Austria
We are Viennese if you please: coffee house culture hailed
On 10 November 2011, Viennese coffee houses were included on Unesco's annual ‘intangible cultural heritage' list, described as places where ‘time and place are consumed but only the coffee is found on the bill’. We celebrate at the Wiener Kaffeehaus, a veritable institution in the Austrian capital
Spain, country in a (property) bubble
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
austria, economical crisis, germany, europe, economy, housing, best of cafebabel.com
The rise of divorce parties in Europe
Inspired by a trend from the United States, an increasing number of companies and services are being established in the UK, France and Germany. Amongst the European Union member states, divorce was not possible until 1970 in Italy, 1981 in Spain 1995 in Ireland and, most recently, 2011 in Malta
austria, money, start-up company, italy, divorce, germany, men and women
Vienna’s green wavelengths
The Prater park, the Vienna woods and the Lobau: Vienna is green no matter which way you look. Fifty percent of the Austrian capital is made up of green spaces and in 2010 the city received the accolade of having the best quality of living worldwide from the international Mercer study. It isn’t just in internationally orientated events in the city centre like Danube Day that we see Vienna riding a green wave. Instead it is also clear in the town’s most hidden corners: some city-dwellers grow cannabis quite legally, others opt for a car-free life, and others still go back to nature and live in caravan communities. Five European reporters got to the bottom of Vienna’s green lifestyle as part of cafebabel.com’s monthly editorial project Green Europe on the Ground (Image: (cc) M'sieur Rico/ Flickr)
Student duelling clubs in Europe: no Harry Potter magic in Germany
In mid-June the Alte Breslauer duelling club in Bonn petitioned its national umbrella organisation to stipulate German descent as a criterium for accepting the currently 1, 300 students into these legendary student societies. In June, a society in Mannheim allowed a German of Chinese descent to join. The case drags the just over 100 German duelling clubs, which are accused of harbouring extreme right-wing ideologies, into a negative rather than magical light
austria, germany, immigration, china, students, society, racism
Vienna, Berlin, Budapest and Paris: blogging city rivers
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
German clown Marenka: 'hit a woman and it's almost taboo'
For seven years, the 37-year-old has acted in German-language performances throughout Europe, a trade she refined in Hannover, France and California - how does her public react to her clownish mishaps?
austria, germany, brunch, men and women, fun, united states, violence
Free movement of French and Dutch foreign veterinary, medical students in Belgium
A huge amount of foreigners study two of Europe’s seven officially regulated subjects in Belgium, but its foreign student population of 6.3%, the seventh highest in Europe in 2006, is not heterogenous. Insight
austria, university, belgium, bologna process, education system, veterinary medicine, medicina
German students swoop down on Austrian universities
In some border university towns, the student population is as high as 12%, as German students escape the various clauses in their own universities and enrol 'abroad' for subjects like medicine and psychology. A common tongue and the abolition of tuition fees are the fundamental attractions
austria, university, psychology, bologna process, germany, education system, medicina
Europe 70 years after the outbreak of WWII
The German invasion of Poland seventy years ago on September 1, 1939, marked the start of world war II. The repercussions of the war are still felt across Europe today. The Estonian, Austrian, British and Portuguese media comment
austria, gdansk, margaret thatcher, germany, cold war, second world war , poland
Marmite and co: disgustingly debatable foods in western Europe
Travelling around Europe, you’re never safe from a bad gastronomic surprise, be it vegetable yeast spread, bull’s tail, pig’s head paté, mushroom spread and much more ... brace your guts. Plus, a recipe for stewed oxtail
austria, recipe, yum nyam, germany, tourism, poland, cuisine
Europe has voted: so what's the trend?
From 4 - 7 June 2009 the citizens of the 27 EU member states cast their votes for a new European parliament. The voter turnout was relatively low, but the trends are clear to see. In many countries right-wing parties gained a larger share of the vote while national governments were punished. The press in Holland, Poland, Italy, Finland, Austria and Hungary speak
austria, italy, netherlands, hungary, poland, european elections 2009, geert wilders
Why Austria might fall with central and eastern Europe
Will the European Union be under threat of the financial crisis that is eating away at its eastern members? A barrage of bad news suggests that it might. Solidarity may be the only way to come to eastern Europe’s aid and to save its member states from possible danger
austria, crise financière, europe de l'est, eudebate2009, eudebate 2009, economy, european union
Music in March: Killed by 9V Batteries and Extraperlo
Paris-Berlin machine rock, continental breakfast from Barcelona and Austrian pot-washers –spring is blossoming in many ways on the music scene! Café Babel’s music diary for March
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