EUROQUEST SideTracks

There are few small towns in Europe that can surprise visitors as much by their impressive architecture as Astorga, this small community of 15000 inhabitants located in Castilla-Leon along the famous St.James' Way to Santiago de Compostela. Boasting altogether 3 outstanding building complexes, visitors are perplexed and wonder how a small town in Northwestern Spain could be so richly endowed with a Roman city wall, a huge Cathedral and magnificent Bishop's Palace. Of course, the town of Astorga was far more important in Roman and Medieval times than in its present role as provincial capital of Northwestern Castilla-Leon. Ever since its founding as a Roman colony as a stop along the traditional Roman Road network across the Iberian Peninsula, Astorga has always lived in the shadows of Leon and Santiago. Yet its Roman city wall, recently rebuilt to its former splendor, attests to its glory days during its Roman occupation, which also brought a steady military tradition to ...

Croatian Tourism Authorities have been advertising with the slogan "The Mediterranean as it once was" - and featured on billboards and in commercials we usually find some sights from Dubrovnik, Korcula and...Hvar. As the fourth most popular destination for visitors in Croatia, the island of Hvar is undeniably beautiful and yet not overly exploited touristically, stretching with its green bushes from one side of blue sea to another with the blue sky in between. Jagged inlets mark the coastline, while in the center we find a central ridge featuring long grey lines of limestone heaps, built by farmers over many centuries in their efforts to gain arable land for cultivation. This landscape was declared a UNESCCO world heritage site in 2008 as among the best preserved ancient Greek landscape in the Mediterranean. Lavender used to be among the most popular crops until fire reduced its cultivation recently. Yet anything made from lavender, pouches of potpouri or bottles of lave...

Arriving here from Madrid or from the Picos de Europa National Park, LEÓN, the capital of the Autonomous Spanish Community of Castille-Leon, seems a little lost in the middle of nowhere, but upon arrival in the city itself, it feels like the center of the universe, its own universe of Spain in a nutshell. Leon does not receive huge amounts of tourists, and those that do come to town are here usually for the St. James' Way, the famous pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela - from Leon it is a convenient week to walk through Castille-Leon and Galicia to Santiago - perfect for visitors and pilgrims alike. Many Spaniards also know the name LEON along with nearby Burgos as the places in Spain with the highest temperatures during the summer and among the lowest in winter. Yet within a few hours in this gem of a Spanish city, it becomes clear that LEON warrants worthy mention and a visit in its own right offering various attractions, first and foremost its magnificent GOTHIC CA...

Among the destinations along the Adriatic coast, Montenegro remains a rather exotic choice for visitors. Following the war on the Balkans and years of transition as part of the loose federation of "Serbia and Montenegro", the area has only recently started experimenting with independence, officially becoming the Republic of Montenegro in 2006 and using the EURO as its official currency. Consequently, tourism here is yet far less developed than in neighboring countries such as Croatia or Italy. Yet for that very reason, sailing into the Bay of Kotor and exploring the coastline of Montenegro remains a unique exotic and enriching experience for visitors with memories bound to last a lifetime. See the full gallery on Posterous The town of Kotor is located in the most secluded part of the Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor), among the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea and often called the "southernmost Fjord of Europe". Some geologists have suggested, howeve...

It is usually overcast and dreary upon arrival in the Basque Lands - after all, such lush green vegetation needs its fair share of rain to prosper and bloom. Yet in such coastal microclimate, matters may change quickly, giving way to brilliant sunshine and warmth, during which San Sebastian, the region's uncontested resort gem, reveals its true magic and allure. From nowhere else can the city's blessed geographical layout and urban charm be appreciated better than from MOUNT IGUELDO, where a fortress-turned-theme park invites visitors to admire a splendid view over LA CONCHA Bay with its white-washed beach and its upscale turn-of-the-century resort hotels. It conjures up images of Nice in France or even a Mini-Rio of sorts with Mount Urgull as San Sebastian's sugar cane, but no comparison to others does the city justice, as it exudes a distinct air of its own, on the cusp of French and Spanish cultures and yet a quintessential example of Basque identity with all its ...

Few places are more transient than Santiago de Compostela - day in, day out, pilgrims from all over Europe walk through Porta do Camino and arrive at Praza do Obradeiro in front of Santiago's magnificent cathedral to finish weeks and sometimes months of pilgrimage. In addition, many tourists from around the world flock to Santiago to admire its monuments and to learn more about the pilgrimage route of St. James' way, the origins of which go back to just after the birth of Christ. And yet, because or may be inspite of the pilgrimage theme, Santiago is radically different from other, more traditional tourist destinations. It retains a special air of spiritual depth, peace, tranquility and an atmosphere unique to any place considered sacred. It all started with the Legend of St. James, the disciple who left the Holy Land to land on the shores of Galicia in what is nowadays Northwestern Spain to christianize these pagan lands. Only after he successfully slayed a dragon ...

High up in the Pyrenee mountains we find the Principality of Andorra - a miniature country of 75000 inhabitants famous for duty-free shopping and winter sports. While Andorra with its focus on commercial activity and lack of historic artifacts, may be a poor choice for visitors seeking local charm, history and culture, the adjacent town of LA SEU D'URGELL about 10 miles south in Catalonia, has all the ingredients of a perfect tourist destination and one that has to date been a well-kept secret hidden in the Pyrenees of Northern Spain.  While the region of Alt Urgell, just south of the border to France and Andorra, has traditionally been economically underdeveloped, La Seu was fortunate enough to have a savvy mayor in the early 1990s that managed to convince officials at the Olympics to choose the Segre river in La Seu for their water rafting and canooing competitions. What was to follow was the construction of the Segre Olympic Complex with millions of euros of invest...