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 Ray of Light in Iceland
By Linda Tancs
Memorials to John Lennon abound throughout the world, but perhaps none is as spectacular as the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland. Located on Viðey island near the capital of Reykjavík, a beam of light radiates from a white stone monument bearing the words “imagine peace” in 24 languages. You can view it year round except for 8 December, the day he died.
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Paris on the Half Shell
By Linda Tancs
The City of Light conjures up dozens of gastronomic delights: snails, frogs’ legs, bouillabaisse, pot au feu, boeuf bourguignon and….oysters? Mais oui. France is Europe’s number one grower, exporter and consumer of the bivalve extraordinaire. King Louis XIV even had fresh oysters delivered from Cancale to Versailles every day, or so the story goes. So where is the best place for half shell cuisine in Paris? The favorite appears to be Huîtrerie Régis. Do you agree?
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The Flying Duchess
By Linda Tancs
Woburn Abbey has been the home of the Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years. As with any historical manor, the stories of its occupants over the centuries are what bring it to life for contemporary guests. In the case of Woburn, the ladies of the house are just as compelling as their male counterparts. Take, for example, Mary Russell, wife of the 11th Duke. In the spirit of our modern era Amelia Earhart, she embraced aviation and flew record-breaking flights from Kent to India and later Cape Town. An ill-fated flight in 1937 resulted in her plane washing ashore near Great Yarmouth; her body was never recovered. Her adventurous spirit is reflected in the Flying Duchess’ Room at the Abbey.
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Celebrating the Bard
By Linda Tancs
The biggest celebration of Shakespeare ever staged begins today in the UK. The World Shakespeare Festival is the first ever collaboration between Tate Modern, the British Museum, National Theatre, British Council and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Considering that over 64 million children worldwide study Shakespeare, part of the event’s focus is its collaboration with teachers. An education conference in September will bring together education professionals, international artists and academics to investigate learning through Shakespeare and the arts. Another highlight of this months-long event is the staging of Shakespeare-inspired productions with 7200 amateur theatre makers in 260 groups across the UK. Overall, thousands of artists from around the world will take part in almost 70 productions, events and exhibitions in locations including London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Newcastle/Gateshead, Birmingham, Wales and Scotland. Can’t travel? No worries. An exciting digital platform called My Shakespeare will give you a chance to create your own visualization and release your own works onto the site. Over a million tickets will be sold for the festival, which runs through November.
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A Beehive of Activity in London
By Linda Tancs
With the Olympics fast approaching, you can well imagine the beehive of activity in the great city of London. But the beehive of which I speak today is of a different variety: 40 colonies, to be exact. That’s how many families of bees are tucked away in secret locations in London’s Regent’s Park, producing some of the tastiest honey in Britain under the watchful eye of bee farmer Toby Mason. Did you know that a queen bee can lay as many as 2000 eggs per day? With that kind of production, there’s plenty of need for more beekeepers and farmers. You can take beekeeping classes in Regent’s Park and grow your own dynasty.
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The Towers of San Marino
By Linda Tancs
San Marino is the world’s oldest republic and is surrounded by Italy. This medieval gem is beloved for its three towers, perched atop Monte Titano in the capital city of San Marino. The oldest of the three towers is Guaita (constructed in the 11th century). Next is the 13th century Cesta, located on the highest of Monte Titano’s summits. The youngest, 14th century Montale, is on the smallest of Monte Titano’s summits and is still privately owned. As you might expect, the landmark takes pride of place on the flag and coat of arms of this enclave. It also boasts its own confection, the Torta Di Tre Monti (“Cake of the Three Towers”), a layered wafer cake covered in chocolate.
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Iceland’s Tallest Church
By Linda Tancs
You’ll get about 10 hours of daylight this time of year in Iceland. That’s enough time to soak in the stunning views of Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, a church resembling a giant ice carving. At 244 feet, it is the nation’s tallest building. Located in the city center, its bell tower (accessible via an elevator) provides the best views in the city.
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Happy Ingvald Day
By Linda Tancs
A unique aspect of Scandinavian culture is the celebration of Name Days. Originally derived from the names of saints and martyrs from the Middle Ages, the custom today is to assign two contemporary names to each day of the year except 1 January, 29 February and 25 December. Some names are assigned to dates connected to historical figures with the name. For example, Snorre is assigned to 23 September, the birth date of Icelandic saga scholar Snorre Sturlasson, and 22 June is assigned to Håkon and Maud, the date of the coronation of King Håkon VII and Queen Maud in 1906. Today Ingvald and Ingveig take top honors.
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Jerusalem on Ice
By Linda Tancs
Jerusalem is celebrating its first ever ice festival from 6 March to 30 April at the Old Railway Station. There you’ll enjoy sculptures of many of the city’s tourist sites, such as Jaffa Gate, the Tower of David, the Israel Museum, and the new Jerusalem Light Rail. A family friendly event, the festival includes an ice skating rink. Adults can enjoy a drink at the ice bar. If you’re wondering how an event such as this fares well in the glorious Mediterranean sun, worry not. The area is artificially cooled to about -10 degrees Celsius!
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Netherlands’ Theatre of Nature
By Linda Tancs
Today marks the start of Floriade, a world horticultural exposition that is held in the Netherlands once roughly every 10 years. So you know that something that long in the making has to be really special. Consider the last Floriade in 2002, featuring a floating roof made out of 19,000 solar panels and Spotter’s Hill, a 30-metre-high pyramid. This year’s event, running through 7 October, features 163 acres of park and 98 acres of showgrounds covering five distinct theme worlds: Relax & Heal, Green Engine, Education & Innovation, Environment, and World Show Stage. As you might suspect, the exhibitions are aimed at explaining how flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and fruit impact your daily life. For the first time ever, the event will take place outside the Randstad, in Venlo. On the border between the Netherlands and Germany, the region is one of the largest horticultural areas in Europe.
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