It is suddenly quiet but for the wind hissing past my ears. My initial fear is replaced by awe as I stare, mouth agape, at the jagged white teeth of the Swiss Alps around us. To my left I can make out the white highway of the incredible Aletsch Glacier, winding its way from the peaks of Jungfrau and the Eiger down towards the Rhône valley. In the distance to my right the Matterhorn towers through the clouds.
The Valais region of Switzerland is a mecca for paragliders, with the valleys creating a perfect storm of thermals and winds. Petr tells me the record for the longest flight was recently set at more than 11 hours. The pilot flew wind-assisted from Fiesch to Zurich and back.
I ask Petr what happens if you lose a thermal and have to land far from home. He laughs and tells me they simply jump on the nearest train. “Swiss Rail is the best in the world. Always on time. We can fly anywhere and get home easy!”
I’m in no hurry to get home though, and as we rise over the undulating valleys below, I ask Petr if he can fly me to Zurich airport tomorrow. He laughs again and says: “Catch the train. You are too heavy!”
If you’re a tiny country in a huge continent crammed with history, culture and gastronomic delights, what is it you can offer that your more famous neighbours can’t? That’s easy – more of the same, but in a simple, clean, easy-to-navigate package. Take that, rest of Europe!
Luxembourg, officially known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, epitomises everything that’s exceptional about this region. Cycle or hike in the hills, head to valley of Moselle to taste the local wine at cellar doors, explore some of the more than 50 castles around the country, and let your hair down at festivals that run the gamut of themes from contemporary film to medieval times.
Its people are a mix of different nationalities – primarily French, German and Belgium – and at any time you’ll likely meet more travellers than locals. That’s one of the minor downfalls of being such a tiny nation.
The lively capital, also called Luxembourg, is a mix of the new and historic. Its old town is World Heritage listed – during the early sixteenth century its fortress was considered the most impressive in Europe. For those who’ve worked up a hunger exploring, the city has an impressive four Michelin-starred restaurants (there are 11 around the country).
Whether you travel for incredible scenery to discover stories about the past or to meet people from far outside your social set, you won’t be disappointed in Ukraine. Sure, it’s had its troubles, but that doesn’t change its all-round beauty.
The capital, Kiev, on the Dnierper River, is best known for its vast gold-domed churches, but there’s a definite mix of old and new. Seeing the potential in the tourism dollar, money has been ploughed into luxury hotels, as well as huge nightclubs (the party starts at midnight and goes well into the next day) and fancy restaurants.
The city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, is another city steeped in layers of history. Be sure to visit a banya (Russian-style sauna) while you’re there, and partake of the city’s reinvigorated nightlife, where cavernous clubs and hidden bars are all part of the action. For a bit of film history, head to Odessa, on the Black Sea. Here, in 1925 the famous Odessa Steps massacre sequence was filmed for Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin. We don’t suggest you re-create the set-up, but you can certainly see where it was staged, as the steps are the main thoroughfare from the harbour to the city.
For rolling, forested landscapes head to the Carpathians in the country’s southwest. Here, you’ll discover a rural way of life since the mountains are home to the Hutsul people, who maintain may of the traditions – a colourful style of dress, travel by horse, the art of egg decorating known as pysanka – of the Ukraine of old. The area is popular with hikers in summer and skiers in winter, and houses the country’s largest national park.
Make sure, before you make any travel plans to Ukraine, to check the latest travel advice.
If crumbling castles set atop craggy mountains are your jam, Romania is the country for you. This is a place where the past is all around, from those aforementioned fortresses to the simple subsistence lifestyle practised in some of the more far-flung villages.
As a contrast, Bucharest is a capital city going places. Layers of its past, including its bleak and more recent communist history, can be seen throughout the streets, but there is also lively bar scene in Lipscani, the old town.
The Danube Delta, with its outstanding birdlife, and the Carpathian Mountains, where hiking trails traverse alpine meadows and pass glistening lakes, are great for outdoorsy types. Channel your inner bohemian as you hang out in towns like Vama Veche on the Black Sea, or get close to the legend of Dracula (and the real life stories of Vlad the Impaler, who is said to have spiked 80,000 of his enemies during the fifteenth century) in Transylvania. As well as visiting Bran Castle (thought to be the inspiration for Dracula’s home in Bram Stoker’s novel), hunker down in a hide in the forests near Brașov to spy bears, enjoy the thermal salt waters of Bear Lake, and sample palincă, the local plum brandy. Watch out: one shot is fine, two might leave you on the floor.
Monaco may be the second smallest country in the world, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in swag. The world’s wealthiest cruise into town in their Lamborghinis, check in to their suites at the Hôtel Hermitage or the Fairmont Monte Carlo then head for lunch at Joël Robuchon. Well, the city-state does have an exceptionally low company tax rate.
Chances are, though, if you’re anything like us, you probably don’t have wads of cash to burn in the designer boutiques of Cerle d’Or or on box seats at the Grand Prix. That doesn’t mean you should avoid Monaco all together. Monte Carlo is beautiful and easily walkable – head to the clifftop garden near the Town Hall for views of the harbour. Window shop, stare at the millionaires in their ostentatious cars and wander around the cathedral where Princess Grace is buried. If you do want to live it up, hire a yacht and sail down the French Riviera for a couple of hours or get dressed up (there’s a strict dress code) and head to the Casino de Monte-Carlo. During summer you can even play roulette on a terrace overlooking the bay.
Just don’t forget to take enough snaps to rival those of the Rich Kids of Instagram. #Blessed.
(
