Historic bricks, Greek wine, and rare birds— making the most of continental living

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first edition of The European , International Living's newest e-letter of insights into Europe, covering travel, news, lifestyle, and property. We believe that life is better here, and hope to make you dream of new places in the "Old World." We'll be venturing off the beaten track as well as showing you hidden corners of the more well-trodden regions, and we aim to provide the latest facts and information about living here.

But before I go any further, let me introduce myself. My name is Leigh Fergus, and I am delighted to be the editor of this new publication. What are my credentials? Well, I'm English, but I've lived and worked in the Paris region for more than 15 years, speak French fluently, am mastering Italian gestures, and my parents now live in Portugal. I feel that I therefore qualify as an honorary European.

Europe has appealed to me ever since I can remember: From a young age I was attracted to the sophistication of the cakes that came from what we used to call "the Continent", and, since sinking my teeth into that first stickily delicious apfelstrudel, I've been hooked on Europe and haven't looked back.

Of course, it isn't always gourmet cuisine and fine wines. If you live here you'll see that banks operate differently, the sun doesn't always shine in Tuscany, and the snow isn't always pristine in Gstaad. But forewarned is forearmed. My team of trusty reporters will be sending you informative articles to help you make the most of continental living, giving you the low-down on the high-life here.

In this, our first issue, the inimitable Steenie Harvey takes us to Malta in search of falcons, and we follow Master Sommelier John Szabo to the Peloponnese in Greece for a drop of Nemea's best reds. David Block gives us a crash course in Croatia, via Zagreb, and you can read my own report on the ancient town of Albi in France's southwest and find out why it wasn't always so laid-back.

I enjoyed putting together this first offering—and I hope it gives you pleasure, too.

Ciao!

Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European

P.S. If you're looking for property in Europe, contact our Europe Consultant, Maria Savage, at msavage@internationalliving.com . Maria's based in our Paris office, but covers all of this fascinating region, and will be delighted to assist you.

P.P.S. For more news and views about Europe, keep an eye on our Europe website at
www.internationalliving.com/europe

Further Reading:

Your Own Second Home in Europe
Your own home in Europe ...for $55,000... or less!
Seeking a fresh start...a new adventure...in Europe? It's hard to think of any other corner of the planet with so many stunningly beautiful...
More on "Your Own Second Home in Europe"

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Malta: plenty of knights but few falcons

by Steenie Harvey

Remember how that classic Hollywood movie, The Maltese Falcon , begins? "In 1539, the Knights Templar of Malta paid tribute to Charles V of Spain by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels... but pirates seized the galley carrying this priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day."

Serving the poor Oddly enough, the island refuses to cash in on this famous fantasy. In Malta's capital, Valletta, souvenir shops seem curiously lacking in birds of prey in any shape or form. Admittedly, the links to the 1941 movie starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade are tenuous. For a start, the Knights' nominal "rent" for staying on the island was two live falcons—not a bejeweled ornament. And they weren't Knights Templar. Rather, they belonged to the Hospitalier Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Mostly wealthy European aristocrats, their mission was to serve the poor and defend the Catholic faith.
Enthusiastic warriors when it came to smiting Turks and pirates, they also founded hospitals and tended to the sick of any race or religion. Even the Grand Master took his turn at ward duty. Their main hospital in Valletta was the Sacra Infermeria—which now houses an audiovisual show called The Malta Experience.

History brought to life
Not that you need to visit it—Valletta itself is history brought to life. Surrounding the city are ancient bastion walls of golden stone once defended by the Knights. Deep in its streets are the auberges (lodges) where they lived, the gardens where they relaxed... and the church where they were buried.

St. John's Cathedral stands as a glorious tribute to the Knights' wealth and power. Its floor is entirely covered over by slabs of colored marble, each one a pictorial memento mori to the Knight who lies below. Many feature skulls and cherubs, battle weapons, and heraldic symbols.

Even if you don't know your Rembrandts from your Renoirs, don't miss the stunning Caravaggio painting of The Beheading of John the Baptist displayed in the oratory, just outside the Cathedral Museum. The renowned Italian painter became a Knight himself, but not for long. After just two months' membership in the Order, he was imprisoned in Fort St. Angelo for committing murder.

P.S. Everybody on both Malta and Gozo speaks English—the islands were British colonies until 1964. However local people do converse in Malti among themselves. Curiously, this Semitic language is peppered with English phrases. To foreign ears, it sounds like an incomprehensible babble—until you hear oddities such as "eight-foot-long" and "at half past two" inserted into the conversation

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Wine Touring in the Peloponnese
by John Szabo, Master Sommelier

The Greek spirit of kerasma —sharing gifts of food and drink with strangers—is alive and well in the heart of the ancient world, Nemea, on the Peloponnese isthmus. The wine producers are eager to share the remarkable wines that have emerged in the last decade, offering virtually unparalleled diversity and originality, coupled with the killer combination of quality and value.

-----For More -----
Want to find the best meal in Greece to go along with these newly uncovered wines? Find out where to get the best meal no matter where you are in the world, from our experts who have tasted the goods…Click here to read how to make regional cuisine the most memorable part of your trip!
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Nemea is a leisurely one-and-a-half-hour drive from Athens along a modern highway. The scenery is timeless: pine and cypress trees dot the skyline of the gently undulating landscape, punctuating neatly tended rows of vines and vast, sweeping olive groves.

The best is yet to come
Gaia Wines (pronounced 'yea – ah';) is a joint venture between Leon Karatsalos and Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. Their search for a great red wine terroir led them here in 1997 to the commune of Koutsi. The superb Gaia Estate Nemea, produced from old vineyards at the ideal altitude of around 1,800 feet, reveals the deft touch of Yiannis' genius. “We are where Tuscany was with Chianti 20 years ago,” he says, certain that the best is yet to come. When they purchased the vineyards, their first move was to prune the vines to yield much lower amounts of fruit. The locals thought the pair was crazy. Yiannis remembers one local winegrower who even approached them to warn that low-yielding Agiorgitiko would produce "nearly black, tannic wine: far too concentrated." Yiannis and Leon knew then they had chosen the right place.

The "Greek Chardonnay"
Stylistically different but equally compelling are the wines of veteran Thanassis Papaioannou. The strength of this winery lies in its parcels of organically-farmed vineyards, the crowning jewel of which is a small plot of ancient 70-year-old Agiorgitiko vines from which the outstanding Mikroklima Nemea is produced, a dense wine with great ageing potential. Several of the indigenous-international variety blends reveal modern styling, such as the highly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc-Malagousia white blend, and the Sauvignon-Roditis, a grape which George calls the 'Greek Chardonnay.'

George Skouras' new winery sits on the edge of the Nemea appellation. Chardonnay and Viognier are produced here alongside the native Moschofilero and Roditis, Cabernet and Merlot crafted alongside St. George. These are clean, fruity wines, and generally excellent value. His top wine is the ambitiously named Megas Oinos ('Great Wine'), a blend of mostly St. George with some Cabernet Sauvignon. Whatever your preference, the winery promises to be a Mecca for wine tourists, with an impressive modern facility complete with tasting rooms overlooking the vineyards and a demonstration kitchen for megas meals.

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A Crash Course in Zagreb
by David Block

Zagreb is often a bolt-on tour for visitors to Dubrovnik, its coastal cousin. This is a shame—although Zagreb is less immediately photogenic, the city by no means lacks charm, and is easy to get around.

Much of Zagreb is described as "K und K," meaning Kaiser and Koenig, from its Austro-Hungarian empire days. Mix in some Napoleonic, Viennese, Turkish, Hungarian, and a dash of Italian influence and you have an idea of the ingredients that make up Zagreb's vibrant atmosphere.

Three in one
Geographically, Zagreb is divided into three: Gornji grad (upper town), Donji grad (lower town), and Novi Zagreb, this latter glowering with large, square, uninspiring buildings. The thousand-year-old Gornji grad is a medley of gas-lit cobbled streets linking the Presidential Palace, the resplendent church of St. Mark's, the Croatian parliament, and almost door-to-door museums catering to an astonishing breadth of tastes. The 19th-century Donji grad is the most vibrant area, where the garrulous Zagrebcani (Zagreb inhabitants) stroll, eat, shop, enjoy the theaters and parks, and debate the issues of the day over strong coffee in bustling outdoor bars. The colorful Dolac flower and vegetable market is here, too. And, if you like the sound of cevapcici meatballs, with crusty bread, onions, and aubergine relish, they're in abundance on the menus of surrounding cafes.

Top dining
Otherwise, for top dining, head for the legendary Baltazar restaurant, where the cordial chef, Tomislav Spicek, a TV personality, presides: The Croatian prime minister's favorite dish is said to be Tomislav's Bream in Parcel. If it's edible souvenirs you're after, stop off at Natura Croatica which sells a multitude of Croatian delicacies, including aromatic wines, honeys, Pag sheep cheese, 80 varieties of rakija brandy, 30 liquors, and olive oil from Vela Luka—flavored with truffles or rosemary—as well as extra virgin olive oil soap and handmade objects. Their fine wines include Plavac Mali and Prosek, a sweet dessert wine.

At night, many cafés turn into pubs offering pop, country, and 'turbo-folk.' Gypsy music abounds compliments of Zagreb's many home-bred and Hungarian gypsies. The BP Jazz Club (www.bpclub.hr ) is a popular nightspot as is the Skola lounge bar, designed in icy white with cool music and imaginative cocktails such as gold-laced champagne.

P.S. User-friendly public services are augmented by an efficient taxi service. Dial 970—they strive to turn up within three minutes.

Further Reading:

CROATIA: THE OWNER’S MANUAL : With more coastline than nearly any other European country, Croatia hides some of the most exquisite real estate in Europe—at some of the lowest prices. A powerful trend is under way…don’t miss out!
Order your copy today, Call 1-888-884-7755.

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Albi—historic bricks for heretics
by Leigh Fergus

The soaring spire of Albi's cathedral must have been even more imposing 700 years ago than it is today. Although we are now so used to highrises that they rarely merit a second glance, the spiritual center of this town in the Tarn, in France's southwest, still stands up proudly against the blue sky.

The 13th-century Sainte Cécile is not one of the most popular cathedrals in France for nothing. The bell tower is more than 255 feet high and its defensive architecture belies a sumptuously decorated interior. Behind the smooth outer walls you can discover a number of treasures, including the forbidding representation of the Last Judgment, with heaven on one side of the aisle, and a grim reminder of what awaited those who didn't fall into line on the other.

"Kill them all—
God will know his own." This reminder would have been all the more vivid considering what had happened earlier in the 13th century. Albi was at the center of the Cathar, or Albigensian, movement, the most successful heresy of the Middle Ages. The Cathars opposed the corruption of the Roman church, respected women, and preached tolerance, non-violence, as well as direct prayer without a hierarchy of priests. The Cathars were eventually crushed in a ruthless and bloody repression led by the crusaders. Even Catholics were killed in the frenzied purge that followed, inspiring the Pope's legate Arnaud Amaury, in the sack of nearby Béziers, to declare: 'Kill them all—God will know his own.' All that is left today of this peaceful sect is the name, Albi.

The bad boy of the Art Nouveau world
But whatever your faith, there are other reasons to visit Albi. The bad boy of the Art Nouveau world, the absinthe-loving Toulouse-Lautrec, was born (and died) here, and is remembered with a museum in the old Episcopal palace, the Palais de la Berbie, housing a vast collection of his works. The river Tarn also vies for your attention, with cruises in a traditional flat-bottomed barge or gabarre, and views from the ancient 11th-century bridge, or Pont-Vieux, which witnessed the flourishing river trade until the late 18th century.

Attractive prices
Otherwise, simply strolling through the cobbled streets will bring you to medieval and Renaissance quarters, still very much part of the urban fabric today. A pleasant town with many pedestrian areas, Albi is also the administrative capital of the Tarn province, and despite its proximity to the real estate boom in Toulouse, prices here remain attractive.

An 18th-century, eight-bedroom mill house with two lakes, on almost 8 acres of land, can be had for 505,000 euro ($642,000). A light downtown apartment of 420 square feet was spotted for 61,000 euro ($78,000), while a 850-square-foot, three-bedroom town apartment in a well maintained building was on offer for 155,000 euro ($197,000).

And, if you tire of the typical bricks of 'the red town,' as the old quarter is known, the surrounding area—made up of unspoiled farmland and countryside, rolling hills, and clear brooks—is well worth a visit.

P.S. Visit the Albi website, with an English version, at: www.albi-tourisme.com/us

Real estate contacts:
-21 Century, 23 boulevard de Strasbourg, 81000 Albi
tel: +33 (0)56338-2382 ;
website: www.blanc-immobilier.com
-ASF Immobilier, 1 Place de la Trébaille, 81000 Albi
tel: +33 (0)56349-4949;
website: www.asf-immobilier.fr

Further Reading: You’re dreaming of a move to France…strolls along the Seine…lazy days on the Côte d’Azur…skiing in the Alps. There’s just one detail between you and your dream: a bureaucratic mountain of visa, job, money, and health issues. Fear not. We’ve found an expat veteran (with some expat veteran friends) who’s been through it all, and is now willing to help you through the process…shepherd you past the pitfalls…and show you the shortcuts. Read more here...

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