5 of the Best Walks in Europe

... at least the ones I would like to try.

St Magdalena
Photo by gptwisted on Flickr

Italy- Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites between Val di Fassa and Val Gardena (many day hikes)

Alpine Pass Route
Photo by Clare and Ben on Flickr

Switzerland- Alpine Pass Route from Sargans to Montreux (350km/220 miles)

Hardanger, Norway
Photo by Skygge on Flickr

Norway- Hardanger Plateau DNT Trail from peak to fjord (5-7 day hike)

West Highland Way
Photo by Jawcey on Flickr

Scotland- West Highland Way from Milngavie to Fort William (152km/95 miles)

Coast to Coast Walk
Photo by Slainte74 on Flickr

England- Coast to Coast Walk (C2C) from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay (304km/190 miles)

There are also 11 European long distance paths maintained by the European Ramblers Association. Most of those trails are made up of several GR paths, especially in France, Belgium and Spain.

If you have other recommendations, please share them in the comments.

Related posts:
Tails from Trails: The Big Walk is about one couple's walk from Spain to Turkey.
Tails from Trails: Britain's End to End Walk about a man's walk from Land's End in England to John o'Groats in Scotland

From other Travel Blogs...

From the Campanile in Florence, Italy
Photo by Scott Raymond on Wikimedia Commons

TRAVEL NARRATIVE:
In one of my favorite posts on Euros Ate My Dollars, Brittany explores the other side of long-term travel.

TRAVEL TIPS:
Check out the new travel forums on Start Backpacking. Greg's main focus is on "helping people plan their exit from the Rat Race."

Mike at Vagabondish has put together a cheat sheet of Google shortcuts for travelers.

More good stuff from Less than a Shoestring: a list of where to get U.S. State Tourist Information and Highway Maps for all 50 states.

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS:
Thinking of planning a trip to Italy? Jack at Eyeflare has some ideas of what to do in Florence and Pisa during your visit.

You can also check out Noambit's Taking A Cheap Trip To Italy: how to start planning a trip on a budget.

Back in the states, Angie at Alaskan Explorer describes a visit to the popular town of Ketchikan, Alaska.

For more travel articles, check out the section marked From other Blogs in my sidebar.

From other Travel Blogs...

Copper Mountain

TRAVEL TIPS:
Less than a Shoestring has listed several safety tips for the solo traveler.

A list of 10 travel tips with a twist. Rolf Potts turns Sir Francis Bacon's "Of Travel" essay into a modern magazine article.

Vagabondish shares tips on How to Choose the Perfect Backpack.

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS:
Considering a trip to Quebec? A short guide to Quebec City can be found at Smarter Travel.

Read about Culinary Travel Across Italy. Mmmm... after reading this, I was ready to book my own flight to Italy.

Smarter Travel suggests skipping the crowds and visiting Yellowstone National Park in winter.

TRAVEL THOUGHTS:
Amanda at Vagabondish is starting a series about Dark Tourism. Brave New Traveler also has a good article on the subject, Dark Tourism: Bearing Witness or Crass Spectacle? by Eric Daams.

Should you give treats to local children when you travel? Some thoughts at Traveling Stories Magazine in A Question of Candy.

For more travel articles, check out the section marked From other Blogs in my sidebar.

Friday Photo Post: Rialto Bridge in Venice

Rialto Bridge

View from the bridge

More pictures from Venice:
View From the Bridge of Sighs
Venice, Italy

Friday Photo Post: View From the Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs connects the old prison in Venice to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. The bridge was built in 1600, but the current name is from the 1800's when Lord Byron made up the story that condemned prisoners would cross the bridge to their execution and sigh over their last view of Venice.

More pictures of Venice on Friday Photo Post: Venice, Italy

Books I've Been Reading

The Dream Maker by Monica Hannan is an incredible story about one man's determination and dedication to helping poor children around the world, especially in Guatemala. The book shares the stories of children whose lives have been changed by Patrick Atkinson, the founder of God's Child Project. Several of the stories are about orphans from the civil war. At turns joyful and heartbreaking, reading this book made me so thankful for people like Patrick, and made me question the best way I can help them.

Spanish Lessons: Beginning a New Life in Spain by Derek Lambert is an entertaining story about the author moving to Spain with his wife and son. It is filled with vivid and humorous descriptions of the people they meet and the adventures they share as they restore a house and learn about the "real" Spain, the country they've decided to call home. I smiled through most of the book, and I was sorry to see it end.

Living in a Foreign Language by Michael Tucker shares the experiences of the author and his wife Jill Eikenberry as they purchase and renovate a 350 year old cottage in Umbria. Like Derek Lambert, Michael Tucker has a talent for describing the people he meets in Italy. I still smile when I think of the butchers, or Giancarlo, the proprietor of a restaurant in Spoleto. My favorite parts of the book are the descriptions of the meals they prepare at home or eat elsewhere. This book made me laugh, and made me hungry (for food and for Italy). I couldn't put it down.

All three books are great stories that I highly recommend.

From other Travel Blogs...

Odeum of Herodes Atticus at the Acropolis in Athens

TRAVEL TIPS:
Dave at Go Backpacking goes into his archives to share Top 10 Travel Tips (circa 1999), and in the comments, Pam from Nerd's Eye View mentions her own Rules of Travel. Good advice in both lists.

More great tips from Start Backpacking as Greg shares 10 ways to keep your backpack safe while traveling.

Learn how to practice Simple Beach Yoga for Backpackers at Brave New Traveler. This is a good lesson for anyone, not just backpackers.

Mike at Vagabondish did the research for us and lists some good resources for locating WiFi Hotspots.

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS:
Viator gives an interesting lesson with Ancient Rome: A Beginners Guide.

More Off the Well Worn Paths at National Parks Traveler. This time it is the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Guardian Unlimited has a good article if you want to read more about the Islands of North America.

From other Travel Blogs...

Photo by Lisa Pertile

Some of the interesting articles I read this week:

Going to Rome? Viator shares some great day trips you might want to consider. Or, if you aren't going to Rome, but you'll be in New York City, check out their article on hiring a private tour guide/personal photographer to help you get oriented to the city. I love this idea. Most of my travel pictures are of other people, and if someone offers to take a picture of me with the others, the results are usually less than satisfactory (blurry, odd composition, etc.) and I think it would be great to get some fun shots that look good.

Neil Woodburn from Gadling is writing a 17 part series on visiting Alaska without the cruise ship. I'm saving his articles in my Alaska planning file.

I've mentioned that Machu Picchu is at the top of my list of travel dreams, so I was intrigued by an article in the New York Times about The Other Machu Picchu, Choquequirao.

National Parks Traveler has another Off The Well-Worn Path report, this time on Great Basin National Park.

And last, but never least, Our Man in Granada made me laugh with The top 10 yings and yangs of living overseas.

For even more articles, check out the section marked From Other Blogs in my sidebar.

From other Travel Blogs...

National Parks Traveler has some good articles this week, including The Essential Yellowstone and Off the Well-Worn Path: Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Have you been wanting to learn a new language, or brush up on your Spanish? Check out The Ecua Traveler's post on free Spanish Lesson podcasts.

Angie at Alaskan Explorer shares her favorite Alaskan travel resources.

Going to Italy? Viator shares the Top Five Florence Tours that are popular with their readers.

Nathan at Ubertramp has put together a backpacker's wish list with Shiny Stuff for Backpackers.

For more travel articles, check out the section marked From other blogs in my sidebar.

*the picture above is from Montmorency Falls, Quebec

Book Review: Too Much Tuscan Sun

I just finished reading Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide by Dario Castagno. It is definitely a keeper for my personal library. The author shares humorous stories about his clients (mostly Americans) and his experiences guiding them around the Chianti region. He also writes about living in Tuscany, including discovering wonderful old farm houses and participating in the Palio, a bare back horse race in Sienna that happens every July and August.

From the back cover, "With wry humor and affection, Dario recalls some of his more remarkable clients- the delightful, the vain, the silly, the ignorant, the ambitious, the amorous, the condescending, the lovely, and the out-right crazy. He also shares an account of his own life and times- his transformation from bohemian layabout to thriving tour guide- and offers an enchanting introduction to the charms of Tuscany over the course of a year."

I couldn't say it any better.


Thank you to Peg Zemke for sharing the beautiful picture from her trip to Italy last fall.

Friday Photo Post: Venice, Italy

We gathered at the railings to watch as the ship pulled into Venice on a misty morning. It was an incredible sight .


Later in the day, after walking around Venice, I snapped this picture of the gondolas.