Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!U.S. Fishing Tournaments
By Linda Tancs
Sport fishing is a popular activity. Tournaments abound throughout the U.S. for this competitive pastime. Learn more about these nationwide events for grown-up peeps and pee wees alike at Travelrific® Radio.
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Health Alert for Brazil Travelers
By Linda Tancs
Travelers to South America are well aware of the dangers posed by dengue fever, which is currently on the rise in Rio and Bahia. Carried by mosquitoes, symptoms of dengue fever usually begin 7 to 10 days after being bitten and include flu-like symptoms such as high fever, aches and pains and a headache. Covering up and using repellent is paramount as there is no vaccination. Apparently, yellow fever is also on the rise these days, meriting front-page placement on the New York Consulate’s website, urging visitors to obtain a vaccination at least ten days prior to entering the country. Of course, these concerns are in addition to confirmed cases of swine flu, now declared a pandemic by WHO.
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Wildlife in Suburbia
By Linda Tancs
If you thought the South American monk parakeet was content to keep company in the canopy of a tropical rainforest, then there’s a lot you don’t know about this little squawker. Sightings of the colorful birds, also known as Quaker parrots, have been reported from Miami, Florida to Brooklyn, New York. In fact, a cluster of them have taken up status as permanent resident aliens in the bedroom community of Edgewater, New Jersey. They brave the northeastern winter by building colossal nests with power lines as furnace heaters. Obviously, this poses a problem. Perhaps they should just dance instead to raise body temperature. Recent studies indicate that species such as this really know how to shake their tail feather. Ray Charles would be proud.
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Refuge in the Valley
By Linda Tancs
Tucked away just outside Darby, Montana lies the peaceful seclusion of Alpine Meadows Ranch in the Bitterroot Valley. Designed by the world renowned U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this 200+ acre estate offers rustic respite from city life–or suburbia, for that matter–with stunning vistas of both the Sapphire and Bitterroot mountain ranges. The prospect of communing with wildlife (viewed with safety from The Cider House) is guaranteed, considering that the property borders the largest wilderness area in the country, Selway Wilderness Area. Is there a best time of year to visit? Probably not; it is, after all, known as the Banana Belt due to the mildness of the weather year round. The Wright-designed House sleeps up to six, or cozy up in the Cabin for two. Wright’s concept of design was “of the land, not on the land.” See for yourself whether you’d agree. As another famous naturalist said, “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”
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The Rain in Spain
By Linda Tancs
In the musical My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle intoned, “The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain.” Add to that: “but not in summer.” Low rainfall, particularly around–where else–the Sun Coast (Costa del Sol) makes Mediterranean Spain an attractive summer tourist destination. Too crowded for your taste? Then head northeast to the equally sun-kissed area of Murcia in the Alicante region. With only 300,000 inhabitants (and far less tourists), Murcia offers all the sun and surf of its southern neighbor for a fraction of the cost. Its focal point is the Cathedral de Santa Maria, a Baroque beauty worth a visit. Golf and gastronomy will round out your stay.
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California Needs Cash
By Linda Tancs
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says the state wallet is empty. All the more reason, then, to spend some tourism cash in California. You can spend lots of it at Chateau du Sureau in Oakhurst, four hours north of Los Angeles. Live life like those to the manor born in a resplendent country-style chateau, complete with all the accoutrements of a grand house of Europe. Take your tea in the Grand Salon amidst its floor to ceiling fireplace–or retire to your room with its own embers. Around the meticulously manicured nine acres you’ll find walking paths, fountains, a swimming pool, a bocce court and a life-size chess set. And Yosemite National Park is just miles away. What more do you need? Start packing.
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TV Fest For High Rollers
By Linda Tancs
So what do you do after the Monte Carlo Casino takes all your money? Well, at least now through 11 June, you attend the TV Festival at Grimaldi Forum. In its 49th year, the event is chock full of public screenings and autograph signings. Competition is keen for recognition as the best of worldwide television programming. The winners are rewarded with the Golden Nymphs statuettes, a rendition of the “Salmacis” Nymph by Monegasque sculptor François-Joseph Bosio. His original work is on show at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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Friday Night Fever
By Linda Tancs
“Laissez les bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll) takes on a new meaning in Paris on Friday nights. Beginning at 10 p.m. on Place Raoul Dautry in the 14th arrondissement the rolls of inline skates roar through the streets on a 3-hour tour of the city (weather permitting). The 18-mile route is not meant for the casual skater; the level of difficulty differs widely (think: Tour de France). The organization responsible for this endurance test, Pari-Roller, frequently changes the route; the trek for the week can be viewed on Thursdays. Think you’ve got the goods? Give it a roll.
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Underground Monument in Lithuania
By Linda Tancs
So what do underground music and Vilnius, Lithuania have in common? Answer: Frank Zappa. Zappa, the late underground music czar and leader of The Mothers of Invention, has a monument in his honor in the artsy neighborhood of Užupis. Although perhaps better known for his collaborations with former Czech leader Václav Havel as a cultural consultant, Zappa exerted a strong influence on the underground music scene across Eastern Europe. What better time to visit Vilnius than 2009 as the city celebrates its designation as a European Capital of Culture (or is that subculture?).
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Where the Kangaroos Roam
By Linda Tancs
Kangaroos are everywhere in Australia–no less so at Kangaroo Island. But that’s not the only form of abundance waiting for you in this 1700-square-mile piece of paradise just 30 minutes from Adelaide. The place is teeming with wildlife, but what else would you expect on an island that is about one third protected national park land? No worries, there’s more than kangaroos and koalas to see. From spa treatments to sand dunes and cavings to Clifford’s Honey Farm, there’s something for everyone. As English playwright Douglas Jerrold once observed about Australia, “just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.”
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 