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
Tree Tops
By Linda Tancs
Dunster is a tiny medieval village situated in England’s Exmoor National Park. What it lacks in size it makes up for in notoriety as the site of England’s tallest tree. Near Dunster Castle a Douglas fir measuring almost 200 feet stands sentinel on the Crown Estate. For comparative purposes, consider that the venerable California Redwood grows to at least 300 feet. Perhaps there’s something in the water around Somerset. The castle grounds also sport the oldest lemon tree.
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Beachy Keen
By Linda Tancs
Summer can best be summed up in two words: sun and surf. There’s only one sun but as many opinions on great beaches as there are locations to choose from. Hear about some picks in India, France, Italy, Turkey and St. Barth’s at Travelrific® Travel Show.
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Marie’s Garden
By Linda Tancs
On the outskirts of Paris lies the site of Château de Saint-Cloud. Once a royal palace built in 1572 and later occupied by Napoleon and Marie Antoinette, it was destroyed in the 1800s during the Franco-Prussian War. What remains, though, is a verdant complex comprising over 1100 acres filled with ten fountains, a French garden, an English garden and, of course, Marie Antoinette’s flower garden. Nice place for une pique-nique. Get there via Le Val d’Or or Saint-Cloud rail lines or the T2 Tramway. Bon appétit!
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Living History in Ghana
By Linda Tancs
Central Ghana’s history as the Gold Coast of the British Empire belies its shameful past as the post of last resort for African slaves bound for the New World. Specifically, Cape Coast Castle was a fort (more accurately referred to as a dungeon) for captured West Africans or those sold into slavery during the 1600s to early 1800s. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site and museum, the stark cave-like dwellings are open to tourists. Cape Coast is the capital of Ghana’s central region, located on the Gulf of Guinea. From its hilltop location you’ll get striking views of the Atlantic Ocean.
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World Natural Heritage in Germany
By Linda Tancs
Wattenmeer, or Wadden Sea, is an area stretching from the northern coast of Germany to the Dutch island of Texel. This region, comprising the largest continuous area of mud flaps in the world, is home to millions of migratory birds. Now it will likely see a boost in tourism thanks to its designation as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO, joining such other luminaries as the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos and the Serengeti. The appointment couldn’t have come at a better time, considering UNESCO’s stinging removal of the Dresden Elbe Valley as a world cultural site thanks to a four-lane bridge spanning the river and spoiling the view.
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Avoid the Sting Off Gibraltar
By Linda Tancs
Swimmers, beware. Over 500 stinging Portuguese Man o’ War have been spotted off Spain’s southern coast near Gibraltar. The sea creature, commonly referred to as a jellyfish, is actually a floating hydrozoan with stinging cells in its tentacles (like a jellyfish) to capture and paralyze prey. Although not generally fatal to humans, the sting is not likely to be forgotten very soon. Have an ice pack handy, just in case.
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Saipan Remembers
By Linda Tancs
July 9 marks the final day of the Battle of Saipan in 1944, one of the fiercest battles of World War II. In a memorial park overlooking what has come to be known as Banzai Cliff some four miles from San Roque on the northern tip of Saipan, Bodhisattva of Mercy and Peace keeps vigil. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers and civilians met their fate at Banzai Cliff and Suicide Cliff in lieu of suffering capture by Allied forces.
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Voices of Wales
By Linda Tancs
Each year since 1947 the little town of Llangollen in the Dee Valley of northeast Wales hosts a big show: the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Now through 12 July, this musical festival and competition includes thousands of international choirs, folk singers and dancers. Many stars credit the festival with developing their musical careers, including Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavorotti. If you missed the grand opening Parade of Nations through the village streets on 7 July, then stick around for the grand finale, a “Licensed to Thrill” concert celebrating the music of James Bond featuring the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera.
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Life Underground
By Linda Tancs
Pity those who think the only life underground is the hustle and bustle of the metro. Clearly, they’ve never been to Derinkuyu. Located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, this town boasts one of the world’s most extensive prehistoric underground cities. Consisting of at least eight floors hewn out of soft volcanic rock, the subterranean city served as a hiding place for early Christians during raids. Not surprisingly, then, the complex shows traces of a church, along with study rooms, a kitchen, and living areas, as well as rooms for food and livestock storage. A notable tourist attraction, it’s worth a visit on your next trip to the Cappodocia region of Turkey.
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City of Film
By Linda Tancs
Hollywood, Bollywood, Cannes, Sundance, Venice–and Bradford? It’s time to add a new place name to the list of luminaries in cinema. Bradford, a west Yorkshire city in the U.K., beat out the traditional media moguls for the coveted title, City of Film. The moniker is a new award being bestowed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to a city having historic links and a notable infrastructure related to filmmaking. No doubt Bradford–once a poster child for industrialization–was helped in its bid as the host city of the National Media Museum, one of the most popular museums outside London. Three annual film festivals and a landscape conducive to movie shoots certainly didn’t hurt, either. Bravo!
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 