Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for March, 2009
Red River Valley
By Linda Tancs
When I practiced playing the organ as a child, one of the songs in my songbook was “Red River Valley.” A memory long forgotten, until the recent climatic catastrophe in this section of the U.S. straggling northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The river’s crest of over 40 feet this past weekend broke a 100-year record. Now a snowstorm threatens to dump 16 inches in and around the valley, putting the river level in peril once again. As a line in the song goes, “remember the Red River Valley.” Indeed, let’s keep the folks of this region in our hearts and prayers.
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Mini Wonderland Draws Mega Crowds
By Linda Tancs
If you thought Legoland was the only expression of world travel in miniature, that would be no surprise given that it receives the lion’s share of publicity. But there’s another micro world drawing large crowds in Hamburg, Germany. That’s where you’ll find Miniatur Wunderland, a warehouse sporting three floors of tiny replicas of life in Europe and America–a dollhouse world of such sights as alpine pistes, Scandinavian castles, the glamor of Las Vegas and a bird’s eye view of the host city, Hamburg. Although the site has been in operation since 2001, it has gained distinction for its labyrinth model railroad system comprised of eight miles of track winding its way through this little universe. Sort of gives new meaning to the expression, “it’s a small world.”
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Tempest in a Teapot
By Linda Tancs
I read an article recently about Irish teapots. Apparently, in the antiques and collectibles market, those little shamrock-adorned porcelain Belleek teapots make hearts go aflutter. One of the best known products of Ireland, they say. That may be true, but it’s doubtful that the area responsible for its production rolls off the tongue of most people. That would be County Fermanagh, the westernmost of the six counties that form Northern Ireland. Reputedly translated to mean Men of Monach, the region is supported largely by tourism and agriculture. The pottery visitor centre in the tiny hamlet of Belleek is nicely situated at the banks of the River Erne. Inside the lobby, the 28-inch tall Belleek International Centre Piece takes pride of place as the winning entry at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Seems like teapots aren’t the only thing causing a tempest.
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Baja Tourism
By Linda Tancs
With tourism reportedly halved in Tijuana due to kidnappings and other misdeeds, it might be easy to forget about the assets of the rest of the state of Baja California in northwest Mexico. Located at the northern end of the Baja California peninsula, the area is rife with activities for landlubbers and seafarers alike. Just 20 minutes south from Tijuana you’ll find the beaches of Rosarito. Or go a little farther inland for some golf at one of two resorts in Ensenada. If it’s white-knuckle action you crave, then why not take in a bullfight at Mexicali? A few hours’ drive away is the port of San Felipe, a fisherman’s delight. There may be a 120 things to do in Tijuana, but the rest of the state is a peninsular jewel in the crown.
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Old Stones and Recipes
By Linda Tancs
Forget the glitz and glamor of promotional travel writing. In the Bergerac region of the Dordogne in France, they call it like they see it–old stones and recipes. That sums up the food and lodging respite befitting a swashbuckling Cyrano at the 17th century Le Manoir du Grand Vignoble and its 3-star restaurant. There’s plenty of old stone in this western part of the Dordogne, on the northern bank of the Dordogne River. Just head for the old town–vieille ville–immediately north of the river to the 12th century cloister Maison de Vins de Bergerac. You’ll find their recipe for wine-making success at the exhibition housed there.
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Andalusian Provinces
By Linda Tancs
Heavily influenced by Muslim rule during the Middle Ages, the Andalusian region of Spain is well known for its Moorish architecture. Experience the grandeur of Seville, Cordoba and Granada. Listen in at Travelrific® Radio.
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Equinox Approaches
By Linda Tancs
An equinox is an astronomical event at which the sun is directly above a point in the equator. Occurring twice yearly (in March and September–the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, respectively), the practical effect is equal parts day and night. The mystical effect, however, is something else entirely. For thousands of years the Mayans have celebrated the equinox with a convergence of architectural and astronomical glory at Chichén-Itzá and Dzibilchaltun. The event begins at sunrise at the ancient city of Dzibilchaltun where the rising sun aligns with the Temple of the Seven Dolls. As magnificent as it is, nothing compares with the global audience in attendance at El Castillo, the great pyramid of Chichén-Itzá . The structure, honoring the feathered snake god Quetzalcoatl, has a staircase on all four sides, the steps of which total the 365 days in a solar year. On the afternoon of the equinox, the temple is aligned perfectly so that the sun and shadows create the appearance of a giant snake going down the side of the stairwell. Snake phobics might want to sit this one out.
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Slow Down, Move Over
By Linda Tancs
In an effort to boost the safety of first responders, over 40 states offer some version of a Slow Down/Move Over law. In a nutshell, drivers are expected to yield the right-of-way or reduce speed when approaching stationary emergency vehicles on highways. Penalties for noncompliance can be pretty stiff, ranging from a misdemeanor to a license suspension if injuries should result. All but New York, Nebraska, Maryland, Hawaii and Connecticut have some form of the law on the books. Check out the testimonial of a Virginia trooper explaining the basis for the law. Save the racing for the speedway.
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Food and Travel, Perfect Together
By Linda Tancs
The smell of corned beef and cabbage wafting through the air has me thinking about food–and travel. Or “food travel.” And what about food travel experts–that is, those who refer to themselves as such– like the folks at SSP. Who knew there was a company that delivers food and beverage experiences around the world, for 60 years no less? Lots of interesting trivia at their site, like who’s the biggest name in fish and chips? Think you know? Drop in and find out.
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Of Nooks and Crooks
By Linda Tancs
Of all the little nooks in the world, the Guinness Book has it that Scotland’s Ebenezer Street in Wick takes top honors as the world’s shortest street. Situated in the Northern Highlands, Wick owes its origin to the Vikings, who named it Vik (meaning “bay”). Measuring just two yards and nine inches, the tiny thoroughfare sports one front door. For a long and winding road, you’ll need to visit Lombard Street in San Francisco, California, where the world’s most crooked street at its crest gives visitors the most stunning views of Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and the rest of San Francisco Bay. Those with nerves of steel can drive their way through the switchbacks. The rest can get there via the city’s storied cable cars on the Powell-Hyde line.
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