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
Valparaiso’s Museum House
By Linda Tancs
Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, diplomat and politician. Of his three homes, his writer’s nook in Valparaiso became his favorite hideaway—although hardly hidden, since it towers above the other rooftops overlooking the south side of a broad, open bay of the Pacific Ocean. The multilayered, multicolored abode is named La Sebastiana after its original owner, Sebastian Collao, who assigned the whole third floor of the building as a bird cage. Neruda’s taste was no less whimsical. Some of the windows resemble a ship’s skylights, and the interior is littered with old maps, paintings, a merry-go-round horse and a large portrait of Walt Whitman, his “father in poetry.” The audio guide is available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.
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Island Hopping in the Maldives
By Linda Tancs
Known for its beaches, blue lagoons and extensive reefs, the Maldives represent, as local tourism puts it, the sunny side of life. As more of the islands comprising its ring-shaped atolls open to tourism, island hopping is a popular way to experience life like a local. That’s especially true for locales within a reasonable distance of the capital Malé, like Dhigurah. Considered one of the most beautiful islands in the nation, its long, sandy beach is easily walkable and ends in the south with a sandbank. Whale sharks preside year round, offering safari opportunities. Take the speedboat there from Malé.
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South Downs Way
By Linda Tancs
South Downs National Park is England’s newest national park (as of this writing), established in 2010. Spreading across Sussex and Hampshire, it covers an area of 627 square miles boasting fragile chalk and clay landscapes, woodlands and river valleys that earned it a previous designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The park is also home to the South Downs Way, one of 15 national trails in England and Wales (as well as the first bridleway national trail in England) and the only one to lie entirely within a national park. The nearly 100-mile route extends from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east. Download a walking map or details of connecting bus services to your phone and get on the Way.
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The Nectar of Gascony
By Linda Tancs
Armagnac, France’s first brandy, is over 700 years old. It hails from the Armagnac region in historical Gascony, where the art of making “ardent water” has prevailed since Roman times. Sometimes relegated to the status of second cousin to its rival cognac, the production of armagnac predates it by about 150 years. The grape harvest lasts from October to January, giving way to a months-long festival known as the Flame of Armagnac, a localized event where each weekend a flame is lit in a different still. Enjoy musical performances, tastings and walks through the vineyards.
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The Highlands in Malaysia
By Linda Tancs
Named after surveyor Sir William Cameron, Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands were developed during the British colonial period, serving as a hill station to escape the tropical heat. The region unfurls with emerald-green tea plantations, the largest tea-growing area in the country. Enjoy some morning tea after watching a spectacular sunrise over Gunung Brinchang, the highest peak of the highlands. A trek through the mossy, or cloud, forest of Brinchang brings views of wild orchids and carnivorous pitcher plants. You can get to the region from Kuala Lumpur by bus. Take a window seat for amazing views.
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Heights of Abraham
By Linda Tancs
Spanning 555 square miles and covering parts of the counties of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, Peak District National Park is the U.K.’s oldest national park. One of its most appealing destinations is the Heights of Abraham, a hilltop park in Derbyshire reached by cable car, providing spectacular views across the Derwent Valley. And you’ll likely not miss the park’s iconic symbol, the millstone, produced in Derbyshire as early as medieval times. Hundreds of them still lie scattered across parts of the park.
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Korea’s Herb Festival
By Linda Tancs
Korea has a long medical tradition in the use of herbs for healing. It should come as no surprise, then, that one of the country’s premier festivals is the Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival. Held at Donguibogam Village, a Korean medicine theme park, the festival celebrates the herbs of Jirisan Mountain. In addition to an herb market, visitors can sample traditional herbal medicines and even get a check-up. This year’s event begins tomorrow and continues through October 9.
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Inspiration for Ivanhoe
By Linda Tancs
England’s Conisbrough Castle reputedly inspired Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Ivanhoe. The iconic, medieval stone castle is near Doncaster in historic Conisbrough. Strategically located on a large knoll, its most stunning feature is perhaps the massive, four-story limestone keep with six wedge-shaped buttresses. “Conisbrough” derives from the Anglo-Saxon word “Cyningesburh,” meaning “the king’s borough.” However, little is known of the site until after the Norman Conquest, when an earthwork fortification was likely built by the castle’s original owner.
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England’s Seafood Coast
By Linda Tancs
The heart of England’s “Seafood Coast” is Brixham in South Devon. Not surprisingly, then, it serves as a venue (along with Paignton and Torquay) for the annual Seafood FEAST. Taking place through October 6, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy world-class seafood. Brixham Fish Market alone brings in more than 40 species of fish. While you’re there, why not take a trip on a heritage sailing trawler or on the steam train with its stunning views of the coast.
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In the Footsteps of Chaplin
By Linda Tancs
Charlie Chaplin is an icon of the film industry, renowned for his screen persona “the Tramp.” The Tramp made his first appearance in 1914 in the film “Kid Auto Races at Venice.” You’ll learn much more about his life and career at Chaplin’s World in Vevey, Switzerland. His mansion there, Manoir de Ban, was his home for 25 years, from 1952 until his death in 1977. Now a museum, you’ll delight not only in his furnishings and personal belongings but also in a Hollywood-style studio journeying through his long film career and in 10 acres of parkland with unobstructed views of Lake Geneva and the Alps. Signs and displays are in English and French. A guided tour of the manor using mobile and tablet devices is also available free of charge in English, French and German.
