cafebabel.com

‘Why can’t German men flirt?’ - a German man answers

('Cari19',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:47:41 -0000

A few days ago I came across an article online by a young British girl who describes her experiences with men in Germany. I often stumble across articles from women who claim Germany to be a developing nation with respect to flirting. Yet why is this the case and where are all the emancipated women?

God Save my Shoes: one French woman explains why

('Sophetta',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:08:47 -0000

Women own at least five pairs of shoes according to the debut documentary by Franco-American director Julie Benasra, which celebrates women, sexuality, shopping and shoes. Any less means you’re not a real woman

Asexual awareness week: what’s wrong with preferring cake?

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:21:47 -0000

Asexuals form a colourful and diverse community of people who don’t want sex and want their little-known sexual orientation to be acknowledged and respected, especially during a special awareness week between 23 to 29 October. After all, what’s wrong with preferring cake, which is one of the symbols they use to promote themselves?

I like Mostar: are there really no tourists who want to go to Bosnia?

('Monica Mircescu',) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:37:19 -0000

Mostar and I go back a long way. Ours is the story of a missed encounter – in 1998. Fast forward to September 2011: cafebabel.com organises the annual network meeting in Dubrovnik. On learning that the city is only 150 kilometres away from Mostar, I decide to revisit the city I never reached

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

Forget environment! Cars rule the road in Athens

('Nicola Potter',) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:38:58 -0000

In Athens driving is quite frankly a way of life. Doctors and environmentalists sound the alarm, yet it’s the financial crisis that’s on everyone’s mind, while health and environmental issues take a backseat. Take a walk around the city, but don’t expect a breath of fresh air

Environmental art in Athens: art project for Kifissos river

('hkeet',) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:57:55 -0000

Whoever asks the Athenians about the Kifissos river hears mainly legendary tales, as Yvonne Senouf and Corinne Weber, the creative minds behind the international art platform MELD’s Project Nero, can testify. Their project for a vanished river aims to deal with urbanisation and pollution creatively

Survey: Yes I am French and I was born pessimist

('Danielle Farrell',) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:30:00 -0000

It's gruelling every time a holiday period winds down in Paris, capital of a country populated by the 'world champions of pessimisim'. Crestfallen faces enveloped in black coats on grey jumpers, the Parisians being carried away on the metro seem to have just been released from their hangover. I am one of them, and proud of it, because when even if you're a champion of the most nauseating state of mind, you're still a champion! Right?

Job hunting in Brussels: serenity of the hopeless

('gem',) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:40:49 -0000

Anna is a German university student who has just turned twenty and is looking for a job in the European capital. She ould like to remain anonymous – but her story is representative of an entire generation of young Europeans

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

Vegetarianism: 'Eating Animals' in Europe

('Nettah',) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2009 novel, published in March 2010 in the UK, has just been released in German. The 33-year-old American has fast become the new vegetarian messiah. While it reached the top three of the Der Spiegel bestseller list, only 1.3 million Germans follow a vegetarian diet, a mere 1.6% of the population

Most annoying questions put to expats

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:02:02 -0000

Stereotypes, judgements, accidental offence or ignorance? After living between Japan, Hungary, Sweden and Israel of late, our resident Lithuanian blogger attempts to officially go where not many want to go, but do everyday... Extract from wonderland.cafebabel.com

Spiritual Spain: two German pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:00:00 -0000

In 2009 more than 140, 000 people took the pilgrimage that ends at St. James cathedral in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela. 14, 000 of those were Germans. We speak to two of them

Franco-Norwegian couple: life on a houseboat in Germany

('Carolin Krahn',) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:00:00 -0000

No trade barriers in the European Union means anonymous EU-registered boats can swan in and out of European waterways. Houseboats are proving the new accommodation trend. One woman shares her story

Rocco Siffredi: 'A real harlot would never make a porn film'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:30:00 -0000

Viagra, northern European women and catholic morale - the 46-year-old actor, director and producer from the Abruzzo region in Italy reflects on a 25-year pornography career which has spawned over 40 international prizes. Interview

Expats dating abroad? That's Brussels for you

('Claire Davenport',) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:06:48 -0000

Why in Brussels do my friends of every nationality land themselves in the most bizarrely complicated relationships? Do all men here just want sex? One woman on why fellow expats can't do steady relationships

Sise delle Monache: no toplessness nor religion behind Abruzzo's domed cakes

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:30:00 -0000

Yes, you've just sunk your teeth into 'nun's tits' - albeit made of sponge and cream. The name behind this regional Italian speciality hovers between mountain peaks and nun's habits

Arianna Huffington: blogger role model for Greek girls

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:18:47 -0000

With quotes like 'Darlings, make blogs, not war', the Athenian, 60, has become a big name stateside. However, the woman once known as Arianna Stassinopoulos has never seen the same notoriety in Greek circles. Too bad

Lithuania's female bloggers: cooking, sex and the city

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:11:53 -0000

Somewhere between the 200, 000 Lithuanians in the UK and the 3 million at home, bloggers are making their own female-shaped dent in the internet universe

Natalie Weiss: German fashion blogger 'Schnati in Paris'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:00:00 -0000

'Schnati', 22, has been blogging on the biggest German fashion blog LesMad ('Les Mademoiselles') since 2008. In her own blog 'Schnati à Paris' she presents her own outfits, shares inspirations and reports from fashion events

Tips: dating success the Greek way

('cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:56:46 -0000

Dear friends from the north. You can print this out and give it a try but it’s useless. Flirting in this part of Europe is an art. It’s impossible to learn it, because southern men are born casanovas. Opinion

Death of the Italian stallion?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:24:56 -0000

An August survey reports that the myth is dying, with Italian men becoming 'too feminised'. Whilst we make up our minds, a quick filmic tribute to Italian action hero Sylvester Stallone, who has long claimed the nickname and is back on the big screen, where sexual stereotypes from Europe are prevalent. Term of the week

Swinger clubs: Blue Berlin 'liebt dich'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:45:00 -0000

Berlin loves you. Berlin is young and isn’t ashamed of its exuberance. An Italian visits the premises of a capital’s red-light soul which is not expecting anyone. Far from Amsterdam’s sex ghettos and Italy’s hypocrisies, between the naked bodies of those for whom sexuality is no taboo

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'

German standards: men in speedos vs topless women

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Summer might be over, the time when too many items of clothing are bothersome. Boys can jog around without a top, so why can’t women in their bikini tops? One woman rants

Freeganism in Poland: 'horror' of taking food from bins

('JK',) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Freeganism, a way of life for a small percentage of the world’s population, is above all an extremely anti-consumerist attitude calling for restraint. It openly expresses opposition to corporations that only want to enrich themselves because today the sale of goods in their pure form is disappearing

Mentality problems? Shutting down clubs in Paris

('Sarah Byrne',) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0000

A meeting of politicians and concert organisers in France should impede the nightlife of the capital city from dying - the debate's missed the crux of the problem

EU expats: foreign fashion of cross-border mobile phone calls

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Pinch, punch, first of the month - though you'll now be feeling the pinch less. From 1 July, Europeans across the old continent will be saving four cents when they make or receive calls in the 27 member states. Travellers and businessmen aside, we expats have long since shunned using our mobiles

Recap: 'Brigitte', Germany's approach to 'normal' models

('Ellie Banks',) — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:00:00 -0000

No-one wants to see big girls, according to fashion tsar Karl Lagerfeld, a vehement defender of the Size Zero Model. While all of Europe discusses the dress sizes of the fashion world, the German women’s magazine Brigitte has turned the whole question on its head with their new ‘Initiative Ohne Models’ (Initiative: No Models), where its the readers who get to try on the haute couture

Chatroulette: Sodom and Gomorrah of web

('Jude Lister',) — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:00:00 -0000

'While you’re still young, test your strengths and practice in that which appears pointless and seems like pure verbiage to the common man. Without it, the truth will escape you,' Plato tells us in his famous dialogue Parmenides. The adage provides enough strength and reason to dive into the latest internet communications buzz. Two months on, we test it for you

In the red

Wed, 05 May 2010 13:22:00 -0000

In the economic crisis, why do Italians say they are 'in the green' when Brits are 'in the red?' Tour of European expressions for all those broke joes out there

'Eco hippies' on carbon-neutral weekend in the Vosges, France

('Lindsey Evans',) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Four months on from the Copenhagen summit, the failure of a global climate change policy hasn't crushed or reinvigorated the motivation of environmental activists. In the Vosges region of France, Elise's carbon-neutral weekends indicate that changing our way of life may be key to saving the planet

Anything but lethargic: multi-faceted life of a German in Lisbon

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Ties and tees: three innovative fashion initiatives from Ljubljana, Lille and Berlin

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Between 20 - 22 January, the historic Berlin-Tempelhof airport compound served as the venue of Bread and Butter, the most prominent trade fair for urban and streetwear, for the second year in a row. We pick tie manufacturers, T-shirt street fashion and an eco-sports label as top of the crop

Party burnout in Paris, so go to Berlin

('Ellie Banks',) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:30:16 -0000

'Sssssh, go in quickly,' whispers the bouncer of the electro bar 4Elements on the Place de la Republique. The lights are out in the flat above. It is 11pm, a Saturday evening in Paris. The one-time nightlife mecca of Europe is turning into a sleepy little town, a trend that threatens to continue

Europe's breakfasts: I'll have what Obama's having

("naomi o'leary",) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:08:27 -0000

Russia: Putin feeds Obama whilst a leather boot fans the flames. Italy: whilst Obama becomes president, Berlusconi serves his escort a hot drink. Germany: Merkel cooks brekkie for hubby: a round-up of European politicians' breakfast stories in the news, plus a pancake recipe for the bimonthly gastronomy column

Country life, the good life? Rural Italian holidays

('Mary Maistrello',) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0000

The busy beaches of Ibiza, Polynesia or the Seychelles are no longer the obvious tourist destinations. Times have changed, and travellers are demanding something different from their holidays. What could be better than immerion in nature, with plenty of wine and farm-fresh food to hand?

Tree huggers

('Aatish Pattni',) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0000

The times in which eco-warriors and nature lovers raged unrest in the downtown areas whilst kitted out in hand-knitted wool jumpers and Birkenstocks are now over. Now that the trend of being eco-aware has come to the forefront of society, the whole of Europe is witnessing a bloom in eco-green ‘cusswords’

Quality, not quantity during fashion week in Europe

('Rosh Mahtani',) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:45:00 -0000

From the old classics of Paris, Milan and London to the new modes in Stockholm, Madrid or Berlin: the 2009 autumn-winter fashion shows are streaming through Europe, despite the economic crisis and the criticism erupting around it

Heide Rühle on Andorra, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein tax havens

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The German politician and member of the European parliament for the European Greens says fiscal paradises threaten the European social model

Map: be German to be rich, says Forbes

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

How do you become a billionaire exactly? Flee Europe: out of the 1125 billionaires registered by Forbes, barely 20% are of European origin. The others come mainly from the United States (42%), China, India and Russia

Greece, Portugal and Romania: save your species!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Is Europe acting fast enough to halt irreversible biodiversity loss?

Laura Cesana: 'There should be more Erasmus programmes for teachers'

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

A linguist and voyager, the Italian painter transported her Jewish origins from the United States to Portugal, where her multiple identities are exhibited by a flourishing brushstroke

Born in the eighties

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Twenty-something baby losers. Often disparaged, yet the 'eighties generation' harbour multiple talents. First part of a series of portraits exchanging Paris and Berlin

Hairy Portuguese women

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The French and Spanish joke goes that Portuguese women have moustaches

Time of the month

('Erin Woycik',) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Facebook: UK, Norway and Sweden most active

('Andrew Burgess',) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

10 million Europeans have their own profiles on booming social exchange websites such as Facebook. The most active European web users have not wasted any time create groups of their own

Tecktonik - arm-splaying, mullet hair dance craze

('Annika Thornton',) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0000

TCK. Three letters that stand for a phenomenon: tecktonik. Similar in style to electro, it has been a sensation amongst teenagers in France, Belgium and Holland over the last six months - and is also a registered trademark

German supernanny: 'emotainment'

('Sophie Paterson',) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:00:00 -0000

European audience figures are exploding for so-called 'Emotainment' programmes, devoted to the daily lives of the average person

Animal psychology, on and off the couch

('Sophie Paterson',) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:00:00 -0000

If your cat has gone off its food, your dog is chasing its tail and your horse is scared of umbrellas, it’s time for a home visit to an animal therapist