hidden europe 27

Ecclesiastical geographies

by Nicky Gardner

Picture above: Statue of St Peter in front of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (photo © Gards / istockphoto.com).

Summary

Church bureaucrats divide the world into dioceses. The process throws into prominence places that figure little in the secular world. Bishops preside over territories like Gor, Ombi and Sodor. hidden europe takes a look at some unusual geographical titles of European bishops.

hidden europe 27 / Territories / By Nicky Gardner

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Editorial hidden europe 27
Editorial

By hidden europe

Welcome to issue no. 27 which contains articles on Liguria's Hanbury Gardens, the Georgian town of Akhaltsikhe, subterranean Vienna, the Sami of the Kola Peninsula, a quest for the elixir of youth and more.

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Italy: Thomas Hanbury's Garden
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

The Quaker businessman and philanthropist Thomas Hanbury was a latter-day Marco Polo. His legacy includes a remarkable garden on the Riviera coast of the Mediterranean. We visit the Hanbury Gardens at La Mortola.

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View from the fortress: Akhaltsikhe (Georgia)
Feature

By Laurence Mitchell

Akhaltsikhe has seen better days. The town has had Georgian, Ottoman, Russian and Soviet masters. Today it is one of the remotest towns in Georgia, and still engagingly multicultural, for Akhaltsikhe has a large Armenian minority.

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Vienna: beneath the Austrian capital
Feature

By Duncan JD Smith

Vienna is a city noted for its grand facades and repressed desires. But the Austrian capital should never be taken at face value. Delve below the surface to find another Vienna. Guest contributor Duncan JD Smith introduces us to his home city.

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Hintes of the east: Islamic architecture in Europe
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

We review Islamic influences in architecture across Europe, and find eastern traces in a few unexpected spots. Along the way we take a look at early mosques in Britain.

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Ecclesiastical geographies
Territories

By Nicky Gardner

Church bureaucrats divide the world into dioceses. The process throws into prominence places that figure little in the secular world. Bishops preside over territories like Gor, Ombi and Sodor. hidden europe takes a look at some unusual geographical titles of European bishops.

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New lives for old ships
Ferryscan

By Nicky Gardner

The 'Logos Hope' was once a car ferry that connected the Faroe Islands with the wider world. Now it is the largest floating bookshop on the planet. See how old ferries are redeployed to new purposes.

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Russia: the Kola Sámi
Outpost

By Nicky Gardner

There is a Sámi proverb that says: "Don't try to predict today that which we shall know for sure tomorrow." So the local Sámi in Russia's Kola Peninsula will not venture any opinion on whether Sámi life has any credible future in their home region.

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Berlin connections: the Moscow to Paris express
Railscan

By Nicky Gardner

On long train journeys across Europe, it is always worth checking the timetable to see if your journey includes any abnormally long halts. Passengers travelling on the direct Moscow to Paris train, for example, linger for eleven hours in Berlin.

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Over the fence: the EU's eastern neighbours
Perspective

By Nicky Gardner

The European Union's Eastern Partnerships initiative is designed to smooth relations with six of the EU's ex-Soviet neighbours. Moscow perceives the initiative as the EU meddling in Russia's sphere of interest. hidden europe reports from Poland's border with Ukraine.

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Monkey business: in search of the elixir of youth
Hidden histories

By Nicky Gardner

Serge Voronoff was a Russian doctor with a smart idea - or so he judged. At his estate on the Riviera coast, he offered the elixir of youth to elderly gentlemen. Voronoff's endeavours, one might say, really took some balls.

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Seaside comforts
Oddball

We check out a lightweight towel that claims to be an indispensable aid to travellers. An ingeneous piece of packing, to be sure, but not quite the soft and fluffy experience that we might expect of a decent beach towel.

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Towards the Simplon
Routes

By Nicky Gardner

For those without a hint of romance in their souls, it is possible to speed through the Simplon Tunnel from Switzerland to Italy. The train takes just fifteen minutes. But the old Simplon Pass route is still there for the taking. Brig is the starting point.

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Norway by plane
Snippet

By hidden europe

A small Norwegian airline called Widerøe operates flights into some of Europe's remotest communities. The company's Explore Norway Ticket allows travellers to hop from one small airport to another.

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The island of Gavdos
Snippet

By hidden europe

We take a look at one of Europe's remotest outposts. The island of Gavdos is south of Crete in the Libyan Sea. The fact that George Bush and Colin Powell have both visited is a measure of the strategic importance of Gavdos.

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A submarine secret
Snippet

By hidden europe

The Norwegian Depression is not a state of mind. It is actually a submarine valley off the coast of Norway. We explain more in this short note.

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Preview hidden europe 28
Preview

By hidden europe

a look ahead at hidden europe 28

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hidden europe 67: Counterpoint

An Essex backwater: Discovering Harwich

by Nicky Gardner

Counterpoint

The old town of Harwich, a port in the county of Essex on England's North Sea coast, is tucked away on the end of a peninsula. Maritime connections have shaped the development of Harwich. It's a place for sea breezes, rock oysters and watching the ferries come and go.

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hidden europe 1: Snippet