Europa! 's letters from all over Europe

Friday, November 25, 2005

Europa! 's Podcast

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Darling, sweet darling!

Europa! is very modern woman, so now you can hear Europa! read her latest blog entry, or download it for your "petit pois".

Europa!'s First Podcast in glorious MP3

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

The Road Home

_Typical Swiss Village
View of a lovely Swiss village taken over shoulder of Europa!'s driver.

"Schatzie", darling!

Europa! wanted to share the voyage to her Swiss winter hideaway with you, but the batteries in her camera ran out. So, you will not see the fall colours which are blazing through the Swiss countryside. These photos show the road as Europa! saw it a few months ago. Imagine this same cold and cloudy sky, but with the trees aflame and the ground a carpet of fallen leaves. That is how the foothills to the Alps look now.

And for fun, Europa! will throw in a picture of Luzerne, only because it is so pretty since they rebuilt the medieval footbridge...
Luzerne, Jewel of Schweiz.
Photogenic Luzerne.

Ah, darling, it was such a pleasure to find Europa!'s chalet just as it had been left. Europa! had only to unpack, do a little dusting, and light a fire to dispel the slight damp. Then, Europa! warmed some wine with mulling spices and enjoyed a glass before the fireplace. Tomorrow, Europa!'s scarves and sweaters all have to be sorted, and she will go looking for the perfect Christmas tree. It is never too early to pick one out, as the woodland hunt is much easier when there is less snow. However, Europa! does not like to cut it down before mid-December. In fact, Europa! does not like to cut it down at all, as this requires physical effort. Therefore, she hires a local man. Europa! prefers a handsome local man, and the hunt for the right man also takes some time. This selection process is also easier when there is less snow, so as you can imagine, Europa! is going to be very busy.

But, darling, you know how Europa! loves to be comfortable in the winter, and the selection of just the right handsome, handy man is crucial to her enjoyment of the season. Don't you remember how unhappy Europa! was in the winter of 2002? Ach, just say "yes", darling, and we will never speak of it again... So, wish Europa! luck, dearest sweet, and Europa! wishes you all the best in return.

Ciao! 8-D
Europa!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Creepy Crawley

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Europa! in B.A.'s 'Club Europe'
Europa! lounges in the Club Class named for her.

Darling!

Europa! had small setback on her way to her winter abode in the Alps... Her connecting flight out of Gatwick airport was delayed. So, always curious about small English towns, Europa! decided to sneak out of the airport and to visit the nearby village of Crawley. Come see...

Crawley is a small town which owes its existence to London's secondary airport, Gatwick. It is loaded with English character, which makes the town very boring. Luckily, there is a very large complex of shops in the town center. Unluckily, the pubs did not open early enough for Europa! to take the edge off...
Europa! outside closed pub.
Europa! is stone cold sober... Oh, la-la!!

Luckily, the town of Crawley seems to be making an effort to conserve its character, probably in the hopes that it can bore future generations. This makes for lovely picture-taking, darling, so just take a moment to enjoy these shots...
Punch Bowl Pub, Crawley
A gorgeous, closed pub. Darling, is there a sadder sight in the world?


Is this a gallows?
Crawley provides a gallows for the convenience of particularly bored residents.


Europa! appreciates the roadside art in Crawley. Bravo!
Europa! appreciates the roadside art in Crawley. Bravo!
Europa! appreciates the roadside art in Crawley. Bravo!

So, darling, after this small layover, Europa! jumped on to a jet and headed for Switzerland. Europa! is, as always, wintering in her cozy chalet in the Alps. But Europa! will not forget you, darling. From time to time, she will post a little something... news, advice or a recipe. So, until tourist season begins again, Europa! says...

Ciao! 8-D
Europa!

Monday, November 07, 2005

What a Riot!

Europa!
Europa! makes a 'faux pas?' "Non, il ne faut pas"!

Darling,

Europa! is having now a bit of a headache. It seems that almost every time Europa! visits someplace, there is some kind of trouble... Floodings in Switzerland, bombings in London, and now, riots in Paris...

And, Europa! feels a little badly, because she mentioned the group responsible for the riots in her last blog. And now, they are rioting, saying "they do not feel accepted".

So, Europa! has something to say. First of all, when Europa! said that it is inevitable to smell a few armpits in Paris, Europa! was not referring to all the immigrants from the North African colonies... only the newest ones, among whom are some who sweat and who do not wash. Also, persons of all kinds who "ménage" water have sweaty pits, and other peculiar body smells. Besides, darling, rioting causes one to sweat more, so is it really a solution to the problem?

"Allons, allons", rioters of France, look at Europa!'s situation. Europa! is a stranger wherever she goes. Having chosen to become a citizen of the world, she is at home everywhere and nowhere. This was Europa!'s choice. But you do not see Europa! setting fire to cars. That is such hateful, wasted effort. And how can you accuse the people of a country of being hateful to you when you are so much more hateful in return? And how do you know that you haven't hurt people who thought well of you and were willing to give you an equal chance? By hurting your country, you only hurt yourselves.

Let me tell you what Europa! has learned about bigots... This is the distillation of all Europa!'s wisdom, and it may be a life-changing moment for you, so you may want to get yourself a tasty drink, a coffee, or a nice chocolate treat... Go ahead, Europa! will wait...

You're back? Good. Here it is... The truth about bigots is that they are a very small "minorité". But, they are very loud, and they repeat their bigoted views at every possible "opportunité", so you end up believing them to be everywhere. This is an illusion, and you must not let it ruin your life. If you have ears only for the bigots, you will not hear the many loving people, and you will become a bigot yourself. When you are this bigot, your mouth will spout forth your bigotry, and you will convert other loving people to their own brand of bigotry. It becomes a movement, with everyone going in different directions according to whichever group they choose. And, when the violence comes in, you have a real problem. Gone is the "possibilité" of discussion, of real, positive change. So, the rioters convince themselves that they have "une cause", when really, they are only bigots caught in the movement. And, their bigotry turns away the opinion of the loving people, and before you know it, Le Pen is "le Président". This is how dangerous "minorités" win elections.

Europa! speaks from experience, darling... No one can resist Europa! because Europa! makes herself irresistible, and she invites you to do the same. The way Europa! gains acceptance is by being bigger than her problems. No one can resist charm, nor education, nor humour, nor strength. Also, Europa! is always looking for a way to contribute. No one can resist being contributed to, it goes against human nature. But if you do not contribute, why should anyone give to you?

So, darling, find and cultivate your allies. If you live in a neighbourhood which is predominately one race, move. Mix. Love. Love more. Work. Be smart. Argue for the good. Think of someone else for a change. Take a risk. Trust Europa! you will find yourself loving your self and your life.

Darling, remember, no one can make less of a human of you but you. Always it is NOW, and now is always the time to choose who you are.

If that last sentence made you dizzy, sit down, have sip of your drink. You see? Europa! thinks of everything.

Bisoux, Darling,

Ciao! 8-D
Europa!