Troy

Trying to imagine the sea lapping at Troy is difficult as the sea is now far out.  It takes imagination to envisage buildings on the site but it must have been incredible. The views are spectacular and the ruins impressive.  It is so old; there are nine layers of excavations. Gladiators pose with visitors wearing rented costumes. A riot!

After Troy we went out for a boat trip and swim in an area of summer houses and ruined monasteries.  Our hotel for the night is a converted Ottoman house for the night.  It is so beautiful. All the stairs, nooks, and crannies are intriguing and the rooms lead into one another.  Huge shared bathrooms with both Turkish and western toilets, tiled shower rooms with lots of pressure and hot water. Baskets of soaps.  Even Turks do not drink the tap water, but there is no such thing as low pressure. Massive amphoras are placed around the house.  Many of the older houses are being redone in either Greek (stone) or Turkish (wooden) style.  They are very expensive to do as restorations have to be done properly or not at all.  No fakes are allowed.  The Government reimburses for work to the facade only. 

Supper was lentil soup with lemon; rice filled squash blossoms with dill and Turkish ravioli.  All of it was incredible especially the soup and it cost $10 for both of us!

Aveylik to Setluk

I was expecting to be eating different food, but not such consistently wonderful fare. Examples include Jellied Turkish Delight covered in icing sugar, thicker Turkish Delight pistachios, soups of tripe, sheep’s head or lentils, olives and salads of lettuce and red cabbage, cucumber and tomatoes and incredible olive oil with every meal. Breakfast today was olives, cheese, bread, tea, coffee, eggs, jams, tomatoes, cucumbers, all served on a terrace overlooking the town.

I ran to a market this morning and bought fresh cherries and oranges. They were probably picked yesterday.  Where we have maple trees along the roads, Turks have orange trees. While touring we went to a carpet co-operative and watched them being woven.  The process takes four to twenty four months depending on whether silk, wool,mixture, carpet or kilim.  Gorgeous work.  It will take about five weeks for my chosen one to be delivered. 

Roses and oleander are blooming everywhere.  There are lots of greenhouses and the tiniest plots outside of apartment buildings given over to roses and veggies.  Huge fields of onions and more peach trees than in Niagara.

Dinner this evening was in the mountain village of Sirince which is full of restaurants, tourist shops, beautiful handmade lace, pottery, dream catchers and fruit wines.  Everyone agreed mulberry was the best.  The setting was incredible.  Wild olive trees are all over the mountainsides with hotels and houses tucked in between pines and olives. Sirince was a Greek village before the great migration of Turks back to Turkey and Greeks back to Greece after the breakup of the Ottoman empire.  

Scenic Tours and Emerald Waterways

Scenic Cruises currently offer an "all inclusive" River Cruise experience to clients and have introduced a new product "Emerald Waterways". One innovation on their ships is a heated swimming pool with retractable roof which transforms into a cinema in the evenings. Accommodations on these ships range in size from single cabins at 130 square feet to the owner’s one bedroom suite at 315 square feet with most cabins being 180 square feet. The variety of sizes allows them to market to clients travelling at different budgets.

Gallipoli

Gallipoli is a long journey through hills and the never ending suburbs of Istanbul.  The apartment blocks go on forever for its 15 million people.  We saw everything from highway construction to hay fields (some already mown), fields of wheat and other crops, tractors and women in long coats and scarves weeding. There are lots of roadside cafes and picnic areas full of trees for shade.

Gallipoli is big, crowded and beautiful.  Monday is a national holiday so there were lots of Turks as well as Aussies and New Zealanders.  The cemeteries are beautiful, full of flowers and well kept. The whole experience was somewhat emotional. Women in the washroom washed their faces, hands and feet to cleanse themselves before praying in the Turkish Cemetery.  There is a monument with the words of Ataturk telling Allied mothers that although their sons are buried far from home, the Turks do not regard them as enemies and they will be looked after as respected and loved comrades and sons.  I found it all very moving.

After visiting the cemetery we went on a ferry to the Asian side and Canakkale.  We walked up and down the seafront with everyone else. The older women were in patterned harem pants and headscarves, some women dressed western attire and others wore long fitted coats or looser chadors, mostly of fine, light material because of the heat. On their heads everything from tight black scarves to hijabs of every colour and pattern making a fashion statements.  For dinner we had Turkish fish and chips with salad which was delicious.

Istanbul

Istanbul is amazing! We feel that the Turkish people are incredibly friendly, kind and helpful.  We waited an hour for our car at the airport and other tour guides offered to help, lent us their cell phones and made the 'Where are you calls?' on our behalf. On the way to our hotel our taxi driver stopped his vehicle, ran to a stall, and then opened the back door to toss bottles of cold water to us. These are examples of the kindness of the Turkish people we have met.

We are in staying in the old city which is full of narrow streets, shops, stalls, roadside vendors of plums and chocolate covered pastries. I do not think our feet have touched the ground and I have eaten plenty of Turkish delight.  Supper was lamb stew with honey, roasted almonds, apricots and I do not know what else.  It was delicious! I did not have the wine, but everyone else said how good it was.  And Turkish tea in glasses.  The best part?  Half the price of a meal in the UK!

Praiano

We really liked the Praiano on the Amalfi Coast: both Sorrento and Positano are larger communities but we preferred the smaller town. While at the villa we visited Paestum: an archaeological that features three Greek temples that are well preserved. Even though the local bus service in Praiano was good we found that organizing tours from that location was difficult in comparison to a larger urban centre like Sorrento.

London

Paris' Gare de Nord is an incredible space. The Eurostar took two hours and fifteen minutes to go from Paris to London and at St Pancras’ Station there is a one hour the line up for a photo set up at Platform 9-3/4. London’s black cabs now come in every colour, many with ads.  Our hotel is an 1860 townhouse divided like a rabbit warren and the original staircase remains absolutely gorgeous.  I pity the person who has to polish the brass banister! We use the wifi in what might have been a drawing room it has ceilings which are at least 12 ft. The hotel room is twice the size of the one in Parisand the bath is long enough to lie down in!  

Thursday was full of activities. The Paris hotel's version of a continental breakfast was croissants, breads, pastries, ham, cheese, scrambled eggs, fruit and cereals.  The London hotel's version is basically breads and cereal. This morning we walked to a Spanish Cafe where we sat in the sun and dug into grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, egg, toast and tea.  It was so good!  Then we headed off to the Tower of London for a tour by a humorous Beefeater Guard. Never mind the bling of the Crown Jewels; the workmanship on the swords of state and the armor in the White tower is jaw dropping. All of it was done by hand with tools we would regard as primitive.   

After our tour we walked over the Tower Bridge to Shakespeare's Globe and then to Fleet St.  We were so hungry by then we did not do the Globe tour; instead we had lunch at El Vino in Fleet St where I ate my annual treat of cheese.  A fabulous Ploughman’s Lunch of French bread, delicious picked onion, salad, and three different cheeses (an English blue, a French goat cheese and an old cheddar).  El Vino is so far the only bar where the barman has an English accent.  We think Toronto is multilingual and diversified. London is even more so. We rounded out our day with tickets in the top balcony for Les Miz which was very good.

On Friday we walked down Kensington Gardens Road, it is a real embassy row made up of beautiful old stately houses.  No photos allowed and police are set up at both ends as well as the middle. Then we went for a quick tour of Kensington Palace state apts, which were interesting. A display of dresses really brought home how tiny Queen Victoria was and how tall Diana of Wales was.  We had tea in the garden; unfortunately the Orangery was booked for a private function.  It looked like a gorgeous building so that was a shame.  Then we walked through the park watching people lying on the grass, walking babies, and groups of children's birthday parties just like at the Palais Royale gardens in Paris.

Paris

One of our customers has shared their travel experiences in Paris

The evening we arrived we ate our first proper French meal at Vaudeville which is all marble and mirrors. The tables have has to be pulled out then be pushed back in, in order to get to the banquette because they are only an inch apart. My travel companion had steamed cod with potatoes puréed with semi salted butter and I had Norwegian salmon with black rice done in a thin broth. Sublime...absolutely sublime. I have never eaten a meal so slowly and savoured every bite.

Yesterday morning we walked through half empty streets where shops were preparing for Saturday shopping: strawberries from Belgium, French raspberries, the fishmongers was a feast for the eyes and boxes of 5 cheeses were 9 € a box.  People were sitting with their cafe aux lait and croissants.  There was a long line-up at Notre Dame so we went back to St Chapelle, which we had walked straight past.  It is a 13th century chapel...incredibly beautiful, we spent a long time there.  We had a lunch of lukewarm frites and a large sandwich that would have fed me for a week and took forever to eat. The food here is incredible! Last night we went to a tearoom and enjoyed black tea fragrant with rhubarb and wild cherries with lemon cake soaked in lemon syrup. After a long walk and we found the Palais Royal arcades and gardens, a child's birthday party was going on and people were just sitting and reading.

On our third day in Paris it looked like rain so we took the early train to Versailles where we could use our Musee pass to avoid the ticket line up and be inside.  Ha!  The security line is outside.  Every tourist in Paris had the same idea...it looks like rain, let's go to Versailles!  They are doing the original gold coloured trim on the roof.  Unbelievable.  Back in Paris we toured the  the Musee Orangery with its fabulous Monet panels and then walked through  the Tuileries Gardens in the rain. Loved it!

On our last day in Paris we went to the Louvre and spent twenty minutes

in the glass pyramid and then to the Sully Gallery. Many of the walls in the museum are covered with coloured marble and the ceilings are beautiful. We checked out the shops in the afternoon. 

Cancellation Insurance

Clients have the option of purchasing several types of travel insurance. Cancellation coverage is frequently misunderstood by travelers. Personally I seldom purchase the warranty offered with a item however in travel it differs because the amounts risked are far higher than the price paid for your ticket. An illness as minor as an ear infection can ground you from flying and leave you stranded in a foreign country. Most excursion fares are non refundable/non changeable ticket and hold no value for getting home. Many times passengers pay full fare tickets at inflated prices to return.

A cancellation insurance policy can hedge the restrictive terms that a travel contract dictates and provide protection from a variety of unexpected events. 

Travel Tips for The Amalfi Coast, Italy

"The pace of things in the Almalfi Coast is relatively relaxed. Bus services are infrequent but locals are calm about waiting for pickups and drop offs. This might be because the streets are so steep and ascents involve frequent pauses just to catch your breath. Staying in a villa was a good choice for us and we spent a lot of time on our Terrace enjoying the view. Internet service is often available but extremely slow so it was beneficial to pre purchase a data plan."

"Two historic sites that we visited included Pompei (we felt it was worth the extra expense for a personal guide) and Sorrento (which requires two days to explore). It was interesting to see local travelling by scooter with their cats or dogs riding comfortably as passengers."

Tailoring a trip to your interests

Trips compose of more value than just getting on a plane and staying in a hotel room. There is a value to the memories created and the excitement of an adventure to someplace new. Researching the activities available in your destination can greatly enhance the enjoyment of your trip. Most people start with the library but events guides and podcasts as well as downloadable travel applications are great ways to prepare for a journey.

Personally I have pre arranged show tickets, bicycle rentals and running tours prior to arrival and that groundwork has enabled me to explore a destination and meet people who share my interests. 

Touring Rome

We really liked the location of our hotel in Rome; it was located close to Termini Rail Station.even though the hotel was very small the staff were knowledgeable and focused upon enhancing our enjoyment of the city. Occasionally demonstrations occur in Rome that can disrupt traffic to parts of the city. The receptionist at our hotel was very good about advising us which areas of the city should be avoided on a specific day. She also recommended that we carry a photocopy of our passports while walking through Rome: it was conceivable that police might ask us for identification and that we could have to prove that we were tourists rather than demonstrators.  

New York Hotel

A client of mine has just returned from New York

Hi John,
     The staff members at our hotel were fantastic. New Yorkers have a stereotype of being impersonal  however I was travelling with my grandson and every day the doorman greeted him by name as did the concierge. The hotel room had limited storage space but there was an interesting partial wall between the two beds which gave each of us some privacy. Eating at the property was expensive but down the street was a well priced restaurant "Cafe Un, Deux, Trios" which is owned by french Canadians.

Positano, Italy

One of my clients just sent me this photo from her patio in Positano.

Melia Cayo Guillermo

I just had clients return from this resort:

"We had a wonderful time and great weather.  The beach was extraordinary with wonderful sand and beautiful turquoise water. This resort is popular with fishermen and the kids loved snorkeling off the pier. We saw needlenose fish, trumpet fish, lion fish, puffer fish, octupus, crabs, barracuda, and many small colourful fish.  The food was great! We all love sea food and there was a great variety.  The resort was smaller than the Ensenachos in Santa Maria but everything was close by and well cared for.   I would recommend this resort to anyone with children for it was very family friendly."

Is Bigger Better?

Last Fall I attended an event presented by Bruce Poon Tip of "G Adventures". One of his themes was "Is Bigger Better?" and examples he cited were mega resorts and mega cruise ships that seek to capture a larger proportion of the travel market. Often these projects result in excess capacity and reduced profits for the company. He countered this pursuit by inferring that many people travel to pursue new experiences and relationships that fall outside of mass market programs.

As an agent I recently have tended to establish working relationships with smaller companies that offer me services that match my needs. Like Norm in Cheers we like to be recognized by the people we do business with. Many of the suppliers that I now prefer are smaller companies that specialize in a destination staffed by representatives who handle a specific client's file exclusively. Their “ownership” of the project has led to suggestions which enhance the passenger’s travel experience.

Hotel Search Engines

I previously wrote about search engines and advised that it was necessary to consider the source of the information provided. While researching a destination prior to arrival helps to build your anticipation. The amount of information available on different websites is extensive and can be over whelming. Simple hotel inquiries often generate pages of results. The nature of the internet means that it might not be edited for accuracy and a passengers expectation my not match the service purchased. Filtering out unnecessary information aids in travel planning and dealing with trusted suppliers reduces the risk of unmet expectations.

The reservation systems I subscribe to allow me to filter the results by location, price or property type. One booking engine allows me to look for hotels based on a location's postal code, price or distance from an attraction. From there I can browse sites that map out the hotel locations or link into traveller reviews. 

River Cruises

River cruises are becoming very popular and are available in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. There are several companies which supply these travel experiences and each line has its own character and pricing point. Part of the appeal of these vacations is that passengers do not experience the motion that is normal on a larger body of water. Many tourist attractions are located on major rivers because traditionally goods and people were transported by water.

Similarly to Ocean Cruises, River Cruise Lines offer port tours but passengers have the opportunity to step off their ship and be within walking distance of historic attractions. When not in port you get to witness transitioning landscapes from wilderness to metropolis.

Search Engines

Yesterday I saw an interesting e card on a friends website:

I use a variety of websites for booking flight, hotels, cars and often have to weigh the results against the reliability of the source. Many sites are based in countries where there is no consumer protection or venue of recourse should the product not be represented correctly. This is what I look at first when reviewing the components of a trip. We all hear stories about hotels that misrepresent their facilities, car rental companies that add extra charges or airlines that cancel flights without advising passengers. Simply dealing a responsible individual or organization can help you avoid problems or compensate you if they occur.

March 9, 2014

Yesterday I attended a Sales Discussion about specialization in your field and it lead me to think about the areas of specialization. My first thought went to destination which would be straight forward then there is the ability to help clients mark milestone life events. I then considered why most of my customers speak to me and recognized that they value my attention to the fine print. "We cannot match you to this insurance product but if we shorten your trip duration you will be eligible for another product that will protect you from risk" or "that car rental company is notorious for not honouring quotations". Those are insights that I have gained through hands on experience with the product as a travel broker and administrator.