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
Road to the Isles
By Linda Tancs
The A830, popularly known as the Road to the Isles, is one of the most famous roads in the United Kingdom. It connects the town of Fort William to the port of Mallaig, where the West Highland railway line terminates. Sporting some of the nation’s best scenic views, it’s abounding in woodlands, moors, sandy beaches and sea views. And just a ferry ride away (year round) are the Small Isles (Eigg, Canna, Muck and Rum), one of 40 National Scenic Areas in Scotland, where local food, wildlife, archaeological sites and amazing sunsets await you.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
Italy in a Day
By Linda Tancs
Rimini is an Adriatic, Italian resort town primarily known for its jam-packed beaches. But you can also experience a taste of the whole country there. You’ll do that by visiting Italy in Miniature, a theme park with at least one miniature building from every Italian town of any prominence. You can even take a gondola ride in little Venice, a huge favorite among tourists. Its 273 scale reproductions also include major European cities. Expect to spend the better part of a day exploring.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
Leeward in St. Vincent
By Linda Tancs
Picturesque falls, petroglyphs and natural anchorages are some of the features of the leeward side of St. Vincent. And then there are the pirates—the fictional kind, that is. Wallilabou Bay, a port of entry for visiting yachts, is the site where the opening scene of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was filmed. Parts of the set remain to the delight of aficionados of the film franchise.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
An Oasis in Paris
By Linda Tancs
Like New York City’s Central Park, Square du Temple in Paris’s Marais district is a lush oasis in the midst of a bustling city. It was designed in the English garden style in the 1800s, a site boasting over 82,000 square feet including an ornamental pool and waterfall, several walking paths, 191 varieties of plants and more than 70 trees. But what you can’t see is perhaps just as interesting as what you can see because the park is located above the remnants of the European stronghold of the Knights Templar. Free and open daily, the nearest Metro station is Temple.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
A Deserted Village in Yorkshire
By Linda Tancs
Halfway between Scarborough and Clifford Tower lies Wharram Percy, one of the largest and best preserved of Britain’s deserted medieval villages. Its name is derived from the aristocratic Percy family, who lived there between the 12th and 14th centuries. The village was continuously occupied for six centuries before it was abandoned soon after 1500 and today remains the focus of extensive archaeological research. Open during daylight hours, you’ll find the remains of a medieval church as well as grassed-over foundations of two manor houses and about 40 peasant houses and their outbuildings amidst the rugged terrain.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
Salt of the Earth in Læsø
By Linda Tancs
Just a 40-minute flight from Copenhagen, the island of Læsø might be best known for its seaweed roofs and white, sandy beaches. But it’s also been a major site of salt production in Denmark since the Middle Ages. The ancient process is known as seething, where groundwater is heated in a large iron pan over a fire in a seething hut until the salt crystallizes. You can listen to a presentation on the process by a salt-seether in a reproduction of a hut from the 12th century.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
Captain Cook’s Landing
By Linda Tancs
In 1770, Captain Cook’s first landing in Australia took place near Silver Beach on the Kurnell Peninsula headland. He named the site Stingray Harbour but later changed it to Botany Bay because of the variety of plants found there. An important heritage-listed site, you can discover the area for yourself at the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Take the Burrawang walk from the Kurnell Visitor Centre. As you pass over the dune you’ll see views of the bay where Cook’s expedition ship Endeavour was first sighted as well as a plaque marking the location where he landed.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. 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.
A Maiden’s Tower
By Linda Tancs
Located in Istanbul, Turkey, on an islet at the southern entrance to the Bosphorus, Maiden’s Tower is iconic for its scenic views of the strait and the skyline. It was originally built in 1110 as a defense tower by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus although legend has it that an ancient emperor built the tower to hide his beloved daughter whom a fortune teller prophesied would die from a snake bite. Since its inception it has been rebuilt and repurposed many times and now serves as a restaurant. Shuttle boats go there several times a day from both the European and Asian side of Istanbul.
Hitting the Wall in Malta
By Linda Tancs
It might be hard to imagine, but there’s a counterpart to China’s Great Wall sitting unobtrusively on an island archipelago in the Mediterranean. The wall in question is across the northern portion of Malta, a defensive line built by the British army in the 19th century to patrol its interests in the region. Known as the Victoria Lines (commemorating Queen Victoria), it runs the width of the country (at seven and one-half miles) and offers breathtaking panoramic views from its bastions. Go now for pleasant temperatures and a chance to enjoy Malta’s brief blooming season.

