Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for July, 2017
The Washingtons of Fredericksburg
By Linda Tancs
The land registry of Fredericksburg, Virginia, is brimming with history about George Washington and his family. For instance, there’s the first president’s boyhood home at Ferry Farm, so named because people crossed the Rappahannock River on a ferry from the farm into town. Later, George Washington purchased a home in town for his mother Mary, a white frame house on the corner of Charles and Lewis streets. It’s within walking distance to Kenmore, a Georgian-style mansion that was the home of Mary’s daughter Betty Washington Lewis. Betty’s husband Fielding Lewis once owned land upon which St. James’ House was built, one of the few 18th century frame houses still standing in Fredericksburg. It was owned by James Mercer, a lawyer for Mary Washington. And then there’s the frame home built by George Washington’s youngest brother Charles around 1760. Now known as the Rising Sun Tavern, it became a tavern in 1792 when it was purchased by the Wallace family and operated for 35 years as a stopover for travelers.
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Antiguan Festival Celebrates Milestone
By Linda Tancs
Regarded by some as the best summer Caribbean festival, Antigua’s Carnival 2017 is celebrating its 60th birthday this year. The annual event is a celebration of the emancipation of slavery in the country held annually from the end of July to the beginning of August. Amid a flow of colorful costumes and festive music, the party includes competitions like the Party Monarch and Calypso Monarch competitions of Calypsonians, the Panorama steel band competition and the parade of bands to the Miss Antigua Pageant and the Caribbean Queen’s Competition. This year’s carnival begins tomorrow and ends on August 8.
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Cuddy’s Corse
By Linda Tancs
Cuddy’s Corse is one of two heritage trails in Chester-le-Street, a historic market town in County Durham, England. The 7.5 mile walking trail starting at St. Mary’s and St. Cuthbert’s church follows in the footsteps of St. Cuthbert’s community on their final journey from Chester-le-Street to Durham Cathedral, carrying the uncorrupted body (corse) of Cuthbert (the patron saint of the North) and his book, the Lindisfarne Gospels. It was at the parish church that the gospels were first translated into Saxon English, and one of only three facsimiles of them can be viewed there. The ancient town also traces its roots to a Roman fort; catch a glimpse of the site behind the parish center.
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Norway’s Atlantis
By Linda Tancs
Lygnstøylsvatnet is an over 100-year-old flooded Norwegian farm area in Norangsdalen by Ørsta via County Road 655. The ruins of an entire town lie just beneath Lake Lygnstøylsvatnet, a place divers call “Norway’s Atlantis.” The old homestead at the bottom of the lake includes farm houses, rock fences, barren trees and paths built for horsedrawn carriages. This underwater wonder occurred as a result of a rockslide in 1908 that blocked the river there and flooded the town, forcing its residents to flee. The well-preserved time capsule is shallow enough for novice divers to explore.
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Gateway to Galapagos
By Linda Tancs
Guayaquil is a port city in Ecuador, known as a gateway to the Galapagos Islands. More than a transit stop, this commercial city stretching along the Guayas River is enlivened by a riverfront promenade, Malecón 2000, featuring historic monuments (like La Rotonda, a statue depicting a famous meeting of South America’s two most prominent liberators), modern sculptures, museums, botanical gardens, fountains, bridges, children’s play areas, shopping outlets and restaurants. The northern end connects with Las Peñas, the oldest neighborhood in Guayaquil, boasting the largest concentration of colonial architecture and picturesque wooden houses. The founding of the city is celebrated with a festival tomorrow, preceded by today’s national celebration of the birthday of liberator Simón Bolívar.
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Dressed Up in Faversham
By Linda Tancs
Just over an hour from London, Faversham was one of Kent’s leading ports. In the 17th century more wool was exported from Faversham than from any other British port, and when London began to expand in the same century, it was the main source of its crucial supplies of wheat and, later, bricks and cement. Nowadays the bustling market town celebrates its nautical heritage with the annual Faversham Nautical Festival. Taking place on July 22 and 23, traditional vessels will be moored in the upper regions of Faversham Creek, including Thames sailing barges, Dutch barges, tugs, smacks, gaffers and many other boats “dressed overall” (the stringing of maritime signal flags on a ship from stemhead to masthead, from masthead to masthead if the vessel has more than one mast and then down to the taffrail). Visitors shouldn’t miss the chance for a walk about this pre-Roman town boasting nearly 500 listed sites.
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The Cotswold Way
By Linda Tancs
A walker’s delight, the Cotswold Way in England is a 102-mile National Trail running from Chipping Campden to Bath. It’s recognized as much for the picturesque views as for its biodiversity. The trail passes through many lovely villages and close to a significant number of historic sites, such as the Roman heritage at Bath, the Neolithic burial chamber at Belas Knap, Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe and Hailes Abbey. No two days alike, a hike through this region exposes landscapes as diverse as wildflower meadows and shaded beech woodlands. Seven days is optimal for a full hike. This time of year brings the best views of the woodlands and grasslands.
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Burying the Hatchet in Montana
By Linda Tancs
“Garry Owen” is an old Irish quick-step that can be traced back to the 1800s. The town of Garryowen, Montana, was named after the old Irish tune, purportedly one of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s favorite marching songs. It was the last song played by the band for Custer’s men as they left the Terry column at the Rosebud River, the lead-up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn—a definitive engagement between the U.S. Cavalry and northern tribe Indians (including the Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho) known as “Custer’s Last Stand.” A registered historic site, the town is privately owned and the only one within the battlefield. It is the site of the Custer Battlefield Museum, housing important Indian War period artifacts and manuscripts related to Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the 7th Cavalry as well as a lock of Custer’s hair. You’ll also find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the burial site of one of the first casualties of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The granite tomb was dedicated 50 years after the conflict in 1926 during the Burial of the Hatchet Ceremony featuring White Bull (a Sioux Indian) and General Godfrey.
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A Luxury Hotel on Wheels
By Linda Tancs
If a constantly changing room with a grand view of the world’s most remarkable sites sounds appealing, then hop on board the Danube Express. Operated by Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, they offer a comprehensive off-train excursion program, a fully inclusive dining experience with quality wines and overnight stays in some of the finest five-star hotels in Europe. You can discover some of Europe’s less explored destinations amongst the magnificent cities of Prague, Budapest, Venice and Istanbul on a Grand Rail Tour. Debuting this year is a Superior Deluxe cabin, with private en-suite facilities and the ultimate in comfort. Limited to just four cabins per departure, each cabin offers comfortable daytime seating with a full-length sofa, two additional chairs and two full-size picture windows. A king-size bedroom transformation awaits you at night. Sleep tight.
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Big Red
By Linda Tancs
The most photographed lighthouse in Michigan is Holland Harbor Lighthouse, affectionately known as Big Red. The bright red structure seen today on the south side of the Holland Channel is a descendant of the first structure built on the site in 1872. For a great view of Big Red, visit Holland State Park and walk along the boardwalk to the north pier (wheelchair accessible). You can also view it from Mt. Pisgah, where the dune staircase takes you 157 feet above sea level. Otherwise, it is a quarter-mile walk to the lighthouse across sand and gravel from the park entrance, and visits are limited to one hour.
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