Western Europe

The author guides us through every corner of this fascinating region, where they have spent much of their time over many years. Catalonia's Costa Brava provides stunning views, as the Mediterranean waves clash with the jagged coastline. Catelonia is marked by breathtaking cliffs, expanses of beaches, and the thriving, hip seaside city of Barcelona. In the Navarre region, men taunt large, dangerous animals for Pamplona's annual Running of the Bulls. Andorra is its own little world, and not just because it's a 290-square-mile independent principality.

On August 21, 1911, the unfathomable happened - Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa vanished from the Louvre. More than 24 hours passed before museum officials realized she was gone. The prime suspects were as shocking as the crime: Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire, young provocateurs of a new art. As French detectives using the latest methods of criminology, including fingerprinting, tried to trace the thieves, a burgeoning international media hyped news of the heist.

Drie koningen uit het Huis Oranje-Nassau regeerden tussen 1813 en 1890 over Nederland: Willem I (1813-1840), Willem II (1840-1849) en Willem III (1849-1890). Hun historische reputaties lopen uiteen. Willem I, als enige van de drie opgenomen in de Historische Canon van Nederland, geldt als een van de grondleggers van onze staat. De Koning-Koopman zou zijn onderdanen hebben opgestoten in de vaart der volkeren; het is wat veel eer. Willem II wordt herinnerd als de Held van Waterloo. In 1848 zou hij zijn conservatieve denkbeelden abrupt hebben ingeruild voor liberale overtuigingen.

The Middle Ages witnessed almost constant warfare in Europe, so mercenaries were a constant on the battlefield, but the 15th century also saw the rise of mercenary usage by the increasingly wealthy aristocracy. At the time, England and France existed in smaller versions than in the modern age, while the Spanish had unified into a few large kingdoms and were slowly pushing the Moors off the Iberian Peninsula. Norway and Hungary were larger than they are now, but otherwise, most of Europe was a patchwork quilt of small, constantly warring states.

With her typically American intrepidness, her thirst for a good story and her power of observation, Hermance closes-in on the Portuguese she encounters along the way, bringing to us a psychological picture of the Portuguese individual and society that you won´t find on expat guides....

Part culinary memoir and part travelogue, Carole Bumpus gathered this compilation of intimate interviews, conversations, stories, and traditional family recipes (cuisine pauvre) in the kitchens of French families as she traveled throughout the countryside. Travel with her through Champagne caves/wineries and historic cathedrals, local farmers’ markets, ancient potters’ guilds, and restaurant kitchens with wood-fire ovens.

In this book, we will delve into the fascinating world of the Goths with a scientific lens, exploring everything we can about how they came about, where they lived, what they did, and how they died off. We will look into the nitty-gritty details of their everyday life, as well as some major historical events that were affected by Goths of any variety. Do strap yourselves in - there are quite a few of those.

Com estimem, els catalans? En l'imaginari col·lectiu han quedat enregistrades un munt de llegendes que en parlen. Històries fantàstiques que narren amors entre gegants i donzelles, dones d'aigua i hereus de masies, pastors i sirenes. Fruit de la passió d'aquests darrers amants nasqué l'Empordà. Sirenes que sovint eren dones desterrades del món aspre dels homes i que trobaren l'amor lliure al mar. No són poques, tampoc, les llegendes d'amor entre dones i pirates, entre sarraïns i cristianes, la qual cosa demostra que l'afecte pot fer superar qualsevol barrera.

After his surrender to the Royal Navy, Napoleon became the object of massive English public interest. He would live out his last years on the island of St. Helena without ever admitting to being a prisoner. This close study of Napoleon in captivity attempts to reconstruct an authentic portrait of the fallen emperor by examining contemporary documents and records of public opinion.

In de jaren zestig groeit Harm Edens op in een gezin met Groningse roots waarin hij vaak het gevoel heeft dat hij er niet bij hoort. Hij lacht om dingen waar niemand de humor van inziet, ziet dingen die niemand ziet en zegt dingen die niemand begrijpt. Totdat hij kennismaakt met Groot-Brittannië en zijn inwoners. Aan de hand van een twintigtal bijzondere ontmoetingen probeert Harm te achterhalen waarom hij zich zo thuis voelt op de Britse eilanden. Harm neemt de lezer mee op reis van het zuidelijkste puntje van Ierland tot de meest westelijke eilanden van Schotland naar Sint Kilda.

Kornelimünster – die malerische Ortschaft an der Inde ist mit der Abtei unzertrennlich verbunden, die Geschicke der beiden sind eng miteinander verflochten, so dass es unmöglich ist, sie voneinander getrennt zu betrachten. Da kann schon mal passieren, dass ein Abt getötet wird, die Kühe sich ineinander verlieben, römisch-germanische Vergangenheit ihre Schatten in die Gegenwart wirft und fromme Anlässe zu gar unfrommen Taten verleiten.

The clean air, smelling of spruce and moss in the summer and of newly fallen snow in winter, is unforgettable in Sweden. Produced by a native, this audiobook is the definitive guide to a country that's nearly 80 percent mountains, vast forests, lakes, and wilderness. But this book covers all, from cities and villages to the Midnight Sun Coast, and the islands to the Lapland area: art, culture, folklore, shopping, walks, water sports, and more.

The extraordinary novel Pride and Honour is a completely revised and rewritten version of the surprise initial success of the novel Honour and Glory by Nathaniel Burns. The author took many of his listeners‘ tips, reviews, and advice to heart to make his fascinating tale about Charlemagne and the Saxon King Widukind an even better listen. Take this suspenseful, captivating, and exciting journey back into Europe’s Dark Ages to meet the pivotal figure of Charlemagne and one of his greatest adversaries.

Mit einem Esel nach Portugal reisen? Für Lotta Lubkoll kein Problem! Sie hat ihren Bus so umgebaut, dass ihr bester Kumpel Jonny mitfahren kann. Für die beiden geht es einmal um die Iberische Halbinsel, wo Lotta früher mit ihrer Familie überwintert hat. Mithilfe eines Fotos will sie sich auf die Suche nach einem fast vergessenen Ort ihrer Kindheit machen. Auf dem Weg dorthin erleben die zwei Freunde allerhand Abenteuer, von Schießübungen des französischen Militärs bis hin zu einem heftigen Sturm in Spanien. Sie treffen auf begeisterte Bulli- und Eselfans und finden ihren ganz eigenen Rhythmus on the road.

The Austro-Hungarian army that marched east and south to confront the Russians and Serbs in the opening campaigns of World War I had a glorious past but a pitiful present. Speaking a mystifying array of languages and lugging outdated weapons, the Austrian troops were hopelessly unprepared for the industrialized warfare that would shortly consume Europe.

Exploring the successful Norman invasion of England in 1066, this concise and listenable book focuses especially on the often dramatic and enduring changes wrought by William the Conqueror and his followers. Hugh M. Thomas considers the conquest's wide-ranging impact by taking a fresh look at such traditional themes as the influence of battles and great men on history and by assessing how far the shift in ruling dynasty and noble elites affected broader aspects of English history.

In a series of revolts starting in 1820, four military officers rode forth on horseback from obscure European towns to bring political freedom and a constitution to Spain, Naples, and Russia; and national independence to the Greeks. The men who launched these exploits from Andalusia to the snowy fields of Ukraine - Colonel Rafael del Riego, General Guglielmo Pepe, General Alexandros Ypsilanti, and Colonel Sergei Muraviev-Apostol - all hoped to overturn the old order.

Modern beer has little in common with the drink that carried that name through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was often a nutritional necessity, was sometimes used as medicine, could be flavored with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike, Beer in the Middle Ages and Renaissance presents an extraordinarily detailed history of the business, art, and governance of brewing.

In this guide, a resident of Spain delves into every part of the Basque Country of Spain. He tells of the history and culture, and provides innumerable useful traveling tips. Everything is explored - the cities, the parks, the islands, the mountains, the foods. There is an extensive introduction to the whole of Spain, the history and culture, the foods and wines, the arts and architecture. Then all the practical details are covered. Next, we zero in on Bilbao, San Sebastian and other parts of this fascinating Basque region.

The 20th century in Europe was an urban century: it was shaped by life in, and the view from, the street. Women were not liberated in legislatures, but liberated themselves in factories, homes, nightclubs, and shops. In Streetlife, Leif Jerram presents a totally new history of the 20th century, with the city at its heart, showing how everything distinctive about the century, from revolution and dictatorship to sexual liberation, was fundamentally shaped by the great urban centres which defined it.