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
Last of the Corn Mills
By Linda Tancs
In 1132, 13 monks came to England’s Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire to live a simpler life and created what now remains the most complete Cistercian corn mill in the country. You can have a whack at grinding some corn and watch the water wheel go round. But that’s only part of the charm of this estate, a World Heritage Site. The locale lays claim to some interesting monikers: The Temple of Fame in Studley Royal Water Garden; Anne Boleyn’s Seat (site of a decapitated statue before John Aislabie inherited the estate in the 1700s); The Serpentine Tunnel (a dark, winding tunnel cut through rock that was designed to spook guests of Aislabie); and the Temple of Piety (originally dedicated to Hercules). There’s also the Hermit’s Grotto and The Way of the Roses, a 170 mile coast-to-coast cycle route passing through the deer park.
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Summer Lotus at Shimabara
By Linda Tancs
Japan’s Shimabara Castle is located in Shimabara, Nagasaki prefecture. The five-storied castle keep was originally constructed in the 17th century. Although it survived the Shimabara Rebellion (arising from a ban on Christianity) and feudal rule, its keep and outer towers were subsequently demolished in the 1800s and the grounds used for municipal purposes instead. Today’s bright white castle was reconstructed in the 1960s, a faithful reproduction that houses a museum featuring exhibits concerning the rebellion and feudal reign. Summer visitors are treated to a magnificent carpet of lotus flowers at the castle’s original base.
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The Ramparts of Tuscany
By Linda Tancs
Just an hour outside Florence is an Italian gem called Lucca, a walled city in Tuscany with enough epicurean delights to rival the culinary masters in Rome. Easily accessible from Pisa (the closest airport), its medieval ramparts coalesce into greenways welcoming casual strollers and cyclists. The bricked Guinigi Tower, one of the few remaining within the city walls, has a hanging garden at its apex and sports beautiful panoramic views of the city. The summer festival is a big draw now. This year’s event features artists like Bryan Adams, Neil Young and Mark Knopfler.
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World’s Steepest Street
By Linda Tancs
Dunedin, New Zealand boasts the world’s steepest residential street, with an average slope of 1:5. Recognized by Guinness World Records, 1150-foot-long Baldwin Street gives any StairMaster a run for its money. Good thing a water fountain greets you at the summit! Best of all, though, it runs up Signal Hill, offering great views of Otago Harbor. Together with the peninsula, Otago Harbor is home to some of the rarest wildlife in the world and New Zealand’s only castle, Larnach Castle.
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Arctic Summer Fest
By Linda Tancs
One of the most anticipated international indigenous festivals in Europe, Riddu Riđđu is held during the arctic summer each year in the Sea Sami village of Olmmáivággi in Norway. Taking place today through 14 July, the festival promotes Sami art and culture through music, film, handiworks, seminars and workshops.
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A Coronation Festival
By Linda Tancs
Last year saw exciting displays of honor and affection between Queen and country as Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. But the party isn’t over as the Queen’s coronation in 1953 is saluted this month with a unique event in the gardens at Buckingham Palace. From 11 to 14 July, 60 years of royal service and tradition will be celebrated amidst a company of Royal Warrant holders (purveyors of goods and services to the Queen and other members of the royal family) at the Coronation Festival. An invitation-only royal preview will kick off the event on 11 July, followed by a public evening gala on both Friday and Saturday night. The musical entertainment features performances by Katherine Jenkins, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the English National Ballet.
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The Knights of Malta
By Linda Tancs
Over 900 years old, the Order of Malta is an ancient order that traces its origins to a monk’s humanitarian missions directed at pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. More than just a religious order, its Knights comprise a sovereign entity that prints passports and enjoys diplomatic relations–all without the borders of a country to call its own. The stateless state is located in Rome’s Via Condotti. That’s quite unlike its namesake, the island of Malta.
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Adventure in New Zealand
By Linda Tancs
New Zealand is an island in the southwest Pacific Ocean, populated with an array of natural wonders like glaciers, fiords, mountains, plains, subtropical forest, volcanic plateau, and sandy beaches. Roughly the size of Britain, Japan or Colorado, nearly a third of the country—divided into a North Island and a South Island—is preserved national park land! Tune in to Travelrific® Radio and let’s explore its gorgeous landscapes.
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The Legend of Drake’s Drum
By Linda Tancs
Buckland Abbey is a centuries-old manor in Devon, England. Originally occupied by Cistercian monks in the 13th century, the structure became best known perhaps as the dwelling of the Elizabethan-era adventurer Sir Francis Drake. A highlight of the Tavy Valley estate is Drake’s Drum. Reputedly Drake took the snare drum on voyages to sound his men to action. Since that time it has been rumored to beat whenever England is in peril, including during both world wars.
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Almost Seventy Degrees North
By Linda Tancs
The city of Tromsø, Norway lies inside the Arctic Circle at nearly 70 degrees north. Home to the northernmost university, botanical garden and planetarium, its top of the world location gives rise to the phenomenon of the midnight sun in summer. So what better place to hold a midnight sun marathon! On 22 June runners from over 50 countries will compete under the evening’s sunny skies. The marathon is the northernmost AIMS-certified running event in the world.
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