by tim anderson

On pretty much any hot and sunny day in Copenhagen (in fact, it doesn't really need to be that hot, just sunny), at certain hours of the day you'll find queues like it was a supermarket twenty-five years ago in Eastern Europe suffering a food shortage.

Alas, it's not a shortage of food that drives the crowds toward Paradis in Copenhagen, rather it's a shortage of comparably tasty ice cream to be found anywhere else in the city. Italian style ice cream. Really f#%*ing tasty ice cream.

How good would I say Paradis ice cream is?

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tracy b.currently reports from Ischia 

As the cool has settled in and the summer's sweaty nights are long gone, my affection for wine has left white and turned as red as the leaves on the vines. My cravings for fish having been well-satisfied with the abundance of the sea on the table here in Southern Italy, I now have "voglia di carne" (lit trans: I have want of meat).

This is a seasonal adaptation for me as I am loyal to all colors in the wine spectrum. My first consideration when choosing a wine is what is on my plate, and sometimes what is on my plate may be determined by whether I have mood for bianco or rosso.

But these winter months for me mean that my house is often filled the scent of a slow stew, and my bones need to be warmed by red wine.

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by jnoelbell

It's that time of year again, when we drag out and dust off all the old resolutions - you know, the ones you made 365 days ago, with all the best of intentions?

If you're like most people, those resolutions fall into one of the top two categories: quitting smoking or losing weight. Living in London is unhealthy enough - why not take advantage of some resources to help you be fag-free and fitter for the coming year? Here are some ideas:

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by jnoelbell 

If you're in the market for a more ethical way to part with your pounds, here are a few ideas to help you feel better about buying into the seasonal spending spree.

Why not invest in a Wedge Card? Their motto is "Think local. Shop local." For just £20 you get the satisfaction of knowing you're supporting local businesses, yet the bonus of a whole range of discounts and special offers that sweeten the deal. Each card is good for a year, and with an ever-growing network of shops and services from all over London, it's a gift that keeps on giving.

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by jnoelbell

It's a well worn cliché, but there really is something magical which settles over London at the holidays. During the rest of the year, the urban qualities of a large city are characteristics you either love or hate: the throngs of cityfolk, the non-stop lifestyle, the concrete buildings, the public transportation, the touristy attractions. No matter how much you love city living, it's bound to drive you mad from time to time. So as the end of the year approaches, it becomes all too easy to spend your commute cocooned in your iPod, or walk to your destinations with head down and shoulders squared against the world.

As the daylight gets shorter and the damp fog of autumn descends over both city and dwellers, it can get downright dreary. But it doesn't have to be this way...

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by sabine behrman 

December in Denmark a time of endless celebration - and therefore of hangovers, too. One of the reasons for all these parties is the monochronic approach to time, typical for these parts of Europe.

The Danes call them "Christmas lunches" - they usually take place in the evening, and food and drink are very important here, just as tradition. The pickled herring as much as the beer and the aquavit...

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Dancers wanted - across Europe. If dance is your thing, you may want to check out Nike's Dance to LA competition. The rules are pretty straightforward: film yourself dancing, upload your video on the NikeWomen site, win a trip to LA. Curious? Check out the site or click on the picture above to watch a video.

Not a dancer? Not a problem: Contribute by casting your vote. Voting opens August 17. Until then practice your moves or hone your judging skills.

by katie lips

Amsterdam may not seem like a city by the sea, sure there's plenty of water in the canals but many visitors never make it as far as the beach; surprising as they're really no that far away.  If you can't make the half hour train journey to Zandvoort for example, head over to one of Amsterdam's new city beaches. It seems Amsterdammers have a sensible approach to relaxing on the beach; "if there's not one nearby, make a new one" and "a beach = a party".

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by julie galante

Becoming a legal resident in a foreign country is often about as fun as, say, having a root canal every week for months on end (ok, that’s not really fair—I’ve never had a root canal, so what do I know? The point is that it sucks.). When my husband and I moved to Milan in 2004, we had to jump through countless hoops, obtain countless documents, and visit countless government buildings to become really, really, really legal.

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by tracie branch

Ed.Note: No, we don't usually publish recipes, but this week the fare on Shortcut is decidedly gastronomy oriented, so we're interrupting our regular programming to bring you a typical Neapolitan dish that has transfixed our contributor Tracie. We certainly don't want to deprive our readers of any authentic Italian cuisine tips, here's Tracie's take on Mpepata di Cozze:

That's Peppered Mussels. The spelling is in the Napoletano dialect, as it is a typical dish from 'round these parts. It is splendid simplicity at its most Italian!

I won't give a recipe, so to speak, as it is too easy to warrant the strain it would put on my brain trying to figure out how many mussels go for each person, all while converting into the metric kilo and back to pounds.

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photo via people in pixels 

by melinda elliott

For once, I think the Greek government has gotten it right.

Almost a year ago to the day, I blogged about the need for culture immersion courses for all new immigrants in their new country. I felt (and still feel) that courses teaching immigrants the law, language and culture of their host country will benefit not only them but their new country as well. In order to get the coveted long-term resident status, the interior ministry has issued a presidential decree requiring immigrants to complete 125 hours of formal instruction in the Greek language and culture.

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by the paris blog 

Everyone in the States assumes property in Paris is astronomically priced. No one there believes what a low price I paid for the apartment I bought earlier this year in Montmartre. For fun, I go to the “real estate for sale” area of NY and LA Craig’s List and punch in the price I paid for the Paris pad, to see what the same amount would buy. Nothing comes up that cheap in the first 150 listings for either, not even in the ghetto neighborhoods.

And yet some of my French friends think I will lose money on the place. They say French people cannot afford to buy property the way it is priced now, and because of this the market, now at its peak, will soon collapse. It is almost laughable to me, the idea of property prices having any relation to salaries. In theory it should, but in the US, real estate is anything but realistic. Middle-class homeowners are in hock up to their eyeballs, living beyond their means in houses that are so often supersized beyond anyone’s veritable need.

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naples graffiti via purplefent 

by tracie b. 

I was scolded today, much like I have been scolded on many other occasions for "having my feet on the floor," or walking around with bare feet in the house. My boyfriend Gennaro's dad said, "You are walking around in bare feet?!! It's bad for you!" "Yes," I said, "I'm living dangerously today." Mind you, I had only to walk a total of 5 steps to the bathroom, and I couldn't find my house shoes.

Here in Naples, throwing caution to the wind to walk around with naked feet is likely to cause a vast assortment of diseases, all of which end in horrible death by bronchitis. In fact, the Naples chapter of Old Wives International is conspiring to blame the rising rate of cancer on the increase in "foot-to-floor" contact.

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by julie galante 

Ever since I first experienced it in Germany eight years ago, I have been endlessly amused by the enthusiasm with which Spargelzeit (asparagus season) is welcomed in this part of the world. Placards outside of restaurants and markets scream about its arrival. Grocery stores pile up half their produce section with bundles upon bundles of the spears, both white and green. Bookstores prominently display asparagus cookbooks, and kitchenware shops offer special asparagus serving plates and storage containers.

It’s yummy and all, but of all the vegetables, asparagus is hardly the one I would choose to celebrate with such reverence. Artichokes, maybe. Porcini, definitely. But asparagus? Come on now.

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by o mundo de claudia

While showing a foreign friend around town, we bumped into a very characteristic sight in the old parts of Lisboa: knickers hanging outside right on your face. He took the mandatory tourist photo of it and, later, browsing on Flickr, I found out that he wasn't the only tourist to do so.

"Maybe, the knickers are a sign. You know, in Amsterdam they close the red curtains and in Lisboa they hang out the knickers while they're busy."

"Noooo! They're not prostitutes!"

But the touristy imaginative ramble goes on.

"Or, maybe, since they don't have windows like in Amsterdam, clients can judge their appearance by the size of their knickers. Boy, apparently all portuguese prostitutes are huge!"

So, the proper explanation is: these are old women's knickers. They hang them outside because these are centuries old buildings and they have no back yard. And yes, in small, old neighbourhoods people aren't as fond as their privacy as in most other places.