. . . PAT H S A R E M A D E B Y WA L K I N G
The new old Europe Historical symbols and monuments and the immortal bohème co-exist with the chicest neighbourhoods and the latest trends. LA NUEVA VIEJA EUROPA. Monumentos y símbolos históricos y la inmortal bohème conviven con los barrios más chic y las últimas tendencias. DAS NEUE ALTE EUROPA. Historische Schauplätze und Symbole und die unsterbliche Bohème-Kultur leben in trauter Gemeinschaft mit den angesagtesten Vierteln.
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France, in Paris, Montmartre is the jewel in the crown of European bohemia, and contrasts with the city’s more cosmopolitan area, Les Marais, where the aristocracy mingle with the gay-friendly zone. If you ride the Prater ferris wheel in Vienna, you will have a clear view of Leopoldstadt, the former Jewish quarter, now modernised by its atmospheric bars and restaurants that are trending the world over. In Italy, although Rome has an abundance of wonders to see and visit, the city would not be the same without Trastevere, with its narrow streets and medieval layout, which begin at the Church of Santa María. The same is true of Venice and the little San Polo. This neighbourhood, which huddles around the Rialto Bridge, the oldest that spans the Grand Canal, is very famous for its market. Further north, in English-speaking countries, every year the Old Town hosts the Edinburgh Festival, which is held amongst its narrow cobbled streets, called Closes, which also has painted roofs, vaults and underground passages around the Royal Mile. In Ireland, there is no better place to try beers than in the Temple Bar area in Dublin, whilst you enjoy good live music. Covent Garden, in London, with its market and its street attractions, is another place well worth immortalising oneself in.
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n un viaje soñado en el que atravesáramos toda Europa, de Atenas hasta Edimburgo, podríamos empezar haciendo parada en Varsovia, una ciudad arrasada durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y cuya recuperación le ha otorgado el título de Patrimonio de la Humanidad. Aquella “ciudad vieja”, llamada Stare Miasto, cuenta ahora con cafés, galerías de arte y mercados llenos de vida y encanto. Berlín es otro claro ejemplo de las heridas de guerra. Uno de sus barrios de la parte oriental, Prenzelberg, acogió a los jóvenes más punkies antes y después de la caída del muro, chicos y chicas que querían escapar de la opresión. Convertidos hoy en padres y madres de familia, pasean con sus carritos entre mercadillos biológicos y participan en el mítico karaoke de la plaza los domingos. Un referente hipster es Södermalm, en Estocolmo, una de las 14 islas de la capital sueca, donde llaman la aten-
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Plaka
n an imaginary trip in which we traverse the whole of Europe from Athens to Edinburgh, we could start by stopping off in Warsaw, a city devastated in World War Two, the recovery of which has earned it the title of World Heritage Site. This “old town”, called Stare Miasto, now has cafés, art galleries and markets full of life and charm. Berlin is another clear example of the ravishes of war. One of its neighbourhoods in the eastern part, Prenzelberg, was home to the more punkie youth after the wall came down, boys and girls who wanted to escape repression. Now mothers and fathers themselves, they wander through ecological markets with their strollers and take part in the legendary Sunday karaoke in the park. One hipster icon is Södermalm, in Stockholm, one of the 14 islands in the Swedish capital, where the beards and personalized bikes draw one’s attention amidst red houses, vintage stores and modern cafés. Continuing with colourist houses, the picture-postcard shot has to be taken in Nyhavn, Copenhagen, amongst canals, sailing boats and thousands of bicycles. But for bicycles and canals galore, Jordaan, in Amsterdam, is the music district residents and tourists move around in on two wheels in front of Anne Frank’s house. Plaka, at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens, is also known as the Neighbourhood of the Gods. Its tangle of narrow streets is full of shop window packed with copies of Greek sculptures and matis, of Turkish origin, to ward off the evil eye. Over three centuries of Turkish rule has left other relics, in the city’s architecture, like the Turkish baths or the Tzistarakis mosque, amongst small buildings full of flowers. Façades with their fading paintwork and slopes that are certain to get rid of anyone’s hiccups dominate Alfama in Lisbon, an area that exudes the essence of the lifestyle of its former fishermen residents, as well as having been the authentic cradle of fado. The neighbourhood of the tradesmen of Petite France on Strasbourg’s Grande Île is like something out of a fairy tale, with its romantic wooden houses from the Middle Ages and Alsatian roots. A visit to its wine and beer taverns - winstubs and biertubs - is worthwhile. Without leaving
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