Destination: Europe
Berliners Say ‘Auf Weidersehen’ to Their Love for America
by Valerie Conners | 11.03.08 | 3:21 PM ET
After living for 16 years in Berlin—a city that once named its avenues after U.S. generals, schools after U.S. leaders and squares after U.S. cities—Reuters’ Germany correspondent Erik Kirschbaum now finds the pervasive admiration is largely gone. “It was hard to imagine a more pro-American city when I first moved here in 1993,” he writes in an essay for the news agency. “Yet the wind has changed and the love affair is over.”
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Yahoo! BuzzBerlin’s Tempelhof Airport Closes
by Valerie Conners | 10.31.08 | 11:12 AM ET
Once a critical landing point during the Berlin Airlift, historic Tempelhof Airport officially closed its doors yesterday with a farewell event marked by speeches from local VIPs, and even some protests. Auf wiedersehen.
Mourning in Crete, Where ‘Death is Part of Life’
by Valerie Conners | 10.29.08 | 10:30 AM ET
When Cynthia Paine’s fiance died unexpectedly, dashing her dreams of their moving to Greece and marrying, she decided to still head to Crete to face her pain and learn to better accept his passing, she tells the Guardian in a poignant first-person account. “In England, people cross the street rather than talk to someone about the death of their loved one,” she said. “Here (death) was out in the open and constantly spoken of.”
Flushed Down the Toilet: One Passenger’s Arm
by Valerie Conners | 10.28.08 | 8:18 AM ET
A man riding a high speed train in France had to be rescued by emergency workers after dropping his cell phone down the train’s toilet, reaching in to extract it and having his arm trapped by the suction system. Said one witness, “He came out on a stretcher, with his hand still jammed in the toilet bowl, which they had to saw clean off.” Wow.
Eat Like Shackleton in London
by Eva Holland | 10.27.08 | 1:40 PM ET
A restaurant in London is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Nimrod Expedition, Ernest Shackleton’s first effort to reach the South Pole, with a 6000-calorie meal fit for an Antarctic explorer. Here’s what’s on the menu:
The Weak Euro: An American Traveler’s Delight?
by Elyse Franko | 10.24.08 | 10:33 AM ET
Since I was worried my saved U.S. dollars wouldn’t go very far here in Vienna, the rapid decline of the euro in the past few weeks has been a blessing.
U.K. Tour Operator Bans ‘Serial Complainers’
by Eva Holland | 10.23.08 | 2:53 PM ET
Chronic complainers beware: A major tour operator is on to your compensation-seeking schemes, and it won’t be handing out any more breakfast vouchers. Instead, TUI Travel, the U.K.‘s largest travel company, has announced that it will be creating a “black book” of problem customers, the Times of London reports.
Poll Claims to Uncover Europe’s Smartest, Sexiest Travelers
by Valerie Conners | 10.23.08 | 10:00 AM ET
Fear not, that all those Brits behaving badly are forgoing culture for pints. A recent poll of European travelers from lastminute.com shows that Britons actually beat their foreign counterparts in a test of world cities, flags, landmarks and cultural icons. As one lastminute.com employee noted, “Britain’s heritage is steeped with great explorers, pioneering journeys and the spirit of adventure.” And, let’s not forget:
Paris and Amsterdam Airports Sign Alliance Deal
by Valerie Conners | 10.22.08 | 11:55 AM ET
What will that mean for travelers? By operating as dual-hub airports, they can now offer passengers more flights to more destinations. Of course, Aeroports de Paris—owners of Charles de Gaulle and Orly—and the Schiphol Group made the deal primarily to combat their own financial struggles.
Photo of Charles de Gaulle airport terminal by andrewcparnell via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Strike Paralyzes Greece’s Airports, Transportation
by Valerie Conners | 10.22.08 | 11:37 AM ET
A nationwide Greek strike to protest pension cuts has left air traffic, urban transport and public services frozen. Nearly all domestic and international flights, trains and ferries have been canceled. Certainly not the best time to be in Athens; one official described the country as having “effectively come to a halt.”
Ryanair: The World’s Least Favorite Airline?
by Eva Holland | 10.20.08 | 1:30 PM ET
The Ireland-based budget carrier earned the title in an annual TripAdvisor poll—for the third consecutive time. Nonetheless, 42 million passengers are expected to take their chances with Ryanair this year, braving stingy legroom, unfriendly staff and frequent delays (the most common complaints against the airline) in exchange for those irresistible £10 tickets.
Photo by paolo margari via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Hollywood Does ‘The Odyssey’ ... In Space
by Eva Holland | 10.20.08 | 11:43 AM ET
Brad Pitt will play the traveling Greek general in an upcoming Hollywood adaptation of Homer’s classic, the Telegraph reports. The twist? The movie will be a “science fiction version based in space.” We’re big fans of both Odysseus and outer space—but I’m not convinced the two were ever meant to mix.
Sesame Street, Global Edition
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.17.08 | 1:59 PM ET
When I heard Big Bird and South Africa’s muppet Zikwe talking to NPR about Putumayo Kids’ “Sesame Street Playground” album this weekend, I couldn’t help feeling jealous that I hadn’t grown up hearing songs like “Rubber Duckie” in Mandarin. The 40-year-old dean of all children’s shows now airs in 120 countries, and the new album showcases its worldwide reach.
There are songs from Israel, Palestine, Tanzania, South Africa, France, China, Russia, Mexico, the Netherlands, India and the United States. Concierge is especially fond of the “Pollution Song” from South Africa: a ditty about cleaning up after yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone in the world sang along to that?
Headed to Provence? Bring Your Old Francs
by Eva Holland | 10.17.08 | 1:49 PM ET
Time to dust off the foreign coin collection. Businesses in the Provence village of Collobrieres are now accepting Francs, the Times of London reports. The Times article suggests that the move is a backlash against Euro-era inflation, but in this France 24 news clip, the villagers deny that they are rebels with a cause:
Louvre, Pompidou Expanding in France and Overseas
by Eva Holland | 10.15.08 | 3:47 PM ET
The two prominent Paris museums have both announced plans for provincial annexes, in Lens and Metz respectively. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s “Louvre of the Sands” (which we’ve mentioned before) remains in the works, and a Pompidou outpost will also be popping up in Shanghai.
Photo by ruiwen via Flickr (Creative Commons)