Paris
Sunday in Paris with Chopin and Steve Villa-Massone, street pianist
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
paris, europe, brunch, poland, crise financière, best of cafebabel.com, music
Italian spritz aperol: the future’s orange
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
paris, party, wine, united states, beverages, aperitif, society
Jacques Delors: ‘pessimism is reason, optimism is will’
‘Young people and Europe’ is the reason why this morning’s private and exclusive meeting is taking place in a small room at the catholic institute of Paris. There are around twenty seats and a huge platter of croissants on the centre of the table. All (French) eyes are on one of the speakers, a mister Jacques Delors
paris, europe, jacques delors, jóvenes, francia, european council, students
Contentious Guéant circular rejects work visas in France
France’s governmental memo on employment for their residing non-European students caused quite a commotion, and we’re not talking Jerry Maguire style. Graduates like Nabil Sebti are taking a stand against what could either turn into a long-term policy of sealing France off or be a strategy to gain votes in 2012 elections
paris, university, protest, claude guéant, racism, education system, integration
Silencio: Paris club where David Lynch is more Papa Smurf
You certainly will not be greeted by 'Silencio, no hay banda…' upon entering David Lynch’s exclusive Parisian club, which opened in the French capital on 6 October. Although the name of the club is a tribute to his cult movie Mulholland Drive, don’t expect to find Rita, dead corpses or unresolved mysteries here, advises one Italian journalist
paris, cinema, david lynch, lifestyle, culture, culture calendar
Italian writer Alberto Toscano on political gaffes
On 12 November Silvio Berlusconi is scheduled to officially resign. Yes, he is leaving the stage, the king of all the clumsy politicians who has been one of the models of Italian journalist Alberto Toscano’s latest book, which was published in September in France
Ascanio Celestini: 'I denounce verbal violence of our time’
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
paris, italy, brunch, theatre, rome, best of cafebabel.com, human rights
Trio Joubran: ‘It’s hard to be Palestinian musicians in the world’
Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran are international musicians whose performance and perspectives nonetheless remain rooted in their homeland: Palestine. Just before the UN is due to consider Palestine’s official bid to become a UN member as well as a state, we meet the brothers in Paris about how their hopes for their country influences their music
paris, middle east, united nations, theatre, palestine occupied territory, music, culture
Tips for taking a ‘laughter yoga class’ in Paris
Laugh for the sheer pleasure of laughing. Laugh standing up, laugh sitting down, laugh lying on your back, laugh sprawled on your front, laugh during the day, laugh at night, and most importantly, laugh with someone else
paris, university, health, happiness, students, society, professor
Football: a poor man's sport? Not for Qatar
The Qataris now own football club Paris Saint-Germain and have spared no expense in their attempt to turn the team into a crown jewel. But of whose crown: Sarkozy's kingdom or the Qatari emirate? What prompted these billionaire sheikhs to invest in Europe?
paris, money, world cup, economic growth, sport, qatar, economy
Why French pop singer Ornette hated Serge Gainsbourg
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
paris, brunch, best of cafebabel.com, music, pop, art, france
ABV guide to learning your Serbian (from your Croatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian)
To hail the European day of languages on 26 September, cafebabel.com tries to learn Serbian. The short rocket takes us past planet Cyrillic alphabet and planet Latin alphabet, before speeding through planet lexical history and firing off into next-door neighbour space
paris, tower of babel, bosnia and herzegovina, croatia, serbia, politics, montenegro
The hills are alive with the sound of Viviane Reding
The EU commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship ‘comes from the heart of Europe,’ insists former EC president Jacques Delors, as he introduces her to French students at Paris’ political institute Sciences Po. Meanwhile, Reding goes all out to be less bureaucratic than she is
paris, jacques delors, viviane reding, bureaucracy, human rights, roma, politics
French electro music: profile of Yuksek
Pierre-Alexandre Busson’s mysterious single On a train (‘On The Train’), released in the spring of 2011, captivated the 33-year-old DJ and producer’s native France. Nothing left to do except jump on the bandwagon
Paris: the green at the end of the tunnel
Paris is like a tunnel which threatens to devour everything, a pressure cooker ready to explode. The city has the densest population in Europe: 21,000 people per square kilometre. Worn out by an insatiable demand for accommodation, a jam-packed metro and trees wilting due to pollution, the Parisians are eager for change. Citizens have already rolled up their sleeves (literally!) and are creating new green spaces. With shared gardens, honey, biodiversity and public politics transforming the city, Paris aspires to transform velibs into autolibs, to develop new trains and to listen again and again to the lectures of the ecolo-geeks. Cafebabel.com shows you the green leaves peeking through the paving stones
Sex, Sartre & rock n’roll in Paris theatre
Anyone coming to Jean Paul Sartre’s ‘No exit’ (Huis clos) playing at the Lucernaire theatre until 10 September shouldn't expect a tedious and stiff evening. French director Vladimir Steyaert surprised the entirely young audience with a contemporary, ironically serious version of the classic, which of course, had to have an international cast
French-American folk musician Redeye: 'I was a bit unsure about country music'
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
paris, brunch, best of cafebabel.com, texas, music, redeye, united states
Five gay friendly neighbourhoods in Europe
As the spectacular gay prides flourish across Europe, cafebabel.com local teams from Paris, Ljubljana, Berlin, Budapest and Athens blog about the scenes across Europe
paris, germany, greece, berlin, homosexuality, ljubljana, lifestyle
