Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel writing
More Than a Bird Park
By Linda Tancs
Wingham Wildlife Park has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a bird park in 1986. Now it’s the only zoo in the U.K. sporting pardine genets, Gray’s monitors, Spix’s night monkeys and little red flying foxes (a species of megabat native to Australia). Kent’s fastest growing zoo, it’s located on the A257 between Canterbury and Sandwich.
Share this:
Indiana’s Best Kept Secret
By Linda Tancs
Open to the public and free, the Indiana War Memorial Museum and the Col. Eli Lilly Civil War Museum are two of Indiana’s best kept secrets. Along with 24 acres of parks, monuments, sculptures, statues, and fountains, they encompass the best historic site in the state. Honoring local veterans and educating citizens about the military history of the state and country, no other city in the United States maintains as many acres dedicated to honoring veterans, and only Washington D.C. has more veterans’ monuments. The Indiana War Memorials Plaza Historic District is located in downtown Indianapolis.
Share this:
Block 42
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder what $168,000 tastes like? Apparently, it’s very fruity, with an intense aroma of blackcurrant, dark chocolate and licorice. That’s what you can expect from a bottle of 2004 Kalimna Block 42 cabernet sauvignon, one of the most expensive bottles of wine ever at time of release. Offered by Australian wine producer Penfolds, this limited edition hails from the 10-acre Block 42, planted only 30 years after the great 1855 Bordeaux Classification and comprising the oldest plantings of cabernet sauvignon continuously produced in the world. A wine this special comes with an equally rare casing, a glass vessel based on an ancient jar used to store wine.
Share this:
Irish Lights
By Linda Tancs
The Commissioners of Irish Lights operates over 70 lighthouses around the coast of Ireland. Although automated and unmanned, many are historic buildings that boast of Ireland’s proud maritime history. Supported by several tourism boards, Irish Lights is undertaking an All-Island Lighthouse Tourism Trail project that will feature up to 20 lighthouses. In the meanwhile, in conjunction with the commission, Ballycotton Island Lighthouse has begun offering tours for the first time. About 25 miles east of Cork, the light at Ballycotton was commissioned following the wreck of Sirius, the first vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean under steam in 1838. Completed in 1850, sandstone for the lighthouse was quarried on the island itself.
Share this:
A Nut in Tasmania
By Linda Tancs
Stanley is a quaint historical fishing village in northwest Tasmania. It’s located at the base of an extinct volcanic plug called The Nut. Standing 470 feet tall, the ancient plug’s spectacular overlooks can be reached by hiking or by chair lift. Not far away at the southern head of the Arthur River is the fabled “edge of the world,” a great place to watch the unruly seas crashing in from the Indian Ocean.
Share this:
The Cradle of Whipped Cream
By Linda Tancs
It’s hard to imagine an extravagant French estate as “the cradle of whipped cream.” Yet that’s exactly the distinction enjoyed by Château de Chantilly, where crème was whipped up in the 17th century (invented, that is) by a headwaiter for the master of the house, le Grand Condé. You might fancy an association with the lace of the same name, popularized by a song released in 1958. And, indeed, lace was produced in Chantilly in the 1600s. The château is better known, though, for its porcelain production in the 1700s. Just 25 minutes from Paris, Chantilly is France’s horse capital, where daily dressage shows delight visitors.
Share this:
Bathed in Chocolate
By Linda Tancs
Whipped Cocoa Bath. Chocolate Fondue Wrap. Cocoa Massage. Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Immersion. Could a day at the spa be any sweeter? This is what R&R looks like Hershey-style at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Simply known as The Chocolate Spa, you’ll also find the usual indulgences like steam rooms, saunas, hair and nail salons and a fitness center. Join the Chocolate Spa Club for news and offers exclusive to members.
Share this:
Peterborough’s Most Haunted
By Linda Tancs
Britain’s Peterborough Museum is situated on Priestgate in the city centre, a place dating to the 12th century when the city was planned by the monks of Peterborough Abbey. The town’s origins may be divinely inspired, but it’s the city’s dark side that draws visitors. In fact, the museum is reputedly haunted by eight different ghosts. Are you a believer? Head to the museum’s cellar, where you just might catch a glimpse of one on the ghost cam.
Share this:
The Most Hawaiian Island
By Linda Tancs
Moloka’i is often referred to as the most Hawaiian island. That’s probably because native cultural practices and traditions remain pretty much intact with but one hotel and few restaurants to distract tourists from its Polynesian splendor. Even the national park, Kalaupapa, is restricted. State law requires all individuals to secure a permit prior to entering. The park is a place of remembrance for a community in isolation. When Hansen’s disease (leprosy) was introduced to the Hawaiian islands, King Kamehameha V banished all afflicted to the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula on the north shore of Moloka’i. Intrepid visitors seek out the three-mile mule trek, descending down a dizzying mountain to the former leper colony.
Share this:
The Peaceful Parish
By Linda Tancs
Hedonists flock to Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril. Looking for Jamaica’s quieter charm? Then head to Port Antonio, capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast. Once the bustling banana capital of the world, the sleepy harbor town offers some impressive sights in and around its environs. Check out the ruins of Folly Mansion, a once glorious testament to love, wealth and excess. American millionaire Alfred Mitchell built the grand two-story mansion with 60 rooms, Doric columns, inner courtyards and spectacular stairways for his family in the early 1900s but it failed to survive the elements. One palatial residence that has survived is Trident Castle. Just 10 minutes outside town, the Austrian Baroque style palace overlooking the sea is the only castle in the Caribbean. Also overlooking the sea is Port Antonio’s Folly Lighthouse, a candy cane-striped landmark about 40 feet high sitting atop honeycombed limestone. A self-guided walking tour under two miles long starts at Market Square and ends at the lighthouse.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 