Header photo – Zurich riverside/ Border photo – street cobblestones, Prague
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Category Archives: All Suzanne’s travels
My favorite artisan stall on Charles Bridge
A local Czech artist, Barbora Jelínková, makes lovely, delicate glass jewelry. I bought some of her earrings in 2005 and wanted to get some new ones this time. The seller in the photo is not the artist, but if you … Continue reading
A great walking tour in London with ‘Hairy Goat’
Thanks to a London friend, I took a walking tour of London before Christmas that I would probably never have found on my own. The name of the outfit that conducted the tour is Hairy Goat and if you are a … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, England, London travel, UK
Tagged Hairy Goat London, Hairy Goat tours, london travel, UK travel
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Christmas at Tivoli
If you’re seeing Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen for the first time, night time is magical. And to see Tivoli after dark at its most sparkling, Christmas time can’t be beat. Fairy lights are on year-round, but the park outdoes itself … Continue reading
Watching people sleep on TV in Denmark?!
Now here is something that probably would not appear on any cable channel anywhere in the U.S. Our loss. The night before I left Copenhagen, I was packing my bag and finishing my trip journal. It was after 11pm. As … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, Denmark travel, Scandinavia travel
Tagged Denmark travel, Scandinavia travel
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Getting some shut-eye at the airport with Yotel
A few weeks ago, needing to make a 6.30 am (ridiculous, I know) flight from London’s Gatwick airport, I booked a single room at the Yotel there. They are located inside the South Terminal, a short elevator ride below the … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, London travel, UK
Tagged london travel, UK travel, Yotel
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Covent Garden shopping update
These are a few of my favorite places in Covent Garden, a frequent shopping destination in London. There are loads of places there for food, drink, clothing, toys and gifts, both in the buildings and outdoors at the artisan stalls. … Continue reading
A Moomin welcome to Helsinki
A desire to experience Scandinavian midnight sun drew me to Helsinki last July. My magpie approach to discovering Europe combines my desire to go everywhere with selecting a destination when I find an interesting event to I can build my … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, Finland travel, Scandinavia travel
Tagged Helsinki travel, moomins, Scandinavia travel
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Animals in War – a London memorial near Hyde Park
After more than a dozen trips to London, I’ve only visited Hyde Park once. Last summer, I was on a mission to find a particular Hyde Park sculpture – the Animals in War memorial. It was erected in 2004 but … Continue reading
Seeing Normandy with a veteran – Day 3 and final thoughts
Following breakfast on our last day, we spent an hour examining the Bayeux tapestry. This historic relic, more than 200 feet long, is mounted in a protective, low-lighted case in a darkened room. A recorded narrative on a cordless handset tells … Continue reading
Spring splendor at Keukenhof Gardens; a photo album
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, Amsterdam travel, BeNeLux, Netherlands travel
Tagged Amsterdam, benelux travel
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Pictures in my mind’s eye – the doll and the gypsy
In Prague, on a gorgeous and busy Saturday, a heavy-set man walked towards me on Charles Bridge. In his forties, he wore black pants, a white shirt and a black vest. He could have been a waiter or an ethnic … Continue reading
Seeing Normandy with a veteran – Day 2 afternoon
After lunch on Day Two, we finally arrived at Omaha Beach. The weather was now sunny and a little breezy after a lunchtime shower. There were several houses facing the beach that Dad did not remember from his previous trip … Continue reading
Pictures in My Mind’s Eye – vol. 2
The hotel room window in Sofia, Bulgaria, looked out on an area surrounded by the backs of apartment buildings. One morning, I heard a slow, dull, rhythmic thump! thump! that went on and on. When I looked out the window, … Continue reading
Seeing Normandy with a veteran – Day 2 morning
The first stop after breakfast on day two was the German cemetery at La Cambe. It was still early enough that the mist had barely risen above the car. The German cemetery had only one or two other visitors aside from … Continue reading
Woodstock – one of my favorite towns in England
Woodstock‘s fame comes in several varieties. It is where you’ll find Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s family estate. If you’re an Inspector Morse fan, you’ll know that it features in one of Colin Dexter’s books, Last Bus to Woodstock. The town hosts a literary … Continue reading
Seeing Normandy with a veteran – background and Day 1
Some background My father served in World War II in Europe. Born and raised in New York City, he began his invitational military service (he was drafted) at Fort Hancock, New Jersey, one of the forts guarding New York harbor. … Continue reading
Finding General Patton
Several years ago, I spent an afternoon in Luxembourg City. After walking along the bluff that leads uphill from the train station (the long, steep drop down to the Alzette (I think) riverbed is amazing… I mean bungee-jumping amazing in places … Continue reading
Coping with the heat in northern Europe
Last July was a scorcher throughout most of Europe. Even in Finland, temps were setting new records; I was in Helsinki in mid-July when they set a new record (89) and they saw a nother new high of 93 before the month was out. … Continue reading
A day trip to Tallinn, Estonia
Last summer, I visited Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It’s just 50 miles across the Baltic Sea from Helsinki, Finland and only 90 minutes by hydrofoil. The buildings in Tallinn’s old town are older than most of what survives in Helsinki by several … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, Eastern Europe, Estonia
Tagged eastern europe travel, estonia travel
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Little bits of Europe all over New York City
It is impossible to spend time in Manhattan without coming across shops, restaurants, artistic events and other activities that have their roots in another part of the world. In the human stew that is New York City, many of these … Continue reading
London nights at the opera – outdoors and in
When I was in college, I got completely hooked on live theatre. My mother, on the other hand, had been thoroughly captivated by the ballet for decades. Classical orchestral music was a minor interest but usually in the form of recordings or radio … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, England
Tagged london travel, opera in europe, UK travel
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Return to Oxford
Over the years, I have visited Oxford, England a few times. The first two times were back in the early 1990s. Both times, I took the ‘official’ walking tour of the colleges, conducted by vetted Blue Badge guides. These guides provided interesting history and … Continue reading
Some thoughts about electricity
Most of us in the U.S. try not to waste electricity, especially these days when so many of us are watching our pennies. When we travel, though, it’s easier to forget to turn off lights or televisions. We’re thinking instead about where to go … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travel essays, All Suzanne's travels
Tagged electricity in europe
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Pictures in My Mind’s Eye – vol. 1
When I travel, I spend a great deal of my time taking pictures, especially in places I’ve never been before. Sometimes, though, the camera isn’t handy or an image flashes by so unexpectedly that the shot is gone before I … Continue reading
Posted in All Suzanne's travels, General magpie travel
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2 Days in Bruges
Bruges is one of several European cities dubbed ‘the Venice of the North’. It’s a lovely town with a well-preserved medieval center which includes several canals. I found a small hotel, the Hans Memling, on the Web, centrally located just … Continue reading
Happy New Year from Edinburgh
New York has its ball dropping above Times Square. In Paris, there are the flashing lights of the Eiffel Tower and champagne toasts on the Champs Elysees. In London, the lights on the London Eye go off at the stroke of midnight. … Continue reading
Cats, Cats and More Cats!
Cieper – a festival mascot Note – The most recent Cat Festival in Ypres, Belgium was in 2009. The next one is in 2012. Every three years, on the 2nd weekend in May, there is a super-sized festival in Ieper (Ypres), … Continue reading
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