Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for January, 2018
León’s Cube
By Linda Tancs
Its cuboid structure oddly reminiscent of Rubik’s Cube, the Castile-León Museum of Contemporary Art (MUSAC) is an emblem of 21st century Spanish architecture in León, Spain. Designed by Spanish architects Emili Tuñón and Luis Moreno Mansilla, the mosaic of 37 colored glass panes on the exterior façade was taken from the digitalization of an image of “The Falconer” (one of the oldest stained glass windows) from León Cathedral. With a nod to the city’s past as a Roman encampment, the interior floor plan evokes pavements of ancient origin characterized by squares and rhomboids. Amidst the exhibition halls and library is the MUSAC Collection, comprising more than 1,650 works by nearly 400 regional, national and international artists.
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A Poisonous World
By Linda Tancs
Musée des Confluences is France’s newest museum. Located at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers in Lyon, the spaceship-like facility is a science center and anthropological museum. One of its studies on display until April 13 explores the world of poison. A subject evoking both fear and fascination, the exhibition delves into the historical, cultural, scientific and forensic aspects of poison through various media, including artifacts, art and live animals.
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The Gruffalo Trail
By Linda Tancs
Inspired by a children’s book about a mouse walking through a European forest, the Gruffalo Trail is a whimsical walk in Ardkinglas Estate, one of many features awaiting visitors at this property in Argyll, Scotland. On the shore at the head of Loch Fyne, set against a spectacular background of mountains and forest, Ardkinglas is noted for its outstanding collection of plants and trees amidst over 11,000 acres. Open year round, the woodland garden includes the “mightiest conifer in Europe” as well as woodland lochan, an ancient mill, a scriptorium and a thriving population of the region’s red squirrels.
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A Big Fish in the Red Sea
By Linda Tancs
The once sleepy fishing village of Hurghada has become a big fish in Red Sea tourism. Now a foremost beach resort town stretching some 25 miles along Egypt’s Red Sea coast, it’s renowned for scuba diving. Check out the old quarter (El Dahar) and consider combining a diving holiday there with Nile Valley sightseeing.
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The Best of the Alps
By Linda Tancs
The Portes du Soleil is regarded as the largest international ski area in Europe, spanning both France and Switzerland. Some consider the region to encompass the best of the Alps, from picturesque hamlets to bustling resorts. One of those jewels is Morzine, a pretty Alpine town bordering Switzerland. Just over an hour from Geneva airport, the town is linked not only to neighboring Avoriaz and Les Gets and the Portes du Soleil ski area but also to delectable cuisine beyond the oft-anticipated stodgy saucepan of fondue. Local specialties include cheeses of Abondance and Beaufort and féra, a tasty regional whitefish. But of course no French town would be complete without a bakery, one of the most popular being Boulangerie Tavernier with its artisanal chocolates, pastries and cakes.
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Moorish History and More in Albarracín
By Linda Tancs
Albarracín is a pretty little Spanish village west of Teruel, characterized by pastel-hued medieval homes and narrow streets. Its Moorish roots arise from its status as the former capital of a tiny Islamic state ruled by the Berber Banu Razin dynasty from 1012 to 1104. After the Reconquest, most of the forts and towers that remain today were erected by the Christian lords and kings of Aragon. More history abounds at Albarracín Cultural Park, where up to 26 rock-art sites comprise one of the greatest concentrations of post-Paleolithic art in southwest Europe. Top that off with the last vestiges of the Roman era, including the 11 mile-long aqueduct that went from Albarracín to Cella.
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1,300 Years of Faith on Tower Hill
By Linda Tancs
All Hallows by the Tower is the oldest church in the City of London, founded 300 years before the Tower of London by the Abbey of Barking in A.D. 675. Due to its proximity to the tower, it had handled (as one might suspect) many temporary burials for those beheaded at Tower Hill in bygone days. It survived the Great Fire of 1666 and extensive bombing during World War II and witnessed happier occasions like the marriage of U.S. President John Quincy Adams. You can download an audio tour on your smart phone, take a free guided tour between April and October or arrange a guided group tour at any time of the year.
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Around the Danube Bend
By Linda Tancs
The Danube Bend is a curve of the Danube in Hungary (north of Budapest), the second largest stretch of the river. One of the gems in that bend is Szentendre (Saint Andrew), prized for its narrow alleys, colorful houses, arts and crafts and panoramic views. Serbians fleeing from the Turkish occupation settled there in the 17th century in large numbers, giving the city a Mediterranean character still evident today. Teeming with tourists in summer, now is a quiet time to enjoy the charms of this picturesque city, a great place to admire Hungarian art and authentic embroidered goods and taste some of the best lángos (fried flatbread often topped with garlic, cheese and sour cream) in the country. The town is easily accessible via HÉV suburban train (Batthyány tér station in Budapest).
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The 2018 European Capitals of Culture
By Linda Tancs
Malta and Leeuwarden (Netherlands) share strong agricultural ties in the nature of potatoes. Maltese farmers grow potatoes from Leeuwarden seeds and send those crops to Leeuwarden. How appropriate, then, that Leeuwarden and Valletta (Malta) are the European Union’s 2018 Capitals of Culture. In a unique display of solidarity, the locales have joined in an effort called Poetry in Potato Bags. This initiative involves the sending of local poetry with the exchange of seeds and potatoes, enriching poetic dialogue between the two cultures. Look for many events to be held throughout the year in each city highlighting their social, cultural and economic assets.
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