>> hello and very warm welcome to you from "european journal here on dw. outlook has changed. our mission hasn't. we will have stories from all over europe for you. the year of the dragon the jig help vietnamese immigrants in france are demanding refuge. house some germans are benefiting from the crisis in spain. and going freestyle -- house was resort -- when you hear vietnam

war, you probably thi of the united states, but the first indochina war was actually carried out between vietnamese fighters and french troops. after world war ii, the french wanted to reestablish the colonial rule in indochina, but they failed. france has been trying to forget that shameful chapter in history and along with it, but all those vietnamese who had to leave their country and fled to france. that a sleepy town on the banks, one side stands out like a sore thumb. this camp, which has housed vietnamese people for more than half a century. patrick fernand grew up here. each year, he helps prepare the new year celebrations in the pagoda. >> this is for our ancestors who come back to earth on new year's day. in the old days, the pagoda was

always full. at the end of the ceremonies, our mothers would prepare something to eat here. >> most of the camp's inhabitants are elderly. this woman arrived here more than 50 years ago herusband fought for france in the first indochina war in the early 1950's when the french tried to drive the communists out of vietnam. because her husband had sided with the french, she and her five children had to flee. here, she had six more children. >> all 11 of them slept in this room. we have five beds, four this way and one that way. >> her daughter says they slept two othree to a bed, boys here, girls here. she never complained. she bore her hard life at the camp with dignity.

she was raised that way. it is part of her culture. but her children quickly realized they had no future here. they left as soon as they were old enough. now, just 100 people are here to welcome the year of the dragon. vietnamese veterans and refugees from the war in indochina were never really welcome in france. the community is just now starting to build small homes for them. this is one of the first to move in, the son of a high ranking officer who died fighting for france, but robert has never adapted to living in a barracks and feels humiliated. them a look at the outhouses. the authorities promised my parents they would have a house like in indochina, but we ended up here at this camp, and we were treated like doormats.

>> france made it promises to tens of thousands of vietnamese recruits in what was then french indochina. the proof is in military archives near paris. the lost war in indochina is a chapter of french history many would rather forget. >> i do not think the state had anything against the vietnamese families. but simply wanted to forget the war in indochina. shortly after that, the algerian war began. the vietnamese were witnesses to another war, and the authorities simply left them to their own devices. >> robert is for and can not put much in the envelope for the dragon because -- because he worked, he receives a small pension from the french state. half of it goes for rent.

he saved up a long time to take a trip to vietnam. while there,e reized how much he had lost. >> in vietnam, my parents were wealthy. in the year 2000, i went there and saw my childhood home. it is now a hotel with 32 rooms. it hurt me a lot to see the place where i was born. rthen the vietnamese are entitled to compensation. the local community shoul have resettled them long ago, but instead, shrugged off the irresponsibility. -- shrugged off the responsibility. >> 120 families once lived in this community. it does not have much money. it would have been extremely difficult and costly to resettle

the mall. the government was always pressuring us but was slow in providing financial assistance. >> at the very least, the french state owes the vietnamese recognition anbanks, says one resident. at the local pub, whenever people start criticizing the inhabitants of the camps, an algerian is quick to defend them. >> i do not know if they even pay rent. >> with a minute, they have been housed like dogs, treated the same as the french muslims from algeria. >> his father also fought for the french. his family is still waiting for france to own up to its responsibilities towards them, but unlike the algerians, the vietnamese are not so vocal in their demands. even their dragon bows meekly when making its appearance before the town's mayor. the vietnamese feel tolerated

but not really welcome. >> in every crisis, there is also an opportunity, at least for some people. spain's current dire situation started when the real estate bubble burst. there are for sale signs everywhere, also on new york. many germans, the island is one of their favorite holiday destinations. some have even moved to my york -- might orca -- majorca. >> this country villa is for sale. it is luxurious, but monica says the bedroom is a bit small and it does not have a dressing room. the real estate agent suggests replacing the wardrobe with a built-in unit. she is one of many germans flocking to majorca, hoping to

buy a small slice of paradise for her and her daughter. she likes the idea is not quite as rustic as elsewhere in spain. >> german quality with the spanish style. the view alone is worth 500,000 euros, says the agent. the garden, terrace, and pool are all immaculate. for real estate agents, business is booming. the eurone crisis has many wealthy germans looking to buy. >> 2011 was an outstanding year. we made lots of sales, good ones, in the high-end market. most of our buyers paid in cash without financing. that is a signal that they are looking for investment properties. they are investing in real estate. the market is no exception. >> my money will be doing

something useful. right now, i do not really know where to put my money, whether to invest in stocks or in the fixed-term deposits. with real estate, i know it will still be here tomorrow, and there is also a chance its value will increase. >> further down the valley, this neighborhood resembles a ghost town. spain is still reeling from the collapse of the housing bubble several years ago. after the construction sector collapsed, many projects were abruptly abandoned. the elegant plaza is one of the main attractions, but many of the apartments are for sale. it is said there are more than 3 million vacant properties in spain. >> some of the victims of the housing bust meet here once a week. a lost job, a divorce. often, that is all it takes to lose the roof over their heads. >> i cannot find work, so i

cannot pay my mortgage and everything that goes with that. i still owed the bank the unpaid balance, plus interest. i do not know how i will manage to get my head above water again. i am out of work and drowning in debt. >> just a few years ago, spanish banks were giving out enormous loans. large mortgages were the norm. now, many are paying the price. >> the government lets banks charge of 20% interest. a single mother is just one day late with her paynt, theank can demand payment in full. it is sad, but that is the way it is here in spain. >> antonia lost her battle against the bank. after she divorced last year, she could not meet her mortgage. the only thing left is a small parcel of land.

she is a trained nurse with five grown children. now, for the past two months, she has been living in this tiny mobile home. >> this is my little doll house. i have set things up here, and i'm trying to be satisfied with it. >> i use bottled water for my coffee. if i want to take a bath, i go to one of my children, or i stop by the hospital before work. same with my laundry. i collect rainwater, and what i've got enough, i wash and rinse my clothes. >> she plans to raise chickens and plant a small vegetable garden here someday, but even these modest dreams might soon be out of reach. >> it is bad enough that i'm being forced to live this way. they are making it harder by putting obstacles in my path. living here is the only way i

can manage. it is the only solution. >> the solution is now in jeopardy. the mayor of the village says her mobile home is an eyesore and wants to force her to leave. she has been fined 17,000 euros for setting it up without a building permit. meanwhile, monica is touring a second property further down in the valley and not as luxurious, but it is also much cheaper. just 1 million euros. >> i have plenty of ideas for fixing it up. i enjoy that. i also like it when a house is perfect. but that costs more, of course. in house that is not quite there yet, there's more room to put your own mark on it, and you can get it at a better price, even though it ends up more valuable

in. it is a forced sale for the previous owner, so there might be room to negotiate the price, but monica does not see herself as profiting from the misfortune of others. >> i am not a profiteer, no, i do not think so. i have always tried hard to make do, to make the best out of every small thing, so, no, i would not say that. i have always had a soft st for real estate. >> monica plans continue her search to find the perfect finka, and it will not be just an investment. it will be her new home. >> agrees continues to be the problem child of the european union. greece is in desperate need of reforms, and this week, we have some positive ns. the greek gernmt has

naged to stop paying retirement money to more than 60,000 phantomn pensioners who have either never existed or who had been dead for a while. this is saving the greek government some 450 million euros in public expenses. but even many greeks have given up their country already. some decide to start a new life abroad and in places you would not expect. >> this is the turkish airline's training center in istanbul. in simulators, pilots practice using the latest technology. although he has been in the cockpit for 25 years, he's also getting instruction here. the pilot lost his job when greece's national airline went bust. like many of his colleagues, he had to reorient himself and it seemed natural to turn to istanbul. >> you will adapt very fast.

the thing is my home is one hour away, so whenever i come, i can just fly home, one hour away. like some turkish colleagues. because it is connected. >> it is not only airlines that are taking on workers. the turkish economy has grown around 10% in the past year, and istanbul, the polls-setting city, is the heart of economic boom. more and more foreigners are coming to assemble in search of jobs, and it is no surprise to businesses here that more and more of them are greek. >> turkey is a rising market with a population of 70 million. industrious and skilled greeks have no problem starting up a business or finding jobs here. the latest job market figures show that our unemployment rate is far below the average for the eurozone.

>> this is a regular gathering of greek guest workers in istanbul. students, academics, entrepreneurs and employees need of every week. most are happy to have escaped the depressing situation in greece. many of them could have gone to berlin or london to look for work, but they feel more at home here. >> in istanbul, i would never find something like that. and then i came here. i have learned the turkish language. that is it. now i'm searching for a job and planning to stay here for more of my life. >> what was the one place where i could have a fresh start, create a new life for myself, but also which was close enough to my sensibilities that i will t myself and not miss home? >> this is in symbol's premier university, a well-known english language institution. for the past year, political

scientist has been teaching here. he has -- he is a greek and the only foreigner in his faculty. that would have been hard to imagine a few years ago when traditional hostilities between greeks and turks were still strong, but, frustrated by the situation in the universities at home, heound what he was looking for here in istanbul. >> i was also offered to run the research center, which is a challenge. agreed teaching international relations, and now, a greek running the center for international european studies. so why not? unthinkable 10, 12 years ago. unthinkable. but things have changed. you just feel they have change in attitudes. >> it is not only individual greed job hunters who had discovered turkey. greek businesses are also looking to their larger neighbor for opportunities. -- it is not only individual greekob hunters who have

discovered tricky. >> numerous greek firms have been investing in turkey since the crisis started. the reason is plain to see. in greece, consumption has plummeted while in turkey, it is a growing, attractive market. >> that is why more greeks are expected to arrive in economic wonderland, turkey. it is so far from a wave of migration. so far, estimates but the number of greek immigrants at only 7000, but the economic crisis has brought the former archenemies closer to gather. 33 pilots have found work at turkish airlines. he is happy that his skills are needed. >> the financial crisis is not going to be sold in just for it -- i just five years. we need more like 10 years. we are happy just to be here. denison, even be able to fly home with his new the employer. the turkish carrier has plans to expand into the greemarket.

in any case, turkish greed is bearing fruit in the form of jobs. >> switzerland in winter -- many people associate that above all with going skiing in a beautiful and exclusive environment with exclusive prices, too, of course, but these days, the swiss tourism industry is getting nervous. traditional customers may soon die out, quite literally. so some swiss resorts are giving themselves a facelift as they try to attract younger customers. some towns have recognized that you need to offer a lot more than traditional downhill skiing slopes. >> free styling is more like flying than skiing for the real adept. more half pipe than stem turn. more obstacles than mere moguls. in the new cool world of freestyle skiing, things are changing.

them at the speed, the altitude, the adrenaline. >> there is nothing else. it is my life. it is not a hobby. it is all i do. >> being in the air is just super cool. >> hundred is something of a star on the scene. the 13-year-old has mastered the tricks of the pros with a child ease. he has been on skis since he was two, skiing after nursery school and later after school. but soon, compared slopes were too easy. >> are there any rules at all for free stylers? >> no, not really. that is why it is called free skiing. >> so you go when and where you want, like pirates? or how would you describe it? >> whatever you want. you can ski however you want. >> skiing without rules. in this swiss resort, that as part of the concept. it has more snowpacks than any

other ski area in the alps. the slopes are studded with tables and benches, not for skiers to sit on, but to slide over. there are pipes, walls, and pyramids as well. andre and his friend's bill each other to seek who is the coolest. bruises and torn ligaments are normal. >> yes, sometimes you fall on your face. >> nearly 1/3 of visitors are free stylers, and that number is on the rise. operators are catering to the trend. they see themselves as pioneers. classical skiing is yesterday, says the manager of the resort. he is concerned about tomorrow's revenues. >> festyle is fun for the kids. it is the future. we need to get kids on the slopes because the old people are dying out. 30% in germany are over 60, so they are not coming to ski. we need fresh blood.

>> but there are still plenty of oldsters' around. here they are at noon enjoying a glass of champagne at this exclusive restaurant. this couple have been coming here with friends for more than 40 years. freestyle does not appeal to them. >> it is a catastrophe. >> they are really pushing it. i have to say, on the weekends, when there are so many of them, i am scared on the slopes. >> we are here all the time, so we see the garbage they leave around, and they are smoking dope. >> and here they are, 50 meters away in a cafe no name, where the free stylers seen hangs out. prices are much lower. so is the average age. they covered allhe complaints before.

>> i tried to get going with my carving skis, and snow boarders are all over the place. it is really annoying. >> we did not listen to them. everyone should be less uptight, and it will be fine. >> they disagree. they descend the slopes in elegant curves the way they have for decades. for them, the pipes and tubes are a nuisance. so are the youngsters o zoom heedlessly across their path. >> they go too fast and cannot control their skis, so you have to be able to dodge them at high speed in a very short time and come to a halt. >> it makes me uneasy when i go down blacks look later in the day like today or early afternoon because that is when they are all racing down the black slopes extremely fast and you have got to get out of their way. that is when i'm often forced to stop at the edge of the slope.

>> ashley, the black slopes are kid stuff for andre and his friends. they are more into what they call kicks, like these daring moves. forwards or backwards, it does not seem to matter. >> further down the slope, their paths cross again with more potential for conflict. rowland has beenomingere for 10 years and feels he is being pushed off the slopes by inconsiderate youngsters. and he collides with a group, there will be a nasty accident. over christmas, i saw a group with an instructor getting ready when someo came breezing into them from above. it was a close shave. >> still, the trend is probably

unstoppable. the next generation of skiers is training in the freestyle academy down in the village. they all want to learn the cool jobs and tricks that andre does -- the cooled jumps and tricks. he proudly presents some of his film clips. some of his videos have received more than 100,000 clicks on youtube. his dream is the olympics. until then, he says he will need to practice and improve. >> when you watch, you see what you can do better. some things are good. >> do you like it or are you critical? >> no, i like anti-lock. >> plenty of older people enjoy watching these images, but experiencing it is another matter. the generational conflict on the slopes looks set to get worse before it gets better. >> this brings us to the end of

today's european journal. we hope that you will mike -- like our new look and our brand new facebook page. we look forward to your comments. thanks for watching. until next week, good bye for now. captioned by the national captioning institute national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--