Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Author Archive
The French Tuscany
By Linda Tancs
Sometimes referred to as “the French Tuscany,” Uzès is a medieval town in the Eure Valley with narrow, cobblestone streets and winding roads that date back to the Roman occupation in the first century. In fact, the quaint town was the origination point of a Roman aqueduct that carried water to Nîmes. The centerpiece of that engineering marvel, Pont du Gard, still stands and is the most-visited monument in France dating from antiquity. A footpath will take you around the remains of the aqueduct and some superb viewpoints.
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Forgotten by History
By Linda Tancs
Forgotten by history, Britain’s Fitzwilliam family of South Yorkshire was once one of the grandest families in the nation. Having made their fortune with coal, they owned over 100,000 acres in England and Ireland. Their stately home, Wentworth Woodhouse (now owned by a preservation trust), testifies to a bygone era of royal visits by the likes of Queen Victoria as well as King George V and Queen Mary. Take a guided tour of the house (featuring the State Rooms) and stroll the gardens, where you can follow a trail from the stables. There are regular bus services to the village of Wentworth and train stations at Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster, all with linking bus services.
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Hawaii’s Cowboy Culture
By Linda Tancs
Located on Hawaii’s Big Island, Waimea (also known as Kamuela) is famous for its paniolo (cowboy) culture. You’ll find working ranches there like Parker Ranch, once the largest ranch in the United States. Visit the Paniolo Preservation Society, which chronicles cowboy culture from the first cattle gifted to the state in 1793 and the mentoring of early ranchers by Mexican vaqueros. The Society’s Heritage Center features a collection of beautifully crafted saddles, whips, bridles and spurs as well as a Hall of Fame honoring those who made paniolo culture legendary.
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The Wickedest Town in the West
By Linda Tancs
Jerome, Arizona, is a former mountain mining community. Located near the top of Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Flagstaff, its rich copper ore deposits attracted miners, merchants, madams and more, earning it the nickname “The Wickedest Town in the West.” You can learn more about the town’s colorful history at Jerome State Historic Park. It features the Douglas Mansion (one of the grandest residences in the state), built by mining mogul James Douglas. Today, the house is a museum devoted to the Douglas family history and the history of Jerome.
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Seven Mile Beach
By Linda Tancs
Seven Mile Beach is the name of a barrier island on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, New Jersey, divided between the boroughs of Avalon to the north and Stone Harbor to the south. Avalon has the distinction of being coined New Jersey’s version of the Hamptons (on the eastern end of Long Island in New York), the East Coast version of Beverly Hills. In fact, a newly-built home in Avalon was listed months ago for $25 million! If the real estate is too rich for your appetite, then enjoy the beaches, as visitors have been doing for more than a century.
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A Trifecta of Delights in Jerez
By Linda Tancs
The Andalusian town of Jerez de la Frontera sports a trifecta of delights: wine, flamenco and horses. Sherry hails from this region of Spain, where you can participate in tastings and visit production sites. The town is also considered to be the home of flamenco, hosting an annual two-week winter festival that attracts flamenco artists from all over the world. Another gem is the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, one of the most prestigious classical riding academies in the world. Their premier event is the show, “How the Andalusian Horses Dance,” an equestrian ballet accompanied by quintessential Spanish music and 18th-century styled costumes.
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Mountain Vistas in Maryland
By Linda Tancs
Constructed in 1949 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway steam locomotive no. 1309 was built to handle the railroad’s heaviest coal trains throughout Kentucky and West Virginia until it was retired in 1956. The largest operating steam locomotive of its type in the country, it’s now the star attraction at Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in Cumberland. The historic train runs through the Allegheny Mountains on a scenic route between Cumberland and Frostburg, climbing grades up to 2.8% on a 16-mile trek.
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Up Close with Marine Life
By Linda Tancs
Coral World Ocean Park is an educational and conservation center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The venue is prized for its encounters, like opportunities to experience a diver’s view of the ocean floor and a coral reef without the special training. You can also swim with dolphins, juvenile sharks and sea lions and learn about conservation. Since the park’s opening in 1977 it has been dedicated to coral reef education, research and conservation. In fact, the facility’s underwater observatory was the first of its kind to be constructed in the Western Hemisphere.
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Sky High in Michigan
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge, Skybridge Michigan is a thrill walk along a 1,200-foot-long, 118-foot-high pedestrian bridge between McLouth and Disciples Ridge peaks, overlooking Michigan’s Boyne Valley. Guests ride the historic Hemlock Scenic Chairlift to the summit to access the bridge and its breathtaking views. Take the paved loop to see the bridge from all angles.
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New Jersey’s Preeminent Military Museum
By Linda Tancs
The history of New Jersey’s militia and National Guard begins with Dutch, Swedish and British colonization and continues with the War for Independence, the Civil War, two world wars and the present day. It’s chronicled at The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey, which is located both at Sea Girt’s National Guard Training Center and at Lawrenceville Armory. The museum boasts one of the largest collections of New Jersey-related Civil War research material in the country, including copies of diaries, letters, newspaper clippings, memoirs, regimental histories and articles. Among its many prized artifacts is the Intelligent Whale in Sea Girt, a primitive post-Civil War submarine powered by six crewmen. Ideally four sailors would crank the propeller while the other crewmen labored to keep the submarine on course and off the bottom. At least one crew member was tasked with leaving the sub through the wooden door in the submarine’s hull floor and transporting and attaching a mine to the hull of an enemy vessel. Admission is free.
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