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
Capitals of Culture in 2023
By Linda Tancs
In keeping with tradition, we begin the New Year with an announcement on the EU Capitals of Culture for 2023: Timișoara (in Romania) and Elefsina (in Greece). Timișoara was on the short list of Romanian contenders for the annual honor roll. It’s famed for its baroque architecture on Victory Square, the Bega Canal that cuts through the length of the city and the Orthodox Cathedral, the tallest church in the country and one of the tallest orthodox churches in the world. Elefsina is the fourth Greek city to win the title, the others being Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras. Birthplace of the leading tragic poet Aeschylus, the city was sacred in antiquity and boasts significant archaeological sites like the sanctuary where pilgrims were initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries and a Roman courtyard.
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The Whalebone Arch
By Linda Tancs
Constructed in 1933 from the jawbones of two blue whales to commemorate the centenary of continuous British administration in the Falkland Islands, the Whalebone Arch is a popular tourist attraction in Stanley. You’ll find it in front of Christ Church Cathedral, the southernmost Anglican church in the world. LATAM offers weekly flights to Mount Pleasant Airport on East Falkland, where bus service continues to Stanley. A number of cruise lines also travel there as part of a South American or Antarctic itinerary.
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The World’s Oldest Tortoise
By Linda Tancs
St. Helena and Ascension, together with the Tristan da Cunha islands group, are among the world’s most isolated islands and comprise a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. It’s the perfect spot for, say, a giant tortoise to live a peaceful life. That’s what Jonathan, a giant tortoise, is doing on St. Helena. He’s at least 190 years old, earning him the title of “oldest tortoise ever” in Guinness World Records. Given his advanced age, he also holds the record as “world’s oldest animal on land.” He’s lived through two world wars, the rise and fall of the British Empire, changes in the monarchy as well as the passing of dozens of governors of his island home.
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Capital of Christmas
By Linda Tancs
The magic of Christmas is in full swing in Strasbourg, France. It’s recognized as having one of the best Christmas market destinations in Europe, spread across more than 10 sites within the Grande Île district. Known affectionately as the Capital of Christmas, its market (Christkindelsmärik) was established in 1570 and is one of the oldest in Europe. The whole city is festooned in Christmas cheer, featuring the Great Christmas Tree over Place Kléber, where a sound and light show takes place on the hour in the evening. Lights are everywhere, like the promenade of stars lining the walk from Pont du Corbeau up to Pont Saint-Guillaume. Getting there is easy; there are over 20 daily trains between Paris and Strasbourg alone.
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France’s Sea of Ice
By Linda Tancs
One of the biggest attractions in France’s Chamonix Valley, Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is the country’s largest glacier, measuring over 4 miles long. The best way to get to it is to take the little red train from Chamonix (site of the first Winter Olympic games) to Montenvers. One of only a handful of rack-and-pinion railways in France, the train climbs a steep track to around 7,000 feet, reaching a stunning vantage point above the glacier. From there you take a cable car to a point near the glacier, which leads to over 400 steps and some ramps into a man-made ice grotto. That may sound like a lot of work to see an ice cave, but you’ll be rewarded with ice sculptures lit in a colorful, otherworldly fashion. You can also view an exhibition of beautiful mountain crystals found in the region.
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Christmas Underground
By Linda Tancs
You might think that if you’ve seen one Christmas market in Europe, then you’ve seen them all. If so, then you probably haven’t been to Valkenburg in the Netherlands. In addition to its overground festivities, the town offers underground enchantment in its marlstone caves with stalls, lights and almost 100 feet of miniature villages. Wrapped in Christmas spirit from top to bottom (literally), the city styles itself Christmas Town. You can experience the fun from mid-November to early January. If you visit on a weekday, then you’ll experience less crowding.
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Brown Bluff
By Linda Tancs
A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. A spectacular example of this rarity is 2,500-foot-high Brown Bluff on the Tabarin Peninsula in Antarctica, named for its brown/black slopes. Conditions permitting, you can venture there via many cruises in the region. The star attraction is the penguin population, particularly Adélie penguins (20,000 or so pairs) and gentoo penguins (around 550 pairs), who converge for breeding this time of year.
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White Gold in Fulda
By Linda Tancs
Originating in the town of Fulda, Germany, in 1740, the porcelain factory became known for gilding and low-fired colors in the production of items like figurines and tableware. Popularly referred to as “white gold,” a permanent collection of this prized porcelain is on display on the ground floor of the north wing of Fasanerie Palace, which boasts the kind of treasures you would usually expect to see only in a museum dedicated to porcelain and ceramics. The castle is also renowned for its antiquity collection, considered one of the finest private collections in Germany. Its gems include the marble portrait of Caligula (considered his best surviving image) and an Attic vase over 2,400 years old that is frequently mentioned in archaeological journals and pictured in numerous school textbooks. A guided tour of the porcelain collection is available at appointed times daily; you can also take a more comprehensive tour of the palace throughout the day. The castle, surrounded by baroque gardens, is located about 4 miles outside the city center of Fulda.
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A Fortress in Oslo
By Linda Tancs
Akershus Castle in Oslo, Norway, was originally a military stronghold built in the late 13th century by King Haakon V. Once a royal palace, it survived many a siege during the Middle Ages and even served as a prison for part of its history. Far from a relic, this medieval gem along the city’s waterfront hosts two museums: the Norwegian Resistance Museum covering German occupation during World War II and the Armed Forces Museum covering military history dating from the Viking Age. Although the museums charge admission, entry to the fortress area is free.
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Painting the Sky
By Linda Tancs
Legend has it that the gods dipped their paint brushes into Costa Rica’s Rio Celeste (Blue River) while painting the sky. The river gets its amazing blue hue from sulfur emitted from volcanic activity courtesy of Tenorio Volcano, which lends its name to Tenorio Volcano National Park. Located in northern Costa Rica, it’s one of the country’s youngest national parks, prized not only for the volcano but also for Rio Celeste waterfall. You’ll find an abundance of natural hot springs, along with mud pots and a beautiful cloud forest at the summit of the volcano. A trek through the entire park will take four or five hours.
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