Europe String

Super Bowl XLII is coming up – on February 3rd, 2008, to be exact. You don’t hear much about this American game over here in Europe, but all is not lost if you’re a fan who finds yourself on this side of the pond for the big day (assuming you’re willing to stay up late).
The game is actually broadcast live on free TV in many European countries, minus most of the pre-game shows, and, sadly, without all those fancy commercials. Broadcasts start at around midnight CET; check the local listings for the country you’re in to find out whether …read more

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In Switzerland, Saint Nicholas is known as “Samichlaus” and officially visits children on December 6th, but he starts making appearances on the streets of Zurich several weeks before then. He is usually accompanied by Schmutzli (a dark-faced assistant who is ‘dirty’ from soot, according to the more politically-correct version of the local legend), and a donkey. Often there are multiple Schmutzlis per Samichlaus.
The Samichlauses you see on the streets of Zurich these days often hand out big handfuls of peanuts, oranges, and little chocolate candies (the same items he is rumored to leave in Swiss children’s shoes on the night …read more

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Yes, we are growing. Soon enough, wherever it is you plan to spend your vacation, b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel will have a blog to help you discover your destination of choice.
For now, we have three new great bloggers to guide you:

Jed can show you around the capital of England over at the London Traveler.
Geoff brings to you the beer-drinking sausage-eating German-speaking part in the North; the winde drinking shopaholics near France; the warmer part with cappuccino drinkers in the southeast; and the classi Swiss flugelhorns and mountain landscapes in the center over at the Switzerland Traveler.
Heather will …read more

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Going around on foot is the cheapest way to discover a city.   But if you visit Geneva, going around by bike could be as cheap as walking.
Genève Roule offers the use of bikes for FREE until the 28th of October.  All you have to do is to show a valid ID, leave a deposit of Sfr 20 (which you will definitely get back once you return the bike).  You can use the bike for FREE for 4 hours, after which you need to pay 1SFR per hour.  Helmets and locks are also provided free of charge.
You can pick up …read more

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Basel is yet another one of the few European cities which hosts the best Carnivals in February. Fastnacht starts at 4am on the 26th (called Morgestraich) when electricity in Basel will be turned off.  The city will be lit by torchbearers.  The succeeding days will be spent with drums, whistles and bands of singers forcing everyone to listen to their music.  If you want the cliché carnival affair, you can join the kids on Tuesday. Just make sure that you’re dressed up and have your face painted.
Are you planning to take part in Basel’s pre-Lenten bacchanalia? If you are, here …read more

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