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
Year of the Bus
By Linda Tancs
Sixty years ago, the iconic Routemaster bus was unveiled at the Commercial Motor Show in London, England. That was in September 1954. Why wait to celebrate? Mayor Boris Johnson has declared 2014 as the Year of the Bus. And rightly so. Did you know that London’s road network carries more bus passengers than New York and Paris combined? Approximately 2.3 billion passenger journeys were made between 2012 and 2013 on around 700 routes on London’s bus network, over 100 of which operate around the clock. The double decker has captured the hearts of travelers worldwide. You can learn more about its impact at a lecture tonight in Covent Garden. Other events taking place during the year include a festival at Finsbury Park in July and symposia on the history and cultural significance of the London bus. Routemaster, we salute you!
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Waxing Poetic in Wales
By Linda Tancs
Welshman Dylan Thomas is best known for his poetry although he also wrote scripts for radio broadcasts, radio plays, short stories, films and an unfinished novel. Wales is undergoing a yearlong celebration of the centenary of his birth. The son of Swansea wrote many of his major works at a house in Laugharne, where the annual Laugharne Weekend takes place each April. This year’s centenary event will feature additional poetry weekends there into early May.
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The Oldest City in Holland
By Linda Tancs
Located in the western Netherlands, the medieval city of Dordrecht is Holland’s oldest city and ancient capital. Its attractions are easily navigable via numerous bicycling paths, which isn’t at all surprising considering that the nation has more bikes than residents. One of the oldest dwellings is ‘t Zeepaert, adorned with a decorative Gothic stepped gable of Belgian blue limestone. Augustijnenkerk is an old abbey church dating from the 1200s with 200 tombstones, including that of Dutch painter Aelbert Cuyp. A city of harbors and monuments, Voorstraatshaven forms its backbone. Among all of its attractions, perhaps nothing is as monumental as the full-sized replica of Noah’s Ark, a museum that retells the biblical saga. The unsinkable dream of builder Johan Huibers features commanding views of the Merwede River and the city.
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Bienvenue à Shanghai
By Linda Tancs
Following China’s loss of the Opium Wars in 1842 and the opening of its port cities to international traffic, the government of Shanghai granted land comprising today’s Xuhui and Luwan districts to the French consulate. Known as the French Concession, its cafes, boutiques and tree-lined avenues are possessed of a certain je ne sais quoi, an attractive respite from the otherwise bustling and futuristic-looking metropolis. Bienvenue à Shanghai!
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The End of the World
By Linda Tancs
On the west coast of Galicia, Spain, is Cape Finisterre, the Spanish equivalent of Britain’s Land’s End. The rocky peninsula was thought to be the end of the road, so to speak, in medieval times. The area is rife with memorials and dedications, a place where pilgrims celebrating the end of their Camino burn their clothes and boots in the fire pit. The area’s famed lighthouse sits atop Monte Facho, bearing witness daily to the ferocious Atlantic and its storied shipwrecks.
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The Highs and Lows of South America
By Linda Tancs
In Argentina, you can truly experience the highs and lows of South America. That’s because the highest and lowest points of the continent are found there. Mount Aconcagua is the highest point at 22,837 feet. Less than 10 miles from the Chilean border, the summit beckons via the northern route, a non-technical climb devoid of axes, ropes and pins. The lowest point is the Valdes Peninsula at 131 feet below sea level. This whale-watching destination in the South Atlantic, one of the largest mating grounds in the world, is renowned for its conservation of marine mammals.
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The Largest Theatre in Paris
By Linda Tancs
Grand Rex is the largest theatre in Paris and one of the largest in Europe. Boasting the city’s largest screen, the cinema’s outsized lines and Art Deco-style dome are out of sync with the hotels, bars and pubs along rue Poissonniere but nevertheless befitting a shrine to Parisian cinema. Inaugurated in 1932, the Ministry of Culture has decreed it a national monument. Discover its legend through an interactive, 50- minute long audio guided tour.
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Persian Pearls
By Linda Tancs
The ancient kingdom of Persia, now known as Iran, isn’t exactly a tourist magnet yet boasts 16 World Heritage sites worthy of distinction. Some, like the pre-Christian monumental ruins of Persepolis, represent one of the greatest ancient sites outside the Holy Land. Another top attraction is Isfahan’s Masjed-e Jāmé (“Friday mosque”), the oldest preserved edifice of its type in Iran and a prototype for later mosque designs throughout Central Asia. Created to exemplify Eden, the Persian Garden is a collection of nine gardens selected from various regions of Iran, maintaining an ancient geometric model and integrating cultural and social aspects of society in a manner intended to harmonize with natural surroundings. Thankfully, many of its historic sites are far removed from the more problematic border zones around Iraq and Afghanistan, a plus for the many university groups seeking tours of Persia’s pearls.
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A Year of Homecoming
By Linda Tancs
Although national gathering festivals are nothing new, it’s easy to appreciate each country’s unique artistic, cultural and ancestral heritage. This year, it’s Scotland’s turn to shine. Dubbed the Year of Homecoming, the slate of events includes a whisky festival, a re-enactment of Britain’s battle with Robert the Bruce, a celebration of Forth Bridges’ 50th anniversary and the Highland Games, a tradition since 1867.
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The Centre of the World
By Linda Tancs
Have you ever pondered which town is the nearest to the centre of the world? The people of Ludbreg in Croatia would have you believe that since ancient times certain circles of the earth expanded concentrically from their fair town, determining the position of major European cities. And so every year the citizens of Ludbreg add another tile bearing the name of one of the cities of the world to their main square on 1 April, Ludbreg’s birthday. It’s no April Fools’ Day joke; today is the Day of the Centre of the World.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 