If you live in France or are in Paris in the middle of August or want to be in Paris on August 17/18, here is what I **would** do: Attend a DB2 pureXML bootcamp.
Susan Malaika and I will be running an intense, packed bootcamp which covers everything pureXML from basics over XML storage and indexing to performance best practices. The bootcamp will be held at the IBM Forum Paris. And yes, it's free to attend.