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 Rewarding Experience
By Linda Tancs
Most folks probably wouldn’t consider a trek through an airport (particularly on a layover) to be a rewarding experience. But you might feel differently at London’s Heathrow airport, where retail therapy is made more encouraging with Heathrow Rewards. Similar to other loyalty programs, you simply use your card at virtually any retail location at the airport to collect points toward spending on shopping, dining or transportation services. You can even boost your frequent flier balance by applying rewards points to your account. The program is free to join.
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A Dutch Hansa Town
By Linda Tancs
The Dutch Hanseatic towns are seven towns along the IJssel River, part of the Hanseatic (Hansa) League, a once powerful confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in northwestern and central Europe. One of those towns is Kampen, a charming place boasting its mercantile roots with historic warehouses and a fish market near the old town hall that has been doing business since the 14th century. It even hosts a replica of the medieval merchant ship De Kamper Hanze Kogge. Once the site of a prosperous tobacco industry, De Olifant is the only brand still produced in the factory on Voorstraat. Take the Kamperlijntje train from Zwolle, just nine miles away.
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World’s Longest Sea Bridge
By Linda Tancs
Dubbed the world’s longest sea bridge, China’s Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge connects the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong and Macau. When it opened last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed it as a showpiece of innovation and integration, spanning 34 miles across the Pearl River estuary. Now you can shave some time off the journey from the mainland to enjoy the Christmas celebrations in Hong Kong and Macau.
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The Spanish Tuscany
By Linda Tancs
Matarranya (Matarraña) is a Spanish gem bordering Catalonia and Valencia. Dubbed the Spanish Tuscany for its natural and cultural highlights, each part of the region boasts its own delights, like vineyards, olive groves, cheese and black truffles. Named after the Matarraña River, its most rugged terrain is the Puertos de Beceite range, a scenic area with a significant forest mass. Historically, the earliest civilization is evidenced by prehistoric rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin (known as Levantine art), a UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing over 700 locations. If you’ve never heard of this locale, it wouldn’t be surprising given that it is relatively unknown outside the immediate area. It’s reachable from Barcelona or Valencia by bus or train, and Reus airport is an hour or so away.
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Intrigue at the Palace
By Linda Tancs
Who doesn’t love a good story? The walls of Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, England, are filled with them. At the Great Hall, for example, Edward II was forced to abdicate in 1327 upon rising tensions with his French wife. Centuries later, Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester) laid out the iconic tower and a formal privy garden in a final attempt to gain the hand of Elizabeth I, who stayed at the castle several times. Those gardens have been reconstructed, along with a staircase leading to Elizabeth’s chambers. One of the best castle ruins in the country, its view across the fields is one of the most famous landscapes painted by English Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner.
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Kale in Macedonia
By Linda Tancs
Kale in Macedonia: no, we’re not talking about today’s trendy vegetable. Turkish for “fortress” (and pronounced “kah-lay”), Kale is a historic fortress located in the old town of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. You can’t miss it, situated on the highest point in the city overlooking the Vardar River, the longest one in the country. Along the river’s eastern bank is the Old Bazaar, another landmark in the country, touted as the largest bazaar in the Balkans outside Istanbul. You can see these and other significant sites on a free walking and sightseeing tour (tips are appreciated).
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The Southernmost Post Office
By Linda Tancs
Move over, icebergs. The star of the show in Antarctica is…a post office? Well, not just any post office—the most southerly in the world. Located at Port Lockroy, it’s a British outpost run by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. Each letter sent from there (at least 70,000, at last count) will receive a highly-prized local stamp and postmark. The office, which also hosts a gift shop and museum, is manned for five months during high season, when, as luck would have it, a colony of gentoo penguins swarm the area to mate and raise their young.
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Shopping in Barcelona
By Linda Tancs
As any traveler knows, a walking tour is a great way to learn about a locale, typically strolling through unique neighborhoods offering a glimpse into its architecture and past and present residents. In Barcelona, Spain, you can shop your way through one such tour with the Barcelona Genuine Shops guided walking tour. The three-hour expedition introduces visitors to the city’s culture through its shop windows. That means you’ll get behind-the-scenes access to some shops and a discount card together with the usual historical and architectural commentary. The meeting point is at Plaça Sant Jaume in front of the Tourist Office.
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Free Museums in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Free museum entry on the first Sunday of every month is making a comeback in Italy for state-operated museums, palaces and archaeological sites. That’s good news for tourists visiting renowned venues like the Colosseum in Rome, Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, Pompeii, the Palace of Caserta, Trieste’s Castello di Miramare and Turin’s Palace of Venaria. A complete list of participating sites is on the Ministry for Culture’s website.
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Christmas Magic in Lausanne
By Linda Tancs
Designers, wineries and food producers convene this time of year in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the annual shopping tradition, Bô Noël. Among the activities you can sample local cheeses and meats and indulge in a fondue ritual. The event is child friendly, too, including a festival of lights (Lausanne Lumières), featuring light sculptures in the streets. This year’s event runs through December 31.
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