Europe inside out

It’s that time of year again: time for all the cool kids to point out just how biased and silly the Eurovision Song Contest is, and for all the not so cool kids to hang their heads in shame while they acknowledge that they know all of this, but will still be eagerly watching. Unfortunately, I belong to the latter group. In spite of the fact that ordinarily I am that annoying pop-music basher who shames grown ups for being fans of Justin Bieber and other artists behind modern day pop music phenomenons, I just can’t help myself when it comes to the Eurovision. I pick favourites, get disappointed when they lose, and get altogether too into it.

I’ve been trying to mentally unpack all the mental reasons why Eurovision is STILL a big deal in spite of its decades-long history, and I have concluded that it most likely comes down to the fact that there are very few chances for Europe as a geographic entity to take complete control of its entertainment experience, and at the end of the day that is some a lot of Europeans really want. Here in Europe, what we watch on TV, at the movies, and on our iPods is forever being effected by outside influences, the biggest being of course the North American entertainment scene. It is however rare still relatively rare for neighboring European nations’ native musical acts to cross national boundaries; and even when they do it’s usually from the bigger countries and already on a cross-oceanic scale. (Even Canadians and Australians have heard of Rammstein and Robyn!) For the most part, Eurovision affords an amazing platform to exhibit what you love most about your national music scene (although my British friends assure me that this year’s entry for the UK, Bonnie Tyler, has not fallen into this category for around twenty years) and share it with your European neighbors. Several countries hold their own national contests to decide on who will represent them on the big day, thus summoning national attention for the contest months before the finals. And even without such contests to find Eurovision contestants, I have yet to see a national entry that has absolutely no fanbase in their homeland – the national organizers want an audience, after all!

And to top it all off, Eurovision is a competition that even the smallest countries can win because it is based on talent and luck which anyone can access: if you and your song have what it takes to make people all around Europe love you, you get the points, simple as that. In spite of what many argue, the variety of nations is broad enough that even preferential treatment of friendly neighboring countries does not matter a whole lot once you’re in the finals. It’s been proven time and time again that the European public tends to vote for someone they like, regardless of their nationality. After all, the contestants aren’t draped in their national flags singing patriotic songs, they’re (almost always) singing  cheesy pop songs designed to appeal to a mass audience (Finnish Goths “Lordi”, Russian babushkas, and Engelbert Humperdinck aside).

However, the biggest reason Eurovision is still around in spite of the odds, the political ups and downs, and the wavering economy, is that it is a competition and Europeans LOVE competing against one another. We get to employ all of our favorite national stereotypes (even when they blatantly do not apply), paint our national flags on our faces, and play drinking games – in other words, all the same things we do during the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA World Cup, and any other international competition we happen to care about. We get to get confused by foreign languages, make fun of foreign accents, cheer on our favorite neighbors and boo our least favorite ones – all those things that make us European whether we were born here, chose it as our adoptive homes, or are simply visiting.

This Saturday, wherever you are in Europe, find a Eurovision-friendly bar (it shouldn’t be hard!), pic a favorite contestant, and cheer along with us.

Summer is definitively here, and if you are anything like me, you enjoy nothing better than savoring a cool glass of something or other on a bar patio in the summer heat. In fact, I’m fairly certain that summer and alcohol were invented for each other. Even for those of us who drink relatively little alcohol during the cooler months of the year for whatever reason, summer presents a perfect opportunity to break all our personal alcohol-related mores once in a while and even, on occasion, to overindulge.  And it is a universally acknowledged truth that after a night of drinking, there is literally absolutely nothing better than some nice greasy comforting hangover food. What, then, do people around the world devour in times of hangover? Hangover foods vary from nation to nation, but they do all seem to have one thing in common: they are at the same time both delicious and horrifically bad for your body any other day of the week.

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Although not as popular as it’s cousin St Patrick’s Day, St George’s Day does serve as a reminder that England and English culture deserve celebration. And what better way to celebrate the patron saint of England than by visiting some truly English sites. [...]

There has recently been published an article by one David Landsel in which he disbands the popularity of several pretty famous travel destinations for some pretty horrific reasons. The article has gained quite a bit of popularity on the internet, and has been shared a considerable number of times over social media. As a fellow travel blogger/writer, I obviously have absolutely nothing against travel critiques that are negative as long as they are honest and based on sound reasoning. In fact, I welcome such reviews even if personally I prefer writing mostly positive reviews. It is always a welcome change when an article points out the negative alongside the positive aspects as it can bring your expectations down to reality when the time comes for you to embark on your vacation. It’s nice to know what to expect in terms of weather, how much money to bring, what social mores to look out for, how much crime you should prepare for (if any) when on vacation.

However, this logic only applies if there is common sense behind the critiques which are well-founded and realistic and come from an educated outlook. For example, it is worth pointing out that Toronto (what up, hometown!) may not have the same plethora of gorgeous medieval buildings as Bruges – fair enough, good to know so that you don’t go there if a medieval vibe is what you’re after. On a budget? Some cities are naturally more affordable than others – from personal experience, I’d never advise anyone to go to London for a week if you don’t have at least a couple of hundred pounds to spend. Want a relaxing warm vacation for the entire family? Maybe don’t go to Moscow. Not altogether positive descriptors but, you know, helpful!

Pretty straightforward, right? The key is to assume from the get-go that every place and every individual there is of intrinsic value and has aspects to offer the likes of which you will not find elsewhere. If those specific features are not for you, then based on such a critique you can make a reasoned decision to go elsewhere. However, it just isn’t smart to assume that you can speak for everyone.

Now that THAT is off my chest, can we please just take a moment to appreciate how uninformative, biased, and, at times, frankly quite racist Mr. Landsel’s piece is?

• “There are places worth a thousand dollars in airfare. There are even places where eleven hours of flying is a small price to pay. Then there is Buenos Aires. The steak and wine are cheap, the ice cream is outstanding and — children, cover your ears — the sex is even better.” Instead he suggests we try Rio de Janerio because it has a bigger impact, although on what he fails to say. While Landsel may pick his vacations based on the availability of steak, wine and sex – all good things, don’t get me wrong – can we just go ahead and assume they are not universal measures by which vacations are assessed?
• Berlin is “an awkward teenager of a city, brimming with potential.” Now this one made me splutter tea all over my keyboard as I wondered if maybe the author was referring to the Town of Berlin, Connecticut? Because he sure as hell cannot have been talking about the the beautiful city of Berlin, capital of Germany, founded in 1192 AD?? He casts it off as a viable European destination because “Berlin is too modern, too sterile, too expensive and too unsure of itself to merit much of your time or money.” I’m just going to leave you with these images, Mr. Landsel:

  

  

The beauty of travelling and exploring Europe is the fact that as far as continents go, this one is pretty compact. Whether you’re travelling by airplane, bus, or car, the distances are tiny compared to almost any other continent. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of sightseeing that is packed into these very small distances is sometimes overwhelming. From villages to towns to cities to countries – it is hard to find a place with as much cultural and geographic variety, not to mention as many countries as you can in Europe.

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If you ignore the weather, spring is almost here. For us in the travel industry, the coming of spring is equatable to a yearly rebirth of sorts. For this very reason, it is my favourite times of the year, for not only is it warm and sunny once again (thank GOD!) but the arrival of warm weather means that it is time once again to explore little known, or perhaps well known but not obvious, holidaying destinations.

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Okay, own up, you guys – did anybody vote in the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice? If so, were you the one who voted Rhossili Bay, Swansea, UK into the top ten? Because if you did, Australia is mad at you.

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Moscow has a slightly schizophrenic character when it comes to being classified as a tourist destination. Some experts list it as one of the top places to visit in the world due to its immeasurable wealth of history and culture; Others think the darker aspects of Moscow and Russian culture such as its high crime rate and occasional racism are convincing turn offs. As a cultural, literary and history geek, as well as an appreciator of architectural and classical beauty (not to mention a fan of vodka cocktails), I tend to side with the former. Like many metropolises, Moscow inevitably does have a dark side, much like New York used to and Mexico City still does. With that many cultures, peoples, opinions, and dreams clashing, a dark side almost inescapable. Moreover, Moscow as a democratic city was only born 20 odd years ago, and much of the 1990′s were eclipsed by its painful growing pains. Today Moscow is not the same city it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago.

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The year 2013 marks the 15th anniversary since the city of Rome was twinned with the city of Beijing. I have to say, the twinning of many if not most global cities almost always completely confuses me – for instance, what is the logic between the pairing of Santiago, Chile with Paris France, and Vienna, Austria with Tabriz, Iran? However, at least to my semi-cultured eye there for once is a definite connection between Rome and Beijing – these two cities have it sealed in their fate to be cultural and historic global centers of two very distinct cultures. The histories of both cities stem back thousands of years and their influence on world culture has proven to be immeasurable.

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The nightlife in Madrid is always brimming with color, culture, and the strumming of melodious guitars. It is because of the vivacious pulse of flamenco that makes the Madrid nightlife so spirited. It is more than a diversion or unacquainted, impromptu milieu; it is a way of life. Flamenco’s interlaced musical roots arise from Andalusia; however, the present artistic resurgence commenced in Madrid during the 1980s, and has surpassed the big cities. Today, Madrid offers the perpetual variety that Andalusia once did.

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