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
Nature and Art in Japan
By Linda Tancs
Blending art into the natural environment, Hakone Open-Air Museum is Japan’s first open-air museum. The verdant lawns provide an ideal exhibition space for attractions like the sculpture garden. One of the highlights is the Symphonic Sculpture, where visitors enter and ascend a spiral staircase surrounded by colorful stained glass to a viewing platform with views of the park and the surrounding mountains. The Hakone Open Air Museum is a few steps from Chokoku No Mori Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. Take advantage of one of the hot springs baths while you’re in town.
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Art Off the Grid
By Linda Tancs
Touted for its off-the-grid location, KaviarFactory is an international venue for contemporary art in the middle of the archipelago of Lofoten, Norway. Welcoming the likes of Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson and Yoko Ono, the building itself is a well-known landmark. As the name implies, caviar was produced in the building beginning in the 1950s. The facility was ultimately transformed into the art gallery known today. Visit this time of year for Mother Nature’s own art show, the Northern Lights.
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Rabbit Island
By Linda Tancs
In Okunoshima, you can rest assured that some bunny loves you. All puns aside, the Japanese island in eastern Hiroshima is known as Rabbit Island for a reason. Make that 1,000 reasons. A rabbit lover’s paradise, you’ll find them everywhere from forest to beach. Early mornings and late evenings are the best times to take photos. Keep a respectful distance, don’t feed them (except for refilling water pans) and don’t try to take one home with you. The island is a 15-minute ferry ride from Tadanômi Port with services leaving roughly every 30 to 45 minutes. You’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the Inland Sea and its many islands.
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A Masterpiece in the Making
By Linda Tancs
Targeted for completion this year, the England Coast Path will become the world’s longest coastal walking route, hugging the entirety of the English coast for a whopping 2,800 miles. The path will pass through 23 English counties, highlighting along the way a variety of cliffs, castles, beaches, cities and nature reserves. The trek will offer something for everyone of all abilities and will be signposted. Let your own ambition be your guide.
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The Heart of Tequila Country
By Linda Tancs
Mexico is the official home of tequila. Its origin lies in the blue agave fields of Jalisco, where the plant is native to the region. Tequila is made by roasting the heart of blue agave and then crushing or squeezing it to release a liquid that is distilled to produce tequila, the authenticity of which is protected by international trade agreements. You can take guided tours of distilleries in Jalisco to learn the art of tequila production.
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The Brela Stone
By Linda Tancs
Croatia’s Makarska Riviera is a quiet enclave under an hour by bus from Split. The first town you’ll encounter is Brela, ringed by the Biokovo mountain range, the second-highest in the country. It’s known for its pebble beach and the postcard-worthy Brela Stone (Kamen Brela). An icon of the Dalmatian coastline, Kamen Brela is a large, tree-covered rock off of Punta Rata Beach. Be sure to take a walk along the town’s seaside promenade, blessed with shady, scented pines, for even more incredible views.
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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.
