Header photo – Amsterdam harbor on the IJ looking east past the cruise port / Border photo – Stuðlaberg, columnar basalt, Iceland
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Category Archives: News from Europe
old but helpful Dutch rail card news
The old paper tickets are obsolete on Dutch trains. Now you need a smart card, called the OV-chipkaart. Similar to NYC’s Metro card or the London Oyster and Travel cards, these can be bought as either single use or multi-use, … Continue reading
Pilsen, Czech Republic – a European Capital of Culture 2015
From Prague Post. A roundup of events in 2015 to celebrate this European Capital of Culture. Early May will see a celebration of the liberation of Pilsen (Plzeň) 70 years ago. The city’s festival website shows what’s going on and … Continue reading
Euro news from Prague Post – drink more cava
Not only did Prague Post publish photos of their tree lighting in Old Town Square – making me pine for the trip I took to see their Xmas markets a couple of years ago (see Facebook page) – they also … Continue reading
news from Prague – summer 2014
Here are a bunch of interesting tidbits with info on what’s going on in and around Prague – for those who don’t click on my Prague HOT LINK!! Some originally noted in Prague Post. Leave it to the Czechs to … Continue reading
Posted in Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, Europe food & wine, European art, European festivals, General magpie travel, News from Europe, Prague travel
Tagged Czech UNESCO, Letní Letna, Prague food tours, Prague hippos, Prague Signal festival, Prague Zoo, Terracotta Warriors Prague, Whisky Live Prague
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Travel and art news from France – summer 2014
From France 24. The Paris Pantheon has been wallpapered with some 4000 selfies by street artist JR, thru early October. On the topic of selfies – Parisian authorities are trying to effect a sea change away from those bridge-destroying “love … Continue reading
Random news from the Netherlands – summer 2014
A bunch of items from Dutch News. Though some of the articles came out several weeks ago, the news is still valid as far as I can find. Mopeds, helmets and bike lanes. A surprising find during restoration of a … Continue reading
Azores festival in progress – summer 2014
From the NY Times – a newish festival in the Azores is gaining in popularity.
Dancing at a Parisian firehouse on 14 Juillet
I came across a write-up on this Bastille Day tradition in and around Paris. I’ve frequently thought about visiting Paris again, perhaps even for Bastille Day; this is the best reason I can think of to put that city on … Continue reading
travel and food news roundup for Prague – spring and beyond 2014
From London Independent – a new 48 hours for Prague. The rest of these come from Prague Post. Take an interesting tour and get to know local food. Or visit Martin’s bistro for lunch, in Prague 3. And now, reappearing at … Continue reading
Posted in Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, Europe food & wine, European festivals, News from Europe, Prague travel
Tagged Charles of Bohemia, Gothic Garden Prague, John of Nepomuk, Karlovy Vary film fest, Martin's bistro Prague, Olšany Cemetery, Prague travel, Strings of Autumn, Theatre Cinema Cafe Royal, U Pinkasů, Winged Lion memorial Prague
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Dutch rail tickets and Heathrow’s runway plans
From Dutch News. Paper train tickets are being phased out this summer. Time to look into the alternatives. The chipkaart sounds similar to NYC’s Metro Cards and London’s Oyster card and should be easy to get. The tricky part may … Continue reading
Posted in Amsterdam travel, BeNeLux, England, General magpie travel, London travel, Netherlands travel, News from Britain, News from Europe, UK news, Virgin Atlantic
Tagged chipkaart, Dutch rail, Dutch train tickets, Gatwick airport, Gatwick Express, Heathrow terminal 2, London Heathrow
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Dutch tidbits – spring 2014
From Dutch news. Bike parking to be expanded in Amsterdam. A canal house is being created using a 3D printer and is open to visitors. Problems with high-speed rail service continues, but slow trains are still in service between A’dam … Continue reading
Posted in Amsterdam travel, Archaeology in Europe, Europe's gardens, European art, European museums, General magpie travel, Netherlands travel, News from Europe
Tagged 3D printing, Dutch bike parking, Dutch canal house, Dutch flower bulbs, Dutch rail, Han van Meegeren, Han van Meegeren death mask, Rijksmuseum, Vermeer forger
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Tchin-tchin! – Paris Beer Week 2014 is coming
From the Paris info website – As we say in New England – “Getcha beeah heeah”! What is really great about the event billed Paris Beer Week is that it runs from 24 May thru 11 June. Plenty of time to … Continue reading
Solo travel in Paris – from the NY Times
From the NY Times. Solo in Paris – makes me want to see the city again; it’s been more than ten years and never for more than two days. Paris demands much more time than that! The article is a … Continue reading
Posted in France, General magpie travel, News from Europe, Paris travel
Tagged france travel, Paris travel
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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
Major art exhibit planned for Prague Castle in 2015
From Prague Post. A major art exhibition of Titian’s works is being planned for Prague Castle. It’s more than a year away, but if Prague is on your list, keep this event in mind, maybe even do as I do … Continue reading
A wine craze in Austria
From Prague Post – a humble Austrian wine has suddenly skyrocketed in popularity and producers are having difficulty meeting demand. Probably need to visit Austria to try it, but maybe not. Something to look out for.
Art awaits in Paris for spring 2014
From France 24 – a photo exhibit of images of everyday Paris is on through late May 2014 at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (aka MEP). Received in a Eurostar email – La Nuit Aux Invalides, a nighttime video spectacle … 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
WWI unexploded shell goes off near Ypres, Belgium
From several sources a couple of weeks ago. Unexploded munitions from both World Wars lurk, barely buried, particularly in northern regions of Europe. Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence even a century after that first conflict. The reason I … Continue reading
Dvořák Festival in Prague
From Prague Post. The program for September’s Dvořák Festival in Prague is shaping up. Start making plans and get your tickets now!
Tidbits from Dutch news – Feb 2014
Here are a couple of stories from Dutch news from last month… The Hermitage’s Amsterdam location is now home to thirty Golden Age paintings by Rembrandt et al., similar to his masterpiece The Night Watch, which lives at the Rijksmuseum … Continue reading
Posted in Amsterdam travel, BeNeLux, European art, European museums, European music, Netherlands travel, News from Europe
Tagged Amsterdam museums, Dutch movies, Dutch paintings, Hermitage Amsterdam, Hermitage museum, Imagine Nation, Night Watch, Rembrandt, Rutger Hauer, Soldier of Orange, Soldier of Orange musical
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Some Northern Lights I didn’t see
From London Independent. A fantastic slide show of Auroras around the northern hemisphere recently. I knew when I booked my trip to Iceland in January that the lights were more likely to appear in March and April, but I had … Continue reading
Posted in Estonia, General magpie travel, Iceland travel, News from Europe, Scandinavia travel, UK news
Tagged aurora borealis, iceland aurora
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A Czech destination beyond Prague
From Prague Post. A look at Český Šternberk, a place I’d not heard about before now. An interesting add-on possibility outside Prague. The end of the article mentions two different buses to get you there but, since it’s only 30 … 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
craft beermaking growing in Germany
From France 24. The craft beer trend so well-established in the US has come to Germany. This could require some essential on-site research in the near future!
tolls on foreign cars possible on German roads
From Deutsche Welle. There’s a possibility that foreign cars will be singled out to pay tolls on German roads by 2015. I assume rental cars will get caught in that net, but we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t … Continue reading
Quails for dinner at the Space Station
From France 24. This story relates to a rather far-flung destination, and one I don’t anticipate experiencing. But I got a kick out of the headline – it immediately reminded me of a Muppet sketch – “Pigs in Space”. Wrong … Continue reading
Roman road found in Utrecht, Netherlands
From Dutch News. A road dating from Roman times has been dug up in central Utrecht while building work was being carried out. Ancient Roman ruins don’t immediately come to mind as elements of Dutch history, which makes the news … Continue reading
