Photo by kcjazzswing2

We chanced upon this article in Der Spiegel about plans to create a train alliance between the national train systems of Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK’s Eurostar.

The partnership—internally known as Railteam—will offer frequent rider points and also integrate various national high-speed rail line routes.

The goal is to compete with low-cost carriers, and since we always prefer rail travel to air travel, we’re on board. But the question remains: can train fares be brought into the same pricing category as low-cost air fares?

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Photo by CELL0

As you might expect from the nation that invented Pilsner-style brews, Czechs drink an enormous amount of beer. Year in and year out, they stay neck and neck with Ireland, Belgium and Germany for most liters of beer drunk per capita in the world. It does a small nation proud.

What’s the flip side to this statistic? A recent study by the European Association for the Study of Obesity revealed—surprise—that Czech men are, on average, the second fattest in Europe, only surpassed by the Germans. According to the study, 73% of Czech men are either overweight or obese.

One solution: Ask for a malé pivo (small beer) the next time you’re out on the town in the Czech Republic.

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Photo by hansspeekenbrink

Eurovision, the brilliantly silly Europe-wide music competition that quickens our collective pulse, is less than three weeks away. Since we regard Eurovision to be possibly the most culturally significant event of the entire year, we are naturally more than a touch excited.

We’ve been busy reviewing the entries and coming up with our own favorites. Among these:

1. “On Top of the World” by Dutch repeat entrant Edsilia Rombley (see above.)

2. “Work Your Magic” by Belarussian hopeful Dmitry Koldun.

3. “My Story” by Georgia’s first-ever representative, Sopho Khalvashi.

4. “Comme Ci, Comme Ça” by Cypriot act Evridiki.

5. “Song #1″ by Russian girl group Serebro.

6. “Flying the Flag” by UK camp masters Scooch.

7. “Ven a Bailar Conmigo” by Norway’s Guri Schanke.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to attend Eurovision this year. As consolation, we’ve been reading the utterly entertaining Schlagerblog, which is an extended ode both to Eurovision and the largely (but not exclusively) Swedish brand of ultrapop known as Schlager. For a couple of British dudes, the boys behind Schlagerblog know an awful lot about Scandinavian pop. Our flag flies high for them.

Eurovision will be held on May 10 and 12 in Helsinki.

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While it suffers from soul-less 1960s council estates and nu rave—among many other aesthetic mistakes—there is no question that London has style.

Regent Street was once and is again the center of London’s frenzied fashion grab. And right now, there’s a brilliant exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery on Regent Street’s fashion heritage. The best bit is it’ll cost you less than an Orange Mocha Frappuccino to get in. At £2.50 for adults and £1 concessions, it’s a snip.

Through June 30, 2007, check out A Mile of Style at The Guildhall Art Gallery (Guildhall Yard off Gresham Street), London EC2P 2EJ.

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Photo by Emmanuel Smague

Adventurous Cheapos who love rail travel will find the fledgling projects of Russian State Railways very exciting.

Most ambitious is the newly-announced plan to build a tunnel underneath the Bering Strait to connect Russia with Alaska. If constructed, the rail tunnel will be the longest in the world, at 100 km.

The second glamorous plan of RDZ is to extend the four-day journey from Berlin to Novosibirsk train journey on to Irkutsk, the town nearest Lake Baikal. This projected journey will eventually take five days to complete.

As rail travel in Russia is still good-value, Cheapos may soon find themselves able to cross most of Europe and onwards to one of the jewels of Asia for the price of a low-cost air journey.

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Photo by Umbar

Bring your laptop to Paris this summer and set yourself up in a park.

The city is preparing to roll out 400 free Wi-Fi hotspots. It’s all part of an ambitious plan called “Paris Ville Numerique” which aims to make Paris one of the world’s most connected cities. The aim is to foster a more nomadic lifestyle in public places like parks, gardens, and public libraries.

Each hotspot should be able to sustain 30 users simultaneously. A detailed map of all the access points—which will include 63 public libraries, 200 public gardens and 40 district offices of the city hall—is available at the city’s Web site.

The ultimate goal of Bertrand Delanoe, the Socialist mayor, is city-wide coverage by the end of 2007. There are additional plans to improve street furniture, notably in the university district in the 13th arrondissement, to make laptop users more comfortable.

For the moment, many Paris cafes offer Wi-Fi, but you often have to pay by the hour. One of our favourite places for free and reliable wireless access is Columbus Cafe, a Starbucks-style chain which has two non-smoking locations at 81 rue St-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement (Metro: Rue du Bac) and 25 rue Vieille-du-Temple in the 4th arrondissement (Metro Saint-Paul).

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Photo by brooklyn_museum

OK, so his work can be a bit much to take in.

Nonetheless, Ron Mueck’s otherworldly sculptures are a current hot property. Mueck is a former puppeteer from Down Under who has worked with Muppets and Fraggles before creating eerily real figures that also happen to be ridiculously big. His work is on display this spring at Malaga’s Center for Contemporary Art.

Featuring the piece A Girl alongside videos, photos and texts detailing the creation of the 25 ft. long newborn, the exhibit will be open through the month of June.

An added bonus? The exhibition is free.

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Oh, la, la… Yesterday saw the publication of the New York Times travel section’s annual “Affordable Europe” edition. Our favorite pieces:

Paris Chic, on the Cheap
Elaine Siolino offers 12 suggestions for “romantic and inexpensive hotels in Paris.” Romantic, yes. Inexpensive? Well, we all have different definitions of “cheap.” Most of these are in the €120-€140 range. Congrats to one of our faves, Hotel de Nice, for making the list.

Budget Hotel Chain Packs a Lot Into a Small Space
Qbic, a 75-foot self-contained bedroom “pod,” could be the next accommodation craze to sweep Europe. At €39 a night, we’re interested.

Adventures in Low-Cost Travel
Matt Gross, the Times’ “Frugal Traveler,” jets around Europe on all of our faves—from Air Berlin to WizzAir.

Who Needs Venice When Zagreb (or Bruges…) Beckons?
Gisela Williams suggests four “second-tier cities” as alternatives to much more expensive tourist mainstays like Paris and London. Included: Valencia (in lieu of Barcelona), Naples (replacing Rome), Zagreb (instead of Vienna), and Bruges (the Amsterdam of Flanders.)

As Hotel Prices Rise, a Villa May be a Bargain
The “Practical Traveler” column presents the economic benefits of renting a villa instead of a hotel room. Among the tips: book independently; stay away from Tuscany; and travel off-season.

On a Budget in London? Think Small
London gets pricier with every passing day. Jane Perlez offers six suggestions for eating affordably—focusing on restaurants that offer tapas and small “grazing” menus. We were psyched to see one of our favorites on the list, namely the delectable dungeon also known as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese!

In the Eternal City, Priceless Art for No Price at All
A compendium of Roman art galleries, museums, and churches where masterpieces (and some contemporary work) are on display for free.

36 Hours: Dublin
A day and a half of pints, lit history, and more pints.

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Photo by Gabó

Saying hello and goodbye is not an easy business to learn in Hungary. Doing so in a way that will be judged a cultural success depends on how well you know the person you’re greeting, how old they are, and their gender!

In families, among work colleagues and friends, and with children, use szia (sounds like see ya.) With everyone else, use jó napot kivánok (translation: I wish you a good day.)

If you are a man you will be safe using csókolom (chokolom), which means literally “I kiss your hand” with any woman you don’t know over the age of 17. Before the Second World War you would actually kiss her hand, and even click your heels too. Women can only use csókolom with rather doddering old people. Ladies, be careful!

When saying goodbye you can bizarrely re-use szia and csókolom, or– even more strange– say hello (to friends only). On the telephone, however, hallo means hello. A formal goodbye in person is viszontlátásra (which means “until I see you again”), but on the telephone you use viszonthallásra (”until I hear you again.”)

Finally, get the number, direction, and recipient of your kisses right. Women kiss women and men kiss women upon greeting and when saying goodbye. Plant two kisses gently on the cheeks, moving from left to right.

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Ever since we saw An Inconvenient Truth we’ve been feeling a little environment-obsessed. So in honor of Earth Day yesterday, we’ve made a little to-do green list.

1. Upbraid socially irresponsible family members for their refusal to recycle. Check.

2. Support the Carbon Fund for Europe, which is partnering with the European Investment Bank to buy carbon credits for environmental projects in underdeveloped nations.

3. Offset carbon. See our previous post about carbon dioxide offsetting programs, or check out this Web site.

4. Ride Eurostar. They’ve just announced plans that by 2012 they will reduce emissions by 25 percent per passenger.

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