Rose Cantine » europe

Summer travel: Lisbon, Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul

esme — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:04:55 +0000

It’s time to make plans for your summer holiday. I have just posted several articles on Mapplr to help you with your travel plans:

Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Istanbul

Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in Istanbul

Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Seville

Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Madrid

Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Lisbon

Mapplr’s favorite budget-friendly hotels in Barcelona

Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in Barcelona

I prefer boutique hotels and B&Bs to chain hotels, and small neighborhood restaurants where locals hang out to the hyped, expensive celebrity-chef “temples of haute cuisine” featured in glossy magazines.

Because of the recession, hotels have never been cheaper so do a lot of online research for the lowest prices and if you think they’re still too high, call the hotel and make a deal. Don’t be shy. With so many rooms empty, hotels are just dying to fill them.

[Money, money, money] The European dollar; Bernanke plans huge rate cut

esme — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:06:17 +0000

From the Wall Street Journal: In a sign that the U.S. economic malaise is spreading to Britain, the pound is fast becoming one of the world’s least-loved currencies. Investors have taken such a dislike to the pound in recent weeks that it’s starting to live up to its nickname among currency traders: the European dollar.

Meanwhile, US Fed chief Ben Bernanke says he’s ready to cut interest rates dramatically to stop a recession in the US (and further prop up housing prices that are already way too high). Let the good times keep rolling. We can breathe easily now.

But Spanish real estate is looking grim these days. In a Financial Times article, a Spanish bank manager says: “I’ve been a bank manager for 28 years and I have never lived through a situation as dramatic as this,” says the branch manager of a regional savings bank, who asked not to be named. “House prices in this town have fallen by 20 per cent, there is no demand, and no mortgage finance. Savings banks have cut off funding. Before the credit crunch, I used to do 12 mortgages a month. Since August, my branch has approved only one new loan.”

More money for European Web 2.0 companies

esme — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:27:01 +0000

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports: “Investors directed at least $464.2 million into 101 Web 2.0 deals worldwide in the first half of the year, according to a report released Monday . . . Overall, the number of global Web 2.0 deals climbed 14 percent in the first half, the report said — but the gain was in Europe and Israel, while U.S. investments were virtually unchanged from the first half of 2006 with 67 deals and $357 million invested.”

The face of European tech startups is . . . MALE

esme — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:21:52 +0000

It’s 2007 and by now, things should have changed, especially in this part of the world – “progressive” Europe that likes to look down on those backward Americans and unwashed Third Worlders with weird ideologies. But check out this video and the Financial Times stories about Seedcamp. Who do you see? Men, men and more men.

Where are the women? Sitting at home knitting cute little sweaters, baking cakes, filing their nails?

This is a serious question because according to the Chamber of Commerce here in Amsterdam women have been starting a large number of new enterprises, including in technology. Indeed, across the European Union, women have started a lot of new businesses but you wouldn’t find them in the super-macho world of VC backed technology companies.

I dumped on Seedcamp a few days ago as being a total joke and watching that room full of male geeks only reinforces my argument.