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
The Black Wine of Lot
By Linda Tancs
Cahors is a town on the Lot River in the Occitanie region of southern France. It’s well known for its Malbec wine with dark, inky hues that ancient Romans called “black wine.” You’ll find plenty of it at Cahors market, a Saturday staple at the foot of the magnificent Cathedral of Saint-Etienne where tourists and locals alike gather. In addition to the wine, exhibitors offer local Rocamadour cheese, pastis apple cake, walnuts, truffles, saffron and foie gras, among other things.
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A Baroque Jewel in Austria
By Linda Tancs
Melk Abbey is more than just a monastery; it’s one of the most impressive Baroque ensembles north of the Alps and plays an important role in the history of early Austria. Since 1089, the Benedictine monks have been living and working in Melk Abbey in uninterrupted tradition. Saint Coloman (Austria’s first patron saint) is buried there, along with members of the Babenberg family, the country’s first rulers. The size of a small village, the abbey boasts 1,365 windows, 497 rooms and over 5 acres of roofage. A guided tour takes approximately 50 minutes and includes the museum rooms, the Marble Hall, the balcony and the library, which contains over 100,000 books. From April to October admission includes the abbey park with its Baroque pavilion as well.
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Pilsen’s Golden Fountains
By Linda Tancs
Of medieval origin, Republic Square forms the very center of the Czech city of Pilsen. Not so medieval are its three gilded fountains. Fashioned to represent a greyhound, a camel and an angel, they represent motifs from the city’s coat of arms. You’ll find them near St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral, another landmark in the city.
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Vienna’s State Opera House
By Linda Tancs
Austria’s Vienna State Opera is one of the world’s leading opera houses. Needless to say, tickets are always in high demand. You’ll have better luck taking a tour of this Renaissance Revival venue, which includes a look into areas that the lucky opera goer will not see. During a guided, 40-minute tour, you will walk up the grand staircase through the state rooms (Tea Salon, Marble Hall, Schwindfoyer, Gustav Mahler Hall) to the auditorium, with a view of the stage. Tours are offered in German and English.
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The Great Hungarian Plain
By Linda Tancs
Puszta is to Hungary what Big Sky Country is to the United States. It’s located in Hortobágy National Park, Hungary’s first and largest national park. A vast area of plains and wetlands, you’ll find grazing water buffalo and Hungarian grey cattle. A highlight of a visit is the showmanship of Hungarian cowboys, who display their equestrian skills in a daily horse show that runs from April to September.
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The House of Tudor
By Linda Tancs
One of Britain’s best preserved medieval homes, Haddon Hall is a timeless treasure in the Peak District. Occupied today by Lord and Lady Edward Manners, its Tudor charm remains intact owing to the fact that the family chose instead to live at Belvoir Castle for over 200 years, saving the property from the modernizing effects of the Georgian and Victorian periods. As a result, the medieval banqueting hall remains furnished with its original Dais table, behind which hangs a tapestry gifted to the family when King Henry VIII visited. Another gem, the parlor, boasts its glorious Tudor painted ceiling of Tudor roses and heraldic paneling. On the first floor, the Elizabethan rooms culminate in the spectacular Long Gallery, considered to be one of the most beautiful rooms in England. Visitors can explore these rooms, and other treasures, like the walled gardens.
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The Marble City
By Linda Tancs
Kilkenny, Ireland, is dubbed “Marble City” due to its highly polished limestone which resembles marble. Of perhaps equal renown is Kilkenny Castle, boasting one of the longest histories of continuous occupation in the country. Founded soon after the Norman Conquest, today’s edifice is largely a Victorian remodeling of the 13th-century defensive castle. Until 1935 it was the longtime seat of the powerful and wealthy Butler family, whose family paintings, tapestries and objects d’art infuse the grand country house.
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Bustling Barry
By Linda Tancs
Fans of the BBC’s award-winning TV series Gavin & Stacey are familiar with the town of Barry, a seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, that served as a backdrop for many of the show’s scenes. It’s believed that the town gets its name from the sixth-century Celtic Saint Baruc. You can visit the remains of the chapel dedicated to him which date back to the eighth century. The locale is also known for Barry War Museum, which explores what life was like in the area during both world wars. It features a World War I replica trench and an Anderson shelter from World War II. The Wales Coast Path (heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the world to cover the entire length of a country’s coastline), runs right around the coastline at Barry to Rhoose Point, the most southerly spot in Wales.
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Large Girth in Lincolnshire
By Linda Tancs
One of Britain’s greatest trees is the Bowthorpe Oak near Bourne in Lincolnshire. It ranks as the U.K.’s largest girthed oak tree at around 44 feet. Of unknown age, the pedunculate oak is estimated to be over 1,000 years old. You’ll find it at the aptly-named Bowthorpe Oak, a private family farm where you can visit the oak as well as see traditional breeds of livestock including Pedigree Lincoln Red cattle, Jacob sheep and Berkshire pigs. They’re open to the public throughout the summer on weekends.
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A King’s First Castle
By Linda Tancs
Peleş Castle was built at the initiative of the first King of Romania, Carol I, to serve as his summer residence. It was the first castle in Europe to be fully powered by electricity, with the electric system completed in 1884. A masterpiece of Neo-Renaissance architecture, it’s widely regarded as one of the most beautiful castles in Europe with an interior art collection and rooms to match. The nearest train station to the castle is Sinaia via Bucharest, Brasov or Sibiu.
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