The hidden gems of Europe

Varazdin, for its Baroque charm

We stumbled on a bar called Mea Culpa – I Have Sinned – in Varazdin, Croatia's Baroque heart. Yes, the 40,000 inhabitants of this very Catholic town have a sense of humour and aesthetics. Varazdin, today, is called Little Vienna thanks to the cluster of well-preserved Baroque buildings built by wealthy traders and the nobility during its all too brief reign as the country's capital from 1756 to 1776. After a major fire flared in Varazdin, the capital was shifted back to Zagreb. Varazdin fell off the grid but is today known to have the finest clutch of Baroque buildings in Europe.

Off the well-marked tourist trail, Varazdin offers those keen to unlock her secret charms some fine museums, a medieval castle and inexpensive cafes and bars. But it's during the Baroque festival that Varazdin comes into its own when musicians from all over the world perform in its atmospheric castles and churches to audiences eager to be transported to Varazdin's Golden Age.
Contact: www.tourism-varazdin.hr/en

La Baule: Fun in the sun

France is the epitome of the good life well lived and the seaside resort of La Baule in north-west France is a distillation of this philosophy. Its nine-km beach is one of the longest in Europe and the resort nestles on a curved bay along the romantically named Cote D'Amour, or the Coast of Love.

The bay bristles with the sails of colourful boats, and on the powder-soft stretch of sand, horses gallop, vacationers play beach games and try their hand at paddle boarding or kite surfing while children paddle in the softly frilled surf or build sand castles.

We, however, indulged in a thalassotherapy (sea-based) treatment at a cutting edge spa where we soaked in a bath tub filled with water in which algae had been stirred in. Jets of water bombarded our supine torsos and the water bubbled and fizzed and sloughed away jet lag in the process.

Tony La Baule, just 2 hours 50 mins by TGV from Paris, draws world-weary Parisians and other locals who want to cop out of the real world. Many own charming villas, tucked away in a pine forest nearby.

Dinner at a seaside restaurant rang down the curtain on an eventful day followed by flirting with Lady Luck at the casino. Lady Luck played hard to get but La Baule had won our hearts with its simple unvarnished charm.
Contact: http://in.france.fr

Fairy-tale Alberobello

We imagined that we had drifted into a land inhabited by elves and fairies on entering Alberobello. The Italian town, is located in Puglia, a region that snuggles in what is called the heel of the Italian boot when viewed on a map of Italy.

On the western hill of the town of Alberobello rises a vast cluster of trullis – beehive-shaped homes with white tips dating back to the 14th century. We walked down the narrow alleys that wound around these small conical-roofed houses, feeling like giants striding in a miniature world, expecting to bump into a gnome in a pointed hat. Briefly, we inhabited an alternative universe, peeping into some vine-draped trullis with frilly curtained windows and handkerchief-sized gardens where little people might well have lived. One street was studded with trullis converted into boutiques and restaurants where we sampled some of the finest food and wines of the region.

Alberobello, perhaps, is one of Italy's best kept secrets.
Contact: www.enit.it

Appenzell: Moonshine Beer and Yodellers

Appenzell, that is a two-hour train ride from Zurich, is a town famed as much for its painted houses as its moonshine beer, pear bread and gingerbread. Encircled by green hills and valleys, Appenzell was shaken out of its tranquility a few years ago when locals clashed with groups of nude adventurers who chose to hike the 1,200km trail in the nearby hills. The issue was resolved amicably.

We walked around the town, craning our necks to admire the painted houses and wrought iron signs. And sipped the much-loved Appenzeller beer at a café. Brewed at Locher Brewery, the fizzy beverage owes its inimitable taste to the pure mountain water. We tasted the refreshing wheat beer, the Appenzeller Vollmond beer, brewed only on a full moon night and another when the moon has waned. The moon governs the tides and this adds a magical kick to the beer!
Contact: www.myswitzerland.com