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
Boulder Chic in Portugal
By Linda Tancs
From Manueline style to baroque to azulejos, Portuguese architectural styles are recognizable by visitors worldwide. And then there’s boulder chic, as one might call it, in the village of Monsanto, Portugal. Giant boulders carpet the entire hamlet, which is replete with red-roofed granite houses. Homes there are sandwiched between, on and underneath goliath boulders, a situation attributable to the town’s location atop a rock mass outcrop. Therefore, the walks are steep but the unusual sights are worth a trip. Take a bus from Lisbon or Porto.
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Seoul Music
By Linda Tancs
Divided into an upper and lower level, the Hyundai Card Music Library in Seoul, Korea, boasts an enviable collection of records from Korean hip-hop to Western classics along with music-related books and magazines. The record exhibition on the lower level includes a rare vinyl collection that features The Beatles’ 1966 controversial cover of Yesterday and Today and one of the nine existing albums of the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen. Upstairs you’ll find over 3,000 music-related books as well as every single issue of Rolling Stone ever published. Hyundai credit card holders get special benefits, like live performances in an underground concert hall.
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The Center of Portugal
By Linda Tancs
Portugal’s first natural park, Serra da Estrela Natural Park is literally at the center of it all. Over 200,000 acres, it’s the largest protected area in the country. The landscape is characterized by rocky outcrops, boulders and crags, a terrain prized by hikers who are spoiled for choice with over 40 trails. The locale is also where you’ll find Queijo Serra da Estrela, a cheese made in this mountainous region for centuries from sheep that graze in the meadows blanketed by buttercups this time of year.
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The Library of Mistakes
By Linda Tancs
Make no mistake about it: The Library of Mistakes highlights financial mistakes of the past in an attempt to avoid their repetition in the future. Located in Edinburgh, Scotland, the facility is a free-to-use public library dedicated to the study of financial history. In addition to their vast collection of books, the library offers online and in-person courses to help financial professionals perform a better service for their clients and to educate the general public.
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A Hidden Gem in Scotland
By Linda Tancs
One would hardly expect one of the finest collections of 20th-century British art to be located on the tiny Scottish island of Orkney. Yet that’s what you’ll find at The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, a captivating maritime town that serves as Orkney’s main ferry port. The venue features artists like Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Alfred Wallis as well as contemporary art by Sean Scully, Eva Rothschild and Olafur Eliasson. A focal point for the local community, local artists are featured as well, and the facility boasts a valuable library and archives open to the public.
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A Storied Bridge in Queensland
By Linda Tancs
Brisbane’s Story Bridge is the largest steel bridge designed, fabricated and constructed in Australia by Australians. The city’s most iconic structure, you’ll get the best bird’s-eye view over Brisbane City, Kangaroo Point and far beyond to the distant mountain ranges and up the Brisbane River thanks to the adventure climb, one of only three bridge climbs in the world. If ground level suits you better, then enjoy the skyline views at Howard Smith Wharves, a dining and lifestyle precinct beneath the bridge.
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The Romantic Road
By Linda Tancs
Southern Germany’s Romantic Road isn’t really a lover’s lane; it’s a 285-mile route between Würzburg and Füssen linking 29 towns and all the nature, culture, art, culinary delights and hospitality that go along with them. At the northern endpoint of Würzburg you’ll encounter a wine region known for the Residenz, an 18th-century baroque palace with a Tiepolo fresco. At the southern end of Füssen you’ll find yourself at the foothills of the Alps near King Ludwig II’s iconic Neuschwanstein Castle. In between you’ll find plenty of interesting stops, like the medieval townscape in Rothenburg, the crater town of Nördlingen (built in a crater caused by a meteorite) and historic Dinkelsbühl, a former free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. The road is arguably best explored by car although public transportation is also an option, particularly for targeted stops in the better-known cities.
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Norway’s First Lighthouse
By Linda Tancs
Located on Norway’s southernmost mainland point, Lindesnes Lighthouse is the country’s first lighthouse. The first light occupying the site dates to 1656; the current cast-iron building dates to 1915. The lighthouse has been designated a national lighthouse museum and hosts various exhibitions relating to the development and history of lighthouses as well as maritime culture. Tours take place every day in July and last a little over one hour.
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A Walk by the Sea in Croatia
By Linda Tancs
A landmark of Opatija, Croatia, Lungomare is a seafront promenade connecting the picturesque fishing village of Volosko with Opatija and further on with Ičići, Ika and Lovran. A popular path for locals and visitors alike, some of the scenes you’ll encounter include beautiful beaches and coves, the magnificent Villa Angiolina (housing the Croatian Museum of Tourism) and the iconic Maiden With The Seagull sculpture near the boat harbor.
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The History of Iron
By Linda Tancs
Located in Montaigu Park in Jarville-la-Malgrange, Le Féru des Sciences in northeastern France invites visitors to learn about how iron has been used through the ages and particularly in the region. You’ll discover how iron ore is mined and how iron is made, follow the history of iron and steel in the region and discover its innovations. The Forge Garden outside provides a pleasant respite and features installations and artifacts like an old section of staircase from the Eiffel Tower.
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