 Through the years we have often started or ended a cruise vacation in the Eastern Mediterranean in Athens. Each time those cruises stopped in Santorini and Mykonos, the most popular Greek Islands for cruise ships, those traveling with us would always say how much they loved those islands and how much they wished they could spend more time there than just a few hours on a cruise stop. After hearing this many times I decided a couple of years ago I should plan a land tour to Greece. After much planning I finally had the itinerary arranged and in October last year (2019) we took a great group of about 28 people with us on a fun filled 10 day trip to Greece. Our itinerary consisted of 2 nights in Athens, 2 nights on the island of Mykonos, 2 nights on the island of Naxos and 2 nights on the island of Santorini. Athens is a wonderful city! Full of ancient history around every corner and great dining and shopping. On a short visit to Athens you must plan to stay in the area known as the Plaka or the old town. The Plaka is lots of narrow little streets full of shops and tavernas for dining. We have been there many times and every time we discover something we have not yet done. There are many hotels in the area. Two that I particularly like are the Royal Olympic Hotel and the Athens Gate Hotel. Both lay in the shadow of the Acropolis and are just a stone’s throw away from some of Athens major attractions such as the new, must see, Acropolis Museum. Both hotels are located on the edge of the Plaka so it is an easy stroll to many dining and shopping options. The best way to see the most important sights of Athens on a short visit is to pre-book a half day tour which should include a visit to Acropolis Hill topped with the famous Parthenon and home to some of the most classical Athens antiquities. The tour should also include a couple hours guided tour of the Acropolis Museum as well as a walking tour through the Plaka ending at the Parliament Building in Syntagma Square to watch the ceremonial changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  After our Athens visit we were on a morning flight to one of the most popular Greek islands, Mykonos. Mykonos is beaches, shopping and sightseeing, the island has it all. I would highly recommend staying in one of the many hotels surrounding Mykonos Town as this is the best area for the most variety in dining, Shopping and strolling the quaint, cobbled, narrow streets. We stayed at the Tharroe of Mykonos Hotel which offers very nice accommodations with breathtaking sunset views over the Aegean, the famous windmills of Mykonos and Mykonos town. The hotel is on the outskirts of the town so it is best to take a very short and inexpensive taxi when going to town. The hotel also has an excellent open air restaurant. Mykonos Town is a wonderful place to sit in one of the many waterfront restaurants for a break from shopping or a delicious lunch.   I wanted to include a stop somewhere that was less known to American tourist and the perfect choice was the island of Naxos, the largest island in the group of islands known as the Cyclades. We boarded a morning ferry in Mykonos for the 40 minute crossing to Naxos. Although a popular tourist destination, Naxos maintains a feeling of what islands such as Mykonos and Santorini would have been like 25 years ago. In Naxos there are hotels in the small main town (also called Naxos) but it is more popular to stay in some of the many beach areas, mostly to the south of the town of Naxos. We stayed at the Lagos Mar Hotel which was located just a short walk into the village and the beautiful Agios Prokopios beach. The hotel is family run and has nice accommodations. The views from the hotel were not particularly great but everyone was happy with the “small town” feel of the area. You won’t find a great deal of shopping outside of the town of Naxos but the small beach communities have wonderful dining options and uncrowded beaches. Naxos is the place for relaxing, strolling and soaking up the local Greek island atmosphere. You can arrange a nice afternoon visit to the main town of Naxos and a half day tour of the island is worth the time for some very scenic Greek island rural scenery.  After our stay on Naxos we boarded a ferry for the 2 hour ride to the ever popular Greek island of Santorini. Actually, before I move on to Santorini, I should say a couple of words about Greek island ferries. This is, in most cases, the only way of getting from island to island. The ferry system is well maintained and the ferries run on time. They are popular with locals as well as tourists. They offer a range of seating options from basic “economy” to premium services with seating much like first class on many airplanes. They all have multiple dining options from snack bars to full service, sit down restaurants. The only thing that is a bit odd is the boarding process can only be described as a “free for all” scramble to board when the gangway is lowered. A gangway that also serves for the fast loading and unloading of cars and commercial vehicles. It is really just part of the adventure so don’t miss the experience! So, on arrival at the iconic island of Santorini you are immediately in awe, even before you disembark the ferry. The ferry terminal is located in the very famous, ancient collapsed volcano caldera. As you enter the caldera you can see the white washed villages, hotels and villas all along the clifftop and spilling down the sides of the caldera. It is a beautiful sight! We stayed at a very nice hotel, the Astro Palace, which is located in Fira Town, one of the two most popular locations on the island. The hotel had large rooms with beautiful views towards the sea and was an easy 10 minute walk to the center of town. What everyone dreams of is staying in one of the many quaint, little hotels that cling to the caldera edge but as we were a group of 28 we were too large a group for any of the cliff side hotels. The two most popular places on Santorini are Fira Town and the town of Oia. Both locations are the typical white washed towns with magnificent views, and sunsets, looking out across the caldera to the sea beyond. As is the case with nearly any Greek island, there are many narrow, cobbled streets perfect for strolling and they are all loaded with shops and restaurants. Dinner on the open air terrace of a restaurant looking out over the caldera at sunset is guaranteed to be a lasting memory. If you like, you can take an island tour which will likely stop at one or two local wineries for tastings plus stop for a couple hours of free time in Oia (if you are not staying in that area). Having been to Santorini serval times I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have completed extensive renovations to the ancient Minoan Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri. This archeological sight was amazing and is now completely protected by a massive, new steel roof structure. Set your clock back a few thousand years with a visit to Akrotiri, destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption around 1627 BCE. The volcanic ash buried the remains of many everyday objects used by the settlement's inhabitants, preserving for posterity the ancient way of life of a long-lost culture. Some historians suggest this archeological site, once an important port city on the Aegean, served as an inspiration for Plato's story of Atlantis, a supposedly fictional place mentioned in two of the philosopher's major works. To gain a better understanding of the lost community, take a guided tour around the excavation site. I have visited many archeological sights around the world and this is certainly one of the most impressive.  With our trip coming to an end, we boarded our flight from Santorini to Athens where we connected with our flight back to the U.S. There is really so much more to a trip like this than what I can fit into a short travel blog. If you are interested in an amazing Greek Island experience make sure to contact me, Steve Briggs, or your favorite travel advisor at VIP World Travel. If the Greek islands are not on your bucket list, they should be!! OPA!!
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In many cities and towns across Europe, this wonderful holiday tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. In the late 13th century, winter markets offered a way for townspeople to stock up on supplies before the long, cold season. Today this has changed to celebrations of the season with holiday cookies, toys and trinkets, ornaments, hot food and plenty of mulled wine. The original market locations are still going strong throughout Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, Switzerland and beyond.  Although the Markets have similarities, these historical markets all seem to have their own style and personality, reflecting each local culture, which makes you want to see many different locations. One of the best ways to visit several holiday markets on one trip is to take a river cruise. The biggest advantage of visiting these markets on a river ship is that you get to stop in multiple cities and countries during the cruise. No need to book hotels and restaurants; arrange local transportation; or pack and unpack your suitcase at each city. Often, the ship docks close enough to the heart of the Christmas Market that you can get to them on foot. The joyful atmosphere is matched on board the ship with themed decorations, seasonal foods and spirits, holiday musical performances, cooking and craft demonstrations. Although holiday river cruises are offered through Jan. 1s., the best time to sail is Nov. 23rd to Dec. 23rd. These are the dates that you will be able to see the churches, buildings and shops decorated in their holiday finest. You can enjoy the sounds of festive brass bands, choirs and musical performances, one- of- a- kind gifts from open air stalls; the taste and smell of the local food and drink, like grilled sausages, gingerbread and hot mulled wine and you can meet the local craftsmen and your fellow shoppers. Because the time frame is short and the capacity of the riverboats limited, you should consider booking a Christmas Market Cruise as early as possible. These cruises are sometimes sold out a year in advance. Some things to remember for your Christmas Markets cruise - Bring Cash: While some Christmas Market vendors might accept credit cards, others stick to local currency. Don’t miss out buying something you really would like to have by not having some cash. Dress warmly and wear walking shoes: Markets continue after sundown. Make sure to bring your winter wear like a hat, gloves and scarf and don’t forget comfortable shoes or boots. If you see something you like, don’t wait to buy it: While many markets are similar with rows of stands filled with small gifts and ornaments, statuettes, hats and tablecloths, they also have their own local specialties that you likely won’t find it in another market. Hours are limited: Markets don’t really get going until late morning or early afternoon and shops close by 8:30pm. With all of the Holiday lights and decorations, markets are especially beautiful at night. Sample the Street Food: Each port has a regional delicacy so be sure to indulge. Included in the price of gluhwein is the mug. If you return the mug you get one or two euros back, but the cup is different in each city and makes a great souvenir.  V.I.P. World Travel is hosting two Christmas Market Cruises groups in 2021 and we invite you to consider joining us for an unforgettable vacation. Dec. 5-14, 2021-Christmas Markets Along the Elbe River. Hosted by VIP World Travel co-owners, Steve and Christ Briggs. Take part in time-honored traditions on this 10 day cruise/tour with Viking River Cruises. Enjoy 2 nights in Prague with its famed Christmas Market in the City Square by the astrological clock. During the cruise stroll among colorful stalls and mingle with locals as you sample gluhwein. Discover the treasured recipe for Dresden’s famous Christollen. Shop for handmade porcelain in Meissen and revel in Berlin’s festive atmosphere where you will stay for two nights after the cruise. Priced from $2874.00pp/twin plus $499 economy air from a large selection of cities. Dec. 15-22, 2021-Rhine Getaway Christmas Market Cruise. Hosted by VIP World Travel Co-owners, Sue and Allan Knops. Sail 7 nights from Basel Switzerland, to Strasbourg, France, then to Germany with stops in Speyer, Rudesheim, Koblenz and Cologne and on to the Netherlands with a stop in Kinderdijk, with it’s world famous windmills and Amsterdam. Pre- and post-cruise hotel stays are available. Priced from $2274.00 pp/twin plus $399 economy air from a large selection of cities. Call your V.I.P. World Travel advisor for more information for these groups or for any of your future travel plans.  If you’ve ever hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, you know the effort it takes. The planning, cleaning the house, food shopping, preparing the meal, serving your guests and cleanup, is hard work and can be more than stressful. With a Thanksgiving cruise, stress is eliminated and all you have to do is get ready for dinner and decide which onboard restaurant to have your Holiday meal. If you’re excited to have the traditional turkey with cranberry sauce and all of the trimming, it’s there. Or if you’d like to have another delicious choice, it’s also available. The hardest part is deciding which venue to choose. Cleaning up after a Thanksgiving meal is no easy task, especially if you host a smorgasbord. When you celebrate a Holiday on a cruise, you leave all of the cleaning tasks to the staff. So, if you feel like napping after a dessert or sipping an after-dinner drink under the stars, you are free to do as you please. One if the best parts of taking a cruise is getting to explore several destinations, all in one trip. As an added benefit, you do not have to worry about planning transportation between stops or accommodations and your various destinations. You can relax and experience local sights and culture at each port to create an unforgettable holiday. If you look forward to Thanksgiving traditions, like watching football or holiday parades you can still enjoy these activities aboard ship. If you want to enjoy a few drinks, you can do that as well, and not have to worry about driving home. If you think it’s time to remove stress from Holidays and replace it with pampering, a cruise is just the place to be. If you’re feeling a little tense, head to the spa for a stress-relieving massage, pedicure, manicure or hair styling. If you feel like having a snack in the middle of the night, give room service a call and they will accommodate you with a smile. Will you be spending the holiday alone? There’s no need to. If you enjoy solo traveling and want to be around like-minded people on Thanksgiving, a cruise may be the ideal way to spend the holiday. It’s easy to mingle with fellow travelers on a cruise because there are countless opportunities to make a connection, whether you join a conversation about an upcoming excursion or participate in an onboard class. Whenever you try something new you get a chance to learn, grow and discover different pleasures in life. It frees you from the same-old routine and rejuvenates your spirit. Cruising is an easy way to have new experiences and to get to do some things you can’t do at home.  For more than 30 years, V.I.P. World Travel has hosted a Thanksgiving Cruise group. Of course, 2020 changed that tradition, with the Covid-19 pandemic, but we are already booking for our annual cruise next year. We welcome you to join us Nov. 21-Dec. 1, 2021 for a 10- night Southern Caribbean itinerary onboard Holland America’s flagship, the Rotterdam sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale. Our ports of call will include the private island, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, Grand Turk, Amber Cover, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba plus three relaxing days at Sea to enjoy the excellent shipboard activities and entertainment. Included are motorcoach transfers to Ft. Lauderdale, full beverage package for the entire cruise, Specialty Restaurant Dining, private V I P cocktail party, Hosted by V.I.P. World Travel owners, Sue & Allan Knops and if you book and deposit by Jan. 5th , prepaid gratuities for your stateroom and dining staff. These amenities may change, so don’t wait to make your reservations. Enjoy next Thanksgiving the easy, relaxing way with friends old and new!  Toni and her husband Andy Before the pandemic hit we had plans to travel to Utah and see several National Parks. As September rolled around we decided to go. We flew on Delta and I can assure you that the planes were VERY clean, they followed all the guidelines recommended and every other seat was indeed empty. Once arriving into Salt Lake City we rented a car (which had already been thoroughly cleaned) and took off. First stop was Moab which was a 3-4 hour drive. We stayed three nights so we would have the opportunity to visit three parks…Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. Moab was quiet and had loads of restaurants and shopping. Several restaurants had seating restrictions and most shops had limited hours. The parks were beautiful and we filled our days with hiking, hiking and more hiking. The elevation is quite a bit higher than Florida so starting in Moab made sense; it was the lowest of the areas we stayed so we could acclimate as we went along. You will find that these parks do not have restaurants and if they did they were closed due to the lack of visitors. We stopped at a little Café on our way out of town each day and grabbed sandwiches and drinks to take along. Take twice as much water as you think you’ll need. Our second stop was the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Having been there several years ago we appreciated the quiet and solitude of the north rim over the south rim. This was a longer drive so we stopped at a couple of spots to sightsee along the way – Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon. When entering the north rim area we started with the North Rim Scenic Drive which took us 23 miles to Cape Royal at the end. We stopped at Angel’s View, Point Imperial (highest point in the entire park), Marble Canyon and we could even see the Colorado River. We spent about 7-8 hours in the park (there was a small place for lunch) before heading to our next destination.  Zion and Bryce National Parks were next. We stayed in Duck Creek for two nights which we thought would be close to both but I would not recommend this spot. The cabins were beautiful and comfortable but it ended up being too far away; it would have been better if we had spent one night near each park. Zion was my favorite park. There’s just something about the mountains, trees and water that totally relaxed me. There’s a great hike here called the Narrows. It got its name from being in the narrowest area of Zion. This hike is 16 miles in total length and some of it is in the water which is very cold. Several of us went in as far as we could but we weren’t dressed for the depth of the water which is deeper in the fall/winter. The canyon is beautiful with walls up to 1000 feet tall. Highly recommend closed toe shoes and walking sticks due to the slick rocks. There is limited parking here so you should get an advance purchase shuttle pass (they were $1.00 per person) to take you in to the park where the shuttles are located; arrive early. Bryce Canyon National Park was next and is known for its crimson-colored hoodoos, which are spire-shaped rock formations. It’s a dry area with good hikes so here you really need to bring a lot of water. Despite its name it’s not really a canyon but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters. There was a place to eat here so we didn’t need to bring food into the park with us.   Next was a longer drive to get to Capital Reef National Park for two nights. This was the most beautiful drive so I recommend you take your time, stop along the way for pictures and just enjoy the views. We had one full day planned to see the overlooks, hike Capitol Gorge, Cassidy Arch, eat some pie and view the petroglyphs and the old school. Unfortunately a member of our little group got a bad case of altitude sickness and we needed to get to a lower level right away. The elevation on the drive here is over 9,000 feet. We ended up back at Salt Lake City and visited Antelope Island which has American bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, porcupine, badger, coyote, bobcat, mule deer and millions of waterfowl and is located in Salt Lake. There’s a great story of the ranchers who used to live on the island. They would move the sheep to better grounds in the winter by walking through Salt Lake City. As the city grew this became more of a challenge and they had to start using trucks to move them and eventually the state bought them out so they could make the entire island a state park. We also walked all over the city to enjoy the sights such as the Mormon Tabernacle, Temple Square and many parks and gardens located in the city.  This trip was a wonderful experience; Utah is beautiful. There is so much to see in the world but while restrictions limit our travel outside of the U.S. at the moment; there’s plenty to see and do within our own borders. We drove on our own as we are very independent but there are also bus adventures for those of you who would like to experience various parts of the U.S. and leave the driving, hotel bookings, etc. to someone else. There is also a brand new rail adventure out there now; Rocky Mountaineer! It’s a two day trip between Denver and Moab with an overnight in Glenwood Springs. This new route will give you a Silverleaf experience with breathtaking scenery to the American Southwest. Please call for details! If you have any questions regarding traveling in the U.S. at the moment, please feel free to contact me, Toni Werner or your favorite Travel Advisor at VIP World Travel.  Steve and Chris Briggs The first week of March this year we traveled to Iceland to spend a week in a winter wonderland. I had been in Iceland for two very short visits before but had not had time to really experience what Iceland has to offer. You might ask why we chose to go in the middle of winter, well, our goal was to view the famous Aurora Borealis also commonly known as the Northern Lights. Being there for 6 nights, we based out of the capital city of Reykjavik and took day trips into the countryside. It didn’t take us long to realize that Iceland has far more to offer than just the Northern Lights. Yes, that might be the highlight of the trip but we soon had discovered a country of wildly spectacular natural scenery, friendly people and amazing food. I honestly had not expected such beautiful scenery made even more dramatic by the stark contrast of black volcanic landscapes covered by pure white snow. It was awesome!! Iceland also has a geothermal offering that you don’t find hardly anywhere else in the world. This enhances your sightseeing with some unusual bubbling mud pots and geysers and also gives you the opportunity to enjoy places like the famous Blue Lagoon for bathing in the hot springs where you can sample the healing mud facials and relax with a cocktail by one of the swim up bars. Yes, they have it all!!   It is very comfortable traveling in Iceland as it is known as one of the safest countries in the world. Although the Icelandic language is impossible for most anyone that is not from Iceland, nearly all of the people in Iceland speak very good English. You never have a problem communicating or understanding shop clerks, hotel staff, tour guides or wait staff in restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, we found the choices and quality of the food to be outstanding everywhere. Seafood is, of course, the very best with the large fishing fleet based in Reykjavik providing fresh seafood every day. Iceland has it all when it comes to dining, from traditional Icelandic fare to very contemporary, fine dining plus everything in between. We really cannot wait to return to see what Iceland looks like during a warmer time of year when the island is a dozen shades of green and covered in wild flowers!! If Iceland is not on your bucket list, you need to add it to the top of the list. You won’t be sorry!! Join us in 2022 on our Iceland summer group trip. |
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