Linda A. Tancs's Blog: The Long and Short of It, page 11

Tall Grass Prairie in Texas

By Linda Tancs

Rare remnants of the tallgrass prairie are some of what you’ll find at Eisenhower State Park near Denison, Texas. Nestled on the shores of Lake Texoma, the park’s name honors the 34th U.S. president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born nearby. Explore trails along high bluffs, swim, or fish for striped bass, crappie and catfish. Some of the wildlife you may encounter include armadillos, beavers, deer, foxes, opossums, bobcats and roadrunners. This time of year, colorful wildflowers bloom throughout the growing season, which lasts until November.

The Great Stupa of Laos

By Linda Tancs

Laos is a Southeast Asian country particularly known for its Buddhist monasteries. One of the most significant is Pha That Luang in Vientiane, where a reliquary reportedly houses the Buddha’s breastbone. Founded in the third century, the current structure was built by King Setthathirath (or Xaysettha) in 1566 after Vientiane became the capital city. The striking monument has a pinnacle covered in real gold with a set of painted turrets surrounding its central stupa. The temple is easily reachable by tuk tuk or bicycle.

A Long Shot in Baltimore

By Linda Tancs

Built in 1828, the Phoenix Shot Tower in Baltimore, Maryland, was the tallest building (at 215 feet) in the United States until 1846. It was a manufacturing facility for drop shot used in small game hunting using a patented process of pouring molten lead down the open shaft, which would cool as it descended and form into a smooth ball. The shot would be collected from a water barrel at the tower’s base and then sorted for distribution. The tower remained active until new methods of production rendered it obsolete in 1892. Now on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, the tower is open to the public as a museum.

In Homage to Mother Nature

By Linda Tancs

An icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the Tree of Life is a 145-foot sculpture of a baobab tree boasting over 8,000 branches of very different sizes and about 102,000 artificial leaves. Over 300 animals are carved into the tree, celebrating nature’s diversity; they come alive during a colorful light show that begins after dark. You’ll get a close-up view of the carvings by walking the pathways around the tree, where a lush landscape brims with wildlife.

Anglophone Literary Life in Paris

By Linda Tancs

A Left Bank literary institution, Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookshop in the heart of Paris. The first iteration of the shop began in 1919, founded by American Sylvia Beach. It attracted the great expat writers of the time—Joyce, Hemingway, Stein, Fitzgerald, Eliot, Pound—as well as leading French writers until the Nazis occupied Paris in 1941. Part of its acclaim during her tenure arises from the fact that Beach published her friend James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1922 when no one else dared. Like the first iteration, the second Shakespeare and Company was founded by an American, George Whitman, in 1951. It remains a premier gathering place for anglophone writers and readers.

A Royal Trek in Nepal

By Linda Tancs

The Royal Trek is one of the best introductory treks in the Annapurna region of Nepal. It’s named for King Charles III, who explored the route in 1981 shortly before he married Princess Diana. It’s also known for its low difficulty level suitable for individuals of varying fitness levels and trekking experience. It follows a shrub-like path along the foothills of Annapurna, north of the Pokhara valley, that includes beautiful Gurung settlements, small hamlets, terraced farms, lush green forests and views of the Annapurna range featuring Machapuchhre (fishtail) and Langtang Mountain. The journey ends at Begnas Lake.

A Double-Decker Cable Car

By Linda Tancs

The Cabrio Stanserhorn in Switzerland is the world’s first open-top, double-decker cable car. Your journey begins in Stans at the historic valley station where you travel for about 10 minutes via the funicular railway. Then you change at the Kälti middle station to double-decker cars for another 10 minutes to the top of the Stanserhorn. Seats on the open upper deck cannot be reserved but you have a chance on either the ascent or descent to get one. Allow at least one hour to enjoy the views from the mountaintop, where you’ll also find a revolving restaurant. The Stanserhorn season runs from April to November.

On the Banks of the Loire

By Linda Tancs

Inhabited since the Renaissance, Château de Villandry is a spectacular French castle on the banks of the Loire. Once a defensive fortress used for peace discussions between Philip II and Richard the Lionheart of England, it was renovated in the Renaissance style by its first owner, Jean Le Breton, Minister of Finance for Francois l. The property was later renovated in the neoclassical style after it was acquired by the Marquis de Castellane. In the early 1900s, the property was acquired by Spanish inventor Joachim Carvallo and his American wife, the heiress Ann Coleman. Their particular dedication and attention to the property’s magnificent landscape (restored to the Renaissance style) created one of Europe’s best gardens. Still owned by the Carvallo family, the estate is a major tourist attraction.

Cave Tubing in Belize

By Linda Tancs

Caves Branch River is a popular destination for caving, tubing and rafting in Belize. In fact, some of the best cave tubing in Belize takes place on the river. Many tours involve a guided hike for about 20 minutes through the Belizean rainforest and then a tube excursion down the river and through spectacular cave systems which the ancient Mayas regarded as a sacred underworld. This activity is an especially popular cruise ship excursion.

Salt of the Earth in Bolivia

By Linda Tancs

Descending from a prehistoric lake, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat at over 3,900 square miles. Located in the Eduardo Avaroa National Andean Wildlife Reserve in Bolivia, it’s one of South America’s most popular tourist attractions. This snow-hued wasteland features a cemetery of cherry red trains along its outskirts that bear silent testimony to a once burgeoning rail system designed for the transport of the area’s rich mineral resources to Pacific Ocean ports. Although generally devoid of plant or animal life, it’s also home to a migratory species of flamingos. Why not complement your visit with a stay at a salt hotel, where everything from the beds to the walls and floors are constructed from salt blocks. A bus or plane from La Paz will get you there.