Travel is my favorite thing to do. Traveling in Europe is my favorite favorite thing to do. Every trip is an adventure and there is always something positive with every experience whether it’s fun (most of the time) or, occasionally, disastrous (unavoidable in life). I’m not a high-maintenance traveler – fancy hotels cost much more than they’re worth; I only need a semi-comfortable bed, bathroom access and, hopefully, some telly. Free WiFi has snuck on the list now, too. None of that primitive hostel room-share either – small hotels or B&Bs when I can; big, anonymous tourist hotels if my budget requires it. If the room is clean, I’m happy. An included breakfast saves time and is an easy introduction to local specialties. I consider local TV part of my cultural education (sad, perhaps, but true) even when not in English – advertisements are a universal language, frequently hilarious, often ruefully familiar. A toilet or bathroom down the hall is less common now, but I can manage when that’s the only option. As I get older, an elevator is helpful; then again, with all the walking I do on vaca, a room at the top of the stairs is less of a show-stopper. I like a room on the street; I’m a city kid so love the energy of cities and it seldom keeps me from a decent night’s sleep.
Most often, I travel on my own but there can be advantages to traveling as part of a group. The downsides of the group thing – early muster (the toughest for me) and too many photo opportunities gets passed up which I can fix only by making notes for my next iteration of a Pictures in My Mind’s Eye post.
Travel is a lot of work, so I always pack my sense of humor. All that said, my favorite place is the one I visited most recently and the next trip starts to form in my mind almost before I’ve unpacked at home. I gobble up ideas for new destinations and events the way my vacuum cleaner inhales cat hair and I’m constantly searching travel articles, foreign news services, American TV programs and YouTube videos (a recent source for me with more and more videos and vlog posts to stimulate my travel imagination. You won’t always find the most popular destinations when you search my blog, but you’ll always find interesting and sometimes quirky tales of my travels. No passport required for you to come along, see the sights and dream of Europe and beyond with Suzanne The Travel Magpie!
SuzanneTheTravelMagpie 
Looking for a Suzanne Palk from Reading, could this be you?
Nope, sorry.
Thanks for the link to CabbieBlog.
If you can tear yourself away from London with all that it offers I would recommend a Nile cruise, unlike any other ship bound holiday it’s like going back in time.
I would imagine it is. I’ll have to give that a good think. I enjoy your blog. Thanks for the recommendation!
I’m tracing steps of another veteran who was in Iceland in 1943, I believe with the 29th. Will you be more willing to share your father’s military experience, as to where he was stationed and when and with which co/troop(s)?
Started in Fort Hancock / Sandy Hook, one of three forts protecting New York Harbor in 1941. He was assigned to the 7th Coast Artillery.
Shipped out to Iceland on April 30, 1942 on the JW McAndrew, arriving in Iceland on May 10th.
Units were combined and split up throughout the war and Dad once recited the list of the units he was attached to. Somewhere, I have that list, but I’ve no idea precisely where.
Reykjavik harbor was where the army was stationed; the air base was Keflavik – now Iceland’s main domestic airport. Side note – the air base was decommissioned in 2006.
In October of 1943, diaries were collected by the authorities, reviewed and censored for sensitive information and returned stateside. From then on, written diaries were forbidden.
From Iceland, new units were created and shipped to the UK. Dad went to N Ireland, probably Armagh. From there, he thought they went to Torbay or Torquay, England, prior to Normandy.
His unit by then was part of the US Army’s 2nd Infantry Division. Landed in Normandy either 6 or 12 days after D Day. Dad also remembered being in or near Paris, Trier, Luxembourg and fought in the frozen forests of the Belgian Bulge. He was discharged shortly after VE Day 1945.
One person Dad mentioned a lot was a guy named Eddie Protheroe. Eddie was also a New Yorker and lived through the war, but I don’t believe they stayed together after Iceland and I don’t know if they ever reconnected.
Let me know if any of this is helpful. Iceland seems a small place today, but there were thousands of guys across all the services stationed there during World War II.
Hi Suzanne,
I love your blog. It’s so informative and friendly. Thanks for the movie picks. The one’s that I have seen already are some of my favorites so I know I’ll enjoy the rest.
Thanks for the comments!
I am looking forward to the nwe stories about the last trip to Christmas Europe!
Suzanne – Wow, you sure like to write! This is a great way to experience Europe without leaving home.Thanks!
I have so many stories to write. There are at least another half-dozen in the pipeline now; I hope to be posting them soon. Thanks!