Header photo – Zurich riverside/ Border photo – street cobblestones, Prague
“Travel teaches toleration.” – Benjamin Disraeli
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Category Archives: All Suzanne’s travel essays
Perking up pictures with Photoshop
I’m spending more time on the blog and playing around a little bit with Photoshop. It’s one of those skills that requires a lot of repetition and it’s easier for me to learn how to use this software by concentrating … Continue reading
Picture perfect – Lake Bled
Lake Bled is a stunning jewel in Slovenia’s Julian Alps crown, a gorgeously picturesque spot attracting large numbers of tourists despite being something of a secret for US travelers. By American standards, it’s a small village situated smack dab in … Continue reading
First impressions of Venice
Italy sounds like the most romantic destination. The name conjures images of wine and cheese, pastoral sunsets, pizza and pasta, cypress-dotted countryside and Renaissance art and architecture, not to mention movies and movie stars that glam up the image. You’d … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travel essays, All Suzanne's travels, European art, European music, Italy travel
Tagged Alilaguna, Brunetti Venice, Donna Leon Venice, first impressions of Venice, Hotel Centauro, Hotel Mercurio, Rialto bridge, Venice by water, Venice Rialto, Venice San Marco, Vivaldi in Venice
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Tours International’s new website look
From Tours International. This is the UK-based tour company that Dad and I used for our tour of Normandy in 2002. Dad said it was the best trip he’d ever taken. I thought it superb – the sobering WWII locations, … Continue reading
Some quick notes from Europe
Haaj. Hola. Hello! Coming to the end of the first week on vaca. Wi-fi has been spotty to say the least. The hotel in London only had access in the lobby, a real pain. The place I stayed in Alkmaar … Continue reading
Not the same old lawn ornaments
One of the shops at Floriade, the Netherlands’ once-every-ten-years horticultural exhibition, had a variety of plastic lawn ornaments for sale. In addition to the usual ducks, chickens and gnomes, they also had goats and… you won’t believe it… guinea pigs!! … Continue reading
Magpie blog announcement
Over the coming weeks and months, I will be fiddling with both the blog theme (format) and with how I present news links. The themes I play with will still have header images – I quite like that feature – … Continue reading
Lost in Europe or How to lose weight on vacation – part 1
I’ve been working on this blog item for a long time but was prompted to whip it into shape after reading a story on Lance’s Travels, another travel blog, about getting lost in Fez even while using a map. I … Continue reading
NY’s Grand Central Terminal celebrates centennial
From France 24. Celebration of Grand Central Terminal’s centenary. Much as I love London, Grand Central is probably my favorite train station anywhere. It’s where I land on my day trips to NYC. One of these days, I’ll make time … 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
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
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all
A few holiday photos to keep you in the mood. Apologies for the photo quality. Happy Holidays to all! . .
Neum and Počitelj, two small Bosnian towns
I flew to Dubrovnik, Croatia the day before the packaged tour I signed up for began. My express goal was to visit Mostar in Bosnia. There are day trips by bus from Dubrovnik most days. When you look at a … Continue reading
Another Mark Twain quote on travel
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your … Continue reading
A Magpie announcement on upcoming posts
For my regular followers and any new visitors – it’s been four months since the end of one of the longest vacations I’ve ever taken. I’m still in a fog of reminiscence as I scroll thru fotos and try to select … Continue reading
A lazy last week in London and home again
I spent all of last week in London. There were a few things planned – meeting friends for drinks, perhaps seeing a show or two, visiting my favorite outdoor spaces, like Trafalgar Square (always need to see what’s sitting on … Continue reading
Austria and Germany in one day
This post was writtepn several days ago. I thought I had published it but then, I’m still coming to terms with my #&$%$# tablet… The night train arrived in Salzburg, Austria yesterday morning at 5am. This was better than expected. … Continue reading
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
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
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
Memories of Reykjavik for a WWII veteran and a first-timer
When Dad served in the US Army during WWII, he spent the best part of two years in Iceland before moving on to Normandy, Belgium and the Rhineland. When he and I went to Europe in 2002 to walk the … Continue reading
Some thoughts on the eve of Memorial Day in the U.S.
Memorial Day is Monday, May 28th, 2012. It’s a uniquely American holiday and this will be the 144th such observance since the first one in 1865, after our Civil War ended. A friend emailed me about a recent visit to … Continue reading
Wild German words – a new semi-regular feature – and a wacky reminiscence
Deutsche Welle has put together an interesting collection of German words that you might not find in most ordinary dictionaries. Here are a couple of them… Erbsenzaehler Eierlegende Wollmichsau – German speakers can probably figure it out even if they’ve never … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travel essays, not really travel
Tagged miscellaneous magpie
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Stories coming soon
My stories and photos from Bulgaria, Bratislava, Budapest and a long past trip to Australia and New Zealand have been in the works for a long time. These trips predated my digital camera, so selecting and scanning photos is taking … Continue reading
My favorite European beers and one for 007
I get quite a bit of traffic on blog posts about food and alcohol. Especially alcohol. Must say something about my audience. I’ve been a red wine drinker for quite a long time now. Years ago, I tried to learn … Continue reading
Possible changes to Schengen to be aware of
A change to Schengen border controls designed to stem illegal immigration means you should keep your passport handy. From Deutsche Welle.
Some locals’ views on the London Olympics
There are fewer than 100 days until the start of the London Olympics. Not everyone is thrilled at the prospect. From the London Independent.
Posted in All Suzanne's travel essays, London travel, UK news
Tagged London Olympics, london travel, news from Europe, UK travel
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