Eastern Europe and the Ae gean - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 114

your eyes aren't trained on the birds, there's plenty
of time to soak up the gentle pace of life in the
neighbouring villages and sample home-cooked
meals made by the local women's co-operative.

147 hikE in rEtEzat national
Park, romania

Retezat in Romanian means “cut off ”, and
the hikes between the peaks of this UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve in the southwestern corner of
Transylvania are about as far from civilization
as you can get. Much of the park is covered by
some of Europe's last remaining ancient forest, a
wilderness where you're more likely to see bear
or wolf tracks than hear a plane fly overhead.
The park's beauty is perhaps best captured
in the name the locals give it - “the land with
blue eyes” - after the hundred alpine lakes that
reflect the dramatic mountain scenery.
A good base for hiking routes is the award-
winning Dora Mountain House, a timber
lodge perched on a hill near R ˇ u¸or, 30km
from Ha¸ eg. It has a nearby ski piste and can
arrange mountain guides on request, plus it's a
welcoming place to return to at the end of a long
day's trek or ski.

Need to know There are rail and bus connections
from Alexandropolis to the town of Soufli, where a
bus service connects to Dadia village. For more on
ecotours and rates see W www.ecoclub.com/dadia;
T [phone].

146 cyclE thE hEritagE trail
in bohEmia

Many visitors to Vienna and Prague find plenty
to keep them entertained in these two historic
capitals, but for those who fancy exploring the
medieval towns and villages that lie along the
rivers and meadows in between, there's now
a five-day bike route through the Bohemian
countryside connecting the two.
The route is divided into sections of between
35km and 60km each day, though there's still
ample time to dismount and explore the many
World Heritage Sites along the way, such as ˇ esk´
Krumlov, a picturesque medieval settlement with
a magnificent castle, the chateaux of Valtice and
Lednice, and the Renaissance town of Tel ˇ. You
can try wines produced in the Sobes vineyard
near Znojmo, or sit back and watch birds flocking
over the hundreds of fishponds that surround
the historic town of T ˇebo ˇ , while sampling the
local specialities of carp and Regent beer, brewed
here since 1700. Nights are spent in either
rural or small town-centre guesthouses, and as
Heritage Trails was set up by the founder of the
European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural
Tourism, visitors can be assured that bringing the
benefits of tourism to rural areas is at the heart of
everything it does.

Need to know Information on the park, sample
excursions and how to get there is at W www.
panparks.org. Dora Mansion House: W www.
pensiuneadora.ro; T [phone].

Mountain stream in Retezat
Mountains

Need to know Tours can be taken in either direction.
Spring or autumn is best, with many local wine
festivals occurring in September. A support vehicle
transfers luggage between guesthouses each day.
For more on tours and accommodation see W www.
heritage-trails.cz; T [phone].