The Island For Music Lovers

The tiny Greek island of Paxos, with its groves of olive trees, secluded beaches and coves, and pretty coastal villages, has become a favourite destination for music lovers during its annual jazz and classical music festivals.



In June, the Paxos Jazz Festival attracts talented and well-known musicians from far and wide to perform in open-air, idyllic locations with perfect summer weather. And from 2–13 September 2006 the renowned Paxos International Music Festival features classical music concerts in Loggos.

Since 1986, this Festival has established a tradition of excellence in performance, and has developed a loyal following of visitors and locals. As well as presenting major works from the chamber music repertoire, the Festival has commissioned new pieces especially for the Island. These included We Shall be Here, for a thousand and a thousand more years, a cantata tracing the history of Paxos from its mythological beginnings to the present day and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf translated into Greek.

Now directed by the UK’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the 2006 Festival will present major works by composers who have anniversaries this year, including Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet; Schumann’s Piano Quintet; a Bartok String Quartet and a Shostakovich piano trio. And Guildhall students and teachers will give five special concerts. For the first time in Paxos, singers will present a repertoire of songs and arias.

The cosmopolitan capital of the Island, Gaios, bustles with life at festival time and its harbour is packed with yachts and cruisers. Cafe bars and restaurants line the waterfront, nestled between charming villas with their Venetian architecture, and the island's nightlife includes late-night music bars overlooking the harbour.

At the waterfront terrace of Bar Taxidi, in picture-postcard Loggos, you might even find Spiros, the owner, making traditional music. Some of the best accommodation on Paxos is to be found in the lovely little fishing harbour of Loggos but, be warned, with limited accommodation Paxos villas are in high demand at the time of the music festival so be sure to make your booking way in advance.

Crete Holidays

This is an exciting sunshine destination where you will enjoy a warm welcome on the largest of the Greek islands. The island is full of myth and legend so feel free to visit the ancient city of Knossos where, according to legend, Theses from Athens killed the Minotaur in the maze-like labyrinth. There are a plenty of modern-day distractions with its lively selection of holiday resorts, superb beaches and traditional entertainment to enjoy.



Aghios Nikolaos Holidays

The resort of Aghios Nikolaos has become one of the more popular resorts on the island of Crete. This busy town boasts a range of tourist amenities, though has retained a great deal of local charm, which appeals its visitors. The Town Square and a pretty harbour provide plenty of opportunities for al fresco dining in a picturesque setting, many of the restaurants look over the waters' edge. The bars and discos offer a good choice of evening entertainment, while restaurants and tavernas provide a variety of dining choices. Here the hotels tends to have small course sandy beaches and coves.

Holidays in Elounda

Elounda is one of Crete's hidden gems and it is situated just 12km north of Aghios Nikolaos. Nestled in its own secluded bay area to the edge of the beautiful, clear turquoise waters of this part of the Mediterranean. This small town has a typical Cretan atmosphere with its bouzouki club and a few local tavernas. It also has most of the amenities one would expect from a beach resort; the course sandy beach offers water sports, and there are shops, restaurants and local style bars. There is also the possibility of taking a short excursion by boat from Elounda to the neighbouring Fortress island of Spinalonga.

Hersonissos Holidays

Hersonissos is a busy and cosmopolitan resort, which is a particular favourite with couples and young people. With one promenade dotted with shops, bars, discos, open-air restaurants and other attractions along the length of the resort, ideal for fun-filled days and lively nights, and beautiful, shingle beaches and soft sand or rocky coves, for daytime relaxation, Hersonissos offers something for everyone. The hotels enjoy a tranquil location, running alongside the waters' edge at the quieter end of town, and are just over 5 minutes walk from the resort centre. There is a new 18-hole Championship standard golf course, just 6.5 kms away from Hersonissos.

Danube: Petrovaradin Fortress

The Petrovaradin Fortress is sitting on a hill on the Danube river in Novi Sad (Нови Сад). Recent discoveries have shown that a continuous settlement has existed at this site for the last 15,000 to 20,000 years. After some Paleolithic settlers and some first fortification in the Bronze age, the Romans built a fortress (Cusum) here which has existed until the Middle Age.



Since 1235, the site has been alternatively occupied by Hungarian, Turkish and Austrian forces and a new fortress was built on top of the remains of the Roman Cusum. The base of the current fortress was laid in 1692 by the Austrians after the previous one was destroyed in 1687 during the war against Turkey. The new fortress has not only survived several more wars, but also the time after World War I when many other nearby fortresses were razed, and is still intact today. There's also a system of 16km of tunnels under the fortress, originally built as countermine system in the 18th century.

Nowadays, the EXIT music festival is held in the fortress every year in July.

Visit Dracula's Castle in Bran

Transylvania might be known amongst travellers as the place where Dracula comes from, in reality it is a very large part of central and northern Romania. It includes medieval castles and towns, forests and even snowy peaks in the Transylvanian Alps in the north.



The Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches in southern Transylvania are on the Unesco World Heritage list, while cities like Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara and Timisoara form the biggest cities, some of which have excellent preserved historical centres (see Sighisoara above). One way to get around this huge piece of land is to do the Transylvania Triangle Train Tour, a fantastic journey along many of the natural and cultural highlights in this region.

Northern Moldavia Churches

The churches from Northern Moldavia (region called Bucovina – in German Buchenland meaning the Beech Country) are among the best-known tourist attractions in Romania and they definitely deserve their fame. Whether you are a believer or not, there are few other places where one can collect their thoughts, meditate and relax away from the maddening world without going to the middle of nowhere.



All the churches have a long history, many of them being built by great rulers of Moldavia, which was an independent state at the time, struggling to keep its autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. Religion was highly important at the time, churches usually being built to celebrate a won fight or to serve as a burial place for the ruling family.

Most churches are 500-years old or even more, and one of their most amazing features is their exterior paintings, which are just as amazing today. As a reward for these unique religious edifices the churches received the prize called Pomme d’Or ( the Golden Apple) from FIJET, later becoming part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The apple is now being kept at Moldovita.

Enjoy Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar Bridge

Old Bridge (Stari Most) is the key attraction in Mostar. Built in 1566 while the area was under Ottoman rule, Stari Most was considered a symbol of the friendship between the diverse nations and ethnicities inhabiting the area. Understood in this context, it's not hard to see why its restoration after the Bosnian War was considered an important task. The bridge that is there today was built according to the original design. Mostar and its bridge are placed on the Unesco World Heritage List.



Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge is a historic bridge in Višegrad that crosses the Drina River in the eastern part of the country. The bridge was built by the Ottoman court in 1577 by the architect Sinan. It is considered one of the highest examples of Ottoman architecture and civil engineering. The bridge is 179.5 m long with 11 arches that are 11 m to 15 m each. The bridge was damaged during both World Wars but was quickly restored afterwards. Sadly in 1992 the bridge was the location of the brutal Višegrad massacre when 1661 Bosniaks were killed by Serbian forces. Today the bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bjelašnica Mountain

Bjelašnica Mountain is in the central part of the country and is directly southwest of Sarajevo. During the summer this mountain is a popular place to go hiking while in the winter it is a popular downhill skiing mountain. The Bjelašnica Ski Area has several nice runs and a large area above the tree line, which is ideal for fans of bald peak skiing. The mountain is 2067 m (6782 ft) high and is a day trip from Sarajevo. There is a accommodation on the mountain for people thinking of spending the night.

UNESCO: Albania Sights

Butrint

Butrint is one of the cultural highlights of Albania and on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is located in the south of the country and can be visited from Sarandë as a day trip. It used to be a city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods and was abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequently malaria epidemic. It had been inhabited since prehistoric times. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development. Butrint can even be visited as a day trip from the Greek Island of Corfu, meaning extra crowds during the summer months.



Gjirokäster

Another UNESCO site, the Museum-City of Gjirokästerin is located the Drinos River valley in southern Albania. It is a fine, but rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate. The 13th-century citadel is the main feature in the town with its typical tower houses, which have a tall basement, a first floor for use in the cold season, and a second floor for the warm season. The castle has an exhibit of Enver Hoxha's army's cannons and other features include the Ethnographic Museum, the Old Bazaar and the nearby old city of Antigonea.

Durrës

Durrës is one of the oldest cities in Albania and is the major port city of the country. The city has been flooded three times and the current one is built on top of the previous two. There are some fantastic sites as well including the largest amphitheater in the Balkans. Although there are some beaches and new hotels are being built all the time, hoping to see some tourists mainly from Italy, it is not a dream destination to spend your holiday. That said, it is a nice and convenient place to travel on your way from Italy to the Balkan region and vice versa. Boats leave for Bari daily.