Orkney and other Europe Off The Beaten Path Tips

This really an off the beaten path destination but it is so beautiful. There is so much history here and the landscape is wonderful.
Maes Howe on Orkney is Britain's most impressive chambered tomb. It dates back to 2000 BC. Inside there is graffiti which is believed to have been left by the Norsemen returning from the crusades in 1150. In Maes Howe there is a long terrifying journey through a low narrow passage which ends in a high, burial chamber. It is really a magnificent tomb and is thought to have been the last resting place of a great chieftain and as such was built in the heart of Orkney close to the ceremonial complex of the Brodgar – Stenness stone circles.The highlight of a visit to Orkney though has to be Skara Brae. It was unearthed in 1850 during a storm, it had been buried for 4,500 years.This has to be one of the best known prehistoric monuments in Britain, this is because its astounding state of preservation allows us a extraordinarily evocative glimpse of times long past. Skara Brae is a small village consisting of 6 to 8 houses which were built, modified and rebuilt over a period of some 600 years between about 3100 and 2500 BC. Today it lies exposed on the shore of the Bay of Skaill, that is the result of marine erosion. It position today is very different from its original one when it lay in fertile grasslands well away from the sea. It lay in what was then an ideal situation for agriculture, animal breeding, hunting and fishing. Most of the houses show a remarkable uniformity of design. The best preserved (also the last to have been built) stand 3 metres high at roof level. Basically each house consists of a single squarish room, up to 6 metres across with 2 metre thick walls. The corners are rounded and there are small cupboards built within the thick walls. There is a single doorway which has barholes to secure a wooden door. Opposite the door is a shelved dresser built of stone. Remains of decorated and plain pots have been found on the site and they may have stond on the shelves.

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These beautiful islands really are off the beaten path but should not be missed. They have a rich history and have a magical natural beauty.
Jarlshof on Shetland,this is a truly extraordinary place and walking around it takes you back 4000 years. The various walks take you from the early 17th century AD laird's house through Medieval and Viking times to the prehistory. That really shows that the first dwellers in 2400 BC had the ability to choose a good site ? otherwise later generations would never have gone on building on the site. Jarlshof lies on the southern tip of Shetland beside a shallow bay known as the West Voe of Sumburgh and on the lower slope of the sandstone promontory of Sumburgh Head. This was an ideal place for sheltered fishing, a good place for boats and it was fertile well-drained land with fresh water springs. A added bonus was the beach which provided good quality building stone for the settlement. It was Sir Walter Scott who gave the laird's house the name Jarlshof. This house was built on top of an artifical mound, the accumulation of earlier centuries. It was a series of severs storms at the end of the 19th century that exposed the Iron Age buildings below and excavations then and later in the 1930s and 1950s showed the extensive buildings that can be seen today. It is likely that there are still more prehistoric houses under the laird's house and the medieval farmhouse and that coastal erosion has destroyed a large part of the prehistoric complex.
The bone and stone tools found here are similar to finds at Skara Brae and they suggest that Neolithic farmers may have settled at Jarlshof around 2400BC.

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We sailed from the Isle of Skye to Tarbet and started our trip on Harris and Lewis - Lewis one island two names it very n arrow strip of land joins the two main parts of the largest islands of the Western Isles. I guess the whole of the Outer Hebrides is off the beaten track for the most visitors to Scotland but it is a wonderful although sometimes bleak part of the world. It offers marvellous walking opportunities and wonderful empty beaches to laze on and beautiful views over the seas. We went first to Harris, t is known that man has been living on this island (for 6,000 years. The standing stones at Callanish are fascinating. It is a cross shaped setting of stones which is unique in Scotland. It dates to around 2,900 to 2,600 BC
It is open 7 days a week although the visitors centre on site is closed on Sundays.
Do not forget to visit the Blackhouse museum. This is a traditional Lewis hatched house, complete with byre and stockyard. You get a good feeling about life in this remote island
It gives a view of the crofting life as it was until about 50 years ago. It is open all year except on Sundays – in fact on Harris and Lewis nothing is open on sundays. So remember that when booking your trip.
A trip to Harris and Lewis is worthwhile but you need time to explore and remember the trip can be easily combined with the other islands of the Outer Hebrides such as North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist.

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Eisenach was founded in the middle of the 12th century and it was politically important in Medieval times. There are still remains of fortification dating from the late 12th century. The market square has a 16th century townhall and in the Lutherplatz is a house where Martin Luther once lived - it is a museum now. There is also the Bach house, J.S.Bach lived in Eisenach in 1685 but the actual house is no longer there. The small museum is very interesting showing the composers life and work. The old centre is now being restored and is lovely to wander through.

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Erfurt is the Thuringian capital and the oldest town in the region. Its historical records date from AD 729 and a Bishopric was then founded. Erfurt was an important trading post between west and east, so the town developed quickly. It university was founded in 1392 and Martin Luther was a student there. The city is dominated by two hills. There is a huge fortress on one - the Peterberg and on the lower hill is the Dom and the St Severikirche which are both worth visiting. In the Dom is a lovely Pieta which dates from the 13th century.
The Fischmarkt is a beautiful small square with a Neo Gothic townhall(1870-1874). It is surrounded by houses dating from various periods but the loveliest (I think) are the "Zum Breiten Herd" and "Zum Roten Ochsen" they both are 16th century Renaissance. Also a must see is the "Kramerbrucke" which is a bridge dating from 1325 lined with little shops, there were originally 60 Medieval houses.

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This is a huge fortress which was probably founded by Ludwig the Jumper in the late 11th centruy. It is supposed to be the setting for the singing contest which was immortalized by Wagner in his opera Tannhauser. Between 1211 and 1228 the castle was Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia. Martin Luther lived in the castle from May 1521 to March 1522 while he translated the New Testament into German. His room is still there. The rooms I liked best was the beautiful Sangerzaal and the Elisabethkemenate with its lovely mosaics which show the Saint's life.

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This is a lovely little city with a long and important history. The small centre is easy to explore on foot. but outside of the city there are also points of interest.
The Goethe house is lovely and very interesting. The only problem is that everything, including the introduction film is only in German.
The Schiller House is also in the old centre and there is also a lovely statue of both Goethe and Schiller.
The Scloss museum was a large Ducal palace but today it houses a small but good collection of paintings. The Schloss Belvedere was built in 1724-32 as a ducal summer palace, it has been beautifully restored and has a lovely collection of china.
Not far from Weimar is Buchenwald, a German Camp between 1937-45 more than 54,000 people were murdered here. The memorial can be seen high on the hill for miles and miles. Perhaps not the mst "fun" place to visit but very interesting and very much part of our history which should not be forgotten.

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Ok so it will not be a fun day out by it is part of our history and something that such not be forgotten and it is very interesting. Buchenwald is not far from Weimar and is sited high on the Ettersberg hillside.
Buchenwald Concentration Camp was established in July 1937.It was, in the beginning, intended for political opponents of the Nazi regime, for "social misfits", Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses and homosexuals. When WWII started more and more people were sent to the campfrom different countries. From 1943 on the camp 's inmates were ruthlessly used for the armament industry. It was from the started not a place of planned genocide itself massed murder of its inmates took place and there were also deaths because of medical experiments. It was early in 1945 that the camp became the final destination for evacution transports from Auschwitz. Shortly before its liberation by Allied Forces the SS sent about 28,000 prisoners on death marches. The camp was liberated on 11th April 1945. Between 1937 -1945 more than 250,000 people were held captive in the camp and more than 50,000 of them died during this time. During 1945 -50 the Soviet occupation forces used the area as an internment camp.
Most of the camp was demolished after 1951. In 1958 it was inaugurated together with the monument as " Buchenwald National Memorial"

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This is the third largest town in Bavaria and it was the site of a ROman Camp in 15 BC. It was ruled by powerful bishops until the end of the 13th century and then it developed quickly as a Free Im;perial City of the Holy Roman Empire - it became one of the richest and most powerful cities in Germany. The war of 1618-48 stopped the towns prosperity. We stopped there for an afternoon on our way home from Italy because we knew that Leopold Mozart ( W.A. Mozart's father) was born in the city and we wanted to see if the house was still there. it is and is now a very small but interesting museum. The city main street - The Maximillainstrasse is beautiful. It is in fact said to be the most beautiful street in south Germany. The Dom of the Holy Virgin (Maria Heimsuchung) is lovely. The Dom was originally a Romanesque twin-choir Basilica and dates from 994-1065. It was remodelled between 1331 - 1431 in Gothic style.

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This is a lovely little city with a beautifully (partially) restored historic centre. There is the church where J.S.Bach had his first employment. Near the square is a square with a lovely halftimbered apotheke and a Baroque palace which is now a museum. On the square is this statue on Bach as a young man. There is also an early Gothic church and a Baroque - today this houses the wax museum. We thought it worth a short visit - and listened to the organist playing in the church Bach once played in.

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