Day 10
“This morning we travel by coach and ferry to Mainau Island. Virtually the whole of the 45 hectare island is one magnificent garden hosting an ever changing sea of flowers from Spring through into Autumn. We should be in time to see the last weeks of the display of 6000 types of orchids, together with 800 varieties of narcissuses, tulips and hyacinths which will have commenced flowering in April. We will see 300,000 sunflowers and 30,000 rose bushes coming into bloom to peak in early June. We may also see some of the 20,000 dahlias of more than 200 varieties which will be at their best in the early summer months. We will spend approx three hours on Mainau Island.”
“Keukenhof Park is a showcase for the Dutch flower bulb industry. Here in this idyllic setting millions of bulbs will flower to create a spectacular floral carpet, blending beautifully with a landscape of established trees, flowering shrubs and a huge variety of perennials, water gardens, fountains and a large mere.”
“From Bolzano we turn sharply east and commence a 210 km ‘experience’ along the ‘Great Dolomite Road’. Recognised as a magnificent and world famous example of road engineering, it follows the central depression of the Italian Alps through a landscape which is always majestic and varied. Someone wrote “there are mountains and there are the Dolomites”. Climbing up the side of mountains to a height of 2000 meters, the road is ‘one of the world’s great drives”.
Day 7
“This morning we travel to Portage and the Begich-Boggs Visitor Centre. Built on the remnants of a ‘terminal moraine’ (mountain fragments that have been pushed in front of an encroaching glacier, in this case however the ‘encroaching’ has come to a halt), the centre overlooks Portage Lake, and houses a wide range of exhibits demonstrating ‘glaciers on the move,’ focusing on ‘living glaciers’ in the immediate area. Following our visit to the Centre we travel through the mountain to Whittier, situated at the western limit of Prince William Sound’s Passage Canal. The town is virtually surrounded by glaciers. We arrive in time to board the “Alaska Marine Highway” ferry for the scenic 90-mile crossing to Valdez. Prince William Sound is full of spectacular beauty, diverse scenery and abundant wildlife and is surrounded by endless mountain ranges that literally rise up directly from the sea. The crossing of pristine Prince William Sound takes about 6 hours, and is very pleasurable. Nudging our way through ‘chunky ice soup’ en route, we will pass close to Alaska’s largest tidewater glacier, the Columbia. Don’t worry, this is not a ‘maiden voyage’ and the captain takes his ship through these waters 5 days a week. We arrive in Valdez at approximately 9 pm, but of course it could be two o’clock in the afternoon, as there are several hours of daylight still remaining.”
“168 kms southwest of Queenstown, Te Anau is the departure point for day trips into Doubtful Sound. We will check into our accommodation here this morning, Te Anau Hotel and Villas before proceeding out to Doubtful Sound. Three times longer than Milford Sound and with a surface area ten times larger, Doubtful Sound is an unspoiled wilderness of many moods. Practically untouched by man, the physical grandeur of towering peaks descending into moody waters, outstanding waterfalls from high-up ice-age valleys and fjords clad with ancient vegetation together create an atmosphere of solitude and serenity. This region was the location for much of the filming of the movie series ‘Lord of the Rings’.
Day 6:
Lying at the most northerly and accessible end of Fjordland National Park, Milford Sound is recognised as one of New Zealand’s most attractive tourist destinations and the road into it one of the world’s finest alpine drives. The 22km long fjord is dominated by the beautiful 1695 meter-high Mitre Peak, while the calm waters mirror the sheer peaks which rise all around it. We will overnight here at this spectacular venue aboard The Milford Mariner.”
Dubrovnik has been described as the pearl of the Adriatic, possessing a treasury of invaluable architectural and cultural masterpieces carefully preserved over the centuries.While staying in Dubrovnik in 1929 George Bernard Shaw is reported as saying “if you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik”. Over these two days we will relax and enjoy a range of rich experiences unique to this city and the region. We will take sightseeing tours of the city itself both during the day and in the evening; we will cruise through the islands of the Dubrovnik Archipelago the coves of which hide quiet fishing villages set amidst dormant rocky outcrops and pebbly beaches. We will be exposed to the beauty and diversity of folklore, engaged by picturesque architecture and experience traditional hospitality. We will visit a number of the smaller towns within a few hours’ drive of Dubrovnik each one of which is steeped in history and possessing its own intrinsic character. A feature of our time here will be an immersion in the every-day lifestyle of this fascinating region of the world.
Day 5
A major reason for us coming to Kanazawa is to visit the Kenrokuen Garden. Created in 1676 it evolved and grew over the next 200 years into today’s ‘Garden of the Six Qualities’, extensiveness, factitiousness, water, wide vistas, antiquity and quiet stillness. Kenrokuen is best experienced early in the morning before the crowds descend, so I’m suggesting a fairly early departure this morning, say 8.00am at the latest. Depending on available time we may have opportunity to cross the road from Kenrokuen to Kanazawa Castle, a most impressive edifice. Late morning into early afternoon and we journey southeast into the Shokawa Valley region. Here in this remote, dramatically mountainous area between Kanazawa and Takayama is the district of Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its villages of thatched ‘gassho-zukuri’ houses.We spend some time in the village of Ogimachi, complete with fifty nine such residences. Late afternoon and we continue on to Takayama, a charming provincial town whose history has been shaped by its isolation from urban civilisation. Our accommodation this evening and tomorrow night in a traditional Japanese ryokan, embodying both authenticity and simplicity. Dinner this evening at one of our ‘ryokans’.
Day 3
Tuesday 27th April. This morning we commence a full day excursion of some of the highlights of ‘the eternal city’. Arriving at St Peter’s Square we move into the Vatican Museums which alone house over 9 miles of the most extensive art collection in the world (we’ll only be able to spend a short amount of time at each exhibit!!) before proceeding into the Sistine Chapel adorned as it is with its own amazing art work. From here we continue on to ‘Basilica St Pietro’ recognized as having the largest interior (capable of seating 60,000) of any Christian church in the world. Early to mid afternoon and we make our way just out of the city to the Appian Way. Of all the roads that led to Rome, Via Appia Antica (built in 312 B.C.) was the most famous. The road's initial stretch in Rome is lined with the great monuments and ancient tombs of patrician Roman families and, beneath the surface, miles of tunnels hewn from tufa stone. These tunnels, or ‘Catacombs’, were where the early Christians buried their dead and, during the worst times of persecution, held church services discreetly out of the public eye. Late afternoon and we return to our hotel and dinner at a local restaurant.
