Linda A. Tancs's Blog: The Long and Short of It, page 32

Walton’s Mountain

By Linda Tancs

The Waltons was a popular, long-running drama television series about a close-knit family in rural, Depression-era Virginia, based on the experiences of series creator and narrator Earl Hamner Jr. If you’ve ever wondered where the mountain scenery depicted in the show is really located, then head on over to Schuyler, Virginia. The hamlet was home to Earl Hamner Jr., and the family home there is now a Virginia Historic Landmark. The quiet village is located 25 miles south of Charlottesville in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountain range.

Swiss Magic

By Linda Tancs

Lake Brienz is one of the most stunning turquoise lakes in Switzerland, and along its shore is one of the most picturesque villages in the country, Iseltwald. The fairy-tale village of around 500 inhabitants gained notoriety for the filming of a romantic scene for a South Korean drama series, drawing many Asian tourists to the region. Among its many charms is the iconic Schloss Seeburg at the tip of a peninsula, a must-see for shutterbugs. Enjoy the views from any number of piers and benches, or set out on a canoe ride around the lake and castle.

The Great North American Eclipse

By Linda Tancs

Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. 

A Gem of a Church in Minnesota

By Linda Tancs

The practice of using vertical posts, or staves, to construct massive wooden buildings is what sets stave churches apart from the others. Stave churches were built in and around Scandinavia from the waning years of the Viking Age (the 11th and 12th centuries) to the early 16th century. One of the oldest- remaining stave churches in Norway is Hopperstad in Vik, built in 1130. You’ll find a full-scale replica of it in Moorhead, Minnesota, located along the boundary with Fargo, North Dakota. A symbol of Norwegian heritage so prevalent in the Red River Valley, the Moorhead Stave Church offers guided tours from April to December.

Classic New England Scenery

By Linda Tancs

Spanning 35 towns in northeastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts, The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is a federally-designated National Heritage Corridor boasting a pastoral landscape interspersed with historical points of interest. You’ll find a plethora of museums, mill villages, rivers and quaint town centers, together with the last stretch of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington, D.C.

Lansdale’s Log House

By Linda Tancs

The Morgan Log House stands on land originally deeded to the Commissioners of William Penn, who was granted the Charter of Pennsylvania from King Charles II on March 4, 1681. In 1708, Welsh immigrant Edward Morgan and his family (from whom frontiersman Daniel Boone is descended) became the first settlers of the property and later sold it to a German settler who built the log house that is now restored on the site. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the cabin reflects the lifestyle of colonial pioneers in the state. Access to the interior of the building is available via guided or self-guided tours.

Pearl of the French Alps

By Linda Tancs

Annecy is affectionately referred to as the Pearl of the French Alps. The prized appellation owes as much to the purity of its lake’s drinking water as it does to the scenery. In fact, Lake Annecy (the second-largest natural lake in France) ranks first in Europe for the purity of its waters. Historically, the town was the capital of the Duchy of Geneva, a division of the Duchy of Savoy, which became part of France in 1860. Now the principal city of the Haute-Savoie region, the picturesque town just shy of the Swiss border is surrounded by mountains ringing its famous lake. Enjoy the activities that the lake has to offer, like pedal boating, cruising, sailing and even two nature reserves on the eastern and southern shores.

An Old Brick School in Southbury

By Linda Tancs

Built in 1762 of locally-made bricks, Bullet Hill School in Southbury, Connecticut, is one of New England’s oldest schoolhouses and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The two-story structure remained in operation as a school for 179 years until December 1941. After the school closed, the building served as a meeting place for the Episcopal Church Sunday School, the War Rationing Board, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the first Regional School Board Superintendent’s office. It now serves as a living history museum for visiting school groups.

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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. 

Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.

The Castle in the River

By Linda Tancs

The Knights Templar was a medieval military order of the Catholic faith. In Portugal, they were granted lands and authority to defend the River Tagus from incursions by the Moors. One of their fortifications was the Castle of Almourol located in the river. Its commanding position offers great views from the ramparts. You can take an inexpensive ferry to get there.

Underwater in New Orleans

By Linda Tancs

Located on the Mississippi River adjacent to the French Quarter, Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana, offers a top-rated underwater experience. In addition to local species from the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, the facility features underwater wonders from the Caribbean to the Amazon. Overall, more than 3,600 animals from more than 250 species are represented, including endangered species such as African penguins and rare animals like white alligators.