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This is the time of year when all great travel lists are born and we spend the rest of Advent planning which part of the world map to put our finger on.
Here’s what we’ll be looking at in 2019.
You are given the window seat, on one of the last Air Berlin flights over Switzerland.
If you collect our travel photography calendars, the Travel Notes 2017 Travel Photography Calendar is available to buy online; just in time for Christmas.
Individual prints are also available for that special place on your wall.
Bangkok Floating Market graces the cover.
The 2014 Travel Notes Calendar is out; featuring a collection of travel photographs taken while driving around Europe during the last twelve months.
Choosing twelve images to feature (one for each month) from a year of travel is not always easy; especially when one month seems to have had a little more action than another, or perhaps the weather just seemed better.
Last year, we featured an UNESCO World Heritage Site each month and I was tempted to do the same again this year; opting instead for a mixed selection.
Cover Photo: Tower in The Lake – Reschensee
Lake Reschen is the largest lake above 1,000 metres in the Alps. Located south of the Reschen Pass, in South Tyrol, Italy the area is popular with cylcists. A large car-park near the lake is handy for drivers seeking a quick photo opportunity.
January
Santa Caterina in January
The Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso clings to a rock face along Lago Maggiore.
February
Bernina Express in Winter
This panoramic train is the highest mountain railway in the Alps. The section between Thusis and Tirano has been classed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
March
Budapest in March
Budpaest at the end of March last year looked more like Budapest in February.
April
Spring in Sarvar Arboretum
Guests of the Hotel Bassiana and Danubius Health Spa Resort Sarvar can enter the Sárvár Arboretum for free.
May
Bethlehem-Haus, Schwyz
Built in 1287, Bethlehem House is said to be the oldest wooden house in Europe.
June
Palu di Livenza
One of the most ancient pile-dwelling sites in northern Italy, Palù di Livenza has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
July
Biergarten in Summer
It’s tradition in Germany and Austria to enjoy an ice cold beer after a long day’s drive. Some beer gardens are an extension of an excellent kitchen, like this one at the Hotel Schrofenstein in Landeck, Austria.
August
Rheinfall Schaffhausen
The Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen (Neuhausen am Rheinfall), in northern Switzerland, is the largest plain waterfall in Europe.
September
Chateau de Cormatin
Located between Tournus and Cluny in the heart of southern Burgundy, the Chateau de Cormatin was built by the Marquises of Huxelles in the early seventeenth century.
October
Binn, Valais
The Bogenbrücke (arched bridge) in Binn, Valais is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. The Binntal (Binn valley) is also famous for its rich mineral deposits and is popular with hikers; but then where isn’t, in Switzerland.
November
Battle of Morgarten – Schwyz Town Hall
The Battle of Morgarten (15th November, 1315) is depicted on the façade of the town hall in Schwyz.
December
Chinon in December
The Royal Fortress at Chinon owes much of its current appearance to Henry II Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and King of England.
Visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites Every Month
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention last year, the 2013 Travel Notes Calendar is a photographic collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites from the previous 12 months.
Last December we visited Vezelay, France; Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic; the Palace of Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria; and the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma, in Hungary.
If I have to pick a solitary image for the month of December, I’ll choose one from Pannonhalma.
When we think of December as a time of giving it’s fitting to show St Martin, then a Roman officer, on horseback cutting his cloak in two to share with a scantily-clad beggar he came across while stationed in Amiens, France.
This moving fresco can be found above the curved entrance – Porta Speciosa – to St Martin’s Basilica in Pannonhalma. The Benedictine abbey is located 21km south-east of Győr.
In January, we stayed a few days in the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg. Although cold, we were thankful that the weather remained dry. It had been snowing in the mountains with rain and sleet forecast for much of lowland Austria.
A visit to Mozart’s birthplace is something of a must; although trying to find a different angle to the facade in a narrow street is quite a challenge. Avoiding other people’s heads is made easier if you make it out of the hotel early in the morning.
Sometimes having people in the picture adds to the atmosphere of the setting and so it was for my choice of an early January evening in Salzburg. We had driven through and around Salzburg on a number of occassions but this was the first time we finally made it up to Hohensalzburg Castle. I was surprised that this wasn’t one of the many Habsburg residences around Austria but a fortress built by and for the Salzburg Archbishops.
In late February, I drove across northen Italy to Modena and Cinque Terra. While it’s the Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande that interest UNESCO a visit to Modena wouldn’t be complete without purchasing some Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale and other regional products.
In early March, the Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of Bellinzona, Switzerland came in to focus. I was lucky again with the weather; climbing up on to the ramparts just as the golden glow of the setting sun painted a beautiful picture for the handful of photographers gathered to capture the image, while a young couple gazed lovingly the other way.
For the month of April, it’s a visit to the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy. We made it to these historical sites just before Easter. Some of the access roads are so narrow that I can imagine it would be horrendous to visit these sacred places when the pilgrim crowds do. Some of the uphill walking involved wouldn’t be so idyllic in the summer months either.
May is an ideal time to visit the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps. These re-constructed buildings in Wauwil, Switzerland give an idea of how Prehistoric man might have lived around the Alpine lakes.
In early summer we visited the Watchmaking Towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. Not the most beautiful place on the planet, Karl Marx described La Chaux-de-Fonds as a ‘huge factory-town’ in Das Kapital.
Just across the border in France one of the examples of the Fortifications of Vauban can be found in Besançon.
From there it’s just a short drive to the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains and the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans. Formerly used as a factory for salt production, the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans is now more famous for its architecture. The salt was produced from brine transported through underground pipes from Salins-les-Bains.
In late summer we drove along the Mosel on our way up to Aachen Cathedral then returned to the Lavaux Wine Terraces in time for the vendages in Autumn.
Before the winter snow closed the mountain passes we drove from Davos, over the scenic Flüelapass, to Müstair.
Deep in the Swiss Canton of Graubünden, close to the Italian border, the Benedictine Convent of St John is an architectural treasure from the Carolingian period.
Start planning for the year ahead…. put our Travel Notes Calendar on your wall.
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