Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for May, 2020
Jinju’s Landmark
By Linda Tancs
Originally a mud castle, Jinjuseong Fortress is a memorial to South Korea’s embattled history, beginning with sea marauders in the 1300s, necessitating the structure’s stone reconstruction. Benefiting from a decades-long restoration effort, the fortress is part of a heavily wooded park with temples and shrines. The site also boasts Jinju National Museum, where the area’s war history is recounted along with military artifacts and local art. Seoul’s Gimpo Airport offers daily flights to Jinju.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Railroading in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
Pennsylvania has a rich railroad history, its Pennsylvania Railroad (the “Pennsy”) having become one of the nation’s most significant railroads. Its affiliated lines connected New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington with Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, Chicago and St. Louis. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania offers visitors a look into the past with its historical displays and more than 100 locomotives and vintage railway cars. Several key pieces of their collection are accessible to the public on a regular basis, including a steam locomotive cab, a caboose and a passenger car. Thanks to a restoration program, the museum has restored many cars to their original appearance. Another highlight is Stewart Junction, housed in a recreated 1915-era freight station. It features a 110-foot, G-scale model railroad switching layout, a LEGO train display and building zone, an operating telegraph and an HO-scale model railroad diorama.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Twin Peaks on Lake Michigan
By Linda Tancs
St. Joseph, Michigan, has the only lighthouses on a Lake Michigan pier that are regularly open to the public. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Joseph North Pier Lights (the outer light and inner light) are iconic structures on a breakwater with an elevated catwalk. An hour-long, guided walking tour is available from May to September, weather permitting. It includes a look into the outer light and culminates in a climb up to the lantern room inside the inner lighthouse.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Garden Fit for a Queen
By Linda Tancs
London’s largest and best rose garden is fit for a queen. It is, after all, named after the wife of King George V. Opened in 1932, Queen Mary’s Garden in Regent’s Park boasts 12,000 roses, the city’s largest collection. You’ll find 85 single variety beds on display, exhibiting most rose varieties from the classics to the most modern English roses. The upcoming first two weeks of June offer the best blooms.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Peaking in Spain
By Linda Tancs
Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain range near Barcelona, Spain. Its signature feature is a Benedictine monastery atop the range with one of the few black madonna statues in Europe. The hikes are likewise legendary, the easiest being from the monastery to Cami dels Degotalls. For the best views of the countryside, take the Funicular de Sant Joan, the steepest funicular in Spain. From there you can hike to Sant Jeroni, the highest peak, where you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of Barcelona and perhaps as far as Mallorca. Montserrat is an easy train ride from Barcelona-Plaça Catalunya station, taking little over an hour.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Springtime in Abruzzo
By Linda Tancs
Spring is the best time to visit Italy’s Abruzzo National Park. That’s when the meadows are covered with flora like flowering violets, crocuses, snowbells, gentians, lilies, primroses and buttercups. It’s also when the area’s protected fauna arise from hibernation and migrating birds blanket the sky. Located in the heart of the central Apennines, the park is a refuge for protected species like the Apennine wolf, Abruzzi chamois and Marsican brown bear. Both the park and various towns in its environs organize themed guided tours throughout the year, as well as exhibitions and shows, events and festivals associated with the local heritage.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Samba Beat in Denmark
By Linda Tancs
You needn’t travel to Brazil to experience the infectious rhythm of the samba. This time of year it’s waiting for you in Denmark at the largest carnival in Northern Europe, Aalborg Carnival. It’s a celebration of springtime, with colorful costumes, samba music and dancing in the streets of Aalborg, the country’s fourth-largest city. The festivities kick off with an international parade and a children’s parade, culminating in the Grand Parade on May 23, when everyone is free to march to the route’s end in Kildeparken. The crowd of participants swells to about 60,000, with another 100,000 spectators lining the route.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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French Riviera Freebies
By Linda Tancs
The French Riviera is iconic, prized for its vistas and expensive real estate. You can live like a titan, but you don’t have to travel like one. The French Riviera Pass is a tourism card provided by the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitain Convention & Visitors Bureau. The pass entitles you to discover the main tourist sights and activities (museums, entertainment venues and the like) in Nice and the French Riviera free of charge, which means huge savings for your holiday budget. It also includes free bus and tram transport in the network and a transfer option from Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport. Available for purchase online or at various points of sale (like the airport, tourist information offices and some hotels), the card comes in three versions: 24, 48 or 72 hours consecutively from first use. Your card also comes with a guide to the participating venues.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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North America’s Tallest Waterfall
By Linda Tancs
North America is not lacking in the waterfalls department, especially in Yosemite National Park, home to countless waterfalls. One of those is Yosemite Falls, the tallest in North America. Located in Yosemite Valley, it actually comprises three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet) and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet). A must-do for hikers is Yosemite Falls Trail, leading to the top of the waterfall, which rises 2,425 feet above the valley floor. The trail is open year round, but the falls reach their peak around May/June, so go now for optimal views.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Neo-Futurism in Sweden
By Linda Tancs
Sweden’s third largest city, Malmö is quite literally a city of twists and turns. That’s where you’ll find the Turning Torso, a neo-futurist residential skyscraper giving a twist to the cityscape in the Western Harbour. The tallest building in Scandinavia, it rises to 623 feet and comprises nine cubes with a total of 54 stories, topped off with a 90-degree twist from base to top.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 