Why Travel in Spring 2021

Dreaming of traveling next year again? Choose spring for pleasant weather and fewer crowds!  It’s always a beautiful time when parks and gardens are blooming and cities return to life again. 


The first things that come to mind when traveling in Europe in spring:

• Airfares and hotels are cheaper
• Rental cars are easier to reserve at bargain prices.
• Museums, castles, and restaurants are not so crowded

Last but not least, the locals are home. There are very few tourists clogging the streets and their favorite restaurants and now’s the time they can eat and play in peace – it’s more favorable for travelers and locals alike!


Merano, Southern Tyrol, Italy:
Between the end of March and the beginning of April, the area around Meran appears at their best.  In spring, Vinschgau, Meran, and Eisacktal take place in a really inebriating natural spectacle with thousands of pink and white blossoms.

Early season visitors to Meran and environs should head for the castle park where the Empress Sissi was accustomed to stroll – the 'Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle' are a must, as nowhere else in South Tyrol can be found such a fragrant, colorful and rich variety of flowers. Those who decide to head for the hills and go hiking will soon reach the vivid Alpine meadows of the Tschögglberg, the Vigiljoch, or the Texel Group nature park.  Restaurant tables and chairs await you on the terraces, umbrellas are set up, the weather is fine. When you are eating outdoors, with views of the mountains and apple-orchards, South Tyrolean food tastes even better!

Paris, France:
There’s something special about this city of romance and gastronomic delights come springtime. Making it definitely worth Traveling in Europe in the spring!
The charm of Paris in the spring is just overwhelming.  From picnicking in front of the Eiffel Tower to wandering the city’s many impressive gardens, dappled wanderings by the banks of the Seine, sunny mornings over a fresh croissant and café au lait, husky eves over Pernod and red wine – surrounded by blossoming chestnut groves, blooming Jardins, and truly breathtaking blue spring days.

No waiting lines: The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower are not nearly as crowded as in summertime.  A big plus of spring in Paris is the 'Nuit des Musee' or 'Night of Museums'. It’s when museums, art galleries, and cultural centers throughout the city open their doors for one night in May so visitors can experience some of the best art in the world in a very different way: totally free and very late at night.
However, there are many other beautiful, and often ancient cities in France to visit in spring, such as Toulouse, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, or Biarritz.


Seville, Spain:
The exciting Andalusian capital explodes with life in the spring, cafes, and restaurants buzz with energy.  Orange blossoms and white citrus leaves bloom, and the cultural calendar kicks into a whole new gear.
Feria de Abril: The Seville Fair traditionally starts two clear weeks after Semana Santa, in a huge area in Los Remedios. This is a week of dancing, drinking, eating, and socializing, with late nights – or all-nighters.  The sheer size of the April Fair’s spectacle is extraordinary.  From around midday until early evening Sevilla society parades around the fairground in carriages or on horseback.  Another pleasure is a Tapas Crawl: Spend a day people watching whilst nibbling away at fine food in the tapas bars. There are even organized Tapas Tours.


Dublin, Ireland
The best time to visit  Ireland - weather-wise - is in April, May, and June.  I did not know this, but on my first visit during April there was beautiful weather, seven days of sunshine!
Even travelers visiting Dublin in March will have plenty to capture their attention.  For example, the famous two-mile-long St. Patrick’s Festival Parade.  The celebrations span the entire weekend.

If you want to escape the crowds: The K Club, a 5-star country manor located 30 minutes outside Dublin.  With a vintage 1936 Jaguar house car, curated whiskey tastings, and horseback trails and a golf course on 550 acres.
For smaller budgets:
- Swallows Rest Garden Apartment, Wicklow
- the Chester Beatty Inn, Ashford or
- Halpin's Town House Bed & Breakfast, Wicklow
They are all located in or around Wicklow, close to the Wicklow Mountains National Park, not even an hour's drive from Dublin.

With or without kids, spring is the perfect time to travel and sample nature and culture in Europe.  Let's travel again in 2021.

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Europe's Most Beautiful Libraries

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Library at Admont Abbey | © Jorge Ryan/Wikicommons

Visit some of the finest libraries and reading rooms to be found across Europe, in the continent’s cultural hotspots.  Explore baroque spaces or cutting-edge extensions from contemporary architects. 

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Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, Portugal, University Library

The library was built with the wealth that accompanied Portugal’s imperial endeavors, aka slave money...  The exquisitely carving, lacquering and design were all deliberately commissioned in order to make the best use of Portugal’s craftsmen, and much of the wood used was exotic to them, as it was exported from Brazil.  The library only houses books printed in the 19th century and earlier, making it a truly historical collection.  The University city of Coimbra is west of Lisbon/Portugal and worth a trip of several days.

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Admont Abbey Library

One of the largest monastery libraries in the world, the library at Admont Abbey, only a few kilometers from Liezen, not far from #9 highway in the province of Styria/Austria, is a baroque masterpiece.  The decoration is a combination of pure white with gold arrangements, matched by the contents of the library, set in Austria’s oldest monastery and containing an eclectic mixture of antique books.  Expansive windows allow the sun to flood the room.  Don't miss to visit the monastery garden, and approach it through a beautiful contemporary glass staircase.

photo: Wikipedia

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Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

The library’s primary treasure may be the Book of Kells, an extravagantly illustrated gospel book, which is held on permanent public display.  The Old Library also holds temporary exhibitions to show off some other specimens from the collection, which includes a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, and the oldest harp in Ireland.  The library also contains a significant collection of Samuel Beckett’s letters.

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Austrian National Library, Hofburg Palace, Vienna

The Austrian National Library is housed in the Hofburg Palace, which was the historic seat of power for the Habsburg family.  Decorated in an explosion of Baroque color, the library is abundant in its decoration, with meters-tall bookshelves and luxurious ornaments. 

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photo: Wikipedia

Biblioteca Marciana, Venice

Even Andrea Palladio admitted that Jacopo Sansovino’s Biblioteca Marciana was the ‘richest and most ornate’ building assembled since antiquity.  The obligatory ceiling frescoes and niche paintings are present, some of them painted by classical Venetian artists Titian and Tintoretto.  Enter the library via a dramatic marble staircase, illuminated by golden decorations above, a great entrance to one of Venice’s finest buildings, located next to Piazza San Marco.

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Baroque Library Hall, Clementinum, Prague

Baroque Library Hall, one of the greatest examples of the titular architectural movement takes its name from the Spanish word ‘barroco’, which means a rough or misshapen pearl.  Columns twist their way upwards, and even the railings and furniture are designed to the smallest detail.  A must-see for any visitors to Prague, Czech Republic.
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A book, architecture, and history-loving traveler could choose their destinations, visiting these (and many other) beautiful libraries around the world.

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