Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Sweden’s Lake Monster
By Linda Tancs
Scotland has Nessie. Vermont has Champy. Sweden has Storsjöodjuret, the legendary monster residing in Storsjön, the country’s fifth largest lake located in Jämtland. Some reports indicate sightings as far back as the 1600s. According to lore, the creature sports a serpent-shaped body and a dog-like head. Besides monster hunting, boating and fishing are popular activities at the lake. In fact, there are almost 20 different species of fish, particularly trout, char, pike, perch, grayling, whitefish, roach and lake. Fishing is free for young anglers; otherwise, a permit is required.
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Trondheim’s Jewish Museum
By Linda Tancs
Trondheim, Norway, boasts the northernmost synagogue in Europe. Interestingly, the Trondheim Synagogue began its life as a train station, the only synagogue to serve such a function. The history of the place and the Jewish settlers (who first arrived in the 1880s) is recounted at the annexed Jewish Museum. And, in case you were wondering, the northernmost synagogue in the world is located in Fairbanks, Alaska.
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The Battle of Red Bank
By Linda Tancs
The Battle of Red Bank was a key conflict in the Revolutionary War, marking a victory for the Continental Army in their effort to prevent British and Hessian soldiers from capturing Fort Mercer. The site, Red Bank Battlefield, is a historic park located in National Park, New Jersey, along the waterfront of the Delaware River. An archaeological dig last year revealed the remains of Hessian soldiers as well as artifacts including a King George III gold guinea, which represented a soldier’s monthly payment. The park is also home to the James and Ann Whitall house. Built in 1748, the bustling plantation also served as a field hospital.
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A Little Lamb in Massachusetts
By Linda Tancs
For fans of nursery rhymes, you’ll find a nod to “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in Sterling, Massachusetts. The story goes that Mary Sawyer was followed to school there in the 1800s by her pet lamb, prompting a town visitor to write a poem about it. To commemorate the event, a statue of a lamb was later erected to boast of the locale as the birthplace for the nursery rhyme beloved by many. You’ll find the statue at the corner of Main Street and Meetinghouse Hill Road.
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Wolf Watching in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
Just minutes from the Delaware Water Gap, Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia, New Jersey, is the only place of its kind in the state. Featuring educational tours and photography sessions, their guided excursions enable you to experience packs of British Columbian, Timber and Arctic wolves in natural surroundings. Bobcat, lynx and foxes also reside at the preserve. Online reservations are required.
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Camels and Crocodiles
By Linda Tancs
The Guelta d’Archei is a Saharan guelta (oasis) in the Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad. Surrounded by towering cliffs, it’s a centuries-old pitstop of sorts for caravans of camels that have been herded to the water to wade and drink. More than just a watering hole, the locale also serves as their bathroom (or loo, if you like), which results in algae blooms for fish to feed on. The fish, in turn, are food for the crocodiles, the other primary animal found there. Trips there usually comprise a four-day journey across the Sahara from N’Djamena. The trek is challenging and there are no marked trails on the hike to the guelta.
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Canada’s History
By Linda Tancs
The Canadian Museum of History is the most-visited museum in the nation. It’s also one of the country’s oldest institutions, with roots dating back to 1856. Boasting 25,000 square meters of display space and representing nearly as many years of human history, its purpose is to promote Canadian heritage and research in the fields of history, archaeology, ethnology and cultural studies. In addition to ongoing exhibitions like Grand Hall and First Peoples Hall, the facility provides special exhibitions on not only Canadian history but also on world history and civilizations. The museum is located in Gatineau, Quebec, on the banks of the Ottawa River directly opposite Parliament Hill.
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The Potato Hotel
By Linda Tancs
Just 20 miles from downtown Boise, Idaho, a giant tater has earned a second life as a hotel. Originally built to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th anniversary, the 6-ton spud measures 28 feet long, 12 feet wide and 11.5 feet high. After touring the country for several years to celebrate the state’s prized export, a decision was made to convert the fixture into a hotel. Lest you have any doubts about its viability as a guest house, the potato hotel is air conditioned and energy efficient for optimal heating and cooling. A nearby silo has been converted into a bathroom and a spa complete with a whirlpool and a skylight for star gazing. If you’re into one-of-a-kind stays, then this is the place for you.
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An Old Post Office in Hinsdale
By Linda Tancs
Opened in 1816, the Hinsdale, New Hampshire, post office is the oldest post office in the United States operating continuously out of the same location since its inception. Other post offices have been in operation longer than Hinsdale’s 200-plus years, but not out of the same locale. Located on Main Street, the postal service was once a small part of a general store. One of its most cherished features is the line of brass mailboxes from the 1800s, complete with letter combination locks.
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The King of Ragtime’s House
By Linda Tancs
Scott Joplin, an American composer and pianist, was known as the “King of Ragtime” because of the fame he achieved for his ragtime compositions. Many of his best-known works (like “The Entertainer,” “Elite Syncopations,” “March Majestic” and “Ragtime Dance”) were written between 1901 and 1903 in a small flat on what is now known as Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. Ragtime enjoyed a renaissance in the early 1970s when the motion picture “The Sting” used “The Entertainer” as its theme song. The Scott Joplin House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is now a State Historic Site filled with turn-of-the-century antiques and exhibits interpreting Joplin’s life and work.
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