Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!An Elegant Estate in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
In 1900, Cleveland industrialist Earl W. Oglebay purchased what is now known as Oglebay Mansion in Wheeling, West Virginia, to serve as a summer home. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, you can explore 13 period rooms and impressive collections of American furniture, china, silver, glass, pewter, toys and textiles. Another feature is The Glass Museum, located on the lower level of Carriage House, which boasts over 4,000 examples of Wheeling glass made from 1829 – 1939, plus the largest piece of cut lead crystal ever made – The Sweeney Punch Bowl. Standing 5 feet tall and weighing 225 pounds, this remarkable piece of Victorian artistry is world renowned.
Share this:
America’s National Maritime Museum
By Linda Tancs
Designated by Congress as America’s National Maritime Museum, The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia, is one of the largest and most comprehensive maritime museums in the world. In fact, the museum’s library contains the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. One of its most iconic features is the USS Monitor, representing the world’s largest marine archaeological metals conservation project. More than 210 tons of material were excavated from the ship’s wreck site in the depths of the Atlantic. Historically significant objects recovered include the revolving gun turret, two Dahlgren guns and the steam propulsion engine. You can get a bird’s-eye view of the conservation efforts from the observation platform at the Batten Conservation Complex. Leave some time to visit the 550-acre park which features the award-winning 5-mile Noland Trail that surrounds the 167-acre Mariners’ Lake.
Share this:
The Boise River Greenbelt
By Linda Tancs
Located in Boise, Idaho, the Boise River Greenbelt is a 25-mile, tree-lined pathway following the north and south sides of the Boise River through the heart of the city. It boasts a series of parks along the trail known as the Ribbon of Jewels, properties that honor some of the city’s finest leaders. Fishing and bird watching are popular activities in the greenbelt, which is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Share this:
A Sea Arch in Iceland
By Linda Tancs
Of the many rock formations in western Iceland, Gatklettur (Hellnar Arch) is arguably the most popular. Located in the heart of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, you’ll get there by walking a coastal path between the villages of Arnarstapi and Hellnar. The peninsula is one of the most beautiful regions in the country and is often referred to as “Iceland in Miniature” because of its diverse geological features and wildlife. It’s best to get there via a tour from Reykjavik or rent a car; there is no public transportation within the region.
Share this:
Boulder Chic in Portugal
By Linda Tancs
From Manueline style to baroque to azulejos, Portuguese architectural styles are recognizable by visitors worldwide. And then there’s boulder chic, as one might call it, in the village of Monsanto, Portugal. Giant boulders carpet the entire hamlet, which is replete with red-roofed granite houses. Homes there are sandwiched between, on and underneath goliath boulders, a situation attributable to the town’s location atop a rock mass outcrop. Therefore, the walks are steep but the unusual sights are worth a trip. Take a bus from Lisbon or Porto.
Share this:
Seoul Music
By Linda Tancs
Divided into an upper and lower level, the Hyundai Card Music Library in Seoul, Korea, boasts an enviable collection of records from Korean hip-hop to Western classics along with music-related books and magazines. The record exhibition on the lower level includes a rare vinyl collection that features The Beatles’ 1966 controversial cover of Yesterday and Today and one of the nine existing albums of the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen. Upstairs you’ll find over 3,000 music-related books as well as every single issue of Rolling Stone ever published. Hyundai credit card holders get special benefits, like live performances in an underground concert hall.
Share this:
The Center of Portugal
By Linda Tancs
Portugal’s first natural park, Serra da Estrela Natural Park is literally at the center of it all. Over 200,000 acres, it’s the largest protected area in the country. The landscape is characterized by rocky outcrops, boulders and crags, a terrain prized by hikers who are spoiled for choice with over 40 trails. The locale is also where you’ll find Queijo Serra da Estrela, a cheese made in this mountainous region for centuries from sheep that graze in the meadows blanketed by buttercups this time of year.
Share this:
New Mexico’s Most Visited Museum
By Linda Tancs
Just minutes away from Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science has an exciting new addition to its dinosaur collection, Tyrannosaurus mcraensis. Unearthed in western New Mexico, the predator is older and more primitive than its better-known cousin, Tyrannosaurus rex. Another dinosaur with deep ties to the state, Alamosaurus, is on display in Cretaceous Hall. You’ll find many more dinosaur specimens at the venue, billed as the state’s most visited museum. Its Triassic Hall, exploring the era of the early dinosaurs, is the only one of its kind in North America.
Share this:
Switzerland of the Arctic
By Linda Tancs
Just 31 miles south of the Arctic Circle lies the Inuit hamlet of Pangnirtung on Baffin Island in Canada. Known commonly as Pang, its towering peaks (the highest in the Canadian Shield) and glaciers give it the nickname “Switzerland of the Arctic.” It’s conveniently located near Auyuittuq National Park, which offers hiking, camping and climbing in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter. In Pang, visitors enjoy a range of activities like igloo camping, dog sledding and snow mobile riding. In August the average temperature is 37 F. Warm up at the Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts & Crafts, where traditional Inuit arts and crafts are displayed, particularly woven tapestries, lithographic prints and the popular, crocheted winter hat called the “Pang Hat.”
Share this:
Older Than Yellowstone
By Linda Tancs
Brazil’s Tijuca National Park in Rio is older than Yellowstone, which was established in 1872. It’s a bragging point, of course, as is the fact that it’s one of the largest urban forests in the world. Part of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Preserve, it should come as no surprise that it’s a haven for more than 1,600 plant species and more than 300 different species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Covering more than 9,600 acres, it’s divided into three sectors: Forest, the Carioca Range and Pedra Bonita/Pedra da Gávea. Hiking trails abound in the forest sector; the more adventurous will find activities like rock climbing and hang gliding at Pedra Bonita and Gávea. Carioca is home to the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, the only part of the park requiring an entrance fee.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 