Sunday Oct 4
Everyone is up early and together for breakfast in the hotel for our last good byes. The dot to dot shuttle is here and it is off to Heathrow Airport to depart for home.
As Craig Hill, our Trafalgar Tour Director stated when we first began our journey together, "we start as strangers but leave as friends"
It was a wonderful trip and an experience to remember. I will be hosting the Journey's Travel Show with CJOB Radio on Sunday Oct 11, at 12 noon. I will be talking with one of the couples on the tour with their comments as well Craig Hill our Tour Director is going to be joining me and it should be very informative for those of you thinking of Coach Touring! So listen in to hear more of our Journey!
Deb Peters
Travel Consultant
Journeys/Renaissance Travel
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Ron's Cruise 2009
Cooking Alaturka
Saturday, October 3, 2009
We left Istanbul this morning on our way to our first port of call in mykonos.But what a great decision it was to take the cooking class with Eveline at her little cooking school.We shared the experience with eight other couples, each person cutting, chopping, and mixing the ingredients for 5 separate dishes.
Eveline is a trained chef who came to work in Turkey as a chef in a large hotel.Then she moved over to rent a hotel property which she ran for herself.When the property was not available she didn't know quite what she would do so went back to her roots with this idea...teach people on location how to cook Turkish style meals.
We had a lot of fun creating the meal and learned a lot in the process. One of the items was a stuffed eggplant dish.I am not a fan of eggplant but this was exceptional.After the food was cooked we all sat together over a couple of glasses of wine to consume what we had cooked.We have he recipes to recreate for guests, and we have new knowledge which can be applied to other recipes as well.I strongly recommend this as a good way to appreciate the tastes of Turkey.
Her website is www.cookingalaturka.com
Saturday, October 3, 2009
We left Istanbul this morning on our way to our first port of call in mykonos.But what a great decision it was to take the cooking class with Eveline at her little cooking school.We shared the experience with eight other couples, each person cutting, chopping, and mixing the ingredients for 5 separate dishes.
Eveline is a trained chef who came to work in Turkey as a chef in a large hotel.Then she moved over to rent a hotel property which she ran for herself.When the property was not available she didn't know quite what she would do so went back to her roots with this idea...teach people on location how to cook Turkish style meals.
We had a lot of fun creating the meal and learned a lot in the process. One of the items was a stuffed eggplant dish.I am not a fan of eggplant but this was exceptional.After the food was cooked we all sat together over a couple of glasses of wine to consume what we had cooked.We have he recipes to recreate for guests, and we have new knowledge which can be applied to other recipes as well.I strongly recommend this as a good way to appreciate the tastes of Turkey.
Her website is www.cookingalaturka.com
Monday, October 5, 2009
Ron's Cruise 2009
No Floods but lots of people in Istanbul
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
We arrived back in Turkey earlier today and got partially ripped off by a cabbie.Actually, since I agreed to the price I guess it was not technically a rip off. However, I paid just about twice the price it should have been to get to our hotel. Why? Because it is the meeting place for the International Monetary Fund countries and their hangers on.Just about every hotel in the city is overbooked. I am glad I guaranteed our reservation. We are staying at the Polat Renaissance. It really is a gorgeous property even though it is a few miles from downtown. It is a business style hotel located about 3 miles from the airport. They have a shuttle but we were tired and didn't care what we paid.The view from the hotel is beautiful overlooking the sea with dozens of boats on the water.It doesn't get much better than this.We will spend a couple of more days in Istanbul and then board the Regent Voyageur of the Seas going from here to a number of Greek Islands and ending in Athens. It has been many years since I was in Greece and look forward to reporting on it soon.
What a food find in a restaurant
Thursday, October 1, 2009
We are staying at the Polat Renaissance. It is not downtown but adjacent to a very nice area of homes and apartments, so it is not at all like the commercial downtown. Just 3 blocks away we noticed a small shopping area with a few stores and restaurants.As we are walking we notice a very nice restaurant with a bunch of flowers in front...and I mean big bunches with ribbons etc. We walk by it and conclude it looks like the best place.We are seated and handed a menu with pictures of the items we can choose from which is very nice to get a sense of how they will come to us plated.The restaurant is called Rumeli kofte & Et at Sipahoglu Cad. No 13 Yesilyurt. It is a family type business full of local customers and managed by a young man by the name of Ugur Yilmaz, who is one of the partners.The meal was excellent and I recommend the restaurant for service and taste, not to mention a pleasing environment. We choose to dine on the outside as opposed to inside and it was an exceptional evening.It seems we dropped in on opening night...explaining the flowers.It was pretty much a family affair and after a half hour or so we had become one of the family. It is clear they are nice people and I wish them all the success in their new venture.This was truly an exceptional experience and if you are in that area make it a point to visit. You won't be disappointed.And tomorrow we’re trying an entirely different food experience at a place called www.cookingalaturka.com .In the morning for almost three hours we will learn how to make a five course Turkish meal by participating in creating the menu items. Then we will sit down over a couple of glasses of wine to consume our creations.Both of these are sides of Turkey we never got to experience on our first go round in this country.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
We arrived back in Turkey earlier today and got partially ripped off by a cabbie.Actually, since I agreed to the price I guess it was not technically a rip off. However, I paid just about twice the price it should have been to get to our hotel. Why? Because it is the meeting place for the International Monetary Fund countries and their hangers on.Just about every hotel in the city is overbooked. I am glad I guaranteed our reservation. We are staying at the Polat Renaissance. It really is a gorgeous property even though it is a few miles from downtown. It is a business style hotel located about 3 miles from the airport. They have a shuttle but we were tired and didn't care what we paid.The view from the hotel is beautiful overlooking the sea with dozens of boats on the water.It doesn't get much better than this.We will spend a couple of more days in Istanbul and then board the Regent Voyageur of the Seas going from here to a number of Greek Islands and ending in Athens. It has been many years since I was in Greece and look forward to reporting on it soon.
What a food find in a restaurant
Thursday, October 1, 2009
We are staying at the Polat Renaissance. It is not downtown but adjacent to a very nice area of homes and apartments, so it is not at all like the commercial downtown. Just 3 blocks away we noticed a small shopping area with a few stores and restaurants.As we are walking we notice a very nice restaurant with a bunch of flowers in front...and I mean big bunches with ribbons etc. We walk by it and conclude it looks like the best place.We are seated and handed a menu with pictures of the items we can choose from which is very nice to get a sense of how they will come to us plated.The restaurant is called Rumeli kofte & Et at Sipahoglu Cad. No 13 Yesilyurt. It is a family type business full of local customers and managed by a young man by the name of Ugur Yilmaz, who is one of the partners.The meal was excellent and I recommend the restaurant for service and taste, not to mention a pleasing environment. We choose to dine on the outside as opposed to inside and it was an exceptional evening.It seems we dropped in on opening night...explaining the flowers.It was pretty much a family affair and after a half hour or so we had become one of the family. It is clear they are nice people and I wish them all the success in their new venture.This was truly an exceptional experience and if you are in that area make it a point to visit. You won't be disappointed.And tomorrow we’re trying an entirely different food experience at a place called www.cookingalaturka.com .In the morning for almost three hours we will learn how to make a five course Turkish meal by participating in creating the menu items. Then we will sit down over a couple of glasses of wine to consume our creations.Both of these are sides of Turkey we never got to experience on our first go round in this country.
Rome to London Chapter 5
Fri Oct 2
Paris to London
Packed and ready to head for Calais where we said Good Bye to Tomo our coach driver in Europe and board the P&O Ferry to Dover. A nice sunny day and a smooth sailing, about 1 1/2 hour ferry ride gives everyone time to look around and have lunch. As we come into shore there are lovely views of the White Cliffs of Dover. We board our coach and head on the motorway into London, where we check in to the Jury's Inn Hotel and then say farewell to Graig, our magnificient Trafalgar Tour Director.
This evening our group ventured out by underground to the first original Hard Rock Cafe at Hyde Park Corner and then walked about Piccadilly Circus seeing the lights at night and many Londoners out on the town on a friday night.
Sat Oct 3
Up this morning and our group of 13 ventured out taking the tub to Westminster where we prebooked the London Eye and had a pod to ourselves taking lots of great photos.
We then walked back across the bridge taking great photos of Big Ben, the parliament building, and Westminster Abbey.
On our way to Buckingham Palace we make a enjoyable stop at a local pub called the Albert where we have a time to sit for a lovely cup of coffee and chatted with some very interesting locals. We then arrive at Buckingham Palace and manage to catch an informal changing of the guards, then walked along the riverside through the Admirality Arch to Trafalgar Square a famous memorial square to Lord Nelson and the Battle of Waterloo.
A pub lunch with traditional English style food, steak and cottage pies. Off for some shopping to the different squares including Leister square, the theatre district.
Everyone eventually made their way back to the hotel as some had ventured off to see the Tower of London. Most of our group opted for a quiet early evening, eating at locally at the hotel. Michele and I decided to take the tub to Victoria Station and we got last minute tickets at the Apollo Theatre for a musical "Wicked" which was absolutely phenominal and well worth doing to end our London experience.
Paris to London
Packed and ready to head for Calais where we said Good Bye to Tomo our coach driver in Europe and board the P&O Ferry to Dover. A nice sunny day and a smooth sailing, about 1 1/2 hour ferry ride gives everyone time to look around and have lunch. As we come into shore there are lovely views of the White Cliffs of Dover. We board our coach and head on the motorway into London, where we check in to the Jury's Inn Hotel and then say farewell to Graig, our magnificient Trafalgar Tour Director.
This evening our group ventured out by underground to the first original Hard Rock Cafe at Hyde Park Corner and then walked about Piccadilly Circus seeing the lights at night and many Londoners out on the town on a friday night.
Sat Oct 3
Up this morning and our group of 13 ventured out taking the tub to Westminster where we prebooked the London Eye and had a pod to ourselves taking lots of great photos.
We then walked back across the bridge taking great photos of Big Ben, the parliament building, and Westminster Abbey.
On our way to Buckingham Palace we make a enjoyable stop at a local pub called the Albert where we have a time to sit for a lovely cup of coffee and chatted with some very interesting locals. We then arrive at Buckingham Palace and manage to catch an informal changing of the guards, then walked along the riverside through the Admirality Arch to Trafalgar Square a famous memorial square to Lord Nelson and the Battle of Waterloo.
A pub lunch with traditional English style food, steak and cottage pies. Off for some shopping to the different squares including Leister square, the theatre district.
Everyone eventually made their way back to the hotel as some had ventured off to see the Tower of London. Most of our group opted for a quiet early evening, eating at locally at the hotel. Michele and I decided to take the tub to Victoria Station and we got last minute tickets at the Apollo Theatre for a musical "Wicked" which was absolutely phenominal and well worth doing to end our London experience.
Rome to London Chapter 4
Wed Sept 30
We arrived in Paris late afternoon and tour the city first by coach. Gabriella our local tour guide joins us and tells us of some of the beautiful historical sites and the culture of Parisians. Of course the biggest highlight was the Eiffel Tower which we stopped and had a lovely picture taken of the whole group. We also drive about the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral. We then get to our Parisian Hotel to settle in and freshen up. This evening we boarded the scenic cruise line for an hour long cruise up the Seine River, taking in all the sites with audio commentary. The illumination of the city was spectacular, including the dancing light show that illuminates all of the Eiffel Tower and takes place on the hour. We actually have a chance to see it on our 8pm departure as well as our 9pm return to the dock. It was back to our hotel, via the Champs Elysees, for a good night sleep as the next day wass a full day of sightseeing.
Thurs Oct 1
We are all up early and eager to see the sights of Paris. The first stop was the Palace of Versailles. We take a stroll about the court yard offering spectacular views of formal gardens, the canal that King Louis had man made and the beautiful countryside. Then inside to view the beauty and elegance of the Palace where the kings and queens of France lived. We were lucky to be one of the first groups there, walking into the large rooms and taking photos without the crowds ahead of you. From the Palace we are taken to the next stop," the Eiffel Tower" where we ascend to the second level by elevator and once again Gabriella told the history of the tower and pointed out highlights of the city from above. We all had some time to purchase soveniers by bardering with the local merchants and then we are off again next stop "the Louvre"
Into the main lower level plaza where we see the inverted diamond of the Louvre, made famous from the movie the De Vinci Code. We first have time for a lovely lunch with a wide selection of food and beverages. Then we were ready to walk through the Louvre with Gabriella, once again doing a fabulous job as we all had audio sets on to hear clearly the historical stories of many of the famous paintings and sculptures including the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo and Michelangelo statues.
Back to the hotel for some free time to rest and freshen up. This evening we ventured out to a Parisian Dinner and Caberete, an optional addition for our group and well worth doing. The food was delicious, the drinks including champagne and the show including Can-can girls, accrobats and comedians including our own Tom from Winnipeg, who was picked from the audience to assist with the show. We all had tears in our eyes from laughter and a good time was had by all.
Au Revoir to Paris and on to London in the morning.
We arrived in Paris late afternoon and tour the city first by coach. Gabriella our local tour guide joins us and tells us of some of the beautiful historical sites and the culture of Parisians. Of course the biggest highlight was the Eiffel Tower which we stopped and had a lovely picture taken of the whole group. We also drive about the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral. We then get to our Parisian Hotel to settle in and freshen up. This evening we boarded the scenic cruise line for an hour long cruise up the Seine River, taking in all the sites with audio commentary. The illumination of the city was spectacular, including the dancing light show that illuminates all of the Eiffel Tower and takes place on the hour. We actually have a chance to see it on our 8pm departure as well as our 9pm return to the dock. It was back to our hotel, via the Champs Elysees, for a good night sleep as the next day wass a full day of sightseeing.
Thurs Oct 1
We are all up early and eager to see the sights of Paris. The first stop was the Palace of Versailles. We take a stroll about the court yard offering spectacular views of formal gardens, the canal that King Louis had man made and the beautiful countryside. Then inside to view the beauty and elegance of the Palace where the kings and queens of France lived. We were lucky to be one of the first groups there, walking into the large rooms and taking photos without the crowds ahead of you. From the Palace we are taken to the next stop," the Eiffel Tower" where we ascend to the second level by elevator and once again Gabriella told the history of the tower and pointed out highlights of the city from above. We all had some time to purchase soveniers by bardering with the local merchants and then we are off again next stop "the Louvre"
Into the main lower level plaza where we see the inverted diamond of the Louvre, made famous from the movie the De Vinci Code. We first have time for a lovely lunch with a wide selection of food and beverages. Then we were ready to walk through the Louvre with Gabriella, once again doing a fabulous job as we all had audio sets on to hear clearly the historical stories of many of the famous paintings and sculptures including the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo and Michelangelo statues.
Back to the hotel for some free time to rest and freshen up. This evening we ventured out to a Parisian Dinner and Caberete, an optional addition for our group and well worth doing. The food was delicious, the drinks including champagne and the show including Can-can girls, accrobats and comedians including our own Tom from Winnipeg, who was picked from the audience to assist with the show. We all had tears in our eyes from laughter and a good time was had by all.
Au Revoir to Paris and on to London in the morning.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Rome to London Chapter 3
From Venice which we left later in the afternoon and travelled north through Verona, Milan and on to the Italian Lakes where wer stayed at the Continental Hotel. A very nice dinner included this evening and some socializing and good laughs were had by all. We are the off for a good night sleep to start our journey in the morning.
Arrivederci to Italy as we head for Lucerne, Switzerland. Away early to get ahead of the conjested traffic which can easily happen in Europe. A quick stop for washrooms and snacks then on to the Swiss Alps with spectacular views of traditional Swiss farmhouses set on the mountainsides.
We arrive in the village of Stans where we board the open car, funnicular railway and then transfer onto the modern cable car that takes us up to the top of Mt. Stanzahorn at a height of 6300 feet. The panoramic views were amazing, the weather was sunny and clear. We took a little walk past Heidi's cottage, up the paths to see more panoramic views from all sides. There was time to sit and have lunch taking in the views from either the revolving restaurant or outdoors on the patio. On our descent, we passed quaint Swiss farms with Swiss Brown cows and calves eating right along the mountain side.
We are then shuttled 5 minutes away, to board the private cruise line where you could sit inside or up on the top deck where we all chose to sit on such a beautiful day to enjoy the warm, sunny weather, have a drink and enjoy the scenic views of the lake with aqua bluewaters and spectacular homes of the rich and famous. The captain was excellent, speaking of the points of interest along the way and keeping it light with a bit of humor. There was a large statue of Jesus with his arms extended over the shoreline and he explained it was to signify the blessing of the lake and the people of Lucerne, but also being an avid fisherman himself he said they also say it is to let us know the size of the fish caught in the lake which got a good chuckle for all of us.
We docked into the city of Lucerne and a short walk up to our hotel to the Hotel Weinoff, a centrally located hotel in town. After checking in and freshening up we take a stroll to view the points of interest, including the Lion Monument, the old Swiss architecture, the covered bridge and we all noticed how clean and neat the city is. We had time for shopping and looking at the Swiss made merchandise, the most popular being the Swiss watches, army knives and clocks. Our included dinner was wonderful, Beef Stroganauf and a night stroll through the town to walk off all the calories. Once again we say Auf Wiedersehen to Lucerne and Switzerland as we head to France and say Bonsoir to Paris.
Arrivederci to Italy as we head for Lucerne, Switzerland. Away early to get ahead of the conjested traffic which can easily happen in Europe. A quick stop for washrooms and snacks then on to the Swiss Alps with spectacular views of traditional Swiss farmhouses set on the mountainsides.
We arrive in the village of Stans where we board the open car, funnicular railway and then transfer onto the modern cable car that takes us up to the top of Mt. Stanzahorn at a height of 6300 feet. The panoramic views were amazing, the weather was sunny and clear. We took a little walk past Heidi's cottage, up the paths to see more panoramic views from all sides. There was time to sit and have lunch taking in the views from either the revolving restaurant or outdoors on the patio. On our descent, we passed quaint Swiss farms with Swiss Brown cows and calves eating right along the mountain side.
We are then shuttled 5 minutes away, to board the private cruise line where you could sit inside or up on the top deck where we all chose to sit on such a beautiful day to enjoy the warm, sunny weather, have a drink and enjoy the scenic views of the lake with aqua bluewaters and spectacular homes of the rich and famous. The captain was excellent, speaking of the points of interest along the way and keeping it light with a bit of humor. There was a large statue of Jesus with his arms extended over the shoreline and he explained it was to signify the blessing of the lake and the people of Lucerne, but also being an avid fisherman himself he said they also say it is to let us know the size of the fish caught in the lake which got a good chuckle for all of us.
We docked into the city of Lucerne and a short walk up to our hotel to the Hotel Weinoff, a centrally located hotel in town. After checking in and freshening up we take a stroll to view the points of interest, including the Lion Monument, the old Swiss architecture, the covered bridge and we all noticed how clean and neat the city is. We had time for shopping and looking at the Swiss made merchandise, the most popular being the Swiss watches, army knives and clocks. Our included dinner was wonderful, Beef Stroganauf and a night stroll through the town to walk off all the calories. Once again we say Auf Wiedersehen to Lucerne and Switzerland as we head to France and say Bonsoir to Paris.
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