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Monthly Archives: August 2012
Gevrey-Chambertin chateau and vines sold to Chinese tycoon
From London Independent. A Chines casino zillionaire has bought a very prestigious Burgundy chateau. According to Wikipedia, Gevrey-Chambertin produces 8 of 33 grand cru wines in the region. My first thought upon reading the headline was whether we would have … Continue reading
The Netherlands needs more free houses to provide better beer choices for customers – discuss
From DutchNews. A heads-up for beer lovers looking for more in Holland than Heineken and Grolsch (Grolsch now owned by SAB Miller). Pooey. Beer prices are rising and affecting many landlords because their pubs and cafes are essentially properties renting … Continue reading
Your London Paralympics transport website
The “regular” Olympic Games are over, but the Paralympics start in a few days. If you want to make sure you don’t get caught in a traffic mess, check this website. By 9 September, it’ll be over and done, but … Continue reading
Posted in European festivals, London travel, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged London Paralympics, london travel, London Tube, UK travel
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Sweden’s parachuting teddy bears over Belarus
This story is already weeks old, but I had to paste this photo from Deutsche Welle‘s newsmail. The Belarus government is fuming over the dropped teddy bears, an event sponsored by some Swedes. The Belarus brass claims international interference in … Continue reading
Poffertjes
Pasted from Deutsche Welle Culture page… I had a plateful of these yummy little pancakes sitting at an open-air cafe on the main square in Haarlem, Netherlands almost 15 years ago. I still remember that snack and the late evening … Continue reading
Catherine the Great in Edinburgh
From the London Independent. An exhibition devoted to Russia’s Catherine the Great is running at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh thru October 21. Hmmm. Another possibility for my fall trip.
A new working attraction in Oxfordshire – a steam powered sawmill
From Oxford Mail. If you’re looking for something that’s a bit out of the ordinary, a steam-powered sawmill is up and running again in Witney. Open for visitors two days a week. Neat!
Oktoberfest 2012 in Munich – coming soon
Uh-oh! While researching trains between Croatia and Germany, I came across the Munich Oktoberfest website. The dates overlap the days when I hope to be in Germany. This could turn out to be a dangerous trip for some unexpected reasons! Time … Continue reading
Prague Underwater – a photo exhibit in Prague commemorating the floods of 2002
From Prague Post. Prague Underwater, a photography exhibit of the “once in a century” floods in 2002 runs through October 7, when it will move to the Old Town Hall. Flood barriers have been improved since then and have been … Continue reading
April in France – a new baguette from McDonald’s
From France 24. It’s a long way off, but if you’re in France in April, keep an eye out for Le McBaguette. It looks and sounds pretty good. I might be tempted to try it, except for a recently developed … Continue reading
Beer on the brain – British beer festivals and a tasting list
I found this calendar of beer events in Britain. I’m especially curious about the Bricklayers Arms in Putney. They describe themselves on their website as a year-round beer festival. That could be very dangerous! They are also a good ten minute … Continue reading
Google scoops up Frommer travel guidebooks
From the London Independent. Google bought Zagat less than a year ago and now they have acquired Frommer’s Travel guides. There’ll be an app for that soon, I suspect. The buzz at next winter’s New York Travel Show, which typically … Continue reading
Fare hikes on British rail lines in 2013
From the London Independent. Add to your rail budget next year. The hikes are set to exceed inflation – a royal pain in the pocketbook for commuters but even tourists will need to research whether a BritRail pass will save … Continue reading
Posted in England, London travel, UK news
Tagged British rail fare hikes, BritRail, london travel, UK rail fares, UK travel
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A new coffee chain set to open in the UK
Coffee is not the first food group that springs to mind when I visit the UK, but I usually manage to slurp down an espresso at either Costa Coffee or some other chain during my stays. From the London Independent … Continue reading
Some travel ideas for the UK
From London Independent – some grand days out. The only one I’ve been to is Leeds Castle, in 1990 where I stumbled upon a huge display of Bentleys surrounded by several hot air balloons. Also, a look at St Kilda, … Continue reading
Posted in General magpie travel, UK news
Tagged days out in the UK, london travel, UK travel
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Some interesting tours through Croatia and Slovenia
Croatia travel has a bunch of different tours for Croatia, Slovenia and some include Venice. I’m considering the Dalmatian Sunshine tour. At first I thought it was a boat tour with a couple of inland bus excursions. It’s all on … Continue reading
Caution – speed cameras in France are big moneymakers
From France 24. If you are driving in France, you may already know about these. Speed cameras are catching lots of speeding motorists and more cameras are being installed. Slow down! We’re all safer that way.
Heading into the home stretch – Olympic traffic updates for Friday, 10 August
Here is the TfL disruption link for Friday, 10 August. From TfL… 3 days to go: There are only 3 more days before the Olympic Games finish on Sunday evening. Thank you for your support so far; this has helped us get … Continue reading
Let’s try this again – Olympic traffic updates for Wednesday, 8 August
Here is the TfL disruption map for Wednesday, 8 August. There are a few tabs, depending on whether you’re interested in road, rail or Tube info and the maps are very helpful.
How busy is London this month, really?
From France 24. London businesses were concerned that the Olympics would be the only big moneymakers in August and would keep locals away who feared citywide gridlock. They may have been right to worry. Sky-high hotel rates probably don’t help. I … Continue reading
Olympics in London – traffic updates for Sunday, 5 August
This is the last blog post regarding traffic updates for the Olympics. I have been posting links to my emails from TfL (Transport for London) but the links don’t work. The link below leads to the generic getaheadofthegames website and, … Continue reading
Olympics in London – traffic updates for Saturday, 4 August
The latest updates on Olympics-related traffic issues for Saturday, 4 August, mostly in and around London. I’m not paying close attention, but it seems as though the same venues are listed every day, as well as the same slow spots … Continue reading
Watch out, Scotland – English whiskey is coming
From London Independent. An English distillery’s product has just beaten out a bunch of its Scottish competitors in the International Wine and Spirits competition. Cooked up in Norfolk, but the article didn’t name the distillery. Hmmm.
Posted in England, Europe food & wine, not really travel, UK news
Tagged English whiskey, food & wine in Europe, Norfolk whiskey, UK travel
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Chagall exhibition in Moscow
From France 24. An exhibition of Marc Chagall‘s work at Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery runs through 30 September.
Posted in European art
Tagged Chagall in Moscow, European art news, Tretyakov Gallery
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Hague Masquerade on 31 August, 2012
From DutchNews. The last day of August is the date for the Hague Masquerade, a big fancy dress (costumed) dance party. From what I can find, this is the second more-or-less annual edition of this fascinating event. Another intriguing non-touristy … Continue reading
Tea plantation in Cornwall, England!
From the London Independent. After a recent post about Sri Lanka’s problems with keeping control of their teas, this is an interesting twist – Cornwall, in SW England, has a climate that seems ideal for growing tea. Look for Tregothnan … Continue reading
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