Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!The Caves of Drach
By Linda Tancs
One of the top tourist attractions in Mallorca (Majorca), Spain, the Drach Caves combine Mother Nature’s showmanship with that of man. As a natural attraction, the cave tour spans nearly a 1-mile route through tunnels adorned with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites up to a depth of 82 feet. The caves conceal Lake Martel, one of the biggest underground lakes in the world. Couple that with a little bit of musical showmanship, a concert on Lake Martel that has been performed since 1935, consisting of four pieces of classical music played by a quartet of musicians. The concert, lasting about 10 minutes, is included in the one-hour cave tour. The caves are located in Porto Cristo, a picturesque fishing village offering an abundance of fishing charters and tours.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Holy Island
By Linda Tancs
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne off Northumberland’s coast is more than just a pilgrimage site; the tidal island is also home to a nature preserve full of wildlife, tidal mudflats, saltmarshes and dunes. A short distance from the Scottish border, the island was home to St. Cuthbert, a revered monk who spread Christianity in the north of England. Two of its most stunning sites are Lindisfarne Castle and the ancient priory, but what may be most magical about the place is just getting there. It’s linked to the mainland (Berwick) by a causeway that floods twice daily, so timing is essential. Bus service will get you there when it’s safe. Enjoy a stay on the island for a true tranquil getaway.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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A Poet’s Homestead
By Linda Tancs
Located on a hillside overlooking the Westfield River Valley, the William Cullen Bryant Homestead is on the site of the original community of Cummington, Massachusetts, founded in 1762. One of America’s foremost 19th-century poets, Bryant’s boyhood home is a National Historic Landmark. In addition to an iconic red barn, the estate features a two-story-farmhouse-turned-three-story Victorian cottage full of colonial and Victorian heirlooms as well as memorabilia from his European and Asian travels. He captured the literary world at the age of 13 with his first major poem, no doubt influenced by the idyllic landscape of pastures, fields and woodlands that surrounded him. Enjoy the grounds year round; guided tours of the house are offered from June through October on selected days.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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A Presidential Retreat in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
Wheatland, or the James Buchanan House, is a brick, Federal-style house once owned by James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States. He bought the home in 1848 and ran his 1856 presidential campaign from the mansion. He lived there until his death in 1868. Both floors of the home are open to tours that run on the hour. The grounds also include two surviving outbuildings (a privy and a smoke and ice house) as well as tree and conifer specimens. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the home is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the Pennsylvania State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Urban Art in London
By Linda Tancs
There’s only one place in London, England, where you’ll find legalized graffiti and street art, and that’s at Leake Street. In fact, urban art is encouraged on the walls and ceilings of the street, which is a road tunnel in Lambeth. Less than 1,000 feet long, the street runs off York Road and under the platforms and tracks of Waterloo station. The area is known as Leake Street Arches, a dining and entertainment complex which incorporates the graffiti tunnel and a new pedestrianized walkway connecting Leake Street to Westminster Bridge roundabout. The entrance is next door to Park Plaza County Hall.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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A Journey Through Time in Oregon
By Linda Tancs
Aptly named, Oregon’s Journey Through Time Scenic Byway captures the state’s heritage in the woods, in the mines, on the ranches and on the railroad. The 286-mile trek begins at Biggs (along the Columbia River) and reaches to the John Day River (the longest free-flowing river in Oregon) and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and its geologic past before ending at Baker City. The region sports, among other things, ghost towns. Shaniko, for example, was the wool shipping center of the world in the 1880s. Besides weathered structures of a historic hotel, a jail and a schoolhouse, you’ll find a vibrant community that sponsors a vintage music festival, a bluegrass jamboree and historic Shaniko Days. A bit less spirited is the abandoned town of Whitney, once a busy center for area logging, mining and cattle operations. From there you’ll reach Sumpter, where an original narrow gauge steam train runs from Memorial Day through September.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Regards to Broadway
By Linda Tancs
Statistics show that Broadway is one of the top reasons that tourists come to New York City. Until recently, though, there has never been a museum to honor it. That all changed with the opening of the Museum of Broadway, an educational and immersive experience. The facility highlights the history of the Broadway theaters through projection mapped videos, the timeline of Broadway through immersive environments and theater production through a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Broadway show. Located on West 45th Street in the heart of (where else) the Theater District, the experience is self-guided and appropriate for all ages.
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A Rock in a River
By Linda Tancs
On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River is a small, rocky limestone island known as Tower Rock. Located in Perry County, the iconic landmark is part of Tower Rock Natural Area, comprising about 32 acres of upland oak-pine and mixed hardwoods. The geologic formation stands sentinel in the middle of the river and is accessible by boat. Under drought conditions, the Mississippi River Chester Gauge may drop low enough to make it possible to walk out to the rock, a happy circumstance during last year’s lingering drought.
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Copenhagen’s Round Tower
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the oldest functioning observatory in Europe, Copenhagen’s Round Tower was built by Christian IV in the early 17th century at a time when Denmark was famous for its astronomical achievements. You’ll access the observatory by walking up a wide spiral path to the top of the tower. This iconic tourist attraction offers, as you might expect, stunning views of the oldest parts of the city. It’s located in one of the busiest shopping areas, in the pedestrian zone between Nørreport station and Strøget.
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The Birthplace of Dallas
By Linda Tancs
Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It’s sometimes referred to as the “birthplace of Dallas” given its history as the site of the city’s founding by John Neely Bryan in the 1840s. Named for civic leader George Bannerman Dealey, it might be better known as the place where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Three decades after the Kennedy assassination, Dealey Plaza became a National Historic Landmark District. The Sixth Floor Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building in the plaza, chronicles the life and legacy of the president.
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