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
Dive in at Stoney Cove
By Linda Tancs
England’s Leicestershire might not strike you as the underwater diving capital of the country, but its dive school at Stoney Cove National Diving Centre in Leicester boasts modern classrooms and a heated indoor pool. Enthusiasts should make haste to see the Elizabethan shipwreck, the latest underwater attraction recently transported there to complement their assorted collection of boats and planes.
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Crocodile Rock
By Linda Tancs
There’s this thing called the Crocodile Rock. No, not the dance immortalized in Elton John’s song. It’s a painted rock on the Isle of Cumbrae in Scotland. You’ll find it in Millport, the only town there, reachable by car ferry from Largs on the west coast. Of course, there’s more to do than just look at a painted rock. This accessible island, inhabited since the end of the last Ice Age, also boasts Britain’s smallest cathedral with incredible acoustics. Now that’s something to sing about.
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Sharing the Sky in Nepal
By Linda Tancs
From November to March, you can share the sky with birds of prey in Nepal. Known as parahawking, you’ll paraglide with a trained bird in the Pokhara valley. The 20 to 30 minute adventure will set you back around $185, but approximately $10 from every flight goes towards vulture conservation projects in Nepal. Go ahead, fly like an eagle.
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Ghosts in the Close
By Linda Tancs
Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh, Scotland is an underground labyrinth of now defunct closes and dwelling places that once rose seven stories high. The close was demolished to make way for council chambers in Edinburgh, leaving the remnants of the closes below ground. These remnants are a snapshot of life as it existed in the 16th through 18th centuries. Ghost stories abound, which makes this destination a good Halloween jaunt. Join one of their Supernatural History Tours.
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Holland in a Day
By Linda Tancs
You can experience over 200 years of Dutch culture at the Netherlands’ Open Air Museum, the biggest folk museum in the Netherlands. Located in a beautiful park on the outskirts of Arnhem, the property brings the past to life. Exhibits include old farmhouses, windmills, Dutch houses and plenty of craft demonstrations. Better hurry, the season ends on 28 October—unless, of course, you’d prefer to experience a winter celebration from days gone by. From 1 December 2012 to 13 January 2013 you can experience stew and green beans amidst an atmosphere of music and song. Try skating on the festively lit skating rink or whiz down the toboggan run at the Delft windmill.
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Hemingway Lives On in Hotel Chain
By Linda Tancs
Writer Ernest Hemingway made his mark around the world–and not just for his writing. He wintered in Key West, safaried in Africa and yachted in Cuba, to name just a few places. No wonder the much-anticipated Hemingway Hotels and Resorts is looking at these and other destinations where the great raconteur left an indelible imprint for luxurious getaways. You might not write like Hemingway, but you’ll be able to live like you do–at least on holiday.
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On the Case in London
By Linda Tancs
It’s elementary, you see. Combine a whodunit atmosphere with the swanky feel of a trendy watering hole and you get a bar/restaurant posing as a detective agency in London’s Earls Court. Located on Earls Court Road, Evans & Peel Detective Agency has that speakeasy flair, encouraging you to “make an appointment” with Detective Peel. Upon your visit, you’ll be discreetly guided beyond a bookshelf to a cavernous tavern where innocent-enough concoctions like Auntie May’s Marmalade Bronx will be tugging at your bootlegging soul. Better hurry; the appointment book is filling up.
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Tick Tock in Wycombe
By Linda Tancs
Church Loft is the oldest building in the high street of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, reputedly the sunniest county in England. Dating from the 15th century, the timber-framed building sports a turret clock of its own renown. Over 300 years old, the side-by-side birdcage mechanism resides inside the building’s tower; the clock faces and dial drum were placed to overhang the street during the reign of Queen Victoria. For over 300 years the clock was wound daily until the recent installation of two electric motors above the birdcage rendered the task unnecessary. You can view the clock movements by appointment only.
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Liquid History
By Linda Tancs
At the Lanesborough, a five-star luxury hotel in London’s Knightsbridge district overlooking Hyde Park Corner, a little libation awaits in the Library Bar. Well, maybe not so little. The Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 (a trifling £240 per bottle) is served with a complimentary 10g blinis canapés of Baerii caviar from Aquitaine, France. Maybe you’d like their signature Bloody Mary instead. In any event, you’ll want to sink into one of those deep leather wing chairs and take in the Regency era ambience of this room, bedecked with leather bound books, vintage cognacs (their “liquid history”), display cabinets and subdued lighting to complement a roaring fireplace. Withdraw in style.
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Thoroughly Bred in England
By Linda Tancs
The October Yearling Sale takes place today through 12 October at Tattersalls, the oldest bloodstock auctioneer in the world and the largest in Europe. Offering the best thoroughbreds to be found anywhere, the Newmarket firm’s annual Yearling Sale is Europe’s premier yearling sale, producing four Derby winners in the past decade alone. Only 60 miles from London, Newmarket (England’s home of racing) is just a short rail or bus ride away. Enter the Tattersalls premises via The Avenue.
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