Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for March, 2014
St. Patrick’s Rock
By Linda Tancs
In the heart of Ireland’s County Tipperary, Cashel is one of the most visited sites thanks to the Rock of Cashel. Known as St. Patrick’s Rock, this elevated limestone peak is the former seat of the High Kings of Munster. Legend has it that St. Patrick baptized Aenghus the King of Munster there in the fifth century. The ruins of Hore Abbey, a Cistercian monastery, are at the base of the Rock and provide great views of it. The area is easily accessible via public bus from Dublin.
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The Start of Great Britain
By Linda Tancs
Scotland’s Highland coastal village of John O’ Groats is, as the locals will tell you, the northerly end of the longest distance between two points on the British mainland (the other being Land’s End). For heaven’s sake, don’t call it the most northerly place on mainland Britain; that honor goes to Dunnet Head. Either the start of Great Britain or the end of the road (depending on how you look at things), this rugged outpost is just six miles from the Orkney islands, an area boasting over 5000 years of history. Enjoy a coastal walk from John O’ Groats along the north coast to Duncansby Head Lighthouse and onto the massive rock stacks called the Stacks of Duncansby.
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Tobacco Road
By Linda Tancs
Tobacco was a cash crop in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in tobacco-growing regions like Port Tobacco in southern Maryland, the state’s smallest town. Once the site of the Native American village of Potobac, this tiny hamlet’s link to its most powerful export is represented by a weathered tobacco barn, where leaves would hang until they were cured. An icon of America’s tobacco-growing past, the region’s barns are in a sad state of disrepair. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington number among the tobacco-growing elite.
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The Crossroads of War
By Linda Tancs
What is now known as the State of New Jersey began on March 12, 1664 when Charles II of England granted land on the east coast of North America to his brother James, Duke of York (later, King James II). On the occasion of New Jersey’s 350th birthday today, it seems fitting to highlight its major role in the Revolutionary War. Although many no doubt recall the battles of Princeton, Trenton and Monmouth from their grade school history books, the fight for independence actually spans 2155 square miles across 14 counties–the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. This area includes, of course, Morristown’s Ford Mansion and Jockey Hollow, the nation’s first historical national park, commemorating the sites of General George Washington and the Continental Army’s winter encampment of December 1779 to June 1780. During six years of conflict, George Washington and the Continental Army spent more days in New Jersey than any other state.
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Manhattan’s Oldest House
By Linda Tancs
On July 10, 1790, George Washington dined at Manhattan’s Morris-Jumel Mansion with members of his Cabinet. Actually, he did more than just dine there, having used New York City’s oldest house as headquarters during the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Harlem Heights. Known in those days as Mount Morris, the hilltop estate located in Washington Heights offered sweeping views of the Harlem River, the Bronx, and Long Island Sound to the east, New York City and the harbor to the south, and the Hudson River and Jersey Palisades to the west. Exhibitions as well as arts and cultural programming are presented at the home year round.
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America’s Lost City
By Linda Tancs
Collinsville, Illinois, home of the world’s largest catsup bottle, is arguably the most unlikeliest of sites for a lost civilization. But that’s where you’ll find Cahokia Mounds, the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico, larger than London, England was in 1250. Named for the Cahokia subtribe of the Illiniwek who moved into the area in the 1600s, the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about 700 to 1400. The ancient citizenry built over 120 mounds, the largest of which is Monks Mound (rivaling Giza in Egypt), the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas. A National Historic Landmark and one of only 21 World Heritage Sites within the United States, this ancient meeting place is just 15 minutes east of St. Louis, Missouri.
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A Rugged Walk in Scotland
By Linda Tancs
Sir Paul McCartney wrote Mull of Kintyre in tribute to the pristine peninsula of the same name. Thanks to the establishment of the Kintyre Way in 2006, the rugged natural beauty of this area can be explored from Tarbert in the north to Dunaverty in the south. Never far from the sea, you’ll experience fishing villages, conifer forests, beaches and stretches of hills and moors that can best be summed up as, well, poetry in motion. Citylink buses from Glasgow serve Tarbert.
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The Perfect Gem in Myanmar
By Linda Tancs
Ninety percent of the world’s sapphires and rubies are sourced from Myanmar (Burma), Mogok being one of the country’s most prolific gem areas. A good bauble will cost you plenty, but you can admire the nation’s precious natural resource at the Myanmar Gems Museum in Yangon. On display are rubies, sapphires, jade (prevalent in Mandalay) and pearls.
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Land of the Dead Man’s Hand
By Linda Tancs
A legend of the American West, Wild Bill Hickock came to the tiny gold camp of Deadwood, South Dakota in search of his fortune. Instead, he was gunned down during a poker match holding aces and eights, dubbed the Dead Man’s Hand. You might think that spelled the end of gaming in this historic town (a National Historic Landmark). No such luck (pun intended). This frontier town offers an array of 24/7 gaming facilities, featuring slots and live Blackjack, poker and Texas Hold’em tables.
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An Ancient Maritime Town in Germany
By Linda Tancs
Germany’s ancient maritime town, Stade, is a charming destination in Lower Saxony. Located on the Elbe River, its Hanseatic harbor boasts ferry service to Hamburg during the summer as well as a tour on a historic coaster dating from the 19th century. Under Swedish rule in the 1600s, the city’s history is housed in the Swedish Warehouse Museum, a curious structure rising out of the water on poles. The historic town centre features an array of half-timbered houses and winding alleys along with
Pferdemarkt and Fischmarkt squares (site of the Christmas markets) in the old quarter. And nearby is Alte Land, a vast fruit farming area where you can visit a typical fruit farm.
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