Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Tallinn’s Concert of Light
By Linda Tancs
As summer draws to a close and Estonia’s days wind into longer nights, now is the time to celebrate the light. Today’s “Light is Walking in Kadriorg” (7pm until 11pm) closes out Tallinn’s summer concert series with thousands of candles and torches around Kadriorg Park. Within walking distance from the Old Town, the park is adorned with a grand Baroque palace befitting one of northern Europe’s oldest capital cities.
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The Sound of Silence
By Linda Tancs
Silence is powerful, even spiritual. That may be one reason why New Zealand’s Doubtful Sound is such a popular attraction. Part of Fiordland National Park, it is the deepest of the fiords and blissfully serene, featuring a range of flora and fauna along its many islets. Experience its serenity for yourself via kayak, cruise, day trip or overnighter.
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Brisbane’s Storied Bridge
By Linda Tancs
Dozens of bridges worldwide have a storied past, an iconic status treasured by locals and tourists alike. Indeed, every bridge tells a story, which is why it’s so fitting and natural that Brisbane should name its cantilever bridge–what else–Story Bridge. Spanning the Brisbane River, Story Bridge is the largest steel bridge designed, fabricated and constructed in Australia by Australians, a product of the Great Depression providing years of much needed employment. You can view the landscape like one of those bridge workers with a bridge climb. Choose from a traditional bridge climb, an abseil climb or a photographic climb. In any case, you’re sure to have a story to tell.
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The Park of Kings
By Linda Tancs
Doñana National Park in Spain is a significant European nature reserve. Easily accessible from Cádiz, the oldest city in western Europe, it has seen its share of kings over the centuries: Philip IV, Philip V and Alfonso XIII hunted there. These days a host of threatened bird species needn’t worry about the sport of kings. The park’s lagoons, marshlands, dunes, scrub woodland and maquis provide restful cover for five threatened bird species as well as for one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region.
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Mexico’s Independence
By Linda Tancs
You might think that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. Actually, it isn’t. That stellar occasion on the Mexican calendar comes on 16 September. So what’s the distinction? Cinco de Mayo represents the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla, whereas, 16 September marks the revolt against Spanish colonial government and the road to independence. It’s a day for flags, balloons, sombreros, food and mariachi bands across the country. Here’s a nice synopsis of Mexican Independence Day.
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Lincoln’s Logs
By Linda Tancs
The 42nd Annual Abraham Lincoln National Railsplitting Festival will take place in Lincoln, Illionois from 14 to 16 September. The event kicks off on Friday with a Civil War Ball from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District Rec Center. For those who want to see how logs are split into beautiful rails, don’t miss the fierce competition on Saturday and Sunday at the Logan County Fairgrounds. Log splitting for rail fences was a way of life on the American frontier, and President Abraham Lincoln was a rail splitter in his youth. That activity led to his nickname, Rail Splitter, coined by the Republican Party to enhance his candidacy for President in 1860.
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The Remotest Part of Great Britain
By Linda Tancs
Forty-one miles west of Benbecula in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides is the archipelago of Saint Kilda, the remotest part of the British Isles. Of its four islands, Hirta boasts the highest sea cliffs in the country. Its natural beauty earned it a World Heritage Site designation, an appellation enjoyed these days by its permanent residents consisting of puffins, gannets and other seabirds and wildlife. The human population long ago moved to the mainland to escape its isolation. If its sounds difficult to visit this place, you’d be right–but perseverance is rewarded. Try a cruise ship, charter or yacht, for starters. You should know that the only accommodation on Saint Kilda for visitors is a small camp site, with room for a maximum of six people. Visitors may stay for up to five nights.
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The Kokoda Trail
By Linda Tancs
The formidable trek known as the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea has a storied past, being the site of the battle between Japanese and Australian forces during World War II. The physically demanding journey takes you 60 miles overland through the Owen Stanley range, a slog through mud and hills that’s surely evocative of a war zone. The trail, popular with Australian tourists, is quite the mecca for any adventurous soul or military buff. In Sydney there’s a memorial walkway commemorating the Australian forces –a lot less arduous to navigate but very poignant.
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World’s Largest Lagoon
By Linda Tancs
In the southwest Pacific and east of Australia lies New Caledonia, a country with French roots surrounded by the world’s largest lagoon. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the lagoons provide not only natural beauty but also a safe habitat for threatened marine species such as turtles, whales and dugongs. The warm and sunny climate is perfect for activities like scuba diving, fishing, jet skiing, kite surfing, surfing, windsurfing, horseback riding and canyoning. Catch a quick day trip from Sydney or a host of other locations, and expect the unforgettable.
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A Sky Walk in New Zealand
By Linda Tancs
What’s taller than the Eiffel Tower, has three circular public observation levels and a view of 51 miles (give or take) on a clear day? Why, it’s the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. The twelfth tallest tower in the world, each of its observation decks offers 360-degree views of the city–and beyond. If you’re not content to admire the surroundings from the inside, you can walk or jump as well. The SkyJump lets you feel like Superman as you base jump 192 meters straight down. If that’s not enough of a rush for you, then consider the SkyWalk, a jaunt aruond the edge of Sky Tower’s pergola in a full body harness and overhead safety lines.
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