Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for July, 2009
Lisbon Airport Travel
By Linda Tancs
Airport transfers are one of the most vexing aspects of travel unless it’s been pre-arranged for you. Should you take a bus? A taxi? A private car? Rail? Here’s a primer on transfers out of Lisbon Airport in Portugal. Taxi transfers are not as costly as in other cities, such as London. The metered rate is also negotiable unless you buy a taxi voucher at the airport for a flat fee (currently 17 euros) and avoid the haggle. Alternatively, you can take the AeroBus for only 3 euros; just make sure your hotel is somewhere along the stops. Your bus ticket is good for the day; make the most of it by visiting all the sites you can along the bus and tram routes.
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Monkey Business in the Amazon
By Linda Tancs
New life reigns among the destruction in the Brazilian Amazon: a new species of saddleback tamarin was recently discovered, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Among many new monkey species discovered in the last few years, this brown and gray variety weighs less than a pound and sports a 13-inch-long tail. Yet another reason to mind your hats, bags and cameras should you find yourself in its remote domain.
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The Shores of Wickaninnish
By Linda Tancs
Plenty of resorts boast ocean views and beach access. But do they provide private showers for pooches like at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada? That’s just one of many unique experiences promised at this rustic enclave in Vancouver Island. For petless visitors, consider the rainforest beach loop hike on Saturdays or the art tour on Sundays. Or test your mental mettle with a stave puzzle in the library overlooking Chesterman Beach. You can get there via ferry or air, but the road from Nanaimo offers unforgettable views of the old-growth forests of Cathedral Grove, Sutton Pass ecological reserve, and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
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Tooling Around in Styrsö
By Linda Tancs
Within the Municipality of Gothenburg in Sweden (the seat of which is Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city) lies a tiny island called Styrsö. Connected to the big city by ferry, it’s a respite from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. Less than a square mile in area, you can easily navigate with your three-wheeled moped, called a flakmoped. Use it to get to the quiet little beach on the southwestern side. After that, enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Pensionat Styrsö Skäret, a guest house with a family-friendly atmosphere and neighborly feel.
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Navigating the Cyclades
By Linda Tancs
As summer tourists push through the popular Greek isles of Rhodes, Santorini, and Mykonos, rest assured you won’t be one of them. Why? Because you have a better plan. For half the price of a stay on Santorini, you can enjoy the hinterlands of Paros, the heart of the Cyclades. Painting exhibitions, art, cinema–all the culture you’d expect from an ancient civilization awaits you there. Only 30 minutes by air from Athens, or take the hydrofoil from Santorini.
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Bethel Celebrates Anniversaries
By Linda Tancs
Hard to believe this year marks 40 years since Flower Power took to a rain-soaked field in Sullivan County, New York, site of a musical festival known as Woodstock. As if the enduring legacy of that seminal event in pop culture isn’t enough to commemorate, the pastoral town of Bethel has yet another milestone to celebrate this year: its 200th birthday. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has lots of events on tap to celebrate the tiny town’s past, present and future. Visit the museum for a taste of their centuries-old history; this weekend, admission is free as part of Give Peace a Chance Family Day. And get your tickets now for Woodstock’s 40th Anniversary bash on August 15, starring Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Mountain, Tom Constanten and Country Joe McDonald.
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Tree Tops
By Linda Tancs
Dunster is a tiny medieval village situated in England’s Exmoor National Park. What it lacks in size it makes up for in notoriety as the site of England’s tallest tree. Near Dunster Castle a Douglas fir measuring almost 200 feet stands sentinel on the Crown Estate. For comparative purposes, consider that the venerable California Redwood grows to at least 300 feet. Perhaps there’s something in the water around Somerset. The castle grounds also sport the oldest lemon tree.
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Beachy Keen
By Linda Tancs
Summer can best be summed up in two words: sun and surf. There’s only one sun but as many opinions on great beaches as there are locations to choose from. Hear about some picks in India, France, Italy, Turkey and St. Barth’s at Travelrific® Travel Show.
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Marie’s Garden
By Linda Tancs
On the outskirts of Paris lies the site of Château de Saint-Cloud. Once a royal palace built in 1572 and later occupied by Napoleon and Marie Antoinette, it was destroyed in the 1800s during the Franco-Prussian War. What remains, though, is a verdant complex comprising over 1100 acres filled with ten fountains, a French garden, an English garden and, of course, Marie Antoinette’s flower garden. Nice place for une pique-nique. Get there via Le Val d’Or or Saint-Cloud rail lines or the T2 Tramway. Bon appétit!
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Living History in Ghana
By Linda Tancs
Central Ghana’s history as the Gold Coast of the British Empire belies its shameful past as the post of last resort for African slaves bound for the New World. Specifically, Cape Coast Castle was a fort (more accurately referred to as a dungeon) for captured West Africans or those sold into slavery during the 1600s to early 1800s. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site and museum, the stark cave-like dwellings are open to tourists. Cape Coast is the capital of Ghana’s central region, located on the Gulf of Guinea. From its hilltop location you’ll get striking views of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 