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
The Gem of Downton
By Linda Tancs
Downton Abbey is a massively addictive British period drama television series. This post-Edwardian chronicle follows the life of the aristocratic Crawley family in the fictional Yorkshire enclave known as Downton Abbey. As any fan knows, Highclere Castle is used for exterior and interior filming. Located to the west of London, the castle is not in Yorkshire but rather in Berkshire and is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. Not surprisingly, the castle has become a hot commodity, but it’s only open to tourists for 70 or so days a year–during Easter, May bank holidays and in summer. Ticket sales are fast and furious. Summer 2013 is on sale now. Better hurry.
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Color Me Scotch
By Linda Tancs
The Scottish Colourists, generally recognized as Cadell, Fergusson, Hunter and Peploe, were a group of post-Impressionist painters from Scotland. Their use of vivid color defined the modern art movement in the country. A dedicated gallery to the Colourists is now open at Glasgow’s Kelvingove Art Galley and Museum. Like all of their permanent displays, it’s free to visit!
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Visit the Tea Experts
By Linda Tancs
Thomas Twining bought a coffee shop in London in 1706 and distinguished himself from the competition by selling tea. Since then, Twinings has become synonymous with tea. The flagship shop at 216 Strand in London is a mecca for tea aficionados. The location offers a free tasting bar, a museum, tea classes and, of course, a wide range of tea accessories, teas and infusions. Stop by for a cuppa.
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Muscat Love
By Linda Tancs
Beauty has an address, say the tourism officials in Oman. Of course, there are delightful attractions to navigate on foot, ranging from the tower tombs northeast of Bat to the caves at the foothills of the eastern Al Hajar mountains. But don’t ignore the world beneath your feet. Oman boasts some of the region’s best diving. Around the capital city of Muscat alone you’ll find diverse marine life among at least 11 diving sites at Al Khayran, Al Fahil Island, Dimaniyat Islands, Al Makbara Bay and Al Jissah beach. Oman Air is the national carrier. You can get there via cruise ship or border crossing as well.
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Island Charm
By Linda Tancs
Slovenia, the third most forested country in Europe, has but one island–Bled. Ringed by the Julian Alps, picturesque Bled reigns supreme in the middle of its Alpine lake, a sight to behold in winter when the lake freezes over. The average temperature is, after all, a chilled -2 degrees Celsius. Enjoy the winter views from Bled Castle, the country’s oldest, while munching on Bled vanilla cream cake, a local specialty.
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An Underground Celebration
By Linda Tancs
London’s famed Underground–the Tube–is celebrating 150 years of service this month. The oldest of all underground systems, it comprises 250 miles of track, circuiting the capital both overground and underground. Its 426 escalators perform the equivalent of two trips around the world every week, and the miles traveled per year add up to 90 return trips to the moon. On that note, we love you to the moon and back–and happy anniversary!
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A Grand Parade in the Philippines
By Linda Tancs
Think Mardi Gras without the beads. On the third Sunday of January each year Cebu City in the Philippines (the oldest Spanish settlement in the country) brings to a close the nine-day Sinulog Festival with colorful parades and dancing to the beat of drums, trumpets and gongs. For the origins of this street party, look to the 1500s, when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross at Cebu and claimed the territory for Spain. He presented an image of the baby Jesus, the Santo Niño, to the island’s rulers, resulting in a conversion to Catholicism. The annual fiesta honors Santo Niño, and Magellan’s cross made of tindalo wood is a popular attraction in Cebu today.
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68 Miles of Art
By Linda Tancs
Most underground maps serve no other purpose other than to help travelers navigate the labyrinth of tunnels among terminal points. Not so in Stockholm. You’ll be guided not only to the underground system but also to its art. Sweden’s capital city has the largest collection of underground art in the world, gracing more than 90 of its 100 stations along the 68-mile route. Guided tours are available.
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Riding the Circuit in Patagonia
By Linda Tancs
Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Chilean Patagonia. Rich with mountains (particularly the iconic Paine massif), glaciers, lakes and rivers, small wonder the area offers a plethora of activities like fishing, climbing, ice trekking, whitewater kayaking, environmental education and wildlife observation. The park offers a number of trails, or circuits, for day or overnight trekking. Those include the Pingo Zapata, Dickson and Grey Glacier circuits (leading to glaciers), the Paine Circuit (no pun intended–an arduous trail requiring seven to 10 days of walking), and Las Torres circuit (leading to the base of Torres del Paine). Get there via Santiago to Punta Arenas by air or via Puerto Natales overground.
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Simply Cool
By Linda Tancs
Amidst the aerial highway linking Zermatt and Matterhorn lies a castle of ice worthy of a princess. Zermatt’s palace of ice is the highest glacier palace in the world. Created in 1999, the 990-square-meter palace, 15 meters below the glacier surface, is accessible from an elevator at Matterhorn glacier paradise station. Your entry begins with a walk through an ice tunnel, accompanied by soft lighting and mood music. Besides the view, the site features ice sculptures and an ice slide. If you dare, walk back via a glacier crevasse.
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