EUROQUEST SideTracks

Is it possible to write a Treasures off the Beaten Track contribution on the Balearic Islands - THE most visited part of tourist Spain and home to package-deal heaven? Most visitors to the Balearics head directly to the busy beaches of Mallorca, although IBIZA too has its fair share of package-deal tourism with visitor numbers increasing steadily over the past decade. Yet it IS fathomable to have an ethnographic immersion-type experience here also, in tune with our approach to travel, by using the very tools of mass-tourist infrastructure and then transcending them by making them work for us according to our own needs and requirements. It is thus perfectly fine to get onto the next charter plane destination EIVISSA, as the island is known in Catalan, to opt for a rental car (although many areas are easily accessible by public bus as well), and to book a hotel in advance. Yet rather than high-rise hotel resorts such as Playa d'en Bossa or, in the worst mass-tourist scenario, Sa...

Most visitors to Germany head to three main regions associated with particular stereotypes about German customs and culture. First destination of choice is usually Munich and Southern Bavaria to indulge in beer, Oktoberfest Gemuetlichkeit and to enjoy the castles and scenic beauty of the Bavarian Alps. A close second is the Southwest of Germany with the "romantic" allure of Heidelberg, the appeal of cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest, and the scenic beauty of the Rhine Valley including the mandatory cruise from Ruedesheim at least as far as the Loreley. A popular third choice is now Berlin, as the avantgarde and ever-changing German capital, party mile and festival and convention headquarter. Increasingly, the former East Germany with Dresden in particular is gaining in popularity. Yet few visitors would ever step beyond those main regions, although true culture off the beaten track awaits those who venture beyond such stereotypical destinations. It is generally believed th...

It all started with a movie - at the age of 12 I watched John Carpenter's THE FOG for the first time, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Adrienne Barbeau. The notion of a radio station inside a lonely lighthouse enchanted me, but the true lure and draw of the entire movie was its spectacular setting - especially the magnificent mile-long beach. I attentively studied the credits at the end of the movie and found where my pilgrimage should take me: POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE - and this pilgrimage still continues today some twenty years later. This is indeed a journey off the beaten track - towards self-discovery and solitude - most visitors to California associate the region just north of the Bay Area with the NAPA wine country and high-end real estate in Marin County - but the entire peninsula of Point Reyes National Seashore is like a forgotten world jutting out and getting lost into the wide Pacific Ocean. Our journey starts as always on the traditional Highway 101 - the most ce...

WE all love the desert attactions near Las Vegas. They add a surreal natural component to what is otherwise already a most surreal urban landscape. Yet our favorite near-by getaways like RED ROCK CANYON, LAKE MEAD and the VALLEY OF FIRE are no longer what they used to be ten or even five years ago. The relentless urban growth and overdelevopment of the Las Vegas valley have turned them into popular at times overcrowded destinations for both locals and visitors alike, and reaching them has become harder with the high traffic volume in town. And yet we still love Las Vegas, no matter how much the boom may have gone bust, and no matter how sadly many parts of the city resemble ordinary suburban American strip malls. And, most importantly, desert adventures still abound - we must just dedicate a bit more time, preparation and risk-taking to our mission. Nothing better for such adventures than the conveniences of a four-wheel pick-up truck, which allows us access to even the most remote p...

We have always loved Cabo San Lucas for its beautiful and unique beaches. Despite recent non-stop urban growth, there are still plenty of idyllic secluded spots within close proximity to the busier areas around downtown, the Marina, Puerto Paraiso Mall and Medano beach. The latter has become quite overdeveloped in recent years, although it is still spectacular and great for an hour or two of swimming and tanning between other activities in the city. Yet even the more remote sections of the Medano now have gigantic hotels and resorts nearby. The constant coming and going of spring-break college kids, salesmen offering anything from pareos to Henna tattoos, and boats eager to catch a tourist for a ride, make the MEDANO an interesting place for people watching but not necessarily an idyllic and relaxing choice. The corridor between San Lucas and San Jose Cabo also boasts among the most gorgeous beaches, some more famous and crowded than others, but have equally experienced a surge in de...

"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair...Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air...." The lyrics of the Eagles' famous HOTEL CALIFORNIA feel even more special when you listen to the song while driving out of Cabo San Lucas on Highway 19 northbound for a day away from the beach crowds in Cabo. It is best to leave town early to take full advantage of a free day ahead, or better still, to opt to overnight in LA PAZ, Baja California Sur's attractive capital city. The so-called "Todos Santos Cut-Off", as Highway 19 is sometimes referred to, is a lot quicker but also slightly more crowded than Mex Highway 1, but offers a totally different Baja experience than our East Cape Escape described last time. The Highway first gradually ascends to overlook almost all of Cabo San Lucas, with new and pending developments mushrooming on all sides, attesting to the unrelenting urban growth of the Cabo region. There are also off-road biking and four-wheel-dr...