Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
Far East in England
By Linda Tancs
Famous for being the most easterly town from which to watch the sunrise in England, Lowestoft occupies the northernmost part of the Suffolk Coast. Home to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the family-friendly town has two piers, a zoo, a theme park and a maritime museum exploring the town’s long history with the North Sea. And that’s in addition to the award-winning beach, staffed with lifeguards from April to September. If you’re not beachy keen, then check out The Scores, a series of ancient narrow lanes leading to the sea. Trail leaflets are available in many High Street shops. Visitor information points are located at Claremont pier, the library, the train station and Windsor Gallery.
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Dutch Blue and Orange
By Linda Tancs
Blue and orange embody the Dutch city of Delft. For instance, its blue earthenware has been a popular export for over 400 years. Royal Delft, established in 1653, is the last remaining Delftware factory from the 17th century, and its prized pottery is still entirely hand-painted according to centuries-old tradition. The canal-ringed city in the western Netherlands is also the former seat of the royal House of Orange (named for a medieval province in southern France). One of the oldest royal families in the world, almost every deceased member of the family since William of Orange has been interred in the royal crypts at the New Church.
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A Gastronomic Safari in Mexico
By Linda Tancs
Ensenada is one of the oldest municipalities in Baja California, Mexico. What’s new is the Baja Med gastronomic concept, the result of a blend of influences from Mexican, Mediterranean and oriental cuisines. Embraced by chefs and food cart vendors alike, it combines Mexican ingredients such as chicharrón and cotija cheese with Mediterranean olive oil and Asian lemongrass. If your taste buds are less adventurous, try a traditional dish like abalone tiradito. Whatever you choose, you’ll want to pair it with a wine from the Guadalupe Valley, gateway to the wine route.
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Ireland’s First Waymarked Trail
By Linda Tancs
The oldest and one of the most scenic long distance walks in Ireland, Wicklow Way lies just south of Dublin and is one of the nation’s most popular trails. The 80-mile waymarked journey runs from Marlay Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. The traditional route is north to south, beginning at Marlay Park and ending in Clonegal. Amidst the heathery moorland and the Wicklow Mountain range is the treasured stop at Glendalough (valley of two lakes), an ancient monastic site providing respite for tourists from around the world.
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America’s Fleet Museum
By Linda Tancs
Located in southeastern Massachusetts on scenic Mt. Hope Bay, Battleship Cove is America’s fleet museum. Home to the highly decorated battleship USS Massachusetts (saved from demolition), it also features the world’s largest collection of World War II naval vessels, including the destroyer, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the submarine Lionfish, PT 617 and PT 796 and the Soviet-built missile corvette, Hiddensee. A great day out in the Fall River area, there’s a re-creation of the Iwo Jima setting at Bicentennial Park.
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Malaysia’s First Garden
By Linda Tancs
Taiping is a small and quiet town in Perak, Malaysia. The unassuming little place might go largely unnoticed but for the popularity of its lake gardens. Taiping Lake Gardens is the first public garden, established during British rule in Malaysia (then Malaya). Built atop an abandoned tin mine (a prime natural resource in the 1800s), the park’s huge ancient rain trees drape the crystal clear waters of the lake. Spread over 158 acres, the area has 10 scenic lakes and ponds framing the gardens as well as charming bridges and tracks for jogging. Taiping is well connected to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia by express buses from the long-distance bus station at Kamunting and Simpang.
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Steel, Beer and Coal
By Linda Tancs
Dortmund, the largest city in Westphalia, lies on the eastern edge of the Ruhr in Germany’s historic Hellweg corridor. Once home to a thriving steel and coal industry, its industrial heritage is barely evident in the thriving tech-driven city seen today. That small army of industrial workers also meant there was plenty of thirst to quench; Dortmund became one of the largest beer producers in the world. Visitors can learn all about the triad of industrialization in the region by visiting the Brewery Museum on Steigerstraße 16.
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Napoleon’s Water
By Linda Tancs
The second largest town in the Auvergne, the French town Vichy is known for its hot springs. Napoleon III, who developed the town in the 1800s, introduced the thermal waters to the public. Not surprisingly, this city on the Allier River is noted for its spa facilities, such as Thermes des Dômes or Spa Les Celestins. Their prized commodity is also marketed as bottled waters that are exported around the world under the names of Vichy Celestins and Vichy Saint-Yorre.
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Hullensians Celebrate Culture
By Linda Tancs
The Yorkshire city of Hull is the UK City of Culture 2017, an award given every four years to a city that demonstrates a belief in the transformational power of culture. Hullensians (as locals are called) are certainly an independent, spirited bunch—it’s the only city in the UK with cream-colored phone boxes. It also sports the world’s largest Yorkshire pudding factory. As for arts and culture, you’ll find no lack. The Freedom Festival offers an incredible program each year on theatre, music, comedy and poetry. The city also hosts the region’s leading visual art space, the Ferens Art Gallery, as well as a new contemporary art space, Humber Street Gallery. Getting to this vibrant port city couldn’t be easier: Hull has its own rail link to the capital, and coaches run from all over the country.
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Dino Snores
By Linda Tancs
Want to camp out amongst the dinosaurs in a museum? It’s not just for kids at London’s Natural History Museum. Their Dino Snores for Grown-ups program is offered periodically throughout the year, like tomorrow night. The sleepover includes a welcome drink, live music, a monster movie marathon, three-course dinner (edible insects are optional) and a hot breakfast. You’ll also have the chance to explore the galleries and current exhibitions after the daytime visitors have gone home. Sounds dino-mite to me.
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