Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for October, 2014
The Belgian Coast Tram
By Linda Tancs
Belgium’s Kusttram (Coast Tram) is the longest single-path tram line in the world, gliding between De Panne and Knokke on the Flemish coast. It’s convenient (a connection every 20 minutes), which means that you have no excuse not to explore the many holiday romps along its 43-mile trek. Did you know that Knokke was a favorite among the Hollywood elite like Frank Sinatra and Marlene Dietrich?
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Arts and Letters at Holkham
By Linda Tancs
One of the finest surviving examples of the Anglo-Palladian architectural style is Holkham Hall, an English country manor on the Norfolk coast occupied by Viscount Coke and two other families. Its three libraries house over 10,000 books, one of the most important and enviable literature collections in the country. So vast is its collection that the libraries form half the area of the first floor of the family wing. The property has an equally compelling manuscript collection (some dating to the 12th century), frequently loaned to galleries and museums in Italy, Germany, England, Japan and America. Holkham is two miles west of Wells-next-the-Sea; the nearest rail station is King’s Lynn. The Norfolk Coasthopper runs from King’s Lynn to Sheringham and has two stops at Holkham.
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A Gutsy Hotel in Belgium
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder what Jonah must have experienced when he got swallowed by the whale? You might get a sense of that at Hotel Casanus, a one-room hotel shaped like a giant intestine. Located at Verbeke Foundation Art Park near Antwerp, Belgium, this colonoscopic wonder features a double bed, windows, heating, and working plumbing in a pastoral setting. You’ll have all the creature comforts of home, *butt* do you have the guts to stay there?
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A Moving Tribute in London
By Linda Tancs
Through year end you can experience James Bond in motion–sort of–at the London Film Museum’s Bond in Motion exhibition in Covent Garden. Boasting the largest official collection of James Bond vehicles, the venue is displaying over 100 individual original items from all 23 films–the largest display of its kind ever staged in London. What’s included? The Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger’s Rolls-Royce Phantom III and the Lotus Esprit S1 submersible from The Spy Who Loved Me. Will you leave shaken, or stirred?
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The Grandest Mile of Scenery
By Linda Tancs
More than just a mile of waterfalls, Colorado’s Seven Falls envelope your senses with not only seven cascading waterfalls but also towering cliffs above the canyon floor and colorful backlighting at night. The best way to experience the attraction, known as The Grandest Mile of Scenery, is to take the 224 steps by the side of the falls that lead to two hiking trails. Just 10 minutes from Colorado Springs and five minutes from the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel, this natural wonder in South Cheyenne Canyon was named to National Geographic’s list of international waterfalls. Purchased earlier this year by the Broadmoor, the attraction is due to undergo renovations and enhancements. Check their site for opening dates and updated information.
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The Sage of Chelsea
By Linda Tancs
Moving in the finest of literary circles, Victorian writer Thomas Carlyle earned the nickname “Sage of Chelsea.” Indeed, his home in London’s Chelsea district is where much of his writing took place (such as his Complete Works and Oliver Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches) amidst multiple gatherings with heavyweights like Dickens and Tennyson together with his equally gifted wife, Jane. Near the house is a bronze statue of the literary giant, unveiled in 1882 (a year after his death) and funded by such luminaries as Charles Darwin, Robert Browning and William Morris. Preserved by the National Trust, Carlyle’s House is accessible via a 15-minute walk from the tube at Sloane Square or South Kensington.
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Polar Bear Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
Churchill, Manitoba, is one place in the world where you can feel emboldened to get up close and personal with a polar bear. It is, after all, one of the few developed areas where the bears can be observed in their natural habitat, some calling this Canadian province the polar bear capital of the world. October and November mark the prime viewing season, when polar bears migrate from the tundra to icy Hudson Bay to snack on seals. Viewing options include a tundra vehicle tour, a stay at a wilderness lodge along the migration route, or a guided nature walk. Don’t worry–bad actors are detained in polar bear “jail” or trapped.
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A Heavenly Tomb
By Linda Tancs
The lavish lifestyles of South Korea’s elite during the Silla dynasty form part of a roofless museum in Tumuli Park. Just four hours away from Seoul by bus, the 37-acre grounds contain 23 royal burial mounds. The most celebrated (the interior of which is open to the public) is Cheonmachong, the “Heavenly Horse” tomb, a burial site for a 5th-6th century Silla king and his consort. When the site was excavated in the 1970s, a mounted horse painting (the only one discovered from the Silla era) was found, along with over 10,000 artifacts of the good life, like jade tiger claw earrings and a gold crown embellished with jade tiger claws. Clearly, it was good to be the king.
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