Spendthrift Shoestring

A Partially Divulged Secret

There is one place in the world I've decided not to write about. It's got precious few tourists, and the locals I talked to during my visit seemed to be pretty happy about this fact. Why does this gorgeous sliver of the world get so little attention? It's not far from areas with much bigger streams of tourist traffic. Its propinquity to such areas—and the minor hassle involved in getting there—means that few tourists make the effort.

I've read descriptions of the place that downplay its beauty, making me wonder if this game is a collective endeavor and not merely my own weird little thing.

I visited once. I don't know if I'll ever return.

Good Travel Media Roundup: hidden europe, NYT, Monocle

My very favorite publication under the enormous umbrella of European travel is hidden europe, a mesmerizing chronicle of the continent's forgotten corners and terrains. The magazine's September issue includes a fascinating piece by Karlos Zurutuza on the pseudostate of Transdniestr. Read an excerpt here. And then order a copy or two of the magazine.

My sister's very good friend Sophia Kishkovsky had a bang-up piece in the New York Times yesterday on Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. Kishkovsky looks at the presence of Muslim and Russian Orthodox monuments in the city and provides a context for the city's emergent status as a tourist destination.

In the October issue of Monocle, I liked the Lisbon recommendations, which include a mention of A Vida Portuguesa, a shop selling a range of traditional Portuguese products. The "Inventory" section is also good. (Choice item: the beautifully packaged Laitilan sodas.) Also exciting is the overview of Montserrat, a lovely neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

Images from Pogradeci

A few images from Pogradeci, Albania...

A building—administrative, I think—in the center of Pogradeci.

Brick wall with street sign.

Three-legged chair standing guard at a beachside restroom.

Has Alitalia Just Been Saved?

Today things are looking up for Alitalia. If last-minute efforts to save Alitalia succeed under the current plan, the airline would be run by CAI, the Italian Air Company. Alitalia and Air One would merge, and Lufthansa and Air France-KLM would provide needed investment.

There's also the intriguing question of what might happen if these negotiations fail. On Tuesday, easyJet made public their interest in several domestic Italian routes in exchange for Alitalia's corresponding airport slots. It raises the question: if this last-ditch plan fails, what will happen to Alitalia's airport slots at airports around the world?

Bristol Hotel, Frankfurt

I spent Sunday night at the Bristol Hotel in Frankfurt, a property I found on the Tablet Hotels site. I've never used Tablet Hotels to find a hotel before; the site's listings tend to stretch far beyond my budget. But I was intrigued by the boutique hotel with a "small" single room for just €70 per night, and I booked a room.

I'm so glad I did. After a week of very simple, budget accommodations in the Balkans, Bristol was just what the doctor ordered. My room was big enough, done in a crisp black and white aesthetic, and boasted free Wi-Fi. There's also a fantastic breakfast spread. The jam selection alone is worth a mention. Location-wise, Bristol is also a winner, just a few blocks from the main train station.

A little style, a nice breakfast, a good bed, an ideal location, and friendly staff for €70. I understand that for some of my readers, €70 isn't cheap for a night in a hotel; that acknowledged, in the context of the extortionate nightly rates charged for hotels of far lower quality across Europe, Bristol represents an awfully good value.

Germany: Some Images from Marburg (& Deutsche Bahn)

Morning paper and coffee on the train.

Signage, Marburg.

A twist on the theme of self-medication, Marburg.

Quaint Marburg.

Five German Discoveries

I really enjoyed the time I had in Germany before and after my Balkans adventure. I haven't spent any time in Germany since 2006, and it was great to immerse myself in German idioms for several days.

Following is a list of five discoveries that delighted and intrigued me.

1. Milka with Daim. The mere sight of Milka's violet wrapping paper makes me hungry. I know that my love of milk chocolate disqualifies me from the good chocolate snob leagues, but I don't really care. Everyone knows that nothing makes milk chocolate better than liberal sprinklings of toffee throughout. This confection does just that, and it's dreamily perfect. Apparently, drfossie agrees.

2. Turkish language signage. This may not be new at all, but my recollection is that most public signage in Germany—regarding, say, which objects should not be thrown into toilets—has historically been restricted to German, English, French, Italian, and occasionally Spanish. The appearance of the Turkish language in such contexts is a no-brainer, considering that Germans of Turkish descent comprise the largest immigrant group in Germany by far. (Incidentally, I was also much more aware of the presence of Deutschtürken/innen in the German media on this visit. One media phenomenon, Gülcan Kamps (née Karahanci) seemed to follow me everywhere I went.)

3. How awesome the Süddeutsche Zeitung is. I think it might just be the best newspaper in the world. I really enjoyed Robert Knight's article in Monday's edition on the Germanization of southern Carinthia. It was fifty years ago this autumn that the southern Austrian state limited bilingual education dramatically. Knight writes about the introduction of bilingual education in the first years after the Second World War. The system was the brainchild of Josef Tischler, an ethnic Slovene who for a time was a member of the state government. Tischler sought to create a "second Switzerland" in Carinthia, within which Slovenian and German would coexist fruitfully. Alas, as we all know, Carinthia chose a more provincial path.

4. Great trashy pop tunes. Every time I turned on VIVA I came across delightful poppy songs, like "Florida Lady" by Frauenarzt & Manny Marc featuring Alexander Marcus, which samples Fancy's drastically underappreciated 1984 disco tune "Slice Me Nice." Also satisfying: sugary "2 Herzen" by Kate & Ben; the moody "So Soll Es Bleiben" by Ich & Ich; and, because shame is unknown to me, "Häschenparty" by Schnuffel.

5. Air Berlin. Free drinks, a sandwich, and newspapers and magazines on my cheap flight? Yes please.

Ryanair's Domestic Italian Route Boost

As Alitalia disintegrates, Ryanair is expanding in Italy. The airline announced a slew of Italian domestic routes yesterday. From December, Ryanair will be flying between Forli and Alghero, Bari, Cagliari, Lamezia-Terme, Olbia, and Palermo. The Irish LCC already runs several domestic Italian routes; prior to this announcement, however, none of these flew in or out of Forli.

Famous in Cornwall

Not really, but I was pleased to see my New York Post St. Ives article excerpted and dissected in not one but two articles in the Cornish press: in the Cornish Guardian on September 16 and in the Western Morning News on September 18.

I wish only to clarify that my comments on the cuteness of St. Ives were not meant to disparage the fair town, but rather to offer a realistic context for it.

Looking for a Laundromat in Ohrid

I'm back from what was one of the best trips I've had in quite some time: a journey from Pristina through the Republic of Macedonia—including a daytrip to Pogradeci, Albania—and down to Thessaloniki, bookended by several days in Germany. Fantastic all around.

I'm not going to write about the Balkans component of my trip here, as I've got some publications forthcoming, but I will share the following anecdote.

On my second day in Ohrid I realized with a start that I was almost out of clean clothes. With a dusty stretch of travel ahead of me, I needed to act quickly. So I started looking around for a laundromat. Unfortunately, nothing materialized on the streets of Ohrid. I went back to the apartment and did an Internet search for "laundromat ohrid" and came up with this very entertaining blog post, which is only obliquely about searching for a laundromat in Ohrid. (See more very good writing by the same fellow here.)

Anyway, the post above mentioned a haphazard laundry facility at the Hotel Lovec in Ohrid, which is where Dimce, the owner of my lovely Ohrid guesthouse, drove me to get my clothes laundered.

I guess there really is but one laundromat in Ohrid.