Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Catalonia’s Natural Park
By Linda Tancs
The Ebro Delta is the delta region of the Ebro River, the longest in Spain. It’s Catalonia’s largest wetland, a large part of which is designated a natural park to protect the area’s flora and fauna. Over 300 species of birds live there, making it a hotspot for birdwatchers seeking gulls, terns, reed warblers, flamingos and more. In particular, the park boasts the largest colony of Audouin’s gull. The region is also the rice growing capital of Catalonia, with over 54,000 acres reserved for this crop. Get there by train on the Barcelona-Valencia line.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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America’s Favorite Pioneer Girl
By Linda Tancs
Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved Little House on the Prairie book series, is arguably America’s favorite pioneer girl. Her home on Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri, is pivotal in her life and career as the place where she wrote her acclaimed Little House books and became an international success. Visitors to Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum can see her study and writing desk as well as the many treasures that remain exactly how Laura left them when she died in 1957. In addition to her home, fans will love the museum, where Pa’s fiddle, handwritten manuscripts for the books and keepsakes of the Ingalls and Wilder families figure prominently among the exhibits. The fiddle even gets played annually in October during Wilder Days, a festival celebrating Laura’s life and times.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Museum of Forgotten Flavors
By Linda Tancs
Kolomna is an ancient city about 72 miles from Moscow. In its heyday, it produced a marshmallow-like treat called pastila that gained popularity across Russia. When the town entered a decline in the early 1900s, so did its sweet treats. But thanks to some enterprising women, the old pastila recipes were resurrected from the 18th and 19th centuries in 2009, and the Museum of Forgotten Flavors was born. It’s a living museum where visitors can learn about pastila from actors in period costume and indulge their taste buds at the museum cafe. Originally an apple-based treat, production now includes pastila with pears, lemons, chocolate, strawberries and more.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Close-Up in Los Angeles
By Linda Tancs
Los Angeles is ready for its close-up with the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Billed as the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies, its six floors feature exhibition spaces, education and special event spaces, a conservation studio and a year-round calendar of screenings. You might especially enjoy the Oscars® Experience, which simulates the experience of walking onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and accepting an Oscar. The museum is located on Wilshire Boulevard.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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100 Years of History in Key West
By Linda Tancs
When Casa Marina opened 100 years ago it was Key West’s most glamorous destination. The Florida resort was conceived by American railroad tycoon Henry Flagler as an accommodation for wealthy customers of Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, which spanned from Key West to the Florida mainland. Its designers were as famous as Flagler; architects Thomas Hastings and John M. Carrere also designed New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, New York Public Library and the Senate and House of Representatives office buildings in Washington, D.C. The hotel hosted politicians and Hollywood’s elite. It was even requisitioned by the military for use during World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Located just minutes from historic Old Town, it boasts the largest private beach in the city.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Little Egypt
By Linda Tancs
Southern Illinois has long been referred to as “Little Egypt.” The origin of that moniker depends on whom you ask. One popular theory is that the region was so christened because its fertile bottomlands resemble its Middle Eastern sister. Whatever the reason, the regional designation resulted in place names like Cairo, Carmi, Karnak, Goshen, Thebes and Dongola. It’s a place rich in natural wonders, like the impressive rock formations at Ferne Clyffe State Park, a place named for its abundance of ferns when it was purchased by two brothers from Cairo in 1899. Autumn is a great time to watch summer’s tree foliage transform into a spectacular mix of reds, purples, golds and browns. If you hike the Round Bluff Nature Preserve, you’ll get the best of both worlds: stunning autumn color and sandstone cliffs.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Art Deco in Devon
By Linda Tancs
Burgh Island is a tidal island on the coast of South Devon in England located opposite the beach of the small seaside village of Bigbury-on-Sea. A strip of sand leading from the beach is all that will get you there during low tide; otherwise, the sea tractor will have to do. The island’s landmark is its Art-Deco inspired hotel, famously a retreat for mystery writer Agatha Christie. The island also served as a retreat of sorts for smugglers and pirates in the 14th century. Their hideout, the Pilchard Inn, is reputedly haunted. Speaking of pilchard (sardines), the story goes that fishermen would keep watch for pilchard at a chapel on the island (remains of which are known as “Huer’s Hut”). When shoals were sighted, they would cry out to other fishermen on Bigbury. The phrase “hue and cry” is said to originate from this practice.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Top of the Nile
By Linda Tancs
The “top of the Nile” is where you’ll get the best view of Murchison Falls in Uganda, where the water powerfully squeezes through a narrow 22-foot crevice in the rocks to plunge over 131 feet below into a 164-foot radius pool. The falls are so spectacular that the national park of which it is a part is named for it. A three-hour, round-trip tour to the bottom of the waterfall will give you an opportunity to observe lots of local wildlife, like the shoebill stork, hippos and crocodiles. And you might even see the dwarf giraffe that was found in the park.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Portugal’s House of Stone
By Linda Tancs
Surrounded by windmills of the modern age, Portugal’s Casa do Penedo looks more like something out of the Stone Age. Located near Fafe in northern Portugal, the prehistoric-looking structure was built in the 1970s as a family shelter. Aptly named, the stone (boulder) dwelling comprises four large boulders that serve as the foundation, walls and ceiling of the house. Billed as one of the strangest homes in the world, you can arrange a guided tour from Porto.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Beehives in Nevada
By Linda Tancs
In the 1870s six kilns were constructed in the Ward Mining District of eastern Nevada to process rich silver ore that was discovered in the area. They were designed in the shape of beehives to efficiently burn pinyon pine and juniper into charcoal to support mining production. Now, this isn’t your typical beehive. These structures are 30-foot-tall, 27-foot-wide otherworldly ovens that could hold 35 cords of wood at a time and produce 1,750 bushels of charcoal. Once mining ended, they were used as a shelter for travelers and even as hideouts for stagecoach bandits. Today they’re a photogenic attraction at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park just south of Ely.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 