Oh, those fun-loving Swiss. We adore them for their ingenuity, their courage (even in the face of death-defying extreme sports), and most importantly, their determination that the party must go on even in the face of, well, disaster.

Sadly, we must report that the Slide Disaster Contest scheduled to take place on Eggli mountain in Gstaad this weekend has met its own disaster. Inclement weather means that there will be no spectacular and innovative descents made by daring inventors of original (and probably dangerous) sliding apparatuses. And worse yet, no winner, err…Master of Disaster.

Those heading to Eggli, well-designed “sliding objects” in tow, don’t fear: the after-disaster party on Saturday March 3rd will still happen.

The Swiss, you see, do not meet defeat lying down. Their contest may have met with disaster, but they will party on. And you, oh deflated Masters of Disaster, should too. So take your unused sliding object, make yourself an honorary Master of Disaster crown, and get thee to Gstaad on Saturday evening for the party. We guarantee it will still be filled with the daring and the crazy—and, to be sure, a disaster or two.

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photograph courtesy of MacAllenBrothers

Dear EuroCheapo,

Is it possible to reserve a double room for three people? There are three of us traveling to Paris in the spring. We’re friends and could easily share a double. Do you think anyone would notice or care if we snuck our third friend in?

– A.H., Columbia, MO

Ah yes, the old “sneak an extra person in” routine. Quite frankly, this strategy works much better at motels in Milwaukee than at pensions in Paris, where budget accommodations tend to be small, family run affairs.

Ethical answer: Don’t do it. You’re depriving hotel owners of the rates they’ve set—rates that every other guest is paying.

Practical answer: Don’t do it. Sneaking an extra person past the front desk and into your room will almost certainly be noticed. Most smaller hotels and pensions only have one entrance, and it’s right next to the front desk. Sneaky hijinks will be noticed, and will almost certainly be foiled. From our position as experienced travelers, it’s almost painful to consider what might happen.

Furthermore, most European hotel rooms are small. A double room does not necessarily mean two double beds, as it does at American roadside motels. It means, quite often, a small room with one double bed or two twins.

Our advice: Book a triple. You might also try asking the hotel if it would be possible to book a double room with an extra bed. If this is an option, it will typically involve the addition of a rollaway bed and should be cheaper than a triple.

Either way, you’ll sleep better.

Have a question for our editors? Email us!

Popularity: 22% [?]

photograph courtesy of Daugirdas

Today’s BreakingTravelNews.com reports that Ryanair’s continued pursuit of cheap flight domination has taken another large leap forward.

In the next two months, Ryanair will take possession of an additional 10 planes, planes that in turn will allow the airline to fly 50 new routes. Sweeeeeeet.

But what will this mean for you, fellow Cheapos? Look for expanded services (and ever better deals) from existing bases at Spain’s Barcelona Girona, the UK’s East Midlands and London Stansted, along with the launch of Ryanair’s second German base in Bremen. To which we can only say: Phantastisch!

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How would you like the coming spring this year? We are betting our noses for mild and sunny weather. And, as ever, we are also hoping for more eroticism.

Happily for us, the classy BA-CA Kunstforum in Vienna opens “Eros in Modern Art” tomorrow, March 1, 2007. The exhibition runs through July 22. “Eros” foregrounds the knotty and central theme in the arts: eroticism.

The show attempts to popularize a sense of eroticism that doesn’t revert exclusively to matters of sex and the body. The exhibition’s more expansive objective is—in the museum’s own words—to open up the field of eroticism to “the erotic sphere of temptation and union, of desire and longing, dream and the subconscious in a great variety of forms.” Gulp.

Expect an all-star cast of around 35 artists, from the late 19th century through the present. Visitors will find the works of Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, Paul Gauguin, Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Bettina Rheims, Auguste Rodin, and Egon Schiele included.

BA-CA Kunstforum is located at Freyung 8 in the First District. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on Fridays.) Adults are admitted for €8.70, with discounts available for students, seniors, children, and groups.

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photograph courtesy of Mor (bcnbits)

When we think of Amsterdam, romance is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. The city’s depiction in film has mostly been relegated to stories of Anne Frank, tales of horror (Hostel begins in A’dam, need we say more?) and movies detailing the, um, distinctive local merchandise (Cheech and Chong’s Still Smokin).

A more wistful, romantic side of Amsterdam is displayed in the 2002 Snapshots, a low-budget charmer starring Burt Reynolds as a owner of a ramshackle American bookstore right off one of Amsterdam’s more picturesque canals.

While the film occasionally stumbles into the Amsterdam cliché well, we’ve never seen a better looking stroll through the distinctive cobblestones and backalleys of this beautiful city. The film opens adrift upon a canal, passing houseboats on a typical gray Amsterdam morning. So vivid, so gorgeous.

In Snapshots narrative, a young backpacker (Carmen Chaplin) in search of a hostel has a rather eye-opening encounter in the tourist-filled red light district before taking employment at Burt’s shop. The bookseller soon realizes that he shares a unique connection to the girl’s past, whose mother (played by the always gorgeous Julie Christie) is also delightful.

One of the film’s endearing revelations occurs at the Rijksmuseum as the characters gaze at the beautiful Rembrandt classics and suddenly realize a potential romantic connection. Sure beats finding love at one of the “smoking” coffee shops.

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Last Saturday night the French anti-discrimination group SOS Racisme tested admission policies at nightclubs in five cities across France. Similarly dressed couples of North African, African, and European ethnic backgrounds approached bouncers at different clubs in Paris, Lyon, Angers, Toulouse, and Bordeaux.

The outcome: Paris’s best-known club earned itself some bad publicity.

In the other four cities neither racial profiling nor discrimination was reported, but non-white couples were systematically turned away from the famous Queen on the Champs-Elysées. It’s not the first time Queen has failed an SOS Racisme pop-quiz, and the organization is collecting evidence for a lawsuit.

In addition to its unfortunate entrance policies, Queen is way over-hyped. Two equally chic clubs in the area passed the test with no problems, so if you’re hungering for a splurgy evening with the jet-set scene on the Champs, check out Les Planches (40 rue du Colisée, 8th arrondissement) or the Mandala Ray (32 rue Marbeuf, also in the 8th.)

The Mandala Ray happens to be co-owned by Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, and John Malkovich.

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Many call Nafplio “the most charming city in Greece”— and for good reason. The Peloponnesian city boasts noticeable Venetian influences, recently renovated pedestrian streets, three formidable fortresses, and a charming seaside location. Together, these features create a city atmosphere unlike any other in Greece.

There are three main ways to get to Nafplio from Athens and most other parts of Greece: on a tour bus, in a rental car, and by train. We recommend the third option. From Athens, a round-trip ticket comes in under €10.

Besides being the least expensive and most environmentally-friendly travel option between Athens and Nafplio, the train offers a scenic, peaceful ride, not to mention requisite Grade A eavesdropping and people-watching opportunities.

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There once was a time when spending time in London as a tourist meant spending endless hours in Internet cafes. With the expansion of Wi-Fi zones throughout the city, this reality is quickly changing, with laptops increasingly counting as essential travel gear.

If you’re in Islington, Upper Street has free Wi-Fi access and a ton of cafes. Just stay away from Starbucks and Cafe Nero, as they charge. Get a tea for a quid and type away.

A stone’s throw from Leciester Square, Suburb in Soho does free Wi-Fi.

If outside of central London, you can find free Wi-Fi in a host of local cafes—in all Natural Cafes for example.

Wififreespot.com offers a small selection of places but our rule of thumb is that newer and forward-thinking hotel lobbies and cafes are golden. The latter happily give the stuff away to get customers, whilst the latter are keen to challenge Starbucks for patrons.

Warchalking has listings of several cafes and hotels. (We highly recommend the National Hotel.) My Hotspots apparently helps you find free Wi-Fi but we didn’t find it to be very useful. Rumors have it that the City (square mile) will soon go wireless but no doubt it won’t be free. University wireless access is also typically out of bound, as it usually requires a password.

No more 2 quid for 20 minutes of internet! Get a coffee or bowl of porridge and eat, type for hours and be merry.

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Question: In which EuroCheapo city is this fountain found?

photograph courtesy of Tom Meyers

Hint: It ain’t in Scandinavia.

Gratuitous question: How happy is this crew?

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photograph courtesy of Lida_Rose

If you want to catch Declan Donnellan’s new production of Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” with Britain’s Olivier-winning company Cheek By Jowl before it migrates to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in May, you can see it in Paris from March 7 through March 25, 2007 at Les Gemeaux.

The theatre is located in Sceaux, a suburb just south of Paris easily accessible by public transportation. To get there, take the RER B from Denfert Rochereau (direction Robinson, Saint-Remy or Massy Palaiseau) and get off at Bourg-La-Reine.

You can reserve tickets at BilletRédec.com, a fantastic resource for discounts on all sorts of cultural events from museums to the circus, especially good for last minute cultural purchases.

While we’re in a tip-dispensing mood, Cheapo theatre buffs can also check out half-price offerings for same-day performances at Le Kiosque Theatre. There’s a Kiosque at La Madeleine and another at Montparnasse by the main railway station. The theatres are open from noon until 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

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