Matador Network's Blog, page 698
February 22, 2021
EU is giving away Interrail passes
The European Union’s DiscoverEU program makes it easier for young people to travel across Europe conveniently and affordably by train. Any 18-year-old who is a citizen of the EU is eligible for a free Interrail pass, which will give them access to 40,000 destinations across 33 European countries. There are 60,000 Interrail passes being made available in October 2021, with passes allocated to EU member states based on population size.
According to the DiscoverEU website, “As an 18-year-old citizen of the European Union, DiscoverEU offers you the opportunity to participate in a travel experience that will enable you to take advantage of the freedom of movement throughout the European Union, explore the diversity of Europe, learn about European cultural heritage and history, and connect with people from all over the continent. Furthermore, DiscoverEU enables you, as a young person, to develop life skills of value to your future, such as independence, confidence, and openness to other cultures.”
Successful applicants must use the passes between March 2022 and March 2023 for a period of up to 30 days. Due to COVID-19, those possessing the pass will be given flexible bookings and routes, Lonely Planet reports.
Anyone who received their free Interrail rail pass in November 2019 will have until August 31 of this year to use it to account for time lost during the pandemic.
To apply for a pass, visit the European Youth Portal once passes become available. 
The post The EU is giving 60,000 free Interrail passes to young people this year appeared first on Matador Network.
Boeing 777 engine safety issues
It might be 2021, but Boeing is having a flashback to 2019. Two years after Boeing’s 737 Max planes were grounded due to safety issues that led to two fatal crashes, some of its 777s are now under scrutiny for engine malfunctions.
On Saturday, a United Airlines flight from Denver to Honolulu had to make an emergency landing when the aircraft’s right engine failed 20 minutes after takeoff. It appears that two engine fan blades fractured, setting the engine on fire and creating an explosion that blew off parts of the engine. Those parts fell to the ground, scattering large pieces of debris near houses and in public parks. The entire front casing of the engine landed in front of a house in Broomfield, Colorado. No one in the aircraft or on the ground was hurt.
This photo was taken near 13th and Elmwood. Media stage in Commons Park on North side near dog park. PIO eta is 30 mins. pic.twitter.com/vfXlToB5mE
— Broomfield Police (@BroomfieldPD) February 20, 2021
Boeing is now urging all airlines to ground 777 planes containing Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines. According to NBC News, those engines are only used in Japan, Korea, and the United States. United Airlines has grounded all of its 24 777 planes currently in service. In Japan, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have grounded all 32 of their 777 planes containing the specific engine. The Guardian reports that there are 69 777 planes containing Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines currently in service around the world.
Three years ago, a 777 operated by United Airlines went through a similar incident when the cowling of the right-hand engine was blown off 45 minutes before landing. A right engine malfunction also caused a Japan Airlines 777 flight to return to the Naha airport in December.
Two hundred forty-one people were on the flight from Denver to Honolulu, many of whom were understandably afraid. Travis Loock, a passenger on the flight, told CNN, “There was a big boom and the kind of sound you don’t want to hear when you’re on the airplane. And I instantly put my shade up, and I was pretty frightened to see that the engine on my side was missing.”
Had a front row seat to the entire engine failure on United flight 328. Kinda traumatized to fly United more. #UnitedAirlines pic.twitter.com/5KdJn1BGfV
— Chad Schnell (@ChadSchnell) February 20, 2021
Full inspections of all Boeing 777s with the same engine (120 of them, with only 69 in service) will be carried out before the aircraft are clear to fly again.
The post Boeing urges airlines to ground 120 planes after 777 engine caught fire over Denver appeared first on Matador Network.
New ‘Rage Room’ in São Paulo
Brazilians are finding new ways to release their anger. A new “Rage Room” in a warehouse near São Paulo opened its doors last month and for under $5, visitors can take a sledgehammer to various objects such as TVs, computers, and printers.
The business is the brainchild of Vanderlei Rodrigues who wanted to create an outlet for people to release adrenaline and pent-up emotions. The “Rage Room” has already received a number of participants eager to unleash their frustration, whether related to the pandemic, work, family life, or the general state of the world. “I think it was the best moment to be able to set this up here in Cidade Tiradentes, related to everything that people are going through, a lot of anxiety, stress,” Rodrigues told Reuters.
Visitors are required to wear helmets and protective suits for safety. They’re also encouraged to write the very thing that is ticking them off on the wall and proceed to hammer out the issues.
The “Rage Room” serves as a safe space to release anger with many choosing to lash out in a fun environment as opposed to elsewhere. One of the participants, Luciana Holanda, shared, “With all this accumulated stress, being a mother, having children and not being able to work…it is very good to be able to release some stress and vent. I am not going to vent my frustrations on my daughters or on anyone, so I really prefer to break things, I love it.”
The post New ‘Rage Room’ in São Paulo lets angry people thrash out their frustration appeared first on Matador Network.
Learn to speak Pidgin English
I’ll admit. Whenever a foreigner spews a few words of Yòrubá to me, regardless of delivery quality, I instantly warm up, throwing them a cheesy grin of approval. This gesture shows they’ve made an effort to learn my tribal tongue, one of over 500 Nigerian languages they could have chosen from.
If they open up with Pidgin English instead, I instantly perk up. Speaking Nigerian Pidgin transforms them from visiting foreigner into one of the hundreds of well-integrated expatriates in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. There’s a certain intimacy that this form of broken English emits; a down-to-earth, survivalist approach to everyday living and hustling in Africa’s most populous nation.
Pidgin English is extremely popular in most parts of Africa, particularly West Africa, and has been accepted as the de-facto language of blue collar trade and merchants. Pidgin English remains the “great” equalizer — a way of communicating on a base level that cuts through bullshit.
With more than 250 ethnic groups speaking over 500 languages and dialects, English is the country’s official business language.
For citizens without easy access to higher education and white collar jobs, picking up a few words of English and mixing it with elements of their native tongues has been the default way of communicating across tribal cultures.
Variations of Pidgin English can be found all over the world, from the Caribbean to China, and each comes with its own library of everyday words.
As you travel across West Africa, the style of Pidgin spoken becomes more familiar, but still differs based on local language elements infused into it.
Even if you don’t find yourself traveling to Nigeria in the distant future, try one of these phrases on one of your Nigerian friends, and fully bask in their glowing response. Here are 26 Nigerian Pidgin English phrases you need to know.
(Listen to how pronounce the first 26 Pidgin English phrases listed below here and don’t forget to add “o” at the end of sentences in Pidgin for extra emphasis, like “Thank you o!”)
1. How bodi? / How you dey? – How are you doing today?
2. How far? – Hey, Hi
3. Wetin? – What?
4. I no no – I don’t know
5. I no sabi – I don’t understand
6. I dey fine – I’m fine. I’m doing well.
7. Wetin dey happen? – What’s going on? What’s happening?
8. Wahala – Problem/Trouble. Example – Why you dey give me wahala? Which means why are you giving me so many problems?
Example: Why you dey give me wahala?
Meaning: Why are you giving me so many problems?
9. Comot! – Get out of here!
10. Comot for road – Make way
11. Dem send you? – Have you been sent to torment me?
12. Gi mi – Give it to me.
13. K-leg – Questionable. Example – Your story get k-leg! Which means your story or gist sounds suspect or exaggerated.
Example: Your story get k-leg!
Meaning: Your story sounds suspect/exaggerated.
14. I wan chop – I want to eat
15. Come chop – Come and eat
16. Abeg – Please, but usually not a repentant plea. Example – Abeg! No waste my time!; Which means Please! Don’t waste my time!
Example: Abeg! No waste my time!
Meaning: Please! Don’t waste my time!
17. Vex – Upset. Example – Make you no vex me! ; Which means “Don’t upset me!”
Example: Make you no vex me!
Meaning: Don’t upset me!
18. I no gree – I don’t agree, I disagree
19. Abi? – Isn’t it?
20. Na so? – Is that so?
21. Wayo – Trickery. Example – That man be wayo; which means “that man is a fraud!”
22. Area boys –Street-smart young men that loiter around neighborhoods.
23. Butta my bread – Answered prayers. Example – “God don butta my bread” which means God has answered my prayers.
Example: “God don butta my bread”
Meaning: God has answered my prayers
24. Go slow – Traffic jam
25. I go land you slap – I will slap you!
26. Listen well well – Pay attention
27. Now now – Immediately
28. I dey miss you – I miss you
29. Where are you going? – Wusai do dey go?
A version of this article was previously published on January 28, 2010, and was updated on February 22, 2021, with more information.
More like thisCulture25 life-changing experiences in Africa you need to have before you dieThe post 29 phrases to get you started learning Pidgin English appeared first on Matador Network.
21-year-old first row Atlantic solo
On Saturday, Jasmine Harrison, a 21-year-old from the UK, became the youngest woman to row the Atlantic Ocean solo. Competing in the 2020 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, the 3,000-mile trip took her from Spain to Antigua. Harrison departed from La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, in late 2020 and arrived in Antigua 70 days, three hours, and 48 minutes later, breaking the world record in her boat named “Argo.”
21-year-old Jasmine Harrison from Thirsk has become the youngest female to row across an ocean after completing the @TaliskerWhisky Atlantic Challenge.https://t.co/Q1sSs1zqqj pic.twitter.com/PZpmwIwhcB
— ITV News Tyne Tees (@itvtynetees) February 21, 2021
However, the feat was not without obstacles. Harrison injured her elbow badly when the boat capsized during the night after it hurdled into a massive wave at 19.2 knots. The young rower also almost collided with the Stena Forth drilling ship in the early hours of January 18. Challenges aside, Harrison made history and even had the opportunity to spot marine life such as Risso’s dolphins and an ocean triggerfish during the record-breaking journey.
Photo: Rudderly Mad/Facebook
Harrison is originally from the town of Thirsk in Yorkshire, England, which is completely landlocked. She was inspired to take on the adventure while she was teaching swimming in the Caribbean after witnessing the finishing line of the Atlantic Challenge in 2018.
“It wasn’t just watching and holding the flares at Nelson’s Dockyard for a race finish that inspired me, it was also talking to a family member of a lad that had just completed who told me just how much of an amazing thing it was. I didn’t say ‘not a chance I would do that,’ it was more a fact of why not do it?” she wrote on her website.
Harrison hopes that her accomplishment will serve as an inspiration to young people. “I just want to inspire people to change your mindset to what you can do, not what you can’t. The life you were born into doesn’t actually have to be your life. It might be great if you love it but you can be different,” she said at the Antigua harbor. “You don’t have to follow exactly what your parents did. We’re all different people, find your own thing to do.”
According to her GoFundMe page, Harrison is fundraising for the ShelterBox and Blue Marine Foundation. To date, she has raised 17,665 British pounds ($24,773), surpassing her initial goal of 10,000.
The post 21-year-old becomes the first woman to row the Atlantic solo appeared first on Matador Network.
February 19, 2021
Craft chocolate in Pennsylvania
I live in a land of chocolate: the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. Hershey is an hour to the west, and Godiva has its only plant outside of Belgium in my town of Reading. There’s a Lindt store down in Pottstown, and Wilbur, famous for its Buds, is in Lititz. Besides those giants of the sweet and semi-sweet, there are myriad chocolateries dotting the countryside. According to Pennsylvania Heritage, 80 percent of cocoa beans imported to the US come in through the port of Philadelphia.
We have a lot of chocolate here, and I’m in love.
The earliest documented use of chocolate as a food and drink dates back to the Olmecs in Mesoamerica, according to Smithsonian Magazine. It came in the form of a mostly bitter liquid extracted from the beans of the cacao tree. Spanish conquistadors took it back to Europe where it was eventually sweetened with cane sugar. It quickly went viral in an old-fashioned word-of-mouth way.
The product came to my area in the time of Benjamin Franklin, and Swiss and German immigrants ensured it found a place in the local culture. By the 1900s, Milton Hershey had started creating signature products in Lancaster. In 1905, he founded a company town centered around creating his sweets and he named it, of course, Hershey.
The malleability of chocolate — its ability to be mixed with just about any ingredient and molded into just about any shape — has led to an explosion of confections. Today, we have an unlimited array of chocolates: turtles, barks, mendiants, bars, creams, bon bons, pralines, nonpareils, and bombs. Basically there’s a chocolate-covered, or infused, everything.
For some of the best chocolate made stateside, there are few places that can compare to southeast Pennsylvania. Here’s how to take a chocolate-focused tour yourself.
1. Chocodiem
Photo: Chocodiem/Facebook
I started out one wintry day to discover the best ganache, the best chocolate, and the best shops in southeast Pennsylvania. It was a couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day, and the land of chocolate was in an absolute frenzy.
At the far eastern border separating Pennsylvania and New Jersey is the aptly named town of Easton. Here, you’ll find the Easton Public Market, a small mall with gourmet shops featuring meat, baked goods, fresh food, mercantile goods, and locally made wine.
The market is worth a visit all its own, but one distinct stall sells boutique truffle chocolates: Chocodiem. It’s a great name that sounds imperious, but it’s totally personable. The proprietor, JP Hepp, serves behind the counter and tells stories along with selling truffles.
Hepp is Belgian and a chemist of 22 years. He’s used his skills as a scientist to come up with well over a dozen different kinds of ganache — the creamy chocolate that fills truffles. He incorporates ingredients like Jack Daniels, espresso, red wine, lychees, pistachio, and just about anything else that inspires him. I picked up a dozen.
Where: 325 Northampton St. Easton, PA 18042
2. Raymer’s Homemade Candies
Photo: Raymer’s Homemade Candies/Facebook
South from Easton in Doylestown, I found a wonderful family-run business: Raymer’s Homemade Candies. Mom, dad, in-laws, husbands, and wives are all employed here and create a delightful array of sweets. On the day I visited, Dad was making a tray of turtles while lecturing on the process of natural caramelization, which involves using a copper kettle and a process of cooking sugar at an extremely high temperature. This gives it a rich, identifiable flavor. This natural caramel goes oh so well with chocolate.
Raymer is originally from Wisconsin, where he apprenticed under his father-in-law making recipes from the late 1800s. He still uses some of those recipes today.
Bring your sense of humor when you go to Raymer’s. It sells Valentine chocolates for men: heart-shaped boxes dressed in shirt and tie. Then there are the chocolate-covered bottles. Customers bring in a bottle of whatever — whiskey, Champagne, bubble bath soap — and Raymer’s coats the bottle with chocolate and decorates it with pretty frippery. When the customer is ready to use the contents of the bottle, they crack open the chocolate and let the celebration begin.
Where: 21 E Oakland Ave, Doylestown, PA 18901
3. Premise Maid
Photo: Premise Maid/Facebook
From Doylestown, I found my way to Route 222 and headed west. On the west side of Kutztown is a building in the middle of farmland that resembles a Swiss village. This is Premise Maid. The name refers to how the goods are made on the premises. It’s a great place to take your kids. Inside the candy shop is a humorous museum-like diorama depicting village life, presumably in the Alps. A sign says “Welcome to the Porch.” There are happy people and dogs and all-around good cheer.
The Damiano family has been making Premise Maid chocolates for over 30 years. It’s a big operation with more than 40 employees who work not just in the chocolate factory but in an ice creamery and bakery as well. The torte cakes are way too pretty to eat, and it’s impossible to decide which one to buy. Thankfully, there are smaller versions so you can pick up a few — I suggest the Cherry Black Forest.
Where: 10860 Hamilton Blvd, Breinigsville, PA 18031
4. Christopher Chocolates
Photo: Christopher Chocolates/Facebook
Farther west and south I reached Christopher Chocolates in Newtown Square. I bypassed the shop and went straight to the factory in Linwood. Like Raymer’s and Premise Maid, Christopher Chocolates is a family affair. Almost 40 years ago the Lamparellis bought an existing shop in West Chester from Mabel Thompson. They’ve built it up to a store that offers a wide array of chocolates (mostly made from Wilbur chocolate).
Specialties include regional concoctions such as Easter eggs (chocolate-covered, hand-rolled, and filled with buttery, coconuty, creamy interiors), chocolate-covered pretzels, and Irish potatoes. The latter confection is neither Irish nor does it contain potatoes. Instead, it’s a coconut-cream-filled, cinnamon-coated lump of delicious that has nothing to do with chocolate. Still, these are worth mentioning because they’re that dang good.
A specialty at Christopher Chocolates is their chocolate poops, which have googly eyes and tiny marshmallows inside. When you pour hot water over a poop, the melting chocolate bubbles up and the marshmallows pop to the surface for a delicious hot chocolate. These scatological chocolates are quite popular and tasty. They’re great for the wintertime doldrums.
In the factory, there’s an old-fashioned assembly line with a rolling machine that bounces and jiggles as it turns out Irish potatoes on a conveyor belt. This thing is decades old and 100 percent mechanical with not a computer chip or LED readout anywhere to be found. When it breaks, you don’t call IT, you call dad to come in with a wrench and well-placed kick. It’s great fun and nostalgic in an I Love Lucy chocolate factory episode kind of way.
Where: 3519 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073
5. Éclat
Photo: Éclat Chocolate/Facebook
If there is a polar opposite to Christopher Chocolate, it’s Éclat half an hour north in West Chester. There’s a good chance that this is the highest end chocolate shop you will ever visit. With none of the folksy humor of the family chocolatiers, Éclat is elegant and sophisticated.
Éclat’s chocolate maker, Christopher Curtin, learned from the masters of Europe and became the first American to be awarded “German Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier” in Cologne. Since then, he’s traveled the world to find the correct ingredients for his concoctions. He gets cocoa from Venezuela, chile from Aleppo, and peppers from Sichuan. The guy has studied, traveled, researched, tasted, tested, and devised. He was at one time a chocolate advisor to Anthony Bourdain.
Curtin’s inventions include combination bars with pairings such as coffee with cardamom and allspice with sesame. He has mendiants (chocolate wafers invented by the French) and mondiants (filled mendiants).
When faced with such a profusion of offerings, the best thing to do at this beautiful little shop is to start a subscription. A chocolate-of-the-month club so to say. That, or come back regularly.
Where: 24 S High St, West Chester, PA 19382
6. Lorah’s Handmades
Photo: Lorah’s Handmade Chocolates/Facebook
My final stop was back toward home at Lorah’s Handmade Chocolates in Mohnton (appointment only: info@lorahschocolates.com). Here, Maria Harvey has been making chocolates for 12 years. She bought the business from her aunt Ruth Lorah, who herself bought the business years ager from the Millers of Harrisburg. I guarantee what Maria is doing with chocolate would be unrecognizable by the Millers.
Maria works with the science of chocolate making. She studies, she experiments, she reads, she attends seminars. She’s created things that we can’t even imagine. She’s got chocolates made with mead (Red Raspberry Melomel) and has put white chocolate with blueberries. Someone once told her they were crazy about Brazil nuts, and Maria whipped up Brazil nut butter chocolates. There is no stone unturned in Maria’s world.
More interesting than her infinite variety of concoctions is the fact that most of Maria’s business is conducted on the road. She travels around in her mobile “Candy Scamper” to events like private parties, festivals, and retirement home affairs where clients snap up her wares and beg for more. She takes requests and follows up on suggestions that cross her path. My favorite so far is the milk orange cream that’s decadence defined.
Where: 611 Alleghenyville Rd, Mohnton, PA 19540
Biography: Sue Lange is a filmmaker in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. She is currently in development on her latest narrative film, LE BON CHEF (http://leboncheffilm.com).
The post The ultimate chocolate road trip through Pennsylvania appeared first on Matador Network.
The world's most beautiful words
One of the greatest pleasures of learning a new language is discovering its unsuspected peculiarities. And while language learners can do with less-detailed grammar and conjugation, they certainly enjoy new, unusual vocabulary and beautiful-sounding words. The following words do just that — some sound so lovely they could be repeated over and over for a hefty dose of ASMR goodness while others have such a poetic definition they’re heartwarming. Expand your vocabulary with the following 23 cool words, which are, in our opinion, some of the most beautiful words in the world.
1. Spookasem (Afrikaans)While the term translates directly as “ghost’s breath” (spook means “ghost” and asem means “breath”) spookasem is used by Afrikaans speakers to refer to cotton candy. It’s much more beautiful than what the spun sugar confection that will rot your teeth deserves.
2. Kaamos (Finnish)Kaamos is the Finnish word for “polar night,” a period of darkness that lasts more than 24 hours and a phenomenon that happens within the polar circles. But kaamos also holds a more emotional meaning as it is used to describe a feeling of longing for sunshine and a lack of enthusiasm that comes with little daylight.
3. Hiraeth (Welsh)Hiraeth is a Welsh word that not only sounds beautiful but also has an elegant and poetic meaning. According to BBC Travel, “it combines elements of homesickness, nostalgia and longing. Interlaced, however, is the subtle acknowledgment of an irretrievable loss — a unique blend of place, time and people that can never be recreated.”
4. Hanyauku (Rukwangali)Rukwangali, a Bantu language centered primarily in Namibia, has this word for “tiptoeing across hot sand.”
5. Mellifluous (English)The smooth, flowy “mellifluous” might have one of the most apt definitions of any English word: It means “a sound that is pleasing to hear.” Honorable mention to the similarly onomatopoeic words “euphonic,” “symphonious,” and “sonorous.”
6. Nakakapagpabagabag (Tagalog)Nakakapagpabagabag is the coolest word. It cures what it defines: It translates to “something that creates anxiety or uneasiness,” but there’s no way anyone can try saying it without feeling anything but delight and amusement afterward.
7. Kæreste (Danish)The lovely sounding Danish word for “dearest” or, more commonly, “girlfriend/boyfriend.”
8. Cryptoscopophilia (English)The desire to look into the windows of homes as you walk past them.
9. Rimjhim (Hindi)A cool word that described the gentle sound of rain tapping against a surface.
10. Komorebi (Japanese)Komorebi is a beautiful word, but its definition is even better: “The light filtering through the trees.”
11. Fernweh (German)Fernweh is a German word that is used to describe the feeling of missing a place you’ve never been.
12. Ubuntu (Zulu)A Zulu term that, aside from sounding beautiful, represents a philosophy of common humanity and conveys the idea that community is essential to society. It’s part of the phrase “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,” which literally translates as “I am because we are.” The term was used by US President Barack Obama in 2018 in a speech in South Africa in celebration of Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday.
13. Mångata (Swedish)The reflection of the moon on the water.
14. Dauwtrappen (Dutch)Dauwtrappen literally translates as “dew treading” and refers to the feeling of walking barefoot on dew-covered morning grass.
15. Acaronar (Catalan)In Catalan, the word acaronar means to gently pull someone closer to you.
16. Abendrot (German)In German, abendrot directly translates to “evening red” and refers to the sunset.
17. Torpe (Filipino)In Tagalog, torpe means to adore someone but be too shy to pursue them romantically. This meaning of torpe is a modern evolution of the term, which initially just meant “shy.” Note that torpe can also mean “stupid,” so be careful of the context in which you hear or use this word.
18. Chuchoter (French)The French word for “whisper,” chuchoter manages to be beautiful and onomatopoetic. It’s the perfect word if you’re into the tingling sensations of ASMR.
19. Gjensynsglede (Swedish)While gjensynsglede is a hard-to-pronounce Swedish word, its delightful meaning makes up for its overload of consonants. According to the hilariously intellectual British panel show Quite Interesting, gjensynsglede means “the joy of meeting up with someone you haven’t seen a while.” And in 2021, it’s fair to say that we all crave gjensynsglede.
20. Mono-no aware (Japanese)According to BBC Culture and Mari Fujimoto in her book Ikigai and Other Japanese Words to Live by, mono-no aware describes the impermanent nature of beauty and “the quietly elated, bittersweet feeling of having been witness to the dazzling circus of life — knowing that none of it can last.”
21. Tu’burni (Arabic)Tu’burni literally translates as “bury me.” It refers to the desire to die before the person you love so you never have to live without them.
22. Tárvotur (Icelandic)“Wet with tears.”
23. Mir (Russian)Mir is a short and beautiful word that holds two very different, yet equally important, meanings in modern Russian: “World” and “Peace.”
The two meanings become very significant in the context of the Soviet/Russian Mir Space Station, which launched in 1986 in the middle of the Cold War and orbited the Earth for almost 15 years. Some also believe that the two identical words may have led to the mistranslation of the title of Tolstoy’s famous novel “War and Peace,” which supposedly could just as well have been “War and the World.”
Collins Dictionary explains that it was also the term used to describe “a village commune of peasant farmers in pre-revolutionary Russia,” which is now obsolete.
A version of this article was previously published on December 4, 2015, and was updated on February 19, 2021, with more information.
More like thisLanguagesThe world’s 5 most beautiful alphabets you’ll never learn to readThe post 23 of the most beautiful words in the world appeared first on Matador Network.
National Park Service app
Visiting national parks is about to get easier than ever, thanks to a new app just released by the National Park Service. The new app, called National Park Service, contains accessibility information, lodging reservation, hike suggestions, audio tours, restaurant hours, and downloadable maps for use in all 423 NPS units across the country.
According to Outside, a National Park Service spokesperson said, “Parks are continuously adding content to their sections of the app, so always check back to see if favorite parks have added more info.”
Although the app is still in its beta version, users can already take advantage of many of its features. You can customize your homepage with your favorite parks, take unique audio tours of things like Star Wars filming locations in Death Valley, and learn in-depth geographic history about volcanoes and other natural phenomena.
The park’s most useful feature is likely the streamlining of the visitor experience. No longer do national park enthusiasts have to download separate apps for each park — this one-app-fits-all approach covers all your bases and is perfect for getting alerts on closures and road conditions, booking campgrounds, and looking for nearby food options.
The post The National Park Service just released a game-changing app appeared first on Matador Network.
15 scenic All-American Roads
The great American road trip is a fantasy for the modern traveler, but there’s one problem: There is no shortage of beautiful roads in the US and choosing one is no easy feat. The best way to ensure your trip is full of stunning views and attractions is to follow one of America’s Byways, of which there are now a total of 184 across 48 states, after 34 National Scenic Byways and 15 All-American Roads were added to the National Scenic Byways Program in February 2021.
The National Scenic Byways Program, funded by Scenic America, is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to preserving the visual beauty of the US, and recognizes roads with notable scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archaeological qualities.
According to Lonely Planet, Mark Falzone, president of Scenic America, “The National Scenic Byways Program brings new jobs, tourism and other benefits to communities along these scenic roads, which are often located in parts of the country where such resources are desperately needed and harder to come by. We are excited to partner with the new designees as they tap into the program’s benefits, and we look forward to helping other byways across the country in applying for future byways designations.”
Here are some of the newest All-American Roads added to the National Scenic Byways Program in February 2021 for you to plan your next road trip.
1. Great River Road National Scenic Byway — Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Mississippi
Photo: Joe Ferrer/Shutterstock
Extending for 2,069 miles, and taking around 36 hours to drive in its entirety, the Great River Road is undoubtedly one of the country’s most epic. The perfect road for a north-south trip, the Great River Road traces the course of the Mississippi River all the way from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. Running through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the road brings you through small riverside villages and big cities like St. Paul and Baton Rouge. When you’re not partaking in classic Mississippi Delta cuisine, there are several interpretive centers on the route to help you better understand the history and culture of the Mississippi River region.
2. A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway — Florida
Photo: Jillian Cain Photography/Shutterstock
Located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, this 72-mile road allows travelers to see St. Augustine, the oldest continually-occupied European settlement in the US. It goes from just south of Jacksonville on the Atlantic Coast down to the end of Flagler Beach, with breathtaking views the whole way.
3. The Battle Road Scenic Byway — Massachusetts
Photo: Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock
Battle Road is a must-visit for history enthusiasts. It follows the path of the British regulars during the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775. It runs for 15 miles through the historic towns of Arlington, Lincoln, Lexington, and Concord, and parts of the Minute Man National Historical Park. Lined with historic markers and monuments, Battle Road is a journey not just through small Massachusetts towns, but through the history of the country itself.
4. Chesapeake Country — Maryland
Photo: Jon Bilous/Shutterstock
This 85-mile byway gives you a glimpse of life on the Chesapeake Bay, including historic towns, fishermen hauling in their daily catch, and scenic stretches of farmland. Birdwatchers will be treated to several endangered species like the colonial waterbird — found mostly in the wetlands — and you’ll find yourself stopping every few minutes to take pictures of the beautiful rivers and inlets that define the route.
5. Historic Route 66 Missouri — Missouri
Photo: Nick Fox/Shutterstock
The oldest and most famous road trip route in the US, Route 66 was established in 1926 and spans nearly 2,500 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. The Missouri section of the route is the newest addition to the list of All-American Roads, running through St. Louis, Cuba, Rolla, Lebanon, Springfield, Carthage, Brooklyn Heights, and Joplin. It also passes through rolling hills and valleys, following much of the Kickapoo trail.
6. Newfound Gap Road Byway — North Carolina and TennesseePhoto: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
A 31-mile corridor through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Newfound Gap Road gives travelers from North Carolina or Tennessee a throughway to the other side of the park without having to go around the mountains. Stretching from Gatlinburg, TN, to Cherokee, NC, the road is one of the most beautiful in either state, and unsurprisingly, it’s the most-traveled road in the entire park.
7. Flaming Gorge – Green River Basin Scenic Byway — Wyoming
Photo: Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock
It’s much less treacherous than it sounds. This 100-mile byway starts just west of Rock Springs, and plunges into the red rock terrain along the Utah border that makes the desert so beautiful. You’ll see unique rock formations, mountain peaks, and maybe even some wild horses if you’re lucky.
The post The newest All-American Roads you need to bookmark for your next road trip appeared first on Matador Network.
Arrest for COVID-19 bribe in Hawaii
Wherever there are strict rules, there will be those trying to circumvent them. That seems especially true when it comes to travel in the time of COVID-19. Last week, two tourists from Louisiana flew to Hawaii and were arrested after allegedly trying to bribe an airport screener to avoid having to quarantine.
The state of Hawaii requires travelers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their arrival to avoid a 10-day quarantine. Apparently, these travelers thought they could buy their way out of that requirement.
When 29-year-old Johntrell White arrived at Hawaii’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on Friday, he allegedly offered the screener $2,000 to let him through without a mandatory quarantine. His travel companion, 28-year-old Nadia Bailey, then added that she would contribute an additional $1,000 if the screener let her go through as well. It is believed that neither had taken a COVID-19 test prior to arriving.
Instead of being allowed through to enjoy their vacation, they were both arrested for bribery and immediately sent home. During the ordeal, hopefully someone mentioned to them that COVID-19 tests are either free or incredibly inexpensive, and widely available, and taking one would have saved them a lot of embarrassment.
The post Tourists arrested in Hawaii after bribing airport COVID-19 screener appeared first on Matador Network.
Matador Network's Blog
- Matador Network's profile
- 6 followers
