aboard a

EXTENDED
STAY
SPECIAL
EXTENDED
SPECIAL
SUMMER
STAY
$99.88
PARK
UPUPTOTO3030
DAYS
PARK
DAYSFOR
FORONLY
ONLY$148
WWW.PARK2GO.CA
CALCH102643_1_1
CYCLIN G I N C UBA: Pag e G 5 | calgaryherald.com/travel
travel
EDITOR: Tom Babin 403-235-7157 [email protected]
Saturday, august 31, 2013
reminder:
Great adventure
Fuels imaGination
Section G
Free adventures
For kids
Just for the summer, kids get free tickets to Brewster’s adventures in Banff:
ride the gondola to a mountaintop, cruise an alpine lake and drive on an
ancient glacier.
Free, limited time offer
for Alberta residents.
Restrictions may apply.
travelalberta.com
CALCH108546_1_1
Travel
Notes
‘Flight Path’
to open soon
trail • Construction of a
recreational trail circling
the perimeter of Victoria
International Airport is
expected to be completed
by mid-September, says
airport CEO Geoff Dickson.
“There are wonderful
vistas,” Dickson said, citing
ocean and mountain views
along the paved 9.3-kilometre route called Flight
Path. And for aviation buffs,
there’s also the sight of
aircraft coming and going.
Work on the multi-use
trail, suitable for cyclists,
joggers and walkers, began
in 2008 and has been completed in stages. For access,
there’s parking at regular
intervals along the trail.
Funded by the Victoria
Airport Authority, the route
passes by Patricia Bay, a
couple of creeks, the federal government’s Institute
of Ocean Sciences research
centre, the B.C. Aviation
Museum, aircraft products
manufacturer Viking Air
and the home base for the
Canadian Forces’ 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron.
Dickson suggests people
coming to the airport
incorporate the trail in their
travel planning: “Check in a
few hours early and get out
for a walk.”
Rembrandt
work on display
art • B.C.’s Burnaby Art
Gallery is pairing two
complementary exhibitions
of Dutch art — one consists
of landscapes, the other
focuses on people — that
include works by Rembrandt and other important
artists from the 17th to 19th
centuries.
Storms and Bright Skies:
Three Centuries of Dutch
Landscapes is a touring
show with 65 works from
the National Gallery of
Canada. Inner Realms:
Dutch Portraits features 17
oils, drawings, prints and
watercolours on loan from
the Art Gallery of Greater
Victoria.
Both exhibitions will be
on display, on separate
floors, from Sept. 6 to Nov.
17.
Among the Rembrandts,
there is a self-portrait dating from 1638, as well as a
portrait of his wife, Saskia,
dated 1636, said assistant
curator Jennifer Cane.
Jan van Goyen, Jacob van
Ruisdael, Cornelis Janssens
van Ceulen and Adriaen
van Ostade are among the
other artists represented in
the two shows.
Cline exhibit
is now open
music • An exhibition
focusing on the short but
significant life of country
music legend Patsy Cline
opens Aug. 30 at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
in Winchester, Va. It will tell
the story of Virginia “Ginny”
Patterson Hensley before
she became Patsy Cline.
Before her death at age
30, Cline recorded the
country classics Crazy and
Sweet Dreams, among
other enduring hits.
The Virginia native
daughter spent most of
her life in the Shenandoah
Valley. The museum exhibit,
called Becoming Patsy
Cline, will include rare photographs, video and audio
recordings and clothing.
The museum says some
objects have never been on
public display.
Aboard a
crown
jewel
Scenic Cruises continues to raise
bar for European river ships
The parliament buildings in Budapest, taken through the open, drop-down window on a sun lounge on Scenic Pearl. The river “spaceship” (inset)
stands ready for embarking on the Rhine following a medieval banquet, an exclusive Scenic activity, at the 12th century Marksburg Castle in Germany.
Theresa Storm
For the Calgary Herald
“It is like a ping-pong
match … castle to the left,
castle to the right,” quipped
Janina, the Pearl’s cruise
director, the evening before
we sailed through the scenic Rhine Gorge, with its
stunning medieval castles
perched precipitously on
rocky ledges amid vinecovered slopes sliding perilously to the river.
That is one reason the
64-kilometre-long gorge is
the most popular European
river cruise destination and
the Upper Middle Rhine a
UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
It didn’t take long aboard
Scenic Cruises’ Pearl, a
stunning, rebuilt “spaceship” (Scenic’s name for its
state-of-the-art ships) relaunched in April, to understand why river voyages are
the hottest thing in cruising
and luxury travel.
River cruising is indeed
a pampered and expedient
way to visit several countries — we saw five on our
15-day Budapest to Amsterdam Jewels of Europe itinerary on the Danube, Main
and Rhine rivers. It’s almost
effortless — no getting lost
or schlepping luggage onto
trains and into hotels. Best
of all, Scenic includes absolutely everything (except
personal services), with a
choice of guided or GPSindependent tours in each
port and exclusive activities, like a private Viennese
concert at Palais Liechtenstein.
Ease is why a river voyage
appealed to my mother, my
travel companion. For mature travellers, an independent trip can be exhaust-
ing and stressful. While
we have shied away from
cruising (the horde of passengers on our only ocean
cruise wasn’t for us), we
loved the idea of a smallscale “floating hotel” and
unpacking for two weeks,
and travelling with fewer,
but more like-minded, passengers.
We aren’t the only ones.
Demand for river cruises
is escalating more quickly
than for other types of
cruises — showing annual
double-digit growth the
past five years, while cruising of all kinds is one of the
fastest-growing travel segments.
Europe is the second
most popular cruise destination globally. While
there are a plethora of ships
plying the continent’s great
rivers and plenty of river
lines — many larger and
more well-known than Australia-based Scenic — we
saw none more elegant than
Scenic’s fleet.
The race is on amongst
river lines to differentiate
their offerings and launch
stylish new vessels — at
least a score will take to
European rivers next year,
including two new spaceships.
To ensure it continues
to be an industry leader,
last winter Scenic nearly
completely rebuilt its five
older European spaceships,
including Pearl, to match its
two newest ships. What’s
surprising is these “older”
ships were only 18 months
to four years old.
The best improvement,
mom and I agree, was
converting the private
full-sized balcony to a sun
lounge with floor-to-ceiling
window. A hydraulic switch
easily lowers the window
halfway or raises it, allowing use regardless of
weather. So far, only Scenic
ships sport this sun lounge
(stay tuned, however, as
competitors appear to
follow Scenic’s industryleading innovations).
As outdoor lovers, we
coveted this fresh air,
watch-the-scenery-go-by
sitting space, and particularly enjoyed eating
breakfast privately in our
bathrobes, delivered by
our always smiling butler
Joanna. She and cabin steward Rita ensured we were
taken care of, as did the entire first-rate crew.
Although it seemed too
good to be true, butler service is not for the privileged
few in the highest cabin
categories; it’s included for
all guests. This was just one
of the fully-inclusive perks
we loved. Others were
a personalized mini bar,
restocked daily; 24-hour
limited-menu room service;
a pillow menu and chocolates at evening turndown;
all-day alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages; and all
meals, snacks, and bottled
water for shore excursions;
among others.
The included smallgroup, staff-guided tours
were the “perk” we took full
advantage of, enticing us
to explore more often and
more thoroughly than if
tours were additional. Usually, three or four interestbased tours were offered in
each port or to surrounding
destinations, sometimes
in neighbouring countries.
Options often included a
walking and sometimes a
cycling tour with Scenic’s
nifty electric-assisted bikes
(meaning the bike does
much of the uphill work!).
Guests were also free to
borrow a bike or head out
for independent sightseeing, guided, if desired, by
specialty-themed audio
GPS tours. Usually the ship
docked close to town —
another advantage of small
ships, allowing passengers
to come and go.
Almost always, free time
after tours allowed for independent exploration or
sampling regional specialties (when in Germany,
one must try Regensburg
bratwurst at the world’s
oldest sausage kitchen and
Bamberg’s famous smoked
beer).
See JEWEL, Page G2
G2
TRAVEL
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Breaking news at calgaryherald.com
Photos: Theresa Storm
Heaps of sausages and mounds of sauerkraut, served with sweet mustard, are prepared at the 900-year-old Historische Wurstkuche, the world’s oldest sausage kitchen in
Regensburg, Germany, where 6,000 bratwurst are served daily. Regensburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
JEWEL: River cruises
continue to gain steam
FROM G1
It was on the tours that
we began to get to know
our fellow travellers.
Not surprisingly, I was
among the youngest of 145
passengers, which was a perfect number for a two-week
trip.
The majority were in their
60s and 70s, but most, like
mom, were fit and energetic,
eager to explore Europe’s medieval gems.
Most were Australian,
owing to
Scenic’s
Australianownership,
with
a We’re seesmattering a strong
ing of New
enough
Zealanders,
B r i t s a n d demand in
Canadians
Europe …
rounding
MARK
out the pasSCHIFFNER
senger list.
In addition to regular tours, all passengers were
treated to three exclusive-toScenic activities. A good time
was had experiencing daily
life in the typical German
village of Wertheim.
Visitors chose from 10 activities, including playing a
game of Kegeln (similar to
bowling), visiting a schnapps
maker (and tasting 16 kinds),
or making springerle — a biscuit for decorating Christmas
trees, followed by lunch in a
cellar. Mom’s favourite was
Don
Braid
When it comes to covering Alberta
politics, one columnist stands out
from all others – Don Braid. With
more than 40 years of journalism
experience, Braid delivers the
analysis and exclusive content that
no one else can.
He knows the secrets of politicians.
He knows what goes on behind
closed doors. He has sources
everywhere.
For political coverage you can’t
get anywhere else, check out Don
Braid in the Calgary Herald, at
calgaryherald.com and follow
him at twitter.com/donbraid.
If you go
the Viennese concert, mine
the medieval banquet and
tour of 12th-century Marksburg Castle.
When we weren’t off the
ship touring, we were kept
busy on board with lectures,
activities and entertainment,
including Hungarian folklore
and Bavarian music performances, a zither concert, a
glass-blowing demonstration,
a river lock talk, a quiz and a
disco night.
After 14 nights, I left the
ship with a paltry $120 bill for
laundry and massage.
By all accounts, it’s full
steam ahead for river cruising.
Scenic reports early bookings for next year are higher
than ever, precipitating its recent decision to build a new
European ship, in addition
to one launching in France
next year. Along with the new
ships, five new itineraries will
debut.
“We’re seeing a strong
enough demand in Europe
that some of the crown jewels of the industry are plying
European waters,” says Mark
Schiffner, vice-president
and chief operating officer
of Cruise Holidays International.
Pearl — and the rest of Scenic’s fleet — certainly number
among those jewels.
Information:
■ Visit your travel agent
to pick up Scenic Cruise’s
Europe 2014 brochure
detailing European and Russian itineraries, including a
DVD, or download at http://
ca.scenictours.com/
■ 15-day Budapest to
Amsterdam Jewels of
Europe itinerary starts at
$5,295 per person twin
share for 2014 departures.
However, many shorter,
less expensive itineraries
are available.
Free information
session:
■ Calgary — Sept 14 at 10
a.m. or 1 p.m. at Holiday Inn,
4206 Macleod Trail South.
Register online. Also, many
locations across Canada
this fall.
See http://ca.scenictours.
com/europe-river-cruisepresentation/
■ Book early bonus:
Scenic Cruises offers incentives for booking by Oct.
31, ranging from savings
of up to $2,000 per couple
to free flights to Europe
(deadlines for savings
vary).
Breaking news:
■ New Emerald Waterways launches in
2014. Scenic Tours just
announced a new subsidiary, Emerald Waterways,
is launching next year, and
will offer less-expensive,
seven- to 14-night European cruises on two ships,
starting at $2,230 US per
person, double occupancy.
It’s the first new European
river cruise company to set
sail in more than six years.
1-855-222-3214, www.
emeraldwaterways.com
■ Land tours: Scenic
Tours, its parent, offers
all-inclusive escorted tours
in Europe, Australia, New
THERESA STORM’S CRUISE WAS
COURTESY OF SCENIC CRUISES. SCENIC CRUISES DID NOT REVIEW THIS
STORY PRIOR TO PUBLICATION.
Zealand, the Americas and
elsewhere.
■ http://ca.scenictours.
com/
■ Scenic’s Vancouver
office: Phone 1-866-6898611 toll-free or 604-6898611 http://ca.scenictours.
com/
Cruising tips:
■ Book your preferred
itinerary at least a few
months in advance, as
sales are strong.
■ Before booking, understand the fine print in the
terms and conditions of
carriage or similar document — ask your travel
agent to assist.
This year, many European
rivers had record-breaking
floods, which affected
river cruises.
■ Some voyages were
cancelled (none of Scenic’s), but others went
ahead by busing and
accommodating passengers in hotels for a portion.
■ Some cruise lines did
not allow passengers to
cancel or change voyage
dates and compensation
to those who could not
sail the full voyage was
not adequate according to
some I talked to (i.e. one
major line offered a 30 per
cent discount on the next
cruise, within a year).
■ Ask your agent about
insurance.
Scenic passenger Marion Schadeck scans historic flood
lines noted on a building in Melk, Austria. This year, a
flood there topped a record set in 1501.
FLY AWAY AND PLAY!
PACKAGES TO LAUGHLIN,
NV FOR ONLY $399!
LAS VEGAS STYLE CASINO GAMING
ON THE COLORADO RIVER.
ESCORTED MOTORCOACH TOURS
CROSS CANADA BY MOTORCOACH
Autumn Splendor Tour!
29 days, September 10 guaranteed
MARITIMES BY MOTORCOACH
Several FLY tours to choose from!
MINOT NORSK HOSTFEST
Frankie Valli, Charley Pride, Alabama & more!
8 days, September 30 guaranteed
CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY
Includes the Napa Valley Wine Train!
13 days, October 2 guaranteed
CALIFORNIA SCENIC PACIFIC COAST
The BEST of California!
17 days, October 5 guaranteed
36 Years of Service!
CALCH102113_1_1
• Two free checked bags
all-in
pricing
Flights From
• Call 1-800-315-9113 today!
899
Glasgow
$
949
london
$
$399
Only
per person!
949
Manchester
$
October - Roundtrip
October - Roundtrip
October - Roundtrip
Includes all Taxes & Fees
Includes all Taxes & Fees
Includes all Taxes & Fees
One Way fr $599 including all taxes & fees. call for details.
For details visit
Round-Trip Airfare
&
Room Package!
CAlgArY to the UK
LEATHER SEATS • GENEROUS ECONOMY LEG ROOM • CHILD DISCOUNTS • CLUB CLASS • DIRECT fLIGHTS*
To subscribe call (403) 235-READ (7323)
Airfare, Hotel and Transfers
included Four-day trips available:
9/16/13 - 9/20/13
Ask for offer codes
LAUYYC0916NP
Call your travel agent or 717-9999
1-800-562-9999
Total Rewards® members
can save up to $200!
canadianaffair.ca or call 1-866-815-5088
Prices are valid at the time of printing and valid for new bookings only. Lowest fare shown & subject to availability. Flights with Air Transat. Prices include all
taxes & surcharges. Fares are available for selected dates in Oct 2013. Transat Tours Canada Inc. d.b.a. Canadian Affairs is registered as a travel agent/
wholesaler in British Columbia (Reg #2454). Terms & conditions apply. *Some direct flights require a touchdown, but not a change of planes.
CALCH118332_1_1
Offer is date, time and flight specific. Charter passengers must read, print, sign and return the
TPA agreement to the address indicated. Prices subject to change and space subject to availability
until time of booking. Package price includes all taxes. Package price does not include the one-time
experience fee of $20.00 per person (includes 9/11 security fee). Flights are operated for Harrah’s
Laughlin by Republic Airways, E-190 jet aircraft. See Participation Agreement for further details.
Management reserves the right to change, cancel or amend offer. Cannot be used in conjunction with
any other offer. Additional restrictions may apply. Must be of legal age to gamble in a casino. A credit
card will be required to hold your reservation. Reservations must be cancelled 14 days in advance of
the flight, or a penalty charge equal to the fare cost will be applied. Any attempt to sell, auction or
otherwise transfer shall nullify this offer. Know When To Stop Before You Start. Gambling Problem? Call
1-800-522-4700. Caesars License Company, LLC
CALSAF23482_1_1