Europe String

I was recently in Copenhagen and was amazed not only by all the bikers, but also by how well the city caters to these riders. Every major street has a sidewalk, bike lane and car lane. All three “users” are extremely respectful towards the others and seemingly move about in contented harmony. Copenhagen has an excellent free bike program in which a 20 DKK deposit allows you to tool around the entire city center. It’s not the only European city though offering this economical, eco-friendly and healthy way to see the sights.
Paris’ program was well-publicized when it came into …read more

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As a follow-up to the night train post, here’s another option for those looking to combine transport and hotel: ferries.
Obviously, this option is a bit more limited. I haven’t found a boat to whisk me from Prague to Barcelona. But if you are on the outskirts of the continent, this might be a handy, cost-effective and interesting way to move about. Let’s start south, near Italy and Greece. Many moons ago I took an overnight ferry between the two countries, and it was quite excruciating. Sixteen hours and I wanted to cry with boredom. Sleeping really didn’t occur. After …read more

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Yesterday, we took a look at some airfare deals from the US to Europe. Today we are taking on the European airlines – focusing on the budget flyers. There’s a huge fleet of them operating all over the continent with the majority of them based out of the UK. This is a no frills way to travel, cheap. Buy your food on board, pay for your checked luggage and no seat assignments. Soaring fuel costs, the credit crunch and a slumping economy in many European countries is fueling discussions into how long low-cost airlines will be able to continue to …read more

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When I was in Sweden years ago I fell in love with these little green and brown pastries. They are usually marketed as punschrulle, but the Swedes who introduced me to these treats referred to them as damsugare (which is ‘vacuum cleaner’ in Swedish).
These little guys are rich and flavorful and go great with a cup of coffee. The primary flavors are marzipan, chocolate, and arrack liqueur.
Not heading to Sweden any time soon? Turns out punschrulle are pretty widely available internationally – in the Swedish food market at your local Ikea.

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Way up north, beyond the Arctic Circle, is a hotel which appears and disappears again every single year. Sweden’s Ice Hotel has been enchanting visitors since 1990, and really is constructed out of ice and snow. Guests can choose between ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ accommodations, and appropriate cold-weather clothing is including in the price no matter where you sleep.
The hotel is decorated with (what else?) ice sculptures, and has a restaurant and a bar. Daytime activities include snowmobiling and dog sledding, while at night visitors can hope for a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Given the novelty of such an experience, …read more

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Whether you want to take a stand about the LGBT equality issue or you just want to see the festivities that happen during the Gay Pride parade, you can try and coincide your trip with the schedule of Pride events in the following European cities:

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The Copenhagen Opera House is Denmark’s world class venue for opera and ballet. Currently, they are showing Matador, a musical by Peter Langdal and Bent Fabricius-Bjerre.
Interested?
The cheapest ticket costs around 90Dkr (ca. 12Euros).
No time to reserve? You can also head for the Box Office on the day of the performance to purchase one of the 15 standing stalls.
Want better seats without having to pay an arm and a leg? Head for the Box Office after 4pm for half-price tickets on the day of the performance. Matinee tickets (which is also cheaper) are available an hour …read more

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Sterling is the first Scandinavian low-cost airline. It offers direct routes between Scandinavia and Southern Europe as well as between the Scandinavian countries.
And just like all the other budget airlines, Sterling has special offers which promises to let budget travelers fly at a price even lower than the published rate of budget airlines.
Sterling has a Happy Hour when great prices are offered. It happens every Thursday and Friday, from 12-1300 CET.
Seasonal offers are also the norm. As I type, Sterling is offering “Sterling City Break” for travel until June 2007. You need to act immediately because …read more

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The Little Mermaid and Carlsberg may be the main attraction for many tourists in Copenhagen but the capital of Denmark has many other cultural and entertaining attractions to offer. Some of which can be enjoyed for FREE.
You can…

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Standard meal costs around NOK 100. Less is considered cheap.
And here are your options for cheap dining in Norway:

Bari Pizza in Torggata 23 for a quick snack.
Pizza Panchetta (Pløens gate 1)
Punjab Tandoori (Grønland 24) for an exotic fare.
Tandoori Curry Corner (Grønland 22) serves Indian food and burgers and fries. Appearance of the place is not so good but the food is.
Thien Nga (Bernt Ankersgate 68) for Vietnamese Food.

The above aren’t exactly your standard Norweigan cuisine but they are cheap. If you’d …read more

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