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
Earth Music
By Linda Tancs
From 22 to 25 June at Tromøy, the largest island in southern Norway, the organizers of Hove hope their alternative music fest will elevate your eco-mind as well as your rhythm. In fact, the only metal you’ll find at this shindig is in the music. The two-year-old carbon-neutral event rounds out the task with organic food. So pitch a tent at the campgrounds and be at one with the elements.
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Health Alert for Brazil Travelers
By Linda Tancs
Travelers to South America are well aware of the dangers posed by dengue fever, which is currently on the rise in Rio and Bahia. Carried by mosquitoes, symptoms of dengue fever usually begin 7 to 10 days after being bitten and include flu-like symptoms such as high fever, aches and pains and a headache. Covering up and using repellent is paramount as there is no vaccination. Apparently, yellow fever is also on the rise these days, meriting front-page placement on the New York Consulate’s website, urging visitors to obtain a vaccination at least ten days prior to entering the country. Of course, these concerns are in addition to confirmed cases of swine flu, now declared a pandemic by WHO.
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The Rain in Spain
By Linda Tancs
In the musical My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle intoned, “The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain.” Add to that: “but not in summer.” Low rainfall, particularly around–where else–the Sun Coast (Costa del Sol) makes Mediterranean Spain an attractive summer tourist destination. Too crowded for your taste? Then head northeast to the equally sun-kissed area of Murcia in the Alicante region. With only 300,000 inhabitants (and far less tourists), Murcia offers all the sun and surf of its southern neighbor for a fraction of the cost. Its focal point is the Cathedral de Santa Maria, a Baroque beauty worth a visit. Golf and gastronomy will round out your stay.
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TV Fest For High Rollers
By Linda Tancs
So what do you do after the Monte Carlo Casino takes all your money? Well, at least now through 11 June, you attend the TV Festival at Grimaldi Forum. In its 49th year, the event is chock full of public screenings and autograph signings. Competition is keen for recognition as the best of worldwide television programming. The winners are rewarded with the Golden Nymphs statuettes, a rendition of the “Salmacis” Nymph by Monegasque sculptor François-Joseph Bosio. His original work is on show at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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Friday Night Fever
By Linda Tancs
“Laissez les bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll) takes on a new meaning in Paris on Friday nights. Beginning at 10 p.m. on Place Raoul Dautry in the 14th arrondissement the rolls of inline skates roar through the streets on a 3-hour tour of the city (weather permitting). The 18-mile route is not meant for the casual skater; the level of difficulty differs widely (think: Tour de France). The organization responsible for this endurance test, Pari-Roller, frequently changes the route; the trek for the week can be viewed on Thursdays. Think you’ve got the goods? Give it a roll.
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Underground Monument in Lithuania
By Linda Tancs
So what do underground music and Vilnius, Lithuania have in common? Answer: Frank Zappa. Zappa, the late underground music czar and leader of The Mothers of Invention, has a monument in his honor in the artsy neighborhood of Užupis. Although perhaps better known for his collaborations with former Czech leader Václav Havel as a cultural consultant, Zappa exerted a strong influence on the underground music scene across Eastern Europe. What better time to visit Vilnius than 2009 as the city celebrates its designation as a European Capital of Culture (or is that subculture?).
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Where the Kangaroos Roam
By Linda Tancs
Kangaroos are everywhere in Australia–no less so at Kangaroo Island. But that’s not the only form of abundance waiting for you in this 1700-square-mile piece of paradise just 30 minutes from Adelaide. The place is teeming with wildlife, but what else would you expect on an island that is about one third protected national park land? No worries, there’s more than kangaroos and koalas to see. From spa treatments to sand dunes and cavings to Clifford’s Honey Farm, there’s something for everyone. As English playwright Douglas Jerrold once observed about Australia, “just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.”
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Sticker Shock in Cuba
By Linda Tancs
Now that travel under some circumstances from the U.S. to Cuba has been eased, don’t break the piggy bank for that traveling money. According to the official Cuban tourist board in Canada, that American-based dinero will not be as welcome as you might be. For instance, unlike euros, Canadian dollars or even Swiss francs, American dollars are subject to a 10% surcharge on exchange. Also, credit and debit cards and traveler’s checks drawn on U.S. banks are not accepted. That’s not to say that you can’t spend dollars at all. Save the greenbacks for the street vendors and relatives. In other cases, it might be best to go continental.
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What is Culture
By Linda Tancs
A special issue of a major magazine is dubbed “The Culture Issue.” This got me wondering–what is “culture”? Don’t mind the dictionary. Just think about it. What does culture mean to you? If you had to gather a compilation for your own issue, what would you include–and why? It seems almost daring to lay claim to culture in a single issue as it’s susceptible to as many meanings as there are sensibilities–or, to borrow the words of late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material but I know it when I see it.”
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Let the Good Cheese Roll
By Linda Tancs
Most of us would likely prefer our double Gloucester on a cheese plate with some table crackers, but on Cooper’s Hill in the Cotswolds they’d rather roll it down a very steep slope. Yes, it’s another centuries-old custom across the pond. Think of it as bowling without the pins, but you don’t lose your grip on the ball! Conditions on the hill are expected to be favorable this year, with the first race starting at noon on 25 May. The cheese wheels weigh between 7 and 8 pounds. Not surprisingly, their escorts have suffered an injury or two on the Alpine-like slope. Spectators, too, should be wary of wayward cheeses. Though only one will get the brass ring (in this case, a lot of cheese), the joy for the rest will surely be the thrill of competition, and maybe the agony of ‘de feet.’
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 