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
Oldest City in the Azores
By Linda Tancs
Terceira is the third largest island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal. It’s also home to Angra do Heroísmo (Angra), the oldest city in the Azores, having received its charter in 1534. In the 1800s, Queen Maria II bestowed the name Heroísmo upon the town for the resistance it offered the troops of King Miguel in 1829 during his attempt to establish an absolutist monarchy. The centerpiece of the city is its cathedral, Sé Catedral, the largest church in the archipelago. It’s prized for its pau brasil and jacaranda wood in the sacristy. Other religious artifacts, along with an interesting historical account of the Azores, are located at Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, which is housed in a former monastery.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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An Elizabethan Adventure
By Linda Tancs
Longleat House is a stately manor in Wiltshire, England. Ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bath, it’s one of the finest examples of high Elizabethan architecture in the country. As one might expect of such a dwelling, it’s filled with exquisite art, an extensive library, an ornate Great Hall and a soaring staircase. What you might not expect is a safari park. That’s right—the grounds include a drive-through safari featuring lions, tigers, monkeys, a rescued elephant and an African Village offering up-close access and walk-throughs. Additionally, you’ll find native deer, which have occupied the estate since the 16th century.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Guardian of the Flooded Village
By Linda Tancs
A 350-year-old Scots pine grows on the rocky headland of a reservoir called Vír in the Czech Republic. It’s known as “Guardian of the Flooded Village,” referring to the village of Chudobín, which was submerged after construction of the dam. The striking pose of this memento of the lost village earned it first place in Europe’s “Tree of the Year” contest. The contest is organized annually by a consortium of European environmental groups looking for trees with the most interesting stories.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Grandeur in Belfast
By Linda Tancs
Barnett Demesne is a historic estate-turned-public park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It features a stunning Georgian mansion, Malone House, last owned by William Barnett, for whom the park is named. The estate grounds remain relatively unchanged since the 1820s and comprise marshland, meadows and woodland. Go now and you might catch some of the 70 species of wildflowers growing in the meadows. The grounds are popular with walkers and cyclists.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The City of Gnomes
By Linda Tancs
Garden gnomes are regarded as symbols of good luck. Produced in Germany in the early 1800s, they were commonly referred to in German fairy tales. Their popularity reportedly increased when they reached English gardens in the 1840s, where groundskeeping is an art form. No less popular today, they’re ubiquitous in gardens and lawns around the world. So it should come as no surprise that these ornaments have their own community. You’ll find it at Gnomesville in Australia’s Ferguson Valley. The precise location is off the roundabout linking Wellington Mill Road and Ferguson Road. No one knows why the city of gnomes appeared but, apparently, a custom has developed whereby gnome owners may leave one at the site provided that they indicate its place of origin. Currently, the site boasts over 5,000 ornaments hailing from places like New York, England, Ireland and Spain. Needless to say, it’s quite a tourist attraction and offers a picnic area.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Wild Cats in Poland
By Linda Tancs
Located in the southernmost portion of Poland, Bieszczady National Park is one of the country’s largest national parks. It holds the distinction of being part of the first UNESCO biosphere reserve to be located in three countries, complemented by sections in Ukraine and Slovakia. It might be better known, though, as a home to the once highly-endangered Eurasian lynx, as evidenced by the wildcat’s likeness as the park’s logo. One of Europe’s largest predators, the lynx finds a safe haven in this park thanks to its extensive mountain forests. You might spot a European wildcat or two as well.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Early Brick in England
By Linda Tancs
Brick was fashionable and new in the 15th century. So it’s not surprising that it would become the building material of choice for Herstmonceux Castle in Hailsham, England. The 15th-century, moated castle is one of the earliest examples of a brick-built building in the country. In addition to guided tours of the castle, you can enjoy 300 acres of serenity in managed woodland with beautiful themed and formal gardens. But now, during August bank holiday, that serenity is broken by the Medieval Festival, billed as the largest of its kind in the U.K. Activities include jousting, banquets, twice daily battles, living history encampments, falconry and archery.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Maryland’s Ties to Yorkshire
By Linda Tancs
George Calvert found favor with England’s James I. The King made him Baron Baltimore and granted him a charter to found a colony in America, which became the State of Maryland. Meanwhile, Calvert built North Yorkshire’s Kiplin Hall in the early 1620s as a hunting lodge. And so began the ties between Maryland and a British manor house that many Marylanders regard as their birthplace. The Jacobean house displays furniture, portraits, paintings and the personal belongings of the four families who have owned it over the past 400 years. You can thank residents of Maryland for its preservation, considering their funding of renovations following the hall’s abandonment in the 1950s after the death of the last owner. Enjoy the historic rooms (which you can freely roam) as well as long walks around the man-made lake, parkland and woodland paths.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Iron Age Roundhouses
By Linda Tancs
A broch is a round tower found in Scotland. Dating to the Iron Age, it has an inner and outer dry-stone wall (that is, assembled without mortar) of imposing height. The best-known example is the Broch of Mousa on the island of Mousa in Shetland, Scotland. Its renown as one of the best-preserved prehistoric structures in Europe is no doubt due to its remote location. Enjoy a climb on the winding staircase to the top of the tower during the open season (April to September).
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Library in Chains
By Linda Tancs
A chained library is a library where the books are attached to their bookcase by a chain, which is sufficiently long enough to allow the books to be taken from their shelves and read but not removed. One such library, aptly named Chained Library, is at Wells Cathedral. One of four remaining in Britain, it was built following instructions in the will of Bishop Bubwith, who died in 1424. It was the largest medieval library in England when it opened in the 1450s. Cathedral guides offer tours of this enchanting relic.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 