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
Brisbane’s Storied Bridge
By Linda Tancs
Dozens of bridges worldwide have a storied past, an iconic status treasured by locals and tourists alike. Indeed, every bridge tells a story, which is why it’s so fitting and natural that Brisbane should name its cantilever bridge–what else–Story Bridge. Spanning the Brisbane River, Story Bridge is the largest steel bridge designed, fabricated and constructed in Australia by Australians, a product of the Great Depression providing years of much needed employment. You can view the landscape like one of those bridge workers with a bridge climb. Choose from a traditional bridge climb, an abseil climb or a photographic climb. In any case, you’re sure to have a story to tell.
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The Park of Kings
By Linda Tancs
Doñana National Park in Spain is a significant European nature reserve. Easily accessible from Cádiz, the oldest city in western Europe, it has seen its share of kings over the centuries: Philip IV, Philip V and Alfonso XIII hunted there. These days a host of threatened bird species needn’t worry about the sport of kings. The park’s lagoons, marshlands, dunes, scrub woodland and maquis provide restful cover for five threatened bird species as well as for one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region.
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The Remotest Part of Great Britain
By Linda Tancs
Forty-one miles west of Benbecula in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides is the archipelago of Saint Kilda, the remotest part of the British Isles. Of its four islands, Hirta boasts the highest sea cliffs in the country. Its natural beauty earned it a World Heritage Site designation, an appellation enjoyed these days by its permanent residents consisting of puffins, gannets and other seabirds and wildlife. The human population long ago moved to the mainland to escape its isolation. If its sounds difficult to visit this place, you’d be right–but perseverance is rewarded. Try a cruise ship, charter or yacht, for starters. You should know that the only accommodation on Saint Kilda for visitors is a small camp site, with room for a maximum of six people. Visitors may stay for up to five nights.
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The Kokoda Trail
By Linda Tancs
The formidable trek known as the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea has a storied past, being the site of the battle between Japanese and Australian forces during World War II. The physically demanding journey takes you 60 miles overland through the Owen Stanley range, a slog through mud and hills that’s surely evocative of a war zone. The trail, popular with Australian tourists, is quite the mecca for any adventurous soul or military buff. In Sydney there’s a memorial walkway commemorating the Australian forces –a lot less arduous to navigate but very poignant.
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World’s Largest Lagoon
By Linda Tancs
In the southwest Pacific and east of Australia lies New Caledonia, a country with French roots surrounded by the world’s largest lagoon. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the lagoons provide not only natural beauty but also a safe habitat for threatened marine species such as turtles, whales and dugongs. The warm and sunny climate is perfect for activities like scuba diving, fishing, jet skiing, kite surfing, surfing, windsurfing, horseback riding and canyoning. Catch a quick day trip from Sydney or a host of other locations, and expect the unforgettable.
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A Sky Walk in New Zealand
By Linda Tancs
What’s taller than the Eiffel Tower, has three circular public observation levels and a view of 51 miles (give or take) on a clear day? Why, it’s the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. The twelfth tallest tower in the world, each of its observation decks offers 360-degree views of the city–and beyond. If you’re not content to admire the surroundings from the inside, you can walk or jump as well. The SkyJump lets you feel like Superman as you base jump 192 meters straight down. If that’s not enough of a rush for you, then consider the SkyWalk, a jaunt aruond the edge of Sky Tower’s pergola in a full body harness and overhead safety lines.
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Queen of the Arabian Sea
By Linda Tancs
Hailed as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, the Indian city of Kochi was a 14th century trading center for spices. Over the centuries, it’s been occupied by the Portuguese, Arabs, British, Chinese and Dutch. Those influences abound, like the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi, Vasco House (the house where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama lived), and the Dutch Palace of Mattancherry. Flanked by the Arabian Sea to the west and Willingdon Island (a man-made island) and its environs to the east, Kochi is easily accessible by air and is a convenient gateway to Kerala, one of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 greatest places of a lifetime.”
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A Garden Party
By Linda Tancs
England’s Great Dixter House and Gardens in Northiam is a gardener’s delight. The manor, built for Richard Wakehurst, retains its medieval charm and characteristics and is one of the longest surviving timber-framed halls in the country. A stunning feature of the gardens is that they follow the exterior of the house. The fluid design includes yew topiary, meadows, mixed borders, a rectangled wall garden, the sunk garden, the high garden (typical of Edwardian times), an exotic (tropical) garden and the long border (with its high season from mid-June to mid-August). Take your cues from an expertly designed English garden. The site offers instruction on everything from vegetable planting to exotic gardening and planting techniques.
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England’s Most Scenic Railway
By Linda Tancs
The Settle-Carlisle Railway takes you on a 72-mile journey through England’s Yorkshire Dales, a scenic excursion including such attractions as the market town of Settle; Horton and the Three Peaks region of the Dales; the Ribblehead Viaduct; Dent (the highest station above sea level in England); Pendragon Castle (the legendary birthplace of King Arthur) at Kirkby Stephen; the picturesque village of Armathwaite and its salmon fishing; and Carlisle, within easy reach of Hadrian’s Wall and the castle once home to Mary Queen of Scots. Local residents may qualify for a Dales Railcard. Visitors to Britain can use their Britrail pass to travel on the line. You can thank The Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line for fighting against a proposal to close this famous historic and scenic route.
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A Swanky Museum in London
By Linda Tancs
In the heart of central London is a neo-gothic mansion once built to order for American financier-turned-British nobleman William Waldorf Astor. Now owned by The Bulldog Trust, the property at 2 Temple Place is an exhibition space, London’s first venue to specifically showcase publicly-owned art from around the UK. The inaugural exhibition explored the artistry of William Morris. Stay tuned for the next show, due to open in January 2013. Until then, why not view the magnificent exterior of this newly renovated mansion on a walking tour of Victoria Embankment. Summer sees a number of lunch-time concerts in the bandstand area of the gardens there.
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