Discover the age-old continent through these Europe travel stories, its curious, unsung places as well as its more familiar spots.
You may notice a few countries that may not traditionally be considered European. Europe’s borders are never easy to define. So I’ve decided to go by the old definition I learned in school: In the east, Europe ends at the Ural Mountains. That means the Caucasian countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – are part of Europe, according to Sophie’s World. This is probably also according to the countries themselves: all three are members of the Council of Europe and cooperate with the European Union with a view to future membership. Also, all three countries participate in the Eurovision Song Contest; can’t argue with that.
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
British Isles
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Holy See (Vatican)
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
Azores Islands (Portugal)
Balearic Islands (Spain)
Canary Islands (Spain)
Faroe Islands (Denmark)
Madeira (Portugal)
Republika Srpska
Svalbard (Norway)
Transdniestr (Moldova)
Latest Europe travel stories
Favourite Fjällbacka, by Instagram (mostly)
I have a few favourite places around the world. Or maybe not so few. But they include this little village just 12 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland, where we lived when Cat was a baby, back in 2003. And this other little village in Cornwall, that I will write about soon. And home in Norway, there are almost too [...]
World at a Glance: Kate Moss in Oslo
Do you recognise her? Just like stumbling upon Frank Zappa in Vilnius, bumping into Kate Moss in Oslo is equally unexpected. But here she is, bikini-clad and larger than life. Kind of in your face - and a bit of a contortionist, our Kate. A mirror of ourselves, a knotted Venus of our age, says the creator, London-born artist Marc [...]
Walking with alpacas (Day out Oslo)
Remember The Emperor’s New Groove? Where Kuzco, the selfish Inca emperor is transformed into a llama by mistake, when his evil advisor Yzma gives him the wrong poison? My kids must have seen that film 100 times, and can quote pretty much every line in it. Well, today, we're taking a walk with a smaller - and even cuter - [...]
11 things you’ll love about Iceland
Ice, ice, baby! Or rather, Iceland, Iceland, baby! Want to come along? Is this how you think Iceland looks? You are right - to an extent. This is Jökulsárlón, a big glacial lake at Vatnajökull, Iceland's largest (and Europe's second largest) ice cap. On the whole, though, Iceland is temperate. On the colder side of that scale, but temperate. I've [...]
Bauhaus: a design revolution
Have you seen Babylon Berlin? It's one of my favourite series to binge during these times where all we have is time. The series is set in late 1920s Berlin and - despite the gloom and doom of those years - well, I just want to be there. Even for just a few days. As soon as Elon sets up [...]
Oslo – Bergen road trip: across the Hardangervidda Plateau
A road trip across Europe's largest mountain plateau is better suited to photos than to words. The landscape speaks for itself.Random roadside scene, summer at HardangerviddaCrossing the mountain from Oslo to Bergen, you can choose between several passes. The ones most frequently used, are the Hol - Aurland Pass, Filefjell, Hemsedal, Haukelifjell (briefly mentioned in this post), and Hardangervidda. All [...]
World at a Glance: The Cotton Palace at Pamukkale
It's January 2021, the januariest of them all. Final day of January, but still... It's long this month. It's cold, it's dark. Most noticeable this year, it's quiet. Quiet as the world after the apocalypse!Give me the opposite, please. A bright, sunny day on a (semi-)packed beach in the Yucatan sounds positively pornographic at this moment. But... we'll not get [...]
Bergen beckons
Bergen is Norway’s best known city for visitors. And although I’m a Drammen patriot, I’ll happily admit Bergen is recognised for good reason, not least for its proximity to the famous world heritage-listed western fjords.King Olav Kyrre granted Bergen (then named Bjørgvin) city status in 1070, four years after he had seen his father, Harald of Norway, killed in battle [...]
Hiking Gaustatoppen, Norway
Only 4 more weeks until this strange, ominous year will become history, and not a moment too soon. If you're like us, you're more than ready to get back on the road. Any road. But healthy would be a bonus, wouldn't it? Just now, healthy sounds right. Feels right. Healthy - and outdoors. Using our muscles. Breathe fresh air.So I [...]
Athens to Thessaloniki Road Trip
I’ve just returned from a short road trip in Greece. It was a much-needed break, an opportunity to see my fave travel mates, and, as an added bonus, a chance to celebrate my birthday in another country. That's a 3-in-1 Kinderegg right there!We spent a gorgeous few days in the country, weaving our way from Athens to Thessaloniki, up in [...]
Stave churches – and a rant
I've been meaning to write about stave churches here on Sophie's World for a while now. Years, actually; but waiting until I had seen the oldest of them all: Urnes. Somehow, I thought that one was needed.Well, in this corona-dominated summer - or early autumn rather - I finally got around to it. So here you are: one of the [...]
World at a Glance: Wittgenstein’s cabin
See the house perched on the rock there? This is not exactly the best picture I've taken. I snapped it as I drove past, thinking that this, this is Norway in a nutshell. Find a remote, inaccessible spot, and build a cabin. Or a house even. (Maybe this natural inclination for isolation is part of the reason we’ve been spared [...]
