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
Living History in Ghana
By Linda Tancs
Central Ghana’s history as the Gold Coast of the British Empire belies its shameful past as the post of last resort for African slaves bound for the New World. Specifically, Cape Coast Castle was a fort (more accurately referred to as a dungeon) for captured West Africans or those sold into slavery during the 1600s to early 1800s. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site and museum, the stark cave-like dwellings are open to tourists. Cape Coast is the capital of Ghana’s central region, located on the Gulf of Guinea. From its hilltop location you’ll get striking views of the Atlantic Ocean.
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World Natural Heritage in Germany
By Linda Tancs
Wattenmeer, or Wadden Sea, is an area stretching from the northern coast of Germany to the Dutch island of Texel. This region, comprising the largest continuous area of mud flaps in the world, is home to millions of migratory birds. Now it will likely see a boost in tourism thanks to its designation as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO, joining such other luminaries as the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos and the Serengeti. The appointment couldn’t have come at a better time, considering UNESCO’s stinging removal of the Dresden Elbe Valley as a world cultural site thanks to a four-lane bridge spanning the river and spoiling the view.
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Avoid the Sting Off Gibraltar
By Linda Tancs
Swimmers, beware. Over 500 stinging Portuguese Man o’ War have been spotted off Spain’s southern coast near Gibraltar. The sea creature, commonly referred to as a jellyfish, is actually a floating hydrozoan with stinging cells in its tentacles (like a jellyfish) to capture and paralyze prey. Although not generally fatal to humans, the sting is not likely to be forgotten very soon. Have an ice pack handy, just in case.
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Saipan Remembers
By Linda Tancs
July 9 marks the final day of the Battle of Saipan in 1944, one of the fiercest battles of World War II. In a memorial park overlooking what has come to be known as Banzai Cliff some four miles from San Roque on the northern tip of Saipan, Bodhisattva of Mercy and Peace keeps vigil. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers and civilians met their fate at Banzai Cliff and Suicide Cliff in lieu of suffering capture by Allied forces.
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Voices of Wales
By Linda Tancs
Each year since 1947 the little town of Llangollen in the Dee Valley of northeast Wales hosts a big show: the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Now through 12 July, this musical festival and competition includes thousands of international choirs, folk singers and dancers. Many stars credit the festival with developing their musical careers, including Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavorotti. If you missed the grand opening Parade of Nations through the village streets on 7 July, then stick around for the grand finale, a “Licensed to Thrill” concert celebrating the music of James Bond featuring the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera.
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Life Underground
By Linda Tancs
Pity those who think the only life underground is the hustle and bustle of the metro. Clearly, they’ve never been to Derinkuyu. Located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, this town boasts one of the world’s most extensive prehistoric underground cities. Consisting of at least eight floors hewn out of soft volcanic rock, the subterranean city served as a hiding place for early Christians during raids. Not surprisingly, then, the complex shows traces of a church, along with study rooms, a kitchen, and living areas, as well as rooms for food and livestock storage. A notable tourist attraction, it’s worth a visit on your next trip to the Cappodocia region of Turkey.
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City of Film
By Linda Tancs
Hollywood, Bollywood, Cannes, Sundance, Venice–and Bradford? It’s time to add a new place name to the list of luminaries in cinema. Bradford, a west Yorkshire city in the U.K., beat out the traditional media moguls for the coveted title, City of Film. The moniker is a new award being bestowed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to a city having historic links and a notable infrastructure related to filmmaking. No doubt Bradford–once a poster child for industrialization–was helped in its bid as the host city of the National Media Museum, one of the most popular museums outside London. Three annual film festivals and a landscape conducive to movie shoots certainly didn’t hurt, either. Bravo!
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Interlaken Goes a Little Bit Country
By Linda Tancs
They’ll be breaking out the boots and Stetsons this weekend in Interlaken, Switzerland for the 16th annual International Trucker and Country Festival at the former military airfield. With lots of sunshine and weather in the high 20s (Celsius) forecast, expect stellar attendance and lots of campers. Join country music fans, truckers, and bikers the world over for an exhibition of gleaming trucks and bikes, country dancing and plenty of food and drink. Are you a little bit country? As Charley Pride once said, there’s room in country music for everybody.
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Worthy Boss
By Linda Tancs
In case you haven’t heard, Bruce Springsteen (aka The Boss) is headlining the U.K.’s Glastonbury festival on 27 June. Taking place now through the 28th, the event at Worthy Farm in the Vale of Avalon is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. As you might imagine, tickets are sold out, but don’t fret. Venture outside London’s Hyde Park on 28 June and you’ll get an earful of The Boss at the Hard Rock Calling summer music extravaganza. There are lots of other acts in the lineup as well but not many tickets. Better act fast!
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The Wedding Pageant
By Linda Tancs
European royalty have been uniting (in a familial sense) since the earliest of times. But it isn’t all that common for a medieval union to continue to be celebrated–unless, of course, you’re in Landshut, Germany. Every four years the historical association presents the Landshut Hochzeit 1475 (Landshut Wedding), a 5000-strong procession in period attire celebrating the union of the daughter of a Polish king and the son of a very rich duke, one of the grandest events of its time in 1475. The town, over 800 years old, is known as much for its classic Bavarian hospitality as for its famous nuptials. The event runs from 27 June to 19 July. The bridal procession makes its way through town on 28 June, 5 July, 12 July and 19 July.
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 