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Category Archives: not really travel
Add Borgen and The Bridge to your Netflix list
From the London Independent. A Danish TV series, Borgen, with a female prime minister as the central character, is a hit in the UK. Will PBS pick it up in the US? If not, maybe Netflix will carry it. I … 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
Dutch research discovers why Rudolph’s nose is red
Dutch News reports on how this reindeer ‘fact’ was confirmed. Infra-red photo and all. Who knew?
Posted in General magpie travel, News from Europe, not really travel
Tagged rudolph's red nose
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French wine news – Chateau d’Yquem ditching a 2012 vintage
From France 24. Chateau d’Yquem will not be putting down a 2012 vintage of their Sauternes. The reason? Lousy weather. Red Bordeaux will also be having a rough year. Better luck next year. Actually, I never would have known. I … Continue reading
Posted in Europe food & wine, France, News from Europe, not really travel
Tagged Chateau d'Yquem 2012, france travel, French wine
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Day old baguettes are ‘hot’ in France. Sacre bleu!
From France 24. Now, cash-starved bread hounds in Nîmes are buying day-old baguettes to save money. What next?!
England beats the All Blacks? Holy cow!
From France 24. This headline was a surprise. Still trying to decide if I’m pleased or disappointed. I’m sure the Brits are chuffed but the next Rugby World Cup in 2015 is a long way off. Stomach bugs aside, still … Continue reading
Visit Oxfordshire and (maybe) see a wallaby
From Oxford Mail. Wallabies seen in Oxfordshire. It’s certainly cheaper than flying Down Under if you want to see one. Maybe someone could round them up and have a wallaby park?
Posted in News from Europe, not really travel, UK news
Tagged news from Europe, oxford travel, UK travel, wallabies in Oxford
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Burger King is returning to France. Oh joy.
From France 24. Burger King, gone from France for 15 years, has decided to open two locations, one in Marseille and one at a highway rest stop in Reims. I wonder if the first location will have bouillabaisse on the … Continue reading
Getting the word and the product out for Greek olive oil
From Deutsche Welle. Greek olive oil is some of the best, but producers need a way to get the stuff onto the global market as the terrific oil that it is. Currently, Greek olive oil is mixed with Italian to … Continue reading
Posted in Europe food & wine, General magpie travel, News from Europe, not really travel
Tagged Greek olive oil
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Nutella crisis in France
From France 24. A proposed tax on one of Nutella’s main ingredients could cause a price increase. Quel horreur! This is the French equivalent to a price increase on Oreos or Coca Cola here, I think.
Rugby news – France beats Australia
From France 24. Sounds amazing to me, but there it is. France gave the Aussies an absolute thrashing for the first time in 7 years.
Working on my blog posts, but in the meantime…
From the London Independent. I always thought that if my dad had lived to see cannabis legalized and had the inclination, he would have had results like this! They just don’t mention how tall the thing was. Aah! Leave … Continue reading
Posted in News from Europe, not really travel
Tagged big weed, growing cannabis?, potted plant?
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Fruit-flavored Czech beer? Really?
From Prague Post. OK. I could see a lime wedge on your summer beer (did you know this was not for flavor but to keep the flippin’ flies away?) And I sampled some kriek (cherry flavored beer) last time I … Continue reading
Plum jam to get next time I’m in London
From Oxford Mail. A small local producer of fruit jams has finally accepted Fortnum & Mason’s invitation. Everything sounds yummy, so I’ll be looking to get some in London, even if the only flavor at F&M is the plum conserve.
Gevrey-Chambertin chateau and vines sold to Chinese tycoon
From London Independent. A Chines casino zillionaire has bought a very prestigious Burgundy chateau. According to Wikipedia, Gevrey-Chambertin produces 8 of 33 grand cru wines in the region. My first thought upon reading the headline was whether we would have … 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
Watch out, Scotland – English whiskey is coming
From London Independent. An English distillery’s product has just beaten out a bunch of its Scottish competitors in the International Wine and Spirits competition. Cooked up in Norfolk, but the article didn’t name the distillery. Hmmm.
Posted in England, Europe food & wine, not really travel, UK news
Tagged English whiskey, food & wine in Europe, Norfolk whiskey, UK travel
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Tea plantation in Cornwall, England!
From the London Independent. After a recent post about Sri Lanka’s problems with keeping control of their teas, this is an interesting twist – Cornwall, in SW England, has a climate that seems ideal for growing tea. Look for Tregothnan … Continue reading
Abingdon’s new name – town and firehouse
From the Oxford Mail. Not sure exactly why the name change was implemented, but Abingdon is now Abingdon-on-Thames so the firehouse had to change its name to match. Mark your maps, brains and GPS.
Posted in General magpie travel, not really travel, UK news
Tagged oxford travel, UK travel
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Are you a Morgenmuffel?
From Deutsche Welle’s ongoing feature of weird German words. There are days when I could qualify as a morgenmuffel. How about you?
Rugby news from Down Under
OK, so this isn’t news from Europe, but I was in Australia and New Zealand during the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and I saw John Kirwan play at a club match near Auckland. Phenomenal player. From France 24. … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand news, not really travel
Tagged John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby news, rugby news
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Tea drinkers beware
From France 24. It may soon be more necessary to research where your tea is actually coming from, especially if Ceylon tea is your favorite. Who knew the Arab states were getting into the tea blending business?
Posted in General magpie travel, not really travel
Tagged Ceylon tea, food & wine in Europe
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Big beer news – Czech Bud victory
From Prague Post. Czech Budweiser can call itself just that in the U.K. Take that, Anheuser!
Solar powered flights continuing
From Deutsche Welle. Testing for solar powered airplanes continues. Exciting idea; I hope I live long enough to fly on one!
Posted in General magpie travel, News from Europe, not really travel
Tagged news from Europe, solar airplanes
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More nifty German words
A recent addition in Deutsche Welle’s ‘word of the week’ – their word for domestic damage control after ”a few” – Drachenfutter. (e.g., Andy Capp making excuses to Flo after a long night at the pub). The newest one is … Continue reading
Posted in not really travel
Tagged miscellaneous magpie, news from Europe, nifty German words
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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
The Dutch think of everything!
Reblogged from work.failblog.org (odd name for a blog) et al – Dutch help for men
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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SuzanneTheTravelMagpie 