There’s a country in Southern Europe that few tourists know about
By Maureen O’Hare, CNN
(CNN) — In our roundup of travel stories this week: how Paris’ first female mayor transformed the city, Japan’s iconic vending machines hit troubled times, plus why more and more Americans are moving to Central and Eastern Europe.
North Macedonia: beyond the big three
Most visitors to Europe focus their trips on France, Spain and Italy, but there are an impressive 44 UN-recognized countries in the continent to explore.
For example, North Macedonia, a dramatically mountainous destination directly north of Greece, is worthy of more tourist attention. There’s its landscape of lush green slopes and snow-topped crags and its deliciously diverse cuisine, with the array of dishes on a table changing from one valley to the next. It’s blessed with a sunny climate too, which helps make the vegetables fat and juicy and its vineyards’ wines robust and plentiful.
Immigration experts are reporting a growing interest from American clients in relocating to lesser-trodden European destinations such as Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Albania and Estonia.
While perennially popular countries such as Italy and Portugal are tightening immigration regulations, many other places still offer enticing options for relocation. People who’ve made the leap told CNN how it’s going.
Now ‘Searching for France’
She’s tasted Mexico’s finest dishes and now her eyes are set on France.
The CNN Original Series, “Eva Longoria: Searching for France,” begins Sunday, April 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with episodes streaming on the CNN app the next day.
Longoria will journey through France exploring the rich history of the country’s cuisine and how it became the global standard for fine dining.
In our food and drink coverage here at CNN Travel, pan bagnat and croque monsieur are two of the French masterpieces to make it into our list of the world’s best sandwiches, alongside worthy contenders from Vietnam, Mexico, South Africa and New Orleans.
Sandwiches, burgers and pizza are the most popular take-out foods in France, which, despite being the birthplace of haute gastronomy, is also in the middle of a fast food boom. The switch is being led by Gen Z, one industry expert tells CNN. “When you’re 25 today, you’ve been immersed in McDonald’s since you were a baby.”
La vie Française
During her 12 years as mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo transformed the French capital, pedestrianizing streets, cleaning up the Seine and making boulevard cafes fume-free.
It’s a notably improved experience for tourists, although Parisians themselves are divided on the complex legacy of the city’s first female mayor, who bowed out of office last month.
Deep in France’s rural south, far from the hubbub of the capital, artist MB Boissonnault tells CNN she’s enjoying a tranquil existence far from the “escalating insanity” of her previous life in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice Beach.
Priced out of her rented home and studios and exhausted by what she describes as the “gentrification” of her longtime neighborhood, she and her husband moved to the tiny village of Saissac, near the Pyrenees, and Boissonnault became a first-time homeowner in her late 50s.
Japanese vending machines
Japan’s ubiquitous vending machines are an iconic symbol of the country, but companies behind the convenience-dispensers are struggling. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery takes a look at the possible reasons behind the industry’s decline.
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The-CNN-Wire
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