Photos By Moschos, Hurnit Christoph and Tony Alter
This is the time of year we trade in the beaches and pools for the slopes and spas and the iced coffee for a hot double Greek coffee, or your refreshing and cold alcohol beverages for some hot tea. We do not trade luxury travel though. We have two great European travel destinations for you ski lovers that are perfect for this holiday season.
We kick off with this festive European vacation in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This popular ski resort is said to have got its start with Johannes Badrutt in 1864. The story goes that he made a bet with some tourists from England and that they would enjoy the winter season just as much as the summer. If they visited during the winter and did not like it there he would pay all the travel costs, but if they did like it he would have them as his guests for the duration of their stay.
This is the start of winter tourism in the Alps and has been a huge success ever since. St. Moritz has since held Winter Olympics, Polo on Snow, Ski marathons, bobsledding and even summer events such as sailing and windsurfing. Hands down this is the world’s most famous ski resort. Now even summer events are held here and St. Moritz is a year round travel destination. For ski lovers though the winter is a kind of Mecca as this is where winter sports got their start.
The world’s wealthiest gather here for winter sports and activities but you can find both luxury resort hotels and budget hotels in St. Moritz. You have the swanky lounges, posh restaurants and shops but not all cater to the wealthy. A fine dining restaurant is nice but not everyone wants to visit one for every meal. You can find some great places that are affordable as well and they are usually set just a short distance away from the high end ones. Activities are for all budgets and many cheap and free activities can be found here. Check out the Segantini Museum or the Piz Corvatsch with its long ski slope and ice cave and take in the views on numerous vistas.
Looking to travel in style? Many tourists start off from Zermatt and take the Glacier Express in. No matter how you get here you will enjoy the holidays and have a very memorable getaway. For more info log onto www.stmoritz.ch
Written By Elia Razelo
Photos By Moschos
Our second part of our holiday ski getaway takes us to the Pindos Mountains in the Provence of Macedonia in Greece. Now when you hear Greece you do not think of skiing but Vasilitsa in Western Macedonia has put Greece on the map. Skiing in Greece has just recently become a bit more popular but it still isn’t as popular as the Alps or other great world ski resorts. This makes for shorter lines and a bit more intimate skiing. Located in the heart of the Pindos Mountains the resort has 16 trails with 5 lifts and some unique and beautiful pines decorating the site. The resort has a vertical descent of 450 meters and most of the runs are intermediate with only some advanced and beginner trails.
Obviously this is not an Alpine Ski Resort so most visitors come here for the weekend or just for the day. Some of the names of the trails are fun like Philippos or Alexander the Great giving you a feel of what part of the world you’re located in. It’s good to know that the International Ski Federation has made two of the runs official Olympic trails. If skiing isn’t for you go ahead and rent a snowmobile. The resort has some tracks for you to go crazy on. If you’re all about having your loved ones with you there is a school for children here so go ahead and bring the whole family. Again this isn’t the Alps or Colorado so the staff might not be as good as other spots but they are as helpful as can be.
There are plenty of restaurants and hotels here. You can stay at budget hotels but you also can find and stay at 4 and 5 star hotels in Vasilitsa. The local restaurants can be found in the surrounding villages of Samarina and Distrato. A similarity with St. Moritz is that Vasilitsa isn’t only for winter activities. The National Park of Pindos is one of Greece’s best National Parks and with this kind of nature you can go mountain climbing as well as Kayaking and rafting.
Vasilitsa needs some tweaking but with every year they seem to be getting better and better. New hotels are going up, staff is improving and there have already been two expansions of the resort. With Christmas around the corner you’ll also enjoy local specialties at the restaurants and high spirits as people start taking their winter breaks so enjoy the holidays and enjoy a resort that’s very scenic, less touristy and very light on the pocket.
For more info log onto www.vasilitsa.com
Written By Ivana Kovacic
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