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
Paper in the Balkans
By Linda Tancs
In today’s digital environment, you may be tempted to think that paper is a relic from another age. Maybe the National Workshop for Handmade Paper will change your mind. Located in Ohrid, North Macedonia, the staff will show you the centuries-old way of making paper, by pressing and drying the slurry of pulp. And the workshop’s printer is an exact replica of Guttenberg’s printing press from the 15th century, one of two in the world. Of course, you can buy paper made in the museum and purchase prints at a nominal cost. Entry to the workshop is free.
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Like No Other Welsh Castle
By Linda Tancs
Arguably one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages, Caernarfon Castle in North Wales is a feat of medieval engineering. It was built by King Edward I as part of his “iron ring” of castles to encircle and subdue Wales and is the place where his son, Edward of Caernarfon, was invested as the first Prince of Wales. It might be better known as the investiture site of King Charles III when he became Prince of Wales. The Eagle Tower, with its three great turrets and 18-feet thick walls, is the crowning glory of the fortress and one of many highlights. In two towers you’ll also find the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, which recounts over 300 years of service of Wales’s oldest infantry.
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The Great Stupa of Laos
By Linda Tancs
Laos is a Southeast Asian country particularly known for its Buddhist monasteries. One of the most significant is Pha That Luang in Vientiane, where a reliquary reportedly houses the Buddha’s breastbone. Founded in the third century, the current structure was built by King Setthathirath (or Xaysettha) in 1566 after Vientiane became the capital city. The striking monument has a pinnacle covered in real gold with a set of painted turrets surrounding its central stupa. The temple is easily reachable by tuk tuk or bicycle.
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Anglophone Literary Life in Paris
By Linda Tancs
A Left Bank literary institution, Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookshop in the heart of Paris. The first iteration of the shop began in 1919, founded by American Sylvia Beach. It attracted the great expat writers of the time—Joyce, Hemingway, Stein, Fitzgerald, Eliot, Pound—as well as leading French writers until the Nazis occupied Paris in 1941. Part of its acclaim during her tenure arises from the fact that Beach published her friend James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1922 when no one else dared. Like the first iteration, the second Shakespeare and Company was founded by an American, George Whitman, in 1951. It remains a premier gathering place for anglophone writers and readers.
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A Royal Trek in Nepal
By Linda Tancs
The Royal Trek is one of the best introductory treks in the Annapurna region of Nepal. It’s named for King Charles III, who explored the route in 1981 shortly before he married Princess Diana. It’s also known for its low difficulty level suitable for individuals of varying fitness levels and trekking experience. It follows a shrub-like path along the foothills of Annapurna, north of the Pokhara valley, that includes beautiful Gurung settlements, small hamlets, terraced farms, lush green forests and views of the Annapurna range featuring Machapuchhre (fishtail) and Langtang Mountain. The journey ends at Begnas Lake.
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A Double-Decker Cable Car
By Linda Tancs
The Cabrio Stanserhorn in Switzerland is the world’s first open-top, double-decker cable car. Your journey begins in Stans at the historic valley station where you travel for about 10 minutes via the funicular railway. Then you change at the Kälti middle station to double-decker cars for another 10 minutes to the top of the Stanserhorn. Seats on the open upper deck cannot be reserved but you have a chance on either the ascent or descent to get one. Allow at least one hour to enjoy the views from the mountaintop, where you’ll also find a revolving restaurant. The Stanserhorn season runs from April to November.
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On the Banks of the Loire
By Linda Tancs
Inhabited since the Renaissance, Château de Villandry is a spectacular French castle on the banks of the Loire. Once a defensive fortress used for peace discussions between Philip II and Richard the Lionheart of England, it was renovated in the Renaissance style by its first owner, Jean Le Breton, Minister of Finance for Francois l. The property was later renovated in the neoclassical style after it was acquired by the Marquis de Castellane. In the early 1900s, the property was acquired by Spanish inventor Joachim Carvallo and his American wife, the heiress Ann Coleman. Their particular dedication and attention to the property’s magnificent landscape (restored to the Renaissance style) created one of Europe’s best gardens. Still owned by the Carvallo family, the estate is a major tourist attraction.
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Cave Tubing in Belize
By Linda Tancs
Caves Branch River is a popular destination for caving, tubing and rafting in Belize. In fact, some of the best cave tubing in Belize takes place on the river. Many tours involve a guided hike for about 20 minutes through the Belizean rainforest and then a tube excursion down the river and through spectacular cave systems which the ancient Mayas regarded as a sacred underworld. This activity is an especially popular cruise ship excursion.
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Salt of the Earth in Bolivia
By Linda Tancs
Descending from a prehistoric lake, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat at over 3,900 square miles. Located in the Eduardo Avaroa National Andean Wildlife Reserve in Bolivia, it’s one of South America’s most popular tourist attractions. This snow-hued wasteland features a cemetery of cherry red trains along its outskirts that bear silent testimony to a once burgeoning rail system designed for the transport of the area’s rich mineral resources to Pacific Ocean ports. Although generally devoid of plant or animal life, it’s also home to a migratory species of flamingos. Why not complement your visit with a stay at a salt hotel, where everything from the beds to the walls and floors are constructed from salt blocks. A bus or plane from La Paz will get you there.
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Where History and Nature Meet in Panama
By Linda Tancs
Located in the eastern sector of the Panama Canal, Chagres National Park is a place where history and nature meet. It’s home to the forest that shelters the Chagres River (the largest river in the canal’s watershed) and where you’ll find remnants of the Camino Real, a colonial route that transported goods like gold and silver from coast to coast before the canal was built. Comprising over 300,000 acres, hiking opportunities are abundant, like the peak of Cerro Jefe and its spectacular views of the canal. Rafting, kayaking and fishing are popular activities as is visiting the indigenous Emberá community by canoeing up the Chagres River. Book a tour operator for the best experience, such as an indigenous culture tour or a full-day jungle expedition.
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