Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Mount Holly Boasts Historic Prison
By Linda Tancs
Burlington County Prison Museum, located in historic Mount Holly, New Jersey, is a National Historic Landmark. Until its closing in 1965, it operated continuously for 154 years, rendering it the oldest continuously used prison in the United States. It might be better known for its hauntings, though. After all, public hangings for capital crimes took place in the prison yard. Now a museum, the facility is open from Thursday to Sunday.
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A Distinctive Voice in the Gulf
By Linda Tancs
One thing you’ll notice among Canada’s Magdalen Islands is the array of distinctive voices peppering the locals’ speech. It’s part of the charm of this archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. So, too, are the harp seals. Now is the time to observe them in their natural habitat on the ice floes around the islands. Year-round service to the region is available by plane or bus. Ferry service is available off-season by reservation.
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A Tale of Two Monuments
By Linda Tancs
London’s oldest monument is Cleopatra’s Needle at Victoria Embankment. And no, it has nothing to do with Cleopatra and, aside from its shape, has nothing to do with a needle. Erected in London in 1878, it’s younger than Monument, constructed in the 1670s to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666. The Needle, however, was erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III around 1450 B.C. In that respect, at least, it is the oldest monument. But, alas, there’s no view from the top. For that, head over to the other Monument (via Monument Underground), where a 311-step trek to the balcony will net you amazing views and a certificate to boot.
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Trieste’s Point of View
By Linda Tancs
The House of Habsburg (later part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) found a pleasant respite on the peak of the rocky promontory of Grignano in the Gulf of Trieste on Italy’s northeast coast. On that spot in 1856 Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian commissioned an ornate palace befitting his rank. The result was Miramare Castle, an exotic blend of Gothic, medieval and Renaissance styles that remains remarkably intact. Only a half hour by bus from the central train station in Trieste, you can admire the jaw-dropping décor and furnishings of the predominately oceanview rooms at your own pace.
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The Sandwich Queen
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder what the longest menu is to enter the Guinness Book of Records? That would be the 55-inch-long ode to the open sandwich at Copenhagen’s Restaurant Ida Davidsen. Boasting over 250 varieties of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches), there’s something for every palate in this sandwich palace run by Ida Davidsen, the great-grandchild of founder Oskar Davidsen. The shop is open for lunch on weekdays only, excluding holidays.
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The Birthplace of Country Music
By Linda Tancs
Imagine being able to step into the shoes of some of the first families of country music and record your own rendition of the songs that launched their careers. You can do that at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Located at the junction between Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, it’s officially recognized by Congress as the birthplace of country music. The museum’s mission is to preserve and promote the 1927 recording sessions of legends like Jimmie Rogers and the Carter family, an event that Johnny Cash hailed as a seminal event in country music history. Even the Library of Congress has ranked the “Bristol Sessions” as one of the 50 most significant events in the history of recorded music. A special exhibition honoring the Carters runs through 28 February.
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A Bit of Swiss in Bedfordshire
By Linda Tancs
A nine-acre garden with a hint of Swiss graces the heart of England’s Bedfordshire. Located in Old Warden just outside Biggleswade beside an aviation museum, the 200-year-old garden is a recently restored gem of the Regency era. Known as the Swiss Garden, it is, as the name implies, an alpine-inspired haven hailing a bygone era when the cognoscenti vacationed in the Swiss Alps. The centerpiece is the thatched Swiss Cottage, complemented by other listed buildings as well as bridges, urns and arches. A high terrace walk provides ample views of the renewed landscaping. Enhance your visit with new interpretation and activity programs. The garden is open daily.
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Old Bones in Darmstadt
By Linda Tancs
Germany’s first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site is a fossil pit near Darmstadt, the cultural capital of Hesse. It’s not just any old fossil pit, mind you. The Messel Pit is a thriving tribute to the Eocene Epoch over 47 million years ago with over 40,000 finds to date. Relics include 30 complete skeletons, a prehistoric horse, hundreds of plant species and a wide assortment of fish, reptiles, birds, amphibians and invertebrates. The pit is accessible via guided group tours or a viewing platform.
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A Giant Tale in Albania
By Linda Tancs
The relatively small country of Albania sports a giant tale. According to legend, the Tomorr and Shpirag mountains in Berat were once giants vying for the affection of a young maiden. Upon their deaths in the ensuing battle, the maiden’s voluminous tears formed the Osum River. Nice story, but the locals would much rather you remember their fair town as the “city of a thousand windows.” That moniker arises from the view below the citadel, where an impressive array of windows strikes the eye thanks to the homes nestled in the rocky castle hill.
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Two Thousand Feet of Art
By Linda Tancs
Nestled between the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River is Portsmouth, Ohio. Given its location at the confluence of these rivers, it’s not surprising that great flooding over nearly a century beginning in the 1800s necessitated the building of a floodwall after the great flood of 1937. But this isn’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill floodwall. It’s an outdoor art gallery depicting the last two centuries of the history of Portsmouth and the surrounding area, extending for over 2,000 feet along Front Street in the historic Boneyfiddle District of downtown Portsmouth. Believed to be the largest known work of art by a single artist, the Portsmouth Murals can be viewed on foot with self-guided audio or from the comfort of your car.
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