Vermont’s Annual Stowe
Derby Takes Place On February 25, 2007
The Stowe Derby is one of the
oldest and most unique ski races in North America. Since it started
in 1945, the challenge has been the same—a race from the top of Mt.
Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak to the quaint village of Stowe—the
ultimate test of a skier's ability.
The race attracts as many
as 1,000 competitors, ranging from Canadian Cross Country Ski Team members
and NCAA Champions to recreational skiers looking for a thrill. While
the race can be very competitive at all levels, it is also a fun race,
having been chosen as one of the top sporting events in the state by
readers of Vermont Sports Magazine. Participants will ski over 10 miles
of challenging terrain, racing down Mt. Mansfield's Toll Road (a beginner
alpine ski trail) and along the entire length of the Stowe 5.3-mile-long
Recreation Path before reaching the finish in the village. The course
has a total vertical drop of almost 3,000 feet. The winners will complete
the course in less than 40 minutes, while recreational skiers can take
a couple of hours to go the same distance. Visit www.gostowe.com for more information about Stowe.
Austria’s Winter Keeps
Swinging
Despite a lack of snow in all
European winter sports centers, the Tirol winter sports region in the
Alps still provides good to very good conditions for skiing and boarding
fans. The five Tirolean glaciers feature white pistes and sunshine galore
and the leading Tyrolean winter sports centers attract skiers with excellently
groomed runs.
This winter clearly shows the
value of the enormous investments made by Tyrolean
skiing areas in state-of-the-art
snow-making installations. Although there was a lack of snow accumulations
until mid-January, the leading Tyrolean winter sports regions at present
have the majority of their runs open. There might be some restrictions
on runs down to the valley or exposed south-facing slopes but more than
60 percent of the total skiing area can be covered with artificial snow
to allow good to adequate skiing conditions.
To learn more about skiing
destinations in Austria, visit www.tirol.at .
Ski.com Makes It Easy for
Skiers and Snowboarders to Get Their Fix This Season
Ski.com is offering some good
news for season pass holders whose dreams of a wintry utopia have not
yet been realized this season: a $50 per person discount on Ski.com vacation packages if at least one traveler on the reservation is a ski-season
pass holder of a resort where lift service is operating at 50 percent
or less.*
While many of the country's
ski resorts and town hills were late to open due to lack of snow, Western
resorts in the United States and Canada have experienced average to
above-average snowfall resulting in epic conditions. Following are sample
deals to premier resorts:
-- Jackson Hole (65" base):
Available 1/10/2007 to 2/10/2007
From $484 per person* - based
on double occupancy
* 4 Nights lodging,
Lodge at Jackson Hole
* 3 days skiing
* Roundtrip airport
transfers, from Jackson airport
-- Breckenridge (52"
base): Available to 2/16/2007
From $766 per person*
- based on double occupancy
* 4 nights lodging,
Liftside Studio
* 3 days skiing
* Roundtrip airport
transfers, from Denver Airport
For more information about Ski.com, and the customized vacation packages it offers in North America,
Europe and South America, visit www.Ski.com or call 1-800-525-2052 to speak
with a Ski.com agent. To learn more about the discount for season pass
holders, please visit www.ski.com/land/passholder.aspx.
*************************
Valencia Welcomes
The America’s Cup In June 2007
To welcome the competitors
for the America’s Cup next year, Valencia is opening itself to the
sea. For the first time in more than 150 years–from June 23 to July
7, 2007—Europe will host sailing’s most prestigious event.
Some 6 million visitors are expected to watch the world’s best yachtsmen
from ten countries battle it out as the Swiss Alinghi team defends its
title against 11 other teams.
In 1851 Queen Victoria watched
the last competition in Europe as the yacht America representing the
New York Yacht Club beat 15 British vessels racing around the Isle of
Wight. Since then, America’s Cup races have only been held in Britain,
the US, Australia and New Zealand. Reliable wind conditions, year-round
temperate weather and the promise of a race that will bring spectators
closer to the sailing action were key factors in convincing officials
that Valencia would be the best venue.
Preceding the America’s Cup
April 3 to 7 is the Louis Vuitton Act 13 Fleet Race and the Louis Vuitton
Cup, April 16 to June 12. The winner of the final Act goes up against
the Alinghi team.
Valencia has spent $637.5 million
revitalizing the waterfront alone, and by next year the inner harbor
and commercial port will be transformed into a state-of-the-art marina
– or several of them. In the center of the inner harbor will be the
mega yacht marina for vessels larger than 98 feet. A 1,968-foot
channel has been opened to allow the racers and their boats direct access
from their bases to the sea. A new breakwater provides marinas on either
side of the channel with mooring for 700 sailing vessels.
At the entrance to the canal
sits the emblematic Sails and Winds building, the Foredeck & Owner’s
Club designed by David Chipperfield and Fermín Vázquez. Offering panoramic
views of the inner harbor, the $45.9 million building will have six
restaurants, 20 clubs, bars and other entertainment venues – all providing
privileged bird’s eye views of the races. Lying alongside the channel
is the 34-acre America’s Cup Park, where 600,000 sailing enthusiasts
will follow the competition on giant TV screens. Here, more restaurants
and entertainment venues will be joined to the lower seafront promenade
by ramps leading down to Malvarrosa Beach and the mile-long, palm-lined
Paseo Maritimo. By the start of the America’s Cup, the city will have
a new metro line connecting the port with the airport. About $58 million
is being spent on the airport including a new terminal and an extension
of the runway. The new Central Station will eventually accommodate the
AVE, the high-speed train connecting Valencia to all the major cities
in Spain. Part of the city’s two main arteries that lead to the station
are being buried underground while above, a 74-acre park – the largest
green area in the city – is being created. Cabecera Park will have:
a Mediterranean river forest with a huge five-acre lake; Bioparc, a
zoological park, and an amusement park with a botanical theme.
The old sector: In its old quarter, Valencia’s first “golden age” of the 14th
and 15th centuries is reflected in the beautiful late Gothic Silk Exchange,
the Gothic-Romanesque-Baroque cathedral and the 15th century Gothic
palace, that now houses the regional government. Other architectural
gems include: the 18th century Baroque mansion of the Marqués de Dos
Aguas, fancifully decorated with ceramic fruits and vegetables and home
to the Ceramics Museum, a 17th century seminary, now home to the Fine
Arts Museum, the Museo de Bellas Artes containing some 2,000 paintings
and sculptures and the Mercado Central, one of Europe’s largest food
markets, located in a huge Art Nouveau building of iron, glass and tile.
These architectural gems complement
some of the city’s stunning contemporary structures. After disastrous
floods in 1957, the Turia River bed was transformed into a six-mile
ribbon of green parks and gardens. In the late 1990s the city began
expanding out along the river banks. There, in 1998 native son Santiago
Calatrava began creating his futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. www.cac.es. Measuring 1,000 feet long and
60 feet high, the dramatic white Umbracle serves as the entrance and
shields a promenade of tropical plants and palm trees. Opened in 1998,
the Hemispheric is a dramatic eye-shaped planetarium and IMAX theatre
surrounded by a huge rectangle of turquoise water.
The Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe
Felipe (Prince Felipe Museum of the Sciences) debuted in 2000 and features
interactive displays and exhibits of Life and the Genome and Towards
the Cosmos.
In 2003, Europe’s largest
aquarium – virtually an underwater city – the Oceanographic, was
unveiled. A series of parabolic buildings by Spanish architect
Félix Candela provide a hi-tech tour of the marine habitats of the
world’s oceans. A striking subterranean restaurant – the walls
are floor-to-ceiling aquariums – serves fresh fish and the region’s
signature dish, paella.
Last October, Calatrava’s
spectacular Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Queen Sofia Palace of the
Arts) opened with venues for opera, theatre and dance. Zubin Mehta,
the president of the Festival of the Mediterranean and the Palau’s
music director Lorin Maazel kicked off their inaugural season last month.
Down the river bank and closer to the old quarter, the Instituto Valenciano
de Arte Moderno (IVAM) houses the world’s largest collection of works
by acclaimed sculptor Julio González. Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa
of SANAA are designing the expansion for IVAM, enclosing the contemporary
art museum in a large white shell.
To meet increased demand for
accommodations, new hotels have been opening since 2004 including the
eye-catching 157-room Puerta Valencia by native son, Javier Mariscal
near the City of Arts & Sciences www.hoteles-silken.com; the 48-room South Beach-style Hotel
Neptuno on Malvarrosa Beach www.hotelneptunovalencia.com; the 66-room boutique property Palau
de la Mar that joined two 19th century palaces in the city center www.epoquehotels.com and the luxurious, five-star 254-room
Hotel Balneario Las Arenas www.hotel-lasarenas.com that has become the centerpiece
of Valencia’s increasingly sophisticated seafront. In 2006, three
more five-star properties debuted: the 306-room Valencia Hilton www.hilton.com, the 271-room Hotel Sorolla Palace
and the 136-room Westin Alameda, a new luxury hotel carved out of a
1917 wool factory with a distinctive Modernist facade www.starwoodhotels.com/westin . A four-star boutique hotel, the
100-room Vincci Lys opened on a quiet pedestrian street in the old quarter. www.vinccihoteles.com.
For information about Valencia http://www.turisvalencia.es/index.aspx?idioma=EN. For information about the America’s
Cup go to www.americascup.com/en. To learn more about Spain, visit www.spain.info. In the US, you may phone the
Tourist Office of Spain in New York (212-265-8822); Miami (305-358-1992);
Chicago (312-642-1992) or Los Angeles (323-658-7188).
****************************
Metropolitan Touring Offers
Unique Rail & Road Journeys in Ecuador
Chiva Express is a unique and
exclusive product of Metropolitan Touring and the best way to experience
mainland Ecuador—from the Andean patchwork countryside to the lush
tropical coastal lowlands—using the tracks that date back to the beginning
of the 20th century. The Chiva Express is a must-do trip through the
unbeaten paths and ever-changing scenery of this beautiful country,
designed to offer a relaxed, fun and truly authentic experience for
world class travelers.
Chiva Express vehicles are
a one-car train, like a bus on tracks, decorated with naïf paintings
by a local indigenous artist from the town of Tigua depicting the landscape,
festivities and legends of the sites found along the journey.
Chivas have 34 comfortable seats inside and more at the top so guests
can Ride the Roof with spectacular views of the Andes Mountains along
the Avenue of the Volcanoes, up the slopes of Cotopaxi Volcano,
and down the Devil’s Nose to Guayaquil or Cuenca. Or combine the rail
ride with an exciting adventure including trekking and horseback on
the Chimborazo, Ecuador’s highest mountain. Different programs allow
guests to plan their trip according to their specific interests and
time frame.
For 2007 Chiva Express programs
have been re-designed to offer more stops along the way and allow a
closer contact with the indigenous cultures, haciendas, flower plantations
and a taste of the products of the land. New itineraries with Metropolitan’s
three Chiva Express vehicles, which have just been overhauled, will
operate starting February 15.
Riding the rails, is the best
way to get to the heart of the country, to feel the warmth of its people
and their rich ancestral culture -where customs and costumes of the
indigenous cultures have remained unchanged- deeply entwined with the
land. Experience first-hand the sights and insights; the textures
and colors; the sounds and the music; the aromas and flavors of the
local produce cultivated in a patchwork of windswept fields.
Take a different track and
embark on a journey of discovery along Ecuador’s landscapes, its natural
mega-diversity, its authentic indigenous culture, food, history and
traditions. Visit www.chivaexpress.com for detailed itineraries and
Metropolitan Touring at http://www.metropolitantouring.com/ for tour arrangements.
Metropolitan Touring was founded
in 1953 and is Ecuador’s leading Travel Corporation with its own ground
and Galápagos cruise-expedition operation. Expanding over 50 years,
the history of Metropolitan Touring consists of an extraordinary team
of a highly professional staff led by a group of Ecuadorian visionaries
eager to boost tourism in Ecuador. Designed for upscale and demanding
guests, Metropolitan Touring offers a fulfilling selection of exciting
and innovative experiences in Ecuador’s megadiverse four natural regions:
Pacific Coast, Andean highlands, Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos Islands.
Special Tour Takes Visitors
To See Gorillas In Rwanda
Rwanda is a country celebrated
for its gorillas whose numbers are shrinking as a result of in country
fighting of the past and poachers. To observe these handsome animals
up close, Road Scholar, a US-based tour group, is offering ten-day trips—Rwanda:
Tracking the Mountain Gorilla—that will take small groups on hikes
to the Vurunga volcanoes to observe the animals. Trip fee is $6,087
per person. Click www.roadscholar.org for more information on this and other
educational tours.
Road Scholar is an exciting
new learning-travel opportunity for adults of all ages. Developed by
the not-for-profit Elderhostel organization
– well known and respected for its lifelong
learning programs for age 55+ adults
– Road Scholar is designed to serve individuals who desire more opportunities
for independent exploration, yet still want an educational focus coupled
with the convenience of a pre-arranged travel experience.
For Spring Holidays Think
Arizona, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Utah & Peru
A spring break can mean a lot
more than lazing by the pool at another forgettable beach resort. If
you want to move that body while exploring new horizons, Austin-Lehman
Adventures (ALA) that specializes in vacations for escapists seeking
action over atrophy suggests itineraries that include, among others,
Costa Rica, the Galápagos Islands and Machu Picchu, as well as the
stateside charms of spring in Arizona and Utah.
Following are ALA’s multi-sport
spring-break itineraries for 2007:
--Ecuador: Weekly throughout
the year, ALA’s - Galápagos Island Adventure, 8 days / 7 nights offers
a walk back in animal time. Based from a luxury 20-passnger motor yacht,
days are filled with hiking, boating, snorkeling and kayaking. The nearly
all inclusive, per person double occupancy rate, exclusive of international
air and pre- & post-cruise city tour packages, starts at $2,450.
Children ages 14 and under sharing a cabin with an adult receive up
to 30 percent off the rate. Click Here: http://www.austinlehman.com/ALmain.php?Option=Detail&TripID=79
-- Costa Rica: February 17-25,
March 3-11, 17-25, April 7-15 and May 18-26, the Beach, River &
Rainforest Adventure features 9 days / 8 nights of hiking unpopulated
Pacific beaches and along old growth jungle trails, rafting a Class
IV river, exploring the inland cloud forest and more. The nearly all
inclusive, per person double occupancy rate, exclusive of international
air, begins at $1,638. A single supplement is $350. Children ages 12-16
in the same room with parents receive a 25 percent discount. This trip
is repeated monthly throughout the balance of the year. Click
Here: http://www.austinlehman.com/ALmain.php?Option=Detail&TripID=85
-- Arizona: New Trip For 2007!
March 14-18 & April 1-5, sign up for the Grand Canyon / Havasu Base
Camp Adventure, 5 days / 4 nights, and gain insight and immersion into
the culture of the Havasupai People who have co-existed with nature
for generations in a remote and hostile landscape. A primary activity
is hiking to and frolicking in turquoise pools fed by thundering waterfalls.
The nearly all inclusive, per person, double occupancy rate, departing
from Phoenix but exclusive of air, is $1,550. A single supplement is
$80. Children ages 7-15 pay $1,395. This trip is repeated June 13-17,
Sept. 24-28, Oct. 4-8 and Oct. 24-28. Click Here: http://www.austinlehman.com/ALmain.php?Option=Detail&TripID=100
--Peru: March 24-April 1, ALA’s
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Adventure is 9 days / 8 nights of hiking,
biking, rafting and horseback riding through the spellbinding scenery
and living history of the Andes. The nearly all inclusive, per person
double occupancy rate, exclusive of international air, is $3,098. A
single supplement is $1,190. This trip is repeated July 21-29, Aug.
11-19 and Oct. 6-14. Click Here: http://www.austinlehman.com/ALmain.php?Option=Detail&TripID=80
-- UTAH: May 6-11 & May
13-18, the Bryce & Zion National Parks Adventure is a 6 day / 5
night celebration of the wilderness by foot and by bike. Highlights
include natural arches, slot canyons, hoodoos, mazes and the finest
star-gazing in the continental U.S. The nearly all inclusive, per person
double occupancy rate, exclusive of air, is $2,098. A single supplement
is $525. The trip is repeated Oct. 7-12 and Oct. 14-19 (hiking only).
Click Here: http://www.austinlehman.com/ALmain.php?Option=Detail&TripID=26
For a copy of the 2007 catalog
as well as information on ALA’s 29 unique luxury, multisport, adult
and family active adventure travel itineraries call toll-free 1.800.575.1540,
or e-mail info@austinlehman.com . To review current trips, schedules
and itineraries log onto http://www.austinlehman.com.
Austin-Lehman Adventures
specializes in upscale multi-sport adventures to iconic destinations
throughout the Americas. Most of their small group vacations are
six days and five nights in duration, and combine such guided outdoor
activities as hiking, biking, rafting, canoeing and horseback riding
with nights spent at a series of distinctive inns and lodges.
Lunch is usually served gourmet picnic-style along the trail, and breakfast
and dinner take place in a given region’s finest cafés and restaurants.
Prior experience is not a prerequisite and adventures cater to a wide
range of abilities. On adult adventures participants need to be
16 years old or above. Expressly designed family adventures are suitable
for children as young as seven (7) years
of age (5 years of age on their Costa Rica Family Adventure).
ALA is also a founding member
of a new travel consortium, Trusted Adventures (http://www.trustedadventures.com),
which mixes and matches its clients to adventures in the Americas as
well as in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The alliance offers 220
unique trips to over 70 destinations worldwide.
An Unforgettable Journey
To Northern India Beckons
In celebration of the 20th
anniversary of the company—Asia Transpacific Journeys—that
she co-founded, Marilyn Downing Staff has crafted a special journey
of discovery to the spectacular monasteries, temples, retreats and landscapes
of India’s upper northern region. Today ATJ is a definitive expert
in travel to Asia and the Pacific Rim and it is offering a 16-day trip
from Sept. 15-30 2007 to northern India.
Marilyn herself will lead the
trip called India: In the Realm of the Spirit—Temples and Monasteries
of the Indian Himalaya, to celebrate this milestone anniversary.
Exclusive of international
air, the per person (double) land cost is $5,695, with internal air
at $510. A single supplement is $1,100. The rate includes beyond-the-ordinary
lodging, meals, transport and private guide, as well as many other features.
The piece de resistance of
the trip is a three-night, end-of-sojourn stay at the Ananda Spa in
the Himalayas.
The journey explores the convergence
of diverse cultures including the deeply contemplative Buddhism of Ladakh,
Sikhism’s embrace of all human kind at Amritsar, the enlightened message
of compassion espoused by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the intense
devotion in sacred Hindu Haridwar, and the mystic yogic tradition prevailing
in Rishikesh, a magnet for the soul-searchers since the days of the
Beatles’ Maharishi.
Overland drives reveal the
mountainous and water-carved beauty of northern India, including an
overnight in Dharamsala, a former British hill station amidst stunning
Himalayan peaks. Enjoy a visit to the Tibetan Children’s Village School
that has cared for and educated more than 2,500 orphaned Tibetan children,
under the patronage of the Dalai Lama, since the 1960s.
Accommodations run a delightful
and authentic gamut, from Heritage Hotels to five-star boutique properties
to rustic huts near an 11th century monastery.
After a train and rickshaw
adventure, guests enjoy the Ananda Spa outside of Rishikesh, once the
residence of Maharaja of Tehri-Garhwal. This 21,000-square-foot spa
offers an extensive menu of over 70 body and beauty treatments integrating
the traditional Indian systems of Ayurveda with contemporary Western
spa luxuries.
The journey culminates in Delhi
at the Hotel Imperial, reckoned among the finest hotels in Asia.
Included in the per-person
land costs are accommodations, nearly all meals, transfers, visa fees,
tips, entrance fees, medical and emergency insurance and a comprehensive
pre-departure packet. ATJ can also arrange international air through
its in-house air department.
For 2007 ATJ’s ever-expanding
itineraries of Small Group Trips and Custom Journeys encompasses over
20 countries in North Asia, South Asia, SE Asia and the Pacific. Some
trips also support global conservation and cultural preservation. ATJ’s
own non-profit Asia Transpacific Foundation, established in 1998, works
with rural Asian communities to provide clean drinking water through
locally made ceramic water filters.
For information visit www.asiatranspacific.com or call toll free 800-642-2742.
2007 Epicurean Adventures
Offers Enticing Culinary Itineraries
Horizon & Co., one of Canada's
leading boutique travel companies, has launched its new 2007 Epicurean
Adventures, a series of culinary journeys built around some of the hottest
food destinations and emerging culinary trends for 2007.
Whether it is traveling along
the gourmet trial through rural Hungary in pursuit of the pungent pleasures
of paprika in the company of renowned author Joanne Sasvari (Paprika:
A Spicy Memoir from Hungary), shucking oysters on the pier with a weathered
Cancalle fisherman in Normandy, or eating the perfect tajine by candlelight
beside a pool dappled with rose petals deep in the heart of Morocco,
an epicurean adventure with luxury outfitters Horizon & Co is sure
to broaden your palate.
-- Hungary: Explore the rich
culture of Hungary, traveling across beautiful landscapes and sampling
fine wines and sumptuous regional cuisine along the way. Explore the
historic town of Szeged (known for salami and paprika), wade into the
luminous waters of Lake Batalon, wander the bountiful markets along
the Danube and meet fascinating locals who bring this gastronomic adventure
to life. Dates May 5-11, 2007
Price per person from CDN $3,950
/ US $3,440 Single supplement CDN $495 / US $440.
Day 1 Heviz. Lake Batalon.
Day 2 Herend. Day 3 Villany. Wine region. Day 4 Szeged. Paprika Farm.
Day 5 Budapest markets. Day 6 Budapest. Tokaj. Day 7 Departures.
-- India: Journey in style
from Tamil Nadu (home to Indian vegetarianism) to Chettinad (with the
most aromatic dishes on the sub-continent), from South Kerala (with
its exotic tropical fruits) to North Kerala (with its unique seafood-focused
Moplah cuisine), from Jaipur (with its delicate Rajasthani dishes) to
Agra (with its magnificent Mughal biryanis) and finish in Delhi (to
sample the robust Punjabi tandoori). Dates From Jan-May/September to
December. Price per person from CDN $8,450 / US $7,350. Single supplement
not available.
Day 1-3 Madras. Days 4-5 Karaikudi.
Days 6-8 Thekaddy. Cochin. Days 9-10 Tellicherry. Day 11-12 Jaipur.
Day 13 Agra. Day 14-16 Delhi.
-- Indochina: The flavors of
the Asian palate are as brilliant and enticing as the landscapes in
which they are savored. In Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia e explore the
markets of UNESCO-protected Luang Prabang, shop with a famous Vietnamese
chef and learn her secrets in Saigon, float down the Mekong River past
emerald-green rice paddies and take in the panoramic sunset over the
sprawling ruins of Angkor Wat.
Dates From Jan-Apr/September
to December. Price per person from CDN $4,650 / US $3,995
SGL SUPP CDN $1,280 / US $1,120
Days 1-3 Luang Prabang, local
markets. Day 4 Vientiane. Days 5-7 Hanoi, colonial quarter. Day 8 Saigon,
celebrity chef. Days 9-10 Siem Reap, explore Angkor Wat. Days 11-12
Bangkok.
-- Morocco: Breathe the peregrine
scents of the Marrakech spice market as you weave through intricately
woven alleys of the souks. Emerge from the colorful maze into the Place
Djemaa el Fna, a hive of bountiful produce and culinary fervor just
as the haunting call to prayer fills the sunset skies. Join us as we
discover the delicacy of a perfect tajine, eaten by candlelight
near a pool dappled in rose petals and have a taste of the exotic you
will never forget. Dates From Jan-April/October to December. Price per
person from CDN $4,750 / US $4,140 SGL SUPP CDN $815 / US
$710
Days 1-2 Marrakech. Souks.
Day 3 Atlas Mountains. Herb gardens. Day 4 Marrakech. Palmerie. Days
5-6 Essaouira. Souks and endless beaches. Day 7 Argana. Day 8 Marrakech.
--Normandy Chateau: From the
rugged beaches of war-torn Normandy to the manicured gardens of the
Loire Châteaux, the landscape of Northern France is rich in history,
culture and gastronomical tradition. Join us at a dairy farm in Camembert,
shucking oysters on the pier with a Cancale fisherman, a Calvados tasting
in an ancient orchard, negotiating for truffles in open air markets
and invitations into the homes of local food stylists.
Dates From May-September
Price per person from CDN $5,850
/ US $4,895 SGL SUPP CDN $640 / US $560
Day 1 Giverny. Day 2 Cancale.
Mont St. Michel. Day 3 Honfleur. Day 4 Perche Region. Day 5 Normandy
Beaches. Bayeux. Day 6 Anjou. Day 7 Saumur. Day 8 Paris.
-- Spain: Join us as we saturate
our senses in the intoxicating experience of Spanish traditional cuisine
and culture. Savour the tastes of authentic culinary delights bedizened
with a cosmopolitan flair arranged by some of the world's most praised
master Chefs. Lose yourself in the dizzying aromas of the Spanish marketplace.
Dates from April to November.
Prince per person from CDN $6,750 / US $5,875 SGL SUPP $1,195
CDN / $1,100 US
Day 1 Madrid. Day 2 Ribera
del Duero. Day 3 Madrid. Day 4 Sevilla. Day 5 Sierra of Aracena. Day
6 Sevilla. Day 7 Jerez de la Frontera. Day 8 Depart.
--Tuscany: Explore the
open air markets, private villas and olive groves with some of Tuscany's
most colorful locals on a journey of discovery deep into the heart of
Chianti, where culinary tradition is the meaning of life and a hike
through the vines is your daily workout. Taste nature's bounty, absorb
the timeless lifestyle and embrace a vibrant culture where time slows
down and the past is fused with the present.
Dates from April to October.
Prince per person from CDN $5,990 / US $5,220 SGL SUPP CDN
$730 / US $635
Day 1 Florence. Day 2 Panzano.
Siena. Day 3 Nozzole. Day 4 Montalcino. Pienza. Day 5 Certaldo. Vinci.
Day 6 Poggio San Polo. Day 7 Volpaia. Day 8 Florence.
More information at www.horizon-co.com or email admin@horizon-co.com
Trip Operator: Horizon &
Co. (founded in 1963), is a boutique travel company founded in 1963.
Horizon designs and stages authentic and deeply personal travel experiences
that are carefully choreographed to induce a life-long memory. In addition
to offering published trips on seven continents, Horizon builds private
custom trips for discerning individuals and small groups.
Tuscan Way Announces One-Week
Price Of $1,890 At La Locanda Del Prete
Continuing its tradition of
hosting guests in authentic settings, Tuscan Way has announced a new
vacation site—La Locanda del Prete—a medieval home once owned by
the local matchmaker, thus the translation, The Inn of the Priest”
This serves as Tuscan Way’s fifth vacation site and offers visitors
a more independent structure to their vacation with opportunities for
exploring the nearby villages and towns using detailed suggestions from
Tuscan Way. The price for the seven-day package is $1,890 per person,
double.
Centrally located in the region
of Grosseto, La Locanda is in easy distance of Florence, Siena and the
coast. Guided tours take guests to Pienza, one of Italy’s best planned
Renaissance towns, known for its Duomo, built in 1459; Montepulciano,
well known for its Vino Noble wines; Montalcino, where guests will visit
a family-owned winery and enjoy the tasting of Brunello wine and local
cheeses and meats; Santa Fiora, a charming medieval village on Mount
Amiata, famous for the terracotta bas-reliefs of the Della Robbia brothers
(circa 1400); and Abbadia San Salvatore, home to the once immensely
powerful Benedettine abbey.
Free days can be spent relaxing
in the comfort of the five-bedroom family inn with its balconies, trattoria
and outside dining/sitting area, or wandering up the road to the Church
of the Madonna Crowned where many made pilgrimage for protection during
the plague of 1348, or heading off on any of several suggested excursions—to
Siena, Florence, a village along the beautiful sea coast or several
of the small villages in the surrounding area: Castel del Piano, Montegiovi
or Montelaterone. Transportation is available by bus, private
hired car or private tour guides.
Tuscan Way vacation would not
be complete without a cooking course – and one is given by patriarch
and Master chef, Carlo Innocenti. Participants are taught in the
style of La Cucina Povera Toscana—the Tuscan peasant's cuisine, in
the same intimate nature of its four other locations—Casa Innocenti,
Villa Castelletti, Villa Gaia and Villa Poggiarello: small groups, comfortable
surroundings and a member-of-the-family atmosphere not found in more
formal schools. Following the cooking class the group will sit
down to enjoy their efforts.
Included are all lodging, breakfasts,
dinners, transfers from Grosseto, guided tours, a hands-on cooking course
and suggested self-guided itineraries for the three days of non-guided
tours. Tuscan Way is a specialized provider of packaged and custom tours
to Tuscan destinations and villa rentals. Reservations, brochures
and information can be obtained from Tuscan Way, 2829 Bird Avenue, PMB
242, Coconut Grove, FL, 33133; telephone (800) 766-2390 or (305) 598-8368,
fax (305) 598-8369. Website: www.tuscanway.com
Vacationing Americans Can
Study at Oxford University
Anyone who has seen the British
television miniseries “Brideshead Revisited,” “Inspector
Morse” or the film series on Harry Potter and wished they’d gone
to Oxford, will have the chance this summer when The Oxford Experience
takes place at Christ Church, one of the most beautiful and prestigious
of Oxford colleges.
This one-week residential program
runs from July 1 to August 4, with each week starting on a Sunday and
finishing the following Saturday, though anyone attending for two or
more weeks gets free room and board over the intervening weekends.
It attracts not only vacationing Americans, but a cosmopolitan mix of
Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans who range
in age from thirty-something to ninety.
There is a choice of some 50
courses as varied as English Castles; Spies, Treasons and Plots; Great
Britons and Their Houses; Creative Writing—The Art of Lying; Shakespeare’s
Romances; Jewish Life in Medieval England; Enjoying the Cotswolds; and
The Public and Private Lives of British Prime Ministers.
Participants in The Oxford
Experience stay in student accommodations—though rooms with private
bath are available—and dine in the magnificent Hall, which gained
fame as the Hogwarts dining room. Three daily meals are included
in the price: a full English breakfast, a buffet lunch and a served
three-course dinner. On the final night everyone gathers for champagne
in the flowering Cathedral Garden and a celebratory dinner in the Hall.
Throughout the week there are excursions to stately homes and such,
tours of Oxford, pub walks, whisky tastings, lectures, drinks in the
Masters’ Garden and Evensong in the college chapel, which is also
the Oxford Cathedral.
The price of a one-week course—including
tuition, accommodations and all meals (except those on excursions)—is
£980, or approximately $1,934. There are additional charges for
excursions and rooms with private bath.
The registration deadline is
April 1, 2007, but early application is recommended as courses fill
quickly. A brochure is available online at www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/international/oxfordexperience.asp, or from The Oxford Experience, OUDCE,
1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA, U.K.
Explore
Rome, Venice, Florence On A Continental Journeys Air-Inclusive
Tour
Italy's most famous cities—Rome,
Venice and Florence—highlight Continental Journeys' new, air-inclusive
10-day/eight-night winter/spring getaway with daily departures through
May 31. The independent tour, featuring nearly three days in each
of the cities, is priced at $1,499 per person, double, in tourist-class
hotels; supplements apply to departures from December 15 to January
2 and March 15 to May 31.
Upgrades to first-class ($1,739),
superior first-class ($1,999) and deluxe ($3,059) hotels are offered.
Three other Italy tours are also being offered: a week in the Eternal
City at $999; duo-city packages of Rome and Venice for five nights at
$1,269 and Rome- Florence in six nights at $1,259.
All four vacation getaways
include round-trip transatlantic flights from New York, accommodations
and breakfast daily in hotel category selected, sightseeing tour of
each city, first-class rail ticket between cities, airport transfers,
hotel taxes and service charges. Airfare from other U.S. cities,
single rooms and extra hotel nights are available. Air taxes are
not included.
Plenty of time is available
for exploring this land of the Renaissance, whether it is fashion, crafts,
cuisine, painting, sculpture, music or just soaking in the Italian exuberance
that brings everything to life. A choice of 15 optional excursions,
priced at $30 to $145, includes in Rome the Vatican Museums and Sistine
Chapel, a general papal audience, the illuminated city and day trips
to Tivoli, ancient Ostia, Assisi, Orvieto, Capri, Naples and Pompei;
in Venice a gondola serenade and islands in the lagoon; and from Florence
visits to the charming and historic cities of Pisa, San Gimignano and
Siena, and Italian fashion designer outlet shops.
March 15-31 pricing for tourist-class
hotels is $1,839, first-class is $2,079, first-class superior is $2,838
and deluxe is $3,898. From April 1 - May 31 the price is $2,074
for tourist, $2,314 for first-class, $3,058 for superior and $4,118
for deluxe.
Continental Journeys is at
tel. (800) 601-4343 or (818) 995-8643; fax (818) 995-8673; e-mail info@continentaljourneys.com or visit www.continentaljourneys.com.
Gutsy Women Travel Adds
Tour To Central Europe
Two of Eastern Europe's most
beautiful cities are on the agenda as Gutsy Women Travel introduces
its Beauty of Central Europe: Budapest and Prague tour for 2007. This
eight-day escorted tour offers six departures and is priced from $2,279
air and land from New York based on double occupancy.
This program actually offers
one of the best values that Gutsy Women Travel has for 2007—averaging
less than $300 per day with all of the fabulous inclusions.
This tour offers everything
a woman traveling to Central Europe wants to experience — shopping,
art, history, culture, spa, and fine cuisine.
The 8-day escorted Beauty of
Central Europe: Budapest & Prague Tour includes:
• Flights from NYC-Budapest,
Prague-NYC. Other departure cities available
• 3 nights at the Astoria
in Budapest
• 3 nights at the Mercure
Praha Old Town in Prague
• 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch,
4 dinners
• All activities as noted
in program
• Tour Director throughout
• Hungarian cooking class
and lunch at Gundel Restaurant
• Visit a thermal spa in
Budapest and enjoy complimentary foot massage
• City tour of Budapest
• Illuminated Cruise on the
Danube
• Guided tour of Bratislava,
Slovakia
• City tour of Prague
• Visit to Mucha Museum in
Prague
• Visit Nelahozeves Castle
and its galleries
• Carriage Ride around Prague
• Tea and cake at the Municipal
House, Prague
This tour is priced from $2,279
per person, double occupancy including land and economy class airfare
from New York. Not included are airport taxes, fees, September 11th
Security Fee, and tips to Tour Manager.
Departure dates for 2007 include:
March 11, April 29, May 27, September 23, October 28, and November 18.
New Brochure For 2007
Lists Tours
Gutsy Women travel, which offers
tours designed exclusively for women, now has its 2007 brochure available.
The 2007 brochure can be ordered simply by going online to www.gutsywomentravel.com and selecting the "Free Brochure" link at the bottom of the
page. The new brochure features more than 20 tours and includes air
and land and land only pricing in addition to departure dates. Complete
day-by-day itineraries for each tour are available online.
New tours and special promotional
pricing will be offered online on a revolving basis, so consumers and
travel agents are invited to visit the company's website at www.gutsywomentravel.comfrequently. For reservations, call (866) IMGUTSY.
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Warnings and advice covering
travel and health issues in countries can be found at the Department
of State (DOS) homesite at http://travel.state.gov/.
-- Travel Warnings are issued
when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid a certain
country. The countries currently listed can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
-- The State Department issues
Public Announcements to disseminate information quickly about terrorist
threats and other relatively short-term conditions that pose significant
risks or disruptions to Americans. The current Public Announcements
are listed at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1766.html.
-- Information on countries
can be found in the Consular section of the DOS website at
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html. The website also provides information
on Avian Flu per country and any other endangerment issues such as child
abduction.
NOTE: With
trouble flashpoints erupting around the world, Americans are urged to
record their out-of-country trip itineraries/residences along with passport
details and email addresses with the State Department to receive assistance
in case of emergency. Visit the Travel Registration Service/DOS at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/home.asp
For more information on security measures implemented at airports and other travel venues,
visit www.tsa.gov.org or specifically http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm.
Travel Health Warnings can be obtained from from the US Government Printing Office Health Information
for International Travel by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), which gives a global rundown of disease and immunization advice
and other health guidance, including risks in particular countries.
The CDC maintains the international travelers hotline at 1-877-FYI-TRIP
(1-877-394-8747), an automated faxback service at 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299)
and a website at http://www.cdc.gov. CDC’s Traveler’s Letter is
at http://www.cdc.gov/travel.
For information about outbreaks
of infectious diseases abroad as well as medical inoculations, consult
the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website at http://www.who.int/en. The WHO also provides travel health
information at http://www.who.int/ith.
NOTE ON PASSPORTS:
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires all air travelers
to the US to have a passport or other secure document by January 23,
including Americans returning from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
In addition, all travelers by land and sea must meet this requirement
by an unspecified deadline not later than 1 June, 2009. A new website, www.GetAPassportNow.com was established by the travel industry
to inform travelers about new passport requirements and to help them
get passports.
