hidden europe 34

This is the thirty-fourth issue of hidden europe travel magazine with articles on Macedonia, the Uskoks of Senj, Orthodoxy in Karelia, the Republic of Kazan, funky train names and the train journey from Zürich to Lausanne.

Picture above: Kaneo, Macedonia (photo © hidden europe).

Summary

This is the thirty-fourth issue of hidden europe travel magazine with articles on Macedonia, the Uskoks of Senj, Orthodoxy in Karelia, the Republic of Kazan, funky train names and the train journey from Zürich to Lausanne.

Quo vadis Macedonia?

Protecting the national narrative is a fine art in Macedonia, the south Balkan republic which neighbouring Greece insists should be referred to only as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (or FYROM for short). Join us as we try and unravel the modern Macedonian question.

Songlands: a Karelian journey

Karelia is the land of the Kalevala, the great epic poem that so powerfully influenced the development of the Finnish national movement in the nineteenth century. We travel through the songlands of the Kalevala and look in particular at the role of Orthodox religion in Karelia and more widely in Finland.

Switzerland by train: Zürich to Lausanne

The Glacier Express is one of Switzerland’s most celebrated rail journeys. But it is expensive and dreadfully touristy. Travellers looking to see the best of Switzerland by train could, we think, do better. The rail journey from Zürich to Lake Geneva via Lucerne, Interlaken and Gstaad is one of our favourite Swiss excursions by train.

Sharing sacred space

The clean lines that we think divide religions often become very blurred in the Balkan region. Thus shrines may be claimed as sacred by adherents of more than one religion. We look at the phenomenon of syncretic shrines.

Temple of All Religions

Ildar Khanov lives in a temple of his own creation. It boasts a splendid array of minarets and domes that recall many of the world’s principal religions. Not quite what you might expect to find in the suburb of a city in the Russian Federation. But this is Russia with a twist, for Ildar Khanov lives in Tatarstan.

The Russian Federation

Kalmykia is the only political unit in Europe where Buddhism is the dominant religion. You think we jest! But it is true. We take a look at some of the lesser known republics within the European part of the Russian Federation.