cafebabel.com

Skopje’s ‘Albanian neighbourhood’ in Old Bazaar, Çarshia

('Anisa Ymeri',) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:03:26 -0000

There are essential traces of the history of Albanians and Macedonians, evidence of survival and revival after the Balkan or world wars. Skopje’s ‘Albanian neighbourhood’ is in a corner where the çarshia (bazaar) lies below the citadel, says Anisa Ymeri

In the country of Slovenians the brown bear is king

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:31 -0000

2 million citizens and up to 450 brown bears co-habit the third most forested land in the EU. Slovenia’s Ursos arctos are some of its most protected residents under state and European policies, famous for being unpopularly exported to 'repopulate' the mountains of the French Pyrenees or the Italian Alps. One even made it into the WikiLeaks dispatches, so cafebabel.com had to go into the wild

'Green' weddings – a Strasbourg myth?

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:09:43 -0000

It's meant to be the best day of your life, but this is hardly the case for the environment - just take into account the mountains of waste produced. However, the American trend of 'green weddings', where importance is placed on organic and ecological products from clothes through to food and hairdos, has now reached Europe. Strasbourg-based Caroline Lindenlaub, an ethical wedding dress designer, is a pioneer of the movement

Enrico Brizzi on the sense in walking in the 21st century

('Charlie Tango',) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:45:00 -0000

There are 1, 600 kilometres and 33 towns between Canterbury and Rome. The 72-day walk follows in the footsteps of Sigerico, the archbishop of Canterbury who was the first to set out the ancient pilgrim's path in 990 A.D. The extraordinary feat is related in the 'Via Francigena diaries' by Enrico Brizzi, who co-authored the book with Marcello Fini

Can contemporary art change 'new capitalist' Tirana?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -0000

Far from having a ‘pan-Balkan’ culture and being under the influence of a consumerist society, the Albanian capital is exploring new ways of expressing itself. Whilst politicians are tripping on the urns and ignoring blank canvases (literally), local artists are boosting a non-existent contemporary scene

Seville’s photovoltaic energy, as invented by Archimedes

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:00:00 -0000

In March 2011 wind energy production surpassed that of nuclear energy production, marking a first in the history of renewable energy in Spain. Yet the underlying paradox is that wind has supplied 16% of the electricity produced in 2010 in the sunniest country in Europe - but the sun is responsible for a mere 2.7%...

Is gay OK in catholic Croatia?

('bistra andreeva',) — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:15:55 -0000

The Balkan cliché of a traditional patriarchal society of machos is stable. We have all heard what happens every time the Serbs decide to have a Gay pride parade. But we are in Croatia now – a country that does not even count itself Balkan anymore, and which adopted a same sex partnerships bill in 2003

Chelas: not such a dodgy neighbourhood of Lisbon

('Filip Jurzyk',) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:02:48 -0000

‘You were in Chelas? I’ve lived in Lisbon for eight years and I have never risked going there,’ says Melinda, a 23-year old student who moved to Portugal with her family from Cape Verde. Melinda isn’t the only one who knows of the bad reputation of this district

Small money, big things: four film and art initiatives in Kosovo

('Jovana Zivkovic',) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:34:24 -0000

The economic climate ensures the making of only one film financed by centre for cinematography per year, whilst exhibition opportunities are spare. Young Kosovars are working where they believe they can help – in society, with ordinary people

Aged three, Prishtina dances, designs but doesn’t debate

('entony',) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:13:26 -0000

Kosovo is one of the most optimistic countries in the world with 70% of the population under the age of thirty. Music, bars and art dot my four days in its capital, Prishtina, three years after the city claimed independence from Serbia

Social networking in Sarajevo: analyse this (over Bosnian coffee)

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:48:15 -0000

Bosnia's capital wears its war wounds from the 1992-1995 war with Serbia honestly, the signs on its bomb-shelled buildings and pavements. What about its mental scars fifteen years on? Amidst a blaze of foreign healing initiatives, few private psychologists and one 'social networking internet cafe', this is a society which is resolved to solve its problems - globalised as they are - over coffee

Berlin citizen power: GreenLeaks, Stuttgart 21 and water privatisation

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:08:22 -0000

One of Europe's most politicised and strictly environmentally-ruled cities is home to a green-themed Wikileaks spin-off, run by an Australian documentary maker. The mood for disclosure is also celebrated in the annual film festival, which has incorporated the city's first successful referendum into its programme

Guide to Seville: a British love letter

('Laura Simpson',) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:05:23 -0000

Overlooked by many tourists - the numbers of visitors to the city do not by any means reflect its incredible charm, beauty and liveliness - Seville is writhing, pulsating 'authentic Spain' at its most vivacious

Frank Pe, Luc Schuiten: eco-dreams of Brussels' comic book art architecture

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:15:00 -0000

Not everyone knows it but another Brussels does exist which is more green, more romantic, more human. It's the one which burgeons in the imagination and designs of those who have learned to love Brussels as it is, with its contradictions, its unbridled path of illogical construction and 'forced' cohabitation between the two souls of Europe, one Latin, the other Germanic. A comic book artist, visionary architect and artist-editor explain how they dream of a different Brussels.

Being green in Brussels: beyond plastic bags

('Ja\xc5\xa1a Pipan',) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:32:42 -0000

If you live in Brussels, some people will shout at you if you put a blue bag in the street on a white bag day. Coming to a supermarket carrying a plastic bag can earn you some nasty looks too. From the EU capital we chat to two young people working in environmental roles

The importance of being eco-ideological in Budapest

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:15:42 -0000

Green is in fashion in the Hungarian capital, but the word is often just an empty trunk, a sales argument in a consumer world which forgot its ecological foundations long ago

Sludge-hit Hungary: Europe’s biggest ecological catastrophe since Chernobyl

('Peter Robbins',) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:31:29 -0000

Flour, lemon juice, vinegar, mineral water, detergent, wheelbarrows, gloves, face masks: it's not a shopping list but some of the donations urgently needed by the victims of the environmental catastrophe. cafebabel.com visits the area affected by the toxic sludge to find out how Hungarians have been helping their fellow countrymen

Slovenia gets thinking: man's attitude to animal

('Natalija Majsova',) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:45:54 -0000

'Man – animal to man' was a two-day project in Ljubljana on 29 and 30 November 2010, organised and run by the student association of culture studies, Kult.co. A series of lectures, art and theatre workshops, film screenings and debates were all dedicated to investigating man's attitude to animal. Extract from cafebabel.com Ljubljana city blog

Bridges in Belgrade: why citizens should have a 26-hour-day

('Hades',) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:31:22 -0000

If we don’t have enough bridges, we should at least have enough time to cross the three over Sava river that we do have. Because, it really does require a lot of time... and nerves! Extract from cafebabel.com's latest city blog, Belgrade citypulse

Gay culture in Istanbul: ‘We have the balls to say it out loud’

('Katharina Kloss',) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:37:51 -0000

Together with his partner, Sakir Yilmaz claims to be the owner of the first ‘openly’ gay bar-restaurant, Frappe Istanbul, in the famous party neighborhood of Beyoğlu. Interview

Fashion crisis: buying second hand clothes in Brussels

('Peter Robbins',) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:22:38 -0000

In November, French designer Lanvin releases its new collection for Swedish budget brand H&M – but the haute couture forces beyond once claimed they’d never go mass-market. The people of Brussels' flea markets advise on how citizens are dipping into alternative clothes-buying forums

What to do in Brussels when you're young, gifted and insanely connected

('Rose Kelleher',) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:37:10 -0000

You exhibit in unusual places and crank up the electronic music - just ask the boys and girls from Plastic. Snippet from the Brussels cafebabel.com blog

5 bikes, 40 countries, 3 years: touring the world on two wheels

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:00:00 -0000

On 29 August, a group of Frenchmen in their mid-twenties kicked off a 50, 000 kilometre trip from Montpellier, and are somewhere on the Moroccan coast. Why would anyone do that...

Vilnius: 'Jerusalem of Lithuania'

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:47:26 -0000

Tired after a busy day and prepared for a casual chat, I meet a summer school student, with whom I've arranged to do Hebrew language tandem. 'Do you mind keeping me company to go to the synagogue?' Apparently, the person is a second year convert-in-progress to Judaism. 'Umm, my skirt is kind of short for that...' Anecdote from cafebabel.com blog ‘Wonderland'

Staycation: welcoming 'typical tourist' guiris in Mediterranean Spain

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:59:43 -0000

A calm, peaceful town is suddenly heaving with people. The streets are full of walking parasols, hammocks and beach mats, the tourists are practically naked, there are cars everywhere and the summer hit (Shakira, anyone?) sounds day and night. Summer's here - so are the foreigners

Optimistic ideas for a low-cost August

('Franglesa',) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:36:34 -0000

If your work or your wallet are forcing you to stay at home…congratulations! Seriously, congratulations. Let's be positive - you have spared yourself from traffic jams, excess baggage, queues for beach bars and air traffic controllers

Vienna, Berlin, Budapest and Paris: blogging city rivers

('cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:35:39 -0000

Europe's city rivers are both the place to be in terms of a good old rave - take the A38 ship on the Danube to Bar 25 on the Spree - and also for a spot of nudity or artificial beach time in the summer. Blog snippets from four cafebabel.com local team bloggers, who pay tribute to their watery city icons

Dym and dozhd: useful vocabulary for a smog summer in Moscow

('Natasha Doff',) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:17:11 -0000

Two words have been used more than any others in Moscow this summer. The smoke that has been periodically engulfing Moscow from over 500 wildfires burning across Central Russia for the past few weeks, and the long-awaited rain. Today, the city resembles a scene from a zombie film; it'll be like this until mid-August, forecasters say

Venice, the Moses project and fake funerals

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0000

It is slowly sinking, its residents are leaving. The world's media are claiming that Venice’s end is nigh. American environmental information website Mother Nature Network even includes Venice on its '10 places to visit before they vanish' list. But the reality is more complicated

'Come to Romania': quest to brand Bucharest

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:15:32 -0000

Forging a skate culture, redesigning lei banknotes and offering a story to tourists, aside from the palace of parliament hotspot, the result of dictator Ceaucescu's tearing down a third of the city in communist times. These are just some of the ideas to boost the image and GDP of a crisis-riddled country

Bloggers in Romania, hailed by President Terminator

('Caroline Prosser',) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Between fierce entrepreneurs, A-listers, history re-writers and new media journalists, bloggers are thriving in Romania. It's hailed by the president, but not well liked by other media stalwarts. The country, one of three ‘partially free’ medias in the EU (alongside Bulgaria and Italy), ranks a poor 50th on the European press freedom index

Melancholy in Berlin: views of three foreign writer residents

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:43:59 -0000

Very loosely, a 19-year-old Klaus Mann saw 1920s Berlin as 'seductive, gray, scabby, peeling, yet vibrant vitality, nervous, shimmering, phosphorescent, animated, full of tensions and promises.' Italian, Croatian and French writers Gianluca Falanga, Maksim Cristan and Maia Mazaurette give us their noughties take

To be or to be in Berlin: poor but (creatively) rich

('Camelia Ivanova',) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:22:59 -0000

Money and the crisis are not on the agenda for Berliners who can focus on different things, such as art. 'Being poor is not cool, but OK,' is the word on the street. It all looks very promising for someone from Bulgaria, the EU's officially poorest country, where a lack of money, unlike cheap glamour, can never be a virtue

Diary: Vilnius and I, reluctant bedfellows

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:24:52 -0000

The passion evaporated years ago, after the capital became expensive and inconvenient to live in, or maybe since I stopped being a student. However, jobs for a social science graduate with a Lithuanian passport are here. Anecdote from cafebabel.com expat blogger 'Wonderland

Popping into Chinatown in Manchester

('Ana D',) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:13:09 -0000

Known as a Chinese village of north England, the neighbourhood is one of the most peculiar in Manchester, being the second largest tourist spot of England after London. One of the odd distinguishing factors of multiculturalism is the local community enclosed in its borders

Polish people: 'united in diversity' in Vilnius

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:14:37 -0000

It wasn't the economic weakness of the crisis but the ideological one that harmed Europe most. Who wanted to be be part of the dominoes in the name of solidarity? Unfortunately, the dominoes of each member state provoked nationalist reactions. The region comprising the Lithuanian capital is one of the fewest cities where two nations claim to be at home

University-educated flee and woo Lithuania: emigration and erasmus

('Krisztian Gal',) — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:07:53 -0000

An increasing number of students are asking professor Žilvinas Martinaitis at the University of Vilnius to let them take their exams at the end of May. This would allow them to go abroad - most popularly, to the UK, Ireland or Scandinavia - to work, and return with some extra money in October, a month after the official term start. Lithuanian and eramus students, professors and politicians explain the phenomenon

Stalin, rock music and bad weather: story behind suicides in Lithuania

('Kate Stansfield',) — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:58:28 -0000

The River Neris splits Vilnius down the middle: to the North lies the university, the stadium and terraces with views; to the south is the heart of the capital: cobbled, colourful, and impeccable. But a sinister notice hangs from one of its bridges, followed by a telephone number

Cafe Niesen in Prenzlauer Berg: no children please

('Emily Corfe',) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:20:44 -0000

Prams, buggies, babies, toddlers, kids... you name it, anything child related, Prenzlauer Berg will have it. This includes a cafe which has been open since 2005 but is getting media attention now - extract from the official blog of the cafebabel.com team in Berlin

Music: (subversive) songs for the European city

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:35:08 -0000

Madrid's famous Gran Via boulevard celebrated its 100th anniversary on 7 April, with a local survey seeing 'Gran Via' by crooner Antonio Flores top a list of songs dedicated to the city. From monkeys in Berlin to Red Bull and Swedes in Barcelona via Stalin in Warsaw, a selection of offbeat videos suggested by the cafebabel network

Looking for Hungarian activism in election Budapest

('Andrew Christie',) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:45:35 -0000

On 11 and 25 April Hungarian voters are poised to elect the right or even the far-right. Only a handful of people in the country are swimming against the increasingly strong right-wing tide – and even these few are drifting off course, or have thrown their faith in politics completely overboard

WAMP: inside the monthly Hungarian design fair

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:15:00 -0000

Since 2006, the monthly design market has attracted hundreds of young local designers like 'Musu' who display their creations in front of an ever-growing crowd of visitors. But WAMP is not only a collective promotion of Hungarian design, it’s also a formidable economic catalyst, with its international design week too

Social lending: Noba.hu and the problematic Hungarian 'peer to peer' system

('Alex-',) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:52:37 -0000

Since their emergence in 2005 'person to person' or 'p2p' lending platforms have become an increasing global alternative to conventional banking. But Hungary's version of the online banking model has found its ability to make the concept financially appealing to potential clientele stifled by Hungarian law

Paris: living cheaply in an expensive city

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:00:00 -0000

The crisis is an opportunity of redeeming a more democratic economy, capable not only of satisfying the individual, but especially the community. Young people in Paris are finding solutions based on reciprocity and co-operation

UK to Poland via France: hitch-hiking Europe

('Sara Szeremeta',) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:21:01 -0000

You could stay in a hotel in Egypt for a week. Or you can spread the same amount of money over a month and a half for a trip of an alternative kind: hitchhiking Europe. Here’s one way to do it, which included 30 drivers, volunteer work and new friends

Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaarbeek: spot the crime in Brussels

('Thimi Samarxhiu',) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:47 -0000

Petty crime and unemployment rates (17.6%) are high in inner city Brussels, which registers a low violent crime rate in Europe. Nevertheless, police arrested 12 Belgian Albanians linked to a crime gang on 15 February*, whilst certain districts remain dangerous. Is this down to the crisis?

Visit Marrakech

('theroxbox',) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:00:00 -0000

One of the most cosmopolitan cities in North Africa has almost a million inhabitants, large numbers of whom are condemned to poverty, but the former imperial city is a convincing modern city at the foot of the Atlas mountains

'Les Petits Riens': social enterprise in Brussels

('Sarah Pybus',) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:22:01 -0000

In times of crisis, is it time to go second hand? In Brussels, the shop run by 'The Little Nothings' organisation is just the ticket. As well as offering cheap furniture, books and household appliances, it gives the homeless another chance

Escaping tourists: moving from Oranienstrasse to Neukölln in Berlin

('Andrew Christie',) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:04:11 -0000

As the former cult quarter of Kreuzberg suddenly blossoms into a tourist trap, hardened Berliners are taking to the hills in the search for authenticity. The story of a relocation from cafebabel's babelblogs

The 'M' word: breaking the Bulgarian complex

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:27:34 -0000

In January 2009, Sofia’s then-mayor and current PM banned anti-government protests after citizen disillusion with the country’s corruption; Bulgaria is officially the poorest EU state, according to Transparency International. One year on, the remnants of a ‘protest culture’ lie in the urban, cultural and mediatic fragmentation of a society rooted in tradition, the past - and the mafia, to an extent