THE FILE

Facts and figures and stuff from the Ryanair world of travel

The numbers

841 Number of different types of aircraft flown in by Edwin A Shakleton between 1943 and 2007.

0 number of any type of aircraft flown in by former Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp after he developed a disabling fear of flying in 1994.

156.9 The amount of beer in litres per capita drunk in the Czech Republic each year – the highest in Europe

51.5 The amount of beer in litres per capita drunk in Sweden each year – the lowest in Europe.

22,000 people who have fainted from total fear at the London tourist attraction The London Dungeon since 1975.

1,000 The amount in litres of fake blood used at The London Dungeon since it opened in 1975.

5,231,372 The population of Finland.

2m The number of saunas in Finland.

Sources : Guinness World of Records, Finland Tourist Board, The London Dungeon, Kirin Company

Rites of passage

Your guide to customs, rituals, festivals and superstitions

AMOR ACTUALLY

SPAIN
Forget Valentine’s Day, 23 April is Catalonia’s ‘Day of Lovers’ or more officially ‘St Georges Day’ when women receive flowers from their lovers and offer books (strange we know) in return. If you are in Barcelona on this day check out the huge Las Ramblas avenue filled with book sellers of all sorts. The tradition dates from 1923 when an enterprising Catalan bookseller convinced the ladies of the era that since Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare died almost simultaneously on 23 April, 1616, giving books was the most romantic way to show your love. Giving a rose comes from the legend of St George who plucked one from a rosebush growing out of the slain dragon’s blood for his princess. Each year 400,000 books and four million roses are sold. Good for the publishing and flower industry then!

Your shout

“What do you miss about your home country when you’re abroad?”

Swedish bread
ANN NELVIG, 22, STUDENT, SWEDISH

Chocolate and chips
DAVID GUTMAN, 26, ARCHITECT, BELGIAN

A good cup of tea and a biscuit
ROZ SHELDON, 35, PRODUCER, BRITISH

My Europe

ELEONORA FERRI
ROME, ITALY

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT ROME?
The weather, of course. Sunny and hot in summer, mild and dry in winter and the city is right in between the sea and mountains which makes it the perfect location for any season.

WHAT DO YOU MISS WHEN YOU’RE AWAY FLYING ROUND EUROPE ON RYANAIR?
My family and the climate obviously but also the sheer variety of good food. I also miss the tasty ice cream, long walks in the city centre along the Colosseum and Roman Foro and sitting with my friends in summer enjoying a nice glass of wine.

IF YOU HAD 24 HOURS TO SPEND IN ROME WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MUST-DO RECOMMENDATIONS?
01. Breakfast with a creamy cappuccino and a warm chocolate croissant at a local bar in Piazza Venezia.
02. Jump on the tube and make your way to the Spanish Steps for some shopping along Via Condotti, with the most famous Italian fashion designers: Fendi, Dolce Gabbana, Armani. When you reach the Trevi Fountain throw a coin in and wish to come back to the city and your dream will come true.
03. Walk along the river all the way to St Peters basilica at the Vatican. It’s the biggest in the world.
04. Have dinner in trattoria Da Alfredo the oldest cafeteria in Rome, where you can enjoy live music with fresh seafood dishes, under a romantic sky.
05. Of course to finish the lovely evening try out the delicious ice cream in Campo dei Fiori and go on to a club nearby.

LAST WORD?
Rome is the city for everybody. Once you’re there you’re bound to fall in love…

How to get arrested in...

Europe is full of laws and it ain’t hard to get nicked by the cops for breaking one of the obvious ones like stealing a car (not that we’d know of course). But let’s be imaginative here. If you are going to get arrested it might as well be for something truly weird.

LONDON: Wash your clothes in the Trafalgar Square fountains and hear the sirens wail! Apparently it’s an insult to the memory of Nelson. Umm…

BERLIN: It’s verboten when driving to make derogatory signs at other motorists. If you do the slammer beckons. It’s true!

STOCKHOLM: Pee standing up if you’re a man or flush the toilet after 10pm. A Swede we know swore to us this was illegal but we can’t be certain!

MILAN: Wear a skirt if you’re a man. The boys in blue will frown on you believe us!

PARIS: Taking photos of police officers or their cars without permission gets you a night behind bars, even if they’re merely in the background while you’re capturing the Eiffel Tower for posterity. Oh, and if you address your pig as ‘Napoleon’ you’re also liable to be dragged down to the station. Quelle surprise!

The unpronounceables

Yes, yes we know that there are loads of Ryanair destinations that no one has a clue how to say, sometimes not even where they are, so each month we’ll tell you about one of them. First up is:

Bydgoszcz

Pronounced: ‘bidgosts’ (written phonetically) or ‘Bdghst’ to the layman.
Where is it? North West Poland on the Brda (pronounced ‘urda’) and Vistula rivers.
What happens there? Sometimes the Polish Grand Prix. Sometimes a gig from the Pomeranian Philhamonic. Sometimes not very much at all which is why we like it!
Reasons to visit: New European destination for health tourism, with lots of spas and sports, as well as a bar called Rooster filled with beautiful, blonde, model-like waitresses in hot pants. Can’t argue with that!

Eavesdropper

‘Wow, you’re on this flight to Frankfurt too! Fancy that. Where are you going…?’

‘Mum, when are we going to get there?’

‘Honey, they won’t be able to tell if I sit on your lap and pretend that I am talking to the person in front.’

‘Hi, I’m from Zadar. It’s in Croatia. Where are you from?’

‘I love having a second home in the south of France. The men are hot, great in bed and the best thing of all is they only speak French so I don’t have to converse with them. It’s perfect!’