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New Back Doors: 2007

Europe still holds Back Door destinations — off-beat nooks and crannies that are short on crowds and long on culture. Or an activity can be a Back Door: a festival no tourist seems to know about, a sporting event you can join, a local language class. What's your best Back Door discovery or experience?

Italy, Basilicata
Rick Steves: This is a note to you, personally. I post it here, rather than in an e-mail, because I think that other travelers might benefit from it and because I believe in my middle-aged, liberal heart that nagging at tour guides is protected speech under the first amendment.

If you haven't read "Christ Stopped at Eboli" by Carlo Levi, please read it! Then read "Seasons in Basilicata" by David Yeadon.

Then check out Basilicata! Aliano, the village that Levi was exiled to for criticizing fascism, is surrounded by a magnificent, stark, lunar landscape of mountains apparently made of eroded clay. Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the home of the sassi, cave dwellings that are the oldest continually occupied dwellings in the world. Getting blown away by Italian history (happens all the time in Italy) is a kick. Getting blown away by Italian prehistory-- Well, that's off the charts.
John Daab <email>
Woodstock, IL   USA  Tue 12/11/2007

Le Cimitiere des chiens
On a Paris Photo Tour, I mentioned to Barbara that I would love to go to a Paris cat shelter. She did not know of one, but she knew of this pet cemetery. It's an incredible place for pet lovers to visit. Some headstones are elaborate, some are simple, but all these animals were well loved. It's haunting to see the moss covered headstones of pets whose guardians are probably no longer alive. The place has a small group of cats that live there and are well taken care of. The ones that got near me had beautiful coats and they were not scrawny or sick at all. I encourage animal lovers to visit this lovely site. As an aside, Rin Tin Tin has his grave here as he died while in Paris.

It is located at 4, pont de Clichy, 92600 Asniere-sur-Seine (telephone 01 40 86 21 11), internet site: www.mairieasnieres.fr. This location is a little out of the way, but worth going. On your way to or from the bus or metro stop, walk through the Algerian neighborhood and try some of the wonderful Moroccan foods on display at cafe after cafe. Barbara and I tried a Moroccan pancake which had vegetables in it. It was delicious.
Susan Iwasa <email>
San Francisco, CA   USA  Sun 10/14/2007

Wartburg Castle - Eisenach
I agree with Martin below. I visited Wartburg Castle and Eisenach last October. I was visiting family friends who live in Bad Sooden-Allendorf and they took me for a day trip. The climb to the Castle is strenous but so well worth it. It is incredible and the view..... Eisenach is really a neat place. We went to a cafe and I had a choice of the chocolate content of my hot chocolate. It was excellent, I wanted to lick out the cup.

They took me to a museum on the history of the East German border that was interesting. We also went to a restaurant at the Rat Haus that had a medieval theme. The food was so plentiful that I could not finish. It was a great way to finish off my European vacation as I was flying home from Frankfurt the next day.
Gail
Fredericton, Canada  Sun 10/07/2007

Thuringia Germany
If you are into outdoor activities or literary/music history, try the region of Thuringia. In spite of the run down appearance of the towns (lots of empty, decaying buildings) this area has a lot to offer. Johann Sebastian Bach was born here and along with seven generations of the Bach family served as church organist in a number of churches. Martin Luther translated the Bible into German while hiding in the hilltop castle, Wartburg, in Eisenach( the view from the castle is fantasic, and the walk to it thru the woods is a must) Weimar has the most to offer with lots of historic houses, a huge city park with more historic houses and "ruined" follies. For a jumping off point to the Thuringia forest, Eisenach is a nice little town. We hiked 10 miles of the 104 mile Rennsteig hiking trail that takes you thru the heart of the woods.The stretch from the beginning at Horshel back to Eisenach is easy to walk, easy to follow (just look for the white capital R's painted on tree trunks) and has tons of picnic benches and even little shelters along the way. A definate must is the trail called the Drachen Schlucht (Dragons Valley). Hike from Hoshel to Hohe Sonne then back into Eisenach on the Drachen Schlucht.It takes you thru deep, very narrow, canyons of grey rock that often twist and turn for long distances (again easy to follow, stay on the boardwalk) If you want to immerse yourself in Germany, where you will be with mostly Germans tourists and see some incredible scenery and lots of history, try Thuringia.
Martin <email>
Livermore, Ca   USA  Wed 10/03/2007

Cinque Terre - not overrated!
I went to Italy in June for a course in my Master's degree program, and told one of my professors that I planned on visiting the Cique Terre on our free weekend. "Humph! Only Americans go to the Cinque Terre. I prefer the Oregon Coast." I was deterred (having spent lots of time on the Oregon coast when I lived in Seattle), but my classmate really wanted to go, so we headed off to the Florence train station early Saturday morning to catch the train to La Spezia. I was so happy that we had disregarded our professor's opinion! Our first stop was Monterosso, the most touristy of the 5 towns, yet still beautiful and relaxing. I highly recommend renting a kayak from Massi (in the thick of singles section of the beach). He was happy to stow my cell phone, let me practice Italian on him, and take my pic w/the gorgeous Ligurian Sea in the background. My best pics of the idyllic coastline are taken from the kayak! Ciao!
Maria <email>
Thousand Oaks, CA   USA  Sat 09/01/2007

Cinque Terre Swimming, Sunset and Snorkeling Tours
In Monterosso Al Mare, Cinque Terre in Liguria, we found "Angelo's Boat Tours" to be our family's most memorable experience of our entire Italy vacation! Angelo's headquarters (also his home) is located on the waterfront, right on the boat dock in the old village. Stop at the gated terrace at the little house in the tower, or call or email.

Angelo has a decent command of English, and with his American wife Paula offers private swimming, snorkeling and sunset tours along the Cinque Terre coastline, which is, if anything, more amazing from the water.

The snorkeling is very dramatic as the water is extremely clear and deep right up to the cliff. he knows the secret caves, waterfalls, and beaches after spending his entire life on the water in this area.

Angelo's family is one of the five oldest families in Monterosso, known for fishing for anchovies "al Lamparo", as his family has for the recent 8 or possibly 9 centuries. The church and cemetery are full of the Benvenuto family crypts. His friendly wife Paula provides the best picnic ever for a small extra charge, which turned out to be our best meal in Italy. She cooks only organic and completely fresh foods from their "horto" (garden) on the hill, and her fresh pesto pasta, eggplant compote, Caprese salad, and freshly baked bread served with ice-cold Prosecco or homemade fresh lemonade make for the most amazing memory and amazing day in our entire trip! They even barbequed hamburgers especially for our 5 teenagers who were thrilled!

Book ahead because they can get very busy in August! 60 euros per hour (groups of 1-4) and 75 euros per hour for larger groups is worth every penny might discourage some, but pool your money and do this tour! It is stunning! +339 314 0582 or 333 318 2967. Paula speaks English (she's American), Angelo's is also quite good. paula55@libero.it
Cindy Nelson <email>
Palo Alto, CA   USA  Sun 08/12/2007

Favorite smaller towns
We flew to Rome and took the train to Levanto for two nights to explore the Cinque Terra area (you can catch the Cinque Terra train in Levanto). Then to Venice overnight and next day on the Costa Serena, http://www.costacruise.com , to Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia. Then to Cortona overnight and on to Rome for two nights. We especially liked Levanto Italy, Bari Italy, Katakolon Greece, Cortona Italy and our Virginia Hotel, http://virginia.hotelinroma.com/overview.html , area in Rome, Italy (which had a great restaurant across the street and a market in the street in the morning).

The big cities, such as Venice, have become overcrowded tourist traps but you have got to do them once for the history, etc. We found that settling into a favorite part of a big city and become a local such as our neighborhood in Rome or the Passy - Rue Cler areas in Paris (which had similar attributes), makes a big city stay much more enjoyable.

When a town or area becomes overhyped, it becomes overcrowded which makes the visit less enjoyable. It is a good idea to see what is currently popular and perhaps select similar areas that are less crowded. We had good luck with http://www.tripadvisor.com and their http://www.booking.com .
Joel Carlson <email>
Fox Island, WA   USA  Mon 08/06/2007

Great bakery/steam engine/windmill/museum in N.Belgium - free!
Just south of the Belgian/Netherlands border is a great place called the "Bakkersmolen", or as you might guess..."the baker's [wind]mill."

It has a working windmill [which the owner built], a steam locomotive [giving rides to children], a steam-powered carousel, bakery [using grain milled in the windmill], and many, many other interesting things.

There is no charge for admission, but they would like visitors if possible to patronize the [delicious] bakery, which isn't much to ask! They also serve food and beverages for reasonable prices...like the wonderful De Konnick beer.

We have friends in Belgium who took us there, we saw no other 'foreign' visitors, and our friends told us that indeed it's really only Belgians or Dutch that even know about it. In fact, the only pages I have seen about it are written in Dutch.

It's an impressive place, and if you like machinery or even just fresh bread, you cannot help to admire the vision and drive of the man who has built this place. It's quite a testament to his energy and enthusiasm.

Their web page is quite crude, but has a lot of information...often it is only open on weekends, but check the page to be sure

http://www.bakkersmolen.tk/

De Molenhoeve Sint-Jansstraat (Wildert) 238 2910 Essen, Belgium +32 3 677 22 67 demolenhoeve@skynet.be

From Google Maps, it seems that it is about 6km from Essen, Belgium train station, heading south. So, I don't know how you would get there via public transportation. It would be a very easy bike ride from the Essen station.

The web page says it's 30km from Antwerp and 65km from Rotterdam

Here's a picture of the windmill on webshots: http://image46.webshots.com/46/6/91/79/384069179KDouVd_fs.jpg
Paolo <email>
ABQ, USA  Thu 08/02/2007

San Vito lo Capo, Sicily
Beautiful sea side town on Sicily's Northwest coast. Known for it's delicious coucous (festival each September), deep sandy beach and Sicilian hospitality. It is a nice base for day trips to the Greek ruins of Segesta, The Capuchin Crypts of Palermo, the ancient hilltops city of Erice and the Zingaro nature Reserve. It has a beautiful Splurge Hotel on the beach-Hotel Capo San Vito or there are many apartments to rent. We were the only American's there in June but it is popular with Italians from the mainland. It is easy to reach via Ryann air which has a hub in nearby Trapani. Down sides were-lots of smokers-which is pretty much the case in Europe, no public laundry, and it gets very crowded in July. Go in June if possible. A cool local tradition is to throw a stone at the alter of the Saint Vitus shrine just outside of town-thay say after you throw the stone you will never worry again.
Heather
Westlake , Ohio   USA  Wed 07/25/2007

Fernigan - A place from a long time ago
On July 18, 2007, we spent the night in Fernigen, Canton Uri, Switzerland. This hidden, rustic cranny of Switzerland took our breath away. If you can, visit the Meiental Valley, on the east side of the Susten Pass. You will never forget it.

We stayed at the Hotel Edelweiss.

The setting of this hotel is the reason to stay there. The Meiental Valley runs rougly east to west, which brought us long, long days of sunlight, magnificent sunrises and glowing sunsets.

The eastern view is down the valley toward the village of Wassen. You will see moutains in the distance, the tiny village of Meien and a waterfall just to the south of the inn.

The western view, up the valley, toward the Susten Pass is of the very sharply pointed mountains which our hostess called "The Five Fingers". A short hike along the river up the valley will take you to more amazing snow capped mountain views. There were many times on our hike when each direction I looked seemed to be the most beautiful vista I'd seen on trip.

We encoutered two other groups on our hike- one family playing a game that looked like a mix of croquet with out mallets and bowling without pins, and some campers. Other than that, the valley was utterly empty. We bought Alpkasse (cheese) from a dairy farm and cheese maker in the valley.

The hike was quite easy, though there were some uphill grades. The trail is an old road bed, making the path very wide and smooth, and the grade gradual. More difficult hikes were also in abundance throughout the valley, and we took two of those as well. All were beautiful. In all we hiked about seven hours in the valley.

The Hotel Edelweiss is not a five star- though it is very clean, very adequate and has very good food. Make the hostess stick to the check in price she quotes you (she quoted us 100 Swiss Francs and charged 125 Swiss Francs, which did not include coffee in the morning). You will not remember the hotel for its amenities (it is very, very basic) so much as its amazing views and quaint "something from a long time ago" feel.

The little village of Fernigen (also spelled Farnigen) has all of 4 families living there. As we drove in, people were cutting hay on the hillside- teenagers and senior citzens alike. A tiny church in the village is worth seeing. Also note the memorials to past citizens of Fernigen along the little road to Meien. One memorial includes a pair of hiking boots pinned beneath a boulder.

This is a stop not to be missed if you are looking for pure beauty, no tourists and complete serenity.
Rhonda McCollough <email>
Austin, Texas   USA  Tue 07/24/2007

Mike's Bikes!!! Best tour in Munich!
Mikes Bikes Tours!!!! Munich was amazing because of this experience. I met great people that we ended up sharing a hotel with, saw alot of Munich, learned enough information on the tour, and drank some beer. We got the opportunity to hang out with some tour guides and Mike himself. Amazing company and guides that they have...anyone that goes to Munich needs to go on this tour. They need business and people to spread the word!!! Buy them a drink afterwards...they deserve it. AND go on their Neuschwanstein Castle Tour....AMAZING and worth the money backpackers! Seriously!
Lauren
Dayton, Ohio   USA  Fri 07/20/2007

relax
Port Bou, Spain is a small, clean, and attractive town on the sea. If you can amuse yourself, this is a good place to relax, squander time, swim, and maybe fish.
J. Sinclair
Vallejo, CA   USA  Thu 07/12/2007

Medinaceli, Spain
When travelling through Spain, visit the tiny hilltop village of Medinaceli, about 160 km northeast of Madrid. There are no modern buildings and the cobblestone lanes are virtually traffic free. The two major sights, other than the town itself, are the old church and a 2000 year old Roman arch. Tour buses bring daytrippers from Madrid, but stay the night at a B&B (Casa Rural)and you will share the town only with the local people in the tapas bars.
Ash Morris
Tulsa, OK   USA  Thu 07/05/2007

Leuven, Belgium
Even a country as small as Belgium still has many hidden treasures for American travelers to discover. The university town of Leuven is one of them, home to Katholiek Universiteit Leuven. Amongst its architechural gems are the medieval library, its glorious Stadhuis (more impressive than any other in Belgium save Bruges, in my opinion) and an impressive Gothic cathedral. Even though the town serves as the home base of Belgium's equivalent to Budweiser (Stella Artois), Leuven's many cafes are a beer lover's dream. And the Oude Markt, quite simply, is the best place for sipping a drink and people-watching I have ever encountered in Europe. And...the town is virtually tourist-free. Check it out.
Tom <email>
Washington, DC   USA  Mon 06/04/2007

Narbonne
Narbonne is a small town in southern France, on the rail line between Barcelona and Marseilles. If you seek the aura of small-town France, you will definitely find it here. A canal runs thru and out of the town, there are fine restaurants there,the hikes along the canal are great and there are hotels all over. We stayed here in 2005 and most enthusiastically recommend it.
Paul n Sara <email>
USA  Tue 02/06/2007

Zakopane (Cyrlla)
Zakopane in Poland is such a place but not the town itself. The section that hugs the mountains, about 3 miles up from the town proper (called Cyrlla), is great. It is VERY rustic and full of the flavor of Poland. The attractions of the town are a short bus/cab ride away.
Paul n Sara <email>
USA  Tue 01/30/2007