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
A Gutsy Hotel in Belgium
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder what Jonah must have experienced when he got swallowed by the whale? You might get a sense of that at Hotel Casanus, a one-room hotel shaped like a giant intestine. Located at Verbeke Foundation Art Park near Antwerp, Belgium, this colonoscopic wonder features a double bed, windows, heating, and working plumbing in a pastoral setting. You’ll have all the creature comforts of home, *butt* do you have the guts to stay there?
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A Moving Tribute in London
By Linda Tancs
Through year end you can experience James Bond in motion–sort of–at the London Film Museum’s Bond in Motion exhibition in Covent Garden. Boasting the largest official collection of James Bond vehicles, the venue is displaying over 100 individual original items from all 23 films–the largest display of its kind ever staged in London. What’s included? The Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger’s Rolls-Royce Phantom III and the Lotus Esprit S1 submersible from The Spy Who Loved Me. Will you leave shaken, or stirred?
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The Sage of Chelsea
By Linda Tancs
Moving in the finest of literary circles, Victorian writer Thomas Carlyle earned the nickname “Sage of Chelsea.” Indeed, his home in London’s Chelsea district is where much of his writing took place (such as his Complete Works and Oliver Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches) amidst multiple gatherings with heavyweights like Dickens and Tennyson together with his equally gifted wife, Jane. Near the house is a bronze statue of the literary giant, unveiled in 1882 (a year after his death) and funded by such luminaries as Charles Darwin, Robert Browning and William Morris. Preserved by the National Trust, Carlyle’s House is accessible via a 15-minute walk from the tube at Sloane Square or South Kensington.
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A Heavenly Tomb
By Linda Tancs
The lavish lifestyles of South Korea’s elite during the Silla dynasty form part of a roofless museum in Tumuli Park. Just four hours away from Seoul by bus, the 37-acre grounds contain 23 royal burial mounds. The most celebrated (the interior of which is open to the public) is Cheonmachong, the “Heavenly Horse” tomb, a burial site for a 5th-6th century Silla king and his consort. When the site was excavated in the 1970s, a mounted horse painting (the only one discovered from the Silla era) was found, along with over 10,000 artifacts of the good life, like jade tiger claw earrings and a gold crown embellished with jade tiger claws. Clearly, it was good to be the king.
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London’s Larder
By Linda Tancs
London’s Borough Market turns 1000 years old this year. You’ve come a long way, baby–from grain, fish, vegetables and livestock trading in the 11th century to a premier market source for foodies like chefs, restaurateurs and amateur cooks. Its original location is marked by The Triangle, a patch of land purchased by local residents when Parliament closed the market in the 1700s. Now over 100 stalls strong, the facility is home to renowned producers like Northfield Farm and Furness Fish and Game. The City’s oldest fruit and vegetable market, it’s located next to London Bridge station. The full market is open Wednesday through Saturday.
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A Sea of Sand
By Linda Tancs
There’s a sea of emptiness that swallows up a fifth of the Arabian Peninsula. Known as Rub’ al-Khali (Empty Quarter), it’s the world’s largest sand desert. Popularly referred to as the Sands, it encompasses parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and United Arab Emirates. You might think of it as an arid wasteland, but the Bedouins have been calling this expanse home for ages. Ever resourceful, they’re even giving tours that include ATV dune bashing and overnight camping. Who knows, there may be a tourist lurking behind that next-door dune.
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Birding in Mabamba
By Linda Tancs
Uganda’s Mabamba Bay is designated an Important Bird Area (IBA), one of the best marshy areas along the northern shores of Lake Victoria for bird watching. Besides Murchison Falls National Park, Mabamba is the only place where the elusive shoebill can be spotted. It’s also a haven for threatened species such as the blue swallow, pallid harrier, papyrus gonolek and white-winged warbler. Overall, more than 260 species have been recorded in these wetlands.
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Birthplace of English Landscape
By Linda Tancs
The English Landscape Movement was inspired by Dutch landscape paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. Launched by landscape designers like William Kent, the movement’s birthplace is widely recognized to be the gardens at Chiswick House in west London. The property was restored a few years ago to enhance its lake views and serpentine pathways. This 65-acre oasis has inspired other great landscapes around the world like New York’s Central Park. Admission is free year round. Take the District Line to Turnham Green station.
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Surrender in the South China Sea
By Linda Tancs
Scuba divers understand what it means to surrender, placing deep trust in the world beneath their feet as they plunge to the depths of a watery abyss in search of aquatic bliss. So where do experienced divers go to hit the sea life lottery? The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Layang Layang, controlled by Malaysia, is the only island within the Spratlys having an airport with regular flights and exquisite scuba diving resorts. Kayaking, windsurfing and bird watching (at, where else, nearby Bird Island) are also available for those who prefer life above the sea.
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The Land of the Picts
By Linda Tancs
The county of Angus in Scotland has been dubbed the “birthplace for Scotland,” a site where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320 at Arbroath Abbey during the Wars of Independence. It’s also a county rich in Pictish history. Over 2000 years ago Scotland was roamed by warrior Pictish tribes, a source of irritation for the Romans who erected Hadrian’s Wall in northern England to keep them out. You can learn more about Scotland’s ancient past at Pictavia in Haughmuir, an all-weather museum sporting interactive exhibits and artifacts exploring the life and times of this mysterious people. From there, set out on the Pictish Trail, where stone relics bear silent witness to the tribes’ lifestyle, education and culture. Reputedly, one out of every 10 Scots is descended from the Picts. Are you one of them?
