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What is your favorite EU Country, Culture and Language
Some people might found hard to realize that Venice, Italy is at the same latitude than Bordeaux, France, or Montréal, Canada...
Traveler,
You must have good manners or you are wealthy...lol. No, actually, I don't have problems in Europe either.
My favourite European country is Belarus.
There's nothing European about Belarus, so it doesn't qualify.
<<There's nothing European about Belarus, so it doesn't qualify. >>
I thought that Europe extended eastward as far as the Ural mountains in Russia, and that some mountain in the Caucasus was considered the highest in Europe? Wouldn't this mean that Belarus, Modavia, Ukraine, and Russia are part of Europe? Less clear would be the case of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, etc. -- I suppose these are too far south to be in Europe, but are between the Caucasus (Europe) and Turkey (which also seems to be in Europe now)?
Being geographically in Europe does not imply being culturally European.
It's like technically being a virgin, yet engaging in anal sex.
<<Balmy Spain, sunny Spain, etc. ?? >>
This snowstorm doesn't look terribly impressive. If this is a major snowstorm by Madrid standards, it just goes to reinforce the image of Madrid not having very snowy winters.
Here, down in the valley, it's pretty mild during the winters. The 10-day forecast:
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location=USNY1217
At the time of the posting, nothing substantial on the way.
I don't want to criticize your compatriots but they often stay appart with their own culture, sometimes they don't even try to speak the language, which, obviously is really unrespectfull. I remember having seen at my parents village's bookstore in Var (Provence) a British woman making a scandal (in English) because she could'nt find her British papers in the store...
blanc:
No, I am not considered an alien in my own country merely because I am an ardent supporter of Britain's (continued) membership of the EU...there really isn't any alternative for us in the UK is there? It's either that or become an obscure off-shore island amounting to very little on the global scene.
There are many more who share this opinon, but as ever it is the rebels and discontents who get all the publicity. I am Scottish and we are more inclined to support the European ideal and less inclined to support UKIP (The United Kingdom Independence Party) than the English, a party that advocates complete withdrawal from the EU. This is something that is about as likely as income tax being abolished and all beer in all British pubs being served over the bar counters free of charge, gratis.
Please feel at liberty to fully criticise any of my compatriots who make the choice to settle in other European countries, the overwhelming majority of them in the Sunny South (oops...there I go again, romanticising as ever), and then totally disregard the local culture and customs, and above all in shameful fashion - the local language, with very little if any effort made to learn it, even in some kind of rudimentary way.
You know what you people over there need to do with Brits like that?
Make it your business to issue a list of conditions which must be agreed between your Governments and all people from Britain seeking residence, one of them being a requirement to learn, and use, the local language, and after a period of time during which no such effort or progress has been forthcoming from of by such Brits - issue them with a repatriation notice with a date on which they must have left the country and returned to the UK where they can chatter away in English to their hearts' content.
I know that is totally ridiculous and unfeasible as it does not comply with the free movement back and forth of all EU nationals to and from other EU countries, but you know what I mean. All you can do is to either pretend you don't know a single word of English and, in the words of Arthur Marshall, give them very nasty looks, or short-change them in the stores and have a good night out on the proceeds.
I am fully aware of the disrespectful, even ignorant, attitude of all those Brits who refuse to learn the local language, and live in those "Little Englands on the Costas or the Dordogne" along with UK English Language TV channels, Brit style pubs, shops and restaurants with Brit style menus and allthe rest of it. As I say, disrespectful of their adopted countries. Can you ever imagine it in reverse - people from Southern Europe settling in the UK and then refusing to learn English - they would find it virtually impossible to live their lives here if they did that, so why do you people over there tolerate it from the monoglot Brits?
But there again I don't think that many Spanish, French, Italian or Greek people choose to retire to cloudy, rainy, crowded Little Britain do they?
;-)
As for the London v Paris issue......as I think I mentioned, there are aspects of Paris which I find to be superior to those in London - the fact that much of Paris has resisted the need to build American style towering office blocks all over the city, as has happened in many parts of London....the central Paris skyline is more the less the same as it always was, and I tink that is so beautiful. The cafe culture, terrasse culture as you say, and the atmosphere surrounding all that on the Parisian scene is a great deal more superior than that of London....Paris generally has better weather than does London, as I have indicated - leaving a clear sunny sky in Paris and arriving just over an hour later in grey skied drizzly Heathrow airport.
However, all things considered, I had to choose London of the two....sorry. It's all the entertainment and social scene of London that attracts me, plus all the historic and literary connections, and...the English language I suppose.....many more people in London speak English than in Paris, and that does make life a wee bit easier....but now I suppose you could say: "Well, you have the option to learn French!" Fairy snuff....true, and no doubt I most definitely would do my best to become fluent in French if I was Paris based...and no doubt I would enjoy the experience, but I do love the London scene very much......so London it would have to remain! But I can always hop onto a Eurostar train at any time I liked couldn't I?........a couple of hours or so later....la Gare du Nord! Voila!
They do call it European Russia - all that region stretching as far as the Ural Mountains is considered part of the Continent of Europe, and there is no doubt at all that Moscow and St Petersburg, to name the two most prominent cities of the region, are most definitely European cities, both in character and culture.
However they are most unlikely ever to become EU cities.
"I just got back from Europe.
I didn't feel any Anti-Americanism at all. None. Nada"
of course nothing will hppen to you in touristy places, its Europe not Iran.
lol you dont feel it maybe because you dont understand or hear the local language, most americans traveling in europe say they are from the english speaking part of canada to avoid any problems. Even brits get sometimes mistaken as americans, and very offended saying I am British not American...
" This snowstorm doesn't look terribly impressive. If this is a major snowstorm by Madrid standards, it just goes to reinforce the image of Madrid not having very snowy winters. "
You're right, this is not really impressive for someone that comes from a
This is a major snowy place like most of north of the USA or Canada.
But by western European standards this is quite important, even if it is not unusual, it can happen once or twice a year.
Madrid has a reletively low snow falls (between 1 to 10 snowfall a year), this is as much as London, Dublin or Amsterdam.
http://www.alertes-meteo.com/cartes/nombre-de-jours-de-neige.php
In Europe it in the Atlantic and mediterranean costal areas (in white on the map) where the probability to have snow is the lower (from southern Ireland, cornwall, the whole Atlantic coast of France, Spain, Portugal; the mediterranean coasts of Spain, France, Italy and Greece. But even in these parts the probability to have snow does exists: Snow in french riviera can happen once every two or three years.
http://ishopforyou.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/nicesouslaneige.jpg
What I just wanted to say is that, even if the climate in southern Europe is generally not too cold in winter, it still isn't an "eternal summer" as some people from northern Europe might think. And southern Europe isn't only coastal areas; it is mainly plateaus, plains and montainous inlands (inlands in Italy or Greece have more snow days than the northern UK...)
but this is true that the levels of solar radiation are more intense the more you go south: http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/cmaps/eu_opt/pvgis_Europe-solar_opt_publication.png
" There's nothing European about Belarus, so it doesn't qualify"
Belarus is of course European, as well as Russia west of Ural (the most populated part of Russia is clearly the European part).
What those countries are not is "EU" and "western European"; but Europe is not the EU, and is not only west and central europe; but also eastern.
" I know that is totally ridiculous and unfeasible as it does not comply with the free movement back and forth of all EU nationals to and from other EU countries, but you know what I mean."
I think this is a huge limit of the EU. I used to be a strong EU supporter, but I now tend to think it more as a union of independant nations than one "supernation" as I used to do. I realized that If we consider than every European can live in every other country as in its own it will developp "globalish" culture (sort of globalized English-speaking culture as it is developping now in some areas of the mediterranean or Dordogne where a majority, or big minority of the population now happens to be northern Europeans that tend to live together in their own culture). If we don't come back in a sort of national conciousness inside each country the political entity in the EU, we could quickly loose what we like in Europe: the diversity of nations and cultures... If the EU continues to promote "global culture" and is not able to be more respectfull of the national identities it could let eurocepticism to largely develop itself, with the risk to destroy this beautiful European idea.
" Can you ever imagine it in reverse - people from Southern Europe settling in the UK and then refusing to learn English - they would find it virtually impossible to live their lives here if they did that, so why do you people over there tolerate it from the monoglot Brits? "
Because I you do not you are told to be rude or unfriendly. Or you are told (including by many francophones) that english is the international or common language of Europe. If you refuse that Anglophones use it in your own country you pass for being xenophobic.
" But there again I don't think that many Spanish, French, Italian or Greek people choose to retire to cloudy, rainy, crowded Little Britain do they?"
They would'nt go there for retirement; but certainly would go there for other reasons. As far I know there are some thousands of french living in London (at least there were before the crisis)
ps: "rainy Britain"; well western UK is very rainy; but it is not a northern vs southern Europe scheme really: Northern Spain and Portugal, the Alps, massif central have as much precipitations. Most of Italy have more precipitations than eastern UK. What is different is the regime of precipitations, while genrally spread in every season, they tend to be more restricted to winter/spring/fall in southern Europe.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/7747/eurprcyfz7.jpg
" All you can do is to either pretend you don't know a single word of English and, in the words of Arthur Marshall, give them very nasty looks, or short-change them in the stores and have a good night out on the proceeds."
This is what many exasperated locals do in France towards Anglophones; and it makes us pass for being rude and unfriendly... or xenophobic. Which is not the case for most of us;)
" However, all things considered, I had to choose London of the two....sorry "
No need to be sorry! ;) Everyone has its tastes! I think you like more London because you feel (logically) culturally at home in London... but not in Paris. I do the same, I like visiting London (or other cities in England or northern Europe) because of the exitement to discover our differences; but I could never feel in my "natural cultural environnement" there.
" a couple of hours or so later....la Gare du Nord! Voila!"
I've taken Eurostar the fist time last year... I liked it so much; it is almost like changing continent just after 3 hours train ride...
My sister and her husband have a timeshare investment in a property in a wee village called Mollina, which is about 70km to the north west of Malaga, in Andalucia - the most southerly region of Spain, about an hour's drive north of Gibraltar. The area is surrounded by hills, but the village itself is only about 250m above sea level.
My sister and her husband spent a weekend down there in mid February, about three or four years ago.....the village was blanketed in snow about 15cm deep, there was thick freezing fog restricting visiblity so they spent the entire weekend in the villa, the air temperature was hovering around zero C, and the journey back to Malaga airport on the way back to the UK was quite a hazardous one.
Madrid is right in the centre of the Spanish landmass, it has a fairly high elevation, and freezing temperatures in mid winter are fairly common there. The same applies to cities such as Milan, in Italy, where freezing fog all day is not unknown in winter, and given a northerly blast down from northern Europe, or a freezing cold east to north east airflow originating in the Russian steppes, even the Cote d'Azur in Southern France can have its timbers shivering.
Great Britain, like the rest of Europe, has suffered from extreme conditions in winter...extreme by British and European standards.
Between mid January and mid March 1947 the whole of Britain was buried under deep snow, snowdrifts reached about 10m in places, roads and railways were snowbound, there was a chronic fuel shortage and electricity blackouts were a regular occurrence and many rivers and lochs and lakes, and even the sea in some areas, were frozen over for two months.
Between 22 December 1962 and 06 March 1963 it was even colder.....most of the UK was deeply snow covered continuously between those dates, the cold was intense at times, massive snowdrifts isolated towns and villages, trains got stuck in the snow, rivers and lakes froze over, including parts of the upper Thames, ice floes became jammed together close to Tower Bridge in central London, and the sea at Margate, in Kent, froze over for about two miles out into the Thames estuary.
People were able to drive their cars across the river Dee in Chester, Cheshire, from one bank to another, and in Cambridge students were able to take a short cut to their colleges - not along the usual pathways through the backs or the parks, but by walking along the frozen River Cam.
The palm trees along the promenade in Torquay, on the coastal strip of South Devon commonly called the English Riviera due to its normally mild climate, were weighted down with snow, and the same thing happened to all the palm trees lining the sea shore at places like Nice, in the South of France, and the canals in Venice, Italy, froze over completely thus making all those gondolas useless, and down in Naples, still in Italia, tourists saw Naples - and almost froze to death in the process.
In the winter before Margaret Thatcher became Britain's very first female Prime Minister, much of Britain was again snowbound and ice bound for much of the time between Christmas 1978 and mid March 1979...intense cold at times again caused massive freeze-ups, and this plus all the snowstorms added to the misery of what was called The Winter of Discontent in the UK - prolonged strikes and industrial unrest which led to the fallk of the prevailing Labour Government and the election of the Conservatives led by Maggie, who sorted out the union millitants once and for all.
In mid December 1981 very intense cold and very heavy snowstorms again affected most of Britain, and one evening the Queen was being chauffeur driven back to London after visiting her son Charles, Prince of Wales, at his home in Gloucestershire, south west England. A very heavy snow blizzard was blowing, and eventually the car became stuck in snowdrifts as the very dry, powdery snow built up into huge drifts - in an isolated spot on a main road up in the Cotswold hills.
Fortunately there was a roadside inn about a couple of miles back along the road from where the car had become stuck, so the chauffeur had to leave the Queen sitting in the back of the car as he struggled and floundered through the snow back to this inn, which he entered and then asked the landlord if he had two vacant rooms available for two stranded people. Luckily the landlord say yes, two such rooms were vacant, so the chauffeur floundered his way back to the car which by this time was more like an igloo, and he and Her frozen Majesty floundered back to the inn through the drifting snow.
There was never, ever so astonished and gobsmacked a pub landlord in the whole of England as that landlord was on that bitterly cold snowy night up in the Cotswold Hills when he saw who his guest was to be for the night.
***"rainy Britain"; well western UK***
True...western and north western Britain does have very high rainfall statistics....some locations in the more mountainous regions receive over 5000mm of rain each year, while most eastern and southern eastern areas of the UK are surprisingly dry. London recieves less than half the rainfall of New York City every year, a third of the rainfall of some areas of the American Deep South and roughly the same annual rainfall as San Francisco. THe only difference here is that much smaller quantities of rain fall on a greater number of days throughout the year.
Here in Edinburgh we get an average of 670mm of rain per annum (according to my calculator that comes out at about 26 inches of the wet stuff).
I will always, always, always be a supporter of a United States of Europe, divided as we are culturally from one member State to another).
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