Vegetarian Europe. - Review - book review

Vegetarian Journal, July, 2001 by Davida Gypsy Breier

VEGETARIAN EUROPE Edited by Alex Bourke

Vegetarian Europe is the latest publication from Vegetarian Guides. They also publish Vegetarian France, Vegetarian Britain, and Vegetarian London. I used the latter two when I traveled to the UK last year and found them very valuable.

Vegetarian Europe is especially helpful for those traveling to major cities and tourist destinations. Cities covered include Salzburg, Vienna, Brussels, Prague, Copenhagen, London, Liverpool, Oxford, Helsinki, Paris, Berlin, Frankfort, Hamburg, Munich, Bremen, Athens, Budapest, Cork, Dublin, Florence, Lake Garda, Milan, Rome, Umbria, Venice, Amsterdam, Oslo, Bergen, Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Evora, Lisbon, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Edinburgh, Alicante, Barcelona, Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Stockholm, Malmo, and Zurich. Because the editors know London so well, there is a wealth of information about this city.

There are many different contributors, each offering advice for the particular regions they are familiar with. The tone is friendly, and attempts to convey the practical advice a vegetarian traveler needs. There is a variety of travel tips scattered throughout the guide, including helpful phrases peppered throughout the guide for ordering, such as "Mi ne jedemo meso, kokos I ribu," which translates to "We don't eat meat, chicken, or fish" in Croatian. There are also many sidebars with translations of local and common foods, common questions, and conversational words. Also included is information for local vegetarian groups in many of the countries.

While this guide isn't completely comprehensive (which would be a monumental task), this relatively lightweight guide would be a very helpful companion to anyone planning a trip to Europe.

Vegetarian Europe (ISBN 1-902259-02-5) is 288 pages and is published by Vegetarian Guides Ltd. The book can be purchased from The Vegetarian Resource Group, or online at <www.vrg.org>, for $21 per book including postage. Reviewed by Davida Gypsy Breier.