Header photo – Zurich riverside/ Border photo – street cobblestones, Prague
“Travel teaches toleration.” – Benjamin Disraeli
HOT LINK LIST!!
Suzanne-the-Travel-Magpie
Categories
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Olympic traffic and travel updates for Tuesday and Wednesday, 31 July and 1 August
Sorry I skipped posting the Tuesday, 31 July bulletin in a timely fashion. Here’s the one for Wednesday, 1 August.
Multiple weekends of music at the International Music Festival in Český Krumlov
From Prague Post. Český Krumlov’s International Music Festival started last weekend and continues through August 18th, Thursdays thru Saturdays with an occasional Sunday scheduled. Opera, classical music, fun activities for kids and a brewery garden for the grown-ups when they need … Continue reading
Abingdon’s new name – town and firehouse
From the Oxford Mail. Not sure exactly why the name change was implemented, but Abingdon is now Abingdon-on-Thames so the firehouse had to change its name to match. Mark your maps, brains and GPS.
Posted in General magpie travel, not really travel, UK news
Tagged oxford travel, UK travel
Leave a comment
The latest traffic updates and tips for 2012 summer Olympics
According to London Transport, Monday will be one of the busiest for the Games. There getaheadofthegames website will have all the latest. The next few days have the following hotspots, according
Revisiting the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Part 1
The Old Man of the Mountain fell apart in 2003, a victim of thousands of years of weather and an ultimately unsuccessful patch job. This rocky profile on the side of Cannon Mt inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Great … Continue reading
Virgin Atlantic is updating their fleet
From Virgin Atlantic July newsletter – Virgin is updating its fleet. Click here to watch a speeded up video of the process and find out more.
Medieval gravesite found during tunnel work in Prague
From Prague Post. Archaeologists working near the site of a new tunnel have found a mass grave in Prague dating to the Middle Ages. I wonder if visitors/gawkers will be able to stop by?
Music festival coming in August near Oxford
From Oxford Mail. Chalgrove music festival on the first weekend in August. Sounds like it’ll be a blast (there’s a beer tent, after all).
Upping the speed limit on the Netherland’s widest highway
Night time speed limit may be raised for widest highway in Netherlands.
Get traffic updates for 2012 summer Olympics around the UK
London Transport has a website with current information on traffic issues now that the Olympics activities has begun. There is more to the Olympics rash than the scrum in London over the next couple of weeks. There is also the … Continue reading
Olafur Eliasson’s blackouts at Tate Modern
I saw this artist’s other-worldly Weather Project installation at the Tate Modern several years ago. Now he’s got something different planned for the same museum, Little Sun, beginning on July 28. I hope it runs long enough for me to … Continue reading
Breaking up the lines at customs and immigration at Heathrow
OK, here’s one I didn’t know they needed – separate lines at London Heathrow for incoming visitors depending on whether they need a visa to enter the UK. I don’t know how much difference it will make when multiple flights … Continue reading
weekend craziness in and around London for 21-22 July and beyond
Things are getting wild, with just one week to go before the opening Olympic Games hoopla. Click here to find out about the torch relay that starts in Greenwich at 7.30 am and concludes in Waltham at 7.30 pm this Saturday: … Continue reading
Are you a Morgenmuffel?
From Deutsche Welle’s ongoing feature of weird German words. There are days when I could qualify as a morgenmuffel. How about you?
As the London Olympics approaches, London travel tips
TfL (Transport for London) has some additional thoughts on how to survive the Olympic travel pressures.
Posted in General magpie travel, London travel, UK
Tagged London Olympics tourism, london travel, London Tube, UK travel
Leave a comment
Rugby news from Down Under
OK, so this isn’t news from Europe, but I was in Australia and New Zealand during the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and I saw John Kirwan play at a club match near Auckland. Phenomenal player. From France 24. … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand news, not really travel
Tagged John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby news, rugby news
2 Comments
A cautionary tale for taxi-takers in Europe
I have taken taxis in London (not part of the survey in the article) and Barcelona. In both cases, the meter was on and I feel I was charged fairly, though I didn’t understand the joke on the radio the … Continue reading
Upcoming festivals in Edinburgh
Just my luck that my vacation plans didn’t include checking these out first. The Jazz and Blues fest starts Friday, followed by the Arts festival, the Military Tattoo, Fringe, International Festival, Book Festival. These overlap from early August thru early September. … Continue reading
More travel tips for Germany
From Deutsche Welle… Tips for getting around Germany trains, planes, cars and bikes Favorite foods, tips on tipping and other customs German holidays Social p’s and q’s, recycling, etc.
New connections between the US and Copenhagen on SAS
From SAS email New route between San Francisco and Copenhagen – Outbound “… fly 6 times a week from San Francisco to Copenhagen. Departures will be daily, except Tuesdays, (SK936) departing at 5.35 pm and arriving
Travel ideas if you’re thinking of Germany
From Deutsche Welle… Visit Potsdam What to see in the Upper Rhine Valley.
Tea drinkers beware
From France 24. It may soon be more necessary to research where your tea is actually coming from, especially if Ceylon tea is your favorite. Who knew the Arab states were getting into the tea blending business?
Posted in General magpie travel, not really travel
Tagged Ceylon tea, food & wine in Europe
Leave a comment
European environment news
Both from the London Independent. Spain’s strawberries, water sources and the future of farming. Britain’s National Trust wants to buy piece of White Cliffs of Dover for preservation.
Big beer news – Czech Bud victory
From Prague Post. Czech Budweiser can call itself just that in the U.K. Take that, Anheuser!
UNESCO World Heritage news
The following are all from Deutsche Welle newsmail. There are 936 UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world. At the annual UNESCO conference in St Petersburg, Russia, there are 33 new applications. The designation is not permanent, however; it can … Continue reading
New triple play art show at Tate Liverpool
Three-pronged art exhibition at the Tate Liverpool thru late October 2012. From London Independent.
Posted in England, European art, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged European art news, Monet in Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, UK travel
Leave a comment
Runaway penguin in Japan gets name instead of number
Too funny. From France 24. A Humboldt penguin from Tokyo Sea Life Park, on the lam for almost three months, is given a name to replace his numeric designation. Cute little guy. Reminds me of the fairy penguins in Australia.
Last days for English bookshop in Paris
From France 24. Not as venerable as Shakespeare and Co, but Paris’s Village Voice shop will close as of July 31st.
London Tube closures for weekend of 14 – 15 July 2012
Paddington Station on the Circle and Hammersmith/City lines is no-go again this weekend. Other shutdowns this weekend include partial closures on the Metropolitan (all weekend)and Northern (Sunday) lines. ALL OF THE VICTORIA LINE WILL BE OUT ON SATURDAY. That’ll put a … Continue reading
Posted in General magpie travel, London travel, UK news
Tagged london travel, London Tube, UK travel
Leave a comment
San Fermin starts and bulls score some “points”
From France 24. The Running of the Bulls 2012 saw some injuries to a few goofballs. Check this link for the festival calendar. San Fermin runs through the 14th.
SuzanneTheTravelMagpie 