Europe Archives - Page 5 of 101 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

How to be the life and Soll of a skiing trip

20th November 202520th November 2025 funtime65

And this one’s for Daughterie and her partner Cakes as she takes her first steps on the snows of a nursery slope… how to be the life and Soll of a skiing trip.

Because the Austrian user-friendly skiing resort was where we, the Scary One and myself, tested whether we were suited for the mountains.

The answer to which is ja, but only through patience and the reviving powers of shots and schnapps.

Which I should have tried with my University sweetheart in Aberdeen.

Now as Daughterie and Cakes (and as an ex-ice hockey player, I put him down as a black runner) scope out trips for their first skiing holiday.

I’m gently directing them to Irish providers Directski.com.

And the Black Friday deals which run until December 2.

Live life to the Max

Reach for the heights: The Austrian Alps

With a tag line of ‘founded on the belief that skiing shouldn’t be reserved for the loaded or Lycra-clad’ Directski.com sounds just right for my party people.

Directski.com offers flights, accommodation transfers and a friendly rep in resort, all bundled in in a week of snowy fun.

Of the destinations they’re flagging up is our old stomping ground of Soll.

Where you’ll stay at the Pension, or Hotel, Maximilian on January 31.

With a bumper reduction, from €948, down to €699, which is a saving of €249 per person.

Of course, proximity is key with any accommodation, then this billet will suit you down to the Max.

It’s just a three-minute walk to the ski bus stop, with easy access to the slopes.

Andorra’s box

Alternatively, Andorra is often mooted as the ideal destination to learn how to ski plough.

And, of course, visitors from Ireland need no education in apres-ski.

Now Directski.com are all over the tiny Pyrenees country between France and Spain.

Arinsal is the pick of the bunch with Directski.com pointing us in the direction of the Hotel St Gothard for a week from March 8.

Where they’re offering a ski couple getaway to knock your ski socks off.

Pitched at €679, down from €903, which, and we’ll do the math for you, is a saving of €224pp.

Canada, Countries, Europe

After Flanders Fields

9th November 20259th November 2025 funtime65

Few who wear a red poppy today will give poet John McCrae a thought, but here is what happened after Flanders Fields to the man who gave the Fallen of the First World War its enduring symbol.

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae is rightly a hero in his home country of Canada.

Where his face and his words have become immortalised in coins, notes and stamps.

Still standing: The Ieper Tree which withstood the battles

And in his home town of Guelph, Ontario and his birth home of McCrae House.

Where this Scots-Canadian’s story is told and visitors can see artefacts of his life and pay homage at his memorial.

At the memorial cenotaph and gardens with its open bronze book sculpture with his immortal words.

On a pedestal

A statue of McCrae by Ruth Abernathy stands on Green Island (Rideau River) in Ottawa.

Dressed as an artillery officer and his medical bag nearby, as he writes.

The statue shows the destruction of the battlefield and, at his feet, the poppies and all armed conflict since.

While a copy of that statue was erected at Guelph Civic Museum in 2015.

Mapping McCrae’s life

Family bond: At my great-uncle’s gravestone

Our Canadian cousins, and Grandpa Murty served in the Canadian Army in the Great War, helpfully walk us through McCrae’s life.

Through Guelph Museums’ excellent map journal which takes us on a global journey treading in the Great Man’s footsteps.

McCrae packed a lot into his 46 years.

Fom Ontario to Baltimore, taking in the Boer War in South Africa, to Ieper in Belgium to his last resting place in Boulogne, France where he died of pneumonia in 1918.

And he is rightly commemorated across the world.

Lest we forget

And in Ieper where he wrote his stirring words.

On seeing poppies around the grave of his friend Lieutenant Alexis Helmer in 1915 and first published a century ago next month in Punch.

At the The Cloth Hall in its permanent war museum, the In Flanders Fields Museum,

And a short biographical memorial to the doctor, soldier and poet in the St George Memorial Church in the Medieval town.

While McCrae’s great friend Lieutenant Helmer’s name is inscribed on Panel 10 of the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres.

One of the 54,896 soldiers who have no known grave in the battlefields of the Ypres Salient.

And it is those, all the Fallen, Great Uncles Willie and Patrick and John McCrae.

And rest assured we ‘hold the torch high’.

Countries, Deals, Europe, Pilgrimage

No man gets left behind on a Tenerife trek

7th November 20257th November 2025 funtime65

My old colleague, The Other Jim, is, of course, well-travelled and his boots well-trodden but even he wilted under the Canarian sun… then again no man gets left behind on a Tenerife trek.

You may well have seen the esteemed James Gallagher, with whom I shared a parish for years in Ireland, striding along a lane near you.

Particularly if that lane is the Wild Atlantic Way.

On this occasion we were pioneers on a recce for a new CaminoWays trek in Tenerife, CanariaWays.

Only our guides had overestimated our Irish pastiness.

Or our need for more than the usual water, chocolate and protein bar supply on those open hills.

All of which meant that we had to come back down the hill from the Franco memorial bar (now, that’s another story).

To retrieve Big Jim because no man gets left behind on a Tenerife walking trek.

Walk like an Irishman

I found that too in a different terrain and a different walking group, the most resilient trekkers you can meet, the senior citizens’ walkers.

On a hike through the Austrian Tyrol with Travel Department.

Now, of course, have boots, will travel, is the TD motto and they will guide you through the multi-faceted, multi-climate zone, idyll that is Tenerife.

You’ll be based in the town of Puerto de la Cruz and enjoy the volcanic black beaches of Playa Jardín.

Mojo rojo: In Tenerife with Matthew Hirtes

Your guide will lead you on trails through Teide National Park, offering stunning views of Mount Teide.

You’ll explore the lush laurel forests and rugged cliffs of Teno Rural Park.

And trek the historic Las Vueltas Footpath in Anaga Rural Park.

The volcanic landscapes of Montana Samara.

And visit the ancient caves of the indigenous inhabitants within Corona Forestal Nature Park.

A walk for all

You’ll travel on February 5 with prices from €1,719pp.

The seven-night trip will offer moderate routes on each walking day.

And is ideal for moderately experienced or experienced walkers, and Our Jim.

The average daily walking distance on moderate walks is between 7.6km-12.85km.

With ascents between of between 369-730m.

And a maximum daily walking duration of up to four and a half hours.

A Teide packet

TD offers €100pp off tours departing before April 1 use code WALKING100.

Explore magnificent natural scenery & impressive hiking trails on this walking holiday in Tenerife.

There will be five guided walking trips through diverse terrains & national parks.

Experience highlights like Mount Teide, Anaga Rural Park & Montana Samara.

Unwind after hikes on the volcanic black sand beaches of Playa Jardín.

Your seven nights will be spent in a three-star half board hotel with flights and transfers from Dublin.

Countries, Deals, Europe

A Vlads holiday in budget Romania

31st October 2025 funtime65

And for the day that’s in it here’s one to get your teeth into, a Vlads holiday in budget Romania.

We all know that the oul’ blood-sucker themselves, no, not Rachel Reeves, but Dracula hails from Transylvania.

Which despite the protests from the Hungarian friends we met this year belongs to modern-day Romania.

And which draws tens of thousands to the ancient Central European state particularly at this time of year.

Now if you want a fangtastic Autumn holiday to look forward to next year then keep your black cape to hand.

Legends & Landscapes

Solos puts on an escorted Legends & Landscapes of Romania tour.

Which takes solo travellers deep into the landscapes that inspired the Dracula legend.

From the medieval streets of Bucharest’s Old Town to the dramatic peaks of the Carpathian Mountains.

Guests will visit the imposing Bran Castle, long associated with Count Dracula.

As well as the fairytale Peleș Castle and the UNESCO-listed citadel of Sighișoara.

The birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure behind Bram Stoker’s vampire.

From Dublin to Romania

Bram, with an ‘n’ being the Dublin Victorian author who brought the oul’ vampire back to life.

And who is marked every year in Dublin with his own day where you can visit his home, a modern-day attraction.

Solos’ week-long itinerary also includes guided walking tours of Sibiu and Brașov.

Plus a visit to the Zărnești Bear Sanctuary, home to rescued brown bears.

Vampires and bears

The seven-night Legends & Landscapes of Romania tour departs 4 May and costs £2,199 pp.

Including return flights, airport transfers and taxes.

A room for solo use, daily breakfast, welcome dinner, one lunch and farewell dinner and a welcome drink.

A walking tour of Sibiu, Sighisoara, Brasov and Bucharest.

Visits to Prejmer, Brukenthal Museum, Biertan, Viscri, Peles Castle, Dracula’s Castle, Libearty Bear Sanctuary and a dedicated Solos Tour Leader.

Alternatively, Solos also offers a 28 September departure if you want to get closer to the Halloween date.

Countries, Europe, Pilgrimage

Following the yellow arrow road ten years on

27th October 202527th October 2025 funtime65

You spend a week on 100kms on The Way then find yourself following the yellow arrow road ten years on.

Actor and trekker Robson Green is the latest to put his boots on and head for Santiago de Compostella.

For his World’s Most Amazing Walks series for British TV channel U&Yesterday.

And share his Camino, which, of course, is his own.

There were touch points we recognise from our CaminoWays odyssey.

The passport, the pulpo, or octopus, and the cathedral botafumeiro incense holder.

As he traversed his way across Galicia from O Cebreiro to St James the Greater’s remains in Santiago de Compostella.

But because every day is an education on the Camino we learned some stuff we’d missed back then.

And they were all yellow

Such as the derivation of the yellow arrow symbol.

We already know why peregrinos, or pilgrims. wear scallop shells on their backpacks.

Although we prefer the more lyrical explanation, which he didn’t share, which is that James was carried ashore on clamshells.

But we just imagined that the yellow arrows which guide even the most accidental of tourists, to their destination.

That it was a Galician or Spanish Tourist Board signpost.

Starting out from O Cebreiro, of course, Robson, immediately learned that it was the handiwork of its most famous citizen.

Father Elias Valina, who stocked with an inordinate amount of yellow paint took off on his travels in 1984.

Along the French Way daubing yellow arrows everywhere to help peregrinos.

And you’ll be thankful to the padre for keeping you on the straight and narrow.

The big cheese

Armed with this knowledge Robson drops by, among other high points, a Queso Tetilla cheese in the shape of a booby.

The reason for it, the great storyteller keeps until the end of his trek in the great cathedral itself.

Which, Robson would be aghast if we spoiled.

Walking in his footsteps

Does my ass look big? We’re all peregrinos

The Geordie starts out his eight-part series in his backyard of the north-east of England.

Walking across to the other coast along the 2,000-year-old Hadrian’s Wall.

Before taking in the Danube River, along the Wachau Valley in Austria.

The north coast of Normandy, to the D-Day landings beaches.

The Great Glen Way through the Scottish Highlands, from the foot of Ben Nevis to Loch Ness.

Where eagles draw: The Trail of the Eagle’s Nest in Austria

The Douro Valley in Portugal, the Jurassic Coast on England’s south coast, complete with Sea-Rex.

And after his Camino odyssey, the Trail of the Eagle’s Nest in Poland.

A 100-mile route connecting a group of medieval castles perched across the limestone highlands.

Of course, through the miracle of modern technology I started my journey at episode seven and the Camino.

And one of our own

I am, of course, binge watching the rest and will break it to The Scary One that that is our mission for our Sixties.

To complete all of Robson’s treks, and more, not least our own neighbourhood walk, the John Muir Way.

And surprise my old walking companion, Wendy the Wasp Whisperer on the tenth anniversary of our misadventures this month.

Countries, Culture, Deals, Europe

Your night at the Dresden Semperoper

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Theirs is an epic story of resilience and rebirth to play out ahead of your night at the Dresden Semperoper.

Twice destroyed by fire and once by water the Semperoper looks every inch the Renaissance classic erected in 1841.

Only this is the second opera house, the original having been destroyed in a blaze in 1869.

And then by Allied bombers targeting Saxony at the end of the Second World War.

The voice of Dresden: With Ingrid in Dresden

All of which I know and more from my freunde and guide, see I was listening Ingrid.

Dresden’s reputation as the Florence of the Elbe alas did not preserve it from Allied Bombers.

Despite the convention that cities of culture should be immune.

Feather touches

Dresden’s renaissance, brick by brick, fresco by fresco, makes it the perfect pick.

For your Institute for Cultural Travel mini-break.

Billed as The Magic of Dresden: A Three-Night Cultural Escape, your delve into history and opera comes in at from €1495pps for April 27.

You’ll arrive from Dublin on your Ryanair flight in Berlin early on your first day in Berlin.

And your guide will drive you the two hours down the road to Baroque palace and moated castle, Moritzburg.

If it’s hunting trophies and ornate gilt leather tapestries that’s your thing then Moritzburg is the place for you.

Never mind the famed Feather Room, adorned with over a million coloured ticklers… followed by lunch in a local restaurant.

The stage is set

You’ll stay the next three nights being wined and dined and sleeping the night off at the Hilton Dresden.

But maybe pace yourself as you’ve 700 years of history to walk through and that Verdi opera at the Semperoper.

Admire the graceful Augustus Bridge and the magnificent Residenzschloss, one of the city’s oldest and most historic buildings.

Your guide will take you to the historic Sophienkeller restaurant for pre-opera dinner and drinks.

Before taking your category 1 seats for La Traviata.

Culture vultures will delight in the next morning’s trip to the Old Masters Picture Gallery.

In the 19th-century Semper Building at the Zwinger, restored after seven years of renovation.

Answer to our prayers

And Dresdenophiles will advise that you visit the Frauenkirche and Martin Luther will point you in the right direction.

Ich bin ein Dresdener: Und Martin Luther

Of course, whatever you miss you can come back and see the next day.

Before your guide takes you back to Berlin and onwards to Dublin.

Countries, Europe

Funky fjord cabins and I do the Math

21st October 202521st October 2025 funtime65

Mrs Campbell doubtless never imagined I’d get a grip on scalene quadrilaterals, but here they are… funky fjord cabins and I do the Math.

And equipped too now with the knowledge I’ve gleaned from my own little decorator’s go-to man George Clarke.

I’ve alighted on Panoramahyttene in the Norwegian fjords nominated for the Ahead design awards Europe next month.

That those clever Scandinavians are at the vanguard of architecture and interior design should come as no surprise.

But, here it’s Norwegian nuance that we are celebrating rather than Swedish IKEA minimalist ingenuity.

Shine a light on the fjords

Panoramahyttene, in Sandhaland in the Haugesund region, amplifies the fjords’ unique shifting light and weather.

For a new layer to the experience.

Perched on the rocky edge above the sea, the cabins invite guests to see nature up close.

Elevated placement provides an unbroken 180-degree panorama.

With large windows on the front, sides and roof drawing the landscape into the interior.

Our shapeshifting pals have emphasised dark tones to frame the ever-changing light (obvs).

Window into nature

And, of course, you’ll be knocked out by the high panes, turning nature itself into the artwork. No television is needed.

Here, the 23ft window offers an uninterrupted, real-time view of Norway’s raw coastal drama.

All you interior designers out there will, of course, be familiar with the language and even speak like this.

Ice Age boulders scattered across the terrain, creating cabins that seem carved by time.

Sculptural yet subtle, luxurious yet low-impact, fully in tune with the landscape around them.

Book a cabin

Part of the furniture: You and your family

Architect Roald Bø explains: ‘Our goal was to let the architecture follow the rhythm of the terrain.

‘The cabins aren’t placed in nature, they’re part of it.’

The cabins come in at from NOK 330 per night.

Which accommodates a double bed and a loft with two full-sized beds and one at 170 cm, suitable for children.

A natural playground

Of course, you’ll have a natural playground to revel in.

From scenic Skudeneshavn, with its white wooden buildings, harbour, and artisan cafes and restaurants, eight minutes away.

Hiking in Karmøyheiene (Karmøy Hills) and along the coast.

Syreneset Fort, with its wartime history, a nice bike ride from here.

Viking history at Avaldsnes and Visnes with its distinctive mining history.

While, there are myriad opportunities for fishing.

Haugesund Airport Karmøy is 15 minutes from central Haugesund, with flights to Oslo,

Countries, Culture, Europe

Heists are not a victimless crime

20th October 202520th October 2025 funtime65

The roguish instinct in us is to smile at aristocratic misfortune but this is why heists are not a victimless crime.

Not that we’re suddenly siding with the elites but on the back of the Louvre robbery we’re reflecting on an attack on all art lovers.

Because make no mistake the assault will not just cost the museum but you and me too.

With ever-greater security checks, lines and higher cover costs and special exhibitions.

With entry to the Louvre costing us €22 and €31 for a combined ticket and guided tour.

Moaning Lisa

We all saw, of course, the dramatised reenactments of the seven-minute robbery of the priceless royal jewels.

And the hordes of visitors shepherded out of the iconic Parisian pyramidical building.

Many of whom could have saved up and waited years for their trip to Paris.

And the chance to see the Lady with the enigmatic smile.

An arm and a leg

And there are other draws, the one-armed Milo de Venus and Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon.

And the Galerie d’Apollon with that collection of French Crown Jewels.

Art galleries are, naturellement, one of the great leisure activities available to us all.

With many free to the public.

Where you can see the great masters and art from your own country.

Contrast that with sports, music concerts or theatre experiences.

With the average cost of a ticket up the road in the Parc des Princes to see European champions Paris Saint-Germain £185.

The art of the matter

So while we enjoy an oul Las Vegas Oceans Eleven heist flick.

If you’re a tourist who loves their Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, Raphael Rooms in the Vatican or Louvre.

Just think again if someone comes up to you in the bar and offers a jewel from the Louvre for your amour’s finger.

That the cost and stress might come back at you because heists are not a victimless crime.

Countries, Deals, Europe

All you need is Algarve

11th October 2025 funtime65

All you need is Algarve, it’s the story of Paul and Portugal, let it Penina Albufeira and the Beatles.

Of course. it was a different time, the explosion of package holidays, which even drew in one of the biggest pop stars of his day.

It is hard to imagine the Paul McCartney of today wandering into reception in a Portuguese hotel.

And asking to have five pounds exchanged into escudos (ask your parents).

But party animal and general good guy Paul was persuaded into joining house band Jota Herre on stage in the Sixties.

And improvising a song at the piano which became Penina, before entertaining the patrons until 4am.

Fado Goodbye

And there the story may have stayed other than Portuguese prattle.

Had it not been for Paul playing a version of the song with John Lennon and Ringo Starr during the Get Back sessions.

And Jota Herre recording and releasing the song in March of that year, 1969, followed by Portuguese singer Carlos Mendes.

All of which pop legend is still played out at the Penina.

And Albufeira nights at the Radisson Blu nights in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Macca’s pitch

Come on Aileen: With Senorita Albufeira Aileen

Of course when you have such a prized piece of estate as the Paul McCartney piano he played on that night, well you’d keep it.

It is not unfortunately recorded in the annals of history whether Macca played a round of golf.

At the Panina, the country’s first golf course, designed by major winner Henry Cotton.

But the Penina is still dining out on its Paul McCartney connections.

Deal us in

Just 45 minutes from Faro Airport and served by Ryanair and Jet2 Penina has of course many other features to appeal.

Such as the biggest pool in the Algarve, an Olympic-style swim.

And the first and oldest course in Portugal, dating from 1966.

And standing at their version of St Andrews’ iconic Swilcan Bridge.

We found a random week in November with our go-to providers loveholidays from £778 for two, down from £843.

Countries, Europe

Interlaken’s cutting edge

9th October 20259th October 2025 funtime65

And what else would you be sent away with from a function showcasing Interlaken’s cutting edge than a Swiss Army knife?

Because while you may think you’re the ultimate thrill seeker and fully adapted to Europe’s Adventure playground.

You’ll be thankful for your mini-tool kit if you get yourself in a pickle on the slopes, valleys or lakes.

After all, Angus MacGyver, The Fantastic Four, Dana Scully in the X-Files and Matt Damon in The Martian have all reached for one.

While it’s been part of a NASA astronaut’s survival kit since 1992.

A refresher course

That, of course, is for when we’re back out there in the Great Swiss Outdoors.

While for the evening that was in it we were nicely ensconced in Scott’s Kitchen in Victoria Terrace in Edinburgh.

So we’re tucking into haggis, beef and chocolate mousse modern style with a fork, knife and spoon.

While getting a refresher course in Interlaken from when we scooted about in trotty bikes there some nine years ago.

Now we’re told that you can do almost anything from skiing, of course, sledding, to paragliding, abseiling and ziplining.

Fun on the water

And fun on Lake Thun, all at a more relaxing pace.

Whether on a cruise or raclette rafting, and don’t worry you won’t have to negotiate choppy rapids while dripping cheese.

Be prepared

While for the ultimate in opulence then you can take a hot tub out on Lake Brienz.

And maybe drain a Brienzer Breeze, the bottle green Sea Breeze-themed cocktails we lapped up with notres amis.

All of which activities we dare say might need small knives, scissors and the like to extricate yourself from situations.

Or manicure yourself.

While, of course, you’ll be prepared as all good scouts must be for the greatest emergency.

When out exposed in the wilds.

For when you need a bottle opener or corkscrew for your Hell lager or Alpine wine.

Now as ever second time around we’re better fitted out for our return to Interlaken.

Now we have our Swiss Army Knife.

We found an EasyJet round trip flight to Zurich from our airport here in Edinburgh for a random five nights in November from £648pp.

And you’ll get a high-speed one-hour train to Interlaken, checking out your Swiss Travel Pass.

And went to loveholidays for a five-nighter at Hotel Alpenblick, a saving of £149pp.