What's this?!?!? A continent with such a history; with such rich traditions; with amazing art and all that - and all I can find to talk about are trolls and pixies! Apart from the fact that they should've been under the "Fairies" page, what does this say about Europe?? Nah, what does it say about me is more like it! Perhaps that it's we don't "open our eyes" to what's right in front of us - or what?? So, I am trying to think what I have in my possession from around Europe. Hmm. Well, from France I have the Eiffel Tower model of course - and I also have a Limoges pot - but that's about all! Ouch! Nope! I have some water from Lourdes!! From Italy? Erm, a Leaning Tower fridge magnet; a few pieces of Venetian glass (including a pyramid!); oh, some rocks from Vesuvius - and a green pretend Etruscian bought in the archaological site at Fiesole (so that's good, isn't it?). From Germany a bier stein and the cheapest wooden nativity tree decorations possible from Oberammergau (below); from Austria, an edelweiss fridge magnet and a bust of Mozart - and from Spain! Oh-a, a metal little Don Quixote model, a wooden candle-stick, an ashtray with a dinosaur print depicted in it - and a straw donkey!!!! Also, I have an egg-cup from Czechoslovakia (it was then) - a wooden fruit bowl from Yugoslavia (now Croatia), a couple embroidered tablecloths from Hungary - and a very nice lacquered little box from Russia. That about sums it all up. Oh no! A pot from the Isle of Aron, which is hand-painted, depicting a sheep (there were two but one fell down the lavatory!). My Dad also brought me back some very nice mosaic coasters from Crete once. These are still around, but cracked and glued together! I need to do something about this!!! Of course, I have looked with great interest at all the sites around Europe - but, quite honestly, never really bought anything apart from gifts for others. But, there are many, many interesting things out there - I just have to find them! Meanwhile, here are the trolls and pixies - both eminently collectable and both with interesting stories behind them. The Trolls of Scandinavia The picture of the troll on the right hand side of my top image, is one by the wonderfully talented John Botofte. (Sir, if you object to me using it, please email me and I'll change it). His site, Troll Moon is exquisite. Please DO visit it. To whet your appetite, here is the very beginning of his introduction. The Evolution of Trolls According to one recent theory the trolls of Scandinavia are the descendants of a small group of neanderthals which became isolated between the ice masses of Northern Europe at the end of the last ice age and gradually developed very special characteristics and abilities to survive under such extremely harsh conditions. As the illustration suggests, there are indeed certain similarities, although one should not ignore the fact that different animal species inhabiting the same environment often also begin to share similar features. And, however convincing this theory sounds, there is simply no evidence to prove it - nor any indication that trolls are related to the so-called Homo Sapiens Ferus (Forest Man) - ie. Big Foot in North America or the Yeti in the Himalayas. This lack of a modern scientifical explanation only leaves us with two possibilities: 1) either trolls are a mere figment of a collective imagination with deep roots in a remote past, a complex and poetical expression of our basic fears and longings, or 2) a race of creatures which has simply chosen not to be discovered by the human world. And until now has done so with success... I implore you to go and read the rest! :) Piskies, Spriggans, Small People and Knockers William Bottrell According to the Fairy belief of the old Cornish folk, the Piskey has seldom been seen in any other shape than that of a weird, wizened looking, little old man. As such he has often been spied of moonlight winter's nights threshing the corn in the barns of lonely places. Boslow and Lejarn are often spoken of as being favourite haunts of the goblin. Another of his well known pranks is to mount on the necks of the colts, where he plaits his Piskey stirrups in the winter, and rides the colts after the cows like mad in the summer. Leading the folks into the bogs, by appearing like a person wit! a lantern or light from a window, were of constant occurrence unless the night wanderer took the precaution to turn some garment inside out, to break the spell. Pixie on Pasty (another ancient British artefact), available from the Potter's Shop, St Ives (link right). PASTY RECIPES! The Spriggans, quite a different class of beings, are the dourest and most ugly set of sprights belonging to the elfin tribe; they are only seen about old ruins, harrows, giant's quoits and castles, or other pIaces where treasure is buried, of which they have the charge. They also steal children, leaving their own ugly brats in their place, bring bad weather to blight the crops, whirlwinds over the fields of cut corn, and do much other mischief to those who meddle with their favourite haunts. The innocent Small-people, on the contrary, are always described as being extremely beautiful by all who have had the luck to see them, holding their merry fairs and sprightly dances on the velvety turf of the greens, sheltered glades between the cairns, or in other secluded pleasant places, dressed in their bright green nether garments, sky-blue jackets, three-cornered hats on the men and pointed ones on the ladies, all decked with lace and silver bells. They are as lovely as the flowers of the fields. These good small folks often showed great kindness to those people to whom they took a fancy, and have frequently been known to come into poor cottages, divert good old bed-ridden folks with their merry pranks and gambols, and fill the air with the delicious odours of flowers, and such sweet melody as few but angels ever hear and live. The Bockles, or Knockers, can scarcely be cIassed as fairies; they seem rather to be a hybrid race between ordinary ghosts and elves, as the miners believe them to be the restless souls of the Jews who formerly worked in the tin-mines of Cornwall. The tinners often hear them working when underground; sometimes, these ghostly workers may be heard even from the surface; yet they so rarely make their appearance now that we hardly know what they are like. There are a few other mythical beings belonging to our elvin creed, but they have been so seldom seen of latter days, that very little is now known of the Buccas, Browneys, Mermaids, &c. Probably the mermaids so much dislike steam-ships that the fair syrens have taken themselves off, with all their combs and glasses, to the China seas, so as to be out of the way of the fiery monsters of the deep. How the Oberammergau Passion Play came to be How the plague came to Oberammergau: At the time of the 30-year war, large strips of the landscape of the uplands were ravaged and plundered, so that epidemics and diseases were lurking everywhere. And it so happened that the plague arrived in the Werdenfelser Land in 1630 and many fell victim to it. Some villages even lost every living soul, in part because the inhabitants died and in part because they fled into the forests for fear of the epidemic. Oberammergau however was spared the disease for a long time as plague watchers relentlessly cut off the entrance into the valley, so that life was nearly going its normal orderly way in Oberammergau when at the same time only two houses were yet occupied in Kohlgrub. However Kaspar Schisler, an Oberammergau citizen working as a labourer in Eschenlohe, was able to bypass the plague watchers on the church consecration festival in 1632. He reached his family unharmed and took part in the church consecration festivities with them. The festivities were however of short duration as Kaspar Schisler fell victim to the plague already on the Monday following church consecration. In the following weeks and months death had a rich harvest in Oberammergau and if one is to believe the records, every tenth inhabitant of the village fell victim to the epidemic during one year. It was only the famous vow of the Oberammergau citizens to perform the Passion Play every ten years that brought an end to the dying in October of 1632.

LINKS (more trolls, sweaters, knives, bunad dolls) (pixies) (collectable teapots) (expensive French knickknacks!) Fancy a French tie in a can?? (bagpipes!) beautiful wood carvings (nativities etc) from Oberammergau, Bavaria (webcam) Spanish porcelain. I have some of this too; I forgot! rosaries, Pope posters, e-greetings cards etc Don't miss this! Caro though! Italian household etc. Glass Murano (In Italian, but at least you can be sure it's authentic - and expensive!) Splendid gift shop in Amsterdam, selling fabulous wooden flowers etc. FREE shipping to all over the world! More Amsterdam. This time, Hummel, Delft, dolls, clogs . . . Swiss army knife; cuckoo-clock; watch; balloon containing condom and bell?!?! Villacher Cybierspace Get yerself some genuine Austrian souvenirs (with the emphasis on beer!) from Villach in the Corinthian lake district (divine!) Neuhaus (UK) - order Belgian choccies online! (Reasonable) Roman Artefacts for sale (coins and things)(!)

Please, please come back another day! I hope to rectify this sorry mess very soon!! (Actually, there are some nice links to places, where you can buy typically European goods, on the right. More to follow.)

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Ah! This is more like it already!! A collection of Spanish (and other) roadsign photos (by a Brit)!!! Check out how cows vary throughout Europe!! :)

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