Travel

The town of Old Sagiada was burned and looted in the Second World War by the German occupiers and local Muslims after the inhabitants fled. The abandoned houses are fascinating since many of the walls are still standing, showing a glimpse of the original architecture. Nature has completely overtaken most of the town, with trees growing inside many of the ruins. The church is still mostly intact. Inside, you can still see some frescoes. Outside the church hangs a cool bell, which can probably be heard from quite far, which is great if you want to wake some lazy tourists sleeping on the beach😉. The town is located in the mountains (though not very far) and the drive up there is quite scenic. From the town itself you also have a view of the Mediterenean sea. Be aware that the last part of the road leading up is unpaved and not suitable for every car.

10h ago

Airport expansions in places like Venice, Barcelona and the Spanish island of Mallorca can undermine local efforts to restrain overtourism, and can even enable more tourists to come.

19h ago

The Holy Trinity oak chapel in Čibukovac, a small village near Kraljevo, is built inside a pedunculate oak believed to be over 500 years old. It is thought to be the oldest oak in Serbia. The tree stands more than 30 metres tall, with a trunk circumference of about 8 metres and a diameter of roughly two and a half metres, wide enough that villager Mihailo Erotijević, with the help of Father Radojko and others, was able to hollow out its trunk and turn it into a small working chapel. Since the feast of the Holy Trinity is the village's main Slava (a custom in the Serbian Orthodox tradition), the chapel took that dedication naturally. The interior was coated with wax to help preserve it, and small niches hold icons of the Holy Trinity, the Theotokos (Mother of God), the Great Martyr George the Victorious, St. Basil of Ostrog, the Crucifixion, and St. Paraskeva (Petka), a saint especially beloved across the Balkans. Villagers still gather there for major feast days in the Serbian Orthodox Calendar, and some visit alone simply to pray. There is also a local detail that adds to its mystery and why it is special. Before the tree became a chapel, it was frequently struck by lightning, something residents see as part of its passage from an ordinary ancient oak into a site of devotion. The Holy Trinity Oak Tree Chapel a striking, living echo of zapis meaning "inscription", an old Slavic traditions of venerating sacred trees across Serbian villages.

12h ago

From the foothills of the Pyrenees to the peaks of the Dolomites, you share your top views, meals and adventures at altitude • Tell us about a trip to Germany – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher No doubt your first thought on hearing the words “double-decker” is of a bus. But in the Swiss village of Stans, an old wooden funicular carriage ascends to the station, where a double-decker cable car awaits. Inside, a spiral staircase leads you to an open upper viewing deck. At the summit, the views back to Lucerne are superb, and there are alpine marmots to spot too. There was a wedding ceremony going on at the summit on our trip! Martin Continue reading...

22h ago

Perched above the clouds in northern Italy, Santnerpass refuge doesn’t just look stunning. It’s a marvel of eco-building – and vegetarian cuisine ‘I think my boots are falling apart!” shouts Nigel just as we hit the pinnacles, a whole range of them jutting up and out from the mountainside, all thrillingly tall, spiky and knobbled. Through them we painstakingly step, fingers aching in gloves, heads sweating in helmets – squashing up narrow chimneys, squeezing through mighty boulders and inching along slender ledges on a twisting path that’s only just discernible through swathes of sharp white scree. I know how Nigel’s boots are feeling: the going is far harder than I was expecting. This is only the first day of our annual trip to the Dolomites, a vast range of breathtaking sawtooth peaks in northern Italy, but my head’s already full of the thought I have every year as we start out: “If only you’d got fitter.” Continue reading...

22h ago

Multicultural neighborhoods, market tours and dinner parties offer culinary intrigue in Canada’s largest city.

19h ago