Welcome to the February 2007 ExperiencePlus! Rambler E-Mail Newsletter

• Dear Folks, A letter from the owners
• More About Us
• Eastern Europe and Turkey
• A Cycling Journal from Eastern Europe
• From Our Customers: Linda Myers
• The Places in Between
• The Day After Tomorrow
• From Paola's Kitchen - Torta Negra Galesa

Dear Folks,

"North into Winter" sounds like the name of a Jack London novel and that's what we felt like when we flew home from Buenos Aires on January 15th. We came from 85 degree weather to about 20 degree weather in Dallas-Fort Worth and 10 degrees in Fort Collins. And snow! We have record-breaking snow on the ground. So we've not been on our bikes much, except in the basement, where Rick has discovered a new form of "reality cinema" which you can read about in his movie review of global warming and the film, "The Day After Tomorrow."

We were in Patagonia (Chile and Argentina), of course, for the holidays where we pedaled about 1200 km (about 750 miles) across the Andes from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Would we do it again? You bet. It was fascinating. You can see a few photos here . Think about joining us in January or March 2008 when we'll offer this trip again.

Paola brought back an Argentine-Welsh cake for this month's recipe. (Rick says it is great with a little sweet cream butter on it!) Read all about the Welsh in Argentina with the recipe.

We have several new tours on offer next summer. Think about Turkey or our new ride from Krakow, Poland to Budapest, Hungary if you are in need of a new destination. Of course, our normal tours in Italy, France and Spain are an excellent choice to discover or renew your acquaintance with the beauty of "old Europe." We also have a bit of space left on our St. Petersburg to Istanbul tour if that tempts you. But call today to hold a spot as there aren't many left.

News on the home front is that Maria Elena is awaiting admission to Thunderbird (The Garvin School of International Management) so she can decide between there and the University of Colorado in Boulder MA program for next fall. Monica is still traveling in Argentina and exploring new tour opportunities while trying to decide where to go next now that she's finished her MA in International Development. Rick is trying to figure out what our next big ExpeditionPlus! will be (If you have an idea send it along! Note, it won't be Afghanistan even though our book review takes you there this month) and Paola is enjoying a few breaths of fresh air before she takes up her new position as Head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Colorado State University next July.

Sincerely,

Rick and Paola Price

Maybe you've been abroad by bicycle often, and you're looking for a new and different destination for your next adventure.... Or perhaps you're a first-timer looking for a good value on a fascinating vacation. Either way, our new tours in Eastern Europe and Turkey are a great choice. Read on to see what catches your fancy:

• Krakow to Budapest
  Follow an ancient trade route through rolling farmland and across the Carpathians to the Danube.
• Cycling the Turquoise Coast of Turkey
  Explore Mediterranean coast of Turkey, with spectacular beaches and ruins dating back as much as 4000 years. (If you like, our Istanbul Sampler lets you extend this tour with three nights in one of the world's most fascinating cities.)

Take your pick - both destinations get you off the beaten track for a great deal on bicycle travel at its best.

Customer Carol Waaser of the New York Cycle Club recounted her Eastern European adventure with our first ExpeditionPlus! (bicycling from St. Petersburg, Russia to Istanbul, Turkey) for her club newsletter last fall. She's kindly permitted us to reprint her article here.

As Ed and I cross the border into Lithuania, the border guard asks where we are going. I say, "Ultimately, Istanbul." He gives me an odd stare, so I say, "Today we go to Aneksciai," and I point to the hotel on our itinerary. He nods and says, "Ahhh." Then I show him a card with a rough map of our route through ten countries and he shakes his head to say we're nuts. But then he says, "Good luck."

Read the rest of Carol's travel journal here.

This month's interview comes to us from Linda Myers. Thanks, Linda!

What's your favorite ride or hike in your hometown? My favorite ride in our area is up and over Mt. Diablo. Mt. Diablo is a local landmark and easily visible from many parts of the Bay Area because it rises sharply from sea level to almost 4,000 feet. I see it rising up from a distance as I am riding toward it and I am always impressed that in a few moments (and many huffs and puffs later) I will be at the top.

Read the rest of Linda Myers' interview here.

This month, Rick reviews a flawed but fascinating book about a young Westerner's walk through Afghanistan immmediately after the fall of the Taliban in 2002.

Stewart's book is sensationalist and exotic. Perhaps this is why it has received such acclaim...

Read Rick's full review of The Places in Between here.

Rick spent some time riding his bike indoors while watching the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow. He found that, while the pace of climate change portrayed might not be realistic - "the film is about global warming occurring over the course of a few days time rather than the decades and centuries forecast by the recent UN report" - the sociopolitical setting sure rings a bell.

[The German director depicts the USA as] one of the most technologically advanced societies on earth, but all that science is for naught when it comes to the policy makers in Washington who choose to ignore the science as “hogwash.” In its ignorance, of course, the general public goes about its daily life until a major blizzard strikes NY City.

Read Rick's full review of The Day After Tomorrow here.

One of the fascinating cultural microcosms Rick and Paola encountered during their crossing of South America with the recent ExpeditionPlus! was the Welsh community in the Argentine pampas. The Black Cake served during tea there is Paola's recipe this month.

Welsh immigrants came to this remote part of Patagonia in the second half of the nineteenth century and founded a few towns that still retain some Welsh traits and traditions, like afternoon tea.

Click here to read the rest of Paola's Torta Negra Galesa recipe.

If you would like additional recipes, visit our online recipe archive. You'll find recipes for European and Latin American specialties like Panzanella: a Tuscan Salad, Tapenade, Gallo Pinto, and more.

Happy Walking and Cycling until next month!

E-mail us at tours@ExperiencePlus.com with comments and questions. Or give us a call at 800-685-4565.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information:

Subscribe: We send the Rambler E-mail Newsletter on the first Tuesday of each month to cyclists and walkers interested in learning more about ExperiencePlus! and our tours. To subscribe to our Rambler newsletter or to change subscribe options for our other newsletters, click here.

Unsubscribe: To unsubscribe from all ExperiencePlus newsletters, click here, fill in your email address and push the "continue" button.