Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for tourism
Island Charm
By Linda Tancs
Slovenia, the third most forested country in Europe, has but one island–Bled. Ringed by the Julian Alps, picturesque Bled reigns supreme in the middle of its Alpine lake, a sight to behold in winter when the lake freezes over. The average temperature is, after all, a chilled -2 degrees Celsius. Enjoy the winter views from Bled Castle, the country’s oldest, while munching on Bled vanilla cream cake, a local specialty.
Share this:
An Underground Celebration
By Linda Tancs
London’s famed Underground–the Tube–is celebrating 150 years of service this month. The oldest of all underground systems, it comprises 250 miles of track, circuiting the capital both overground and underground. Its 426 escalators perform the equivalent of two trips around the world every week, and the miles traveled per year add up to 90 return trips to the moon. On that note, we love you to the moon and back–and happy anniversary!
Share this:
On the Road to Yorktown
By Linda Tancs
On this date in 1781 the Patriots won a decisive victory over the Redcoats in Gaffney, South Carolina at the Battle of Cowpens. Formally a pasture before becoming a battlefield, Cowpens National Battlefield is the site where a military maneuver known as a double envelopment took place, the only such tactic to take place during the Revolution. The result at Cowpens started General Lord Cornwallis on the road to Yorktown that eventually led to the British surrender there.
Share this:
A Grand Parade in the Philippines
By Linda Tancs
Think Mardi Gras without the beads. On the third Sunday of January each year Cebu City in the Philippines (the oldest Spanish settlement in the country) brings to a close the nine-day Sinulog Festival with colorful parades and dancing to the beat of drums, trumpets and gongs. For the origins of this street party, look to the 1500s, when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross at Cebu and claimed the territory for Spain. He presented an image of the baby Jesus, the Santo Niño, to the island’s rulers, resulting in a conversion to Catholicism. The annual fiesta honors Santo Niño, and Magellan’s cross made of tindalo wood is a popular attraction in Cebu today.
Share this:
68 Miles of Art
By Linda Tancs
Most underground maps serve no other purpose other than to help travelers navigate the labyrinth of tunnels among terminal points. Not so in Stockholm. You’ll be guided not only to the underground system but also to its art. Sweden’s capital city has the largest collection of underground art in the world, gracing more than 90 of its 100 stations along the 68-mile route. Guided tours are available.
Share this:
Riding the Circuit in Patagonia
By Linda Tancs
Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Chilean Patagonia. Rich with mountains (particularly the iconic Paine massif), glaciers, lakes and rivers, small wonder the area offers a plethora of activities like fishing, climbing, ice trekking, whitewater kayaking, environmental education and wildlife observation. The park offers a number of trails, or circuits, for day or overnight trekking. Those include the Pingo Zapata, Dickson and Grey Glacier circuits (leading to glaciers), the Paine Circuit (no pun intended–an arduous trail requiring seven to 10 days of walking), and Las Torres circuit (leading to the base of Torres del Paine). Get there via Santiago to Punta Arenas by air or via Puerto Natales overground.
Share this:
Simply Cool
By Linda Tancs
Amidst the aerial highway linking Zermatt and Matterhorn lies a castle of ice worthy of a princess. Zermatt’s palace of ice is the highest glacier palace in the world. Created in 1999, the 990-square-meter palace, 15 meters below the glacier surface, is accessible from an elevator at Matterhorn glacier paradise station. Your entry begins with a walk through an ice tunnel, accompanied by soft lighting and mood music. Besides the view, the site features ice sculptures and an ice slide. If you dare, walk back via a glacier crevasse.
Share this:
Three Centuries of Hospitality
By Linda Tancs
The Madam Brett Homestead is the oldest building in Dutchess County, New York. Located in Beacon, a city used as a signaling point during the American Revolution, the house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. Built circa 1709 by Roger and Catheryna Rombaut Brett, the home’s original acreage of over 28,000 was inherited by Catheryna from her father, who purchased the land from the Wappinger Indians. Seven generations, spanning three centuries, have lived in its rooms. During the Revolutionary War, special guests included George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben. Today visitors can enjoy period furnishings, including a colonial-era kitchen, China-Trade porcelain and 18th and 19th century furniture scattered among the drawing room, colonial-era bedroom and Federal-style dining room. The property’s remaining six acres include woodlands, gardens and a brook.
Share this:
The Winter God of Breckenridge
By Linda Tancs
In Norse mythology, Ullr (stepson of Thor, the god of thunder) is the winter god. He’s honored each year in Breckenridge, Colorado at the Ullr Fest. Now in its 50th year, this year’s event promises the usual skiers and snowboarders adorned with hats sporting Viking horns, “Ullympic” competitors, a parade, and floats with ski jumps. Join them now until 12 January.
Share this:
On Ice in Niagara
ByLinda Tancs
Sir Winston Churchill called Niagara River Parkway the prettiest drive in Canada. And that was before the series of orchards and vineyards that have graced their way from the parkway to the shores of Lake Ontario for 35 years now. In all, 28 wineries (the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake) call this region home. Their show-stopper is icewine, a multi-course delight made from grapes frozen on the vine in winter. The Icewine Festival this month is one of four month-long events offered during winter in Niagara-on-the-Lake wine country. A weekend getaway offers you the festival experience, a wine tasting with leading insiders and an icewine-laden dinner.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 