By Karen Bradbury
Published: May 15, 2012
Have you ever watched kids at play and thought how wonderful it would be if playgrounds were made for adults, too? In Austria’s Tyrolian Alps, they’ve come up with something very close to that. Area 47 is a slice of semi-harnessed wilderness where adventure-lovers can take part in an almost unlimited number of adrenalin-charged activities, from a high ropes course to white-water rafting to caving. The park is just now entering its third season.
Area 47 is divided into four major zones: outdoor, water, climbing and events. In the outdoor zone, in addition to the high ropes course, you’ll find a high swing dangling from a bridge and a nearly quarter-mile long zip line. You can also enjoy rafting and canyoning through the Ötztal Mountains. The water zone offers a lake for swimming, five water slides, a diving platform, and a water ramp that you can ride down on an inner tube, skis or a snowboard. The climbing zone offers a massive climbing wall with 28 routes and a boulder cave. In the events zone, come Saturday evening, you’ll find a DJ or perhaps a team of adrenalin junkies demonstrating whatever hair-raising sport they master.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: May 10, 2012
Happy Mother’s Day, Moms! If you’re in Germany, you’re in luck, because May 13 is Muttertag there as well. Lots of restaurants will be featuring special menus. Other venues, from wineries to pleasure ships plying the rivers, roll out a special welcome. Looking for a trip somewhere this weekend? Here are a few ideas:
In Zweibrücken, a Street Theater Spectacle will take over the streets of the Rose City on Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy street theater, markets and music in the area around Herzogplatz. Each year has a theme; this year’s is “God and the World.” Hours are 3-10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: April 12, 2012
A black-veiled woman cradling her son overcome by tear gas in a riot in the Middle East. The carcass of a cow, abandoned in the aftermath of the nuclear disaster in Japan. A young woman in a bridal gown attempting suicide by jumping out a window. Year after year, the stunningly captured images of almost unimaginable events pack an emotional wallop.
It’s no light-hearted venture, visiting the World Press Photo exhibition of award-winning images from the previous year.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: April 5, 2012
As you began your European tour of duty, it’s no wonder your first instinct was to head for the sights you had only dreamed of visiting. And who’d blame you? Remember the moment you first laid eyes on such wonders as the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum?
Following visits to several such renowned landmarks, however, you might have felt the urge to step beyond the usual tourist hot spots and really get beneath the skin of a destination. If that’s the case, Context Travel, a travel business with a much different philosophy, might well be of interest to you. Context Travel aims to connect intellectually curious travelers with the elusive local knowledge that makes all the difference between seeing a city through the eyes of a tourist or truly making a connection with the environment.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: March 22, 2012
Do both music and snow sports rate as a few of your favorite things? If so, you might be tempted by a flurry of Alpine slope-side activity this spring. From April 5-14, Mayrhofen, Austria, organizes Snowbombing, a festival offering a range of acts appealing to fans of electronic music. This year’s headliners include Dizzee Rascal, Example, DJ Shadow, Groove Armada and The Vaccines. Activities away from the stage include a rave in an igloo and a fancy-dress street party. Snowbombing is sold as an accommodation-and-entertainment package, which means when you purchase your accommodation, the event wristband is included in the price.
Zermatt, Switzerland, hosts its Unplugged festival April 17-21. Lauryn Hill performs on April 19; tickets were still available as of this writing. The beauty of this festival is that many performances of lesser-known acts are absolutely free --- discover 12 new acts in 29 concerts under the banner of New Talents. For something truly special, book yourself a spot at one of three Sunnegga Sessions, held at 7,506 feet above sea level. Enjoy an aperitif, a standing buffet that includes wine, dessert and coffee, and at least 45 minutes of acoustic music in an intimate setting. Artists include Anna Aaron, James Vincent McMorrow, and James Walsh. The ticket price of 149 Swiss francs also includes your ride up and down the mountain on the Sunnegga express funicular. Don’t be late to the lift, as there’s no other way to reach the venue!
By Karen Bradbury
Published: March 12, 2012
It’s time to locate your bike under the heaps of junk in your garage, pump up its tires, grease the chain and head out to participate in one of Germany’s wonderful auto-free days. Generally held on Sundays, these are days when normally busy roads through a scenic stretch --- often alongside a river or through the wine country --- are shut down to motorized traffic, and cyclists and hikers come out in droves.
If you’ve never taken part in one of the auto-free days, you’re in for a treat. You may find the start or end points of the route choked with the cars of people driving to the event. Trains can also get chockablock with bikes and riders. A possible means to avoid this is to begin at a midpoint along the stretch of highway closed to motorized traffic. Once under way, expect cyclists, in-line skaters and masses of pedestrians who will be out enjoying the day. Some of these events attract tens of thousands of participants, including families with children, so you’ll need to bring your patience --- these are not, generally speaking, days to achieve great speed or distances. You can pack a picnic, but there’s no real need, as the roadsides are usually brimming with stands where you can grab a bratwurst or a Radler, that beer-and-lemonade mix perfect for quenching a sport-induced thirst.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: March 7, 2012
If someone were to ask you what your favorite place in all of Germany was, how would you reply?
As a matter of fact, someone is asking you. The German National Tourist Board, to be precise. From now through March 15, visit germany.travel and share your thoughts in a survey on Germany’s most striking and memorable places. The survey’s results will be used to help the board compile a list of Germany's top 100 attractions.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: March 6, 2012
I strive to keep abreast of what's happening throughout the European countries Stripes readers call home. Many of the events I read about strike me as different, but not without charm. Here are some taking place over the next couple of weeks that I would hope to one day see or experience.
On March 9 in Rome, pious, or just cautious, drivers can have their automobiles blessed during the Festa di Santa Francesca Romana. According to Time Out Rome, Santa Francesca Romana was named the patron saint of vehicles due to her gift of dislocation, or the ability to be in several places at once. The blessing is offered at the Monastero Oblate di Santa Francesca Romana, via Teatro di Marcello 32 and 40.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: February 28, 2012
Have you ever considered turning your hand to travel writing or photography? An experience-sharing website by the name of Trazzler hosts a Weekly Worldwide Contest which seeks write-ups and photos based on a specific theme, location or list of worldwide destinations. If your submission is recognized as the best of that week’s entries, you can lay claim to a contract with Trazzler to provide similar content on a paid basis.
Trazzler periodically seeks submissions focusing on hundreds of destinations. Many are reasonably close to U.S. military communities in Europe. Those on the list for Germany include the town of Bamberg, the Pilgrimage Church of Wies in Steingaden, the island of Reichenau on Lake Constance, the Würzburg Residence and the Harry Klein nightclub in Munich. In Italy, they’d like to learn more about the rock drawings of Valcamonica in Brescia, the Moxa Club in Mantova and the residences of the Royal House of Savoy in Turin. In England, the call is out for your thoughts on a club known as Gatecrasher in Birmingham, the Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and a handful of venues throughout London. In Spain, they’re interested in the Doñana National Park in Almonte. Trazzler’s editors are also happy to take on board user-generated suggestions for new places to review.
By Karen Bradbury
Published: February 11, 2012
While pondering the ways in which to mark Valentine’s Day in Germany, it occurred to me that my list of suggestions might just as comfortably have worn a title something along the lines of “How to chase away the winter blues.”
Romance is supposed to be a key element of this day. But when married couples make up less than half of all American households, and those in relationships are often geographically separated through deployments or other demands of a job, isn’t it time to toss aside the notion that the day can only be enjoyed in sets of two?
