Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for international travel
The Stone Chariot
By Linda Tancs
It isn’t the only stone chariot in India, but Kallina Ratha in Hampi is an architectural jewel fit for a king. In fact, it was built in the 16th century during the reign of King Krishnadevaraya, reputedly one of the greatest kings of the Vijayanagara dynasty in southern India. Located inside the Vittala Temple complex, the stone shrine is dedicated to Garuda, a half-man and half-eagle mythical being associated with Lord Vishnu. Locals believe that the world will end when the chariot moves. Let’s hope it stays put for a while.
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Britain’s Oldest Manufacturer
By Linda Tancs
London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry is listed in Guinness World Records as Britain’s oldest manufacturing company. How old, however, is a matter of debate. Once thought to be established in 1570 (during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign), additional research has revealed an unbroken line of founders in Aldgate and Whitechapel back to the year 1420 (in the reign of Henry V). Regardless of its age, the world’s best known foundry on Whitechapel Road is responsible for some very big chimes. The largest bell ever cast there (in 1858) is none other than Big Ben, weighing in at 13 1/2 tons. Another famous bell hailing from the foundry is the original Liberty Bell, commissioned by order of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania in 1751 for the Statehouse in Philadelphia. Other exports followed worldwide.
UPDATE 5/8/17: The foundry, once open for guided tours on select Saturdays year round, is sadly closing its doors. The very last tower bell to be cast at the Whitechapel site is for the Museum of London, to which the foundry is donating many artifacts including old machinery, items to provide a display about bell manufacture and items that the foundry has in its possession pertaining to the making of Big Ben.
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Rural Estonia
By Linda Tancs
A pleasant day trip from the capital Tallinn, Lahemaa National Park is located in northern Estonia. The country’s oldest and largest national park at nearly 8,000 square feet, it’s also one of Europe’s most important forest conservation areas. South of the park, the large forested Kõrvemaa area is home to moose, wild boars, brown bears, lynxes, foxes and other wild animals. And of almost 840 plant species in the area, 34 are rare. A multitude of hiking trails gives visitors ample opportunity to explore the gently rolling terrain. You needn’t do it all in a day, of course. A plethora of guesthouses, manors and campsites offer respite. The first snowfall generally occurs this month, and the impending winter brings the ice castles of nearby Jägala Waterfall as well as a winter wonderland in the park.
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A Long Walk in Malaysia
By Linda Tancs
The world’s longest jungle canopy walkway is in Taman Negara National Park (one of the oldest rainforests in the world) in Peninsular Malaysia. The canopy walkway, 1739 feet long and 131 feet above ground level, was initially built for research purposes. So imagine their surprise when it morphed into a dazzling tourist attraction! Open year round, it can be reached via jungle trails or boat.
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Europe’s Largest Jewish Cemetery
By Linda Tancs
Jewish heritage abounds in Łódź, the third largest city in Poland. Jews first began settling there in the late 18th century, and the city became one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe, second only to Warsaw. When the Nazis attacked, it became a ghetto, replete with death and mourning until its liberation by the Soviets in 1945. Amidst such history it should come as no surprise that the city hosts Europe’s largest Jewish cemetery (and one of the largest in the world), with about 160,000 people buried on its grounds.
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Breaking the Code
By Linda Tancs
A birthplace of modern information technology, Bletchley Park is the home of British code breaking. It was the site of the British Government Code and Cypher School, where methods were studied and devised to enable the Allied forces to decipher the military codes that secured German, Japanese and other nations’ communications during World War II, particularly the German Enigma and Lorenz ciphers. Once one of Britain’s best kept secrets, it is now an increasingly popular museum where you’ll find a replica of The Bombe, the machine invented by Alan Turing to break the codes. Located in Milton Keynes, the museum is easily accessible via train from Euston.
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Bows and Arrows in Montalcino
By Linda Tancs
Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) is a highly anticipated event in Tuscany for tourists and locals alike. Held every year on the last weekend of October, the celebration takes place in the medieval city of Montalcino, south of Siena. Largely intact since the Middle Ages, its fortress is the backdrop for the annual fiesta, highlighted by a procession of over 100 men and women wearing medieval garb. The march leads to the archery field and is followed by a longbow tournament. Enjoy the weekend spectacle with a feast at the ramparts fit for a king, including some of that world renowned Brunello wine.
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The Picasso Route
By Linda Tancs
Pablo Picasso was only 14 years old when he arrived in Barcelona, Spain. Lauded there for his success, the city’s Picasso Route is a trail chronicling the artistic studies of his formative years. His art school, La Llotja, wasn’t far from his home, a flat in the tony residential block called Porxos d’en Xifré. Its rooftop views provided ample inspiration for the painter’s landscapes and seascapes. Picasso donated a large number of his works to Barcelona, housed today at the city’s Museu Picasso. A short distance from the museum, the Plaça Nova is another feature of the walking tour. There you’ll find the artist’s only piece of public art in the city: the three friezes on the façade of the Col·legi d’Arquitectes building, executed by the Norwegian sculptor and photographer Carl Nesjar according to original drawings by Picasso.
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The History of Polish Jews
By Linda Tancs
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews stands in what was once the heart of Jewish Warsaw—an area the Nazis turned into the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Its compelling location underscores its role as a narrator of history and its standing as an important and innovative center for research, education and culture as well as a platform for social change. The museum traces 1,000 years of the Jewish community’s history in Poland, and its core exhibit includes artifacts, paintings, reconstructions, interactive installations and video.
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The Heart of It in Lyon
By Linda Tancs
To the Lyonnais, there’s no such thing as a bad restaurant. The rest of us would likely agree, or else the French city of Lyon would not be widely recognized as the nation’s capital of gastronomy. Home to chitterling sausages and pike dumplings, you’ll find that and more at Les Halles Paul Bocuse, the city’s famed indoor food market with nearly five dozen stalls selling countless gourmet delights. Once you’ve overindulged, walk it off in the old quarter, a World Heritage Site featuring a picturesque mix of Renaissance mansions, narrow alleys and dozens more restaurants. A must-see is Rue Saint-Jean, the old town’s main street. It’s surrounded by the city’s distinctive traboules, pathways joining two streets by going through several buildings.
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