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Apr

A Not To Be Missed Eating Experience In Belgrade

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

Tchaikovsky Restaurant

We were lucky enough to discover the Restaurant Tchaikovsky whilst we recently visited Belgrade (Beograd).

This eating place links the Terasije Square and Balkanska Street in the Stari Grad region of Belgrade. The restaurant is a part of the Hotel Moscow, one of the iconic accommodation venues in the most interesting part of old Belgrade.
For more information about the Tchaikovsky Restaurant and the Hotel Moskva, we recommend that you visit their website at: http://www.hotelmoskva.rs/en/ .

Here, you’ll be able to discover a lot of information about the hotel and many of the celebrities who have stayed at the hotel over the last 100 years, and also download a copy of the menu for the restaurant, so that you too an drool over some of the great dishes on their list.

We succeeded in eating at this establishment twice in the two nights that we were visiting Belgrade (it was simply so good on the first night that we had to return).

We must acknowledge the great work of Executive Chef Stojkovic Kata and his team for putting toegther such a great selection and maintaining a consistent quality.

The range of selections on the menu is excellent. We counted 8 cold appetizers, 8 soups and 8 hot appetizers before we got to mains and desserts.

We tried a number of the soup choices, and have to say that each of our selections were absolutely delicious, each with a range of unique flavors, beautifully presented and a wide selection of breads to enjoy with the soup.

For mains, we sampled the grilled marinated squid, stuffed pork fillets and turkey breasts with gorgonzola sauce. Each of these were accompanied by delicious fresh vegetables.

The salad we selected, Sopska Salad, was just magnificent, with tomato, cucumber, ground black pepper and topped with grated fetta cheese. Following the first night, we had become aware of fine slices of hot chilli carefully disguised to look like cucumber.

Although we didn’t manage to sample the desserts, we must say that they also looked absolutely magnificent.

On our second night at the restaurant, we also asked the waitress about a possible choice of wine. Having explained that we enjoyed a dry red wine without too much bite, we were recommended to try a Serbian Cabernet Merlot variety that she personally enjoyed and believed would suit our tastes. She was exactly right! The wine was one of the best that we’ve experienced out of Europe, with a subtle complexity and nose that we found very enjoyable.

In terms of costing, we found that this restaurant didn’t break the bank. The bill for the second night (with our bottle of wine) came to just over 5,100 rsd (which equates to around ? 50). We consider that this is extremely good value for a meal of this quality served in lovely surroundings, complete with background accompaniment of a pianist on a grand piano.

Whatever you do, when you visit Belgrade, don’t miss this opportunity.

Categories : Accommodation, Business, Destinations, Vacations

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Apr

A Great Example Of The Power Of Nature

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

The ash cloud that disrupted European air traffic - (Xinhua Reuters photo)

The recent worldwide travel chaos that resulted from the volcanic eruption in Iceland emphasizes just how fragile our technology hold over the forces of nature really are.

The amazing thing about this is that Iceland is fairly remote from most of the European airspace that was closed down for many long days.

It seems that the prevailing winds were at the time traveling in an unusual direction, and this resulted in the ash cloud’s spread over much of northern Europe, and in fact across well into Russia as well.

I seem to remember that this particular volcano’s last eruption was recorded from 1821 to 1823, with substantial explosive eruptions (similar to this year’s activities) happening between late June and Early August in 1823. Had such a string of eruptions occurred this month, then the skies may have been closed off to aircraft for 6 weeks or so.

It is perhaps a good thing that we didn’t have Jumbo Jets and other similar flying objects around in those days!

The result of an event resulting from “natural causes” cost many billions of dollars to the travel sector as well as resulting in massive disruption to the travel plans of many travelers.

Of course the other side issue of all of this that escapes attention in that of freight transport. Many businesses (particularly those with contracts to supply highly perishable goods like fresh seafood and cut flowers) suffered very heavy losses as a result of being unable to deliver their produce.

The flight disruption was also a timely reminder to all of us who travel to carefully read the wording on our travel insurance policy. Many of the people who were caught out this time found out (too late) that their policies had exclusions which prevented them from making a claim.

The other aspect of this event is that the “blame game” has now begun. Passengers are complaining that their airline held up flights for longer than some others. In turn, airlines are tending to say that the national air travel regulators in many countries closed off their airspace too early and were overly cautious in the time that the airspace was re-opened. In their defence, regulators have claimed that the advice that they received from vulcanologists and meteorological bureax were not sufficiently detailed and accurate.

We can be sure that this is now an issue that has managed to come to the front of the queue for issues that need some better organized process of measurements and decision making, so that dangerous situations are avoided, whilst nevertheless reducing the level of disruption to an absolute minimum.

There will definitely be more to come on this issue. Stay tuned!

John Kumm, Author

For other interesting and informative travel related discussions, visit us at: http://www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Business, Destinations, Odd Spots, Vacations

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Jun

The Wellness Industry in Bad Harzburg

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

As was briefly mentioned in the previous entry, the discovery of mineral wells in the Harzburg region in the late 19th century resulted in the development of both a new name and a new industry for the city we now know as Bad Harzburg.

A thermal pool in a Bad Harzburg wellness center

For the health-conscious vacationer Bad Harzburg, with many years as a wellness “cure” town, can offer a great solution for those looking for the chance to relax, either by using the medically supervised spa facilities, or by utilising the hiking and wandering possibilities offered by
the town and the surrounding countryside.

The Harzburger Saline Baths, which include a modern Sauna World, provide the holiday guest with the chance to relax with an underwater massage or a herbal Sauna. The photo on the left shows one of the newly established thermal pools within the Harzburger complex.
Bad Harzburg is not only well known for the quality and cleanliness of it’s air but also for the seven mineral springs which supply naturally mineralised water to the saline baths or provide the beneficial waters drunk by those who visit the 19th. century Pump Room.

In an independent survey carried out by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Commerce in 2003 the Bad Harzburg Saline Baths were judged to be the best and most attractive in the Lower Saxony region of Germany.

All the health springs in Bad Harzburg are natural mineral springs and no additional salt or minerals are added. A publication of the Bad Harzburg authorities states that the springs have the following beneficial qualities:

Dr. Harras-Schneider spring: water for the saline baths.
Johann-Albrecht spring: waters poor in sulphur ideal for inhalation and exercise baths.
Krodo Well: for digestion and metabolism.
Barbarossa Well: healing water for stomach problems, pancreas, duodenum and the gall-bladder.
Sulphur Well: healing water for chronic illness of the blood vessels or joints.

Built towards the end of the 19th century, the Pump Room with it’s striking Tambour-Pendentif dome is one of the town’s landmarks. In this building, three of the seven Bad Harzburg natural healing waters can be drunk. The rest of the building has been restored to it’s original glory and is used for concerts, readings, lectures and other cultural events.

We were in fact intrigued on our last visit to Bad Harzburg to find that, in addition to the range of healing waters available, it was possible to sit in the auditorium whilst being entertained by a highly professional classical string quartet. It was really fantastic to be able to sit back and relax while simultaneously experiencing the ambience of the classical surroundings, the beautiful music of the era and the sense of the curing waters “doing their thing” to our insides.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations

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Jun

Bad Harzburg – A Wellness Wonderland In The Harz Region Of Germany

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

We have visited Bad Harzburg a number of times, and believe that it offers a very special experience to visitors to this part of Germany.

Satellite image of Bad Harzburg Bad Harzburg is a city in the state of Lower Saxony which is located on the northern slopes of the Upper Harz mountains. It is located about 40km south of Braunschweig close to the Harz National Park.

The city developed around a castle that was built around 1066 by the emperor Henry IV (this particular date is of course an important part of the history of England).

Evidence of early settlers from the early bronze age have been uncovered in the vicinity of Bad Harzburg. It was the discovery of the Harzburg mineral springs in the late 16th century that marked the beginning of growth of the town.

The name of the town was change to Bad (Spa) Harzburg in 1892. This indicates the official recognition of the location as one of Germany’s significant health spas.

As can be seen from the satellite image of the region, the area to the north of the city is fairly well settled with farming land, whilst towards the south the mountain range quickly takes over from the settled parts of the city.

Over the next week or two, I will provide further information about some of the things to see and experience when visiting Bad Harzburg.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations

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Jun

More Information About The Harz Mountains Region In Central Germany

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

It has been several days since I have managed to provide some further information about this intriguing part of Europe.

I was forced to undergo some oral surgery a while ago, then have been away at a seminar, and simply didn’t get time to write more information for this blog.

I do plan to get back into the swing of things in the next day or two, but in the meantime, am giving a linkage to a very thorough information source about the region.

If you want to find out more information about the region, why not visit the site of der Harz Immer Ganz Oben

I feel sure that this site will offer you a very good understanding of what the Harz Mountain region has to offer the visitor and holidaymaker.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations

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Jun

The Harz National Park Nature Reserve

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The Harz National Park nature reserve is located in the Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt regions of Germany.

Harz National Park The reserve occupies large portions of the western Harz mountains with a total area of about 250 square km,and extends from Bad Harzburg in the north to Herzberg at the southern edge of the range.

The Harz is Germany’s most popular walking and holiday area. The central and eastern Harz, in the former East Germany, includes most of the finest country, including the High Harz National Park.

The area has associations with Goethe and witchcraft. The highest mountain, the Brocken, has a deep spiritual importance for the German people.

The eastern Harz is also known for its superb half-timbered towns such as Quedlinburg and Wernigerode, as well as one of Europe’s finest narrow gauge steam railway networks which offers excellent access to the whole area.

The current park was created in 2006 by joining the Harz National Park in Lower Saxony with the Upper Harz National Park in Saxony-Anhalt. The elevation is between 230 m and 1141.1 m, with some 95% of the area being covered with forest.

One of the future priorities in the management of the Harz National Park consists of carrying out environmental information and education services.
With its location, beautiful landscapes and natural characteristics, environmental facilities and topography, the Harz National Park region is one of the most significant recreational areas within Central Europe.

Rare animals of the Harz National Park include the dipper, black stork, peregrine falcon and especially the lynx. The lynx became extinct in the Harz Mountains in the early 19th century, but in 1999 a project for reintroducing the lynx was established.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations

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May

Goethe And Faust – Links To Walpurgisnacht

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

The German poet Johann Goethe’s iconic saga “Faust” contains a scene in which the hero is transported by the devil to the Brockenberg on Walpurgisnacht, the night of April 30th. Faust is to join the Bacchanalia of the evil and demonic powers that occurs when the witches meet in celebration with the devil.

Prof E Herter's Walpurgisnacht At this festival, Mephistopheles draws Faust from the plane of love to the sexual plane, to distract him from Gretchen’s fate. Mephistopheles is costumed here as a Junker and with cloven hooves. Mephistopheles lures Faust into the arms of a naked young witch, but he is distracted by the sight of Medusa, who appears to him in “his lov’d one’s image”: a “lone child, pale and fair”, resembling “sweet Gretchen”.

The Faust legend is still used as a resource in many German language schools, but has become more of an academic treatise in most other countries of the world.

In 1932, as a part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Goethe’s birth, a “scientific” experiment was carried out on Brocken’s peak according to the terms of the Bloksberg Tryst, referred to in the “High German Black Book”, -a hand-written volume of magical formulæ that dates from about the fifteenth century, and contains much ritual for the practice of transcendental magic.

It is reported that the physical requirements for the Tryst included: a magic circle with the usual symbols, a triangle, a pine fire, a bowl of incense, a ‘pure virgin’, a ‘he-goat’, Latin incantations, and a noisome unguent made of bats’ blood, scrapings from church bells, soot and honey.

In the event, the experiment did not result in the goat being transformed magically into “a faire youth of surpassing beauty”. However, widespread reportage of the experiment certainly did not harm this region’s ability to further promote itself as a place of witchcraft and long held traditions.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Odd Spots

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May

Walpurgisnacht – An Amazing Experience For The Traveler To Germany

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

As discussed in my previous article, many residents of the Harz Mountains of Germany maintain a strong tradition of recognition of the elements of witchcraft, dating back to pagan times.

This tradition reaches an annual crescendo on or around Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) on 30th April. At this time, local revellers celebrate the meeting of Europe’s witches on the summit of Brockenberg to celebrate the coming of spring.

April 30 is when things get spooky in Germany. In 1876, Jacob Grimm wrote Deutsche Mythologie II, which included the following stanza:

“There is a mountain very high and bare, whereon it is given out that witches hold their dance on Walpurgis Night,”

A typical Walpurgisnacht mask Naturally, local tourist authorities do their utmost to evoke this sense of otherworldliness as a way or encouraging visitors to the region. In the days leading up to Walpurgisnacht there is a brisk trade in Harzhexen, souvenir representations of witches riding broomsticks. Postcards, beer steins, and wooden carvings also celebrate the season of the witch.

The tiny village of Schierke attracts thousands of revellers each year to celebrate Walpurgisnacht. The day begins with a parade of kindergarteners dressed as witches and pitchfork-wielding devils. Festooned with witch puppets, even the railway station joins in the fun. The local steam train becomes a Hexenexpress, chugging down from the Brockenberg’s summit to Wernigerode–the quintessential “fairytale” town of half-timbered houses and gothic turrets.

Things really start to get interesting after dark. The visitor is likely to be surrounded by a bevy of witches, vampires, goblins and even Valkyries wandering around a medieval fair. The whole area gathers a festive atmosphere, with food, drink and craft booths, bonfires, pantomime and fireworks displays.

Remember that this part of Germany has not yet been exposed to the levels of international tourism, and thus English is not very widely spoken at all.

However, even given this,we are sure that you will find Walpurgisnacht celebrations in the Brockenberg area an experience that you’ll never forget.
Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Odd Spots

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May

Harz Germany – Witches’ Haven

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

Any visitor to the Harz Mountains region wll soon realise that there is an odd emphasis on witches and other supernatural elements amongst many of the villages and towns.

This area, which is often steeped in mists that seem to weave in and out of forest trees and rock formations, is also steeped in folk tales and traditions which probably go back to pre-christian times.

These include many tales of witchcraft, apparitions and enchantments. These traditions spread widely, and in many parts of Europe there was a belief that Walpurgisnacht was the occasion when all of Europe’s witches gathered together on the peak of Brocken Mountain (Brockenberg) to await the dawn of spring. The date of this event is the night of April 30th, the eve of May.

It is believed that the tradition of Walpurgisnacht has its roots in an ancient pagan spring festival. However,under Christian influence, the rite of spring was transformed into a day to drive out the forces of pagan darkness, rather than the darkness of winter. Saint Walburga, now remembered on May 1, emerged in the eighth century to battle with the old goddess.
Brocken Mountain was where Goethe set the witches’ Sabbath scene in the story of Faust, who sells his soul to Mephistopheles, the devil. The tradition has even been remembered in modern music when the band Black Sabbath presented the song entitled “Walpurgis”.

Of course, this season has recently been promoted by local councils as a means of attracting tourists to the area. Around this time of the year, there is a brisk trade in “Harzhexen”, a range of toys and souvenirs reresenting witches on broomsticks and similar metaphors of witchcraft.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Odd Spots

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May

Germany – The Harz Mountains Region

By oltravelblog · Comments (0)

Today we will begin an exploration of some interesting items relating to the Harz Mountains region of Germany.

This area has a special interest to me as being the area in which my grandfather spent his formative years. I have found it to be a fascinating part of Germany, as being an area rich with history and lovely scenery, yet having sheltered on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain for some 50 years.

Harz Region Location Map The Harz Mountains comprise the northernmost mountain chain of Germany. They straddle the border between the states of Lower Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.

The Harz is divided into the Upper Harz (Oberharz) in the northwest and the Lower Harz (Unterharz) in the southeast. The Upper Harz has a higher elevation and features fir forests, while the Lower Harz gradually descends towards the surrounding land and offers a mix of deciduous forests and meadows.

The mountain range is about 95 km long and some 35 km wide. The highest peak is the Brocken with a height at the summit of 1141 m.

Whilst the chain covers some 2,000 sq. km., the population in the area is much less than many other parts of Germany, with only about 600,000 people living in the towns and villages of the Harz mountains.

The history of the Harz region is “relatively” recent, with the dense forestation apparently precluding pre-historic settlements. Some of the earliest recorded activities in the region relate to the discovery of silver in the Goslar area around 1000 AD.

In later articles, I will tell more about the people, locations and special items of interest relating to this part of the world.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations

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