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
Brač and Bol
By Linda Tancs
The Croatian island of Brač is the largest island in Dalmatia and the third largest in the Adriatic. Site of the highest peak of all Croatian islands (Vidova Gora), it might be better known for its limestone and dolomite, used in early Roman times in the building of cities, amphitheaters, temples, palaces and graves all over Dalmatia. Oddly enough, it has no permanent water source except in Bol, the island’s southernmost and oldest town. Needless to say, this makes Bol the isle’s best bet as a tourism center. The magnificent winds for surfing, local and appealing gastronomy, sandy beaches and a dreamy Mediterranean villa feel amidst the ancient stone abodes don’t hurt, either.
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Single Supplements Waived
By Linda Tancs
Single travelers, take note: some tour operators, like Overseas Adventure Travel, are waiving or reducing certain single supplements. Good through 2009, perhaps you can thank the economy for this turn of events. The company also offers a travel companion search service and a free roommate matching service to help avert applicable solo surcharges. How do other operators compare? Write in with your experiences!
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Beaune Uncorked
By Linda Tancs
Winemaking is an ancient custom. In Beaune, the heart of France’s Burgundy wine industry, they’ve been at it since 300 AD. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. Will you agree? There are lots of places to taste the fruits of their vines to find out. At Patriarche Père et Fils, there are miles of cellars to peruse and a tasting of 13 or so wines. History buffs won’t want to miss Musée de la Vigne et du Vin (Burgundy Wine Museum), housed in the former private residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. The museum balances both past and present. You’ll see giant wine presses and a collection of traditional winemaking equipment as well as learn about the history of the Burgundy vineyards and wine. Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Wine is bottled poetry.” Surely the vintners in this little medieval French town would agree.
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Lisbon Airport Travel
By Linda Tancs
Airport transfers are one of the most vexing aspects of travel unless it’s been pre-arranged for you. Should you take a bus? A taxi? A private car? Rail? Here’s a primer on transfers out of Lisbon Airport in Portugal. Taxi transfers are not as costly as in other cities, such as London. The metered rate is also negotiable unless you buy a taxi voucher at the airport for a flat fee (currently 17 euros) and avoid the haggle. Alternatively, you can take the AeroBus for only 3 euros; just make sure your hotel is somewhere along the stops. Your bus ticket is good for the day; make the most of it by visiting all the sites you can along the bus and tram routes.
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Monkey Business in the Amazon
By Linda Tancs
New life reigns among the destruction in the Brazilian Amazon: a new species of saddleback tamarin was recently discovered, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Among many new monkey species discovered in the last few years, this brown and gray variety weighs less than a pound and sports a 13-inch-long tail. Yet another reason to mind your hats, bags and cameras should you find yourself in its remote domain.
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Tooling Around in Styrsö
By Linda Tancs
Within the Municipality of Gothenburg in Sweden (the seat of which is Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city) lies a tiny island called Styrsö. Connected to the big city by ferry, it’s a respite from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. Less than a square mile in area, you can easily navigate with your three-wheeled moped, called a flakmoped. Use it to get to the quiet little beach on the southwestern side. After that, enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Pensionat Styrsö Skäret, a guest house with a family-friendly atmosphere and neighborly feel.
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Navigating the Cyclades
By Linda Tancs
As summer tourists push through the popular Greek isles of Rhodes, Santorini, and Mykonos, rest assured you won’t be one of them. Why? Because you have a better plan. For half the price of a stay on Santorini, you can enjoy the hinterlands of Paros, the heart of the Cyclades. Painting exhibitions, art, cinema–all the culture you’d expect from an ancient civilization awaits you there. Only 30 minutes by air from Athens, or take the hydrofoil from Santorini.
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Tree Tops
By Linda Tancs
Dunster is a tiny medieval village situated in England’s Exmoor National Park. What it lacks in size it makes up for in notoriety as the site of England’s tallest tree. Near Dunster Castle a Douglas fir measuring almost 200 feet stands sentinel on the Crown Estate. For comparative purposes, consider that the venerable California Redwood grows to at least 300 feet. Perhaps there’s something in the water around Somerset. The castle grounds also sport the oldest lemon tree.
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Beachy Keen
By Linda Tancs
Summer can best be summed up in two words: sun and surf. There’s only one sun but as many opinions on great beaches as there are locations to choose from. Hear about some picks in India, France, Italy, Turkey and St. Barth’s at Travelrific® Travel Show.
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Marie’s Garden
By Linda Tancs
On the outskirts of Paris lies the site of Château de Saint-Cloud. Once a royal palace built in 1572 and later occupied by Napoleon and Marie Antoinette, it was destroyed in the 1800s during the Franco-Prussian War. What remains, though, is a verdant complex comprising over 1100 acres filled with ten fountains, a French garden, an English garden and, of course, Marie Antoinette’s flower garden. Nice place for une pique-nique. Get there via Le Val d’Or or Saint-Cloud rail lines or the T2 Tramway. Bon appétit!
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 