Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for December, 2019
A Christmas Village in Philadelphia
By Linda Tancs
German Christmas markets are legendary, but if you can’t make the trip, then consider Philadelphia’s Christmas Village. You’ll certainly be feeling the gemütlichkeit with over 80 vendors selling authentic European food as well as arts and crafts and ornaments from around the world. The event is located at LOVE Park through Christmas Eve.
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Shopping in Barcelona
By Linda Tancs
As any traveler knows, a walking tour is a great way to learn about a locale, typically strolling through unique neighborhoods offering a glimpse into its architecture and past and present residents. In Barcelona, Spain, you can shop your way through one such tour with the Barcelona Genuine Shops guided walking tour. The three-hour expedition introduces visitors to the city’s culture through its shop windows. That means you’ll get behind-the-scenes access to some shops and a discount card together with the usual historical and architectural commentary. The meeting point is at Plaça Sant Jaume in front of the Tourist Office.
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Free Museums in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Free museum entry on the first Sunday of every month is making a comeback in Italy for state-operated museums, palaces and archaeological sites. That’s good news for tourists visiting renowned venues like the Colosseum in Rome, Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, Pompeii, the Palace of Caserta, Trieste’s Castello di Miramare and Turin’s Palace of Venaria. A complete list of participating sites is on the Ministry for Culture’s website.
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Lights Galore in Staten Island
By Linda Tancs
A world of light is waiting for you at Staten Island’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. That’s where the stunning NYC Winter Lantern Festival is taking place until January 5. Over 1,000 lanterns will be on display over eight acres, sculpted into magnificent displays. The event also features a skating rink and cultural performances like a Tibetan folk dance and a form of Chinese Sichuan opera. Take the free Staten Island ferry from Lower Manhattan; free shuttles will transport you from the ferry terminal to the event.
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Christmas Magic in Lausanne
By Linda Tancs
Designers, wineries and food producers convene this time of year in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the annual shopping tradition, Bô Noël. Among the activities you can sample local cheeses and meats and indulge in a fondue ritual. The event is child friendly, too, including a festival of lights (Lausanne Lumières), featuring light sculptures in the streets. This year’s event runs through December 31.
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Eating Well in St. Barth’s
By Linda Tancs
There’s no shortage of Caribbean islands vying for the title “gourmet capital of the Caribbean.” St. Barth’s (Saint Barthélemy), a French island in the West Indies, is no less a contender. Graduates of the best hotel schools in France, many of the chefs on the island are experts at classic French cuisine. No wonder, then, that fine dining is a passion there. So is food shopping. In fact, the locals say that grocery shopping should be treated like a event, not a chore, and there are plenty of grocery shops dotting the island to buy a baguette or two. Most visitors arrive by air, which is an event in itself; the landing runway is 2,170 feet long, and the approach is often plagued by varying degrees of turbulence. As a result, the French aviation authorities require special training for any pilot who intends to land there.
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French Heritage in Illinois
By Linda Tancs
If it weren’t for the place names, you’d likely forget the influence of the French in what was once known as Illinois Country. Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, for example, served as the French seat of government and its chief military installation in Upper Louisiana from 1753 until 1765 when it was occupied by the British. Home to a succession of four forts, the present-day structure at the site is a partial reconstruction of a French colonial fort built in the 1750s, a massive stone fort that had replaced three earlier wooden forts, only to fall into ruin with the encroachment of the Mississippi River. The imprint of original foundations remains, along with two reconstructed stone buildings and a restored powder magazine, believed to be the oldest building in Illinois. Declared a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places, the site is located 4 miles west of Prairie du Rocher.
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The Guards of Amalienborg
By Linda Tancs
Amalienborg Palace, the residence of Denmark’s royal family, is a people’s palace; in one of its four royal quadrants, some residents of the family share space with the palace museum. Like any other palace, a changing of the guard delights visitors. Every day they march from the barracks to Amalienborg for the changing of the guard at noon. What you’ll see, however, depends on who’s home on any given day. When the queen is in residence, the Royal Guard provides an extensive display of pageantry; when no family members are home, a Palace Guard suffices. You’ll know who’s coming by the flag flying atop the palace—the Royal Standard, the Flag of the Heir to the Throne, the Flag of the Regent, the Flag of the Royal House or the Swallow-Tailed Flag (which indicates that none of the members of the Royal Family is in residence).
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