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 Festival of Lights in Norway
By Linda Tancs
While the United States celebrates Thanksgiving today (and the start of the holiday season), Bergen, Norway, is gearing up for its own start to holiday cheer with the Festival of Lights. Taking place in the city center at Festplassen and Lille Lungegardsvann on 30 November, the event features fireworks and torchlight processions, one last chance to be bathed in light before the onset of December, the darkest month of the year. While you’re in town, don’t miss Gingerbread Town, the world’s biggest gingerbread city with miniature houses, trains, cars and ships made from real gingerbread.
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The Prize of Verona
By Linda Tancs
Verona, Italy is an ancient city, second only to Rome in the number of remains from the Roman Empire. During those times, Piazza Erbe would have been the town center, or forum, around which the looming towers of powerful nobles stood. One of those towers, Torre dei Lamberti, was built by the powerful Lamberti family in 1172. Today it offers a spectacular 360-degree view of the city and its gilded past.
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Fujisan’s Latest Milestone
By Linda Tancs
Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain (at 12, 388 feet), has been mesmerizing locals and wanderers alike since ancient times. So it might be surprising that this iconic ambassador only recently became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since June, Fujisan joins 16 other sites around Japan as a place of distinction. Other gems include Himeji-jō Castle, historic monuments of ancient Kyoto, Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the Ogasawara Islands.
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The Best Connections
By Linda Tancs
We’ve discussed airlines’ on-time performance records previously, a topic that’s even more critical when a multileg flight is involved. How much connection time should you allot to get off one plane and onto another? OAG has the answer. This trusted industry resource is perhaps best known for its airline schedules and flight status databases, with future and historical flight details for over 900 airlines and more than 4,000 airports. The information is available via subscription, but to busy travelers it may represent the best dollars they’ve ever spent.
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A Cruise Ship Fit for a Queen
By Linda Tancs
Undoubtedly it’s safe to say that Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t charter cruise ships willy-nilly. So when the monarch did just that to celebrate her 80th birthday, you’ve got to think that the ship must be something special. That ship is the Hebridean Princess, a luxury ship hosting just 50 guests. Now in its 25th season, the former ferry boat has come a long way indeed. From March to November the ship sets sail from Oban for Scotland’s far flung isles, offering travelers the best way imaginable to discover the remoteness and beauty of the west coast.
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Matisse Returns to Stockholm
By Linda Tancs
Stockholm’s Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art) boasts one of the finest collections of contemporary and modern art in Europe. Its most famous work may be Robert Rauschenberg’s Monogram, but its most celebrated work is arguably Matisse’s Le Jardin following its triumphant return to the museum earlier this year after its notorious heist in 1987. Kudos for the homecoming go to the Art Loss Register, an unassuming London company with one of the most extensive databases of stolen art worldwide.
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Lumiere Dazzles in the U.K.
By Linda Tancs
The medieval city of Durham in northeast England will once again be transformed into a bedazzling landscape of light during this year’s Lumiere Festival today through 17 November. Artists from around the world will adorn the city with their light projects, such as an installation of “dancing” sparks, giving the appearance of fireflies, at Durham Cathedral. From 28 November to 1 December the festival of light continues in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, featuring neon balloon dogs, an interactive forest, and a fire garden.
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The Green Flash
By Linda Tancs
A green flash sunset, when the last sliver of sun turns green before vanishing into the horizon, is spectacular–and elusive for many. That’s because a confluence of events must occur for a viewing of this phenomenon: you need an unobstructed view and no haze or cloud cover at the horizon. For these reasons, it’s a treat best caught on the open sea. My favorite green flash moment was in Moorea in the South Pacific. Leave a comment about your own green flash experience!
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Is There Anybody Out There?
By Linda Tancs
The third largest telescope of its kind in the world, England’s Lovell Radio Telescope in Cheshire has been probing the depths of space for signs of intelligent life since 1957. Located at Jodrell Bank Observatory, the shining white disc measuring 255 feet stands in stark contrast to the verdant plains of Shining Tor, Cheshire’s highest point. At the Visitor Centre you can walk half way around this powerful radio telescope as it investigates cosmic phenomena.
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The World’s Largest Tablet in London
By Linda Tancs
As previously noted, London’s Trafalgar Square attracts interesting exhibitions, artful and otherwise. The latest one to hit the famous meetup space is Microsoft’s installation of a colossal Surface 2 tablet. Smack in the middle of the square, the tablet measures 27 feet in width and 17 feet in height. And it works, too. Of course, this isn’t the corporate behemoth’s first foray into interactive art–remember the giant Windows phone in New York’s Herald Square?
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