28-Day Scenic Splendors Of Europe

Amsterdam: A good time! That’s what you’ll have in this beautiful capital of the Netherlands, which feels at once like a 17-century city and a bustling modern metropolis. Famous for its canals and extraordinary museums, Amsterdam is also an intimate city with strangely alluring streets and squares.

On the Bay of Biscay near the border with Spain in southwest France

Bilbao, city and seaport in northern Spain, on the Nervión River, near the Bay of Biscay, capital of Vizcaya Province, in the Basque region. Bilbao consists of an old section, lying on the right bank of the Nervión, and a modern section, dating from the late 19th century, on the left bank. Several bridges connect the old and new sections. Several railroads and highways and an international airport serve Bilbao. One of the major industrial centers of Spain, the city is within a large iron ore-mining region. The chief industries are shipbuilding and the manufacture of cement, chemicals, foodstuffs,
iron and steel, machinery, paper, and textiles. Bilbao is an important seaport, and iron ore, grain cereals, and wine are major exports. The chief imports are coal and timber.

The Semana Grande is a major annual bullfighting event in Bilbao each August. The city has several churches, among them the Gothic Church of Santiago, dating from the 14th century. It also has a number of museums, with collections ranging from archaeological finds relating to the history of the Basques to modern works of art. Among its educational
institutions is the University of Deusto (1886). The author and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was born in Bilbao.

Bordeaux (bôrdo¢), city (1990 pop. 210,336), capital of Gironde department, SW France, on the Garonne R. It is a busy port, accessible to the Atlantic, with important shipyards and industries. Wine is its major product, with Bordeaux the generic name of the region’s wine. A prosperous Roman city, it flourished (11th cent.) as the seat of the dukes of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine precipitated war between France and the English, who ruled the city (1154-1453). The city reached its height of prosperity in the 18th cent. It was the temporary seat of French government in 1914 and 1940.

Those who saw action in France during World War II will remember that Cherbourg was the primary supply port for the Allies during the Normandy invasion. Its first incarnation as a naval base was under Napoleon. Today, the largest port of the Cotentin Peninsula is gateway to ne of the most photographed sights in France-lofty Mont St-Michel. Begun by Bishop Aubert of Avranches in 708, the slender steeple piercing the firmament is a powerful statement of Norman/Romanesque
religious fervor. Around it, the immense Monastery and Cloisters buttress the Church in massive walls of stone reaching all the way down to the sea. Surrounded by treachous quiksands and a 50-foot tide, it must have been quite an adventure to reach the Mont in the days before the causeway!

Elegant is the word that will come to mind.

As you take in the Danish capital’s rich history and traditions. With castles and crown jewels, galleries and museums, cathedrals and canals, the sightseeing ranks among the best in Europe.

The Strøget is a series of pedestrian-only streets which make strolling and shopping a pleasure. And be sure to visit Tivoli, a unique combination of picture-perfect flower gardens, lakes, theaters and restaurants with more than 100,000 colored lights.

Hamburg, city (1989 est. pop. 1,603,000), coextensive with, and capital of, Hamburg state, N Germany, on the Elbe and Alster rivers. It is Germany’s largest and busiest port. Manufactures include copper, ships, and machinery. Founded in the 9th cent., it formed (13th cent.) an alliance with Lübeck that became the basis of the Hanseatic League. The city was largely destroyed by fire in 1842. Severely damaged during World War II, it has been rebuilt and is now a modern cultural center. Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms were born in Hamburg.

Portugal is for explorers. Its valiant seamen first charted the Azores, discovered Japan, and unlocked the major sea routes the world over. Now you can share the anticipation they must have felt as you explore this exciting city.

You’ll discover an 8th-century Moorish castle, quaint cafes and a palm-studded coastline. The Alfama district is a maze of narrow, twisting streets, whitewashed houses, flowered balconies, archways, terraces and courtyards that charm your socks off. (And if you can find your way out of this dizzying array, 20th-century Lisbon is just as intoxicating.)

Of course, if you’d rather play by the sea, the Portuguese Riviera lies just outside town, offering something for everyone, from sun, sand and surf to thrilling casinos. Lisbon is a vast garden abounding with flowers and tropical plants. The city’s appeal lies in the magnificent vistas from its many belvederes and in the tree-lined avenues and squares decorated with mosaic pavements.

Restless, enduring and wonderful, London is Europe’s largest city. And surely, if you have the choice to visit only two or three cities of the world in your lifetime, by all means make one of them London.

The Romans started it all. The city they developed was “the square mile,” – and Londoners still hunt for Roman relics in the Thames. History is everywhere you look in London, yet today the city is as modern and metropolitan as any city on earth.

By day, London is buzzing with the frenetic pace of commerce not even Dickens could have imagined. By night, the excitement and glitter of theatres, cinemas, pubs and restaurants beckons throngs of travellers from around the world. But there is another London, a peaceful London of cool museums, quiet tea rooms, immaculate gardens and hushed churches.

There is Royal London – ancient pageantry in a modern kingdom – with its palaces, pomp and precise manoeuvres at the Changing of the Guard. And there’s outrageous London, the urban gathering ground for Cockney pitchmen, “fringe” theatre and the city’s youth, with their own distinctive style.

There is also Greenwich, easily accessed from central London by public transport, or take a more scenic route and arrive by riverboat. Notable for both its maritime history and royal heritage, it is perhaps best known for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time, based at the Royal Observatory.

London, this extraordinary city of contrasts, holds a stunning abundance of hidden-round-the-corner surprises. You owe it to yourself to explore them all. Here, then, is the London you’ll come to know and remember.