Family Vacations

Bond with the Family in Europe

Family travel is a hot buzzword currently in the travel marketing side of the business. Media outlets are writing about it and at all the travel shows you see “Family Friendly, Family Travel”, etc. Yea, family travel – as if this was something new!

I remember taking trips with my family as a kid – didn’t others do this? Ok, maybe our family trips in those days were not the same as what people are doing today. For sure, the family unit is quite a different thing today than it was in my youth. Parents today don’t have time nor desire to organize something for their family, and in many cases, they don’t want to be responsible for keeping their kids busy and happy during the vacation time. I know for a fact that many parents want to be able to work as well while on vacation, and so they don’t want to have their kids distracting them! Whoa, that’s not vacation is it? Yes, the modern family vacation.

Well, this is good news for some of the high end group tour companies with family trips. If you can afford to pay $5000/person including for each child, then you will have all your bases covered. If, on the other hand, you want to have time with your kids and enjoy a vacation together at a great price to value, then our self-guided formula is just what your family needs!

The self-guided model is so much the ideal trip for so many different travelers, but for the family, its ideal. First, the family of any aged children can go on a trip and know that they do not depend on others in a group, do not depend on the attention of a guide to get them what they need, and they can go in peace knowing that no matter how civilized (or not) their kids are, there won’t be other childless adults to worry about offending forming your traveling party.

The self-guided model is a trip for each party who books. This could be a couple, some friends, a group, or a family. We have equipment for all ages/sizes. We have family sized rooms, and some lower child rates in some cases, and trips never cancel for lack of participation. You can choose any date you want. For cycling, hiking, or relaxing – we can organize what each family needs within the limits of services to be found.

Some themes available:

• Star tours: this is the cycling tour where you stay in one place and ride out and back each day. Its ideal for families because it can accommodate all levels of cyclists. For example, say dad and teenager are strong cyclists – they can do a long ride and meet up with mom and younger child who want to do a shorter ride. They all start together, but the slower low mile riders can return sooner on their own itinerary. Later at the hotel, they can all go out and visit together. We offer this style of riding in Provence, the Loire Valley, Languedoc, and in Spain. We can customize for this in Italy as well. In Languedoc we are right on the beach and in Spain only 7km away –so the kids can always go play at the beach each day. A perfect family adventure!
• Older kids: Some of our tours that pass through some larger towns where older teenage kids or even college age kids can find some ambiance to keep them happy. Rather than being stuck in some quiet charming village, on our Provence Avignon to Mediterranean trip, we stay in Avignon, Uzes, Arles, Nimes, and St Remy de Provence. All larger towns with lots of activities and ambiance including dancing/discos. In July, the Festival of Avignon attracts theatre performers from around the world, typically young people and it’s a great ambiance of culture and art; but book ahead!
• Grandparents – bring them along, absolutely! We can always add car rental and if needed, we can add vehicle transfers if granny and gramps can’t ride, which in many cases they can – even better than the grandkids!

Age is not ever something we will deny a tour to a customer. With our self-guided trips, we expect each family group that is booking to be aware of what each of the family members can do and can’t do. You can ask for help, but its ultimately up to you to manage tired kids/family members, so if you know and are prepared, then we have the best family vacation of all – your own!

Planning a Trip to Spain

Sometimes it helps to know what festivals or events are going on in a destination in order to plan to be there, or to avoid it for your own vacation. Spain is known for their numerous festivals and holidays. Here is a list of event dates in Spain that may help anyone wanting to go to Spain decide about their own travel dates.

January
1st	New Year's Day
2nd	Reconquest Festival - celebrating the Christian conquest of the Moors in 1492
6th	Epiphany - Three Kings Day - children receive Christmas presents and candy.
17th	San Anton - patron saint of domestic animals. Bonfires are lit and demon figures are used. Also celebrated in much of the mainland with bonfires and mounted processions. In Ciudad Real bread rolls are blessed and cockerels auctioned off.
17th	Porrat de San Anton. A traditional market selling local producs. An animal show and the blessing of the animals in the bullring. Held in the quarter of the city named after the saint.
February
2nd-5th	Reenactment of struggle between Christians and Moors - parades and fireworks, colourful costumes
11th-Mar21st	Festival de Cadiz - Oldest festival in Spain - parades and colourful costumes
Various	Madrid Carnival - masked ball, fancy dress and the burrial of a sardine followed by a concert in Plaza Mayor
March
12th-19th	Fallas de Valencia - fiesta centering around the burning of effigies of winter demons - bullfights and fireworks
12th	Commonwealth Day
April
9th-16th	Semana Santa (Easter week)
14th	Good Friday ***These Easter dates vary from year to year
17th	Easter Monday
20th-25th	Feria de Sevilla - all night Flamenco dancing, bullfights, dancing in the streets and horse riding - the most celebrated event in Spain
Various	Moros y Christians - battle re-enactment with circus-like atmosphere
26th-29th	Romeria - the oldest festival in Spain and of National interest
Thursday following Easter week	Pilgrimage of the Holy Visage. A very important and popular event when 200,000 people holding pilgrimage canes walk to the Monastery of Santa Faz to worship at the shrine. They have picnic lunches and a large arts and crafts market is held.
May
1st	Labour Day
First 2 weeks	Festival de los Patios - residents decorate their patios with cascades of flowers and visitors wander from patio to patio
12th-21st	Fiesta de San Isidro - 10 day celebration of the patron saint - parties, parades, bullfights and dances
9th-16th	Horse Fair - greatest horses in the world on parade
15th	San Isidro's Day
2nd Sunday	Romeria day
1st-3rd	May Crosses (Cruces de Mayo). The Santa Cruz quarter dresses with sweet smelling crosses made from flowers. The finest win awards and dances and games are organised
June
All	Veranos de la Villa - dancing, music and concerts, often free of charge - all summer long
6th	Corpus Christi - big parades especially in Toledo, Malaga, Granada and Seville
20th	St.John's Bonfires - bonfires through the night signal 5 days of festivities - business in Alicante comes to a standstill
24th	San Juan - Celebrated with bonfires on the beach, lasting all night through the night of the 23rd. At midnight everyone rushes into the sea to symbloise the baptisms by John the Baptist. The theory is that you wash your feet in the sea to cleanse your sins. There is also the tradition of jumping the bonfire, to burn away your sins (or something like that).
July
First weekend	A Rapa das Bestas - capture and branding of wild horses from the hills attracts equestrian lovers from all over Europe
Early July	Running of the bulls - most popular event in Spain where bulls are released into the streets - also features other events - known as Fiesta de San Fermin
13th-22nd	Annual feria week based on Virgen del Carmen. Town's anniversary on the 20th
16th	Virgen del Carmen: Annual feast of the fishermen when the waters are blessed and the Virgen is carried to sea in a procession.
14th	Polo season begins (approx.)
3rd-8th	Annual feria with large fun fair. See more about it here
13th	Annual feria at the Sohail Castle
16th	Virgen del Carmen: Annual celebration when the fishing port comes alive to mark their patron saint. Events spread to the Island of Tabarca
August
Middle	Feria de Malaga - 10 day long fair - fireworks, horses and gallons of wine
Last Wednesday	La Tomatina (Battle of the Tomatoes). Tons of fruit thrown between warring towns and villages - followed by music and dancing
18-25th	Fiesta de la Recoleccion - bullfights, shows, parties and cattle market
11-15th	Virgen del Rosario - Sevillian mass and procession
4th-5th	Moors and Christians - Bonfires are lit and a castle is built
September
11th	Dia Nacional de Cataluna - flagwaving and demonstrations celebrating the region's independence
24th	Festival Setmana Cran - patron saint's day - evening mass followed by a procession to the cathedral then finishing at the harbour
5th-8th	Virgen del Socorro. The Ravel quarter organises a feast in honour of its patron saint. The fiesta includes cooking competitions, a procession, games and dances
15th-17th	Annual feria
October
9th	Dia de Comunidad Valenciana
12th	Day of El Pilar, procession of giant figures
November
1st	All Saints Day - relatives lay flowers on graves of the dead
December
25th	Christmas Day
26th	Saint Stephen
6th	Constitution Day
28th	Dia de los Santos Inocentes - similar to Fools Day which is just an excuse to do silly things

St. Vitus Cathredral in Prague

The Jewel of Prague

Interested in visiting Prague? Your visit won’t be complete without seeing the St. Vitus Cathedral. Everyone knows great things take time and the St. Vitus is no different; it took 600 years to be built. This Roman Catholic cathedral is the most important cathedral in the country, one because it is the seat of the archbishop of Prague, and two because it is the final resting place for several saints.

The creation on the cathedral was largely supported by Charles IV, King of Bohemia later becoming Holy Roman Emperor. He intended the cathedral to be a coronation church, family crypt, and treasury for the most precious relics of the kingdom among other things. Matthias of Arras, a Frenchman, was the first of many designers to start building the St. Vitus. Each master builder continued their predecessor’s plans, but made their own additions to the design as well.

Building was delayed by the Hussite War and part of the cathedral was greatly damaged by a fire in 1541. Nevertheless, the St. Vitus Cathedral was finally finished in 1929 under the architectural hands of Kamil Hilbert.

Many tourists claim Prague is the best place to visit in Europe, largely due to the St. Vitus Cathedral. After seeing the stained glass windows that give off bursts of color when the sun shines through or the tombs stunning gilded monuments of the cathedral, not many people argue with the former declaration. Don’t forget to return to the cathedral at night and see the intimidating Gothic architecture lit up. This is a scene you won’t soon forget.

Visit the St. Vitus Cathedral and other sites in Prague on our Czech Republic tours, specifically our Salzburg to Prague tour.

Hiking in Grindelwald

For high mountain enthusiasts and hikers of all stripes; Grindelwald is the outdoor paradise of Switzerland. We have offered hiking tours in the region for a number of years now.

Situated just a short train ride above Interlaken, Grindelwald is a mountain village with a typical Swiss mountain ambiance. It sits below the famous Eiger and Jungfrau peaks, among others, and it seems you could fall right off the summit of those and land in town! What is fantastic about the Grindelwald and the surrounding Jungfrau region is the improbable network of mountain trains, buses, and cable cars. With a pass you can ride all these modes of transport and do a seemingly infinite combination of hikes. Take any one of them up to a point and then hike around and down or to another point where you can come back by another mode of transport. High mountain services are possible too for lunches.

The incredible Junfraujoch sits at the top of the chain and overlooks just about everything except a few of the highest peaks. An amazing number of tourists ride the trains up there every day, including a vast number of Japanese tourists on ‘highlight trips’. But the trails are far less busy, but yet utilized primarily by European (Swiss and Germans mostly) hikers. In Grindewald you will see people of all ages decked out in hiking shoes, daypacks, walking poles heading up or down.

Don’t forget your high mountain clothing – weather can change any time. Rain, wind, sun, snow. A goretex shell, good glasses, and sunscreen are a must among other items. Even in full summer. I woke up this morning and could see a dusting of snow on the mountains not too far up.

Cycle the hills of Tuscany

Cycling in Tuscany – we know, everyone is doing it. So why us and why it’s different: well, we are locals! We are working with Italian based bike guide service and they know these roads and countryside as well as anyone. Therefore, already our clients have the best possible routes and riding itineraries possible. Service is always available and custom requests are accommodated as much as is possible.

Selling Italy, specifically Tuscany, as a destination for cycling is easy really, but the cycling itself in the Tuscany region isn’t easy! This is a famously hilly region and yes it is famously gorgeous but cyclists need to be prepared to climb some hills. The most charming villages are always perched on hilltops with fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding villages and far off villages. These villages with their cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways are every so charming. In these streets you can find arts and crafts, wine cellars, restaurants, and some museums and historical sites. Many of the hotels we use in these villages are themselves historic buildings located within the old walls of the medieval cite upon which many were founded. Religion is mostly at the heart of these villages and their locations were built for the strategic value the hilltop location offered. Whether you are a practicing catholic or not, the historical value of the religion and its role in shaping the region is fascinating and a big part of what there is to discover.

People talk about Tuscany like they do of Provence in France; that it’s the quality of life and eternal sunshine that make for perfect getaway. It’s true of course, and for anyone visiting and spending only a week, it would be hard to miss, but in such a short time it’s also hard to fully soak in. Nonetheless, the impression one can get from knowing how it could be to live in such a lovely place surrounded by vineyards and olive groves where life moves at a pace of a former time is a vacation for the mind and spirit that will stay with you and draw you back long after you return to your whirlwind lifestyle and occupations. You can cycle for a week, relaxing and discovering, but you can return again and again in your mind for years to come!

Check out our tours in Italy http://www.pure-adventures.com/tours/cycling-italy.php

Norway Celebrates Winter

Norway is an exciting country; there is always something for travelers to experience. The events throughout the year give visitors the opportunity to get lost in Norwegian history and culture. Winter is particularly an exciting time of the year with enjoyable festivals sure to please everyone.

This December winter is home to the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, Christmas Market, and Drekkedagsnatta. The largest gingerbread town is on display in the town of Bergen. The locals help with the town by contributing homes and buildings they made with there gingerbread. This is a sight not seen anywhere else.

In January and February, travelers can experience Tromsø International Film Festival, Ice Music Festival, Northern Lights Festival, Røros Fair, and Polar Jazz. Don't miss out on these exciting events. Click here for more information.

Hungary and Slovakia Cycling Tours - Press Release

This was a press release about two Pure Adventures Tours published awhile back, but still very relevant. Every has loved these tours, so check them out...you won't be disappointed!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Discover France/Pure Adventures
CONTACT: Loren Siekman
TEL: 800-960-2221
E-MAIL: info@pure-adventures.com
WEBSITE: www.pure-adventures.com


Discover Culture, Adventure, and Diversity with ‘Pure Adventures’

EUROPE—Pure Adventures, the progeny of Discover France, has announced it’s line-up of self-guided cycling tours. Understanding that modern- day travelers are continually looking for new and exciting travel destinations, the company has masterfully incorporated international adventure, cultural experiences, and a diversity of activities into its two new tours.

There is an ever increasing popularity amongst adventure travelers in visiting central European countries. The trend is caused by the fact that they are inexpensive, open to tourism, have well preserved historical interest and offer "off the beaten" path itineraries. As always, the new tours are supported by locals who really help the guests to appreciate the best there is to see and become fully immersed in the area’s culture.

The Hungary Cycling Tour is eight days and seven nights and takes guests into the heart of the Hungarian countryside where they will enjoy three and four star lodging while discovering the intriguing and mysterious history of the region including the city of Budapest.

Despite spectacular development, Budapest has preserved its old charm and magic. Not only is it the worthy holder of the title `Queen of the Danube`, it is a city where the pleasing harmony of different architectural styles and superb structures, the cuisine, culture, and legendary hospitality blend into an unforgettable experience for visitors

A sampling of the incredible itinerary includes cycling along the Danube River out of Budapest into the countryside of Western Pannonia. The cycle path begins at Batthyany Square, crossing the Danube at Kisoroszi, into Visegrad. Arriving in Visegrád guests will take a trip up to the “Castle in the Clouds” and enjoy the amazing panorama which unfolds before their eyes. Guests will pass through forests and open woodland along diminutive roads with little traffic along the way and will also visit the village of Tata, known as “the town of waters. Guests will then venture on to visit the millenary, Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma, where they may visit the church and library and taste the famous wines of the historical wine district. After a fashion, guests will arrive in Sopron, a town rich in cultural history and containing vast amounts of intriguing relics…..

Not to be out-done, the eight day/seven night Slovakia Cycling Tour takes cyclists from Vienna to Krakow. Slovakia has seen its tourism gradually increase since the late 1990’s, after its amicable split with Czech Republic,. Quaint and jovial with a surprisingly rich cultural life, guests will discover castles, artisans, and charming people along the route and certainly create cherished memories doing so.

A peek into the rich itinerary is sure to leave travelers yearning for more. The first leg of the journey leads straight to the town of Trnava, the oldest royal town in Slovakia. Its past wealth is reflected in its fortifications and rich assortment of monuments. The tour follows rolling hillsides around the most famous Slovakian spa town of Piestany, renowned for its successful treatment of arthritis. Guests will then be off to Beckov with its towering castle ruin of the same name and then on to view the majestic castle perched above the city of Trencin. After several days more, the tour culminates in the wonderful city of Krakow, a colossus of art and architecture…..

Both packages include all lodging, breakfast and dinner daily, luggage transfers, arrival orientation and bike fitting, route book with maps, cue sheets, and site information, local emergency service, local support guides and experts that are available by phone to assist during the trip with any kind of emergency.

Itineraries can be adapted for longer ride options and extended stays (up to 9 days). Additional nights in Krakow or Bratislava, Vienna, and Budapest, are all possible and the Slovakia tour may be combined with the Hungary (Budapest to Vienna) trip for a spectacular two week journey.

For a complete itinerary, pricing, and booking information call 800-960-2221 or e-mail info@pure-adventures.com Photos available.

Czech Bike Tour and Beer Festival - The Perfect Combo

Traveling to the Czech Republic next summer? Make sure you stop in Prague for the largest tourist attraction of the year there --- Czech Beer Festival!!

Since its inauguration in 2008 the attendance has grown from 19,000 to 100,000 in 2010 and is expected to reach 180,000 in 2011. Many say it is "Oktoberfest of the Future." Come see what all the hype is about May 12-28. Admission is free and beers cost 3.60 euros.

Check out Pure Adventures Czech Republic Bike Tour. You can bike from Vienna to Prague exploring the amazing country and end the perfect trip with a beer festival you won't soon forget.

For more information about the festival visit www.ceskypivnifestival.cz

Czech Republic Tips

What's new in Czech Republic?
CzechTourism.com gives us the latest...

RESTAURANT TIP:

CAFE BRAUN
Sokolska 31, Prague 2

Café B Braun is the newest addition to Prague’s stylish dining scene. The restaurant boasts sleek design by the renowned Czech architect Eva Jiricna. Filled with glass, steel and practically all white in color, Café B. Braun is decorated by Jiricna’s famous glass staircase spiraling up to the second floor. Read More

CULTURE TIP:

PLZEN-THE CAPITOL Of CULTURE IN 2015

The Bohemian town of Plzen just won the competition to be the European Capitol of Culture in 2015! Every year two cities are selected from the EU countries to become the European center for cultural events. Plzen is building new theater, gallery and library to host these important events. In the future Plzen won’t be known just for its famous Pilsner beer, but also for its great contemporary architecture. www.plzen2015.net

SPA TIP:

SPA RESORT TREE OF LIFE

The 4-star Spa Resort Tree of Life is located 90 minute outside of Prague, offering hundred year old spa tradition combined with modern amenities of luxury resort. From dozens of procedures offered by the resort, you can choose from a wrap in local natural fen peat, therapeutic massages, reflexology or oxygen therapy. In your free time you can take a stroll through the resort’s park and enjoy magnificent views of the lake. www.treeoflife.cz/en/Homepage/