Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for October, 2010
The Best Restaurant in the World
By Linda Tancs
The folks at Restaurant magazine voted Copenhagen’s Noma the best restaurant in the world. Now you might be envisioning wine-infused sauces or layers of thinly shaved beef or fish decorated with a variety of green leaves and truffle emulsions. Well, that’s hardly the case. In fact, Noma’s website will inform you that they’re not about olive oil, foie gras, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. Instead, they bring the Nordic regions to your palate with fare like Icelandic skyr curd, halibut, and Greenland musk ox. Pure and simple.
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Caribbean Honduras
By Linda Tancs
It’s getting harder to enjoy the quiet life in the bustling Caribbean, but there’s still hope at Roatán, the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands. West Bay Beach hosts a coral reef that meets the shore at the south end, allowing you to commune peacefully with a variety of colorful fish, sponges and sea fans. The cruise ships generally meet up at a southern point referred to as “Tabayana Beach.” Even so, the area is remarkably quiet–particularly, though, at the northern end. There you can enjoy the fine, silky, palm-lined sand and its accompanying turquoise-blue water. Either way, it’s a win-win.
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Butterfly Town, USA
By Linda Tancs
October is a special time of year at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California. That’s when you can witness the annual migration of the monarch butterfly. The pines and eucalyptus trees of the Sanctuary are saturated with the colorful insects that overwinter in this pleasant climate every year. If you thought this only happened in Mexico, you’re not imagining things. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains do indeed spend their winters in high mountains in central Mexico. Monarchs west of the Rockies migrate to locations on the central California coast. This spectacular event on the coast has earned the town the nickname Butterfly Town. Led by a team of dedicated docents, you can reach the Sanctuary at Ridge Road between Lighthouse Avenue and Short Street.
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The Pleasures of Portugal
By Linda Tancs
Portugal is synonymous with port, but don’t neglect the Gothic and baroque masterpieces, delectable delights and impeccable river views throughout its ancient cities. Learn more at at Travelrific® Radio.
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Road Scholars
By Linda Tancs
Learning is lifelong. And worldwide. Combine the two and you get Road Scholars, an educational travel program for the 50-plus set. On a fixed income? No worries. You can hike the waterfalls of the Carolinas and explore lighthouses, shipwrecks and treasures for under $600. The journey may have a price, but the experience is priceless.
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America’s Riding on Them
By Linda Tancs
According to the American Bus Association, motorcoach travel and tourist demand generates more than $55 billion annually in economic transactions. So obviously there’s a lot riding (no pun intended) on this mode of travel. And this isn’t your grandma’s coach. Today’s fleets are outfitted with leather seats, Wi-Fi access and other amenities to ensure safe and comfortable journeys. They even run cleaner than trains, planes and automobiles. Want to learn more? Let the Motorcoach Council coachify you.
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Rhodo Fest in New Zealand
By Linda Tancs
New Zealand’s only castle is located in Dunedin – Larnach Castle. Its castle gardens are a big draw for nature lovers, but this time of year it’s the rhododendrons at the Rhododendron Dell at the Botanic Gardens and the annual Rhododendron Festival this month that draws them in. Characterized as a giant outdoor playground, a flower festival is tame compared with some of the more unusual events taking place in this city, like a nude rugby international match and a race of 30,000 hard coated candy balls down Baldwin Street, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s steepest street. Get your game on.
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Films Debut in London
By Linda Tancs
Through 28 October new films are showing in London at the British Film Institute’s 54th Film Festival. Galas and special screenings include Hollywood heavyweights like Natalie Portman in Black Swan and Annette Benning and Julianne Moore in The Kids Are Alright as well as the debut of West is West, the sequel to East is East, a story about a mixed race family returning to their roots in Pakistan. Would-be filmmakers would have been inspired by the chat with Black Swan’s Darren Aronofsky–if you had a ticket, that is. How about a meet and greet with music video director Mark Romanek, auteur of such works as Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” and Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ “Don’t Stop.” Influenced by visionary directors such as Scorsese, Cassavetes and Kubrick, Romanek’s transition to feature filmmaking was celebrated in the festival’s Opening Night Film, Never Let Me Go. Tickets are available at screening venues 30 minutes prior to first screening. Otherwise, stop by the ticket office at Southbank, call or go online.
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Celebrating Dussehra in India
By Linda Tancs
The Hindu festival of Dussehra in India celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Celebrated this year on 17 October, the holiday commemorates the Hindu god Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana. In the epic Ramayana Lord Rama sees his wife Sita abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The ensuing battle is characterized by firecracker-stuffed effigies of the demon king. The popular and sacred event is celebrated throughout the subcontinent.
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Pumpkin Envy in Providence
By Linda Tancs
Painter Marc Chagall observed that great art picks up where nature ends. But sometimes nature produces great art, like the pumpkin show at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. Through 31 October an amazing array of lighted and intricately carved jack o’lanterns depicting past and contemporary culture will adorn a trail through the zoo. Begin at the giraffe exhibit where the trail actually begins. Commended by the U.S. Library of Congress, the event attracts hordes of fans so be prepared for long waits.
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