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
The Gardens at Chartwell
By Linda Tancs
For over 40 years Chartwell was the home of Sir Winston Churchill. He bought the grand country house near Westerham, Kent, in southeast England in 1922, and the apple orchard was one of the first projects that he undertook after moving there. In April the apples blossom in the orchard, along with other parts of the gardens created by Churchill and his wife Clementine. Many products of the gardens make their way into the cafe, like Chartwell apple juice.
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A Touch of Bourbon in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Italy’s Royal Palace of Caserta (and park) was commissioned by Charles of Bourbon III. A triumph of architecture and design, it borrows features from the palace and park of Versailles as well as villas in Rome and Tuscany. Its gardens are touted as one of the last great European gardens. Indeed, the scale of it is breathtaking, stretching for almost 2 miles from the palace to a waterfall in the forest. The gardens are at their best in spring and summer. The palace is 23 miles from Naples and 124 miles from Rome, easily accessible via train from either city.
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White Heron Castle
By Linda Tancs
Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. One of the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it’s popularly known as “White Heron Castle” because it resembles the outstretched wings of a white heron. Naturally, white is a predominant color that graces the castle walls. The first fortifications built on the site were completed in the 1400s; the main keep seen today dates from 1609. Most visitors enter the complex through the Sannomaru, a large, cherry tree-lined lawn and a popular spot for viewing cherry blossoms in early April.
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A Novel Prison
By Linda Tancs
Off the coast of Marseille, France, on the Île d’If, Château d’If started out as a crucial fortress commissioned by Francis I. It became a state prison in the 1500s for anyone opposing official authority. Unlike Alcatraz (another prison island off the coast of San Francisco, California, boasting gangster Al Capone as a resident during its operation), one of its most famous inhabitants isn’t a real person at all. In Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, the protagonist Edmond Dantès was imprisoned there. You can visit his “cell” on the lower level of the prison. The perfectly preserved ramparts are a ferry ride away from Marseille.
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Israel’s Pillar of Salt
By Linda Tancs
In the bowels of Israel’s Mount Sodom you’ll find Malcham, recently determined to be the world’s longest salt cave. Stretching over 6 miles, it steals the title from Iran’s Cave of the Three Nudes. Due to its geological location to the west of the southern basin of the Dead Sea, the mountain is composed almost entirely of halite (rock salt), a true pillar of salt. Caverns like Malcham formed when rainfall and groundwater eroded parts of the mountain over time. A popular way to experience the salt stalactites and stalagmites is to rappel into it.
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A Beacon to Belgium
By Linda Tancs
Better than a visitor center, the Hoeke windmill off Highway N49 in Damme beckons tourists to Belgium. One of only a few windmills in Flanders, it’s a protected monument. Reportedly a mill has existed on the site since the 1300s; the current mill was built in the 1800s and still grinds grain today. It’s open to the public every Sunday.
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Sweden’s Lake Monster
By Linda Tancs
Scotland has Nessie. Vermont has Champy. Sweden has Storsjöodjuret, the legendary monster residing in Storsjön, the country’s fifth largest lake located in Jämtland. Some reports indicate sightings as far back as the 1600s. According to lore, the creature sports a serpent-shaped body and a dog-like head. Besides monster hunting, boating and fishing are popular activities at the lake. In fact, there are almost 20 different species of fish, particularly trout, char, pike, perch, grayling, whitefish, roach and lake. Fishing is free for young anglers; otherwise, a permit is required.
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Trondheim’s Jewish Museum
By Linda Tancs
Trondheim, Norway, boasts the northernmost synagogue in Europe. Interestingly, the Trondheim Synagogue began its life as a train station, the only synagogue to serve such a function. The history of the place and the Jewish settlers (who first arrived in the 1880s) is recounted at the annexed Jewish Museum. And, in case you were wondering, the northernmost synagogue in the world is located in Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Camels and Crocodiles
By Linda Tancs
The Guelta d’Archei is a Saharan guelta (oasis) in the Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad. Surrounded by towering cliffs, it’s a centuries-old pitstop of sorts for caravans of camels that have been herded to the water to wade and drink. More than just a watering hole, the locale also serves as their bathroom (or loo, if you like), which results in algae blooms for fish to feed on. The fish, in turn, are food for the crocodiles, the other primary animal found there. Trips there usually comprise a four-day journey across the Sahara from N’Djamena. The trek is challenging and there are no marked trails on the hike to the guelta.
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Norway’s National Museum
By Linda Tancs
The largest art museum in the Nordic countries, Norway’s new National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet) in Oslo is also one of the largest art museums in Europe, right behind Russia’s Hermitage and the Louvre in Paris. Its signature architectural feature is the Light Hall. Reserved for temporary exhibitions, its exterior walls are made of marble glass, a thin layer of marble between two panes of glass. Reaching 22 feet in height, the hall also boasts 9,000 adjustable LED lights and can be completely darkened, depending on the nature of the art installation. From the roof terrace you can enjoy stunning views of the facility’s location at Rådhusplassen (City Hall Square) as well as Aker Brygge (the waterfront area) and the fjord.
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