Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for September, 2021
A Close-Up in Los Angeles
By Linda Tancs
Los Angeles is ready for its close-up with the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Billed as the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies, its six floors feature exhibition spaces, education and special event spaces, a conservation studio and a year-round calendar of screenings. You might especially enjoy the Oscars® Experience, which simulates the experience of walking onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and accepting an Oscar. The museum is located on Wilshire Boulevard.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
100 Years of History in Key West
By Linda Tancs
When Casa Marina opened 100 years ago it was Key West’s most glamorous destination. The Florida resort was conceived by American railroad tycoon Henry Flagler as an accommodation for wealthy customers of Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, which spanned from Key West to the Florida mainland. Its designers were as famous as Flagler; architects Thomas Hastings and John M. Carrere also designed New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, New York Public Library and the Senate and House of Representatives office buildings in Washington, D.C. The hotel hosted politicians and Hollywood’s elite. It was even requisitioned by the military for use during World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Located just minutes from historic Old Town, it boasts the largest private beach in the city.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Little Egypt
By Linda Tancs
Southern Illinois has long been referred to as “Little Egypt.” The origin of that moniker depends on whom you ask. One popular theory is that the region was so christened because its fertile bottomlands resemble its Middle Eastern sister. Whatever the reason, the regional designation resulted in place names like Cairo, Carmi, Karnak, Goshen, Thebes and Dongola. It’s a place rich in natural wonders, like the impressive rock formations at Ferne Clyffe State Park, a place named for its abundance of ferns when it was purchased by two brothers from Cairo in 1899. Autumn is a great time to watch summer’s tree foliage transform into a spectacular mix of reds, purples, golds and browns. If you hike the Round Bluff Nature Preserve, you’ll get the best of both worlds: stunning autumn color and sandstone cliffs.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Art Deco in Devon
By Linda Tancs
Burgh Island is a tidal island on the coast of South Devon in England located opposite the beach of the small seaside village of Bigbury-on-Sea. A strip of sand leading from the beach is all that will get you there during low tide; otherwise, the sea tractor will have to do. The island’s landmark is its Art-Deco inspired hotel, famously a retreat for mystery writer Agatha Christie. The island also served as a retreat of sorts for smugglers and pirates in the 14th century. Their hideout, the Pilchard Inn, is reputedly haunted. Speaking of pilchard (sardines), the story goes that fishermen would keep watch for pilchard at a chapel on the island (remains of which are known as “Huer’s Hut”). When shoals were sighted, they would cry out to other fishermen on Bigbury. The phrase “hue and cry” is said to originate from this practice.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Top of the Nile
By Linda Tancs
The “top of the Nile” is where you’ll get the best view of Murchison Falls in Uganda, where the water powerfully squeezes through a narrow 22-foot crevice in the rocks to plunge over 131 feet below into a 164-foot radius pool. The falls are so spectacular that the national park of which it is a part is named for it. A three-hour, round-trip tour to the bottom of the waterfall will give you an opportunity to observe lots of local wildlife, like the shoebill stork, hippos and crocodiles. And you might even see the dwarf giraffe that was found in the park.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Portugal’s House of Stone
By Linda Tancs
Surrounded by windmills of the modern age, Portugal’s Casa do Penedo looks more like something out of the Stone Age. Located near Fafe in northern Portugal, the prehistoric-looking structure was built in the 1970s as a family shelter. Aptly named, the stone (boulder) dwelling comprises four large boulders that serve as the foundation, walls and ceiling of the house. Billed as one of the strangest homes in the world, you can arrange a guided tour from Porto.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Beehives in Nevada
By Linda Tancs
In the 1870s six kilns were constructed in the Ward Mining District of eastern Nevada to process rich silver ore that was discovered in the area. They were designed in the shape of beehives to efficiently burn pinyon pine and juniper into charcoal to support mining production. Now, this isn’t your typical beehive. These structures are 30-foot-tall, 27-foot-wide otherworldly ovens that could hold 35 cords of wood at a time and produce 1,750 bushels of charcoal. Once mining ended, they were used as a shelter for travelers and even as hideouts for stagecoach bandits. Today they’re a photogenic attraction at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park just south of Ely.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
All Aboard the Brocken
By Linda Tancs
The Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range in central Germany. From the summit you’ll get glorious views of Harz National Park, the first such park to span two federal states. The peak also offers Brocken garden, a botanical garden established on the summit in 1890. It houses more than 1,500 plant species from high mountain areas from all over the world, with a particular emphasis on the protection and conservation of species that are either threatened with extinction or very rare. Between mid-May and mid-October you can explore the garden between Monday and Friday twice a day with a gardener. One of the best things about the garden is how to get there. A narrow-gauge steam train departs from Drei Annen Hohne station and takes approximately 50 minutes to climb to Brocken Station, just 52 feet below the mountain’s summit.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Shining in Berlin
By Linda Tancs
For 10 days each September the city of Berlin, Germany, becomes an artist’s canvas during the Festival of Lights. That’s when local and international light artists transform the monuments, buildings, streets, quarters and squares into massive art installations through light projections and video art. Participating landmarks, as you might expect, include Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Cathedral and the Funkturm. Most structures are illuminated daily from 7 p.m. until midnight. A guided tour goes by the name LightSeeing. The festival can also be easily explored by bus, boat, bike taxi, limousine or carriage. This year’s event runs from September 17 – 26.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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.
Share this:
Oldest City in the Azores
By Linda Tancs
Terceira is the third largest island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal. It’s also home to Angra do Heroísmo (Angra), the oldest city in the Azores, having received its charter in 1534. In the 1800s, Queen Maria II bestowed the name Heroísmo upon the town for the resistance it offered the troops of King Miguel in 1829 during his attempt to establish an absolutist monarchy. The centerpiece of the city is its cathedral, Sé Catedral, the largest church in the archipelago. It’s prized for its pau brasil and jacaranda wood in the sacristy. Other religious artifacts, along with an interesting historical account of the Azores, are located at Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, which is housed in a former monastery.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. 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 