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
Chopin in Paris
By Linda Tancs
Last call for the Chopin Festival at Orangerie du Parc de Bagatelle in Paris. The closing concert at 5 p.m. marks 27 years of chamber music honoring the great composer. This year’s event also honored Robert Schumann on the occasion of his 200th birthday. And what better day to enjoy a little musical serenity in the Eiffel district than today, a national holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille. After the concert, hang around for the Bastille fireworks over the Trocadéro around 10 p.m.
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A Revival in Algeria
By Linda Tancs
It takes a village to raise a child, goes an African proverb. On a high mountain peak overlooking the Gulf of Bejaia in Algeria, it takes a village to bring tourism and land development back to Djoua Kabyle, a village decimated and abandoned in 1958 following the Liberation War. From 15 to 22 July the locals will hold the Festival De Djoua, themed “Tourism and Local Development,” in a bid to raise awareness of economic and social development in the area. Amidst a backdrop including sea, mountains, and archeological sites, locals will demonstrate their handicrafts and offer entertainment in the nature of music, storytelling, poetry and theater. Kids are sure to enjoy the donkey rides and playground. Lecturers will also be on hand to inform visitors about the history of the region and its future potential. Find a cheap flight from Paris.
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Winter Starts Here
By Linda Tancs
Ski racing is just one form of mountain mayhem awaiting you at the Queenstown Winter Festival in New Zealand, taking place now through 4 July. They’ll be skinning up the ski course at Coronet Park, mountain biking downhill and racing with their pooches. Events also include street parties, fireworks, and performances by local acts like The Cartel and Ukelele Orchestra. Get your chuckles with a comedic lineup of Jeremy Corbett, Dai Henwood, Ben Hurley, Steve Wrigley, Paul Ego, Jeremy Ellwood and Michele A’Court. Who says winter is no laughing matter?
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Tourism in Beirut
By Linda Tancs
Beirut, a seaside city of 2 million, has garnered that number in tourists in recent years, a welcome surge for this war-torn nation. Find out what’s captivating visitors at Travelrific® Radio.
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Open Skies, Part Two
By Linda Tancs
Following up on an earlier post on the EU/US Open Skies Agreement, a recent accord affirms the earlier agreement between the EU and US to allow route demand to dictate service offerings between airports in the US and EU and allows EU carriers the right to fly between US cities without originating in the EU. Moreover, the revisited agreement proposes that allowances for foreign ownership of US carriers be increased beyond the current 25% cap, considering that US ownership of EU carriers is capped at 49%. Harmonization in this area will require legislation that is unlikely to be in the offing considering other global crises at present. The parties have agreed to harmonize fuel emission standards, however. Overall, reports indicate that the agreement is supposed to produce almost $15 billion dollars in economic benefits and up to 80,000 new jobs. Let’s hope so.
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Tanks A Million
By Linda Tancs
Military tanks were initially deployed during the first world war, developed by the British for use in the trenches at the Battle of Somme. So it should come as no surprise that Britain lays claim to having the best collection of tanks in the world at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset. This weekend you can enjoy one of the best displays of moving armor in the world at the museum’s Tankfest. Among the activities on offer are mock battles, historic and modern armor displays and live demonstrations. Here’s a chance to test your mettle.
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The Right Way to Learn Polo
By Linda Tancs
The advent of summer in the northern hemisphere brings with it the pursuit of ancient lawn sports like polo. A rather dangerous sport, it’s said to date back to 600 B.C. Polo is synonymous with Argentina, but you won’t find tournament action going on there now in their winter season. But why not take the down time to learn polo from the masters? In Pilar, arguably the polo capital of the world and only 45 minutes outside of Buenos Aires is Don Augusto Polo & Campo, offering polo clinics, individual lessons, a one-day polo holiday complete with afternoon tea or a special winter package with tango and Spanish language instruction thrown in if Old Man Winter thwarts your attempt at becoming the next big Nacho (that’s Ignacio Figueras).
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Brazil’s Atlantic Island Paradise
By Linda Tancs
Out in the Atlantic Ocean some 250 miles and three degrees south of the equator sits an archipelago of 21 islands known as Fernando de Noronha, an eco-paradise brimming with sea turtles and spinner dolphins unfazed by the destructive habits of man and machine in what seemingly appears to be every other part of the planet. If you can stand the rainy season (April to August), you’ll be rewarded with an enviable display of green living, maintained in part by an environmental preservation fee charged to tourists at the airport. Although it may sound off the beaten path, some of its beaches are ranked among the best of Brazil. In fact, Sancho was voted Brazil’s most beautiful beach last year, a place for diving and observing seabirds. Beyond Sancho is a reserve for spinner dolphins. Another hot spot is Porcos, characterized by two twin rocks and a natural pool formed between rocks and reefs. Only 500 tourists are allowed in per day, so get in line.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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African Queen, Revisited
By Linda Tancs
In the 1951 movie The African Queen, Katharine Hepburn’s character convinces Humphrey Bogart’s scruffy old Charlie Allnut to sail a rusty 12-foot boat called The African Queen down the Ulanga River. Hardly a luxurious jaunt. Today’s African Queen is a much better appointed Zambezi Queen, charting the Chobe River in search of the Big Five sporting 14 cabins with picture windows and a top-deck whirlpool. Take a smaller launch to view game in their natural habitat or a 4×4 excursion to a local village for some cultural immersion. This is a redux even Charlie would no doubt enjoy.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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A New Decade of Celebration in New Zealand
By Linda Tancs
Matariki or Aotearoa Pacific New Year is a unique festival dictated by the rising of the Pleiades star formation, occurring this year on 14 June. Matariki is especially important to the Ngati Kahungunu people, the second largest tribal region which stretches from the Wharerata ranges in the Wairoa district to Cape Palliser in South Wairarapa. This tribal region is credited with reviving modern-day Matariki celebrations, naming Matariki 2010 “A New Decade of Celebration.” New Zealand’s national museum in Wellington, Te Papa, is developing a full events program that will run for 18 days from 10 – 27 June. Be sure to view Pleiades at Wellington’s newly refurbished Carter Observatory, which is organizing a public observation of the constellation from the top of Wellington’s Mount Victoria early on 14 June. Happy New Year!
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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