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
Steaming Through the Staffordshire Moorlands
By Linda Tancs
Just a stone’s throw from the outskirts of the Peak District, the Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway in the Staffordshire Moorlands of Staffordshire, England. It operates along part of the former Churnet Valley Line which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1849, passing through beautiful countryside with riverside views including Caldon Canal, known as Staffordshire’s “Little Switzerland.” Rail enthusiasts will enjoy viewing both steam and diesel locomotives at Cheddleton Station. This time of year, it’s all aboard the Polar Express. Fashioned after the movie, the hour-long ride departs from Froghall Station.
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Christmas Market Celebrates 25 Years
By Linda Tancs
Situated in the picturesque World Heritage City of Bath in southwest England, Bath Christmas Market is celebrating its 25th year. The event features nearly 200 chalets showcasing artisan jewelers, cheesemongers, homeware and more. The stalls span a majority of the city’s main shopping areas, including around Bath Abbey, Union Street and Milsom Street. Weekends are quite busy; for a calmer experience, try lunchtime or Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. This year’s market runs until December 14.
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Britain’s First Public Museum
By Linda Tancs
Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology. Britain’s first public museum, it was erected to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the university in 1677. Their renowned collection ranges from an Egyptian mummy to contemporary art. It includes the Alfred Jewel, a masterpiece of goldsmithing made for King Alfred, the only monarch known as “the Great.” Arguably the most famous painting is The Hunt in the Forest (circa 1470), the last known work of an Italian artist named Paolo Uccello. You can browse more than 300,000 treasures like these online. Admission to the museum is free.
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Alligator Bay
By Linda Tancs
Neither alligators nor crocodiles are naturally found in Europe. Nonetheless, the continent’s largest community of these reptiles is found in France. Just minutes away from Mont-Saint-Michel is Alligator Bay, an animal park boasting more than 700 animals from five continents. You’ll find 150 crocodiles and alligators, including albino alligators, viewable from a raised walkway. In addition, the park exhibits a variety of turtles (featuring a new enclosure for giant tortoises) as well as lizards and snakes. Opening times vary according to the season.
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Italy’s Early Roman Splendor
By Linda Tancs
Located in the northeastern Italian province of Udine, Aquileia was established in 181 B.C. as a Roman military colony along an essential trade route that connected Milan and Rome. One of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Early Roman Empire, much of it lies unexcavated. For this reason, it is considered the greatest archaeological reserve of its kind and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can visit Aquileia as a day trip from Venice or Trieste.
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Where Rock Art Reigns
By Linda Tancs
Australia’s biggest national park, Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of rock art sites. Providing a fascinating record of Aboriginal life over thousands of years, some paintings are up to 20,000 years old, which makes the artwork one of the longest historical records of any group of people on Earth. Far from archival, the paintings show objects they still use, animals they still hunt and activities they still do. You can view the works at Nourlangie, Nanguluwurr and Ubirr.
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Captivating History in Brittany
By Linda Tancs
Just a couple of hours away from Paris by train, Saint-Malo (named for a Welsh saint who fled to Brittany) is a historic walled city overlooking the English Channel. Its ramparts were built in the 12th century to protect the residents from Vikings, but it’s perhaps more famed for its population of pirates. Sanctioned by the king of France, this special class of pirates built the city’s wealth by pillaging ships passing through the Channel. A popular spa and wellness destination, the locale also experiences some of the highest tides in Europe, making its breakwater defenses an iconic part of the cityscape.
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Bonaire’s Underwater Park
By Linda Tancs
Bonaire National Marine Park is one of the oldest marine reserves in the world. It includes the sea around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire from the high water line to a depth of approximately 200 feet. The area includes Lac Bay, a shallow water lagoon featuring a fringing coral reef, seagrass meadows and the largest mangrove forest in the Dutch Caribbean. Boasting nearly 100 dive sites, the park is a popular diving destination year round, with sites accessible by boat or from the shore.
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Pigs on the Beach
By Linda Tancs
It isn’t everyday that you get to encounter pigs on a beach. For that kind of unique opportunity, you’ll want to head to St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. You can swim with, pet, feed and cuddle well-tended pigs of all sizes on a secluded picturesque beach. Known as Pigs in Paradise, the tourist attraction is reachable via water taxi from the cruise port.
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An Emblem of Catania
By Linda Tancs
A black basalt statue of an elephant is an emblem of Catania in Sicily. Known as the Elephant Fountain, the pachyderm sits atop a fountain located in the center of Piazza del Duomo. Its most curious feature is the Egyptian-style obelisk set on the marble saddle of the elephant’s back. As far back as the ninth century, the city was known as “the city of the elephant.” In ancient times, it was thought to possess magic powers, including the ability to predict the eruptions of nearby Mount Etna. The mysterious elephant is now featured on various insignia, such as the coat of arms of the city and the university as well as various clubs and organizations.
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