hidden europe 12

Autobahn affairs

by hidden europe

Summary

Motorways come and motorways go! Yes, some routes really do disappear - like the A862 in Germany. And there are rumours that the days of the M10 in southern England are numbered.

An entire German motorway has recently disappeared. The A862 always claimed a certain place in our hearts. Travelling eastwards from France towards the Rhine crossing north of Basel, it is easy to miss the Franco-German border in the post-Schengen piety. Motorists speed across borders without even noticing them. But, just as the river bridge reached the German bank of the Rhine, there was always the sign that reminded travellers that here, at the border, the road known in France as the A36 became the German A862.

Related article

Lost at sea: a Frisian tale

There are two sides to Sylt. The east has soggy edges as tidal flats and salt marshes separate Sylt from the German and Danish mainland. The other side can be wild and treacherous, a place where shrapnel spray pounds the beach and bodies are washed ashore.

Related article

Frisian shores: the island of Sylt

On the tidal flats that surround the North Frisian island of Sylt there are millions of lugworms. On the island itself there is a peculiar sub-species of homo sapiens. hidden europe explores both!

Related blog post

At the harbour wall: port cities and the ties that bind

Port cities often have a very special feel. Hamburg, Genoa, Liverpool and Bergen have much in common by virtue of their connection to the sea. Berlin writer Paul Scraton explores the quaysides of the Norwegian port of Bergen and reflects on the cultural, economic and social ties which enliven port cities across Europe.