Splat!
 

The European
Vol.1. Issue no. 38
August 28, 2007
Paris, France

Dear Europhile,

It's back to school for most kids next week, so families are getting kitted out in their own way throughout Europe. In most of the UK, new uniforms will be needed, and in some parts of Italy elementary school kids still need a grembiule, a black smock-type garment, for class. Here in France the business of la rentrée as it's called, involves considerable lists of books, and a whole new set of stationery items with a rucksack on wheels to carry it all.

Before you pack your own pens and paper to join us in Barcelona* next week, indulge in a little veggie madness in this issue of The European, read on to find out where to take your kids to enjoy their last few days of freedom before the fall semester, and learn who Steenie Harvey thought was pin-up material in a corner of eastern Europe.

Bests,


Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European

Seeing red in Buñol

by Veronica Shine

Want to participate in the world's greatest food fight? Tomorrow, Buñol, Spain sees red again in La Tomatina (the throwing of the tomatoes). Every year, on the last Wednesday in August, the Valencia town gets ready for battle. Over 40,000 warriors from all over the world invade this small sleepy bourg of 9,000 to participate. And the number of battlers increases every year.

One of the most fun festivals in the world, it is said to have started 61 years ago when a few friends stumbled upon a crate of over-ripe tomatoes and started throwing them at each other on Buñol´s Plaza del Pueblo. Soon bystanders were drawn into the battle and a new Spanish festival was born.

Squash the tomato first

This year's fight starts at 11 a.m. sharp with the launching of a rocket. The rules are simple: Squash a ripe tomato in your hand (you could hurt someone otherwise) and throw it at other participants. Buildings are covered in plastic to protect the facades from turning as red as the fruits themselves. After one hour of combat, the town is washed down and restored to its normal tranquil self, leaving the drenched warriors to retreat until the following year.

Buñol is approximately 24 miles from Valencia and is accessible by bus or regional train (RENFE) service directly from Valencia. A bus service is available for the event from several coastal towns on the Med including Barcelona, Valencia, Denia, and Alicante. Tickets can be purchased directly online and via the Tomatino's official website:  www.tomatina.es (in Spanish, English, and French).

If you want to join in, be sure to make your hotel reservations well in advance as  the festival gets more popular each year. If accommodation in Buñol is booked out, I suggest you try Valencia instead. The Melia Corp. chain (www.solmelia.com) has several hotels there; the NH chain (www.nh-hotels.com) has eight; and there's the Hesperia (www.hesperia.com). Needless to say, wear old clothes and sandals-I don't think any laundry detergent on earth would ever get the stains out.

[Editor's note: For other wacky or weird events around the world, with or without tomatoes, your best source is our brand new Festivals Report, listing some of the most unusual activities mankind has organized. Click here to learn more.]

Transylvania: Staking Out Vlad in Sighisoara

by Steenie Harvey

Notorious

Sighisoara was the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler. Inspiring Bram Stoker to create Count Dracula, this 15th-century warlord was notorious for cruel punishments. His signature method of retribution was impaling enemies and assorted wrongdoers on stakes. Resulting in an agonizing death, the stake got shoved into the victim's rear end.

Most Romanians admire their infamous Impaler. One leaflet explains: "Vlad Tepes was a good king. To eradicate social problems and discourage his enemies, he used strange methods of killing people. Legend said that in his time, all fountains on the roads had gold cups and nobody dared steal them."

Knowing that the punishment would likely involve sharp implements rammed into tender places, that's understandable.

Compared to the circus outside Bran Castle, here Dracula silliness is fairly restrained. Deprived of plastic fangs, most Vampire Trail tourists make for the Torture Museum and Vlad's old house-now the Casa Dracul restaurant. Avoid it: You'll find better-value eats below the citadel.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its walls enclose ornate churches, cobbled lanes, and burghers' houses colored ochre and primrose. At the center is Citadel Square, former venue of executions and witch trials. Another highlight is the Scholars' Stairs. Dating from 1642, this covered stair-passage protected students from winter snows.

Nine of Sighisoara's original 14 turrets remain, the star being the Clock Tower and its various figurines. At 6 a.m., a clockwork angel appears to mark the start of the working day. At 6 p.m., a night angel pops out carrying two candles-once the signal for goldsmiths, carpenters, and other guildsmen to stop their labors.

And a lot more awaits you, including the Saturday market outside the walls, and Biserica Leprosilor, a 15th-century leper chapel across the river.

P.S. Bad lads are often worryingly attractive. Near the Dominican Church, there's a statue of Vlad. If it's true to life, local wenches probably swooned. Long hair, sexy mustache-kind of like a 70s rock star…

Prague's summertime top ten list for kids

by Jacy Meyer

If you have kids and are in Europe this summer, the best fun to be had is in Prague. Don't wait any longer to enjoy the last few weeks of summer, especially as many of these activities are low-cost, offer discounts for kids, or are even free-and the Czech Republic is still an economical place to visit.

The Troja region, in Prague 7, is a must with children. Three attractions are clustered together: Prague Zoo, the Botanical Gardens, and Troja Chateau.

1. Prague Zoo (adults $5, children $3.50, families $15) was heavily damaged in the floods of 2002 but as a result of its restoration, the animals' living space has been greatly improved.
Take metro line A to Nadrazi Holesovice, bus 112. Prague Zo U trojskeho zamku 3;
tel. +420 296 112 111; website: www.zoopraha.cz

2. The Botanical Gardens offer both an outdoor strolling area and an indoor greenhouse; (entrance to both is adults $6, children $3, families $16); the Japanese garden is the most relaxing spot.
Take metro line A to Nadrazi Holesovice, bus 112. Botanical Gardens: Nadvorni 134; tel. +420 234 148 111; website: www.botgarden.cz

3. Troja Chateau also offers a generous ramble opportunity, plus art exhibits inside the Chateau. It's free to wander the grounds, but if you'd like to visit the exhibitions in the Chateau, prices are $5 for adults, $2.50 for children, and $10 for families.
Take metro line A to Nadrazi Holesovice, bus 112. Troja Chateau:U trojskeho zamku 1; tel. +420283 851 614; website: www.citygalleryprague.cz

7. A popular urban beach, practically in the city center, is Zlute lazne. If you just want to lay in the sun, there's sand, grass, and hammocks available; if you have more energy, take advantage of beach volleyball, climbing, or petanque. Again, there are numerous activities for the kids, plus DJs and dancing till 2 a.m., making it a popular summer spot for the younger set. Adult entry is $5, children $3-both half price after 2 p.m.
Tram 3, 16, 17, or 21 to Dvorce.

8. Renting a boat for a trip on the Vltava River is some good DIY fun. Rowboats, paddleboats, and motorboats are available from Slovansky Island, right next to the National Theater. Prices vary but it's roughly $3 for 60 minutes in a rowboat, $4 for 60 minutes in a paddleboat, and $7 for 30 minutes in a motorboat.
Tram 6, 22, 23 to Narodni divadlo

9. Participate in a summertime Czech tradition with a visit to Riegrovy Sady Park in the Vinohrady neighborhood of Prague 2. It's on top of a hill, which means you have to climb, but it has a lovely view of Prague Castle, a playground for the kids, and-the best part-a huge, shaded beer garden.
Tram 11 to Vinohradska trznice.

10. Most of the above sites are off the tourist track. One that may see more visitors is Vysehrad Castle and Park. Site of the original Prague settlement, Vysehrad boasts old city walls, a cathedral, fascinating cemetery, and one of the most pleasant free walks with a view of the city.
Metro line A to Vysehrad.

Affordable property just 30 minutes from Paris

by Leigh Fergus
 

The town of Meaux (pronounced "mo") was closed when I arrived last Saturday-not surprising as most provincial French towns observe a decent two-hour lunch break, even if, like Meaux, they are only 30 minutes' train ride from Paris.

But, apart from checking on opening times, I was here to see if Meaux would make a pleasant place to live. Famous chiefly for its creamy brie and old-fashioned mustard, it was also home to Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, a 17th-century bishop, theologian, noted orator, and tutor to the Dauphin. The formal French gardens named after him are more interesting to non-natives than the museum dedicated to this learned man, however-not the type to draw crowds of tourists.

A town of human proportions 

Set on the banks of the river Marne, Meaux has attracted settlers since before Roman times, when the Meldes tribe sheltered here in the valley between the river and the forest. By the 11th century, a Romanesque cathedral had been built here, replaced a hundred years later by the existing gothic St. Etienne cathedral, an imposing, austere edifice dominating the town center. Belonging first to a count of the Champagne region, then to the English during the Hundred Years' War, the town was finally won back to the French in 1420.

The town regains its past glory every year with a fair, reliving the ancient foires of the counts of Champagne. On the third weekend in October, the Meaux Fall Fair takes place, accommodating around 100,000 visitors with hundreds of exhibitors, covering everything from gastronomy (cue cheese and cider tastings) to high technology.

The rest of the year Meaux remains an attractive town of cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, small shops, and the market bridge, which has been carrying goods almost continuously since the Middle Ages. Today the bridge is where you go to pick up cheap clothing and baskets, as fresh produce is sold in the covered market on the south side of the river.

With prices (including property prices) cheaper than in the capital, Meaux would make a good alternative to city living-a town of human proportions with the countryside at your doorstep-and all within easy reach of Paris (trains leave every 30 minutes from the revamped Gare de l'Est). It's a 20 minutes' drive from Roissy-and even closer to Disneyland. Plus you get much more square footage for your money.

I preferred the old town center and the area to the north of the cathedral to the distinctly rundown market district or more recent residential quarters to the east. I found a two-bedroom apartment in the picturesque old center with fitted kitchen, living room, covered balcony, and cellar, offering a living area of 650 square feet, for 147,000 euro ($200,700)-the price of a small studio in Paris proper. If you'd like outdoor space, a one-bedroom apartment with a 270-square-foot terrace was going for 144,000 euro ($196,500), and a cute two-bedroom house in a quiet street for 160,000 euro ($218,400).

Try these agencies for starters:
Agence Chanot Robquin, Boulevard Jean Rose, 77100 Meaux; tel. +33 (0)1 6025 1616 ; website:  www.chanotrobquin.com.
Agence Gestimmo, 29 Boulevard Jean Rose, 77100 Meaux; tel. +33 (0)1 6025 1300 ; website: www.orpi.com/acheter/home.jsp.
Agence Laguerie, 8 Place Jean Bureau, 77100 Meaux; tel. +33 (0)1 6433 8989; website: www.logic-immo.com . IL