Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
TV Fest For High Rollers
By Linda Tancs
So what do you do after the Monte Carlo Casino takes all your money? Well, at least now through 11 June, you attend the TV Festival at Grimaldi Forum. In its 49th year, the event is chock full of public screenings and autograph signings. Competition is keen for recognition as the best of worldwide television programming. The winners are rewarded with the Golden Nymphs statuettes, a rendition of the “Salmacis” Nymph by Monegasque sculptor François-Joseph Bosio. His original work is on show at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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Friday Night Fever
By Linda Tancs
“Laissez les bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll) takes on a new meaning in Paris on Friday nights. Beginning at 10 p.m. on Place Raoul Dautry in the 14th arrondissement the rolls of inline skates roar through the streets on a 3-hour tour of the city (weather permitting). The 18-mile route is not meant for the casual skater; the level of difficulty differs widely (think: Tour de France). The organization responsible for this endurance test, Pari-Roller, frequently changes the route; the trek for the week can be viewed on Thursdays. Think you’ve got the goods? Give it a roll.
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Underground Monument in Lithuania
By Linda Tancs
So what do underground music and Vilnius, Lithuania have in common? Answer: Frank Zappa. Zappa, the late underground music czar and leader of The Mothers of Invention, has a monument in his honor in the artsy neighborhood of Užupis. Although perhaps better known for his collaborations with former Czech leader Václav Havel as a cultural consultant, Zappa exerted a strong influence on the underground music scene across Eastern Europe. What better time to visit Vilnius than 2009 as the city celebrates its designation as a European Capital of Culture (or is that subculture?).
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Where the Kangaroos Roam
By Linda Tancs
Kangaroos are everywhere in Australia–no less so at Kangaroo Island. But that’s not the only form of abundance waiting for you in this 1700-square-mile piece of paradise just 30 minutes from Adelaide. The place is teeming with wildlife, but what else would you expect on an island that is about one third protected national park land? No worries, there’s more than kangaroos and koalas to see. From spa treatments to sand dunes and cavings to Clifford’s Honey Farm, there’s something for everyone. As English playwright Douglas Jerrold once observed about Australia, “just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.”
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Apache History in Oklahoma
By Linda Tancs
How many times have you, your children or your grandchildren shouted “Geronimo” down the slides or off the monkey bars at a playground? No doubt you’ve heard it many times. What few probably know is the history of the real Geronimo, the Apache warrior behind the fabled shout-out. Buried at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Oklahoma, historians seem unable to agree on much besides the fact that he was one of the last great Indian warriors of the 19th century, spending the last 15 years of his life as a prisoner of war at the fort after fighting against Mexican and U.S. forces for their infringements on Apache lands. Hardly a hostile prisoner, he became friendly with his captors and even attended the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt. Does that diminish his image as a fierce combatant? Visit his stomping grounds, and you be the judge.
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Sticker Shock in Cuba
By Linda Tancs
Now that travel under some circumstances from the U.S. to Cuba has been eased, don’t break the piggy bank for that traveling money. According to the official Cuban tourist board in Canada, that American-based dinero will not be as welcome as you might be. For instance, unlike euros, Canadian dollars or even Swiss francs, American dollars are subject to a 10% surcharge on exchange. Also, credit and debit cards and traveler’s checks drawn on U.S. banks are not accepted. That’s not to say that you can’t spend dollars at all. Save the greenbacks for the street vendors and relatives. In other cases, it might be best to go continental.
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Steely Determination
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard the expression “making lemonade out of lemons.” How about “turning steel into slots”? That’s what they’ve done in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with the opening of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. Officials hope that the once mighty Bethlehem Steel mills, converted into what is a hoped-for gambling mecca, will steal (no pun intended) market share from economy-bashed Atlantic City with 3000 slots and video gaming. Don’t miss the gala grand opening on 9 June, when the Bethlehem blast furnaces will officially inaugurate the new digs.
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What is Culture
By Linda Tancs
A special issue of a major magazine is dubbed “The Culture Issue.” This got me wondering–what is “culture”? Don’t mind the dictionary. Just think about it. What does culture mean to you? If you had to gather a compilation for your own issue, what would you include–and why? It seems almost daring to lay claim to culture in a single issue as it’s susceptible to as many meanings as there are sensibilities–or, to borrow the words of late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material but I know it when I see it.”
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Casino Resort Towns Offer Genteel Charm
By Linda Tancs
Less than five miles from the bright lights, big city atmosphere of Atlantic City, New Jersey is a Southern-style genteel charm offered up by the cities of Ventnor and Margate. Look out for the wrought iron-terraced homes, white picket fences and covered porches reminiscent of Charleston and other Southern U.S. cities. Even more surprising, against the backdrop of this style and sophistication, Margate hosts a giant elephant–that’s right, an elephant–named Lucy. It’s a museum, actually, celebrating 128 years this July. Six stories high and shaped like an elephant, the museum (on the National Register of Historic Places) offers a view into southern New Jersey history. You won’t want to miss this stop on a tour of roadside America.
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Let the Good Cheese Roll
By Linda Tancs
Most of us would likely prefer our double Gloucester on a cheese plate with some table crackers, but on Cooper’s Hill in the Cotswolds they’d rather roll it down a very steep slope. Yes, it’s another centuries-old custom across the pond. Think of it as bowling without the pins, but you don’t lose your grip on the ball! Conditions on the hill are expected to be favorable this year, with the first race starting at noon on 25 May. The cheese wheels weigh between 7 and 8 pounds. Not surprisingly, their escorts have suffered an injury or two on the Alpine-like slope. Spectators, too, should be wary of wayward cheeses. Though only one will get the brass ring (in this case, a lot of cheese), the joy for the rest will surely be the thrill of competition, and maybe the agony of ‘de feet.’
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 