Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
former self: a walled city with bastion
towers, large open squares, impossible
alleyways, and countless marvelous
Gothic, baroque, and Renaissance
buildings. See p. 529.
Gda ^ sk (Poland). If you were expect-
ing a dirty port city on the Baltic,
you're in for the surprise of your life.
Gda ^ sk is a beautifully restored old
Hanseatic town that's brimming with
life. The hotels and restaurants are
great; the city couldn't be more invit-
ing. And when you tire of Gda ^ sk,
there's Sopot and the beaches and the
nightclubs just up the road. See p. 449.
Wro c l aw (Poland). This city gets
short shrift from Poles—possibly
because it still feels, at least in terms
of the architecture, very much like a
provincial German capital. But don't
let that deter you. The Old Town is
gorgeous. Those baroque and Renais-
sance facades sing with color, and will
elevate your mood in any season.
Wroc l aw is also filled with students,
ensuring lots of great little clubs
tucked away in places you'd least
expect. See p. 443.
Old Town (Bratislava, Slovakia). It's
hard to imagine a more active, fun,
and user-friendly town center than
Bratislava's Old Town. The past
decade or so has seen a major effort to
renovate the facades and bring new
life into what was until recently a rel-
atively quiet part of town. The result
is a nightly street party. In good
weather, the bars and cafes move their
tables to the sidewalks and the whole
city, it seems, comes out to have a
good time. See p. 620.
Piran (Slovenia). Piran is Slovenia's
Venice, occupying a sharp promon-
tory on the Istrian Coast. Piran
doesn't have canals, but it will make
your head spin as you get lost in a
jumble of narrow cobblestone streets
lined with lovely architecture, some
beautifully preserved, some crum-
bling perfectly. See p. 676.
9 The Best Local Beer & Wine
Mitko Manolev (Melnik, Bulgaria).
Mitko, aka “six fingers,” may not make
the best wine, but he sure offers a
great tasting experience. Seated in the
cool sandstone cave burrowed into
the side of a cliff in the little village of
Melnik, Mitko lets you taste his
wines direct from the barrel, then
bottles your choice (two types of red,
both not dissimilar to grape juice,
made with no preservatives and
slightly sparkling, rather good when
served ice cold); worth it if only to
watch him personally fill, cork, and
label it right in front of you—the
most personally handled bottle of
wine you're likely to purchase any-
where. See p. 93.
Quiet Nest (Black Sea Coast, Bul-
garia). If you want an introduction
to Bulgaria's independent producers,
the Queens Winery House, a bou-
tique wine shop on the grounds of
the Quiet Nest (the Black Sea Coast
palace built by Romania's Queen
Marie), is the best place in the coun-
try to do so. At the helm is 21-year-
old Elleanna, a young winemaker
who stocks a superb selection of little-
known labels and produces (among
others) Ducessa Aperitiv , an “Aromatic
Wine Drink”: Apparently the Roman-
ian queen's favorite tipple, Elleanna
managed to pry the recipe from the
queen's winemaker before he passed
away in 2005. Passionate about the
untapped potential of Bulgarian
wine, the new queen of the Nest is
one to watch. See p. 116.
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