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
A Path Through Italy
By Linda Tancs
The Italy Trail (Sentiero Italia) is a hiker’s paradise through Italy. Encompassing around 4,300 miles, it’ll take you from the Alps in the north to the southern Apennines. In between are 20 regions, 655 passes, 360 villages, towns and hamlets and six UNESCO sites. It’s hard to imagine improving upon such a path, but a project is in the works to do just that. Known as the Path of the Parks (Sentiero dei Parchi), the route will expand the backbone provided by Sentiero Italia and connect all of Italy’s 25 national parks, including those on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. The project’s completion is anticipated in 2033, so don’t strap on those hiking boots just yet.
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The Tunnel of Love
By Linda Tancs
It might be hard to imagine that a section of industrial railway could attract romantics from around the world, but that’s what happens at the Tunnel of Love in Ukraine. Located outside of Klevan, the 2-mile passage of track is wrapped head-to-toe with vegetation. The resulting canopy provides an irresistible tunnel of sorts for romantic strolls. Just keep an eye out for the train.
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Kalahari Sands
By Linda Tancs
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a national park formed from the merger of South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park. It’s a vast wilderness area stretching for over 14,000 square miles in the Kalahari, boasting five sands ranging in color from red in the dunes to yellow-brown in the riverbeds along with fossil river valleys and grasslands. Wildlife is abundant, including over 170 species of birds, several species of antelope, the famous black-maned Kalahari lion, jackal, brown hyena and wild cats. The park is also completely unfenced, allowing for wildlife to move freely along the ancient migration routes so necessary for their survival in the desert. The main entry and departure point between South Africa and Botswana is at the Two Rivers/Twee Rivieren gate, which also has camping facilities, chalets, shops and a restaurant.
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Bubblecars in Lincolnshire
By Linda Tancs
Bubblecars are a form of microcar, typically characterized by their three wheels and an engine capacity under 700cc. They are a significant part of British motoring history, so it should come as no surprise that the Bubblecar Museum near Boston in Lincolnshire is dedicated to them. The only public museum of its kind in the country, over 50 microcars are on display, many featuring period backgrounds. You’ll find examples of the prominent English manufacturers like Bond, Reliant, Bamby and Meadows Frisky. And yes, you can take a ride in one.
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Jewish Budapest
By Linda Tancs
The heart of Jewish Budapest is the Great Synagogue on Dohány Street. Dominating the historic Jewish quarter on the Pest side of the city, it’s the largest synagogue in Europe and the second-largest in the world. Built in the 1800s, it has a Moorish motif unique for its time, highlighted by eight-pointed stars and a geometric façade. The interior is no less ornate with its balconies, rose windows and colossal organ behind the ark. Adjacent to the synagogue is the Jewish Museum, which houses a Holocaust room and historical exhibitions. Often hailed as one of the top 10 sights in Budapest, you’ll benefit from a guided tour of the facility and the district.
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A Memorable Walk in Portugal
By Linda Tancs
One of the best preserved trails in Europe, Rota Vicentina meanders through the Alentejo and Algarve regions of Portugal. There are two main routes, the “historical way” and the “fishermen’s trail.” The longer of the two is the historical way, a 142-mile journey from Santiago do Cacém to the Cape of St. Vincent that passes through forests, towns and villages. At 77 miles, the Atlantic coast-hugging fishermen’s trail, as the name implies, provides access to fishing grounds. For the less adventurous, one-day circular routes provide a less demanding trek although they still enhance the two main trails. You’ll find them in Almograve, São Luís, Troviscais, Santa Clara, Sabóia, Bordeira and Carrapateira. Avoid the summer crowds and go now. Unlike other places in Europe, southern Portugal is one of the few places where the weather is fine for trekking in February.
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Pretty in Pink in Vietnam
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard of hotspots, but how about a hot pink spot? Literally and figuratively, Tân Định church in Vietnam fits the bill. One of the oldest churches in Ho Chi Minh City, it’s known for its vibrant pink façade (inside and out) and Gothic pillars. It first opened to the public in 1876 and remains one of the city’s top attractions as well as a local favorite. You’ll find it on Hai Ba Trung Street.
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A Local History Museum in London
By Linda Tancs
Gunnersbury Park boasts an opulent stately home in Regency style located in the London Borough of Hounslow. Once owned by the Rothschild banking family, it now houses a local history and heritage museum for the London boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow. You can thank Maria de Rothschild for that, who sold the park and its mansion houses to Ealing Borough Council and Acton Borough Council in 1925 to be preserved as a public space. Some popular features are the 19th-century carriages owned by the Rothschilds, the Victorian kitchens and the Greek-style Doric Temple, one of the oldest buildings in the park. You can get there easily via Acton Town or South Ealing tube stations.
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Crystal Clear in Malawi
By Linda Tancs
The crystal-clear waters of Lake Malawi are legendary. One of the deepest lakes in the world, its southern expanse is dominated by Lake Malawi National Park, the first freshwater national park to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Scientifically, it’s important for its fish diversity, with 1,000 species half occurring within the property and estimated as the largest number of fish species of any lake in the world. It also boasts more than 350 species of mbuna (rockfish) endemic to the region, a population considered of equal value to science as the finches of the Galapagos Islands or the honeycreepers of Hawaii. Boats are available for hire, and the fish will feed from the hand.
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Silk Capital of the UK
By Linda Tancs
Like other medieval market towns in Suffolk, Sudbury gained acclaim as one of the famous wool towns. The textile of choice these days, though, is silk. In fact, the town has four working mills manufacturing 110 metric tonnes of Chinese silk every year which supplies 95 percent of the nation’s woven silk textiles, making it the silk capital of the United Kingdom. “Sudbury Silk” is so desired worldwide that it was granted protected geographical status in 2015. You can find exhibitions on the town’s silk industry at the former home of renowned landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough, which is now a museum and gallery.
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