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
Brač and Bol
By Linda Tancs
The Croatian island of Brač is the largest island in Dalmatia and the third largest in the Adriatic. Site of the highest peak of all Croatian islands (Vidova Gora), it might be better known for its limestone and dolomite, used in early Roman times in the building of cities, amphitheaters, temples, palaces and graves all over Dalmatia. Oddly enough, it has no permanent water source except in Bol, the island’s southernmost and oldest town. Needless to say, this makes Bol the isle’s best bet as a tourism center. The magnificent winds for surfing, local and appealing gastronomy, sandy beaches and a dreamy Mediterranean villa feel amidst the ancient stone abodes don’t hurt, either.
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Single Supplements Waived
By Linda Tancs
Single travelers, take note: some tour operators, like Overseas Adventure Travel, are waiving or reducing certain single supplements. Good through 2009, perhaps you can thank the economy for this turn of events. The company also offers a travel companion search service and a free roommate matching service to help avert applicable solo surcharges. How do other operators compare? Write in with your experiences!
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Beaune Uncorked
By Linda Tancs
Winemaking is an ancient custom. In Beaune, the heart of France’s Burgundy wine industry, they’ve been at it since 300 AD. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. Will you agree? There are lots of places to taste the fruits of their vines to find out. At Patriarche Père et Fils, there are miles of cellars to peruse and a tasting of 13 or so wines. History buffs won’t want to miss Musée de la Vigne et du Vin (Burgundy Wine Museum), housed in the former private residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. The museum balances both past and present. You’ll see giant wine presses and a collection of traditional winemaking equipment as well as learn about the history of the Burgundy vineyards and wine. Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Wine is bottled poetry.” Surely the vintners in this little medieval French town would agree.
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Humble Beginnings in Canada
By Linda Tancs
The humble roots of Canada’s first national park originated in the fall of 1883, when three Canadian Pacific Railway construction workers discovered a cave containing hot springs on the eastern slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. From that inauspicious backdrop has blossomed over 2500 square miles of valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests, meadows and rivers now comprising Banff National Park in the province of Alberta in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The park sports three ecoregions: montane (3% of the park area), subalpine (53% of the park area) and alpine (44% of the park area) and a vast array of wildllife, including bears and elk. Hire a local guide to learn the most about this area’s natural wonders and cultural treasures. If you go it alone, watch out for our four-footed friends; they most certainly will feel entitled to the right of way.
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Lisbon Airport Travel
By Linda Tancs
Airport transfers are one of the most vexing aspects of travel unless it’s been pre-arranged for you. Should you take a bus? A taxi? A private car? Rail? Here’s a primer on transfers out of Lisbon Airport in Portugal. Taxi transfers are not as costly as in other cities, such as London. The metered rate is also negotiable unless you buy a taxi voucher at the airport for a flat fee (currently 17 euros) and avoid the haggle. Alternatively, you can take the AeroBus for only 3 euros; just make sure your hotel is somewhere along the stops. Your bus ticket is good for the day; make the most of it by visiting all the sites you can along the bus and tram routes.
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Monkey Business in the Amazon
By Linda Tancs
New life reigns among the destruction in the Brazilian Amazon: a new species of saddleback tamarin was recently discovered, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Among many new monkey species discovered in the last few years, this brown and gray variety weighs less than a pound and sports a 13-inch-long tail. Yet another reason to mind your hats, bags and cameras should you find yourself in its remote domain.
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The Shores of Wickaninnish
By Linda Tancs
Plenty of resorts boast ocean views and beach access. But do they provide private showers for pooches like at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada? That’s just one of many unique experiences promised at this rustic enclave in Vancouver Island. For petless visitors, consider the rainforest beach loop hike on Saturdays or the art tour on Sundays. Or test your mental mettle with a stave puzzle in the library overlooking Chesterman Beach. You can get there via ferry or air, but the road from Nanaimo offers unforgettable views of the old-growth forests of Cathedral Grove, Sutton Pass ecological reserve, and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
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Tooling Around in Styrsö
By Linda Tancs
Within the Municipality of Gothenburg in Sweden (the seat of which is Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city) lies a tiny island called Styrsö. Connected to the big city by ferry, it’s a respite from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. Less than a square mile in area, you can easily navigate with your three-wheeled moped, called a flakmoped. Use it to get to the quiet little beach on the southwestern side. After that, enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Pensionat Styrsö Skäret, a guest house with a family-friendly atmosphere and neighborly feel.
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Navigating the Cyclades
By Linda Tancs
As summer tourists push through the popular Greek isles of Rhodes, Santorini, and Mykonos, rest assured you won’t be one of them. Why? Because you have a better plan. For half the price of a stay on Santorini, you can enjoy the hinterlands of Paros, the heart of the Cyclades. Painting exhibitions, art, cinema–all the culture you’d expect from an ancient civilization awaits you there. Only 30 minutes by air from Athens, or take the hydrofoil from Santorini.
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Bethel Celebrates Anniversaries
By Linda Tancs
Hard to believe this year marks 40 years since Flower Power took to a rain-soaked field in Sullivan County, New York, site of a musical festival known as Woodstock. As if the enduring legacy of that seminal event in pop culture isn’t enough to commemorate, the pastoral town of Bethel has yet another milestone to celebrate this year: its 200th birthday. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has lots of events on tap to celebrate the tiny town’s past, present and future. Visit the museum for a taste of their centuries-old history; this weekend, admission is free as part of Give Peace a Chance Family Day. And get your tickets now for Woodstock’s 40th Anniversary bash on August 15, starring Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Mountain, Tom Constanten and Country Joe McDonald.
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 