First up, hello new listeners! We’ll be dropping a bonus ep shortly to explain what this is all about, but this week’s main show is a great place to start. We’re a journalist in Paris and an opera singer in Amsterdam. Welcome! It’s been week of highs and lows for Europe and The Europeans. Katy came back from Germany with empty pockets but a full heart (and a selfie). It’s been a bad week for euro diplomacy, but a great one for trashy pop. Someone who’s seen more than her fair share of highs and lows is our guest Farah Abdi, a transgender Somali refugee who arrived in Malta by boat in 2012. She tells Katy about her journey and her fight for better rights for LGBT refugees in Europe. And songwriter MaJiKer, who’s penned songs for Eurovision hopefuls, is on hand to explain why Israel snatched victory and Sweden got robbed. Thanks for listening! Leave us a review here: https://apple.co/2Ez2KN8 We're supported by Stackry. Use our special link & coupon 'Europeans': https://bit.ly/European3

Katy gets all mushy about Europe as we talk to a very clever man who makes his living by speculating on Eurovision. Daniel Gould (Mr Gould to Dominic), is the founder of www.Sofabet.com and gives us all the latest from Lisbon. We then head over to Spain to speak to the activist and writer, Brigitte Vasallo about Spain's #MeToo movement and the public reaction to the shocking court ruling in a rape case in Pamplona. Plus, we have meatballs, terrorists, Harry Potter Royalty and a healthy serving of cultural appropriation. Meanwhile, Katy is heading over to Aachen to find out if we've won Eurovision for Euro-geeks, aka the EU's Charlemagne Prize for Youth. Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts to help stop the flow of tears when we probably/definitely don't win: apple.co/2HPcgkK Find us on the socials if you miss us between episodes: twitter.com/EuropeansPod instagram.com/europeanspodcast/ facebook.com/europeanspodcast/ http://europeanspodcast.com/

We couldn't have two more different interviews for you this week: we're talking anti-Semitism in Germany and the art of remaining zen on a beach in Scotland. After two German rappers sparked national outrage with lyrics about the Holocaust, Human Rights Watch Germany's chief Wenzel Michalski is on the line to talk about his all too personal experience of Europe's rising anti-Semitism problem. Why throw stones when you can turn them into art instead? Scottish photographer Andy Buchanan brings us the weird, wonderful and unexpectedly hilarious story of the European Stone Stacking Championships. His beautiful photos in the Guardian: https://bit.ly/2KkCY3b Plus, Macron Does America and Bulgaria Does It Wrong (https://bit.ly/2qMCTgH). And why not stick around and Take A Chance On Dominic's happy ending this week? Thanks for listening, Europe! Twitter: @europeanspod | Instagram: @europeanspodcast | facebook.com/europeanspodcast The story behind our artwork: https://bit.ly/2HDXycZ

A treasure-themed episode for you this week: the natural treasures of Poland's ancient Białowieża forest, hidden treasures in rural France, and buried treasure on a German island. Dominic's been chatting to Agata Szafraniuk of environmental lawyers ClientEarth about their battle with the Polish government to protect Białowieża, one of the few remaining patches of the primeval forest that covered Europe 10,000 years ago. Also heading into the countryside are Parisian podcaster Oliver Gee of The Earful Tower fame and his fiancee Lina Nordin, on a quest to discover the real France through a heart-shaped (awwwwww) tour of the country. Plus: Strict Belgian gyms, 10th century bling and a bitcoin heist. We're being listed by Apple as a 'new and noteworthy' podcast for the next few weeks, woohoo! Help us make the most of it by leaving us a rating and/or review here: https://apple.co/2HPcgkK Thanks so much for listening!

Gather round, children, it's story time. This week in The Europeans, the dark tale of how Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán became one of the most powerful men in Europe, to the great disquiet of his western neighbours. Zselyke Csaky, expert on all things Central European, is on the line to explain why campaigning against immigrants, Muslims and billionaire George Soros has paid off so well for this worryingly autocratic leader. To cheer you up, Mick ter Reehorst of storytelling project Are We Europe has a happier tale to tell. He cracks open a couple of beers with Dominic as he sets out his mission to Make Europe Sexy Again with a beautifully-designed website and and magazine. Plus: murders, pizzas, and musical road surfaces. Thanks for listening! Get your Europeans fix in between Tuesdays: twitter.com/europeanspod facebook.com/europeanspodcast instagram.com/europeanspodcast

Bonjour Europe, we're all joining Katy in Paris this week to talk about some of the less rosy aspects of la belle France. Our guest this week is the French writer and film-maker Rokhaya Diallo, who has all too often found herself on the receiving end of troubling attitudes towards race in the country she calls home. And with train drivers unleashing three months of rail strikes and students barricading faculty buildings, is Emmanuel Macron heading for a summer of discontent? Plus: Dutch sugar highs, problematic theatre, Swedish beats and buried treasure. Join us on the internet where we post fun and interesting things from around Europe! facebook.com/europeanspodcast | twitter.com/EuropeansPod | instagram.com/europeanspodcast And if you're feeling extra generous, maybe drop us five stars on iTunes? 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 https://apple.co/2Ez2KN8 Thanks Europe, we love you very much.

"Ever wonder where plastic ends up? I have a story I'd like to share." This week on The Europeans, the Irish journalist Naomi O'Leary describes what happened when she visited a remote paradise island in the Caribbean, only to find the entire Western world had got there first: plastic, plastic and yet more plastic. We talk about what Naomi found and what Europe can do to stop it. And we quizzed her about her podcast The Irish Passport too! In Zagreb, Daniel Martinović is on the line to discuss the success of Dugine Obitelji (Rainbow Families), Croatia's first children's picture book showing kids with LGBT parents. Plus: the Netherlands keeps its gas underground; a London embassy keeps Julian Assange off the net; and a tale of redemption for an amateur sculptor in Madeira. Thanks for listening! Let us know what you thought of this week's show: --> facebook.com/europeanspodcast | Twitter: @EuropeansPod | Insta: @europeanspodcast | Email: europeanspodcast@gmail.com

First up, fantastic news: The Europeans Podcast has been nominated for a prize! Hit play to find out all about it, we are over the moon. What a delicious episode we have for you this week. Michelin-starred chef Christian Puglisi is on the line from Copenhagen to talk about how his heritage has helped him shape cuisine that defies the rules. Born to a Norwegian mother and a Sicilian father, Christian's ideas about where he comes from have changed with time, as have his ideas about food. We hear all about how his hit restaurant Baest has blurred the lines of what makes an 'authentic' pizza by going for freshness first — to the point of making Danish mozzarella — and his ongoing battle to make his restaurants as green as possible. Plus: how the French learned to love burgers; how the world learned to hate Cambridge Analytica; and a German footballer with a huge heart (and lucky blood). europeanspodcast.com | facebook.com/europeanspodcast | @EuropeansPod | Instagram: @europeanspodcast

Katy makes no secret of the fact that she records this podcast in her pyjamas, but she may need to up her game after this week's interview with Vogue's legendary international editor, Suzy Menkes, about the European fashion scene and the death of iconic French designer Hubert de Givenchy. In other news, Dominic comes clean about his traumatic experience as a 12-year-old child star in Siberia and gets mixed up (like everyone else this week) between Slovenia and Slovakia. Plus: happy Finns, clowns, and a PR coup for some beer-brewing Belgian monks. Thanks for listening! If one weekly Europe fix isn't enough, check out our Facebook page where we post all kinds of interesting links from around the continent: https://www.facebook.com/europeanspodcast/ See you next week when we'll have our first-ever Michelin-starred chef on the show! Twitter: @EuropeansPod Instagram: @europeanspodcast 🇪🇺 europeanspodcast.com 🇪🇺

This week we're imagining a better future for baby Europeans and also what might happen after the nuclear apocalypse. Jennifer Pettersson is Swedish radio maker who's been based in Amsterdam for the last 20 years. She's always loved living in the city — until it came to putting her kids in school there. Dutch kids are famously supposed to be the happiest in the world, but is it really true? Since we're planning for the future we might as look all the way ahead to Doomsday. Katy's been chatting to Asmund Asdal, the coordinator of Norway's Global Seed Vault, which keeps back-ups of the world's grains and seeds for use in case of disaster. Also: good news for young Europeans with wanderlust, bad news for clocks, and some mile-high poetry. Thanks for listening! If you've got a few minutes to spare, we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by leaving us a review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2FtsBva europeanspodcast.com | Twitter: @EuropeansPod | Insta: @europeanspodcast