Scottish lions

The truth of course is that, like many tourists to Scotland, the couple on the train had barely scratched the surface of the country. Victorian travellers described the “must-see” sights in any region as the “lions” and the standard list of Scottish lions has barely changed in 150 years. The railway viaduct at Glenfinnan, opened only in 1898, is the newcomer to the list.

The “Western Isles” arrives at the Knoydart’s remote pier. Photo © hidden europe

Over recent decades, great tracts of the Scottish Highlands, which were once so difficult to reach, have become very much more accessible. Distance has been diminished by better roads, improved ferry connections and faster trains. The most frequently visited Scottish island — Skye — is now hardly an island at all. Since 1995, it has been connected by a road bridge to the mainland.

Routes less taken

Move away from Scotland’s principal cities and for many decades the defining characteristic of Scottish rural landscapes was their remoteness. In many cases, there is still a genuine sense of isolation and distance from civilisation. The Shetland capital at Lerwick is still more than twelve hours on the fastest boat from the mainland port of Aberdeen. If, having sailed from Aberdeen to Lerwick, you want to continue on the direct boat from Lerwick to tiny Fair Isle (which runs only on alternate Thursdays), then you are in for another longish voyage — five hours.

Even on the mainland, distances are challenging. The sole daily rail connection from Wick (in the north-east) to Stranraer (in the south-west) takes over twelve hours. Few visitors to Scotland have the appetite for such long hauls. Impatience with travel, lust to be at a destination, means that most visitors focus on easy trips to places that are quick pickings.

Five hidden gems

So you think you know Scotland? Here’s our checklist of five remote spots that well repay the effort of a strenuous journey. None of them are in the canon of accepted tourist “sights.” But each offers a taste of really rural Scotland:

1. The island of North Ronaldsay in the Orkneys, reached by twice weekly ferry from Kirkwall. Travel time 2hrs 40mins to 3hrs 35mins from Kirkwall.

2. The island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, reached by ferry from Oban. Sailings most day, with a passage time of 5 to 7 hours.

3. The Knoydart Peninsula on the mainland. A half-hour hop on the ferry from Mallaig.

4. Kinloch Hourn — one of the remotest spots on the mainland that can be reached by car. But take time, for access is by a fragile ribbon of tarmac: a single-track road that seems to go on for ever.

5. The summit of Merrick in the Galloway Forest Park. No lofty mountain, but a chance to engage with the hills and forests of Scotland’s oft-overlooked south-west corner.

The post Exploring Europe: Really Rural Scotland appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

There’s not much you can do, but there is some hope. Try these five tips to help ease the spending:

1. Your best food friend: Coop

The dominating Swiss supermarket chain is Coop (pronounced “cope”). Unlike many European grocery stores, Coop stores are quite large and offer lots of variety. It’s the perfect place to peruse an assortment of fine local chocolates (about two bucks a bar), not to mention the ideal spot to shop for meals to go.

2. Buy the ZurichCARD: Save on transportation, food, museums

I’m not usually one to recommend these touristy offers, but the ZurichCARD is your ticket to a cheap weekend in the city. Buy the 72-hour card for $40 or the 24-hour card for $20 and enjoy care-free, unlimited public transportation anywhere in and around Zurich. Not only that, but the card also gives discounts on nightlife admission, free drinks at restaurants and free entrance to all the museums in Zurich. As the Zurich tourism site says, “So much pleasure for so little money.”

3. Eating out? Shop around

I found meals purchased in department store cafes to be freshly prepared and reasonably priced. From coffees and cakes to salads and warm meals, it’s a Euro thing that’s quite enjoyable and tasty. Department store cafes usually have three to five stations offering the five food groups (complete with spice shakers and fresh herb offerings) at a lower price than nearby restaurants.

4. Continuing on to neighboring countries? Save up

Interestingly, Switzerland is surrounded by countries that offer dramatically cheaper prices for many of the things tourists are interested in. Germany, Austria and Italy carry similar mountain and seasonal souvenirs, while France offers even better food at a lower price (Paris excluded). Thus, while in Switzerland, be frugal with spending francs and wait to enjoy a satisfying splurge with a Swiss neighbor on shopping, dining and sightseeing.

5. Wander

Sure, it’s the oldest tip in the cheapo book, but strolling through this walkable city won’t cost a franc. Take in the amazing scenery. The mountains, lake, and old city quarters are best admired out in the fresh alpine air. Winters can bring crisp, clear and sunny days. Bundle up, slap on some shades and get out there! (Just watch for those patches of ice.)

The post Zurich: 5 Budget Tips for Saving Some Serious Francs appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Europe’s Niagara?

And last month, we were standing by the side of the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen in Switzerland and heard a guide tell her flock of attentive followers that they were gazing at Europe’s highest waterfall. Now the falls at Schaffhausen are very pretty indeed, but this is no mighty Niagara – even at times of high water. If you want high waterfalls, northern Europe has them aplenty including several that are higher than any on the North American mainland.

Cloisters in Schaffhausen.

We also heard the travel guide advise her group that this is where the author Conan Doyle staged a fictional tussle between Sherlock Holmes and the evil Professor Moriarty. Actually that episode was not at the Rhine Falls at all, but at Reichenbach Falls though the idea that the Rhine Falls figured in Holmes’ life still pops up frequently.

Size doesn’t matter

At a height of just 23 metres (about 75 feet) the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen break no records, yet they developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries into a milestone on the itinerary of early tourists. Goethe, Rousseau and Byron all made the statutory stop at Schaffhausen to see the River Rhine tumble over the gently arcuate cascade that effectively separates the River Rhine into two quite distinct navigable waterways: the upper part of the Rhine above the falls (including Lake Constance) and the lower Rhine below the falls that eventually flows north through western Germany and the Netherlands to drain indefinably through a medley of Dutch deltas into the North Sea.

A tourism icon

Schaffhausen’s merchants were canny folk, resisting every overture by engineers who suggested methods of circumventing this modest natural barrier to navigation. “No way,” they protested at each ingenious new plan, anxious to protect the good living they made from having to shift cargo between ships on the two sections of the Rhine river.

So yes, you can see waterfalls in Europe that are more than 30 times higher than those at Schaffhausen, but that’s to miss the point. Centuries of commerce and centuries of travel history have conspired to construct the Rhine Falls as a hydrological icon, as the veritable epitome of a European waterfall. It’s a wonderful spot, so let’s just go with the flow, marvel at the myths, and agree that Schaffhausen certainly deserves a visit.

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The Srebrenica massacre

It was fifteen years ago this summer that 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were ruthlessly murdered in and around Srebrenica. This small city in a quiet valley in eastern Bosnia will probably never come to terms with the atrocities that propelled Srebrenica into the headlines in 1995. As a site of violence and tragedy, Srebrenica exerts enormous symbolic power. It is a milestone in our historic consciousness, just as Auschwitz is for another generation.

Thanotourism: Auschwitz and the Museum of Free Derry

Have you been to Auschwitz? If so, you have dabbled in “thanotourism” (as the specialists dub travel that evinces feelings of grief). And would you happily visit the Museum of Free Derry if you were in Ireland? There you will hear the terrified screams of protesters as they were gunned down by British soldiers on a sunny Sunday afternoon in January 1972.

Tourism relating to the Ulster Troubles has become a considerable industry in Derry, as a community shattered by a horrible history tries to rebuild – and with considerable success. Just as Srebrenica is trying too. The violence inflicted on this one community in a ten-day period in mid-July 1995 is hard for us to fathom. Yet fifteen years on, Srebrenica is back in business. Fathers, brothers and sons died. But the women of Srebrenica have taken the lead in revitalizing the town.

The burden of history

Srebrenica has a beautiful memorial to those who perished. The locals want you to go there to see it. But they want you to visit for other reasons too. Tourism is a marvelous way of regenerating the local economy, and Srebrenica needs its share of the tourist dollar. And a steady flow of visitors helps communities escape the heavy burden of history.

After all, Srebrenica, just like Oscwiecim (the Polish town better known by the German rendering Auschwitz), are not only places of the dead, but also of the living. Bosnia is one of Europe’s most fascinating countries. It might now be time to see for yourself and visit Srebrenica.

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