30. December 2021 • Katja Laurien
If hiking is your passion, you should come to Madeira! Even though the island is small, it has loads of diverse hikes to offer. Before I start to list the best hikes on this paradise, I want to give you some information you might consider before going there. Let’s start with the question whether or not to rent a car. I personally didn’t rent a car, because I don’t feel secure enough to drive on narrow roads in the mountains (bear in mind that I’m Dutch) next to huge buses that drive like crazy, especially when I’m tired after a long hike.
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24. November 2021 • Katja Laurien
I guess the title already says it all: This is a pretty short hike of maximum 3 hours, but you’ll be rewarded with amazing views! Even better, you don’t need to take an expensive cable car. You can either reach the starting point with the bus or by car. The hike starts at Gurnigel Wasserscheide. From here you first follow the signs to the Leiterepass. The hike starts very easy with some wonderful views over the valley.
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19. October 2021 • Katja Laurien
I didn’t really think of Mallorca as a place to go hiking before I searched for a place in Europe where I could hike in the mountains and chill at the beach at the same time. I always thought Mallorca is a place for party people and not so much for nature lovers. Well, guess I was wrong, it turns out the GR221 is a proper multi day hike with very rewarding views!
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15. January 2021 • Katja Laurien
Last summer I started exploring my own tiny, but beautiful country, the Netherlands, a little bit more. The past years I’ve traveled extensively, but those days seem to be gone now. Not only because of the travel restrictions, but also due to a more stable job and two adorable cat companions who are part of my life now. I’ve already discovered throughout the past years that the Netherlands has quite some nice spots, but don’t we all get lazy when it’s all too nearby?
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12. November 2020 • Katja Laurien
This is just another short post on my favourite hiking country: Switzerland! The hike I want to present to you is a short roundhike (approximately 2.5 hours) starting from Bettmeralp hiking towards Fiescheralp, finishing off with a refreshing dip into the Bettmer Lake/ Bettmersee. Both alps are more or less on the same height, which makes this hike also a relatively easy one. I’d recommend starting at Bettmeralp, since the cable car to Fiescheralp is a lot more expensive.
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25. October 2020 • Katja Laurien
Gérardmer is one of the main towns from where to explore the Vosges Mountains. It’s a lovely small town next to a beautiful lake which is perfect for all kinds of watersports. There’s a path leading around the lake, but there are also many more wonderful hiking spots in the area. In this post I want to introduce you to two wonderful hikes which I can both highly recommend!
Perles de la Vologne This is probably the most famous hike in the area, for good reasons.
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12. October 2020 • Katja Laurien
Actually, this was supposed to be a post about the magnificent mountains in Georgia, but unfortunately I had to cancel this trip due to the travel restrictions. So, my mum (my travel companion for this trip) and I spontaneously decided to grab the car and drive to La Belle France! Coming from the Netherlands, we didn’t want to go all the way to the South, so we decided to go to Brittany which was a really good decision!
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13. September 2020 • Katja Laurien
Voilà, la Crème de la Crème de la Bretagne: Crozon Peninsula! To me, this peninsula was really the highlight in Brittany. Even though the peninsula is not very big, it offers a variety of natural landscapes, such as a stunning coastline, sandy dunes, dramatic cliffs, heavenly smelling pine forests and bright heather in different colours (when you come in the right season which we luckily did!). In between this wonderful landscape there are beautiful, small villages with cute stone houses.
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9. August 2020 • Katja Laurien
Étretat is probably the tourist attraction in the Normandy, and that for a good reason. The view from the two famous cliffs, Falaise d’Amont and Falaise d’Aval, are indeed well worth a visit. Obviously, this is what thousands of other people think, especially when you go in the middle of the summer. But despite the crowds, I have to say, I enjoyed myself (and so did my mum who was my travel companion for this Tour de France).
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26. July 2020 • Katja Laurien
In terms of nature Switzerland is definitely one of my favourite countries. It’s not only insanely beautiful, but it’s also pretty versatile. Mostly known for the magnificent alpine landscape, it has so much more to offer though. Such as for example the beautiful canyon Creux du Van near to Neuchâtel.
Before going I searched the internet for hiking trails. For some reason there was only one hiking trail I consistently kept finding, which is a round trip from Noiraigue to Le Soliat which leads alongside the canyon and seems to take about 4.
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