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
Bountiful Pitcairn
By Linda Tancs
A UK Overseas Territory in the South Pacific, Pitcairn is bountiful in unspoiled habitats, pristine waters and endemic plants and wildlife. Its bounty also includes HMS Bounty. Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty (helmed by Captain Bligh) was seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate. The mutineers ended up in Pitcairn, where the remains of the ship (a delight for scuba divers) are still visible in shallow waters offshore. All but a few of the 40 or so permanent residents of this remote island are descendants of Bounty mutineers. The territory includes three other nearby uninhabited islands. You can visit this legendary place aboard a dedicated passenger/supply vessel, MV Claymore II. Island accommodations include a home stay, semi-private apartments or a fully private bungalow or chalet rental.
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A Celebration of Citrus
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard the expression, when life hands you lemons make lemonade. They’ve done one better than that in France with the annual Fête du Citron (lemon festival). Held in the city of Menton, the colossal citrus sculptures require 145 tons of fruit. Processions on the Promenade du Soleil feature of mixture of citrus-themed floats, dancers and folk groups. The Biovès Gardens are also clad with citrus fruit, forming temporary sculptures in dazzling yellow and orange shades, some reaching heights of 32 feet and more. Tickets are required for some events. This year’s festival takes place from February 16 to March 3.
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Three Giants in Bulgaria
By Linda Tancs
The natural range of the giant sequoia is a narrow band along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. All the more astonishing, then, that three of these majestic trees should be thriving in a small village outside Kyustendil, Bulgaria. You can thank renowned forester Yordan Mitrev, who brought sequoia seeds to the region in the 19th century. It’s about four miles from Kyustendil to the tree site at Yuchbunar.
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A Rocky Show in Australia
By Linda Tancs
You might say Australia’s Murujuga National Park really rocks. Designated the 100th national park in western Australia, the park lies within a larger National Heritage Listed place, created in July 2007 over the Burrup Peninsula and the Dampier Archipelago. The area is renowned for its extensive rock art collection, comprising shell middens, stone artifact scatters, quarries, stone arrangements, ceremonial and mythological sites, graves and petroglyphs. In fact, the site is thought to contain the highest concentration of petroglyphs of any known site in the world. The rock art has deep meaning for the local Aboriginal people; avoid taking photographs of humanoid rock art figures.
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The Last Ocean
By Linda Tancs
Named for British explorer James Ross, the Ross Sea in Antarctica has been nicknamed “the last ocean.” Located between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land, it’s the southernmost sea on Earth, quite literally the last sea. Perhaps not surprisingly, this remote ocean is deemed one of the most pristine environments left in the world, the perfect locale for a marine reserve (the world’s largest) twice the size of Texas. It’s also home to the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest in the world at around 193,000 square miles. And it even sings (well, sort of), making a didgeridoo-like sound as the wind blows across the landscape causing the outer snow layer to vibrate.
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Kingdom of Crystal
By Linda Tancs
The world revolves around glass in Sweden’s southern province of Småland, so much so that the area is known as the Kingdom of Crystal. Indeed, handblown glass has been made in the region since 1742. Spread across four municipalities and 13 glassworks and studios, the kingdom welcomes over 1 million visitors a year who watch and learn the basics of glassblowing. You can even partake in glass-themed accommodation at the Kosta Boda Art Hotel.
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The Door to Sicily
By Linda Tancs
The Greeks founded the Sicilian city of Messina and named it “Zancle,” a reference to its sickle-shaped natural harbor that provides a main point of entry for visitors. Just three miles across the Strait of Messina, its most famous attraction is likely the astronomical clock. Be there at noon for the movement that lasts about 12 minutes. The clock’s figures include a roaring lion and crowing rooster. Afterwards you can visit the tower for amazing views of the city.
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Vietnam’s Premier Nature Reserve
By Linda Tancs
Established in 1962, Cuc Phuong is the oldest national park in Vietnam and is its premier nature reserve. Located on two limestone mountain ranges about 75 miles southwest of Hanoi, its rich ecosystem includes a fossilized sea reptile hundreds of millions of years old. Here you’ll also find over 2,234 vascular and non-vascular plants, 122 species of reptiles and amphibians and 135 species of mammals, such as the critically endangered primate Delacour’s langur. Trekking is a popular activity, and popular trails will lead you to several ancient trees, caves and villages of the minority Muong people.
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Plumbing the Depths in Curaçao
By Linda Tancs
Would you like to dive without the gear? If so, then head to Curaçao for your choice of submarine tours. Curasub is the island’s certified mini-submarine for tourists. It descends four times a day from Bapor Kibra to nearly 1,000 feet. Fish, coral and old shipwrecks on the way down are perfectly visible in the crystal clear waters, where passengers have a clear view with visibility of over 60 feet. Reservations are required.
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The City of Squares
By Linda Tancs
An old pop song exhorted that it’s hip to be square. They’d undoubtedly agree in Mannheim, Germany. Known as the “City of Squares,” Mannheim has exactly 144 of them. Lined up between the palace and the Neckar River, they stretch between the water tower (a beloved landmark) and Kurt Schumacher Bridge. Amidst these squares Mozart gave piano lessons to children, but the squares’ greater renown is perhaps the largest Baroque palace in Europe after Versailles. Designed to highlight the important role of the Palatine Prince Electors in the Holy Roman Empire, its grand interior includes a ceremonial staircase and knights’ hall. Guided tours in English are available by prior arrangement; audio tours are offered in English, French and German. The palace is located on Bismarckstrasse, just ten minutes away from Mannheim’s central station.
