Planning an extended stay in Europe, travelers are often focused on what it takes to be there longer than 90 days, what is commonly believed to be the limit for tourists. Armed with a desire to stay longer, travel blog Nomadic Matt found a way and shares it in a recent blog post.
Getting to the heart of the matter, Matthew Kepnes, founder of Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site, blogs “when people talk about the ’90 day limit,’ they are talking about restrictions on the Schengen Visa, which is the visa rule that governs 26 countries in Europe.”
The easy way to stay longer than 90 days in non-Schengen countries, says Kepnes, is to vary your location when traveling in Europe, moving to a different country near the end of 90 days. That starts the clock ticking all over again.
But those 26 European countries that are covered under the Schengen Visa are really more like states and staying longer than 90 days can be tricky.
“When most people ask me about staying in Europe, they mean staying longer in the Schengen zone. After all, it covers 26 countries and visiting so many destinations in 90 days can be a little rushed (it is an average of 3.4 days per country),” says Kepnes offering a solution that tells of loopholes and other ways to hang around Europe, legally.
This video from Schengen Visa Guide also contains clear instructions, examples and a step-by-step approach that will ensure your success in getting a Schengen Visa.
Called the Trashcam Project, Hamburg’s sanitation workers have equipped standard 1,000-liter garbage containers with pinhole cameras. Using these cameras, the “binmen” (and one “binwoman”) take pictures of their favorite places showcasing the beauty and the changes of the city they keep clean every day.
“Pictures for the Trashcam Project are created by hanging large sheets of Ilford photo paper (not film) inside a closed dumpster with a few holes drilled into the front,” says CNET. “To create the eerie photographs you see here, the pinhole photographers line the ‘camera’ up with their subjects and secure it in place – by locking the wheels of the trash bins, we’re guessing. Then they wait, for up to an hour, until an image is formed.”
“This is one from the archives. The first trashcam picture we made just to find out if it was possible. So this is not Hamburg but Berlin. We were so afraid the bin would bend and light would leak in that we didn´t dare to move it more than a few meters away from our office (Yes, it is nice to work here). As you can see our processing skills have developed since then. But still a gripping shot. It was taken on four sheets of Rollei Vintage paper we glued together to get the giant format. Exposure is about four minutes.”
For more images, check out the ongoing Trashcam Project’s Flickr photostream.
The Alps is a beautiful mountain range. Spanning through Austria and Slovenia all the way through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, France and Monaco, the Alps are a go-to spot for mountain-loving folks living in or passing through these areas in Europe. Taken from the Latin word Alpes, which may have been derived from the word Albus, which means “white,” the Alps are certainly that. If you enjoy perusing jaw-dropping photography, you’ll be happy to know that Nature Pictures has an Alps series up on their website here. This stunning collection of photos features the snow-capped peaks in several scenes. Whether partially lit from the sunrise, towering over a lake or contrasted against green pastures, this photo collection is worth the look.
Forget flying around Europe. At 30,000 feet it’s impossible to truly experience the continent’s remarkable landscapes. Rather than being shuttled around in a plane that only allows a birds-eye view, train trips immerse travelers in the terrain. There’s a reason why trains are often thought of as the most romantic mode of transportation: riding the rails makes you feel more connected and in tune than air travel ever could. Instead of feeling like a chore, as flying often does, train travel can be an experience in itself. In fact, there are plenty of scenic train rides in Europe that are worth the trip just for the view. The following are top rated train trips, and from the rolling hills of England to the craggy Alps of Switzerland, each one offers travelers something different.
6. United Kingdom London to Edinburgh
The rolling, green hills and moors that are often associated with Yorkshire make this one of the most scenic train trips in Europe. When entering the northern parts of England, travelers will catch glimpses of the rugged coastline along the North Sea. During the 4 1/2-hour train ride, English speakers will notice a distinct difference in passenger accents as the train gets closer to Scotland. Although the common language is English, it can be hard to decipher as the Scottish brogue gets thicker and thicker.
5. Holland Amsterdam to Groningen (best in April)
In Holland, the most scenic train trip isn’t necessarily about being on the right track; it’s actually all about timing. Travelers will want to hop onboard in spring – particularly in April – to see the blanket of colors that results when the famous Dutch tulips are in full bloom. On the two-hour route between Amsterdam and Groningen, travelers will also be able to spot plenty of windmills, another quintessential part of the Dutch landscape.
4. Italy Rome to Verona to Venice
Train trips don’t get much more romantic than the ride from Rome to Venice, especially if you make a stopover in Verona. The train ride starts in Rome, the enchanting “Eternal City,” and then makes its way through the Tuscan farmlands to Verona, a pleasant city famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Make a day of wandering around the city’s lovely corridors (pictured above) and passing some time in a local cafe or bar. Then head to Venice, Italy’s famed “Floating City,” that is by far one of the most romantic destinations in the world. The train approaches through Venice’s lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, and upon arrival you can hop on a gondola ride for two – what could be more romantic than that? Another scenic train trip in Italy is the route from Venice to Trieste. On this trip, the train hugs the coast of the Adriatic Sea until reaching Trieste, a charming destination with beautiful sea views and several cafes and pubs for you to spend your days and nights in.
Balconies in Verona, Italy [Photo by Libby Zay]
3. France Montpellier to Nice
The train ride through southern France from Montpellier to Nice is another visually stunning trip. From Montpellier to Marseille, travelers will see the typical Provençal landscape of red-colored soil, tall cypress trees and expansive fields of lavender and olives. As the train gets closer to Nice, the coastal scenery along the Mediterranean Sea comes in to view. Note that if you have a France Rail Pass, it’s possible to break the ride up to spend some time exploring small Provençal towns, such as Aix-en-Provence, the famous home of Paul Cézanne, or Nimes, with its stunning Roman amphitheater that is second only to Rome’s Colosseum.
Black Forest Railway
The Roman’s gave this thickly wooded and mountainous region in Germany the name Silva Nigra (i.e. “Black Forest“) because the dense growth of trees blocked out most of the light inside the forest. Experience the spectacular scenery on the Black Forest Railway, part of the German National Railway that connects Offenburg and Singen. The 93-mile-long route ascends (or descends, depending on which way you travel) more than 2,000 feet as it passes through 39 tunnels and over two viaducts. The section between Hornberg, Triberg, and St. Georgen is particularly pretty. The stretch is also popular with locals, who use it as part of their regular commute between the towns they live in and larger cities. Tourists, however, will probably think it looks straight out of a storybook – so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Black Forest is the setting for the Brothers Grimm tale “Hansel and Gretel.” But don’t worry, you won’t need to follow a trail of breadcrumbs to get back home.
Look closely for one of the viaducts trains along the Black Forest Railway pass over in Hornberg [Wikimedia photo by Prolineserver]
1. Switzerland Wilhelm Tell Express (May to October only)
Switzerland is known for some of the most stunning scenery in all of Europe. This trip from Lucerne to Locarno connects two of the prettiest parts of the country, central Switzerland and the Italian-speaking Ticino region. While in Lucerne, travelers can opt to take a boat ride on a vintage paddle steamer where they can enjoy lunch or dinner. When the boat reaches Flüelen, step onto a panoramic train that will whisk you past lone cottages on pine-covered hills, glistening streams, cerulean lakes, vast valleys covered in green, and craggy, snow-covered peaks, as it makes its way to Ticino. If you get a chance, make a stop in the tiny town of Bellinzona, an easily walk-able place that is well worth a day trip in order to explore one of their three medieval castles. Switzerland has some of the most fantastic scenic train trips in Europe with the Golden Pass and Glacier-Express also offering awe-inspiring views through panoramic train windows.
Standing in the shadow of Freiburg‘s massive 13th century cathedral, swarms of hungry, determined Germans lined up at dozens of sausage stands, waiting to gorge themselves on long, skinny encased meats in round little rolls. I made the mistake of wading into the carnivorous, frenzied crowd and got pushed around like a child in a stroller sucking on a pacifier.
When in Germany, it is generally a good rule of thumb to avoid standing in between Germans and grilled meats. Some of the men were eating double decker hot dogs – two really long dogs stacked on top of each other with just a small little roll to carb up the fleisch. ‘Twas the afternoon before Easter but the deprivations of Lent already seemed like a distant memory in the heart of the Black Forest.
Europeans tend to be less religious than Americans, but Easter is celebrated with more gusto on the continent than in the US. As I write this, it’s 30 minutes to midnight on Holy Saturday in Freiburg, a market town in the Black Forest region of Germany, and the glorious din of church bells fills our second floor hotel room.
Travelers visiting the US during the Easter weekend might not even realize there was a major holiday, as most Americans don’t have either Friday or Monday off from work. But most Europeans take a four-day weekend and shops in many countries, Germany included, are closed on Friday, Sunday and Monday.
Freiburg is a beautifully preserved medieval town with a university founded in the 15th century. It’s a town of long, narrow gurgling canals, quiet gliding trams, street musicians, scarf-wearing blondes, serious looking people in titanium eyewear and packs of nocturnal, singing drunks.
Freiburg bills itself as a “Green City” and the old town is a pedestrian paradise that is completely closed to vehicular traffic. I live in a suburb of Washington, D.C., where walking can be hazardous so the huge crowds of pedestrians owning the streets feels a bit like a visit to another planet. The town, once controlled by Austria and then France, hosts an outdoor Saturday market and with the impending holiday, the entire city was bursting at the seams with shoppers, stocking up for Easter.
I didn’t want to queue up for the grilled meats, but I did have some incredible Schwarzwälder Schinken, known in the US as Black Forest ham. Within the EU, only Black Forest Ham from the Black Forest can be called as such, but in the US all bets are off, and companies are allowed to call any old crap “Black Forest ham,” even if it was made in Hackensack, New Jersey. What I tried in Freiburg was unlike anything I’ve ever had before. It was intensely smoky, very salty and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
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Aside from the outdoor Saturday market, Freiburg also has an incredible indoor food court called the MarktHalle, which has everything you could want, including Persian, Brazilian, Argentine, Indian and Thai. There’s no Auntie Annie’s or Orange Julius but you get to eat on real plates, using real silverware for a song. But braving the Saturday afternoon crowds is not for the faint of heart. (see video)
Freiburg is also a place where you will want to drink beer – lots of it. There are several small breweries in the area but my favorites were Martin’s Brau and Hausbrauerei Feierling, where small mugs of otherworldly beers can be had for less than 3 euros.
In “A Tramp Abroad,” Mark Twain wrote, “Where and how did we get the idea that the Germans are a stolid, phlegmatic race? In truth, they are widely removed from that. They are warm-hearted, emotional, impulsive, enthusiastic, their tears come at the mildest touch, and it is not hard to move them to laughter… They hug and kiss and cry and shout and dance and sing.”
They do indeed sing, after dark, when their bloodstreams are flowing rivers of beer. The Romans called this region the Black Forest because the dense forests blocked all light, making it difficult to see. But in Freiburg, one need not look very hard for good food and drink. Follow your nose and listen for the roving drinkers in song.
If you go: Freiburg (formally known as Freiburg im Breisgau is a two-hour train ride from the Frankfurt airport. It’s known as the sunniest, (1800 hours of sunshine!) warmest city in Germany, but that isn’t saying much. I stayed at the Hotel Kreuzblume, a small, stylish hotel with very nice rooms and good service, starting at 85 euros, located on a quiet pedestrian street in the old town.
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