Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for September, 2016
Where History and High Society Meet
By Linda Tancs
Once Provence was annexed to France in 1481, Antibes became the outermost stonghold of the kingdom, a place where a young Napoleon Bonaparte settled his family before distinguishing himself during the siege of Toulon. Only such an ambitious general could part from an idyllic setting in the French Riviera. Centuries later it would become the summer resort of choice for the world’s elite in political, social and literary circles. In fact, the area is thought to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, Tender is the Night. You can bet that the glitterati stayed at Hôtel du Cap-Eden Roc, one of the most legendary and luxurious resorts in the world set at the tip of the Cap d’Antibes peninsula. With no shortage of yachting harbors for the jet set, Port Vauban is the largest marina in Europe.
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The Jewel in Caesar’s Crown
By Linda Tancs
Julius Caesar described the ancient city of Besançon in eastern France as the jewel in his crown. No wonder, considering its strategic location in the loops of the Doubs River among key trans-European routes. Long a free city-state within the Holy Roman Empire, the French ultimately prevailed in acquiring control, building an imposing citadel (a UNESCO site) to block the neck of the river bend. A well-preserved historic city largely overlooked by tourists, the locale’s jewel in the crown this time of year is its classical music festival, one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious events. It’s particularly known for its competition featuring young conductors.
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Ireland’s Oldest City
By Linda Tancs
Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city, tracing its origin to the arrival of the Vikings in the 9th century. Even today, Vadrefjord Vikings, a local re-enactment group, walk about the city in traditional Viking dress. Of course, the city is probably better known as the home of Waterford Crystal, conveniently located on the Mall in the heart of the Viking Triangle. This weekend the city celebrates its annual Waterford Harvest Festival, highlighting the region’s food, heritage and culture. No doubt that includes the local bread roll named blaa, introduced by the Huguenots in the 1600s.
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Civil War Medicine
By Linda Tancs
Frederick, Maryland, was at the crossroads of the Civil War, witnessing multiple invasions, including two major battles (South Mountain and Monocacy) involving hundreds of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers marching through the community. Given the city’s witness to history, it’s an appropriate location for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, a research facility boasting five galleries, over 1200 artifacts and knowledgeable docents. As the name implies, the museum focuses on the medical story of the war.
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Life in a Glass Box
By Linda Tancs
Located on a 62-acre secured private estate in Plano, Illinois, Farnsworth House is an illustration of life in a glass box. Boasting continuous glass walls, the International Style-house was designed in 1945 by illustrious architect Mies van der Rohe for Dr. Edith Farnsworth. Her country retreat along the Fox River was intended to complement and reflect its natural surroundings. The view is particularly striking in the evening, which is why moonlight tours are back by popular demand. Running at the full moon from May to October, the tours begin at dusk and return after dark. The property is otherwise open from April to November. Buy tickets in advance to guarantee access.
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America’s Only Tea Plantation
By Linda Tancs
Located on picturesque Wadmalaw Island in the heart of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Charleston Tea Plantation is the home of America’s homegrown tea, American Classic Tea. A historical treasure, every Camellia Sinensis plant growing on the grounds of the plantation is a direct descendent of the 1888 crop grown by Dr. Charles Shepard, who founded the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville, South Carolina. He produced award-winning American tea until his death in 1915. Thereafter, his tea plants were transferred to a potato farm on Wadmalaw Island that later became the plantation beloved today. The plantation is open year round, and harvesting and production are in full swing now. In fact, the plants’ blooming season is at its peak. Enjoy the beauty of the fields with a trolley ride and have a cuppa. The grounds are located right off Maybank Highway.
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The History of Chesapeake Bay
By Linda Tancs
Once the site of a busy complex of seafood packing houses, docks, and workboats, the 18-acre waterfront campus of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum boasts 35 buildings, 10 of which house exhibitions that are open to the public. The only museum devoted to interpreting the entire maritime region of the bay, the facility traces the geological, social, and economic history of the Chesapeake Bay with the aid of a research library holding more than 10,000 volumes. Also, the museum’s collection of Chesapeake Bay watercraft is the largest in existence at 85 boats. Eleven of the collection’s largest vessels are on floating display at the museum’s docks.
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