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
Art and Life
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard the expression: which came first, the chicken or the egg? In a similar vein, does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Well, at Monet’s home and gardens at Giverny in France, the line between art and life is more like a blur. In fact, when you view the master impressionist’s abode in this village northwest of Paris, you’re likely to feel like you stumbled into one of his paintings. You won’t find any of his originals on the premises; you’ll need to visit d’Orsay, Marmottan or de l’Orangerie to see those. But you will find in his garden oasis the blooming water lillies he made so famous. The house will reopen in April for tours. From then until November 1 you can observe the changing cascade of color–from springlike pastels to the deep brilliant hues of autumn–that makes his artwork come to life. Less than an hour away from Paris, buy a packaged tour, drive or take the train to Vernon and then a bus or taxi ride will have you there in 10 minutes or so. No doubt the still beauty of the place will leave a lasting impression on you.
Share this:
Summer on the Coromandel
By Linda Tancs
They’re getting ready for summer in the Southern Hemisphere. From 20 November to 6 December comes the Pohutukawa Festival in New Zealand, timed to coincide with the flowering of the Pohutukawa trees. Taking place all around the Coromandel Peninsula (a mecca for vacationing New Zealanders), highlights include the Whangamata Jazz, Art and Blues Festival, celebrating the country’s jazz and blues musicians as well as contemporary artwork. Also occurring throughout the festival calendar on weekends are dive-related activities for everyone from the novice to the experienced. Better book now for the best accommodation. If hotels are sold out, don’t despair. You can always rent a camper.
Share this:
Past the Duchy
By Linda Tancs
Quiz: Which of the following is associated with Luxembourg? Tax-free banking or Villeroy & Boch? Both, actually. But there are other items of interest in this tiny country bordered by Belgium, France and Germany–the world’s only Grand Duchy (meaning its ruler is a Grand Duke). In fact, the tourism board lists six great reasons to visit, to wit: panoramic views at Chemin de la Corniche, a walk through the old quarters, wine tasting in the Moselle Valley, military history, Michelin dining and biking in the Ardennes region. Worried about getting around? Take the hop on, hop off bus. There’s also a miniature train from May to October. In short, something for everyone.
Share this:
Food and Fast Cars in Macau
By Linda Tancs
The lure of good food and fast cars isn’t lost on the organizers of November’s events in Macau. Beginning on 13 November, Macau launches its international food festival at Sai Van Lake Square. Highlights include delicacies zones comprising Asian, European and local cuisines. On 19 November, sports enthusiasts will gather for The Windsor Arch 56th Macau Grand Prix, headlined by the official FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup. One of only a few locales authorized to carry the FIA World Championship title, many top drivers annually converge on Macau from around the world. The Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, now in its 43rd year, is likewise considered one of the most challenging road races in the world.
Share this:
Asian Art Biennial Celebrates Life and Art
By Linda Tancs
Oscar Wilde believed that the secret of life is in art. The Asian Art Biennial at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is examining that interrelationship and its effect on shaping today’s Asia during the Viewpoints and Viewing Points exhibition from 24 October until 28 February. Fifty-six artists and teams from 20 Asian-Pacific countries have been invited to give their views on the current situations in Asia. What better place to start than with the diverse host locale of Taiwan, an island of multiple tribes, cuisines and religions. And now with the Neihu line connecting all of Taipei’s 12 administrative districts, you can explore the island’s largest city with ease.
Share this:
Outback Railway 80 Years On
By Linda Tancs
Named for the Afghan camel drivers who once explored its unchartered territory, Australia’s famed railway, The Ghan, celebrates 80 years of service this year. Led by its fire engine red locomotive, the train traverses the breaktaking landscape framing Australia’s Outback. Originally routed for Adelaide to Alice Springs, the journey now includes a Darwin extension. City slickers need not worry. Connections to the legendary railway are available on Indian Pacific and The Overland for guests travelling to or from Sydney and Melbourne. All aboard!
Share this:
A Wild Wedding
By Linda Tancs
Weddings can be a strange affair. You’ve heard of underwater weddings, sky diving weddings, Halloween-inspired weddings, and so on. Well, in a primate rescue center in Dorset, England, you can now have a wedding amongst the largest group of chimps outside of Africa. In June, Monkey World in Dorset, a 65-acre refuge, acquired a wedding license. At least one couple has married on the grounds since then, serenaded by the cacophony of some of the most abused and neglected monkeys in the world. Sort of gives animal magnetism a whole new meaning.
Share this:
An Illuminating Sight
By Linda Tancs
The cooler autumn air in Myanmar is warmed up a bit with the cascade of lighting taking place during the Tazaungdaing Festival. During November’s full moon, women weave saffron-colored robes as an offering to the Buddhist monks. More than just a robe-weaving festival, though, the event’s highlight is the vast illumination of pagodas, monasteries and even office buildings with colored lanterns and candles. As Saint Thomas Aquinas once said, “Better to illuminate than merely to shine.”
Share this:
Camel is King
By Linda Tancs
It’s humpback heaven in Pushkar this weekend in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Pushkar Festival brings together camel traders and their ornately festooned charges ready for their close-ups. A beauty pageant of sorts, the camels are paraded around for throngs of admiring onlookers, including curious tourists. Of equal interest is Lake Pushkar, a must-see for shutterbugs. Hindus believe that the lake was created by Lord Brahma (their creator of the universe) when he dropped a lotus flower to earth as a result of battle with a demon. The lake is beset with ghats for bathing away sins (like Varanasi) during this high festival. So how best to reach this holiest of places in the Rajasthani desert? The nearest airport in Jaipur is 86 miles away. A network of bus service will get you to Ajmer, just 7 miles away. The local bus ride through scenic mountain ranges will get you to your final destination in a half hour.
Share this:
Bright Lights, Big City
By Linda Tancs
In Chiang Mai, a mountain-ringed metropolis north of Bangkok, they’ll be lighting up the night sky with thousands of floating lanterns this weekend in the annual Loy Krathong festival. At ground level, you can set more lights afloat on banana leaves across the Ping River, a symbolic gesture celebrating the resources of the waterway and casting off misfortune. No doubt a sight to behold, you can capture the essence of it here.
