Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!New Brunswick’s Colonial Past
By Linda Tancs
One of Canada’s 50 Places of a Lifetime is the scenic St. John River Valley in New Brunswick. Eastern Canada’s longest river, it boasts the world’s longest covered bridge. Chief among the area’s charms, though, is the entertaining outdoor living history museum known as Kings Landing. Created in the 1960s above the high-water mark arising from the river dam project, the settlement commemorates the colonial life and times of the first settlers in this region, a regiment of loyalists in the American Revolution known as the King’s American Dragoons. Sure, there’s plenty of the butter making, candle dipping and wool spinning that typifies villages of this sort, but Kings Landing is also a monument to the industrial and agricultural traditions of colonial America’s refugees. A horse-powered drag saw is just one spectacle greeting you on your visit. The settlement is also a back-breeding program for livestock, vegetables, fruit and flowers, sporting 19th century varieties less common or almost extinct today. This year’s season begins on 14 June.
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A Tour de Suisse
By Linda Tancs
The scenery from Lucerne to Locarno is just as dramatic as the telling of the legend of Switzerland’s William Tell. No wonder, then, that a rail journey between these two destinations is named the William Tell Express. Beginning with a three-hour boat cruise on Lake Lucerne (host to the storybook Chapel Bridge), the panoramic train trip begins at Flüelen, winds its way through the Reuss Valley, traces the Gotthard line and meanders through picturesque villages en route to Locarno. Forget about the apple shot. On this journey you’ll find the money shot for sure.
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A Victorian Fantasy in New Orleans
By Linda Tancs
Turrets, columns and gingerbread aren’t the usual fare associated with architecture in New Orleans. But then again, anything goes in the Big Easy. In the middle of the Garden District you’ll find a turquoise and white Victorian dream known as Commander’s Palace, a restaurant known for its cuisine–and famous guests–since 1880. Located on Washington Avenue just steps from the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, this is where Emile Commander entertained folks like Mark Twain and Confederate Jefferson Davis. Nowadays it’s particularly known for its festive weekend jazz brunch, featuring a special menu and live New Orleans jazz by Joe Simon’s Jazz Trio.
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Double Trouble in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
In Ocean County, N.J., you’ll find Double Trouble. No, not the nefarious kind. It’s a state park located on the eastern edge of the Pine Barrens –and with a name like that, you’d be correct in assuming that it isn’t exactly teeming with visitors. All the better for you, though. Enjoy the peace and serenity of fabulous walking trails dotted with cranberry bogs. Embracing a historic village that typifies centuries-old company towns reliant on local industry, the woodland is emblematic of cranberry culture. The Double Trouble Company had one of the largest cranberry operations in the state there (hence, the name). The Double Trouble Historic District was placed on the State Register of Historic Places in 1977 and on the National Register in 1978.
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A Capital Experience in Iceland
By Linda Tancs
Iceland is a little island jewel in the North Atlantic, a geological nexus between America and Europe featuring natural wonders like the midnight sun, aurora borealis, thermal baths, glaciers and endless lava fields. Hear all about it on Travelrific® Radio.
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The World’s Largest Cave
By Linda Tancs
Spelunkers, take note. Beginning this year, there’s a new cave to explore in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province. Known as the Son Doong, it was fully explored for the first time in 2009 despite being discovered in 1991. Over five miles long and nearly 500 feet high at its peak, the passage is the world’s largest known cavern, a title previously held by Deer Cave in the Malaysian section of the island of Borneo.
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Royal Hospital Welcomes Visitors
By Linda Tancs
Today marks the birthday of Britain’s King Charles II. It’s a day fondly regarded at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea; King Charles founded the hospital in 1681 as a retirement home for war veterans (pensioners). Nearest the day is the hospital’s seminal annual event–a parade presided over by a member of the Royal Family. This year’s festivities will take place on 5 June. You can always visit the hospital, led by a Chelsea Pensioner, for a small fee featuring a 90-minute daily walking tour. Otherwise, you can visit the grounds, chapel and Great Hall on your own for free.
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A Star in the East
By Linda Tancs
There’s a star in the East–no, not the biblical kind: the Hollywood kind. A 26-foot-tall sculpture of Marilyn Monroe is a featured attraction at New Jersey’s Grounds for Sculpture. Created by renowned sculptor and philanthropist Seward Johnson, the piece returns “home” from Palm Springs as part of the Hamilton museum’s retrospective on Johnson’s career. Taking place through September, the months-long festivities will include hands-on art-making workshops, tours of the park and artwork, screenings of archival footage, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour with Johnson.
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New Jersey’s Largest Rose Garden
By Linda Tancs
This time of year, New Jersey’s Rudolf van der Goot Rose Garden is at its peak. The state’s largest public rose garden is awash in color and aroma–hardly surprising, with 325 varieties abounding. A popular locale for wedding photography, the one-acre site is located in Colonial Park in Somerset. Don’t expect to find too many wilts; only roses that thrive in central New Jersey are kept in the garden. Let’s give that a green thumbs-up!
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Durham’s Seat of Power
By Linda Tancs
Once upon a time, following the Norman Conquest, there were two kings in England. That unusual circumstance arose in England’s County Durham. During William the Conqueror’s time, the two most powerful men in that northeastern region were the earl and the Bishop of Durham. Recognizing the need for a local power to guard against Scottish marauders, the Bishop of Durham was granted unusual authority by the king, including the ability to raise taxes, mint coins and hold parliaments. As a result, the successive bishops came to be known as the Prince Bishops. They even had their own palace–Auckland Castle. High above the Wear Valley in Bishop Auckland, the castle is no longer the Bishop of Durham’s official residence although he works there. Now fully open to the public for the first time, the castle’s parkland extends almost 200 acres. A crowd favorite is Deer House, a folly built in Gothic Revival style. Other interesting features are the Throne Room and St. Peter’s Chapel, the largest private chapel in Europe.
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