大象传媒

John McCarthy听 seeks out peaceful places in the capital听 accompanied by Siobhan Wall writer, artist and photographer who has written a guide called Quiet London (published by Frances Lincoln) . They visit , and .听

Elvis joins us with a poem celebrating Europe.听 For full poem, scroll to the bottom of this page.

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It鈥檚 time to carpe the diem con brio
Sing vive la difference amigo ooh la la
Ich kann nicht anders, que sera sera
I wanna听 whole lotta je ne sais quoi

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I want to walk with the ghost of Paddy Fermor
Touch the Renaissance and breathe la belle 茅poque
Roam from Rotterdam to Constantinople
Bound for the Byzantine, Bauhaus and Baroque

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I want to dally in a deli with Dali
Contemplate Kafka in a Krakow caf茅
Share linguine with Fellini, frites with Magritte
Cycle backwards up the Champs-Elysees

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I want to swim in a river of Rioja
Cross the Rhine鈥檚 golden bridge with Charlemagne
I want to be Umberto Eco friendly
Waltz with Andrey Kurkov鈥檚 penguin in Ukraine

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I want to watch the subtitled 鈥淟ives of Others鈥�
Sun-drenched Almodovar and bleak black Nordic Noir
Wear Sarah Lund鈥檚 sweater while eating a bruschetta
鈥淭roels! For helvede! Tak!鈥� C鈥檈st wunderbar!

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I want to be enraptured by Roby Lakatos
Manu Chao, Mozart and klezmer cabarets
Drive a 2CV somewhere beyond the sea
Listen to Helen play a Chopin polonaise

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I want the Daily Mail to wail 鈥渉e鈥檚 foreign 鈥� send him back鈥�
I want to come over here and steal my own job
I want to wait tables, clean toilets, pick turnips, sweep streets
To annoy the bullet-headed Anglo-Saxon mob

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I want to see the seamier side of Bohemia
Steep my soul in the velvety Aegean
Then let my weary bones rest in the baths of Budapest
Skal! Proost! Yamas! Je suis ein European