Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for June, 2010
World’s Most Interesting Rest Stop
By Linda Tancs
Generally, rest stops are not the most interesting part of road travel, necessitated by refueling, nature calls and sundry other details. No doubt any traveler to Hangzhou Bay Bridge, linking China’s Cixi City in Zhejiang province with Jiaxing City to the north, would never view the lowly rest stop the same way again. Although damaged by fire earlier this year during renovation work, the bridge remains the longest transoceanic bridge in the world at 22 miles in length, roughly the size needed to link Britain and France across the English Channel. Its 10,000-square-meter service center in the middle offers unrivaled views of the bay and its tides at the lookout, together with a hotel, conference center and parkland to complement the usual rest area amenities.
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Jazzed Up in Montreal
By Linda Tancs
The 31st edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival is underway at various venues throughout the city. Hailed by The New York Times as the king of Montreal’s assorted summer cultural festivals, this year’s event offers 3,000 artists from 30 countries giving more than 650 concerts, including 450 free outdoor performances. Performers include Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock and the legendary Dave Brubeck, this year’s recipient of the Miles Davis award. Brubeck, the first to create a jazz album selling over one million copies, is credited with bringing jazz into mainstream music. Long live the king.
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Tourism in Beirut
By Linda Tancs
Beirut, a seaside city of 2 million, has garnered that number in tourists in recent years, a welcome surge for this war-torn nation. Find out what’s captivating visitors at Travelrific® Radio.
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Open Skies, Part Two
By Linda Tancs
Following up on an earlier post on the EU/US Open Skies Agreement, a recent accord affirms the earlier agreement between the EU and US to allow route demand to dictate service offerings between airports in the US and EU and allows EU carriers the right to fly between US cities without originating in the EU. Moreover, the revisited agreement proposes that allowances for foreign ownership of US carriers be increased beyond the current 25% cap, considering that US ownership of EU carriers is capped at 49%. Harmonization in this area will require legislation that is unlikely to be in the offing considering other global crises at present. The parties have agreed to harmonize fuel emission standards, however. Overall, reports indicate that the agreement is supposed to produce almost $15 billion dollars in economic benefits and up to 80,000 new jobs. Let’s hope so.
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Tanks A Million
By Linda Tancs
Military tanks were initially deployed during the first world war, developed by the British for use in the trenches at the Battle of Somme. So it should come as no surprise that Britain lays claim to having the best collection of tanks in the world at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset. This weekend you can enjoy one of the best displays of moving armor in the world at the museum’s Tankfest. Among the activities on offer are mock battles, historic and modern armor displays and live demonstrations. Here’s a chance to test your mettle.
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Lewis and Clark Celebrated in Great Falls
By Linda Tancs
In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition across the Louisiana Territory to find the River of the West. Along the way, in modern-day Montana, the pair managed to enter negotiations with native tribes, search out sites for trading posts and forts, and maintain data on the plants, animals, and scenic resources along their journey. No wonder, then, that Montana takes great pride in celebrating the captains’ legendary accomplishments with a festival each year on the banks of the Missouri River in Great Falls. This year’s event, from 25 to 27 June, includes a kick-off with Mission Mountain Wood Band, followed by such events as a Native American art show, Lewis & Clark-era encampment, and Missouri River float trips. Your adventure awaits.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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The Right Way to Learn Polo
By Linda Tancs
The advent of summer in the northern hemisphere brings with it the pursuit of ancient lawn sports like polo. A rather dangerous sport, it’s said to date back to 600 B.C. Polo is synonymous with Argentina, but you won’t find tournament action going on there now in their winter season. But why not take the down time to learn polo from the masters? In Pilar, arguably the polo capital of the world and only 45 minutes outside of Buenos Aires is Don Augusto Polo & Campo, offering polo clinics, individual lessons, a one-day polo holiday complete with afternoon tea or a special winter package with tango and Spanish language instruction thrown in if Old Man Winter thwarts your attempt at becoming the next big Nacho (that’s Ignacio Figueras).
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Summer Celebration in Santa Barbara
By Linda Tancs
Today marks the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice, a transition dating back to ancient Greek celestial navigation and celebrated in many cultures as a midpoint between the seasons. Santa Barbara marks the event later in the week with one of the largest single-day arts events. Enjoy the multicultural jamboree at the festival on 25 and 26 June, including drum and dance, flamenco and soul. The theme of Saturday’s parade is Carnival, an apt description considering the more than 1,000 parade participants, complete with extravagant floats, whimsical costumes and creatively choreographed dancing ensembles. It’s all happening at Alameda Park.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Brazil’s Atlantic Island Paradise
By Linda Tancs
Out in the Atlantic Ocean some 250 miles and three degrees south of the equator sits an archipelago of 21 islands known as Fernando de Noronha, an eco-paradise brimming with sea turtles and spinner dolphins unfazed by the destructive habits of man and machine in what seemingly appears to be every other part of the planet. If you can stand the rainy season (April to August), you’ll be rewarded with an enviable display of green living, maintained in part by an environmental preservation fee charged to tourists at the airport. Although it may sound off the beaten path, some of its beaches are ranked among the best of Brazil. In fact, Sancho was voted Brazil’s most beautiful beach last year, a place for diving and observing seabirds. Beyond Sancho is a reserve for spinner dolphins. Another hot spot is Porcos, characterized by two twin rocks and a natural pool formed between rocks and reefs. Only 500 tourists are allowed in per day, so get in line.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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African Queen, Revisited
By Linda Tancs
In the 1951 movie The African Queen, Katharine Hepburn’s character convinces Humphrey Bogart’s scruffy old Charlie Allnut to sail a rusty 12-foot boat called The African Queen down the Ulanga River. Hardly a luxurious jaunt. Today’s African Queen is a much better appointed Zambezi Queen, charting the Chobe River in search of the Big Five sporting 14 cabins with picture windows and a top-deck whirlpool. Take a smaller launch to view game in their natural habitat or a 4×4 excursion to a local village for some cultural immersion. This is a redux even Charlie would no doubt enjoy.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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