Beer babe’s favorite European bars

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Katarina Van Derham, the 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel, doesn’t like to spend all her time in one place. The Slovakia native now lives in Los Angeles and still loves to get out on the road as much as possible. When she’s home, her favorite place to grab a pint is Barney’s Beanery in Santa Monica. She can have a relaxing drink on the patio, which is a prime people-watching spot. Of course, she has favorites on the other side of the Atlantic, as well.

The 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel‘s European Favorites are:

Morrison Pub (Cannes, France): there’s always live music and a welcoming crowd; Cannes’ “beautiful beaches and relaxed vibe” help

Phanas Pub (Rijeka, Croatia): Phanas is a great party place with rock music piped in; Katarina came here while shooting a music video for a Slovakian band

Mermaid Bar (Ibiza, Spain): this bar caters to an international crowd, has clear water and a great club scene

U Medvédku (Prague, Czech Republic): a house beer and authentic Czech food are served, and you’re only footsteps from the city’s stunning architecture

CK Browar (Krakow, Poland): grab a beer at this bright brewery before shopping at the outdoor street fairs on Saturdays

Salm Bräu (Vienna, Austria): located in a charming old building, this bar is a great stop en route to Slovakia (since Vienna has the nearest international airport)

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Vienna horse carriage driver charged for being drunk

by Jeffrey White on

You don’t here often about those charged with DUI when taking tourists around on horse-drawn carriage rides.

But in Vienna this week that’s just what happened. A carriage — or Fiaker, in local dialect — driver was nailed for being drunk. How? Police gave him a breath test after his horses broke away from him and took a 39-year-old tourist and her two children on a wild ride through the Austrian capital.

The driver was just opening the carriage door to let his guests out when the horses broke free.

The Associated Press is reporting that the horses then preceded to run from Vienna’s Third District over a bridge above the Danube into the city’s Second District. In the process, the carriage hit two cars, which broke the horses loose. The horses continued running, while the carriage hit a third car and came to a rest.

The tourist and her children were uninjured in the incident. Police say the driver did not take proper precautions securing his horses.

No Europe trip this summer? Check out today’s Euro 2008 final.

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Between several other vacations, high summer airline prices and the ridiculous Euro/Dollar exchange rate, I am sadly not heading to Europe this summer. But even though I haven’t been able to make it “across the pond,” I have been vicariously soaking up some European culture through this year’s Euro 2008 soccer championships. Today marks the final between Spain and Germany of what has been another tournament of surprising upsets and nail-biting finishes.

Pish-posh, what’s this about “soccer” you say? Actually, I don’t know a whole lot about European soccer either. Yes, I know a few of the popular club teams like FC Barcelona and Manchester United, but I’m fairly clueless about the day-to-day standings and players. Why then, should anyone bother watching? Because European soccer is more than just a simple sporting event – it’s a defining aspect of European cultural identity. Ask your typical European citizen to tell you about their favorite team or best soccer experience and you’re bound to get an enthusiastic answer.

So if you’re near a television today, crack open a nice cold Hefeweizen and switch over to ABC around 2:30 EST for the big event. Next summer when you’re in Munich you’ll be swapping Euro 2008 stories with the locals in no time.

Photo of the Day- 6/18/08

by Jamie Rhein on

This is an ad campaign that certainly gets ones attention! Particularly, the guy who is riveted. What a juxtaposition of images. Pirano was at the right place at the right time with the right angle in Vienna, Austria.

If you have a shot where you were at the right place at the right angle, send it to us at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. It might be chosen as a Photo of the Day.

Things named after Las Vegas casinos

by Justin Glow on

When I was in Vienna, Austria this past October, I made the trek out to the riesenrad, or giant ferriss wheel, with the idea that it might be fun to see the city from way up high. Unfortunately they were charging something like EUR10 for a ride, and I was on a budget. So instead, I elected to browse around the shoddy amusement park next door, and was tickled to run across this architectural homage to Las Vegas (above) crammed in between the bumper cars and tilt-o-whirl.

The amusement park turned out to be a real treat. It was nearly empty, and overweight men with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths sat around waiting for someone to ride the rusty ride they were operating. It reminded me of the type of place you’d meet someone to discuss a murder. They even had a carousel with real, live horses that walked in a circle! The icing on the cake, however, was a young boy riding the bumper cars by himself. The poor chap had nobody to bump into.

Anyway, I ran across this link called “Things named after Las Vegas casinos” that reminded me of the photo above. Check it out. (Via Neatorama)