15 articles found
The History of the Danish Language: From Old Norse to Modern Dansk
Danish sounds, to many first-time visitors, like a language being spoken with a hot potato in the mouth. Even other Scandinavians joke about it. But behind that famously soft, swallowed pronunciation is one of the oldest continuously recorded languag...
Danish Minimalism: Why Denmark Mastered the Art of Living with Less
Walk into a typical Danish home and you might be struck by what's not there. No excessive décor. No maximalist art walls. No rooms packed with furniture. What you find instead is carefully chosen: clean lines, warm natural materials, soft lighting, a...
Which countries are actually European?
Where Does Europe Actually End? Is Iceland in Europe? What about the United Kingdom? Greece? Romania? Turkey? Georgia? Cyprus? And where, exactly, does Europe stop being Europe and become Asia? For travelers, Europe can seem like one of the easie...
The Netherlands by Bike: Why the Dutch Built Their Cycling Infrastructure
There are 23 million bicycles in the Netherlands which is more than one for every person. The country has 21,000 miles or 35,000 kilometers of dedicated cycle paths. This is the outcome of deliberate political decisions made half a century ago.
Oktoberfest: An Overview for Visitors
Every year from the third Saturday of September through the first Sunday of October, six million people descend on Munich's Theresienwiese meadow to participate in the world's largest folk festival. They consume approximately 7 million litres of be...
Irish Pub Culture
The pub in Ireland predates the nation itself. For centuries it served as the community centre, the post office waiting room, the wake venue, and the only heated place to meet in a wet country. That history hasn't gone away. Walk into the right...
What Dutch People Actually Think About Tourists (And How to Be a Better Tourist)
The Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular, is heavily touristed but unfortunately it has resulted in disruptive and disrespectful behavior due to a prevailing perception that "anything goes." "Amsterdam Is Not a Theme Park" In 2023, ...
Moldova's Wine Country: Why Eastern Europe's Smallest Nation Has the World's Biggest Cellars
Moldova is a landlocked country tucked between Romania and Ukraine, rarely mentioned in travel conversations and frequently confused with other Eastern European countries. It also holds the world record for the largest wine cellar, hosts one of Eur...
The Underground Tunnels of Provins, Seine-et-Marne, France
Around 60 miles, or 90 kilometers, southeast of Paris, the medieval town of Provins is situated on the plains of Seine-et-Marne. Provins is a UNESCO World Heritage site with fortified walls and gates, round towers, and even medieval festivals and fai...
Dracula Was Real: Why Romania's Vampire Legend Draws Millions of Tourists Each Year
Romania has built an entire tourism industry around a myth that was invented in London, based loosely on a 15th-century warlord who almost certainly never left Transylvania. The stranger truth is that the reality behind the legend – the landscape, th...
Estonia: 7 Things That Might Surprise You
Estonia is easy to overlook since it is a small, northern Baltic country, tucked between Latvia and the Gulf of Finland. Estonia is, however, a destination that has something for everyone. It's a wonderful mix of history, nature, and modern convenien...
The Real Story Behind Budweiser: Did the American Beer Steal Its Name from the Czech Republic?
Walk into any bar in the Czech city of České Budějovice — known in German as Budweis — and order a Budweiser. You'll get a crisp, full-bodied Czech lager that has been brewed here since 1895. It has nothing to do with the American beer you might know...