Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!A Cruise Ship Fit for a Queen
By Linda Tancs
Undoubtedly it’s safe to say that Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t charter cruise ships willy-nilly. So when the monarch did just that to celebrate her 80th birthday, you’ve got to think that the ship must be something special. That ship is the Hebridean Princess, a luxury ship hosting just 50 guests. Now in its 25th season, the former ferry boat has come a long way indeed. From March to November the ship sets sail from Oban for Scotland’s far flung isles, offering travelers the best way imaginable to discover the remoteness and beauty of the west coast.
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Mexican Resort Offers Tahitian-Style Bungalows
By Linda Tancs
If the allure of a South Pacific bungalow has you longing for a Tahitian holiday (but not the flying time), then consider its North American equivalent in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Rosewood Mayakoba is a 1600-acre luxury resort enveloped by silky Caribbean sand and a verdant jungle. Imagine yourself being welcomed to a deluxe overwater lagoon suite with an outdoor terrace and a heated plunge pool. Have your private butler hail a boat from your private boat dock, sail around the nine classes of gorgeous accommodations and meet your neighbors. You’ve found your Bali Hai.
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Matisse Returns to Stockholm
By Linda Tancs
Stockholm’s Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art) boasts one of the finest collections of contemporary and modern art in Europe. Its most famous work may be Robert Rauschenberg’s Monogram, but its most celebrated work is arguably Matisse’s Le Jardin following its triumphant return to the museum earlier this year after its notorious heist in 1987. Kudos for the homecoming go to the Art Loss Register, an unassuming London company with one of the most extensive databases of stolen art worldwide.
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A Dinner to Remember
By Linda Tancs
For those of you who think that a swanky dinner for two at Monte Carlo’s Louis XV is a wallet-busting experience at a mere $700 or so (not to mention a gastronomical delight), here’s one for the record books: Miami’s Fontainebleau Hotel is celebrating its impending 60th anniversary with a culinary offering to the tune of $1954 per couple. Called the 1954 Dining Experience, this culinary “journey” (appropriately named considering it costs as much as some summer vacations) begins with a bottle of Louis Roderer Cristal champagne and includes Petrossian Royal Osetra caviar, a 12-ounce Japanese Wagyu strip steak, an artisanal cheese selection and two sweet treats created by the award-winning pastry-making staff, among other things. Following the meal, you’ll be escorted to the star-studded LIV lounge for a wee dram to aid your digestion (but not your dwindling bank account).
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Lumiere Dazzles in the U.K.
By Linda Tancs
The medieval city of Durham in northeast England will once again be transformed into a bedazzling landscape of light during this year’s Lumiere Festival today through 17 November. Artists from around the world will adorn the city with their light projects, such as an installation of “dancing” sparks, giving the appearance of fireflies, at Durham Cathedral. From 28 November to 1 December the festival of light continues in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, featuring neon balloon dogs, an interactive forest, and a fire garden.
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The Green Flash
By Linda Tancs
A green flash sunset, when the last sliver of sun turns green before vanishing into the horizon, is spectacular–and elusive for many. That’s because a confluence of events must occur for a viewing of this phenomenon: you need an unobstructed view and no haze or cloud cover at the horizon. For these reasons, it’s a treat best caught on the open sea. My favorite green flash moment was in Moorea in the South Pacific. Leave a comment about your own green flash experience!
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A Writer’s Cottage in New York
By Linda Tancs
Rolling hills, farmland, and unobstructed views to the shores of Long Island. That was The Bronx, a borough of New York City, in the 1800s. This once bucolic setting (now America’s third most densely populated county) was home to one of America’s most celebrated writers, Edgar Allen Poe. Now located at Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse (following removal from its original location not far away), Poe Cottage is a small wooden farmhouse built in 1812. Poe spent the last years of his life there, where he authored various essays and poetical works like “Annabel Lee,” “The Bells” and “Eureka.” The cottage is open on Saturdays and Sundays.
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The First National Wildlife Refuge
By Linda Tancs
A host of threatened and endangered species, including Florida’s venerated manatee, call Pelican Island home. Situated in the middle of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic coast, the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is the first wildlife refuge in the country and has the most diverse bird population in North America. Established in 1903, the site provides a habitat for 700 species of fish, 310 species of birds, and 36 endangered species. The refuge features three trails for nature lovers. The shortest hike is wheelchair-accessible Centennial Trail, a paved path that served as the centerpiece of a nationwide celebration of the refuge system in 2003. The other two mangrove-lined trails are Bird’s Impoundment Trail and Pete’s Impoundment Trail.
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Is There Anybody Out There?
By Linda Tancs
The third largest telescope of its kind in the world, England’s Lovell Radio Telescope in Cheshire has been probing the depths of space for signs of intelligent life since 1957. Located at Jodrell Bank Observatory, the shining white disc measuring 255 feet stands in stark contrast to the verdant plains of Shining Tor, Cheshire’s highest point. At the Visitor Centre you can walk half way around this powerful radio telescope as it investigates cosmic phenomena.
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The World’s Largest Tablet in London
By Linda Tancs
As previously noted, London’s Trafalgar Square attracts interesting exhibitions, artful and otherwise. The latest one to hit the famous meetup space is Microsoft’s installation of a colossal Surface 2 tablet. Smack in the middle of the square, the tablet measures 27 feet in width and 17 feet in height. And it works, too. Of course, this isn’t the corporate behemoth’s first foray into interactive art–remember the giant Windows phone in New York’s Herald Square?
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