Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for September, 2013
The Bard of Eastwood
By Linda Tancs
It’s an auspicious year in Eastwood, England, the hometown of writer D.H. Lawrence. Not only are they celebrating the centenary of the author’s semi-autobiographical novel Sons and Lovers, but 2013 also marks the 10th anniversary of the annual D.H. Lawrence Festival. In conjunction with the D.H. Lawrence Heritage Centre, the events on tap through 21 September include a series of lectures, exhibitions and guided walks, like the Blue Line Trail. The one-hour walk takes in sights like the library where a young D.H. would read, the chapel where his family worshipped and the pub renamed the Moon and Stars in his breakthrough novel. Join the D.H. Lawrence Society today for their special birthday lecture on Lawrence as a philosophical novelist.
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Historic Garden Opens to Public
By Linda Tancs
Clematis tibetana, Abelia chinensis and Cyclamen–these are the September blooms awaiting your visit at historic Greenwood Gardens. Less than an hour’s drive from New York City, the gardens are located in Short Hills, New Jersey. The former private estate of businessmen Joseph P. Day and Peter P. Blanchard, Jr., New Jersey’s newest public garden sports enough allées, meandering paths, and flowering terraces to excite any garden lover.
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England’s First Natural World Heritage Site
By Linda Tancs
England’s first natural World Heritage Site is known as the Jurassic Coast, covering 95 miles of unforgettable coastline stretching from East Devon to Dorset. Despite its name, the area actually covers three geological time periods: the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Each period is spectacularly covered. For starters, there’s the red rocks of the Triassic Period at Orcombe Point at Exmouth, site of the former supercontinent Pangaea. The famous Durdle Door limestone arch near Lulworth lures fans of the Jurassic Period. And the white chalk stack of Old Harry Rocks at Handfast Point near Studland highlights a time during the Cretaceous Period when the ever widening Atlantic Ocean breached the chalk ridge. Use the South West Coast Path to access the entire site.
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Racing on the Flats
By Linda Tancs
The Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah is a flat expanse of white salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake basin, measuring 46 square miles. Named for area explorer and Army officer Benjamin Bonneville, the area is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks because of its contribution to speed racing. Welcoming trucks, cars and motorcycles, the World of Speed annual racing event takes place from 7 to 10 September.
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The Newport of the West
By Linda Tancs
Southwest of Milwaukee, Lake Geneva is a resort city located on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. Its lakeside “cottages” evoke the splendor of Newport Rhode Island’s mansions of the Gilded Age–hence, the area has earned the nickname “Newport of the West.” It’s also the one place in the country where mail is traditionally delivered to the lakeside estates from boat to dock by swift-footed jumpers whose goal is not to miss the boat as it plies the lake without missing a beat. Legend has it that over 70 species of evergreens are planted on Black Point, one of the most historic mansions ringing the lake. Other landmarks include The Oaks (where First Lady Nancy Reagan was once squired) and Maple Lawn, the oldest mansion.
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This Old House
By Linda Tancs
Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House is the oldest Baptist church building in New Jersey, located in Upper Freehold Township. The building dates to the 1700s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Though no longer used for worship services, the grounds are open to the public during daylight hours. Revolutionary War-era veterans abound in the cemetery; their weathered, delicate stones tell tales of gallantry and sacrifice. Consider the tombstone of Upper Freehold Township native Brig. Gen. Elisha Lawrence, whose marker reads: “A stranger to all ambition but that of being useful, he was twice vice president of New Jersey for several years presiding judge of the pleas, and after a series of faithful and gallant services in the Revolutionary War he was appointed by his county brigadier general of the Monmouth militia of the surveyed blazing line when wars loud conflict racked the brain. Now sheltered in the realms divine he treads heavens ever-peaceful plan lead on by softer, mercy’s mildest ray while fellow warriors hail him on his way.” You can visit this colonial town and others nearby via the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway.
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A Merry Go Round
By Linda Tancs
For those appreciating antique carousels, you won’t want to miss the collection of vintage French carnival rides at Fete Paradiso, an exhibition on New York’s Governors Island. Ending on 29 September (the last day of the island’s seasonal opening to the public), the display includes a magnificent pipe organ, bicycle carousel and flying swings. Located just minutes from the southern tip of Manhattan by ferry, the former military base is also home to Castle Williams, a red sandstone circular fort operated by the National Park Service. Pick up the free ferry ride to this New York City gem at the Battery Maritime Building on South Street.
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