A Local’s Guide To Barcelona: 27 Things You Really Need To Know About Visiting Barcelona

Barcelona is an absolute gem of a city to visit and is justifiably one of the most popular cities to visit in Europe. There's no shortage of amazing sights to see here, things to do and delicious foods to eat so when you visit the city so its easy to see why so many people feel right at home once they visit – there truly is something for everyone here.

Now every traveller worth their salt knows the best way to experience any destination is through the help of a local. The only issue with this is that it's nigh impossible to know someone at every destination you visit and even if you do, you then have to convince them to take time out of their busy schedules to show you around (remember – you're on holiday, not them – they probably still have regular work/study/life schedules to keep up with).

As it turns out, it's a lot easier to find a local to show you around the city than you think – cue Showaround (available at www.showaround.com). With Showaround, the idea is pretty simple, you connect with locals in whatever destination you're visiting in the world and they can show you the city! Some locals charge a (very affordable) fee, others do it for free (you can tip afterwards if you enjoyed the tour) and whatever option you go for, you can guarantee that you will get a unique experience of the city that you'd otherwise never have had.

Of course, we're not just saying this blatantly untested – we actually headed out to Barcelona recently to give the service a try (no point trying London, especially seeing as we live in London). The process is straight forward –

a.) You select the place you want to visit

b.) You select the person/people available in the destination (they all have different specialities e.g. arts tours, night life tours, foodie tours…etc so you pick the person who fits you best)

c.) You then select a day and time for the tour

d.) The logistics of when are where are mutually agreed upon by you and the local showing you around the city

Pretty easy, right? Pricing-wise, in Barcelona most that we found were around €7 – €10 per hour with a minimum of 2 hours so €14 – €20 for your entire group. (Meaning €7 per person for the ones we ended up booking).

We went a bit greedy here and decided to go on two tours. Partly to get a different perspective from multiple people on the city but mostly to be extra sure where the best place to get tapas in the city is! 🙂 (If you're not on the hunt for tapas in Barcelona, you're just not doing it right! 😉 ).

We've distilled all the knowledge we have from the 2 locals who showed us around, along with some that we already had of the city and put together the 27 things you definitely need to know about visiting Barcelona!

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1.) Take a bottle with you when you go exploring the city. There are taps all over the city with drinkable water from these taps

2.) Beware of people getting too close to you on public transport. If someone's touching you, they're probably tying to pick your pockets.

3.) The most contemporary art gallery in Barcelona is at the 3 chimneys garden. Note: its called a garden but there isn't really any grass here or anything else you'd expect of a typical garden. This is an outdoor space where local artists and art enthusiasts get to create their own art pieces, some of which is straight up graffiti but all of which add to the reason why this is known as Barcelona's most contemporary art gallery.

4.) If you want to be guaranteed a pretty good night out in Barcelona, Sala Apolo club is the place you have to go to! Entry prices include a 'free' drink so make sure you get yours as soon as you go in. The closest stop on the Metro is Paral.lel station.

5.) Speaking of nights out – the entry fee to clubs (averaging around £10 where charged – some places are free) includes one drink upon entry. This is very typical in Barcelona so look out for it when on a night out.

6.) The best street to go to for tapas and pintxos is Blai Street. This is where the locals head with their friends and is the perfect place to meet for drinks and food before a night out. When you're here Blai 9 is one of the best spots to head to for pintxos!

7.) If you find yourself in or near La Rambla or the general Gothic Quarter area, make sure you pop into the Forest of the fairies (El Bosc de Les Fades). It's right next to the Wax Museum (which understandably, isn't for everyone) and is very easy to miss if you're not looking for it. I know first hard that I'd never heard about it before visiting with our guide for beers and the décor here is absolutely fantastic and whimsical. Its definitely worth a visit… and don't worry, you wont be the only one whipping your camera out for a cheeky photo when you visit – you'll be in good company with other tourists who

8.) The oldest neighbourhood to visit is Raval. It used to be a lot more unsafe in the past but it's very gentrified now and is a hotspot for rather cool restaurants and events. It's the kind of place traveller like us would typically miss but the locals would hang out in (kinda like the way Brixton and Peckham are going in London).

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9.) The best way to 'do La Rambla' is to take detours as you go along. Veer off into the side streets and pop into bars or restaurants around that area. The best gems here are not always on the main strip.

10.) A place you have to visit in Barcelona is Boqueria market. It's great for lunch and for getting avariety of amazing food and edible supplies.

11.) The Church of Santa Anna is a place in Barcelona most people would never think to visit and is most definitely worth a visit, even if just for the picturesque courtyard here.

12.) Head up to Plaça Sant Felip Neri for a gem typically missed out by most visitors to Barcelona. This square is off the main street and is home to Sant Felip Neri church, which still has 'scars' to the outside façade of the church after the 1938 bombings in the civil war.

13.) Another Barcelona gem is Basilica dels Sants Martir Just i Pastor which again is on a remote side-street and most likely missed out on a typical visit to the city.

14.) When you're here you have to visit Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar. This is actually quite a popular destination to visit but in the search of all things 'Gaudi' in Barcelona, its so easy to miss this one out. A visit here (or even a simple look at the photos of it) very quickly point out why you need to add this to your Barcelona travel plans.

15.) A great place to get a fantastic view of the city is Bunkers del Carmel. In the past, this used to quite a fringe place to hangout but has quickly (and justifiably) grown in popularity over the years.

16.) A bar you have to visit is Mescladis. This outdoor bar is very popular with the locals and quite easily missed traveller like you and I. It's about 7 minutes away from the cathedral and is worth visiting for a cold brew on a scorching Barcelona summer day.

17.) Gracia in Barcelona is a square worth visiting when you're looking for drinks or food. Its got great restaurants, cafes and bar and comes very highly recommended.

18.) If you're taking a taxi from the airport, the typical charge to the city is €29 but the minimum is €20 so bear that in mind when planning transport.

19.) Barcelona has a very fantastic underground metro system and is worth using when you want to get around the city.

20.) Book your tickets for La Sagrada familia in advance. Seriously, you will end up queuing for hours if you don't – save yourself the hassle and just do it online in advance.

21.) Dinner is late here. Starting dinner at 10pm isn't unusual around these parts.

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22.) Two languages are spoken here – Catalan and Spanish. Barcelona is Catalan so its worth brushing up on your knowledge of Catalan before you visit.

23.) You have to see at least 3 Gaudi structures (extra points for you if you can see them all). No visit to Barcelona is complete without paying a visit to Gaudi's amazing architectural masterpieces.

24.) Speaking of Gaudi, some of his lesser-known pieces of work and definitely worth looking out for are the lamp posts. They come in two designs and can make for a fun little game trying to find them in the city. Here's a tip to get you started – one of them is in Placa Real…

25.) You need to stay as central as possible in Barcelona. The public transport is actually brilliant here but there's no point spending actual useful sightseeing time commuting.

26.) Another place to get a great view of the city is the Tibidabo amusement park (there's a cable car to take you up the hill). Best part is that while you're up here, you can not only take in the view of the city and enjoy the amusement park, you can also check out the absolutely amazing Sagrat Cor church.

27.) Barcelona has great beaches so do remember to pack your swimwear when you visit!

26.) Another place to get a great view of the city is the Tibidabo amusement park (there's a cable car to take you up the hill). Best part is that while you're up here, you can not only take in the view of the city and enjoy the amusement park, you can also check out the absolutely amazing Sagrat Cor church.

27.) Barcelona has great beaches so do remember to pack your swimwear when you visit!

All in all, our tours with our two Showaround locals were a perfect example of how invaluable local knowledge is. Our guides were also pretty great fun and stopped with us for a cheeky drink (or two) as we explored the city. It also helps that they knew the best places to stop for drinks as well and hanging out with them definitely felt very different to our experience of Barcelona the first time around.

One of my favourite things about the experience as well is the fluidity of the plans. The guides are just people showing you their home and aren't working off an official script which means your experience of Barcelona is exactly what you want your experience to be. Big kudos to Showaround for helping change the way we all experience cities – I can't wait to call in the help of a Showaround local in the next destination we visit! 🙂 I wonder if they have anyone in Nimes… 🙂

Come join us on Snapchat! Our deets are - HANDLUGGAGEONLY

Source: A Local's Guide To Barcelona: 27 Things You Really Need To Know About Visiting Barcelona

Emirates offers special fares to Europe

Emirates  is offering travellers in the UAE special fares to a host of exciting destinations in Europe.

These special fares are valid for booking until August 22 for outbound travel between July 29 and December 14, 2016, the airline said.

Customers can look forward to booking return Economy Class air fares from Dubai to Vienna from Dh2,710; Athens and Larnaca from Dh2,940; Prague from Dh3,020; Stockholm from Dh3,210; Oslo from Dh3,530; Budapest from Dh3,710; Barcelona from Dh3,950; Geneva from Dh3,970 and Madrid from Dh4,070.

Customers who book Emirates' special fares also have a chance to fly the airline's iconic A380 to Vienna, Prague, Barcelona, Geneva and Madrid.

This promotional offer also gives travellers the opportunity to experience Emirates' award-winning service from its international cabin crew, gourmet cuisine and its renowned ice inflight entertainment system, which offers passengers over 2,500 channels on demand entertainment, it said. - TradeArabia News Service

Source: Emirates offers special fares to Europe

Make Montenegro your next holiday destination for some James Bond-style glamour on a budget

Montenegro is one those places that sounds incredibly glamorous – but, truthfully, do you even know where it is?

Before you start Googling, let me admit that I was shamefully hazy about its exact position on the planet too.

Sandwiched between Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania, it has a population of just 620,000.

Easy to miss, you might say – but with easyJet now offering low-cost flights from both Gatwick and Manchester to Tivat, one of its top resort towns, that is sure to change rapidly.

With its stunning coastline, good-value hotels (yes – even considering our poor, precarious pound) and less than three-hour flight time, Montenegro is rightly tipped to be one of this year's rising European destinations.

After landing in Tivat on the Adriatic coast, the transfer to the Hotel Splendid Conference and Spa Resort in Becici was just 30 minutes.

The Splendid, as James Bond geeks will tell you, was the name of the imposing Baroque hotel in Casino Royale where 007 takes on the terrorist financier Chiffre in a nail-biting poker game.

In fact, much of that 2006 movie is set in Montenegro, which possibly accounts for the country's newfound glamorous reputation.

Yet, sadly, no filming actually took place in the country itself.

The Czech Republic provided the locations and let Montenegro claim the glory.

Bay of Kotor

But while my Hotel Splendid may not be a stunning period building – complete with Daniel Craig strutting around in his budgie smugglers (if only) – there was lots to recommend this modern, five-star resort.

My giant circular bed was one of the most comfortable I've slept in, and waking up to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, with a balcony view of the Adriatic, is nothing to complain about.

You do get some rain here, but on top of the sprawling outdoor pool and beach, there's also an indoor one to retreat to from the showers.

The hotel pool from above

And the spa area has several kinds of saunas and steam rooms with varying heats and herbal smells to suit anyone who enjoys this kind of detoxing downtime.

If you're fond of a firm massage, you won't be disappointed – with Montenegrin men and women being famously tall, they seem to have plenty of strength to unknot your tensions and makes your worries from home melt away.

The five-star rating here may not exactly translate to the UK version – you are charged €1.50 for every coffee machine pod you use in the room, and none of the whirlpool baths really seemed to work properly.

But these are minor points and staying here is still luxury at a good price.

Back up the coast at Tivat is Porto Montenegro, a new multimillion-pound marina on the Bay of Kotor where wealthy Russian holidaymakers and Europe's yachting fraternity flock to enjoy the facilities and show off their super-vessels.

The Porto Montenegro Yacht Club (or PMYC as it's known) must be the most chic place in the country to knock back a decent cocktail and laze with a good book.

The Tara Bridge in Djurdjevica

You don't have to be a member, just pay to use the pool for the day. With its slick-white aesthetic, geometrically-placed palms, and gigantic bronze sculpture in the middle by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, there is a cool Miami vibe to enjoy here.

And, at a whopping 210ft long, there has surely never been a more aptly-named infinity pool than this (portomontenegro.com €40 per day).

The club is also home to the Naval Heritage Collection museum, worth a quick look if only for the chance to board the Yugoslav Navy P-821 Hero-class submarine outside.

Here you see first hand the cramped, claustrophobic living quarters sailors had to cope with when it roamed 600ft under the surface in the late 1960s (admission and tour €5). If you like to keep active on holiday, Lustica Bay is in development on the other side of the Bay of Kotor.

Here you can learn to sail or paddleboard in calm waters. A sizeable water park is also being built and it's sure to attract families and thrillseekers alike.

An exhilarating raft trip up the Tara River is a must

More adventurous souls can, and certainly should, make the winding trip along the Tara River through unspoiled, breathtakingly lush countryside to Kolasin in central Montenegro.

Donning a wetsuit and hard hat, and equipped with gung-ho bravado, I boarded a raft at Splaviste for some whitewater action.

Guiding us through the rapids at the back of the raft was a stern local who, we were assured, knew the Tara River ''like the back of his hand''.

His English was limited but effective when he boomed, "EVERYBODY!''

It was the signal for all passengers on board to frantically paddle while he steered us through rapids and rocks. ''STOP!'' meant sit tight –and just hold on for dear life.

The official age you're allowed to raft here is three, but I strongly suspect it would be a little bit older back in the health and safety conscious UK ( montenegroexplorer.co.me €60-75).

However, it was a thrilling way to discover the Djurdjevica Bridge, which featured in 1978 British war movie Force 10 From Navarone.

And you get to see up close the shortest and most powerful river in Europe, the 500ft Ljutica (rafting is forbidden down this, and when you see it you'll understand why).

The hotel's view of the Adriatic

If you're after a slightly more sedate spot of sightseeing, Kotor is the place to head for. The Lonely Planet's 2016 yearbook named it as the number one city to visit.

While I'm not sure it quite lives up to that hype, the medieval architecture and numerous cultural heritage monuments certainly make this walled city well worthy of its place on the Unesco list.

With its atmospheric back streets, incense-filled churches and a museum devoted to cats (the city is famous for its huge feline population), this is the ideal place to potter around for some souvenirs. Sampling the Montenegrin cuisine is a must.

The five-star hotels serve the kind of top-class international menus you would expect, but if you venture outside this affluent scene, the family-run seafront eateries are quirky, friendly and cheap.

The owner of the Jadran restaurant in Budva, along the coast from Becici, laid on a feast of black risotto and octopus salad, followed by a tasty mixed seafood stew known as buzara.

Then he proudly brought out his showpiece – dentex (a bit like sea bass) in a salt crust which was then dramatically set alight to impressed gasps from the entire dining room.

My stomach was groaning, but happily it was nothing an after-dinner grappa couldn't fix.

Four days in this enchanting and relatively undiscovered country was enough to make me want to return.

I reckon I'd better make it quick though. Its Google search stats are bound to be rising even as you read this.

Get there

easyJet holidays has 7nts B&B at the 5* Hotel Splendid Conference and SPA Resort in Becici, Montenegro, from £479pp inc flights from Gatwick to Tivat on Oct 10; Manchester departure on Oct 13 from £455pp. easyjet.com/en/holidays

Tourist info: visit-montenegro.com

Time zone: UK +1hr

Currency: Euro £1 = 1.17

Best time to go: As soon as you can – beat the rush!

Source: Make Montenegro your next holiday destination for some James Bond-style glamour on a budget

4 Greek beaches among top european destinations

The following four Greek beaches are included among the best in Europe, according to travel site europeandestinations.com:

Kavalikefta beachLefkada – Greece

The wonderful landscapes give way to equally wonderful seascapes, with azure waters bathing white sands in coves adorned with picturesque fishing villages. Sail around the island to explore all those unspoiled spots. As a matter of fact, sailing has developped in a rather impressive way here. The modern marina in the town of Lefkada can host up to 620 vessels, attracting Robinsons in quest of fun and adventure on the island of Lefkada and on the smaller ones opposite Nydri: Prigkiponissia, Meganissi with the countless coves, Kalamos and Kastos with the secluded beaches and sea caves.

Apela BeachKarpathos Island – Greece

Karpathos is situated in the most south part of Dodecanese complex, between Crete and Rhodes, and is the second largest island of the complex. Basically, it is considered a mountainous island (Kali Limni is the highest peak-altitude 1.214m) full of water springs, pine-trees forests, vineyards, olives and fruit-bearing trees.

Kokkari BeachSamos Island – Greece

Kokkari is a fishing harbour of Samos Island, which has now developed into a tourist center. Still, it preserves its old traditional face, with small houses and lanes full of flowers. Kokkari is on a small peninsula full of houses which climbs up to the top of the hill with a small harbour on one side and a superb pebble beach on the other. Surrounded by green mountains and the view out to the sea, it's worth a journey.

Navagio BeachZakynthos Island-Greece

Zákynthos is a verdant island endowed with fertile valleys and a temperate climate(area: 406 sq. km; coastline: 123 km). Its landscape diversity has resulted in different types of beaches: there are sandy beaches in secluded coves where the tranquil waters are deep blue on the island's southeastern part; yet, if rugged cliffs and an interesting underwater world are to your liking, try the western part of the island.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Source: 4 Greek beaches among top european destinations

Terrorism Scares Away the Tourists Europe Was Counting On

All of that has hit the European economy in one of its most vital sectors, tourism, just as a tenuous recovery was starting to take hold.

This year, growth in the 19 countries that use the euro returned to levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. On Friday, the European Union reported that the momentum slowed in the second quarter, as the economy advanced just 0.3 percent from April to June, down from 0.6 percent in the previous quarter. France slid back into stagnation with zero growth in the three months to June from the previous quarter.

Uncertainty has multiplied in recent months as terrorist assaults have become more frequent and widespread. Investors have not pulled away. But v isitors are rethinking Europe as a central travel destination, and the tourism industry, which accounts for 10 percent of economic activity in the European Union, has begun to feel the sting.

European governments, meanwhile, are spending hundreds of billions of euros on enhanced domestic security and operations against the Islamic State, even as Brussels pressures countries to cut deficits.

France, the European Union's third-largest economy after Britain and Germany, was already struggling to emerge from a long period of stagnation and high unemployment. France is the most visited country in Europe, attracting more than 84 million tourists last year, and economists had forecast a long-awaited uptick in growth for 2016. After the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks, the momentum slowed, and a slump in foreign touri sm had only recently started to reverse.

But when further Islamic State-inspired attacks were carried out in Europe, the impact was magnified.

In France, growth in nightly hotel room bookings after the Paris attacks fell to single digits from 20 percent. After the Brussels bombings, bookings went negative, and after Nice, bookings fell by double digits, said Mark Okerstrom, the chief financial officer of Expedia, a global travel website.

"We haven't seen a bounceback," he said. "What we don't know for certain is whether there's an overall dampening impact to global travel, or to Europe specifically."

At Paris Plage, a makeshift beach erected along the Seine, a dozen armed police officers guarded an entry checkpoint on a recent day. Army troops marched past families playing in the sand and half-empty activity points along the river. The patrols, which cost taxpayers about 1 million euros, or $1.1 million, a day, will add to an already mounting bill after France pledged to spend €816 million this year to reinforce security.

The ripple effect has been tangible.

Rental apartments in Paris and Nice sat empty after people canceled plans to visit France, said Adrian Leeds, the head of the Adrian Leeds Group, a French real estate agency with properties in both cities. And clients who had been thinking of moving to France have suspended their property searches.

"It's really affected things," she said. "But people will come back when things have settled down."

The terrorism threat adds another layer of complexity in a region already grappling with a large influx of migrants and the repercussions of Britain's vote last month to leave the European Union.

Finance ministers from the world's 20 largest economies, meeting last week in China, cited geopolitical conflicts and terrorism as growing threats to the global economy. "The world has already known terrorist attacks," said the French finance minister, Michel Sapin.

"But today, the frequency of the attacks is creating a new situation of uncertainty," with economic consequences, he added.

In Belgium, where Islamic State attackers bombed the Brussels airport and subway in March, killing 32 people, the economy has already suffered a nearly €1 billion loss in business and tax revenue, the government said this week. The biggest hits were to hotels, restaurants and tourism. Concerts, carnivals and sporting events were canceled, sapping revenue from the entertainment industry.

Germany's government acknowledged last week that the country had become a target of the Islamic State after a spate of assaults against civilians on a train, at a shopping mall and at a concert. Travel companies are fielding questions over whether Europe's largest economy is still safe, and economists said that consumption spending, a motor of growth, could decline if consumers started going out les s.

All that may turn travelers away from Europe's largest economies and toward calmer places like Spain, Greece or Scandinavia.

That may not stop terrorism concerns from hitting the industries that make travel possible. Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, two of Europe's largest air carriers, recently slashed their profit forecasts for the year, citing repeated terrorist attacks in Europe as deterring tourists and business executives from traveling.

The attacks have also taken a toll on the luxury industry, which relies heavily on foreign tourists, especially from Asia, for European sales. Leading brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Prada have reported slumping sales as high-spending tourists stay away.

On a recent morning, a handful of visitors flitted through Louis Vuitton's mammoth flagship store on the Champs-Élysées, a contrast to previous years, when the summer tourist season would see the shop buzzing with customers. This week, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported flat sales in the first half of the year, citing a falloff in European tourism after the attacks.

"We do not see any improvement in tourist traffic in France, and we will not see one while we are in a state of emergency, which prevents customers from coming," said Axel Dumas, chief executive of Hermès, the maker of €10,000 Birkin bags.

For Mr. Gohier, whose hotels and restaurants face the Mont-Saint-Michel, that can only be bad news for a smaller business like his.

"When you lose business, it has an economic impact," he said. "The terrorists want to create maximum damage."

Continue reading the main story
Source: Terrorism Scares Away the Tourists Europe Was Counting On

Final Destination of Eastern European Weapons is Syrian War

BELGRADE – Several countries from central and eastern Europe have exported weapons and munitions worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) since 2012, mostly to Saudi Arabia, amid fears that the final destination of these weapons is Syria and other conflict countries in the Middle East.

The findings were released on Thursday by the media, from the research of the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network, a consortium of research centers and media of Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania have signed most of these agreements to export arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia with 829 million euros ($918.6 million).

During the same period, weapons were also exported to Jordan at 155 million euros ($171.7 million), the United Arab Emirates with 135 million euros ($149.5 million) and to Turkey valued at 87 million euros ($96.4 million).

Source: Final Destination of Eastern European Weapons is Syrian War

Vodafone announces tariff to make holiday phone usage cheaper

If you're traveling to a European destination this summer, Vodafone's newest bill pay tariff is aimed at you. The network today announced the launch of Red Connect, which will let you do more with your smartphone while you're away.

Red Connect customers will have unlimited calls and texts back to Ireland and within the country they are visiting without being charged extra. The main draw of this tariff is likely to be the access to all your home data and international allowances, so you shouldn't have to worry about costs racking up.

Vodafone also announced the introduction of Chat Extra, which gives customers unlimited cross network calls with unlimited cross net texts and 1GB of 4G data for €20.

Red Connect is available to all new and existing customers

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Source: Vodafone announces tariff to make holiday phone usage cheaper

Georgia May Become a Key Destination for North Caucasians if EU Grants It Visa-Free Entry

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 136

July 27, 2016 05:44 PM Age: 21 min

Category: Eurasia Daily Monitor, North Caucasus Analysis, Home Page, Domestic/Social, Foreign Policy, The Caucasus, North Caucasus , South Caucasus , Georgia, Russia

Russia-Georgia border crossing

Migration from the North Caucasus, specifically from Chechnya, to Europe has increased this year. In the first six months of 2016, the number of migrants from Russia to Germany rose two-fold compared to the same period in 2015, and over 80 percent of those migrants came from Chechnya. Nearly 5,300 Russian citizens applied for political asylum in Germany from January to June 2016, and over 4,400 of them identified themselves as Chechens. The numbers were lower than in record-breaking 2013, when 90 percent of the 15,500 Russians seeking asylum in Germany—about 14,000 people—were Chechens, but they were still quite large for a presumably peaceful republic (Kavkazsky Uzel, July 15).

Among the reasons for the migration of Chechens and other North Caucasians to Europe are political and economic factors. A majority of migrants travel via Poland to the countries of Western Europe. The outflow of Chechens to Europe has been steady since the start of the second Russian-Chechen war in 1999, despite Moscow's declarations that the Chechen problem has been solved and reassurances given by Chechnya's governor, Ramzan Kadyrov.

The European Union's border controls have become stricter, especially after the Middle Eastern refugee crisis hit. The conditions for asylum seekers have also worsened, due to the large influx of refugees. Hence, some North Caucasians have started to seek safe havens elsewhere, closer to home. Georgia has been the destination of political refugees from the North Caucasus for some time. Under the previous president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, Tbilisi developed strategic cultural and educational programs for the North Caucasus that were designed to bolster ties to the region and develop soft power to undermine Russian domination of the region. After the Georgian Dream Coalition came to power in Georgia in 2012, most of those programs stopped. However, North Caucasians continued to regard Georgia as a safe haven, buying property and settling there (Onkavkaz.com, June 26).

North Caucasians' interest in Georgia especially increased as the country's talks with the EU on easing visa restrictions progressed. Liberalization of the visa regime between the EU and Georgia is part of a larger process that also includes easing restrictions between the EU and Ukraine. Large European countries like Germany and France have been struggling to open their borders to two more countries in the east at a time when migration is already a significant political problem (Civil Georgia, June 6). The initial plan to grant Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo visa-free access to the EU by summer 2016 has failed to materialize. Now, it appears that such a deal might be signed in October 2016 at the earliest (Civil Georgia, July 12).

For many North Caucasians, visa-free travel from Georgia to the EU would turn the South Caucasus country into an attractive alternative to Russia. Georgian citizenship laws are relatively liberal, requiring that a person reside continuously in the country for five years; knows the language, history and culture; has financial means; and has property in Georgia. Besides its attractiveness as a "gateway" to the EU, Georgia has other advantages over Russia. Georgia is far less corrupt than Russia. It is easier to do business in Georgia. It has a liberal legislation for business owners, which makes it an attractive alternative to Russia for many North Caucasians, especially for those who have the means to open their own businesses. Besides, Georgia is geographically and culturally proximate to the North Caucasus, which makes it much easier for North Caucasians to move to Georgia than elsewhere (Onkavkaz.com, July 15). It is also possible that if Georgia becomes more integrated into the EU, its government institutions will strengthen, which will have a positive impact on the rule of law in the country and make Georgia an even more attractive destination for the North Caucasians.

Russia has fiercely opposed Georgia's integration into European and transatlantic organizations. However, due to multiple other challenges, such as the Kremlin's involvement in Ukraine and Syria as well as Western economic sanctions against Russia, Georgia may now have a relatively easy path forward for entering the EU visa-free regime.

It is hard to foresee all the consequences of the EU lifting its visa restrictions for Georgia, but they are likely to have a major impact on the North Caucasus. Apart from becoming an attractive destination for North Caucasian immigrants who want to do business there, Georgia will also send a subtler message across the Caucasus. In particular, Georgia's proximity to the EU will turn it into an important hub and set an example for the other territories in the region. Thus far, Moscow has remained the only "intermediary" between the North Caucasus and Europe. If Georgia is granted visa-free entry into the EU, Tbilisi will become a much closer alternative to Moscow in terms of geography, and culturally as an intermediary player between the North Caucasus and Europe. In a way, Georgia having visa-free access to the EU will make the latter closer to the North Caucasus, which might reduce violence and, at the same time, increase the demand for political reforms in a region that h as been plagued by neglect and repression for decades. Another ancillary effect is that the ray of hope of the EU is a much better alternative than the battlefields of jihad in Syria and Iraq. It could halt or at least lessen the flow of North Caucasian fighters to the Islamic State as well.

Source: Georgia May Become a Key Destination for North Caucasians if EU Grants It Visa-Free Entry

Amid terrorist attacks, Air France buckles up for hard times

ETX Capital's Wilson said that Air France-KLM "may be more exposed than others as it is fighting a war on several fronts, not least because there is 'special concern' about France as a destination."

"Firstly terror attacks in Europe are biting into demand and France in particular is bearing the brunt of this. Secondly, in an attempt to compete with low-cost carriers the firm's aggressive restructuring has run into turbulence with unions and strikes are hitting revenues. The next walkout is on August 2nd."

There have also been several terrorist attacks in France on a smaller scale, all serving to heighten societal and political tensions in France as well as hitting the country's tourist industry.

The number of both French and foreign arrivals in Paris last year fell by 0.5 and 1.6 percent respectively, its tourist board said in a data release last week.

Speaking after the attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande said that "French people must know that they're under threat, that they're not the only country - Germany is too, as are others - but that their strength depends on their cohesion."

Source: Amid terrorist attacks, Air France buckles up for hard times

Travel experts noticing a shift in vacation plans due to recent attacks in Europe

After recent terrorist attacks in places like France and Belgium, you may be questioning whether travel to those countries is a good idea.

But even though France has gained a lot of attention with three high profile attacks in just 18 months, travel experts say people aren't being deterred. 

"People are still travelling to France, France is the world's busiest country for tourism. Most international visitors go to France of all countries in the world," said Rochelle Turner, online research director at the World Travel and Tourism Council.

She says travellers feel there are more security measures in place in Western European countries.

The same is being noted by Brad Davies of Virtually There Travel.

"In terms of France, we haven't seen any falloff whatsoever," said Davies

Travellers staying away from Turkey

Both say they've seen notable moves in travel plans, but that the changes usually involve Turkey or Egypt.

Davies says he's had clients book trips to Turkey but given recent events they've opted for another European destination.

"Part of the fact is that these tickets to Europe are usually booked often times six or seven months in advance and you can't [cancel], but you can shift destinations," said Davies.

It's not just his clients who are personally changing plans, it's large companies too.

Travelers have began changing plans to avoid going to places like Turkey, particularly after the recent military coup. (Petros Giannakouris/The Associated Press)

"I had clients that were booked on a cruise line hoping to visit Turkey as part of the trip. The cruise line [chose] to maintain their duty of care for liability reasons. They actually skipped the port entirely and shifted the trip over to Athens."

As far as Egypt is concerned, there are fewer inquiries now.

"Egypt, which was popular several years ago, is now certainly on the back burner."

Some more willing to change plans

Davies says for those who are planning to visit friends and family, dates and destinations are usually fixed.

"Those trips are booked well in advance, and it usually surrounds a family event, so there's been no change to that."

He also finds those of a younger generation aren't as worried, often expressing the opinion that they won't let certain events hold them back.

"For people who are comfortably retired, they've got a long list of destinations that they plan to attend. They'll change one destination for another knowing full well that these tragic events do have a cycle. So, what would be a difficult destination now could be a safe destination several years from now." 

But the World Travel and Tourism Council finds travellers to be much more resilient overall these days.

"We don't know when [these atrocities] are going to happen, and where they're going to happen, and yes that might put some people off, but for a lot of people, they don't want to stop their daily lives, and they don't want to stop their holidays on the basis of what might happen in a destination. Because what might happen in one destination could unfortunately easily happen somewhere else in today's day and age," said Turner.

Be vigilant

Unsure travelers can keep an eye out on the Government of Canada advisory page to help make a decision about whether or not to go. But if the plan is to travel regardless, there are things to keep in mind.

"As all people do in their home lives and when they travel, we just have to be a little extra vigilant and make sure we're following the advice that our countries are giving us. We're following the advice that our insurers are giving us and that we are trying to stay as safe as we can when we are traveling to destinations," said Turner. 

She also recommends avoiding large crowds and knowingly dangerous streets.

Source: Travel experts noticing a shift in vacation plans due to recent attacks in Europe

50 places in Europe you need to visit in your lifetime

Shoreditch is London's hippest neighborhood.Flickr/Garry Knight

Europe is home to historic cities, world-famous museums, and phenomenal restaurants. But there are also gorgeous hidden beaches, phenomenal ski resorts, and stunning natural formations like canyons, waterfalls, and gorges.

We've come up with the ultimate bucket list of travel destinations in Europe.

From biking along the canals of Amsterdam to laying out on the beaches of Lagos, Portugal, here are 50 things you need to do in Europe in your lifetime.

View As: One Page Slides
Source: 50 places in Europe you need to visit in your lifetime

Fears for Liverpool routes as Ryanair says it will focus growth at EU airports after Brexit vote

Budget airline Ryanair says it will "pivot" growth away from UK airports following the Brexit vote – putting capacity and routes at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) at risk.

The Dublin-based carrier operates 28 routes to European destinations out of LJLA during the summer months and 24 during the winter.

Earlier this year it announced it was adding Bergerac, Gran Canaria, Pisa, Porto and Szczecin to its winter routes, plus more flights to Alicante and Malaga.

It is the second-biggest airline by passenger numbers at Liverpool, behind Easyjet.

But now Ryanair has said the decision by Britain to quit the European Union was "a surprise and a disappointment", adding: "We will pivot our growth away from UK airports and focus more on growing at our EU airports over the next two years."

Ryanair also flagged that the vote result will mean lower economic growth, weaker consumer confidence and put downward pressure on fares until the end of 2017 "at least".

The company said there could be further implications if the UK is unable to negotiate access to the single market and the open skies regulatory framework currently in place across the EU.

However, the Irish carrier added that it could benefit if "our UK registered competitors are no longer permitted to operate intra-EU routes, or must divest their majority ownership of EU registered airlines".

Ryanair told the ECHO that it was "too early" to determine what specific impact its change in strategy would have pon its operations at LJLA adding that it would be cutting capacity and frequency on many London Stansted routes.

The company made the remarks alongside first-quarter results, which saw net income rise 4% to £214m and revenue rise 2% to £1.4bn.

Ryanair said it was hit by market volatility arising from terrorist events and repeated air traffic control strikes in the period, particularly in France, which caused almost 1,000 flight cancellations.

A spokesman for LJLA said the airport could not comment on the announcement.

Source: Fears for Liverpool routes as Ryanair says it will focus growth at EU airports after Brexit vote

The best luxury honeymoon destinations in Europe

Whether you plan to sunbathe on a white sand beach or embark on a once in-a-lifetime adventure, Telegraph Travel's new series will help you find the perfect honeymoon resort.

The fourth video in our series looks at honeymoon destinations in Europe, from romantic stays in Venice to the perfect views in Le Mas Candille, France.

We offer mini guides to the top resorts for honeymooners in Europe, including Belmond Cipriani in Venice and Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro.

Previous episodes have revealed our favourite honeymoon resorts in South East Asia, in the Americas and on Safari.

The best safari honeymoon destinations Play! 01:45
Source: The best luxury honeymoon destinations in Europe

Feature: China-Europe freight trains bring vitality to ancient Silk Road

Photo taken on April 21, 2016, shows a freight train from Wuhan, China, arrives for the first time at the freight railway station in Saint-Priest, outside Lyon, south-eastern France. Several Chinese cities including Chongqing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Changsha and Shenyang have rail freight services to Europe. (Xinhua/Zheng Bin)

BERLIN, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Since "YUXIN'OU" (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) railway line came into use in 2011, China-Europe freight train services, with a growing number of trans-continental railway lines and increasing cargo volume, have become important to the ancient Silk Road.

According to industry experts, China-Europe freight train services have been providing solutions for the international logistics industry and promoting international trade ties and economic development with countries along the Silk Road.

MORE TRAINS COMING FROM CHINA

Recently, DIT Intermodal Terminal located in Duisburg, Germany is facing challenges. Usually, it takes two or three days for the freight to be transported to the next location. As the Belt and Road Initiative has developed in recent years, the largest container intermodal terminal in Duisburg is now reaching its capacity limit with the growing need of Eurasian Railway logistic services.

"More trains are coming from China," said Michael Suessmuth, sales manager at DIT Intermodal Terminal. Behind him, containers bearing the logo "CRExpress" (China Railway Express) are piled three or four layers deep.

DIT Intermodal Terminal is the largest one among the nine terminals in Duisburg, serving as a main distribution center of containers for local railway transportation. Since 2011, the number of scheduled freight trains from China arriving at this terminal has increased from one to eight trains per week. It is also from here that all the products coming from China are distributed by road, railway, or water to other European destinations.

At present, goods such as car parts, IT products and clothing are transported by China-Europe freight trains to Europe, while returning to China with European products such as mechanical equipment and food products.

According to Chen Si, Rail Eurasia-China desk manager of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, the freight train transport between China and Europe takes about 14 days, shaving off two-thirds of the time it takes to ship by sea and four-fifths of the cost of shipping by air.

"From 2014 to 2015, the amount of containers transported by Hellmann through China-Europe freight trains had increased by 430 percent," said Chen. Over the past six years, the personnel in charge of China-Europe freight train service in Hellmann has also been expanded by three times into a unified operation body in Asia, former CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) regions and Europe.

DIRECT LINK BETWEEN ASIA AND EUROPE

The railway transport between China and Europe before 2011 was not as convenient as it is today. Chen said a one-way trip between China and Europe used to take 40 days, owing to incomplete railway lines and inadequate goods volume.

FELB (Far East Land Bridge Ltd.) started its business in railway lines between China and Europe in 2007. FELB business development manager Shan Jing said the railway transport system had not been organized until the China-Europe freight train service project.

Now, the trans-continental trains operated by FELB depart mainly from Shenyang, Suzhou, Changsha, leaving China by way of Manchuria. Every week, three or four trains arrive in European cities such as Warsaw, Duisburg and Hamburg.

Shan said the China-Europe freight train service also provides a convenient means for other Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea by carrying their goods to Europe. Meanwhile, FELB is developing transport routes within Europe in order to include Italy into the operational network of the Eurasian train service.

Now, railway lines for container trains have been successively opened up by 16 cities in China, heading down to 12 European cities including Duisburg, Hamburg in Germany, and Madrid in Spain. In 2015, China-Europe freight trains made 815 trips, with a year-on-year increase of 165 percent.

According to Thomas Kowalski, director of operations in multimodal transport of Deutsche Post DHL Group, the railway route connecting China and Europe expanded DHL's business. "It opens up new opportunities for DHL in the Asian-Pacific region," he said.

The freight volume of Eurasian railway lines has steadily increased since its operation. It is estimated that the volume will exceed 1 million standard containers by 2030, according to Kowalski.

HUGE POTENTIAL TO BE EXPLOITED

What remains a challenge for Eurasian freight service is that on the return trip eastward the loads are partially empty or even empty. However, the situation is being improved: 265 returning trains, taking up 48 percent of departing trains, have transported goods back to China in 2015, indicating a marked increase compared with 28 trains in 2014.

Kowalski said such phenomenon is rooted in the trade imbalance between China and Europe.

He said empty containers could be prevented through carrying products from neighboring areas of Europe such as Russia and Kazakhstan. Measures should be taken to strengthen logistics coordination within Europe and ensuring effective customs clearance of China-Europe freight trains.

Shan said that thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, countries along the Eurasian railway line will promote the transport capacity of Eurasian freight trains through improving railway infrastructure. AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) is playing a role in this regard.

Moreover, marketing the Eurasian cargo train service should be further promoted by setting up more offices in Europe. "Now more and more people get to know Eurasian freight trains. But it is still a newcomer on the market," he said.

"Introducing Eurasian freight trains more actively and understanding customers' needs better would be helpful for expanding market and increasing cargo volume on the way back."

Chen said the overseas operation of China-Europe freight trains was in urgent need of logistics professionals with expertise in information-based logistics management systems and effective allocation of transport resources, which would strengthen cooperation among cargo trains and increase full-load ratio.

She said a calling center of Eurasian trains could be set up in Europe to provide customers with greater convenience. "Eurasian freight trains should be made known in the first place and our service should be accessible anytime when customers are in need."

Source: Feature: China-Europe freight trains bring vitality to ancient Silk Road

Paranormal Lockdown to air Longest Investigation in TV History at Europe’s Most Haunted Location

Halloween is only 100 days away, and today's Paranormal Lockdown announcement at San Diego ComicCon is giving us even more reason to be excited about the spooky season. Destination America's upcoming two-hour Paranormal Lockdown Halloween Special will not only be taking place inside one of the most legendary haunted homes, it's also slated to be the longest paranormal investigation ever aired on television.

Premiering Friday, October 28, ghost hunters Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman will spend an extended period of time locked inside one of England's most infamously haunted locations, The Black Monk House. The site of  one of Europe's most violent hauntings, it was in the Black Monk House that the infamous Pontefract Poltergeist tormented the Pritchard family throughout the late 60s and early 70s.

(Photo credit: 30eastdrive)

The activity that went on inside the building during the time that the Pritchard family resided there is shocking, to say the least. Children were being thrown from their beds and dragged up stairs by unseen hands, objects were said to disappear into thin air, and upside-down crosses eventually began materializing on the living room walls.

(Photo credit: 30eastdrive)

"There are few locations in the world that frighten me to investigate, and the Black Monk House has a strong energy pull like nothing else I've ever researched," Nick Groff told the press. "The history of the land holds a massive amount of bloodshed, and the house has a heart still pumping the negative forces continuing to harm the living."

(Photo credit: 30eastdrive)

Many have theorized that the haunting may be partly due to the fact that the Pritchard family home is located directly across from what were once the local gallows. The terrifying activity that continues to occur inside 30 East Drive in Pontefract is often attributed to the Black Monk, a Clunaic monk who was hung for the rape and murder of a young girl.

"The Black Monk House is an absolutely terrifying location that, as we're hearing from the cast and crew, is already haunting the production team as they prepare to begin filming on location," said Jane Latman, general manager of Destination America, "Marking Destination America's first ghost hunt abroad, the special is an exciting milestone in our quest to present paranormal fans with the scariest supernatural stories known to man."

The special Halloween addition of Paranormal Lockdown is guaranteed to be terrifying, and with the extended amount of time the duo will have to investigate, I think it's safe to say we're likely to be treated to some pretty fantastic evidence. 

In addition to the special Halloween episode, Paranormal Lockdown is currently in the middle of filming its second season for Destination America, which is slated to air in 2017.

The Halloween episode is set to air October 28, at 8 EST on Destination America. Let us know what you think about the longest investigation ever aired on television in the comments below. If you're looking for even more weird news, follow us on Twitter at @WeirdHQ or like us on Facebook!

Week in Weird co-founder, managing editor, and paranormal TV junkie, Dana has been actively investigating the strange and the anomalous for well over 15 years. Her writing has been featured in local and national news outlets, as well as Roadtrippers, Nerdist, io9, Jezebel, Mary Sue, Dread Central, Kotaku, and other awesome publications both in print and online. When she's not telling ghost stories or penning articles about real haunted places, she acts as a producer, writer, host, and assistant editor for Engaging the Strange.

Source: Paranormal Lockdown to air Longest Investigation in TV History at Europe's Most Haunted Location