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
An Ocean Journey in Tennessee
By Linda Tancs
They’re sleeping with the fishes in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the city’s aquarium on Broad Street. The largest freshwater aquarium in the world, the facility offers overnight visits for families and large groups alike. The event includes a tour of both River Journey (an exhibition of river otters, turtles, alligators, giant catfish and thousands of freshwater species) and Ocean Journey (a collection of penguins, sharks, colorful fish, invertebrates and scores of other deep sea creatures). You can interact with their keepers, too, and get a glimpse of life behind the scenes–that is, below the surface.
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100 Years of Green in Israel
By Linda Tancs
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism website says that “Israel is one of two countries on earth that has more trees today than it did 100 years ago.” That may seem surprising to those familiar with the Jerusalem hills, populated with natural forests, terraced hillsides and ancient agricultural settlements. Yet four centuries of Ottoman rule resulted in millions of trees cut down because property taxes were calculated by the number of trees owned by landowners. Now Israel celebrates its greening by promoting a host of eco-tourism activities. Visiting a Kibbutz is a classic way to experience the earliest impetus towards green living. Another highlight of green Israel is The Ariel Sharon Ayalon Park, a metropolitan park boasting tropical gardens located just outside of Tel Aviv, formerly the 2,000-acre Hiriya garbage dump. You can explore the city’s tree-lined boulevards by bicycle (another eco-friendly act) or camel trek through the wilderness to a quiet evening in a goat-hair Bedouin tent. Whatever you decide, a carbon-reduced date with history awaits you.
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Arts and Crafts Flourishes in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
There’s a National Historic Landmark tucked away in the central New Jersey township of Parsippany-Troy Hills. One of only 55 such landmarks in the state, the property is Craftsman Farms, the former home of noted turn-of-the-century designer Gustav Stickley. A major proponent of the “Arts and Crafts” home building and furnishing movement, Stickley’s 1905 log home rests on 30 quiet acres. A centerpiece, the Main House, has recently been restored to its 1910-1917 appearance. In the tradition of other great American homes like Washington’s Mount Vernon, Stickley’s earthy masterpiece is self-sufficient, sporting gardens for vegetables and flowers, as well as orchards, dairy cows and chickens. Located on Manor Lane, the log house is open for guided tours on weekends year round.
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Pea Island Birdwatching
By Linda Tancs
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants. Located on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island in North Carolina and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks, the refuge is a diverse environment including ocean beach, dunes, upland, fresh and brackish water ponds, salt flats, and salt marsh. Loved by birders for its 365 species including threatened peregrine falcons, loggerhead sea turtles, and piping plovers, the area is also home to 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. So this Mid-Atlantic refuge is more than for the birders.
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German Settlers Remembered in Texas
By Linda Tancs
The Pioneer Museum of Fredericksburg, Texas is a memorial to the early German settlers in the Texas Hill Country. A focal point of the area’s heritage is The Vereins Kirche, an extension of the museum located at Marktplatz. Built soon after the arrival of the first German settlers (and since rebuilt after its destruction in 1896), it was the first public building in the town and served as a town hall, school, fort, and a church for all denominations. The Gillespie County Historical Society/Pioneer Museum announced a fund raising campaign of $75,000 for its Diamond Anniversary Year. By year end every dollar donated will be matched dollar for dollar by two challenge grants from the Dian Graves Owen Foundation and Kathryn Harrison.
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Airline Complaints in the EU
By Linda Tancs
As US travelers know from reading this blog, air travel complaints and statistics for US travel are readily available from the Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement bureau. Ever wonder about the EU equivalent? The European Union Transport Commission publishes a list of aviation authorities in one convenient document.
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Down on the Farm in Ghent
By Linda Tancs
The stylish homes and condos in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia belie its humble beginnings as farmland. Originally known as Pleasant Point, James Morgan changed the name to Ghent to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium, which ended the War of 1812. Located in central Norfolk just minutes from downtown and the Norfolk Naval Station, attractions include the historic Naro Theater, the Chrysler Museum, bistros on Colley Avenue and the boutiques on 21st Street.
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India’s Billion-Dollar Home
By Linda Tancs
Amidst the wretched poverty of Mumbai it’s hard to imagine a billion-dollar home. Yet, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, that’s exactly what overlooks the slums of the most populous city in India. Named Antilia (after a mythical island in the Atlantic Ocean), the 27-story behemoth was custom built for Indian magnate Mukesh Ambani. Reportedly sporting 37,000 square metres of space serviced by a staff of 600, the palatial digs will serve as the primary residence for the Ambani family of five.
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Mules Come Calling at Calvary
By Linda Tancs
Calvary, Georgia, is some 200 strong but every first Saturday of November the tiny town swells to a megalopolis. That’s when they celebrate Mule Day, a festival including a parade of mules, horses, wagons, any kind of mule drawn equipment, and antique autos. Following the parade is a mule show. The 38th annual festival also includes arts and crafts, a flea market, sling shot shoot, petting zoo, corn and cane grinding, syrup cooking, singing and lots more–even mule jokes.
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Secure Flight Rules Now Implemented
By Linda Tancs
Secure Flight is a safety program administered by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration requiring airlines to collect and transmit to TSA the full name, birth date and gender of passengers to better match them against watch lists. The program is particularly helpful for those travelers whose names are similar to those that may be found on such lists and may erroneously be detained from flying. The program isn’t new, but its implementation has now begun in earnest. Travelers should be sure to match their airline travel reservations with their name exactly as it appears on the travel document (e.g., driver’s license or passport) to be used at the checkpoint for identification.
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