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Partner Brilliant Tips write on the Portoguese Azores. These islands usually evade most regular Europe tours.

Church on Azores, by Michael Cavén

The nine volcanic Azores convey the feeling you’re in the tropics while still somehow in Europe! Island names such as Faial, Corvo, Graciosa and Pico invoke a sense of adventure on the high seas and the Azores don’t dissappoint: there’s activities galore, including marlin fishing, scuba diving/snorkeling, hiking around ancient craters, visiting vineyards next to characteristic windmills and so much more to do and see on your Europe vacation.

In Santa Maria, visit the traditional Portoguese historic villages of Vila do Porto and Anjos, as indeed Columbus did on his first voyage to America!

It does appear that what saves the Azores from being overrun with tourists is the relative difficulty and expense of getting there. Hope the budget airlines are not reading this! I’d certainly love to visit the Azores and have already written about them in the post Flores: The Start of End of Europe.

Partner Europe blog attempt to define European cuisine. Yes, you’ve guessed correctly, it’s not just one, rather, a rich and diverse lot! It certainly pays to know your different cuisines if you’re traveling Europe.

Italy cuisine: lasagne pesto ricotta : un délice, by bloggyboulga

The article states that a particular country’s cuisine is a very important cultural aspect, as the food cooked does not only represent what’s produced locally but also what comes in (trade). The local cuisine is also tied in with the various religious connotations and customs.

European cuisine (including Russian) is very diverse and it can be broadly split into North (e.g. Danish, Estonian, Finnish, English etc) and South European cuisine (e.g. Albanian, Croatian, Greek, Italian etc). The British describe European cuisine as Continental and the world also knows it as Western! Rather a complicated cuisine that of Europe, possibly defying classification!

Never mind, when we all get paid in Euro we may be better harmonised! Meanwhile, it must be almost impossible to come up with a single style of European cooking that all Europe inhabitants will recognise and feel familiar with, which sounds like an interesting challenge for European chefs!

If on a Europe vacation, consider (but do not limit yourself to) two very different culinary experiences: French Provence food and drink and for contrast Lithuanian food during Easter!

Offbeat Travel reveal the secrets of Tarquinia’s Etruscans. At the height of their civilisation nearly 2,500 years ago, Tarquin kings had ruled Rome and Tarquinia was the most influential Etruscan city in Italy. Unfortunately most Europe tours do not usually visit the sites where these cryptic ancients lived.

Tarquinia. Tomba Claudio Bettini, by mapelli.francesco

The National Museum of Tarquinia is located in the Gothic Palazzo Vitelleschi and proudly presents Etruscan funerary statues, stone sarcophagi, bronze mirrors decorated with engravings, amazing frescoes and urns. Also Greek ceramics, evidence of healthy trade. The museum’s life-sized terracotta winged horses are the must see masterpieces of Etruscan art.

The nearby Monterozzi Necropolis (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) covers about 5km (!) and contains about 6,000 subterranean tombs. Fifteen tombs are open for viewing, their white entrances distinct in the peaceful pastural land.

Tarquinia eventually declined after attacks by by the Lombards and Saracens between the 6th and 8th centuries and its citizens assimilated with other Italians.

If you’re in Rome on your European vacation, Tarquinia is a 90-minute rail trip from the Termini Station.

Partners Wandering Educators inform us of the very important event to take place in Paris on the 13th of May which will (for the lucky 12 on European travel) entail a novel understanding into the latest French cuisine trends.

Limande poêlée et topinambours.., by romytetue

The event will feature novel cooking/wine concepts from two great names, David Lebovitz and Meg Zimbeck. David’s a world renown published chef par excellence and Meg’s one of the foremost travel and food writers. Together, Mega nd David will be leading discussions (with tasty examples!) for the lucky 12, some of the subjects to be:

- cultural differences regarding food and drink

- traditional and unusual Paris restaurants

- life for Americans who write on cooking in Paris (this last one sounds like as it may not need too much dissection!)

Sounds like an evening not to be missed. On the other hand, I might have missed how the 12 participants will be chosen, e.g. whether it’s by some kind of vote depending on their cooking credentials and so forth.

Food sampling is a crucial aspect of travel in Europe. Of course good French food and wine are not exclusive to Paris, for example read our own take on them being one of the top Provence attractions.

Brilliant Tips write about Novi Sad, often referred to as the Athens of Serbia, which has been built, destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries and is an interesting mixture of old Serbian cultural heritage, Austro-Hungarian architecture and scenic beauty. The city sits on the banks of the Danube River. It is surrounded by fertile farms and vineyards and framed with hills in the distance. Novi Sad is also a city rich in tradition.

Novi Sad, by motoyen

It’s a great walking city for sightseeing with one of the highlights being the Petrovaradin Fortress sitting high atop the Danube River. While it was originally established as a Roman fortress, most of what you see today dates back to the early 18th century. The Fortress is a center of art today with studios showcasing the work of local artists, the Art Academy, cafes, walking routes, great views and underground corridors. Novi Grad is certainly one of the top Serbia attractions and a great stop on your Europe vacation.

Art blog Monet, Giverny and Normandy post on celebrating Claude Monet’s painting the Rouen Cathedral (and much more!)

Claude Monet: Artist’s house in Agenteuil, by terren in Virginia

This year’s summer festival entitled ‘Les Nuits Impressionnistes’ (1 June to 30 September) will celebrate Normandy’s impressionists in front of Rouen Cathedral. A definite maybe for this year’s Europe vacation for you art lovers then?

Suffice to say that it was over a period of a few months that Monet painted Rouen Cathedral 30 different times, using variable daylight and weather conditions (just to get the right impression!)

At the moment the area in front of Rouen Cathedral is a building site, as the city’s trying to outdo its own previous record. If you cannot wait till summer, you can always plan Europe travel to Florence, if only to discover those precious Italian art secrets!

Partners Umbria Lovers describe a a 6km hiking trip through Spoleto. Hiking is an increasingly crucial part of European travel as you get close and personal with the natives, local nature and have a great time relaxing while taking it all in.

Spoleto, by pizzodisevo (doing TENS for pain )

The hike, described as Giro Dei Condotti, takes in the spectacular views of Ponte delle Torri (bridge) and the Albornoz fortress from the hills surrounding Spoleto. A word of warning: the start is a straight climb for about 1km, but we’re assured it’s all good past this and certainly worth the initial effort! The path continues relatively flat with dense growth requiring some body flexibility to negotiate.

About half-way through the hike, the Fortress, bridge and valley become visible simultaneously, necessitating at least a brief stop to take it all in.

The rest is all dowhill, descending onto the bridge after going through a working fountain in an ancient aqueduct. The bridge itself is considerably high, thereby permitting grand views towards Spoleto where it leads.

All in all a great sounding walk most year round.

For another great Italian hike also consider a Cinque Terre European vacation.

Blogging partner See you in Moscow writes on the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture. Quality modern art is certainly an excellent motivator for that Europe vacation!

modern_art, by hnumus

The center is housed in the Bahmetyev bus depot, a genuine dedication to Soviet Constructivism. The previously grand building, originally engineered by Vladimir Shukhov, was saved and preserved for future generations by the Dasha Zhukova Iris Foundation.

The “Garage” follows the well-trodden path (in the west at least!) whereby traditional, clinical museums are being replaced with cultural centers where the visitor can really feel the creative energy. These new “power centers” appeal to mass audiences spanning several generations. The “Garage” hosts creative workshops where children over 2 years of age can interact with an ecclectic mix of artists and art historians.

The “Garage” claims to be the largest center of modern culture in Europe! A rather lofty claim and up to you to decide if it stands up to it on your next Europe trip that just happens to go through Moscow!

Also consider Germany’s Kassel for modern art and a healthy dose of the Grimm brothers.

Partner Spain Reviews discuss Madrid as a tourist destination in 2010. Madrid is a great city and an excellent venue for a European vacation.

Edificio de Seguros La Estrella, by Zaqarbal

An important part of the article refers to one of the top Madrid attractions, Gran Via, originally opened between 1910 and 1930.  Madrid’s Gran Via  can be considered as a mixture of New York’s Broadway and Fifth Avenue (at least according to Hemingway). It contains cinemas, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres and hotels, all within architecturally amazing buildings that also house business ventures like grand finance houses.

The year 2010 is important both for Madrid and New York tourism, as official promises to promote each other have just been exchanged by their respective tourism authorities.

Consider our suggestions for cheap food and free drinks in Madrid if you’re visiting it as part of your Europe tour.

If you’ll travel to Europe soon, consider visiting York, a top UK city. Europe a la Carte gives some tips on York attractions to visit with the York Pass.

Cliffords Tower, York, by Egerton Claret

The pass (currently £28 for one day to £68 for six days with reductions for kids) permits free entrance to about 50 of the city’s top attractions such as York Minster (but costs an extra £5 for the York Minster Tower tour!), a traditional York brewery tour (includes a free beer), the quilt museum, the Dungeon (great fun to be scared to death by historic figures!), a 45 min river cruise and so on. It can be hard to plan an itinerary for York sightseeing with so much to see and do.

The attractions themselves are relatively expensive and you soon realize the value of the pass if you go for broke and sample as many of the attractions as possible. Long spring/summer days should help, as some of the attractions are rather limited/not available in winter compared with what’s on offer in the summer, when opening hours will also be that much longer.

There are also some worthwhile free York attractions, such as walking the scenic city walls (daytime only) and the brilliant art gallery.

If you’re visiting York UK as part of your European vacation, also consider the nearby cities of Leeds and Manchester for altogether different experiences!