The Expat's Guide to Secret Paris 
Living in the Istrian valleys doesn't have to cost the earth.
Photo courtesy of INKOM. |
The European
Vol.1. Issue no. 32
July 17, 2007
Paris, France It's now festival time all over Europe, and rock fans in Germany, classical music lovers in Italy, and film buffs in Croatia (don't forget the Pula Film Festival, July 12-21. See The European, Issue 29) have already circled the key events in their diaries. The season started last month, but gets going seriously in July and August. I'll be staying in Paris for most of August-read on to find out why, and to learn about the best food in Cyprus, as well as the cost of chocolate donuts and beer in Pula. Enjoy, Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European Summer festivals Here are just a few events to whet your appetite… France
Marcel Marceau enthusiasts meet in Périgueux, July 30 - Aug. 5, for the 25th annual Mimos International Festival (of Mime). Performances from Russia, Italy, Spain, and Belgium, as well as France are on the program, covering everything from circus-like acts to balletic poetry. Website: www.Mimos.fr.
Plant lovers shouldn't miss the spectacular Garden Festival in Chaumont-sur-Loire. You have until Oct.14 to admire the different versions of this year's theme: mobile greenery. Website: www.chaumont-jardins.com Germany
The Wagner Festival may not be everybody's cup of tea, but if you can't resist the sound of the Valkyrie, head for the Bayreuth Festival, July 25-28. Website: www.bayreuther-festspiele.de Ireland
For a hoedown by the sea, go to the picturesque fishing village of Dunmore East-10 miles from International Living's editorial hometown of Waterford-for their annual Bluegrass Festival, August 23 - 26. Washboard playing, picking, plucking, and hollering go on until the early hours of the morning. Don't miss Dublin-based band Prison Love. Website: www.waterford-dunmore.com. Spain
Shutterbugs should make for Madrid for the 10th Photo Festival, running until July 22. Website: www.phedigital.com.
For a blast from the past, the International Festival of Benicassim, July 19 - 22, brings you Iggy Popp & the Stooges, the B-52s, Human League-and more current rock and pop bands. Website: www.fiberfib.com. Sweden
Where else but Uppsala for reggae music? Seems like an unlikely setting, but the long days and laidback attitude are perfect for the likes of Bunny Wailer, Beenie Man, and Richie Spice. Website: www.uppsalareggaefestival.com. UK
Folk fans can hear Joan Baez, C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, and Nanci Griffith-among others-at the Cambridge Folk Festival, July 26 - 29. Website: www.Cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk. |
Discover a secret Paris in summer by Leigh Fergus 
Paris comes into her own in the summer--you can find a free seat more easily in the Tuileries gardens now to bask in the sun.
Photo courtesy of www.istockphoto.com.
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During the summer, the French population splits into two clearly defined groups, the juilletistes and the aoûtiens, otherwise known as July and August vacationers. It is because of this division that administrative work all over the country suffers delays: half the staff are away in July so the other half struggle with the workload until they are back, and when they do return, the July vacationers often cannot catch up with the backlog until the August vacationers return. Things go slowly in the summer months, and deals will not be clinched swiftly. If you're planning a romantic visit to the capital, however, this can be to your advantage. Workers who didn't take any breaks in the first part of the summer will definitely want to get away to the countryside before the back-to-school-back-to-work atmosphere of la rentrée (the start of the fall semester), so the city tends to be quieter than in July…becoming the secret Paris we've all been looking for. If you want activity, there's still plenty to do, with almost daily free outdoor concerts, open-air movies in the parks, street entertainment for young and old, and the last few weeks of the urban beach event known as Paris-Plage. The city is more laidback-you don't have to jostle for space on the buses and métro, you can get those perfect shots of sunsets over the Seine, and find a free bench by Notre Dame. And the Parisians who stay on in the city will have more time for you. And the argument that everything shuts down just doesn't wash these days-contrary to popular belief, only a few of the restaurants de quartier (local eateries that probably won't be in your guidebooks), top-starred establishments like the Carré des Feuillants, and a handful of the local shops and dry cleaners will be closed. If you're in romance mode, this should not affect your plans substantially. P.S. Beware the spontaneous trip to the City of Light in September. If you haven't made a hotel reservation well in advance you may have to invest considerable time-and expense-in reserving a room. September is a lovely month, it's true, but it's also fashion month. All the best-value hotel rooms will have been snapped up months ago, if not the previous year. Be warned, and be prepared! If you want Paris to yourself, come in August.
The seasonal delights of Cypriot meze by Aileen Torrance 
A typical spread of meze-and there's more on the way.
Photo courtesy of Aileen Torrance. |
Meze is the jewel in the crown of Cypriot cuisine, best experienced in a village taverna far from the crowds on the beachfront. Like Spanish tapas, a meze meal consists of a selection of small taster dishes allowing you to sample the full range of house specialties. The great thing about them is that they are truly seasonal and therefore rarely the same each week.
Grada Taverna in Oroklini village, less than a mile from the big hotels on the beach outside Larnaca, is a great place to sample meze, boasting more than 40 dishes. A tiny place buzzing with locals who come from as far away as Nicosia and Agia Napa to sample the cooking, it's overseen by Jasmine, with husband Nicos in the kitchen (although he frequently ventures into Jasmine's territory to check that everyone is happy). The first cold dishes are brought swiftly to your table almost as soon as you've ordered, but you're not expected to clear one dish before the next comes. Dishes vary, but here's a sample to whet your appetite from a couple of my recent visits:
Cold appetizers: village salad with pita bread, tzatsiki, skordalia (garlic dip), spicy tomato dip, a selection of olives, pickles and beetroot, roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, smoked lamb, beef and ham, garlic and lemon mashed potatoes, feta dip, smoked eggplant dip, tyrokafteri (pepper and feta dip), two types of carrot salad, pomegranate and onion salad, red cabbage salad, avocado dip… Hot appetizers: grilled oyster mushrooms, mushrooms stuffed with cheese, lunza (smoked ham) grilled with haloumi cheese, village sausage (not for delicate stomachs), spicy village sausage, eggs scrambled with mushrooms and zucchini, deep fried artichokes… These may be followed by stews and grilled meat: snails in red wine and coriander, liver in red wine, afelia (pork stewed in coriander), stifado (beef stew), chicken kebabs, spicy pork kebabs, grilled pork fillet, minced lamb kebabs… If you're still hungry, there's fruit, coffee and a local liqueur included, all for 9 Cypriot pounds (that's about $18) a head. Grada Tavern, 5 Pedias Street, Oroklini; tel. +357-2464-7122.
What it costs to live in…Pula, Croatia by Steenie Harvey In this occasional column, we report on the costs incurred to you, should you make the move to Europe. This week, we visit Pula, Croatia, for the lowdown on some general items you'll be paying for. Prices given are those recorded as of April 20, 2007. $0.18 equals 1 kuna. Home to around 63,000 inhabitants, boasting a Roman amphitheater, Pula (as you know from last month's Issue 29 of The European) is the largest city on the Istrian peninsula. Budget carrier Ryanair now serves its airport, and it's starting to see more British and Irish tourists on short-break visits. Istria is the western part of Croatia that borders Slovenia. Like much of the former Yugoslavia's Adriatic coast, Italian influences are strong: You're only a couple of hours by road from Trieste and Venice is within day-trip distance by either boat or road.
Istria bills itself as "the Mediterranean as it used to be." That tag largely applies to the wooded landscape of hill towns, vineyards, and sentinel cypress trees-it doesn't mean the cost of everything is stuck in a 1950s time warp. Although real estate, utilities, and dining-out costs aren't yet at central Italy's levels, supermarket prices are often surprisingly high. In late May/early June, holidaymakers can rent apartments for $40 per night. Long-term rates can be negotiated, and you shouldn't have any problem in finding somewhere decent for $400 to $500 monthly. The average cost for buying an apartment in and around Pula is $2,130 per square meter. Monthly running costs for a 55-square-meter (just over 590 square feet), one-bedroom apartment are as follows: Electricity: 150 kuna/$27.60
Communal maintenance fees: 100 kuna/$18.40
Garbage collection and
sewage charges: 150 kuna/$27.60
Water usage: 100 kuna/$18.40
Bottled gas for cooking: 60 kuna/$11 Supermarket costs (prices are from a "Puljanka" supermarket in Pula): Nescafe (100 grams) 27.88 kuna $5.12
Mineral water 1.5 liters 6.30 kuna $1.16
Prosciutto (150 grams) 37.73 kuna $6.92
Butter (250 grams) 7.99 kuna $1.47
Sugar 1 kilo 7.99 kuna $1.47
Milk 1.5 liters 8.80 kuna $1.61
Bananas 23.3 kuna/kilo $4.27
Quality orange juice 1 liter 13.80 kuna $2.53
Beer (33cl cans) 5.99 kuna $1.10
Minced beef from 40 kuna/kilo $7.34
Coca Cola (33cl cans) 4.99 kuna $0.91
Cheese from 41.58 kuna/kilo $7.63
Carrots 8.88 kuna/kilo $1.63
Potatoes 5 kuna/kilo $0.92
Cauliflower 12.98 kuna/ kilo $2.38
Onions 7.98 kuna/kilo $1.46
Pork cutlets 44.48 kuna/kilo $8.16
Whole chicken from 25 kuna/kilo $4.59
10 large eggs 12.80 kuna $2.35 Going out
Espresso coffee costs 4 - 6 kuna ($0.74 - $1.10), a 33 cl glass of Favorit beer averages 8 kuna ($1.47). A pack of local Ronhill cigarettes is 14 kuna ($2.57), but you can buy rougher brands for less. In bakeries, huge chocolate donuts cost 3 kuna ($0.55) apiece and bread loaves around $0.66. Gas is very expensive: between 7.80 and 8.50 kuna per liter, which translates to $5.42 to $5.91 per U.S. gallon. In restaurants, a couple can have a two-course lunch (soup, fish, and salad) for $18. Half a liter of house wine will add around another $4.60. A seafood platter for two (sea bass, orata, grilled calamari, mussels, and fresh shrimp) starts at around 150 kuna/$28. A good steak generally costs around $15.65 and a veal schnitzel $11. Expect to pay around $13 for fresh pasta smothered in white truffle shavings. Pizzas start at around $8.30. |
