Welcome to the February 2009 ExperiencePlus! Rambler E-Mail Newsletter

• Dear Folks...
• The Power of Lance Armstrong
• 36 hours in Venice
• From Our Customers: Jane and Don Volta
• Finding the Best Airfare
• Recipe: Chocolate Mousse, Perfected by Tour Leader, Michele Boglioni

Dear Folks,

It’s like summer around our Colorado office these days, the weather is warm and various European staff has just arrived from a variety of places around the world to spend a few weeks at ExperiencePlus! HQ.  Here’s the who’s who of who is in the office these days:

• Jonathan Hancock, our France Country Coordinator and Tour Leader, who flew in from China where he was visiting his sister;

• Igor Baccini, Tour Leader and European Bike Fleet and Logistics Manager, arrived from Argentina where he helped lead our ExpeditionPlus! Coast to Coast trip from Chile to Argentina and then spent some time traveling;

• Bea Tassinari, European Tours Manager, came from Italy after vacationing in Egypt;

• Michele Boglioni, Tour Leader, is stopping by on his way from Italy to Argentina to help lead the High Andes Expedition and Discover Northern Argentina tour;

• and Monica Malpezzi Price, Director of International Operations, who is also on her way to Argentina for the High Andes Expedition.

If you are in the Fort Collins or Boulder area, stop by one of our Happy Hours to meet and mingle with all of us!

We’re busy with meetings and planning, but also ready to enjoy the near 70 degree weather that is predicted for the next few days (before plunging back, Colorado style, to freezing and snow….).

If you’ve never been on an ExperiencePlus! bicycle tour we’re offering you a $200 per person discount on any of our 2009 departures in Europe or Argentina. With airfares falling and the dollar strong, now is the time to come and experience the difference that navigational chalk dust arrows and local knowledge can make.

We’ll also buy an extra hotel night before or after your tour for anyone who books one of our April, May or June departures. 

Our newsletter this month features tour leader Sara Verlicchi’s suggestions for a fantastic 36 hours in Venice. Customers Jane and Don Volta tell us about why the Giro d’Italia Dolomites trip is worth repeating. Jonathan Hancock reminisces about seeing Lance Armstrong race in France and we have republished our reviews of Lance’s books, “Every Second Counts” and “It’s Not About the Bike”. Read about the power Lance exudes over fans when he races, and join us in Italy and France to be a part of cycling history.

We’ve also done our best to help you have a very special Valentine’s Day by sharing Michele’s recipe for decadent and delicious chocolate mousse and offering a gift suggestion that’s sure to please everyone. Finally, don’t be overwhelmed when you think about arranging your flights overseas  – have a look at our tips for finding good airfares.

If you can’t be there for Happy Hour in Colorado you can always join us on tour in Italy, France or Argentina and be happy for days instead!

Until next time keep your wheels on the pavement or trail and the wind at your back.

Monica and Maria Elena Malpezzi Price and all the rest of the ExperiencePlus! crew.

Jonathan Hancock, who leads and coordinates our  tours in France reminisces about watching Lance Armstrong race and reflects on the power of his presence.

Have you ever felt enormously blessed to be in the right place at the right time? Those who have come to see Lance Armstrong race across France walk away from the experience with the overwhelming feeling that there was simply no better place on earth to be at that time. There aren’t many people that can offer that type of sensation but Lance is one of them. He has, as we all know, throughout the course of his life’s events become a global phenomenon and his story is compelling enough to give new hope to those fighting cancer. If we look more closely into these events it becomes evident that there is one driving force behind all of Lance’s victories whether they are against a life threatening disease or a 5000 foot Alpine pass: the unrelenting desire to prevail against all odds. Seeing this force in action is truly exhilarating and many of us thought this opportunity had forever slipped into the past. But the chance has come once again to be in the right place at the right time. Lance is back and is ready to offer up perhaps one last chance to see him take on both France and Italy this summer in two of the most prestigious bicycle races in the world. See our tour offerings for more details.

For those of you who have not yet read Lance’s books Rick offers a glimpse into this awe-inspiring story with his reviews of ”It’s Not About the Bike” and “Every Second Counts”. Happy reading and we’ll see you on the race route this summer!

Read more about our tours in France and the Giro d'Italia below.

• Chasing Lance Armstrong and the Giro d'Italia in Italy's Dolomites
• Chasing Lance and the Giro d'Italia in Tuscany, Romagna and the Marches
• Chasing Lance in the French Alps and Mont Ventoux
  

ExperiencePlus! tour leader and former Venice resident, Sara Verlicchi, shares her secrets on ways to get the most or your 36 hour stay in Venice.

Head straight to the historic Market Place of Rialto where you’ll find fresh fish, vegetables, fruit and flowers.  Notice the varieties of tiny Italian lettuce grown on islands in and around the lagoon in almost every season.

• Read more about exploring Venice here.

Don and Jane Volta have participated in 14 ExperiencePlus! bicycle tours since 2001 so many of you have probably had the pleasure of their company. Both are also highly respected, longtime members of the Cascade Cycling Club based in Washington State. Pretty impressive credentials so when they recently signed up for the May 8 – 14, 2009 Giro d’Italia in the Dolomites – a trip that they had already done in 2005 we thought we’d find out why.

With so many places to go in the world why do this trip a second time? The excitement of sharing a premier cycling event with other “average” cyclists from all over the world.

Read more from Jane and Don here.

The great news for travelers is that the dollar has remained strong against the Euro and airfares to Europe are expected to continue their decline into spring so we thought it was the perfect time to review what we know about shopping for the good airfare.

Read the rest of our Finding Airfare tips here.

From Paola's Kitchen
Chocolate Mousse

Tour Leader, Michele Boglioni has the perfect recipe to wow your Valentine this year. A delicious and easy to make Chocolate Mousse to help set the romantic mood and, might we suggest, an ExperiencePlus! bicycle trip for two as the big surprise! Not to mention having a bicycle trip to train for will also help alleviate the guilt of consuming copious amounts of Mousse!

Click here to read the rest of Michele's Chocolate Mouse 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.

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