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Monthly Archives: January 2013
Trapping tourists at Mont St-Michel
From France 24. The mayor of Mont Saint-Michel is in hot water for rigging bus stop locations so tourists would have to pass his restaus and other shops. Fines and jail sentence (even if suspended) forthcoming. Tsk tsk tsk! Mind … Continue reading
2013 is the last year for Queen’s Day in the Netherlands
From DutchNews. This year will be the last time Netherlands celebrates Queen Beatrix’s birthday (April 30). Next year, they’ll have a king, Willem-Alexander, so the date will move to April 27 and become King’s Day. Still, if you’re anywhere in … Continue reading
London Tube closures for weekend of 2-3 February 2013
Tube system repairs continue this weekend. Cannon Street station will be closed Saturday, per usual. The entire Circle Line will be closed for the weekend, (glad I’m not in town for this; Circle is my lifeline!) though the map seems … Continue reading
Posted in General magpie travel, London travel
Tagged london travel, London Tube, vauxhall closures
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Wifi on the London Tube
From Transport for London (TfL). The London Tube now has WiFi at more than 100 of their stations thanks to Virgin Media. Depending on your service provider (boy does that sound like commercial-speak or what?), you will be able to use the … Continue reading
Posted in London travel, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged London Heathrow, London Tube, WiFi on London Tube
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Best of Prague 2012
From Prague Post. These are the results of reader voting in several categories, as well as the Prague Post’s top pick. Some are useful for anyone visiting or living in Prague. I’m especially interested in the best beer, pub, theatre … Continue reading
Dutch Queen Beatrix to abdicate in April 2013
Just an interesting tidbit from DutchNews. I know almost nothing about the monarchies and monarchs of continental Europe, possibly because they are so low-key. The only time we hear anything about them is if one of them dies or one … Continue reading
Take a walk in Hackfall, North Yorkshire
From the London Independent. Maybe wait for the snow to melt, then get up to Hackfall for a walk with Nature.
Posted in England, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged Hackfall, UK walks, Yorkshire walks
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London Tube closures for weekend of 26-27 January 2013
Large chunks of the Tube will experience disruptions this weekend, especially on the Northern line. Cannon Street station will be closed Saturday only. Partial line closures on District, Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines beyond the Circle Line area. London Overground will … Continue reading
Add Borgen and The Bridge to your Netflix list
From the London Independent. A Danish TV series, Borgen, with a female prime minister as the central character, is a hit in the UK. Will PBS pick it up in the US? If not, maybe Netflix will carry it. I … Continue reading
Ten coastal walks in the UK
From the London Independent. Ten walks along different parts of the UK coast. Yes, N Ireland, Wales and Scotland are included. Most are between 4 and 10 miles but there’s also a one mile suggestion and the longest is more … Continue reading
Posted in England, General magpie travel, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged UK coastal walks, UK walks, walking in Britain
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Belgian rail suspends high-speed service
From Dutch news. The Belgian rail safety office has suspended FYRA high-speed rail service until it can be shown the service is reliable. This has been a continual problem since the service went up and some regular – and less … Continue reading
Posted in BeNeLux, General magpie travel, News from Europe
Tagged Belgium trains, Fyra trains
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Marseille working to clean up its image for its closeup as a 2013 European Capital of Culture
From France 24. Marseille is one of two European Capitals of Culture, so it’s trying to clean up its seedy reputation in hope of boosting its visitor numbers for 2013.
Posted in France, General magpie travel, News from Europe
Tagged france travel, Marseille, Marseille capital of culture
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An Alpine slide show
I’ve seen the Alps and they are magnificent. When I flew from London Gatwick to Dubrovnik last September, the flight took us over the Alps. The weather was perfectly clear which allowed for some amazing views of these young, tough … Continue reading
London Tube closures for weekend of 19-20 January 2013
Tube system repairs are back in force this weekend. Cannon Street station will be closed Saturday, per usual. Partial line closures on District, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly lines beyond the Circle Line area. Also some disruption on DLR and … Continue reading
Posted in General magpie travel, London travel
Tagged london travel, London Tube, vauxhall closures
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Where the helicopter crashed in London today – 16 Jan 2013
I finally found a decent map showing the location of the Tower building at St George Wharf south of the Thames in London. This is the building whose high altitude crane was apparently so shrouded in fog that a helicopter hit … Continue reading
Top coffee shops in the UK
From the London Independent. A list of the best coffeeshops in Britain. Places to look for if you don’t need your fix from Caffe Costabucks.
Posted in Europe food & wine, General magpie travel, London travel, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged UK coffee shops
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a new Holocaust museum in Belgium
From France 24. A new museum devoted to the Holocaust has opened in Mechelen, Belgium on the site of a Nazi transfer camp that had been the last stop before Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Travelodge still wants to build a hotel near Oxford
From Oxford Mail. I think having a modestly-priced motor hotel near Oxford could be a great money-saver for those of us who don’t feel flush enough to book into the Randolph. I especially like the fact that it will be … Continue reading
Posted in England, General magpie travel, News from Europe, UK news
Tagged oxford travel, travelodge plans near Oxford
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The Shard is open; gee, that’s nice
From France 24. The giant girder-and-panel building called the Shard is now open. I don’t particularly care, but the article has information and prices regarding the observation desk. I’ll be curious to hear when the place becomes fully rented. What … Continue reading
Germany’s UNESCO Sites
From Deutsche Welle. An interactive map of Germany’s 37 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Just in case you were looking for an excuse to visit Germany sometime soon. I’ve only been to one, Cologne Cathedral and, oddly, it’s also the only … Continue reading
Posted in General magpie travel, Germany travel, News from Europe
Tagged UNESCO sites in Germany
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London Tube closures for weekend of 12-13 January 2013
This weekend has minimal disruption on the Tube. Cannon Street station will be closed Saturday only. Partial line closures on District (between Plaistow and Upminster), Hammersmith/City (a couple of sections Liverpool St and Barking on Saturday only), the last few … Continue reading
A slow walk through Ljubljana’s outdoor market
Outdoor produce markets are a fixture throughout Europe and they are becoming more and more common in the US. The outdoor market in Ljubljana, Slovenia not only has row upon row of fruit, vegetable and flower vendors, but also basic … Continue reading
Fare hikes on UK trains for 2013
From the London Independent. New fares went into effect at the start of the year. British trains are the priciest in Europe. I find this article helpful because it cites sample fares that illustrate just how costly train tickets can … Continue reading
Paris – a city of micro brews?
From the London Independent. Sacre bleu! Paris is falling in love with craft beers.
Posted in Europe food & wine, France, General magpie travel, News from Europe
Tagged beer in Paris, Paris travel
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Cash only at the Vatican
From France 24. Because the Vatican is out of compliance with Italian laws regarding money-laundering, the government has shut down credit card use in Vatican City. Of course, this may not last long, but it does make for an interesting … Continue reading
Posted in General magpie travel, Italy travel, News from Europe
Tagged cash only in Vatican City
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Remembering Rudolf Nureyev
From France 24. Today (6 January, 2013) marks the 20th anniversary of Rudolf Nureyev‘s death. This France 24 article is a remembrance of his genius and legacy. I saw him dance in Boston in 1966 or ’67. He was dancing … Continue reading
A visit to Kumrovec, Croatia – Tito’s hometown
The last day of the Croatia-Slovenia tour I took in Sept 2012 included an excursion to Kumrovec, Croatia. Located in northern Croatia about 40 miles from Zagreb, it sits practically on the border with Slovenia. There is a modern town … Continue reading
Winter walks in the UK
From the London Independent. Floods notwithstanding – and there have been a LOT of them recently – here is a list of 50 winter walks grouped, helpfully, by region. Pull on those boots and get cracking!
Posted in General magpie travel, London travel, News from Europe, Scotland, UK news
Tagged UK travel, UK walks, UK winter walks
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London Tube closures for weekend of 5-6 January 2013
The holidays are more or less over – January month-end sales still to come – and this weekend has minimal disruption on the Tube. Cannon Street station will be closed Saturday only. Partial line closures on District, Jubilee, Metropolitan and … Continue reading
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