Header photo – Zurich riverside/ Border photo – street cobblestones, Prague
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Category Archives: All Suzanne’s travels
No more cash on London buses!
No, this does not mean that buses are free, but it’s just another sign that tourists and old farts need a rethink when boarding a London bus. Beginning this Sunday – 6 July, 2014, bus fares cannot be paid with … Continue reading
Celebrating Queen’s/King’s Day/Night in the Netherlands
In 2013, the annual celebration of Queen Beatrix’s birthday at the end of April became a joint Queen’s/King’s Day all over the Netherlands. It was to be the last Queen’s Day (Koninginnedag) and the first of many King’s Days (Koningsdag), … Continue reading
Alfresco dining in Grešna Gorica, Croatia
The final adventure of my Slovenia/Croatia tour a couple of years ago was dinner at Grešna Gorica, a Croatian “agriturismo” in the Zagorje region. After a visit to Kumrovec, Tito’s restored home town (see previous post), our bus took a small … Continue reading
Roma restau opens in Slovenia
From France 24. A new coffeehouse featuring Roma (aka “gypsy”) food has opened in Maribor, in northeast Slovenia. Their motto is enticing – “Come hungry and with an open heart”. photo by Jure Makovec on Yahoo, so you’ll recognize the place. … Continue reading
A hunt for giant Easter eggs in New York
NYC is currently running a city-wide Easter egg hunt. I stumbled on part of it recently when in Manhattan for the Tartan Day parade (still working on this blog post). After the parade, I went to Rockefeller Plaza to people-watch. The … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, European art, NYC travel, US travel
Tagged Easter eggs in NY, NYC Easter egg hunt 2014
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A cozy harborside restaurant in Reykjavik
When I’m traveling, most of my meals (aside from breakfast which is usually included in the cost of the room) consist of sandwiches and snacks either in my room or on the go. At least once per trip, I splurge … Continue reading
Kelpies and other critters in New York
Two Saturdays in a row, I was in NYC and made a point both times to swing by Bryant Park to visit the Kelpies scale model sculptures. One day was rainy, the other sunny, which explains the different weather in … Continue reading
Keflavik’s Rainbow and an egg
There are two large outdoor sculptures at Keflavik airport in Iceland. They stand next to the terminal building, so are unmissable whether coming to the airport or heading out towards Reykjavik. The Rainbow is the work of Rúrí, an Icelandic artist and was … Continue reading
Keukenhof 2014 is open for business
The best spring garden show in the world, Keukenhof, has just opened in Lisse, Netherlands and runs through mid-May. If you’ve never been and you love flowers and gardens and springtime, you’ll love this annual event. Keukenhof is turning into my … Continue reading
Secret streets near Paddington
There are tons of cozy little streets all over London known as “mews”. On my daily stroll to Paddington station from my hotel last year, I passed a couple of these and decided I would looove to live on one … Continue reading
Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
A view of the Þingvellir rift valley (mid-Atlantic Ridge) from overlook point at Hakid on a cold, dry day in mid-January, 2014. Iceland’s first national park, founded in 1930. The site of Iceland’s Parliament from 930 to the end of the … Continue reading
Introducing Edinburgh Zoo’s penguins
Edinburgh Zoo has a large and renowned collection of penguins – renowned for their daily “Penguin Parade” – when a (variable) number of penguins will take a short stroll along the pathway outside their enclosure at 2 pm each day … Continue reading
Harpa, Reykjavik’s new concert hall
In addition to taking day trips into the phenomenal countryside on my visit to Iceland in January, I was lucky enough to catch a classical concert at Harpa, Reykjavik’s new concert hall, open since May of 2011. The Iceland Symphony … Continue reading
Fourth plinth artwork comes home to roost
The latest in a continuing series of artworks, each of which resides for about a year on the previously unoccupied fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. It’s a giant blue rooster entitled Hahn/Cock. I especially like the pigeons sitting below … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, European art, London travel, News from Britain, UK
Tagged fourth plinth, Hahn/Cock, London arts, London sculpture, Trafalgar Square
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More to Iceland than Northern Lights
I admit that the first two reasons for my trip to Iceland were to see the Aurora Borealis in a fantastic setting. As it’s turned out, the Lights have been disappointing. Solar activity that generates the phenomenon takes two to … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travel essays, All Suzanne's travels, Iceland travel
Tagged Iceland travel
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Iceland update
Take a look at the comment/s for my previous post for an update on my visit so far to Iceland. Big news, too – I walked down to the local ‘Home Depot’ type place using directions from the hotel staff … Continue reading
winter walks around Britain
From the London Independent. Ten ideas for winter walks of varying lengths around Britain, from Wales and Cornwall to London and Scotland. I went on a woodsy walk in the Ashdown Forest (#8) years ago with Dad. It wasn’t quite … Continue reading
Souvenirs from King’s / Queen’s Day in Amsterdam 2013
King’s Day / Queen’s Day in Amsterdam in 2013 was a once-in-a-lifetime combination affair – the reigning queen stepped down and her son became king. Two for the price of one. Despite having no vested interest in the ceremonies, I … Continue reading
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia – a slide show
I love cities, but there is a wealth of natural beauty in northern Croatia at Plitvice Lakes National Park. Waterfalls, gorges, rock faces and caves, lakes and ponds of all sizes in vistas large and small make for an exhilarating trek. … 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
A visit to Duluth, MN and Lake Superior
Once again, a recent trip took me to an American destination rather than a European one (what has gotten into me lately?) and introduced me to a surprisingly interesting part of the US. Duluth, Minnesota lies so far north, compared … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, US travel
Tagged Canal Park Duluth, Duluth, Duluth harbor, Lake Superior, Minnesota
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My favorite London sculpture
These days, the first bit of outdoor art I check out in London is the rotating art installation on the fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Always interesting, subject matter all over the place and there’s a new piece every year … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, European art, London travel
Tagged Horses of Helios, London sculpture
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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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Loving Croatia
Tuesday was my last full day in Rovinj, my new favorite destination in Europe. It is on the Adriatic and ‘Mediterranean sunny’; red tiled roofs; an ancient church in the middle of town at the highest point; narrow, winding alleyways … 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
Food, glorious food in Brussels
Last year was my third visit to Brussels and my fourth trip to Belgium. FINALLY, I found time for a bucket of moules (mussels) for dinner. Sadly, I didn’t think to snap a picture. I did get a foto of … 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
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
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