Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for April, 2018
A Big Drop in Massachusetts
By Linda Tancs
The highest single-drop waterfall in Massachusetts, Bash Bish Falls in Mount Washington is arguably the most photographed waterfall in the state. The final cascade splits into twin falls by a jutting rock, dropping in an 80-foot “V” pattern over boulders into a pool below. Enjoy the quick hike along the falls, starting at the Upper Falls parking lot for a steep climb down along the falls or alternatively from the lower trails. Go before the crush of summer crowds kicks in.
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Peace and Justice in Alabama
By Linda Tancs
Confronting a tortured past in American history, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice opens today in Montgomery, Alabama. Exploring the history of racial terrorism, the memorial is the first of its kind in America addressing issues such as enslavement and lynching. Set on a six-acre site, it uses sculpture, art, and design to contextualize racial terror, including over 800 suspended steel columns, one for each county in the United States where a lynching took place. The project was spearheaded by the Equal Justice Initiative with the hope of creating a sober, meaningful site where people can gather and reflect on America’s history of racial inequality.
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Singapore’s Southern Ridges
By Linda Tancs
Part of the Southern Ridges, Mount Faber Park is one of Singapore’s oldest parks. Its hilltop is covered by a secondary rainforest, a unique green space in this thriving financial capital. You’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the southern part of Singapore and the southern islands from the cable cars heading to Sentosa, Singapore’s island resort. Alternatively, view the terrain from the telescopes at one of the many lookout points that are situated at various sides of the ridge. The Southern Ridges Guided Walk begins at the park, where visitors can learn about its history and natural heritage.
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Gateway to Lake Baikal
By Linda Tancs
The hub of Eastern Siberia, Irkutsk is a popular stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and all points east thanks to its vibrantly colored churches and array of theaters and museums. It’s also a popular gateway to Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site nicknamed the Pearl of Siberia. Begin your exploration at Irkutsk Regional Museum, the oldest museum in Siberia and the first provincial museum in Russia. The Moorish-style building contains a history of the museum itself, dating to 1782 before a fire forced its relocation in 1883. You can book tours of Irkutsk and Baikal in the museum.
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At the Foot of the Pyrénées
By Linda Tancs
Beautifully set between the mountains and the ocean, it’s easy to see why the ancient royal city of Pau, France, was a prestigious resort for aristocrats from around the world in the 19th century. No less popular today, this charming city at the foot of the Pyrénées is a winter mecca for skiers and a go-to destination for art and history buffs. Enjoy a walk along central Pau’s Boulevard des Pyrénées where countryside views and mountain panoramas prevail on clear days. The boulevard leads up to the castle of Château de Pau, birthplace of King Henry IV of France and Navarre. Another treasure is the Pau Museum of Fine Arts, one of Aquitaine’s biggest museums and home to masterpieces from the 15th to 20th centuries, including a famous painting by Degas.
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Veteran Trees at Hatfield
By Linda Tancs
Just 21 miles north of London, England, Hatfield House is a fine Jacobean house and garden in a spectacular countryside setting in Hertfordshire. Blessed with an extensive parkland, three separate walks range in length from just over one mile to just over three miles. The medieval grounds, site of the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I, boast ancient oak, hornbeam and beech pollards. One ancient oak in the park reputedly marks the place where the young Princess Elizabeth first heard of her accession to the throne. Hatfield House is nowadays the home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family. The pedestrian entrance to Hatfield Park is opposite Hatfield railway station. The fast train from Kings Cross to Hatfield takes 20 minutes.
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San Francisco’s Little Giant
By Linda Tancs
The Mission District of San Francisco, California, is nowadays a culturally diverse and trendy part of the city. But were it not for a working fire hydrant on April 18, 1906, it would have likely been lost to the ages. That’s when a disastrous earthquake brought the city to its knees, spawning the Great Fire left largely unquenched by a series of broken water mains—except for a certain fire hydrant on the southwest corner of Dolores Park in the western edge of the Mission District. Against all odds, the lone functioning hydrant (nicknamed “little giant”) is credited with saving the district. Each year on April 18 it receives a fresh coat of gold paint.
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Sydney’s Big Fiddle
By Linda Tancs
Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, Cape Breton boasts a Celtic heritage and fiddle music. In Sydney, its harbor town, stands a big fiddle honoring its musical heritage. Reportedly the largest illuminated fiddle in the world, the 60-foot-tall sculpture was created by a local artist in 2005. Still thriving today, the Celtic culture on the island is the only one of its kind in North America, where the continent’s only living history museum for Gaelic language and culture is found.
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East Anglia’s Waterfront Town
By Linda Tancs
Steeped in history, Ipswich is a waterfront town in East Anglia. The county town of Suffolk, it’s the oldest Anglo-Saxon town in England. The town was granted a royal charter in 1200 and has been closely linked with the discovery of the New World and with historical figures such as Cardinal Wolsey and Charles Dickens. The town’s unique and free museum delves into Suffolk’s past from the Iron Age to the Romans and Saxons. Woolly mammoths were believed to have lived in the Ipswich area until 11,500 years ago, a fact commemorated by the life-size model that serves as a mascot in the museum.
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Old London Town
By Linda Tancs
London Town—Maryland, that is—boasts a colonial history that was all but forgotten following a change in trade routes that basically shuttered the thriving port town by the end of the 18th century. Thanks to a revival in interest sparked by an archaeological dig, the colonial seaport just 15 miles from Annapolis is now brimming with activities and interactive exhibits staffed on weekends with costumed interpreters. The crown jewel of the historic area is the William Brown House, a National Historic Landmark. Built by merchant William Brown to be an upscale inn and tavern, the Georgian-style brick mansion later functioned as an almshouse in the 1820s and continued to shelter the destitute until 1965. The area also features more than 10 acres of beautiful woodland and ornamental gardens, a colonial-era carpenter’s shop and the recreated Lord Mayor’s Tenement on the former site of a home for low-income families.
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