Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
The Sky Garden
By Linda Tancs
Public gardens abound in London, England, but a bird’s-eye view is a visual feast. It’s hard to top (no pun intended) Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street. Spanning three floors, it offers unrivaled views of the City of London. The highest public garden in the capital, you’ll discover exquisitely landscaped gardens, observation decks and an open air terrace. Tickets are free but are limited daily and must be booked in advance.
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King of the Nutcrackers
By Linda Tancs
Boasting one of the world’s largest nutcracker collections, the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Washington State touts the evolution of the nutcracker. Such a collection would hardly be complete without the hundreds of traditional toy soldiers with gaping mouths that make their appearance in homes at Christmas time. But you’ll also find over 6,000 nutcrackers—representing the work of over 50 countries—carved from wood, metal, ivory, porcelain and other materials. Their designs, both simplistic and artistic, run the gamut from serious to whimsical, ecclesiastical to risqué and menacing to cute. Visitors from over 75 countries have been greeted by Karl, a 6-foot-tall Bavarian nutcracker carved in Oberammergau.
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Best Known Street in Texas
By Linda Tancs
The heart of Austin, Texas, 6th Street is an entertainment mecca. On the one hand, you’ll find historic buildings hosting bars, restaurants and an eclectic set of entertainment venues boasting everything from country to punk. On the other hand, quieter pursuits await thanks to art galleries and antique shops. No wonder the variety attracts showcase events like the Austin Mardi Gras celebration, SXSW, The Republic of Texas Bikers Rally, the Pecan Street Festival (the street’s former name) and the infamous Halloween celebration. Get ready to party.
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New Glass in China
By Linda Tancs
Twenty-five times stronger than other forms of glass, the glass-bottomed suspension bridge at Shiniuzhai National Geological Park in southeastern China’s Hunan province is aptly named Brave Man’s Bridge (Haohan Qiao). It stands, after all, 590 feet above a valley, a vertigo-inducing attraction in a land enamored with skywalks these days. But, as the saying goes, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The skywalk to end all skywalks is afoot (no pun intended) in Zhangjiajie National Park. Spanning a gap between two cliffs at a height of 984 feet and a length of 1,410, it will be the world’s highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge.
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Something Wild in Oregon
By Linda Tancs
There’s always something wild going on at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Extending one mile into the Pacific Ocean from the Oregon coast, this oceanfront park with a beach reveals an array of life. At low tide the ocean floor unveils pools of colorful animals including orange sea stars, purple sea urchins and giant green anemones. Harbor seals and peregrine falcons vie for attention. And around this time of year the gray whales are on their migratory path to Mexico. Above all else (literally) is Yaquina Head, the state’s tallest lighthouse at 93 feet, boasting a fully automated first order Fresnel lens. The lighthouse is open for limited, ranger-led tours.
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Under the Blanket of Snow
By Linda Tancs
Hurricane Ridge is the most easily accessed mountain area within Olympic National Park in Washington State. Blanketed with over 10 feet of snow for most of the winter, snow enthusiasts enjoy the winter scenery, along with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and sledding. The snow moles, on the other hand, enjoy their privacy. Endemic to the park, Olympic snow moles are scurrying beneath this blanket of snow, which provides them with ample water for the short summer season ahead.
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Chocolate for a Cause
By Linda Tancs
Famagusta Gate is one of three original entrances into the old city of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Not surprisingly, it serves as a cultural center. This weekend you could call it a chocolate center. That’s because the third annual chocolate festival is coming to town. A festive event, previous participants included ION chocolate, Lindt, Kalopesas and Platres Chocolate Workshop. Live chocolate shows, lessons and exhibitions are on the agenda. As usual, proceeds will be donated to local charities, a good reason to indulge without guilt.
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The Graveyard of the Pacific
By Linda Tancs
The Columbia River Bar represents a clash of the titans. That’s where the mighty Columbia River (the largest in the Pacific Northwest) meets the Pacific Ocean. As the river surges towards its meeting point, it drops a deposit of sand and silt that extends six miles into the ocean. Not surprisingly, this can result in a navigational nightmare. In fact, since 1792 around 2,000 ships have sunk in this area, earning it the moniker “Graveyard of the Pacific.” One of the most popular shipwrecks is the Peter Iredale. Its skeletal remains are on the beach at Clapsop Spit at Fort Stevens State Park in Hammond, Oregon.
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The Graveyard of the Atlantic
By Linda Tancs
Shipwrecks play a major role in the history of the ocean just offshore of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a region appropriately named the Graveyard of the Atlantic. From Kitty Hawk south to Ocracoke, you can snorkel or dive around 3,000 wrecks, including the first colonial ships of the 1500s and the most German U-boats sunk off any state coast in America. Landlubbers need not miss out. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras offers a full range of exhibits, programs and events covering all major wrecks as well as the area’s cultural and coastal history.
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On the Ridge of First Mountain
By Linda Tancs
Originally known as “Kypsburg,” Kip’s Castle and its grounds span the ridge of First Mountain, on the border between Montclair and Verona townships in New Jersey. Constructed in the early 1900s for textile inventor and industrialist Frederick Ellsworth Kip and his wife, the estate’s glorious 9,000-square-foot mansion replicates a medieval Norman castle. The first floor is open for self-guided tours, a particular treat this time of year with holiday décor in full swing.
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