Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Safari by Numbers
By Linda Tancs
Generally, Africa may not seem like the ideal place for a family vacation. After all, children under the age of six are generally not allowed on game drives. More than likely, however, you wouldn’t consider a safari destination for children that young anyway (or would you!). You can always choose a lodge with family amenities, like Singita Ebony or Singita Boulders lodges. They offer activities for children including board games, DVDs, wildlife shows, cooking with chefs, a cosmic safari (astronomy), and nature quizzes. If the kids are older, why not consider something more adventurous, like the 12 spacious en-suite safari-style tents at Toka Leya Camp in Zambia, where you can raft and bungee jump. Whatever you decide, the dry winter months (through August) offer the best game viewing.
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An Artist’s Cottage
By Linda Tancs
What does a spa experience evoke for you? A facial, massage, aromatherapy–maybe some hot stones? Add an artist’s cottage to that. That’s right: at Ojai Valley Inn and Spa in southern California, your Shangri-La includes the Artist’s Cottage and Apothecary. There guests will team with artists to learn the skills required to work in media such as oils, pastels, watercolor, and precious metals. Add to that the Apothecary, where you can create your own personal scent for inclusion in lotions, gels and creams that will carry your own name. As you settle into the pink glow of an early evening in the valley, surely you’ll find the surroundings to be inspiring.
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The House That Witnessed History
By Linda Tancs
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991, Bush-Holley House is a saltbox in cozy Cos Cob, a Greenwich, Connecticut suburb on the north side of Long Island Sound. Initially constructed in 1728, the colonial home’s coastal vantage point provided front row views decades later to our nation’s battle for independence. Purchased in the early 1700s by Justus Bush, a wealthy farmer in Greenwich, the family operated a tide mill on the property and later added a storehouse that would become the Cos Cob post office for a time. The house passed into the Holley family, who ran it as a boarding house for artists and writers. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, an art colony for impressionists flourished in Cos Cob. Serving as part of the Connecticut Art Trail, the house museum honors the area’s artistic legacy through temporary and permanent exhibitions.
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Art and Decadence in Marseille
By Linda Tancs
In the Panier quarter of Marseille is a French gallery-turned-guesthouse that proudly proclaims its marriage of art and decadence. Known as Au Vieux Panier, each room in the five-room B&B boasts a different design by a different artist, redesigned annually by a new group of creatives. The rooms have sported monikers like Purgatory Palace (a convergence of geometric patterns and biblical imagery), Catch the Wind (a 1960s style commune) and the Panic Room (a down-the-middle split between stark white and graffiti gone wild). De beaux rêves!
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A Jubilee Fit For a Queen
By Linda Tancs
Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation took place on 2 June 1953. Celebrating her 60 years on the throne, the upcoming central weekend of her Diamond Jubilee (2-5 June) promises to be as memorable and majestic as, well, her Majesty. Some highlights include the river pageant on Sunday afternoon, a mustering of 1000 boats and ships upriver of Battersea and ending at Tower Bridge, featuring the Queen’s barge, a floating belfry, historic ships, boats spouting geysers and music barges. On 4 June the BBC will present a concert at Buckingham Palace surrounding what Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, famously referred to as The Wedding Cake (the Victoria Memorial). The concert will include classic hits from artists including Shirley Bassey, Alfie Boe, Jools Holland, Jessie J, JLS, Elton John, Tom Jones, Lang Lang, Annie Lennox, Madness, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard and Ed Sheeran. The long celebratory weekend will end on 5 June with the carriage procession up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and down the Mall through the center gates at Buckingham Palace. As the royals wave from the balcony, the RAF will fly over the palace–minus Concorde, whose deafening roar signalled its awesome impending approach during the Golden Jubilee flyover in 2002. Long live the Queen!
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Torch Relay in Ironbridge
By Linda Tancs
On the border of North Wales and approximately three hours from London is the town of Ironbridge in Shropshire, England. Its world famous Iron Bridge is the first arch bridge to be made of cast iron. The bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will cross the Iron Bridge today at 3:14 p.m., making its way along Wellington Road to the Museum of Iron and finishing at the Coalbrookdale pub at 3:39 p.m. Entertainment starts at 2:00 p.m. Expect large crowds; use the free park and ride at Stoney Hill.
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Winging It in the Falklands
By Linda Tancs
The black-browed albatross has the largest wingspan of any flying bird. You’ll find two-thirds of the world’s population in the Falkland Islands, a compact group of more than 740 islands approximately 400 miles off the southeastern tip of South America. Rendered an endangered species by BirdLife International, this majestic bird breeds on Steeple Jason and Beauchêne Island. Perhaps one of nature’s best kept secrets, the unspoiled terrain of this UK Overseas Territory draws visitors from around the world, particularly in conjunction with cruise tours of Antarctica via the Drake Passage. There are also scheduled flights from Europe or other parts of the world with LAN Chile via Santiago de Chile and Punta Arenas. Not up for a commercial flight? Consider hitching a ride with the RAF via Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. It won’t be cheap, but it will certainly be adventurous–as will ground travel. The Falklands has the greatest number of four-wheel drive vehicles per capita in the world thanks to, shall we say, choppy road conditions.
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Nation’s Largest City Zoo
By Linda Tancs
The Bronx Zoo in New York is the nation’s largest city zoo. Managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, its exhibits include the Congo Gorilla Forest, the Wild Asia Monorail, Tiger Mountain, and Madagascar. The zoo is especially renowned for its Education Department, dedicated to teaching youngsters and adults about wildlife and wild habitats through guided tours, family overnights, summer programs, and opportunities to meet zoo experts. Save 20% when you purchase a Total Experience Ticket online, which includes all the popular attractions like the 4-D Theater, Bug Carousel, Butterfly Garden, Congo Gorilla Forest, Children’s Zoo, JungleWorld, Wild Asia Monorail, and the Zoo Shuttle.
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Best of British
By Linda Tancs
There are 14 events scheduled for the month of May alone to celebrate the Best of British Festival, running 25 May to 26 July in Winchester. Those events include author Claire Tomalin’s take on Charles Dickens, a hog roast to celebrate the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, a reading of the Churchill letters and a chat with Field Marshal Lord Vincent. Dame Judi Dench is headlining this festival; so put this on your to-do list.
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Ducks Rule in Memphis
By Linda Tancs
The Peabody Memphis, a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond historic hotel in Tennessee, epitomizes southern hospitality and charm. A symbol of elegance and good taste, it attracts visitors worldwide. Of course, it’s within easy reach of many Memphis attractions like Beale Street, the Memphis Museum of Rock & Soul, Orpheum Theatre, FedEx Forum (home of the Memphis Grizzlies), AutoZone Park, Graceland and Sun Studio. But arguably its greatest attraction are the rooftop residents: five ducks who’ve been marching their way down from the Duck Palace to the Italian marble lobby fountain at the direction of their revered Duck Master since 1933. The march is held every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.; you better arrive early if you want to secure your place along the red carpet running from the elevator door to the fountain. The ducks are yours to cherish from 11 until the five o’clock run, when it’s back in the elevator and up to the penthouse suite, so to speak, for those plucky mallards.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 