Lucerne: Switzerland’s First City

Lucerne and its lake is one of the prime tourist locations in Switzerland. It was the first city to join the Swiss Confederation and started to attract tourists as early as 1840 when the term tourist had not even been invented. 

Quedlinburg: Forgotten Royal Residence in Germany

The city of Quedlinburg lies in modern Germany in the state of Saxe-Anhalt. On request of his mother Matilda, Emperor Otto I invested the Damenstift (a religious community for women of the nobility) of St. Servatius, often referred to as Quedlinburg Abbey. 

Monaco: Principality on The Rocks

The Principality of Monaco is situated on the Mediterranean and borders onto France. The second smallest country in the world, it is also one of the richest. But it started out as a fort on an embattled coast. 

A Room for Every Day of The Year

Knole House in Kent is the family seat of the Sackville-West family. The house came into Sackville hands during the reign of Elizabeth I. The present Lord Sackville describes the family and the house in his new book. 

The Basel Tattoo

Every year in August, the Basel Military Tattoo is the magnet for over 80,000 people. It sounds like an old event, but it started out as late as 2006. But Basel has a long and living tradition of Pipes and Drums, so the event took to the city like a fish to water.