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

In this Issue:

• Dear Folks...
• Bicycling Chile's Wine Country
• A Day at the (Bicycle) Farm in Italy
• From Our Tour Leaders: John Giebler: Tour Leader, Sommelier, Breadmaker
• Recipe: Summer Couscous from the Malpezzi family restaurant
  

Dear Folks,

How time flies! It is hard to believe we are more than half-way through 2009.  Here at our home office in Fort Collins we are excitedly planning our 2010 dates (you'll see that some dates are already posted, but most will be up in the next few weeks so stay tuned!).  At our European headquarters in Italy, the "farm", we are hard at work prepping bikes and sending tour leaders, vans and bicycles off to the four corners of Europe. To read more about the "farm" read this month's article written by current resident and co-worker Sylva Florence.

We have finished the first half of the summer season, our Krakow to Budapest group just finished this past week and we have many upcoming trips this fall in Spain, Greece, France and Italy. This month we're very excited to have another group chasing Lance Armstrong for his comeback at the greatest of all bicycle races in France!

On a more personal note, we are excited to welcome some new members to the ExperiencePlus! family.  Tour leader extraordinaire Yorgos Paraskevopolous is the proud father of baby Lydia (born June 24, 2009).  In Cost Rica Country Coordinator and Tour Leaders Mario Cordero and Karla Picado are expecting twins in August! We are all very excited to see the next generation of bicycle and travel enthusiasts arrive.  If you haven't been on tour with Mario or Karla in Costa Rica, we highly recommend you consider heading south.  Plus, you still have a chance to save $200 on any Costa Rica bike tour (and other S. America tours!) if you book soon!

Also in the news - our MS 150 ExperiencePlus! team raised over $7000 dollars again - organized by ExperiencePlus! traveler Kathy Price the team rode 150 miles over two days on June 27 and 28th.  Congratulations to all the riders!

We hope that wherever you may be, the bicycling is grand and the wind at your back,

Monica and Maria Elena Malpezzi Price

We asked Juan Pablo Mansilla, our country coordinator in Chile to send us a snippet of what to expect on our Chilean wine country bicycle tours. Here is what he had to say...

Over the years, Chile has built a reputation of development, production and exportation of fine wines. Yet it is uncommon to hear about the fertile lands where these fine grapes grow. 

Read more about what makes these tours unique, or jump straight to the tour information for each one below.

• Bicycling Chile's Wine Country
  
• Bicycling Chile's Wine Country Plus the Pacific Coast

Aperitivo: espresso.

Someone – half awake – spilled espresso grounds everywhere. Waking up just like the rest of us, the little black espresso machine groans and sprays a fine mist on the counter. Soon, it warms up and the beautiful melody of espresso shots pouring fills the air along with the rich, roasted aroma of liquid caffeine.

Antipasti . . .

There is an Italian saying: Una cena senza vino è come un giorno senza sole. In English. “A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Fortunately, with ExperiencePlus! tour leader and wine connoisseur John Giebler in the room, there is no such thing as a meal without wine.

Read more from John Giebler.

This recipe comes from the kitchen of Paola’s nephews and brother, Alberto, Massimo and Claudio Malpezzi and the staff at the Titon Restaurant in Cesenatico, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Claudio is the youngest in a series of chefs and restaurateurs in the Malpezzi family.

Click here to read the rest of Claudio's 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 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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