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
Equinox Approaches
By Linda Tancs
An equinox is an astronomical event at which the sun is directly above a point in the equator. Occurring twice yearly (in March and September–the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, respectively), the practical effect is equal parts day and night. The mystical effect, however, is something else entirely. For thousands of years the Mayans have celebrated the equinox with a convergence of architectural and astronomical glory at Chichén-Itzá and Dzibilchaltun. The event begins at sunrise at the ancient city of Dzibilchaltun where the rising sun aligns with the Temple of the Seven Dolls. As magnificent as it is, nothing compares with the global audience in attendance at El Castillo, the great pyramid of Chichén-Itzá . The structure, honoring the feathered snake god Quetzalcoatl, has a staircase on all four sides, the steps of which total the 365 days in a solar year. On the afternoon of the equinox, the temple is aligned perfectly so that the sun and shadows create the appearance of a giant snake going down the side of the stairwell. Snake phobics might want to sit this one out.
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Food and Travel, Perfect Together
By Linda Tancs
The smell of corned beef and cabbage wafting through the air has me thinking about food–and travel. Or “food travel.” And what about food travel experts–that is, those who refer to themselves as such– like the folks at SSP. Who knew there was a company that delivers food and beverage experiences around the world, for 60 years no less? Lots of interesting trivia at their site, like who’s the biggest name in fish and chips? Think you know? Drop in and find out.
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Of Nooks and Crooks
By Linda Tancs
Of all the little nooks in the world, the Guinness Book has it that Scotland’s Ebenezer Street in Wick takes top honors as the world’s shortest street. Situated in the Northern Highlands, Wick owes its origin to the Vikings, who named it Vik (meaning “bay”). Measuring just two yards and nine inches, the tiny thoroughfare sports one front door. For a long and winding road, you’ll need to visit Lombard Street in San Francisco, California, where the world’s most crooked street at its crest gives visitors the most stunning views of Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and the rest of San Francisco Bay. Those with nerves of steel can drive their way through the switchbacks. The rest can get there via the city’s storied cable cars on the Powell-Hyde line.
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Eight Hours Rule
By Linda Tancs
The overnight winter storm along the northeastern U.S. has resulted in a day’s rest for labor along the seaboard and beyond. So, too, down under (minus the snow) where today marks Labor Day in Western Australia. Marking the eight-hour working day resulting from a decades-long struggle toward equitable working hours and conditions, this public holiday is celebrated in other territories on the second Monday in March, the first Monday in October and the first Monday in May.
Answer to the trivia question of 26 February: Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz GmbH seit 1709.
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The Essence of Köln
By Linda Tancs
The air is light and easy around 4711 Glockengasse in the heart of Köln, Germany. That’s where the oldest perfume factory in the world continues to manufacture the “Original Eau de Cologne” (Kölnisch Wasser)–No. 4711–for 300 years now. And for 300 years the recipe for this precursor to modern colognes has remained unchanged. The building housing this famous fragrance is renowned as much for its architecture as for its product. Stunningly beautiful by day and by night, this Gothic house founded by Johann Maria Farina in 1709 offers daily tours and weekly fragrance seminars. Do you know the full name of this famous address? The answer will be posted in an upcoming post.
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Rail Group Investigates Value for Money
By Linda Tancs
Anyone who has traveled by train in Britain (whether short- or long-haul) has experienced those heart-stopping fares. I’ve often wondered why rail travel is so darned expensive–or is it just my imagination, coupled perhaps with a bad exchange rate? Apparently, my thoughts are well justified. The watchdog group Passenger Focus has released a report this month analyzing such variables as local travel, long-distance travel, comparative rates in other countries and value for money perceptions. Among the many findings: Londoners have a low perception of value for money, soft factors such as cleanliness of trains and well-lit stations inform overall perceptions as well as pricing, and continental comparisons illustrate a general comity among frequency of service although journey speed is more highly rated in continental Europe. Generally speaking, Britain fares (no pun intended) better with pricing for advance bookings than with restricted or unrestricted day returns. Want to learn more? You can download the 38-page report.
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Pancake Fests Mark Shrove Tuesday
By Linda Tancs
The day before Ash Wednesday is popularly known as Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is a more ancient term, referring to the confession of sins to be shriven, or absolved, from them. In England, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Pancake Day–a moniker having its origin in the days when sinfully rich supplies of fat, butter and eggs were used up in preparation for the fast and abstinence of Lent. Over time, this tradition has evolved to the running of pancake races, where women sporting aprons and wielding frying pans make a mad dash for the finish line while flipping those flapjacks in the air. The most popular race takes place in the U.K. in Olney, Buckinghamshire. More than 500 years old, the 400-yard competition takes place at 11:55 a.m. between the market square and the church. Best time? 63 seconds in 1967.
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Winter Festivals
By Linda Tancs
Winter festivals are usually viewed as a celebration of the season and all its wintry accoutrements. But sometimes these events are more about ushering in spring–or just celebrating life. Tune in for a worldwide sampling at Travelrific® Radio.
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The Mystique of Mustique
By Linda Tancs
Icelandair’s former CEO recently died at his home in Mustique. This got me thinking about the private island paradise, home of the rich and famous from rock to royalty. Owned and operated by The Mustique Company, this 1400-acre island in the southern Caribbean offers its villa occupants and residents a dreamy getaway in a plush environment in which development has been strictly controlled. Check out the photos, especially the villas. Want your own Bali Hai? It’s all yours, if the price is right.
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Germany’s Switzerland
By Linda Tancs
A new season of the reality show The Amazing Race began on Sunday. First stop: Switzerland. The verdant hills and valleys, quaint churches and exquisite chalets had me channeling Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Then I got to wondering–where would the Swiss need to go to get away from it all when “all” is so idyllic and charming? The answer might be Germany’s northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the heart of this province hugging the Baltic coast lies a slice of unspoiled countryside that was once dubbed Mecklenburg’s Switzerland by Georg I in the 1800s. The name apparently caught on, as has Swiss tourism to the area–particularly its Baltic coast–thanks to the City Night Line train to Rügen. All aboard!
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