Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for short reads
The Heights of Old San Juan
By Linda Tancs
Located in the Old San Juan section of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan National Historic Site preserves and interprets the Spanish colonial-era fortification system of the city. Explore the forts, where you’ll enjoy the views of the highest points of Old San Juan. You can also go meander through tunnels, sentry boxes and WWII lookouts, and learn from the exhibitions explaining the history of the forts. The fortification system defended the city against foreign intrusion and pirate attacks since its inception, with over 500 years of European history embedded in its walls.
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Where Senita and Organ Pipe Grow
By Linda Tancs
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. national monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona that shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. Organ pipe cactus is named for its tall, cylindrical stems that grow in clusters, resembling the pipes of a church organ. Senita cactus is sometimes confused with organ pipe and is also found in certain places within the national monument. The park is the only place in the United States where senita and organ pipe cactus grow wild. Come for a wilderness hike, a scenic drive or a night of camping.
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A Hindu Landmark in Singapore
By Linda Tancs
Located in the heart of Chinatown, Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. A historical landmark, the religion’s rich traditions are amply demonstrated through carvings of Hindu deities on the temple’s exterior, exquisite ceiling paintings in its main hall and five tiers of sculptures of deities and mythological figures in its majestic grand tower entrance. A bustling place of worship, the temple is also the site of sacred events like the annual firewalking festival.
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Zoolumination
By Linda Tancs
Tennessee’s Nashville Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the country. It features more than 3,700 animals representing more than 350 different species. This time of year, though, it’s best known for Zoolumination, an event that boasts over 1,000 stunning Chinese lanterns. The largest festival of its kind in the nation, the theme varies from year to year.
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Capitals of Culture in 2026
By Linda Tancs
In keeping with tradition, we begin the New Year with an announcement on the European Capitals of Culture for 2026: Trenčín in Slovakia and Oulu in Finland. Oulu is a vibrant coastal city sometimes called “the capital of Northern Finland.” One of the featured programs for the year is Climate Clock, a permanent public art trail that will pair artists with scientists to create site-specific outdoor installations that blend into natural and urban settings across the municipality. In Slovakia, Trenčín’s year-long program is themed “Awakening Curiosity.” The goal is to transform the city into a dynamic space for art, creative initiatives and community collaboration, building on a rich heritage of festivals, artistic events and community initiatives.
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Aglow in Telluride
By Linda Tancs
During winter, Mountain Village is the base area for Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado. Both locales are aglow on New Year’s Eve at 6:30 p.m., which is when the Torchlight Parade takes place. It’s an annual tradition when Telluride instructors glide down the mountain with torches to light up the mountainside. Fireworks begin shortly after the parade and are visible from the Mountain Village side. Enjoy the New Year countdown in Telluride on Colorado Avenue.
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Lights Under Louisville
By Linda Tancs
Operating from November to early January, Lights Under Louisville is the world’s only underground drive-through holiday lights display. You’ll find it at Mega Cavern in Louisville, Kentucky. Boasting 7 million points of light illuminating the cavern’s vast spaces, the attraction features themed displays, characters, holiday music, lasers and more. You can drive your own vehicle through the cavern, choose a guided tour on an open-top vehicle, or charter a motorcoach or van.
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Singapore’s Floating Baby
By Linda Tancs
Marc Quinn’s monumental 2008 sculpture Planet has been donated for permanent display at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. Popularly called “the floating baby,” the work of painted bronze and steel measures nearly 32 feet long and almost 13 feet high but appears to hover over the ground as if impossibly suspended. Gardens by the Bay is home to more than 200 sculptures from around the world, featuring unique pieces, intriguing crafts and stone works.
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Five Centuries of British Art
By Linda Tancs
The Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut, houses the largest collection of British art outside the United Kingdom, comprising paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, rare books and manuscripts. Imagine experiencing five centuries of British artistic achievement without crossing the Atlantic! More than just a hub for academic research and learning, the center offers programs for children and families as well. Admission is free.
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Surfing Santas
By Linda Tancs
Christmas Eve in Cocoa Beach, Florida, marks Surfing Santa Day, a time to assemble both surfing and Christmas enthusiasts from around the world. Hundreds of surfers donned in Santa’s best will ride the waves in the morning before 10,000 or so onlookers. Join them on the beach at the end of Minutemen Causeway.
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