I recently discovered Wide Angle - National Geographic Greatest Places. Beautiful photography (as always).
This book pretty much covers everything in the world. As far as Europe is concerned, it spans several chapters.
Since pictures (especially National Geographic ones) are worth more than a thousand words, I would not even attempt to describe the beauty of those places. However, if you could get a copy of the book (in stores or at your local library), you might get some new ideas for discovering Europe.
Central and Eastern Europe travel ideas:
- visit the gardens and palaces in St Petersburg, Russia
- go see the painted monasteries of Romania (featured: Moldovita)
- go people-watching in Austrian coffee shops - Salzburg, Austria
- watch kids at play in Istrian Peninsula, Croatia
- go for a ride in a horse-drawn wagon on a snowy day in Bavaria, Germany
- visit Europe's largest white pelican colony in Romania's Danube Delta - Lake Rosca, Romania
- enjoy scenic mountain views in alpine village Hallstatt, Austria
- visit Moscow's Red Square - Moscow, Russia
- discover turn-of-the-century beehives at the Ethnographic Museum in Roznov, Czech Republic
- discover simple life in rural Slovakia - Parnica, Slovakia
- visit the Liechtenstein Castle in Germany
- face history at splendid Church of the Resurrection (location where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated) - St Petersburg, Russia
- admire the scenery across The Caucasus Mountains in Russia (and find out why some people check the race box: Caucasian)
- discover The North Wall of Mount Triglav, rising 9,393 feet above the Vrata Valley, Slovenia (previously immortalized in one of Albrecht Altdorfer paintings)
- mingle with the locals in Bialowieza, Poland
- observe nomadic life style with gypsies in Buzescu, Romania
- have you ever considered visiting Dracula's Castle, in the region of Walachia, Romania (spooky) - actually the Bran Castle, near Brasov, Romania
Northern Europe travel ideas:
- how about swimming almost naked in the midst of winter - Blue Lagoon - Iceland ?
- spot perfect symmetry while visiting St Mary's Cathedral and the Georgian row houses surrounding it in Edinburgh, Scotland
- visit the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England
- go pub hopping in Ireland
- walk along the streets of Gamla Stan, the medieval center of Stockholm
- uncover centuries of histories at The Althing, where Iceland's leaders have met each year since 930 a.d. - Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
- Lake Bandak - Telemark, Norway
- discover stone burial chambers - Betws-y-Coed, Wales
- visit the local cemetery in Inverness, Scotland
- take your kids on a geography tour - walk along the brass strip marking Zero Longitude at Greenwich, England
- see how economic forces have altered once profitable working coal miles in Big Pit in Blaenavon,Wales (a popular museum)
- climb atop Ben Nevis, Scotland (highest mountain in Britain)
- visit London
- attend the Annual Braw Lads Gathering in Galashiels, Scotland
- visit Britain's largest Puffin Colony in St Kilda
- breathe history in Machynlleth, Wales
- admire the ancient tradition of burning fishing boats (to send the spirits of the dead to heaven) on Finland's Seurasaari Island
- visit the beautiful gardens of Hampton Court, Greater London, England
Western and Southern Europe travel ideas:
- running of the bulls - Pamplona, Spain
- ride a gondola in Venice, Italy
- go swimming in Lake Thun, Switzerland
- find out what happens when people don't buy laundry dryers - Genoa, Italy
- discover what inspired Claude Monet along France's Canal du Nivernais
- the architecture of Casa Mila, Barcelona, Spain
- more impressionist inspiration at Gervais Courtellemont, France
- relax with the locals in Place des Vosges, Paris, France
- take your kids white stork spotting in Spain
- visit the harbor of Honfleur, Normandy, France
- admire beautiful painted facades in Lisbon, Portugal
- how many tulips can you pick in Keukenhof, The Netherlands
- admire Switzerland's Bernese Alps
- attend a Basque Festival in Bayonne, Pyrenees-Atlantique Department, Aquitaine Region, France
- see Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
- go shopping in Milan, Italy
- visit Tuscany, Italy
- find out why bulls are garlanded in Agia Paraskevi, Lesbos, Greece
- make your way up to a Basque Sheperd's cottage (looks challenging)
