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
A Weighty Decision
By Linda Tancs
Samoa Air recently announced a world’s first: pay by weight. That’s right–the compact carrier is basing each passenger’s ticket price on the individual’s weight combined with the heft of the baggage being checked. So the airline’s tagline, “The sky’s the limit,” seems oddly appropriate. But given the debate that has ensued, this will no doubt prove to be a weighty decision, indeed.
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Highland Ghillies
By Linda Tancs
Derry (also known as Londonderry) is Northern Ireland’s second largest city and the first city in the UK to be designated a City of Culture in 2013. That means a yearlong slate of festivities is underway, including this weekend’s Highland Dance Festival. A hub for Scottish dance, Derry’s event is expected to draw the best of highland dancers from the UK and Europe. Get your ghillies on.
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Civil War Richmond
By Linda Tancs
It’s been over 150 years since the start of the Civil War. And the pulse of Civil War history can be found in Richmond, Virginia, onetime capital of the Confederate States of America. In downtown Richmond’s historic Court End neighborhood you’ll find the White House of the Confederacy, home to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family for most of the war. A National Historic Landmark, the neoclassical mansion has been restored to its wartime appearance and includes half of the family’s furnishings. Guided tours are offered daily.
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The Grassalkovich Era
By Linda Tancs
The palace of Gödöllő is a baroque masterpiece just 20 miles northeast of Budapest, Hungary. Commissioned by Count Antal Grassalkovich I in the early 1700s, its ornate Grand Hall, tapestried rooms, red marble bath, conservatory and theatre represent the life and times of the area’s nobility. The palace remained in the possession of the Grassalkovich family until the death of the last male heir in the 1800s. Later purchased for the Crown, it was the favorite palace of Elisabeth, Queen of Hungary. The palace and its grounds are easily accessible by car, bus, train or suburban rail (HÉV).
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Bigfoot Sightings
By Linda Tancs
If someone were to tell you of a Bigfoot sighting near the K&O railroad line and the Ninnescah River (southern Kansas) between Pratt and Murdock would you believe it? It would be easy to brush it off as an April Fools’ Day hoax, wouldn’t it? If seeing is believing, then maybe you should sign up for an expedition with the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Open to non members, the four-day jaunts cover many areas of the country where Bigfoot has allegedly appeared, like Florida, Kentucky, West Virginia, California, Arizona, New Mexico and even British Columbia, Canada.
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Matterhorn of the Pacific
By Linda Tancs
Ball’s Pyramid has–you guessed it–a pyramidal shape reminiscent of Zermatt’s Matterhorn. Technically an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera formed millions of years ago, the rocky islet named after its discoverer Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball is located 12 miles southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. At 1844 feet in height, this Australian wonder is a climber’s paradise. Apparently, it’s not so bad for the “tree lobster” as well. The rarest of species, it was discovered clinging to the last bit of plant life surviving on this prehistoric rock.
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The Trembling Mountain
By Linda Tancs
The American Indians named Canada’s Mont Tremblant “Manitou Ewitchi Saga” after Manitou, the god of nature. Legend has it that Manitou could make the mountains tremble–hence the name “Mont Tremblant” (trembling mountain). Today the mountain trembles with the roar of skiers and hosts the premier ski resort in eastern North America. In keeping with the season, there are other outdoor activities, too: snowmobiling, sleigh riding and ice climbing, for starters.
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Germany’s Venice
By Linda Tancs
Canal laden Spreewald is sometimes referred to as Germany’s Venice. Situated about 62 miles southeast of Berlin, it was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991, a designation reserved for those locales that have demonstrated best practices in environmental conservation. Its compact labyrinth of 171 miles of navigable waterways makes punting one of the most delightful and common means of getting around. What may be less commonly known is that the region was originally settled by Slavic tribes who remain in the area today and lend it their language. When you’re there, be sure to sample the gherkins, the region’s agricultural hallmark.
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New Bells Toll in Paris
By Linda Tancs
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris recently attained 850 years in service. A yearlong celebration, begun in December, includes two stamps issued by the national mail delivery service La Poste and a set of nine new bells for the towers–eight for the North Tower and one for the South Tower. Named after saints, the new bells will harmonize with the older, main tenor bell named Emmanuel, considered to be one of the finest bells in Europe. To preserve it for future generations, one of the new bells was cast as a second great bell to accompany Emmanuel in the South Tower. The new bells will ring for the first time this weekend (Palm Sunday) to kick off Holy Week.
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A Welcome Wagon for Women
By Linda Tancs
For those women wishing to meet up with a friendly face in a foreign country, there’s an international fellowship organization waiting to help you. Women Welcome Women World Wide (known as 5W) boasts 2400 members speaking over 100 languages from 80 countries. Whether you seek accommodations with a local hostess or just a meetup, hospitality is right around the corner.
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