cafebabel.com

Sunday in Paris with Chopin and Steve Villa-Massone, street pianist

('Adam Wyett',) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:23:17 -0000

After trailing the streets of Europe with his piano - literally carrying it around - for ten years, the dedicated French pianist and composer from Nice is now bringing smiles to Parisian passers-by. We tag along with him in the streets of the French capital - the more of us around to push this heavy instrument, the better

Birthday gift ideas for Maastricht treaty, 20 years today

('Alexandra Rojkov',) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:52:54 -0000

The Maastricht treaty, signed on 7 February 1992, came into force in November 1993, when most of cafebabel.com's editorial team were children. The treaty heralded both the creation of the European union, formerly the 'European economic community', and the euro as a single currency. Two decades on, it’s attracting the wrath of crisis-struck Europeans

Italian spritz aperol: the future’s orange

('Eva Vanhee',) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0000

The Italian-born spritz aperol has gained official international recognition, being classed as a ‘new drink’ by the international bartenders’ association. We took this as an excuse to try out the sparkling brew, which the Italians will tell us is anything but new

Euro 2012 Warsaw stadium: once a bazaar hosting pop star popes

('Catrin',) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:58:42 -0000

With its roof looking like a waving Polish flag, the national stadium became the newest addition to the Polish capital's fantastic skyline on 29 January. It opened seven months later than planned on the historic banks of the Vistula river but still in time for the 2012 European football championships this summer

Nightlife in Vilnius: ethnic minority benders

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:12:17 -0000

6.7% Polish, 6.3% Russian, 1.2% Belarusian, 0.7% Ukrainian, 0.1% Yiddish, 0.09% Tartar…approximately 115 communities of ethnic minorities were listed in this vein in a 2001 census in Lithuania. How integrated are these groups in local society? One way of finding out is by hitting the tiles

Pesetas, liras, franks and drachmas: euro is living on borrowed time

('Marta Nathansohn',) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 -0000

Multiple defaults, a return to the lira, pesetas and francs, the break-up of the monetary union and Europe comes crashing down. Sounds like an endless chain of unreal events? Perhaps not: the end of the common currency is no longer a taboo for European press and economists

University of Love questionnaire for EU

('Sebastian Baciu',) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:09:56 -0000

The prevailing lovelessness on the old continent might cost the good old European Union dearly. That’s why the last days of the year seem like a good time to sign up for a seminar at a real-life university of love

2011: God Bless Relativised Europe

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:30:17 -0000

'Happy' was our EU in 2011 – not ‘blissful’, in accordance with the Danish bible society's dumbed down translations of its revised new testament, released this year. The EU is still about ‘unity in diversity’, its guiding motto, but has also become about unity in losing faith

My beautiful camp: Italy's Roma success stories

('Tom Gale',) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:00:50 -0000

Between a Roma camp claiming to be an example of social integration and a laundrette which is a supposed symbol of multiculturalism, profound problems linger at the heart of Rome’s gypsy communities

Hope in 2011: Tahrir and Puerta del Sol utopias

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:20:56 -0000

This time it’s for real. Bad luck for Greece. Thomas has made up his mind: he’s leaving tonight. He climbs into the boat – and goodbye. Between Thomas More’s Utopia and Charles Fourier’s concept of the phalanstery, a literary look back at 2011

Voina: 'As a Russian activist, I'm not sure that I will live long'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:54:43 -0000

With organisers saying that almost 100, 000 people protested in Russia's biggest anti-governmental rally on 10 December - accusing the kremlin of 'fraud' in 4 December parliamentary elections - we hear from the Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' in part two of an exclusive interview, where they describe their role in this Russia

Hipster director, Quebecer, who cares? Welcome to Xavier Dolan's world

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:22:56 -0000

European cinema nourishes a certain ignorance towards the seventh art, cinema - particularly when this cinema comes from Canada. One director is in the process of taking all philistines of Canadian cinema down a peg at the age of 22

Is Poland Europe’s El Dorado?

('Ems_8674',) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:16:14 -0000

In less than two decades the current holder of the EU council presidency has gone from being communist to the sixth biggest economic power in the EU. Poland was also the only country to not suffer from the recession. Experts say this is the country’s golden era; a Polish expat and student share their views

Sexist grammar: the French and German cases

('Sarah Fisher',) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:37:50 -0000

Poor adjectives need take their husband's name no more. Sort of. Whilst one French association has attacked a centuries-old 'oversight', the Germans (or at least their moderate feminists) have taken plural forms to task. In all, the debate succeeds in desexualising our common language

Russian art collective Voina: 'Zhlobs are in power in today's Russia'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:05:48 -0000

The Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' formed in 2005. Its four main members consist of president Leonid Nikolaev - who was arrested at an 'election fraud protest rally' on 5 December - ideologist Oleg Vorotnikov, coordinator Natalia Sokol and her son and Voina's youngest activist, two-year-old Kasper Can't-Take-Our-Eyes-Off-Him Sokol. Part one of an exclusive interview marks their brief history

Reforms and Russians: mapping young people’s stalled futures

('Agata Jaskot',) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:15:00 -0000

On 27 November Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin officially became a presidential candidate for 2012 elections in Russia. Whilst official surveys praise Papa Putin for what he has done for the country, where do the living conditions of young Russians count in the statistics?

GPS: taking directions from a woman

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:31:01 -0000

Most satellite navigation devices predominantly use female voices – and German BMW drivers can’t cope with them. Is this sexism or science fiction?

Documentary Italy: love it or leave it in a Fiat 500

('Eva Vanhee',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:00:00 -0000

When the lease on their flat in Rome was up, film critic Luca Ragazzi convinced television journalist Gustav Hofer to spend a last six months touring their country and understand why they were moving abroad. Little did they know that those were the six months that changed Italy

Susanne Graf: 'Those who remember the GDR know what it means to be observed constantly'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:45:00 -0000

Berlin’s September elections made her the youngest MP in the parliament at 19, the only woman in her fraction - and a ‘pirate’. We talk data protection, mistakes in politics and why a quota for women in the pirate party wouldn’t make any difference

Spain, country in a (property) bubble

('ckb',) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:38:45 -0000

Dearest European neighbours: I am sorry to inform you that the crisis in Spain does not have anything to do with the crisis in your countries. Our case is not simply rooted in 'structural problems', as it were, but literally in cement

Ascanio Celestini: 'I denounce verbal violence of our time’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:00:00 -0000

He is the mouthpiece of contemporary Italian theatre, a critic of power, an anthropologist who depicts the evils of our time better than anyone else. The 39-year-old actor, director and author talks about coming from outside Rome and where his one-man-show gets its inspirations from

UNPOLISHED: understanding Poland through interior design

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:12:12 -0000

The exhibition of Polish design has been touring Europe since 2009. The project aims to define the identity of Polish design between glazed tiles and paper sofas. We notice an abundance of designer couples, a trend of making works from minimal materials and a link to Poland’s past in Paris

Why French pop singer Ornette hated Serge Gainsbourg

('ZoeBBee',) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:01:20 -0000

Far from offbeat artistic families, broken computers and restrictive music conservatories, the 28-year-old Parisian and mother-of-two has created a highly colourful musical project. Her debut album Crazy was released in France on 26 September

Feminist France: ‘mademoiselle’ vs 'madame'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:20:43 -0000

Is it discriminatory that women have to tick whether they are a ‘mademoiselle’ (unmarried) or a ‘madame’ (married) on administrative forms, whilst men can just put a tick next to ‘monsieur’? The feminist association Osez le feminisme says YES, and calls on women to claim their right to be ‘madame’

Hákarl: when in Iceland, eat as the Icelanders generally don’t

('Kris Anderson',) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:11:04 -0000

The name of this traditional dish of fermented shark meat translates as 'rotten' shark. While some Icelanders do eat the traditional dish, many think it’s disgusting and therefore an appropriate and amusing tourist attraction. Tourists – particularly those seeking some fabricated notion of ‘the real Iceland’ – agree

Travel: five things not to do in Iceland

('Kris Anderson',) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:21:44 -0000

Iceland is a tourist’s Eden: pounding waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, white sand beaches, milky-blue hot-springs, glaciers, volcanoes, and wildlife galore. But its tourist infrastructure needs some spit-and-polish. Here are a few tips to get by

Malmo, London, Berlin, Glasgow: roller girls derby in Europe

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:01:18 -0000

Cat fights on wheels? Or a sport to be taken seriously? In the run up to the first ever ‘roller derby’ world championships in Toronto in early December, the women’s team sport on wheels brought to the big screen in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut ‘Whip It’ (2009) has been steadily sweeping through Europe. To mark the film's release in Germany, a German roller girl gets on the case

Parisian 'eco-geeks': the youngest players in the French presidential elections

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:49:30 -0000

‘Paris is modern and forward-looking – which is why the green voters are important,’ says Joly, who will be representing the party ‘Europe Ecologie-Les Verts’ in the upcoming French presidential elections. Joly’s race for the candidature this spring was monopolised by a handful of eco-geeks, who grasped before anyone else that the internet could be the key to the election campaign. Reportage from the campaign

AKW Lobau: Vienna caravan communities away from it all

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:37:53 -0000

The story of the caravan commune AKW Lobau demonstrates that Vienna is not nearly as bourgeois and narrow-minded as is always claimed. The community is living proof that alternative enterprises do have their place in the Austrian capital. A flying visit

French-American folk musician Redeye: 'I was a bit unsure about country music'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:47:53 -0000

Guillaume Fresneau is relatively unknown except for his outing as part of French band Dahlia. Moving on from the rock direction, he exclaims why it's good to be independent, travel and find yourself. His five-track EP 'Be The One' was released in February 2011

Artists, freaks, revolutionaries: what remains of protests in Greece

('hkeet',) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:28:44 -0000

'We are not anti-system, the system is anti-us'. This is just one of many slogans that are prominently displayed on the banners around Syntagma Square in the heart of Athens. The word ochi, meaning ‘no’, can be seen everywhere here: no to the government, no to the financial and political system, no to the betrayal of democracy

Mubarak, Ben Ali, Gaddafi...where do dictators go?

('Rach',) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:00:00 -0000

They strut about like demigods, surrounded by servants and members of their armed forces, with luxury cars, mistresses and red carpets. They climb to power like hungry leeches with no qualms about lying or destroying anyone that stands in their way. But it only takes a couple of weeks for this to change, though others do end their days as revered leaders. A brief synopsis of dictators and their destinies

Europe's unique light pollution law: dark skies over Slovenia

('ZoeBBee',) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:29:00 -0000

The next time you visit Slovenia or end up in its capital, Ljubljana, look up and spare a thought for the stars and the birds. As well as the humans sleeping in the buildings, sheltered from light. From Slovenia, this is the only legislation of its kind in the world

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

Istanbul 'sex bus': student beaten for defending couple speaks

('Aleksandra Sygiel',) — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:49:00 -0000

On 17 April a young Turkish couple were asked to leave a city bus because the driver considered their kissing and hand-holding as too obscene. Events worsened: whilst arguing with the driver at the stop in Taksim Square stop in the couple's defence, fellow passenger and politics student Gökçe Koç, 28, was assaulted by a stranger getting on the bus. We meet via facebook where Koç started a protest group, Seks Otobüsü (‘Sex Bus Number…’): 34 TN 1992 25T

The 61st hour: no love for 'Europe day' on 9 May

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 09 May 2011 07:00:00 -0000

Poor Greece, tough nuts Schwarzenegger, people's populism and economic depression. Robert Schuman, the-then French foreign minister who proposed the concept of the European Union on 9 May 1950, would be rotating in his grave. In spite of its celebratory pompous institutionalism and political speeches today, Europe is not in its finest hour

Rome was not built in a day...nor for bikes

('cbinns',) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:10:00 -0000

I am a devout cyclist who first rode a bike by chance. I come from Strasbourg in eastern France, a city in which the two wheels reign supreme, so I did all I could to get hold of a bike in Rome. 'It’s suicidal!' those around me squealed, but after four days alone in a city dominated by cars, I realised that cycling can also look like a kamikaze mission

Middle finger in Europe

('cbinns',) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:10:52 -0000

Despite the globalisation of the audiovisual world and the constant information overload, gestures appear to be just as effective as when they were first invented many centuries ago, so much so that using a simple gesture to order two coffees can almost end up sparking a row. A rudimentary guide to hands, chins and backsides to help you avoid problems in Europe

Hunting Hashim Thaci in Prishtina

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:30:00 -0000

A serious politician, an ex-commander, a suspected mafia boss: the prime minister of Kosovo projects many images which reveal the Balkan region’s searing wounds. That’s why we went traipsing after the 42-year-old on his own turf, from the entrails of the Kosovar countryside where his family lives, to general Serbian limbo and a casual encounter with the man himself in an official setting

Beppe Grillo: ‘Italy is as little a country now as it was 150 years ago’

('Bruno van den Elshout',) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:30:14 -0000

Giuseppe Piero Grillo, 62, is a national celebrity, blogger and comedian. The married father-of-six is probably the least likely of all 60 million Italians to party over Italy's 150th anniversary in 2011. After falling in disgrace with Italy's powerful media conglomerates, he was banned from national television in the mid-1980s. He now blogs and performs his comedy shows live across the country, and speaks exclusively to Bruno van den Elshout for cafebabel.com

Berlusconism, 'Padania', inequalities: should we celebrate 150 years of Italy?

('hkeet',) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:00:00 -0000

On 17 March 1861, Victor-Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of Italy. Now, 150 years later, the question of knowing whether Italian unification should be celebrated has sparked lively debates. The Italian government only decided to make 17 March a public holiday a month ago

Bunga bunga: European hanky panky guide for Mr. Berlusconi

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:45:00 -0000

The Italian fairytale has caused waves across Europe. We Italians can be proud to have exported a word out there amidst our Ferraris and mozzarella. The prime minister has revived the myth of the dying Italian stallion with a term Colonel Gadafi loaned to him, from ‘female harem’, for his orgies. Berlusconi stands trial for abuse of office on 6 April in Milan

EU aphrodisiacs: unleash the rhinoceros in you

('Erin Woycik',) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:00:00 -0000

Eating at home is the cheaper and more pleasant seduction option. Create the appropriate atmosphere and know how to captivate your palate. All your senses are involved in sensuality, from soft music playing in your ears, to the food in your mouth

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

Albania-Kosovo mafia, ‘cablegate’ and other cases of blindness

('Laura Simpson',) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:30:00 -0000

After two years of investigation, the council of Europe has accused the Kosovan prime minister of leading an international network trafficking organs, weapons and heroin with the silent acquiescence of European countries. Will these Wiki-Like revelations destroy public confidence in politics? Here's a little theory on scepticism

Why are students protesting in Bologna

('blackbird3',) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:30:00 -0000

With cries of 'block everything!', Italian students have been demonstrating for days against the university reforms currently being discussed in parliament. This report is from Bologna, where heated protests have even made headlines in the New York Times

Conversation with Leo Tolstoy on centenary of his death

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:15:00 -0000

20 November 2010; the Russian writer famed for his masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina is about to die for the hundredth time. We meet him before he takes his last train

Ireland: cheddar scones for a cheese crisis

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:00:00 -0000

The more we see the PIIGS as under-developed countries, the more the EU ends up sending them humanitarian aid rather than sustainable investments. The proof is in the pudding in Ireland, where the EU has invested 750, 000 euros of cheese to fight the crisis from 15 November. A Frenchman reacts

Islam for beginners: first stop Istanbul

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:45:00 -0000

Hanging out on the streets of Turkey’s European capital can be an exotic experience for those who haven’t had too much contact with islamic culture. University lecturer and islamic history expert Anas Eryarsoy takes us though everything we wanted to know, but were too afraid to ask