War in Europe on the horizon.......

MIKE BURN

This is getting serious...... no more pizza and noodles in Germany... :racing

Quote:
Schroeder sparks tourist trade row

Thursday, July 10, 2003 Posted: 5:52 AM EDT (0952 GMT)

(CNN) -- Gerhard Schroeder's decision to cancel his Italian vacation has prompted a multi-million euro tourism battle between Germany and Italy.

(Hannover's City Hall, one of the sights to lure Schroeder)

The German chancellor switched destinations to Hannover instead of the Adriatic resort of Pesaro after Italian tourist minister Stefano Stefani refused to apologize for calling German tourists "stereotyped blondes with a hyper-nationalist pride" who were invading Italian beaches.

It came a week after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ripped apart Italian-German relations by comparing a German legislator with a Nazi concentration camp commander

Colleagues are rallying round Schroeder, suggesting other Germans might boycott Italy. "The Italians must know there is competition for German tourists," Interior Minister Otto Schily was quoted as saying in the press Thursday.

Italy's opposition center-left Ulivo coalition said it would be asking in the Italian parliament Thursday for Stefani to be sacked, The Associated Press reported.

Ulivo leader Luciano Violante said the economic damage from the row was "enormous."

More than 9.2 million Germans visited Italy last year -- about 25 percent of all foreign visitors -- according to Italian tourism officials. It is estimated that they spent 9.5 billion euros ($10.7 billion).

Italian newspaper Corriere Della Serra warned Thursday that Germans were already boycotting Italian restaurants while German tabloid Bild said: "Basta! (Enough)Chancellor whistles on pasta."

Next to a picture of Schroeder it wrote: "Ciao bella Italia" and it gave readers a protest letter that they could cut out and send to Berlusconi.

AQUARIAN AGE · Austrian Peacekeeper Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 612

Oh my god!!!! Listen to this!!!! :eek

debbie mannas · Joined: 30 Sep 2002 Posts: 1352

Prada shoes..........

:aua

AQUARIAN AGE · Austrian Peacekeeper Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 612

Yeah in order to not run away! :merci

MIKE BURN

Quote:
Germans invade Italian resort

BBC, Friday, 18 July, 2003, 13:04 GMT 14:04 UK

A group of German tourists have invaded the Adriatic beaches of Rimini in an effort to show the residents of the Italian town just how good natured and friendly they really are.

In a publicity stunt organised by German tabloid newspaper Bild, 160 German tourists jetted in for a day long party aimed at mending relations between the two nations.

The event comes less than two weeks after Italian Junior tourism minister Stefano Stefani provoked a diplomatic row by describing German tourists as arrogant, "hypernationalistic blondes".

Mr Stefani resigned after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cancelled his plans for an Italian summer break.

Relations between Italy and Germany took a turn for the worse earlier this month when Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi likened a heckling German European Parliament member to a Nazi concentration camp guard.

Since the 1950s the resort town of Rimini has been a favourite summer holiday spot for German tourists - resulting in the area being dubbed the "Teutonic Grill".

Bild had chartered a plane and offered free flights to readers wanting to attend its "O sole mio" party - named after the famous Italian song.

The lucky winners who attended the party at Rimini's Turquoise Beach club were joined by a number of German showbiz celebrities.

Among those attending were the singer Gottlieb Wendehals, schlager music king Juergen Drews and pop star Jasmin Wanger.

Vital industry

As the temperature on the beach soared the diplomatic row seemed to be cooling down.

Rimini's Mayor Alberto Ravaioli turned up wearing a shirt the colours of the German national football team to welcome the crowds.

"Welcome to Rimini, welcome to the city where Germans and Italians have embraced each other for the last 50 years," he said, inviting Bild to make the party an annual event.

With much of Rimini dependent on tourist cash, Guido Pasi of the local tourist board was keen to build bridges.

"The party allows us to renew our friendship with the German people after what happened," he said.

For their part the Bild readers seemed happy that the party had been a success. "It's been hot, it's been wicked," 19-year-old Andrea Warneke told Bild.

Rev9Volts · Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1327

i duno mike you sure come across as a "hypernationalistic blonde".