The European
Vol. 1, Issue no. 12
February 27, 2007
Paris, France Follow Spain's star-crossed lovers to property bargains from $29,000 
| With spring now well on its way, I'll be seeing much more of this view from my window.
Photo courtesy of P. S. |
At last the days are getting lighter and longer. Now I can enjoy a clear view of the Eiffel Tower over breakfast, instead of having to wait for the evening illuminations that add sparkle to my dinner. As if to celebrate this annual phenomenon, the Mairie de Paris (Paris City Hall) is running an exhibition devoted to two masters of light, the British painter John Singer Sargent and Spanish artist Joaquin Sorulla.
By strange coincidence, I found out that Sorulla was born in Valencia, less than two hours' drive from Teruel, the subject of a property report in The European this week. If you're looking for year-round sunshine and a home in Crete, you'll also find information this issue about hot areas to check out. Steenie Harvey takes us to a museum that gets visitors all wound up, and I've done some culinary research to help you eat your way through Lisbon. Enjoy! Bests, Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European P.S. If you can't make it to Paris, you can read about the exhibition here: www.petitpalais.paris.fr
Follow Spain's Romeo and Juliet for property bargains-and ham
by Heidi Fuller-Love
Dubbed El Rincon Olvidado, the forgotten corner, because it's so far off the beaten track, the Spanish province of Teruel on Aragon's southernmost tip is one of Spain's most overlooked regions. Yet Valencia airport is just an hour and a half away by car, and the fish eateries and beaches of the Costa Blanca are closer still. The lovers of Teruel 
| The atmospheric clutter of winding lanes, and tempting bodegas in Teruel. Less than one hour from the beaches of the Costa Blanca, yet property here goes for bargain prices.
Photo courtesy of istockphotos.com |
Wander down these winding lanes and you'll discover dingy bars vending the famed jamon de Teruel (celebrated during the ham feria in September) and dusty stores selling souvenirs commemorating Isabel de Segura and Juan Diego Martinez de Marcilla, better known as "The Lovers of Teruel." Their 13th-century tale of thwarted love rates as the Spanish equivalent of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and their fancy marble mausoleum can be visited at the Los Amantes museum downtown. The region was dominated by the Moors for centuries, and the architecture that grew from this period when Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived harmoniously together was classed a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1986. This translates as an atmospheric clutter of the Mudejar building linked by narrow alleys packed with bodegas serving pork and chickpea soups, stews of local-bred lamb or rabbit, and fruity wines from Calatayud, Campo de Borja, and Cariñena, just down the road. Seventh cheapest province for real estate
Property prices in the town center are slightly higher than elsewhere in the province, but since a recent index for new-build prices reveals that Teruel is the seventh cheapest province in Spain for buying real estate, that still spells value for money. To give an example, I discovered a tiny town property in need of renovation for 22,000 euro ($29,000), while
larger, renovated properties were selling from between 50,000 and
100,000 euro ($66,000 to $132,000).
Further into the province are several ski slopes, including the 6,600-foot Javalambre Sierra, and a landscape of contrasts: breathtaking precipices then dense forest. If you decide to hit the highway and head out to the heart of this province, you'll find that property prices get even more attractive. I saw a three-bedroom, one-bath house for 52,000 euro ($69,000) and a new-build villa that needs finishing for 99,000 euro ($130,000).
A second home in sunny Crete?
by deTraci Trett The ancient island of Crete enjoys some of the longest summers in Europe, explaining part of its appeal for visitors from the north. So popular has the eastern coast become that it is now almost completely given over to mass tourism. The rest of the island, however, still has a few hidden treasures that should appeal to those looking for a place in the sun.
Three areas poised for growth
Most Cretan property and homes are still undervalued, and the island seems poised for an explosion in value over the next few years. The following areas in particular are attracting home builders in greater numbers and worth checking out.
| Ever-sunny Crete: The old harbour at Chania at its best in the morning light.
Photo courtesy of istockphotos.com |
Chania
Due to the U.S. military base at Souda Bay, this area on the northwestern coast is popular with the relatively few Americans buying property on the island. The coastline is crowded with hotels and development, so most buyers go into the hilly interior to the south to build their houses, or farther west to the town of Kissamos. If health care is an issue, Chania has the best hospital on the island, routinely treating foreign patients.
Mesara Plain and Tymbaki
The as-yet unspoiled southern coast of Crete attracts both Greeks and expatriates and offers two well-equipped towns, Tymbaki and Mires (Moires), handy for construction supplies, repairs, minor medical care, and other necessities. This area is popular with Germans and other northern Europeans looking to purchase property. If you fantasize about growing your own grapes or olives, the soil in the Mesara Plain is the best in Crete. The area around the small village of Pitsidia is drawing interest and boasts boutique shops alongside traditional Greek markets. However, buyer beware. Even European Union environmental laws and the presence of the endangered Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting grounds may not be enough to stop a joint Greek-Chinese container port project under consideration for Tymbaki. The impact on this region would be immense.
Northeast coast: Chersonissos, Agios Nikolaos, and Sitia
Far enough away from Heraklion, yet lively enough in its own right with ferry service to other islands, this area is attracting many British and Dutch expatriates. The town of Chersonissos and the small cities of Agios Nikolaos and Sitia are attracting builders and renovators. Rumors of a new international airport at Sitia may make this region more accessible if it goes through, and if you can't bear to be away from a golf course, the Crete Golf Club is located at Chersonissos.
Don't get wound up over the missing ducks
by Steenie Harvey If you like unusual museums, it's hard to resist Grenoble's Musée des Automates. Stuffed to the rafters with weird inventions from the 18th to early 20th centuries, it's a private museum that celebrates the wacky world of the very first automatons. Often devised by French and Swiss watchmakers, these "living dolls" and artificial animals of the Age of Enlightenment were the forerunners of robots.
Figures that play musical instruments…pigs that dance…birds that whistle and flap their wings. Even to sophisticated Parisians, these new inventions were marvels. Back in 1783, people paid the equivalent of a laborer's weekly wages to see an automated flute player who had a repertoire of twelve tunes. Realistic duck poop
Sadly, the most famous automaton of all, Vaucanson's Duck, has vanished for ever. Invented by a native of Grenoble called Jacques de Vaucanson, this life-sized copper duck made its first miraculous appearance in 1739. Not only could it quack and move, it could also swallow grain-and get rid of it realistically. Inside the duck, Vaucanson had installed a network of tubes and a miniature form of chemical laboratory to turn the grain into what looked like duck poop. The duck was exhibited all over Europe for many years but, so the story goes, it eventually perished in a fire in a Novgorod palace. Other versions exist here but none can equal the original. Amateur musicians can also have fun. If you've ever wondered how the Barbary organ works or want to try one out for yourself, this is the place to come. After standing on a platform frantically turning a huge wheel-the mechanism for playing this instrument-I'm presented with a certificate asserting that I'm now a qualified Joueur d'Orgue de Barbarie, a player of the Barbarie Organ. Tours of the museum last approximately 75 minutes. Madame Michelle Lara shows you around and demonstrates how these rare treasures work. The big problem is that the tour is entirely in French…but even if you only have the basics, you can understand a lot. It's a great way to expand your vocabulary of the names given to mechanical machine parts: a soufflé isn't always something to eat; it can also mean a bellows. Musée des Automates de Grenoble, 12 rue des Arts, Grenoble Tel : 04 76 43 33 33. Open daily, 2pm to 6.30pm. Tours cost 5 euros/$6.
How to eat your way through…Lisbon
by Leigh Fergus 
| The Cervejaria de Trindade, in a converted monastery, brews its own beer.
Photo courtesy of Leigh Fergus |
The sun sparkles on the river Tagus, and, from one of the seven hills high above the busy center, it feels like a seaside vacation. But I'm in Lisbon for the food, having acquired a taste for Portugal's hearty cooking. In the capital, you can take your pick of good fresh seafood morning, noon, and night; ditto for cakes and pastries. Here's how…
Pick and point
For breakfast, head for any of the cafés or pasteleria, generally open from 7 a.m. Grab a table in the sun or gently elbow yourself a place at the counter in the formica (be warned: interior décor is not a strong point) and shade with the locals for coffee. If your Portuguese is limited, you won't starve-just go to the counter where it's all displayed and point at what you want. The most common snacks are the rissois, the little savory shrimp-filled pockets of fried dough; the croquetes, plump sausages of bread-crumbed meat paste mixes, usually chicken or beef; cod balls (accras), and sturdy bread rolls of ham, smoked ham, cheese or omelette with salad. For the sweet tooth, the cake choice is impressive: substantial walnut slices, ultra-sweet almond tartlets, the sticky un-cheeselike Sintra quesados, delicate custard tarts-pasteis de nata, which deserve a whole art icle to themselves-and rougher versions of chocolate croissants and iced buns. I defy you to spend more than $8 for two full breakfasts. And if you miss a meal, most cafés will serve these snacks throughout the day. 
| Savory and sweet snacks served all day in traditional cafés like this one.
Photo courtesy of Leigh Fergus |
Home-brewed beer and monkfish
Thus fortified you can head for the shopping and sights in the Baixa district, where you can get a breeze and a fabulous view from the top of Eiffel 's elevador-and an apéritif if you don't mind doing the tourist thing. From here it's a short walk to the Carmo district where the tiled cool of the Cervejaria da Trinidade awaits you for lunch. Pour one of their home-brewed beers down your throat and you'll be ready for the seafood dishes-the shellfish comes with generous portions of monkfish in a tangy soup served with homely boiled potatoes, chunky fries, or rice. All of the fish dishes are recommended, but especially the bacalhau à Trinidad, a substantial helping of salted cod roasted with potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. A two-course lunch for two with beer or wine is 32 euro ($43). For dinner I suggest the Casa do Alentejo, a tourism center for the central southern region of Portugal. The big surprise once through the door is the décor, a reconstruction of a Moorish palace that was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. The vast rooms and volume make digestion of the rich stews and game dishes here a little easier as you people-watch.
Which coffee?
Clearly coffee is served all over town, but what sort to order? Lisboans will ask for the strong stuff: a bica, a short, bitter espresso, or a slightly less potent carioca, while the fainter-hearted may prefer a galao, a glass tumbler of very milky coffee, or a garoto, where you choose how much milk goes in. Tea, or cha, is available, with or without milk or lemon. Lemon peel infusion-cha de limon or carioca de limon-makes for a zingy alternative, or lime blossom infusion, cha de tilia. Freshly squeezed local orange juice is a must. Just make sure to order sumo de laranja natural, not just sumo de laranja straight out of a bottle. |
Best Lisbon addresses on a budget
Eating well on a budget is easy-every little quarter has small eateries offering fresh home cooking at great prices, just don't expect candle-lit romance or fine decoration: food is the priority.
Breakfast:
Simple, unpretentious on the sunny terraces at Restauradores square opposite the post office, or the cafés on the Largo Saô Domingo, all in the Rossio district. More upmarket, for suits, is the Café Suiça, east side of Praça Dom Pedro IV.
Lunch:
Cervejaria da Trindade, a convent converted into a brasserie, with tables in a sheltered courtyard as well as in the main dining areas. 20C rua Nova da Trindade, Carmo; tel: 21-342-3506
Dinner:
Casa do Alentejo, 58 rua das Portas de Santo Antao; tel: 21-346-9231
IL |
