but more fundamental way in which the Yugoslav 1940s war of liberation structures and haunts all of Drndić’s books. Unlike much of Europe, Yugoslavia liberated itself: through organized partisan guerrilla warfare which gradually overthrew the puppet governments and gained recognition from the Allies. The conversation among the South Slavs over whether they should have just withdrawn into their private lives and sat the occupation out (as much of Europe did) have been going on at least since the late 1980s. Would a quiet occupation have resulted in fewer German reprisals, the survival of the parliamentary system, and a postwar fate much like Austria’s or Greece’s? Or would it have allowed the Red Army to plunk the country behind the Iron Curtain? There is inherent worth to resistance, Drndić reminds us — it is sometimes, calculations aside, the only thing to do. Her books achieve this indirectly by documenting at length what happens when too many of us only want to continue living our lives and doing our jobs while the world is burning. Her Trieste is about a family that minded its own business and stayed out of trouble while the Italian Jews were being taken to camps and local children stolen for Himmler’s Lebensborn project. “There are civilians in war. They do not fight. Civilians live. Civilians do their best to go on as if nothing were happening. As if life were beautiful. As if they were children,” is how Haya Tedeschi, Trieste’s protagonist, sees it. In April in Berlin, the narrator meets a man whose relatives owned the engineering firm that made crematoria for the Nazi government. “But they weren’t anti-Semite, they weren’t Nazis. They were normal people, in a regular engineering firm,” he tells her.

Those who resist will work against the inertia, and the understandable human eagerness to heal and selectively remember. When in Trieste the members of the Tedeschi family return to Italy after the war and burn the nominal fascist party membership cards, two authors interrupt the proceedings:

After the war there are no heroes, the dead are forgotten immediately, pipes up Jean Giono. The widows of heroes marry living men, because these men are alive and because being alive is a greater virtue than being a dead hero. After a war, says Giono, there are no heroes, there are only the maimed, the crippled, the disfigured, from whom women avert their eyes, he says. When a war ends, everyone forgets the war, even those who fought in it. And so it should be, says Giono. Because war is pointless, and there should be no devotion for those who have dedicated themselves to the pointless, he says.

But this is a book by Daša Drndić, so it can’t end there. “Listen, Romain Rolland says, war is not over, nothing is over; humankind is in fetters.”

¤

Lydia Perović is a Toronto-based writer and arts journalist who grew up in former Yugoslavia. Her most recent book is the novella All That Sang (Véhicule Press, Montreal).

The post When We Were Brothers: On the Writing of Daša Drndić appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books http://bit.ly/2IgXDH2

[touristguidebuzz]

Featured Traveler: Veronika Hradilikova of Travelgeekery.com

Out of Town Blog Featured Traveler: Veronika Hradilikova of Travelgeekery.com

Veronika Hradilikova of Travelgeekery.com

Veronika is a Czech girl happily living in Prague and exploring the world from there.

Veronika in Santiago de Chile

Learn more about Veronika Hradilikova by reading her answers to few of our travel related questions:

When did you start blogging, Why do you blog?

I started my blog more than 3 years ago. I wanted to share my travel experiences and do ‘something more’ related to travel, than just travel. If that makes sense:)

Tell us more about your hometown.

My hometown is Prerov, a small city in Moravia in the Czech Republic. It’s a region known for wine and rolling hills, however in my hometown we brew beer! I love the city and visit my family there frequently, but prefer to live in Prague. There’s more going on and there’s an airport

Veronika Hradilikova in Kalanggaman Island Philippines

When did you start traveling, inspirations?

I come from a family who didn’t travel. It was nearly impossible in the communist Czechoslovakia. So after a few trips to the sea (all Czechs drive to Croatia) during my childhood and teenage years, I knew I had to explore more. I loved learning foreign languages so my motivation was to go to places where the languages I learned were spoken. I went to study abroad to Finland, then to Germany and China, and haven’t stopped travelling since then.

Lessons you learned on the road?

Everything works out in the end. It doesn’t matter if your flight is delayed, if you miss a train, if there’s a grumpy employee you can’t get information from.. Don’t let it frustrate you and just roll with the punches. Seemingly hopeless situations often open other windows of opportunity. Serendipity does its magic, you experience hospitality of locals… You just have to trust everything’s going to be fine.

Destinations on your Bucket List?

I don’t keep a bucket list, it’s so hard to do! The famous attractions get crowds of tourists and even though it’s amazing to see them, one can often hardly enjoy the atmosphere. I have countries that I want to see sooner than others, but other than that, I’m just jumping at every opportunity whether there’s a flight sale, a foreign friend’s wedding or just any occasion to explore a place.

Veronika in Cochin India

Beach or Mountain?

Can I do both? Coming from a landlocked country, the sea never stops amazing me. However, after a few days spent on the beach, with the sun burning my fair skin, I long for mountains. Lush mountains with incredible views give you another level of sense of wonder. I love that.

How often do you travel by air/land?

I travel each month and it’s usually a combination of different modes of transport. I often explore Europe, as it’s easy to fly or travel by train elsewhere out of Prague. For bigger trips outside Europe, I tend to go about 3x per year.

What’s your favorite airport? 

Airports are cool everywhere unless you’re flying low-cost and get a terminal strapped of all fun. Recently I liked the newish terminal buildings in Madrid, Spain and Zagreb, Croatia.

Veronika in Easter Island

What is your favorite Hotel? 

I stay at Airbnbs about 70% of my time. I feel like a local when staying at someone’s apartment. From recent hotel stays, I won’t forget Dan Hotels – be it in Eilat or Haifa, both in Israel. Very beautiful and the breakfast was to kill for.

What is your preferred Airline? 

Honestly, I don’t know. It used to be Emirates, but recently I’ve had a few not-so-pleasant experiences. But the truth is that I usually let the price of a flight decide, so it’s no wonder I end up with low quality. 

How do you beat jet lag / Motion sickness?  

I’m one of the lucky ones who don’t suffer from jet lag. Really. If I fly westwards, I tend to use it to my advantage and wake up early to see the sunrise!

Veronika in Valencia Spain

What are your favorite travel gadgets? 

I have a great travel pillow that I like for napping – it’s called BCozzy and nicely wraps around the neck to support the head. I’ve used it even when camping.

Apart from that, I never leave home without my travel wallet, which looks like a folded sheet of paper. It’s called paperwallet and it’s very durable.

Any Tips on how to travel light?  

Oh yes, in fact, I’ve written a whole blog post on the topic recently! I’ve always had packing issues. Over time, I’ve managed to pack lightly at least for my European trips. CabinZero is the bag that made it happen for me. 

Best Backpack Brand? 

CabinZero

Top 3 Philippine Destinations?

To be honest, I haven’t seen enough of the Philippines. I loved the Kalanggaman Island, that little piece of paradise. I enjoyed Cebu, mainly its food market. Tacloban and the province of Leyte hold a special place in my heart as well. The spirit of the people there is unbreakable and I admire them for that.

Things you love about the Philippines?

The people! There are not many places in the world where the locals would be as lovely as in the Philippines. 

Things you hate about the Philippines?

This is a hard one.. I don’t know, perhaps the congested traffic in Manila.

What made you decide to visit the Philippines?

I’ve been dreaming of visiting the Philippines for quite a while, especially for the beaches. I also met a few friendly Filipinos at a TBEX in Stockholm and especially one lady kept convincing me to come. So I jumped on the opportunity once a TBEX was held there.

Veronika in Cesky Krumlov Czech Republic

Top 3 International Destinations?

You know the feeling when you really get to know a place once you’ve lived there for an extended period of time? That’s why I left my heart in Finland, China and Berlin.

Favorite Travel Quote?

To travel is to live. – Hans Christian Andersen

See Also:

Featured Traveler: Matthew Bailey of LiveLimitless.net

Live the Dream: Why you should start working on your bucket list and how!

Signs That You Are a Born Travel Writer

Featured Traveler: Veronika Hradilikova of Travelgeekery.com Melo Villareal

[blogholidaydesire4u-blog]

Don't Miss These Things at the Croatia Christmas Markets!

I was surprised and eager to know about the Christmas scene in Croatia. If mulled wine, decorations, souvenirs and illuminated shops are on your mind, you're right in your thinking. Since long, Christmas markets have been a custom in several Croatian cities and I bet, you've got a good excuse to hang out with your loved ones despite the freezing climate. Apart from the charming Christmas markets, there are other happenings in Croatia.

A New Dawn in Zagreb

Famed as the best Christmas Market, the Advent in Zagreb is spread out several locations, all over Zagreb. Well, you do need a few days in hand to explore them. Why not begin your exploration from Zagreb's central hub - Ban Jelacic square. You will enjoy the music here along with hot sausage and mulled wine. You can take a walk towards Zrinjevac and buy a souvenir. Don't forget to cuddle Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer.

Families love to flock into Tomislav Square and amuse themselves at the huge skating rink.

For food lovers hotspots such as Gajeva, Bogoviceva, Petriceva and Varsavska street are crammed with food, souvenirs and clothes with colourful Christmas motifs.

There are other districts that offer a more contemporary Christmas approach. Tomiceva Street brims with European delicacies; whereas Kurelceva Street calls all music and dance lovers. To shop for some souvenirs, head to Marticeva Street or towards Oktogon to get updated regarding the latest fashion in town. Christmas Market scene is not all about fun and frivolities. To admire the nativity scene, Kaptol is the best place in the entire Croatian town.

Jazz and illumination go together in Gradec. Visit the Gric Tunnel to marvel at the art and unique lighting. Relish authentic Christmas food along with some soul-filling Jazz music.

If you are into classical music, Oktogon hosts a classical event in remembrance of Strauss, while several balconies around Oktogon are filled up with classical music lovers. Your eyes will surely fall on pepper and honey cookies that almost look and taste like gingerbread. To soak up the romantic ambience explore Courtyards. It's quiet and emits an ancient feel.

What is Christmas without a fair? The Zagreb fair was once an eventful spot, but now it is famous as a Santa Clause castle with a skating rink and park. Do not miss the contemporary art exhibition along with food, drinks, music, and a large Christmas tree. Visit this place from 26th November 2017 till January 8th, 2018 to enjoy the best of Christmas Markets.

 SalajLand

SalajLand is a winter wonderland, a unique Christmas park located in Grabovnica. You'll find all that you associate Christmas with. Get ready to meet Santa Claus, the reindeer, smurfs, nativity scene, snowmen, penguins, and bears in this 15-acre fairy tale park that wondrously lights up at night with 2.5 million Christmas lights. Your kids will love it. The fireworks are worth watching. Just grab a mulled wine or tea along with grilled chicken or pork. You can visit this place from 2nd December 2017 till 15th February 2018.

The Winter Fest at Dubrovnik

If it's winter, the coastal towns are absolutely quiet. Dubrovnik, on the other hand, gets wilder and jubilant moving away from the Mediterranean flavour. The Dubrovnik Winter Festival is one of the longest Croatian winter events, beginning a week before Advent, lingers into Festival of St. Blaise and even Valentine's Day, ending with Dubrovnik Fair.

Either marvel at the decorations, food stalls and souvenirs or enjoy art pageant and concerts. Make sure you visit this charming spot from November till March and drown in the Christmas fervour.

A Different Beat in Osijek

The aroma of fish, wine and cookies will keep you glued to this place. That's how the locals of Osijek celebrate Christmas. Though the advent in Osijek takes place in several places, the one at Tvrda is the main one. Be enthralled with cabins, Christmas trees, carousels and music. On top of these, taking part in the Christmas tree decoration competition will be quite exciting.

Adventura 2017

This one place will stand out to be unique. Adventura is a 'plastic-free' event in Croatia. No matter what you buy, everything is biodegradable.  Usually, things are easy here. Adventura is divided into three sections. At one place you'll find a concert platform with drinks and food, on the second there is a souvenir cabin, while at the third you'll be amused with Santa Claus workshop and puppet theatres. Make sure you're there from 9th December till 1st January.

Croatia might not be the first place that pops up in your mind while planning a Christmas Market tour. Forgetting what all you've seen and heard, that's the place you should visit. A few markets are award-winning and you’ll not want to miss out Croatia’s top Christmas markets!

[the-travel-guide-blog]

10 Signs You Need to Go on Vacation to Europe

Europe is big and can seem overwhelming when you consider all the places you can visit. But skipping out on Europe is to miss out on a huge, beautiful part of the world. It’s full of art, history, culture, charming vistas, mouthwatering food and drink and of course, an enviable way of life. So the next time you catch yourself staring longingly outside your office window, consider that you may have contracted the very infectious, yet highly curable disease known as Europe Deprevationitis. Not sure you’ve got it? Well, here are 10 signs you need to go on vacation to Europe. Take us there now, please?

1. You have a desire to live out all the glamorous travel cliches

We’ve all seen the movies and we know the usual images that conjure up when we think of Europe. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in these little fantasies, from riding a gondola in Venice to riding a bike down the streets of Paris towards the Eiffel Tower. There’s a reason why a “cliche” is a cliche…it’s been done so many times because it’s amazing. Treat yourself and feel like a movie star in Europe.

2. You can taste the delicious cuisine despite being 5000+ miles away

Europe and great food go hand in hand so no matter where you call home it’s understandable that you’re always dreaming of a better meal. Wherever you are in Europe, you’ll find food worth salivating over that is unique and special to that country or region. As well as simply having pizza in its birthplace of Naples, tapas in Spain, or sampling every cheese you can in France, you should also try local delicacies like knedlíčky (flour dumplings smothered in a red or white sauce) in Czech Republic and tartiflette (potatoes, lardons and onion with melted reblochon cheese on top) in the Alps.

3. You’re bored of the sports at home that used to give you an adrenaline rush

Maybe you’re a Colorado ski bunny or a Californian surfer, either way the same old trails and oceans can often leave even the most excitable among us hungry for variety. Well good news because Europe is an adrenaline junkie’s dream, especially when it comes to skiing. The Alps – spanning across eight countries, including France, Italy and Switzerland – is home to some of the best skiing in the world, surrounded by the breathtaking views of imposing mountains in a swirl of clouds and mist.

If skiing isn’t your thing, or you’re looking for a summer activity, Europe doesn’t skimp on those, either. Explore caves, snorkel and cliff-dive in Greece and Croatia, hike in Scotland and Austria and surf in Portugal, Spain and France.

4. You love a good beach

Amazing beaches aren’t limited to the Pacific or on the shores of the Caribbean. European beaches are stunning, and more often than not, they’re framed by beautiful scenes, from rugged cliffs to colourful towns. Head to Navagio beach on Zakynthos Island in Greece (a small cove dwarfed by sheer cliffs, meeting the vivid blue Ionian sea and a shipwreck nestled halfway into the sand), Calanque d’en Vau in France, Zlatni Rat in Croatia, Peniche in Portugal and Vik in Iceland. I could go on.

5. You’re looking to add a splash of colour to your life

Colour is everywhere in Europe. Whether it’s due to the shades of blue and green of the ocean, verdant landscapes or vibrant buildings, the range of colour on this continent could put a smile on the grumpiest person’s face. One of the most striking and famous colourful views in Europe is Cinque Terre, a collection of five villages along the Italian Riviera that perch like nonchalant rainbows on cliffsides.

While you’re in Italy, check out Burano, known for the brightly painted houses that line the canals. There’s also white-washed, blue-roofed Santorini, London’s Notting Hill (especially in spring when wisteria droops over bright doors), Keukenhof’s tulips in The Netherlands and the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.

6. You think festival season is only from July to August

Name a festival and Europe probably has it and they don’t only happen during “the summer”. There are the classic music festivals, like Glastonbury in the UK, Exit in Serbia, Primavera in Barcelona, Ultra in Croatia and Sziget in Budapest. But it doesn’t stop there – Europe has festivals of all kinds coming out of its ears, with Cannes Film Festival, Scotland’s Hogmanay over New Year’s, and who could forget, Munich’s Oktoberfest.

7. You’re desperately bored of your local Starbucks

Approximately 90% of photos of Europe show sidewalk cafes. Okay, that’s not exactly a confirmed statistic, but there are tons of charming cafes which spill out onto sidewalks, often even onto the stereotypical but beautiful cobblestone streets. It’s not only aesthetics, though, cafe culture is a way of European life. Settling into a cluster of chairs haphazardly organised on the tiny sidewalk area with a friend and an espresso is an essential element to any Eurotrip.

8. You’re tired of seeing the same old people, day after day

There are so many different cultures living side by side in Europe, making it an open-minded part of the world. As you travel through, you’ll notice the quirks of each nationality – being mindful of stereotypes, you’ll still find that Italians are enthusiastic and extravagant in gestures while in Paris, your head will turn at the sophisticated fashion of the French.

Walking around Europe, your ears are in heaven as you listen to the entrancing foreign languages and the cadences they’re spoken in. You’ll admire the art and history of a varied continent and with all of that, learn to appreciate the uniqueness of Europe’s diverse population. During your travels you’ll find everyone has a story they’re willing to tell and it’s usually one you would have never had the chance to hear back home.

9. You’re wondering if there’s more to Europe than Big Ben and the like

Travelling through Europe isn’t all about hitting the famous landmarks and we can attest to there being much more to the continent than that. But where there’s a hyped-up, Instagram-famous landmark, there’s always an alternative which most people haven’t caught onto quite yet and will highlight another beautiful part of Europe.

Take Plitvice and Krka National Parks in Croatia – obviously they’re gorgeous, but how about exploring the waterfalls of Kravica in Bosnia instead? Head to the lesser known parts of a country, like San Sebastian in Spain, Porto in Portugal, the Lofoten Islands in Norway or Meteora in Greece.

10. You feel like you need to escape your hometown, and you don’t want to wait for “peak season”

Vacation is hard. If you live in North America, you’re lucky if you get 2 short weeks off from work a year. The school system will have conditioned you to only vacation in the summer but when it comes to your desire to get out of Dodge and see something new, Europe has your back regardless of the season.

Let’s take this month by month: in spring, Europe absolutely blossoms. Spring is the perfect time to visit Europe when good weather starts but the crowds haven’t caught on yet. Summer is obviously fantastic throughout Europe, with sunbathing opportunities abound and midnight sun in Scandinavia. Autumn is best for viewing central Europe’s forests and castles. Winter has the best Christmas markets, from the classics like Prague, Dresden and Vienna to the lesser known in Zagreb, Funchal and Manchester. No matter when you realize you need to getaway, Europe has you covered.

No matter when you realize you need to get away, Europe is, has been, and always will be the answer to your wanderlust.

[fxasker-blog]

HOW DO I MODIFY OR DELETE A PENDING ORDER IN MT5 WITH Emergowealth?

HOW DO I MODIFY OR DELETE A PENDING ORDER IN MT5 WITH Emergowealth? Read More http://fxasker.com/question/4e51585d5bede6de/ FXAsker

[fxasker-blog]

HOW CAN I CANCEL MY VPS SUBSCRIPTION WITH GCG?

HOW CAN I CANCEL MY VPS SUBSCRIPTION WITH GCG? Read More http://fxasker.com/question/40ef913262904d38/ FXAsker