Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for September, 2014
Five Countries in One
By Linda Tancs
Beginning with tonight’s opening ceremony, five countries are converging on the State Fairgrounds in Minot, North Dakota for Norsk Hostfest. Continuing through 4 October, Hostfest celebrates Scandinavian culture from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and is North America’s largest Scandinavian festival. This year’s entertainment includes Doc Severinsen, Merle Haggard, Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), Bill Engvall and Jennifer Nettles. With a lineup like that, expert pure Scandimonium.
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London’s Larder
By Linda Tancs
London’s Borough Market turns 1000 years old this year. You’ve come a long way, baby–from grain, fish, vegetables and livestock trading in the 11th century to a premier market source for foodies like chefs, restaurateurs and amateur cooks. Its original location is marked by The Triangle, a patch of land purchased by local residents when Parliament closed the market in the 1700s. Now over 100 stalls strong, the facility is home to renowned producers like Northfield Farm and Furness Fish and Game. The City’s oldest fruit and vegetable market, it’s located next to London Bridge station. The full market is open Wednesday through Saturday.
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A Sea of Sand
By Linda Tancs
There’s a sea of emptiness that swallows up a fifth of the Arabian Peninsula. Known as Rub’ al-Khali (Empty Quarter), it’s the world’s largest sand desert. Popularly referred to as the Sands, it encompasses parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and United Arab Emirates. You might think of it as an arid wasteland, but the Bedouins have been calling this expanse home for ages. Ever resourceful, they’re even giving tours that include ATV dune bashing and overnight camping. Who knows, there may be a tourist lurking behind that next-door dune.
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Birding in Mabamba
By Linda Tancs
Uganda’s Mabamba Bay is designated an Important Bird Area (IBA), one of the best marshy areas along the northern shores of Lake Victoria for bird watching. Besides Murchison Falls National Park, Mabamba is the only place where the elusive shoebill can be spotted. It’s also a haven for threatened species such as the blue swallow, pallid harrier, papyrus gonolek and white-winged warbler. Overall, more than 260 species have been recorded in these wetlands.
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Birthplace of English Landscape
By Linda Tancs
The English Landscape Movement was inspired by Dutch landscape paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. Launched by landscape designers like William Kent, the movement’s birthplace is widely recognized to be the gardens at Chiswick House in west London. The property was restored a few years ago to enhance its lake views and serpentine pathways. This 65-acre oasis has inspired other great landscapes around the world like New York’s Central Park. Admission is free year round. Take the District Line to Turnham Green station.
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Surrender in the South China Sea
By Linda Tancs
Scuba divers understand what it means to surrender, placing deep trust in the world beneath their feet as they plunge to the depths of a watery abyss in search of aquatic bliss. So where do experienced divers go to hit the sea life lottery? The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Layang Layang, controlled by Malaysia, is the only island within the Spratlys having an airport with regular flights and exquisite scuba diving resorts. Kayaking, windsurfing and bird watching (at, where else, nearby Bird Island) are also available for those who prefer life above the sea.
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The Land of the Picts
By Linda Tancs
The county of Angus in Scotland has been dubbed the “birthplace for Scotland,” a site where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320 at Arbroath Abbey during the Wars of Independence. It’s also a county rich in Pictish history. Over 2000 years ago Scotland was roamed by warrior Pictish tribes, a source of irritation for the Romans who erected Hadrian’s Wall in northern England to keep them out. You can learn more about Scotland’s ancient past at Pictavia in Haughmuir, an all-weather museum sporting interactive exhibits and artifacts exploring the life and times of this mysterious people. From there, set out on the Pictish Trail, where stone relics bear silent witness to the tribes’ lifestyle, education and culture. Reputedly, one out of every 10 Scots is descended from the Picts. Are you one of them?
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A Pass Through the Green Mountains
By Linda Tancs
On scenic Route 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville in Vermont is Smugglers Notch State Park, a narrow pass through the Green Mountains. True to its name, the passage was used by smugglers. In the 19th century, for instance, smugglers ran contraband through the passage to Canadian markets. In more modern times, alcohol was smuggled through during Prohibition. Today it’s the hiking that draws people in. Several trails lead up to the top of Mt. Mansfield, where you’ll be rewarded with vistas as diverse as Lake Champlain, the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains. Look closely and you may even see the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Canada to the north. Steal a view before the park’s seasonal closing after Columbus Day.
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England’s Oldest Hotel
By Linda Tancs
Reputedly England’s oldest hotel, The Old Bell in Malmesbury is a luxurious oasis in the Cotswolds that opened in 1220. Recently refurbished, the property boasts 33 individually decorated bedrooms as well as locally sourced fare for hardened foodies. Until the end of October you can enjoy a special two-night Garden Lover’s Break, including a visit to nearby Abbey House Gardens and Westonbirt Arboretum.
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America’s Most Visited National Park
By Linda Tancs
There are lots of reasons to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hikers love the 800 miles of maintained trails. There’s also fishing, camping, picnicking and auto touring. And, oh, the bears–1,500 live in the park; that’s nearly two per square mile. You can view them handily from Cades Cove, one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies for wildlife viewing. The Great Smoky Mountains are also known as the “Wildflower National Park,” boasting over 1,500 varieties and year-round blooms. You might think that, given its popularity, the biggest population of vertebrates in the park is the human variety. Not so. Thirty species of salamander roam the park at elevations up to 3,000 feet. That’s why they call it the “Salamander Capital of the World.” , The tallest mountains in the Appalachian chain, the Smokies host five forest types giving way to enviable biological diversity–and human history. No wonder it’s America’s most visited national park. Located in the east Tennessee region and straddling the border with North Carolina, you can easily access the park via Gatlinburg.
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