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
Irish Demesne
By Linda Tancs
Located in County Down, Mount Stewart is the most-visited National Trust mansion house property in Northern Ireland. It’s considered to be an exceptional example of the Irish demesne, with a perimeter clearly defined by an enclosing wall. Acquired by the Stewarts in 1744, woodlands they planted, the estate roads, bridle paths, follies and farmland remain unchanged. The house (the former seat of the Stewart family, Marquesses of Londonderry) is no less impressive, home to a world-class collection of paintings and personal artifacts. Another gem on the property is the historic Temple of the Winds, an octagonal structure built as a banqueting hall for Robert Stewart in 1786 and identical in design to the Tower of the Winds in Athens. Situated on a rise overlooking Strangford Lough, you’ll get exquisite views of the area.
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The Southernmost Park
By Linda Tancs
Discovered by a Dutch navigator in 1616, Cape Horn (named for the Dutch city Hoorn where the expedition originated) is a rocky headland on Hornos Island off the southern tip of South America where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. Cape Horn National Park was created in 1945 by the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture and is the world’s southernmost national park. Famously one of the most dangerous passages in the world, the park’s Albatross Monument pays tribute to the many sailors who failed to cross the cape. You can access this and other highlights using the walkways that crisscross the island. Many visitors come to the park via trips that take tourists from Punta Arenas to Cape Horn. It’s best to visit between November and March when the waves are less choppy.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Three Capes in Tasmania
By Linda Tancs
Tasmania’s Three Capes Track refers to the three capes (Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy), a nearly 30-mile trek amongst tall eucalypt forests, coastal heath and Australia’s highest sea cliffs. The wide and smooth trails make the multi-day walking experience (three or four days) accessible for hikers of all ages and abilities. Walkers check in at the Port Arthur Historic Site. You’ll find comfortable accommodation at the end of each day’s journey in one of the architect-designed cabins.
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A Cave Castle in Slovenia
By Linda Tancs
Listed by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest cave castle, Predjama looks like any other medieval castle, except for the fact that the cliffside fortress is built into the mouth of a cave complex. The interior, then, is a network of tunnels leading to the second-longest cave in the country, where a colony of bats resides. The castle is open year-round; you can visit the cave from June to August when the bats aren’t hibernating.
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A Bushwalker’s Paradise
By Linda Tancs
Also known as hiking, bushwalking is a uniquely Australian term. In New South Wales, Guy Fawkes River National Park is a paradise for bushwalkers. A highlight is Escarpment Walk, which will take you to Chaelundi Falls and its lookout down over the Guy Fawkes River Valley. From there, you can visit Lucifer’s Thumb, a large rock that offers sweeping vistas out over the gorge and Guy Fawkes River. The park is a significant conservation site with amazing biodiversity. There are 24 threatened animal species you might encounter; watch for the brush-tailed rock-wallabies that can often be seen in the park’s rocky areas.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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The Atlantic Wall
By Linda Tancs
The Atlantic Wall was a system of fortifications built by the Germans during World War II, running along the Atlantic coast from northern Norway to southern France. In Ouistreham, Normandy, a museum established inside a former Atlantic Wall firing command post is dedicated entirely to the Atlantic Wall. Known as The Grand Bunker Atlantic Wall Museum, the five-story facility has reconstructed the command bunker down to the smallest detail, including engine rooms, an infirmary, armory, a radio transmission room and an observation post. The area is well posted both in English and in French.
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Quokkas and Bandicoots
By Linda Tancs
Quokkas and bandicoots are two marsupials that call Waychinicup National Park home. Located in Western Australia, the park extends from Normans Beach and the Waychinicup River mouth to Cheynes Beach, not far from Albany. The area boasts dense vegetation, a haven for threatened species like scrub birds, western whistlebirds and whipbirds. The inlet of the camping area has a river with polished granite rocks on both sides, transforming an ordinary stream into a stunning landscape with plants found nowhere else. Take a coastal walk along Normans Beach East or Normans Beach West and enjoy the stunning scenery.
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A Boomerang in Singapore
By Linda Tancs
Shaped like a boomerang, Pulau Ubin is a lush island off the mainland of Singapore, just a 15-minute bumboat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal. A must for nature lovers, the site boasts the Chek Jawa wetlands, one of Singapore’s richest ecosystems. In fact, six major ecosystems – sandy beach, rocky beach, seagrass lagoon, coral rubble, mangroves and coastal forest – meet there. Be sure to climb Jejawi Tower, where you’ll enjoy panoramic views and irresistible bird watching.
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A Belgian Beach Gem
By Linda Tancs
Close to the French border, De Panne is a Belgian town on the North Sea known for its beach. You won’t be swimming there this time of year, but you’ll have peace and quiet to enjoy the wide and clean sandy beach, arguably one of the best in Europe. The area features the Dumont Quarter, a series of 19-century summer houses built in the dunes that resemble English cottages. The summit of Kykhill Dune Park offers views of the historic quarter as well as the sea.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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The Straw Bear of Whittlesea
By Linda Tancs
In the market town of Whittlesea (or Whittlesey), England, don’t be surprised to see a straw bear paraded through the streets. The custom dates back to the 1880s, when the Tuesday following Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelfth Night) would be marked by getting one of the members of the plough to dress in straw. Once in decline, the tradition is alive and well thanks to the Whittlesea Society. The procession these days includes over 250 dancers, musicians and performers accompanying the straw bear and a decorated plough, making its way up Market Street. This year’s Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival takes place from January 12 to January 14. The bear appears on Saturday.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 