Adventures in Travels with Joan

"Trips of the Past"

September 2011 - FROM THE TOP OF THE ALPS TO THE SEA

30 August thru 18 September (does not include travel dates)
20 days, $3600. plus airfare
A total group of 12 - Age range 57-82

6 days in Switzerland --- In northeast Switzerland, we will deplane in Zurich and make tracks for Appenzellerland where it’s all about the cheese.   On the way we will visit Rhine Falls, a legacy of the last Ice Age.    These are Europe’s largest falls, not so much in height but almost 500 feet in breadth, and there are platforms that jut out over the falls for an incredible viewing experience.    With two days in Appenzellerland we will take gondolas to the top of the peaks, browse the museums and “taste” the cheeses.    Then we will head south to the area called the Berner Oberland (land above Bern, the Capital).    We will spend two days in the small village of Gimmelwald, reached only by gondola.   The spectacular backdrop of Gimmelwald is Switzerland’s most famous three peaks, the Jungfrau, Eiger and Monch    While there; we will take three gondolas to the top of the Schilthorn, famous for a James Bond movie.     Descending into the valley, we will then overnight in a hotel on top of another peak, reached by a cog steam train.
Another day will delight us at the Open-air Ballenberg Museum Park where houses from the 12^th to the 17^th C. have been moved from the 26 Cantons (states) of Switzerland.    The remainder of this day and night will be spent at our hotel near Interlaken (town between two lakes).    This hotel is at the edge of Brienzee (Brienz Lake).

We then bid Switzerland good-bye and head for Italy, where we spend 14 days exploring areas that few large organized tours venture.

3 days at Lake Maggiore --- Lago di Maggiore is one of the beautiful lakes of the Italian Lakes District, the northern tip being in Switzerland, giving it an alpine backdrop.   We will have an amazing train excursion, The Maggiore Express, taking us through the valleys of the Swiss/Italian Alps and ending in Locarno, where we board a large ferry for the journey along the lakeside villages, back to our starting point.    We will also visit Il Lago D’Orta; a small alpine lake in the same vicinity for another boating excursion.

2 days in Garfagnana – the Tuscan Alps --- Garfagnana is Italy’s best kept secret.    Castles, fortresses, hermitages, lakes, valleys and marble; most of Italy’s marble comes from here.   Garfagnana is all about its natural outstanding beauty with wonderful hospitality and fascinating history.   Some villages are much as they were 200 years ago; a few have origins dating back to the 8^th C.   This will be a beautiful experience.

6 days in Tuscany --- Lodging the entire time at the “Castello di Cabbiavoli” estate where we have 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartments, we will spend our days roaming from hill town to hill town for the greatest of medieval experiences; we will also visit Florence.    The walled hill towns of Tuscany bring their ancient Etruscan history to life.    San Gimignano, Volterra, Montalcino, Multepulciano, Pienza, Cortona, Chiusi and then putting a foot into Umbria, Italy’s

ultimate hill town, now called “City of the Dead”, Civita di Bagnoregio.

Leaving our Tuscan journey etched in our memories, we will now travel to the Adriatic Sea.

3 days in San Benedetto del Tronto and the Adriatic --The Le Marche region of Italy is sometimes referred to as the undiscovered Tuscany.    This seaside town with the Adriatic Sea and its white sandy beach as its front yard, has a promenade with 7,000 palm trees and incredible sunrises.    Our hotel, Hotel Dino, has its own part of the beach and a fabulous chef that prides himself in giving a gourmet dining experience.    We will visit the sights of the area which include the Basilica in Loretto that was built around the “house of Mary” (Mary’s Nazareth house).    Also on the list of sights, is Urbino, a classic hill town with a medieval wall and four gates.    Urbino is the birthplace of Raphael and has one of Italy’s most beautiful Renaissance palaces.

There can be an add-on trip to Rome.    I will assist anyone, wishing to roam Rome, with transportation, lodging and sightseeing.    There is a morning train to Rome from Pescara, a few miles from San Benedetto. (So far 7 people are continuing on to Rome - aided by my organizing their transportation, lodging and siteseeing, for this side excursion.)

September 2010 Spain & France

8 people for 21 days, $3400. plus airfare

3 days in Barcelona --- La Rambles, Gothic Quarter, Gaudi’s masterpieces, harbor cruise.

2 days in Andorra --- a small principality in the Pyrenees tucked between Spain and France. A three hour bus tour showed the unique lifestyle of this tiny country.

2 days in Biarritz, visiting the Shrine at Lourdes on the way --- Basque Country in France and just over the border in Spain.

7 days on a canal in the Aquitaine --- 2 self-piloting boats – 4 to a boat.

1 day in La Rochelle --- visiting the famous medieval towers guarding the entrance to the harbor.

1 day visiting Mont St. Michel --- the Abbey and village.

2 days on the Normandy Coast --- WWII memorials, museums, cemeteries, and German Batteries. Also, a boat tour along the Normandy Coast.

3 days in Paris --- first, Versailles, then all the sights of Paris.

Barcelona is a beautiful city and we enjoyed all that we did and saw. Gaudi’s La Sacrada Familia church is the most awesome piece of architecture ever created in the mind of man. We spent hours roaming the vast interior which isn’t expected to be finished for another 30 years. The Rambles is a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants, although the biggest attraction for us was the “human statues” along the way; they are something to be marveled.

The small principality of Andorra is beautiful, and everyone thought that this mountain experience was one of our trip’s highlights. Our next destination was the Basque region, which spans both sides of the Spanish/ French border, where the people and culture are vastly unique. Canalling in France is a relaxing way to view the countryside and enjoy small village life. This boating experience gave everyone the opportunity to be “skipper” as well as part of the crew, which required opening and closing the locks as you travel.

Moving up the coast of France, La Rochelle proved to be a spectacular overnight stay on our trek north; truly a place to visit again. Arriving in Mont St. Michele, our gorgeous B&B gave us a very special place to stay while we enjoyed France’s second most popular tourist attraction. Two days reliving the invasion at Normandy was incredibly emotional and will remain with us forever. June 6^th is also a day to remember for the French people for it is the day we gave their lives back to them; their gratitude is everywhere to be seen.

A guided tour of Versailles gave us an inside look at the decadent lifestyle of the French monarchy.

Paris is the Arch, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Seine, a walk down the Champ-Elysees and much more --- we had fun doing it all.

September 2009
Croatia, Austria and Germany

10 people for 20 days, $3200. plus airfare

9 days in Croatia --- Island of Korcula, Ston, Slano (Dubrovnik), Trogir (Split), Miletici (Zadar),

Plitvice National Park, a.k.a. Waterfall Park.

4 days in Austria --- 2 in Vienna (city tour with palace apartments and Sissi Museum) and 2 in Hallstatt (salt mine, Eagle’s Nest with bunkers and Konigssee (Bavarian kingssummer palace).

7 days in Germany/Bavaria --- includes 2 days in Oberammergau (Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castles, Zugspitze Mt. and Luge). 1 day for the Joska Krystal Factory and overnight in a small Bavarian village.

2 days in Rothenburg o.d.t. (museums, night watchman tour, walking the wall and the largest Christmas store in Germany.

2 days in Trier, Germany’s oldest city (Porta Nigra, Cathedral, built 326 A.D., Mosel River Valley and Berg Eltz.

Everyone loved Croatia --- a beautiful people in a beautiful country with the Adriatic Coast as its front yard; every lodging place on the water. Taking the train to Vienna, we picked up our cars and headed to the beautiful Vienna Woods, where we lodged at the once hunting lodge of Emperor Franz Josef’s mother. We took the tram (streetcar) into Vienna for an entire day of history and fun. Then on to Hallstatt, the salt mine offered fun for all(more than 500 years old). Of course, Hitler’s bunkers proved to be a sober and educational experience. Ludwig’s castles were a highlight and the gondola ride the next day to the top of Zugspitze was thrilling and awesome. The summer luge really topped off this day of thrills. Then, in the Bavarian Forest, where they have been making glass for over 700 years, Joska has been there for 200 of those years offering the most incredibly gorgeous crystal to be had. In a nearby town, we all had fun having dinner with the Burgermeister (mayor) and competing with the locals in pub antics. On to Rothenburg, the best walled city in Germany, and a superb medieval experience was a walk through the town with the night watchman. Everyone shopped in the Christmas store and loaded up with “stuff” to bring home to their families. The visit to Trier gave us a chance to climb the Porta Nigra (the huge gate is the only thing left of the Roman wall). The cathedral has a chapel where the robe of Christ is preserved.

Our last day was spent driving along the historic Mosel River to tour its most famous castle, Berg Eltz. The castle has everything preserved from the medieval days. Our host at our hotel made a special dinner that night as we all reminisced our wonderful travels of the past three weeks.

Water falls in Croatia - Plitvice National Park

Rothenberg, Grmy

Berg Eltz