Welcome to the July 2008 ExperiencePlus! Rambler E-Mail Newsletter

• Dear Folks
• 5 Reasons Why You Should Join Us on the Coast of Tuscany
• Costa Rica - Your winter escape awaits
• From Our Customers: Linda Shaeffer and Larry Reams
• Book Review: The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt 
• Recipe: Eggplant á la Méditerranée

Dear Folks,

Happy 4th of July! Summer has finally arrived here at the farm, our headquarters in Italy. Rick and Paola returned from the Bike, Walk and Cruise tour among the Greek islands and joined me and our Italian staff for a few weeks, picking cherries and seeing tours off while preparing for our inaugural ExpeditionPlus! along the Danube which began June 26.

Our staff here in Italy is working hard on our ongoing summer tours in Europe, and we’re also biking—photo proof! Staff in the US hosted another successful Bike to Work day on June 25 feeding breakfast to over 70 cyclists.  Meanwhile Mario and Karla are enjoying the “green season” at home in Costa Rica, and have just sent us the updates for our winter tour schedule in Costa Rica. If you’re enjoying the summer weather, now is the time to start planning how to maintain that tan this winter.  Costa Rica is the perfect sunny getaway, and our Coasting Costa Rica trip is particularly suited to families, so why not spend the New Year enjoying tropical fruits and riding your bike? If you need more inspiration Rich Young in our IT department has written a lively article about his adventures in this wonderland.

We’re also in the process of posting our spring and summer dates for 2009; check out tours in Argentina, Chile and Europe now and call to pencil in on the tour that interests you! We often have departures that fill up quickly, so reserve your spot as early as possible!

Our big news for this coming winter is our exciting new trip in South America, The High Andes ExpeditionPlus! — anybody wanting a bicycling thrill of a lifetime should read about this new tour which crosses the High Andes in northern Chile and Argentina. A wealth of experiences awaits you on this tour that tour leader, Michele Boglioni, and I designed and have been planning for several months. We’ll spend time in the famous towns of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, Salta and Cordoba in Argentina, Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay and Buenos Aires; bike a few days at 4000 meters (13000+ feet); sleep in mountain huts in Bolivia; pedal through stunning Andean landscape; traverse the Argentinean pampas and arrive by boat and bike in Buenos Aires. The dates for this tour will be March 1 - April 7, 2009, and is a 5 week grand ExpeditionPlus!

Every once in a while customers send us stories from their exploits on one of our tours, or a cycling adventure they've done on their own. We love these stories and are always looking for interesting content for our newsletter. If you are a budding writer and interested in "going public" with your talent, we have a couple of suggestions for getting published. Email your stories and photos to us at tours@ExperiencePlus.com. You might also consider submitting to the folks at the Adventure Cycling Association. They offer the opportunity to post travel journals on their website. These journals are not only fun to read, they offer helpful advice on traveling just about anywhere in the world. Who knows your story might even end up in their monthly publication, The Adventure Cyclist.

Whatever your travel plans this summer or winter, have fun and keep pedaling!

Happy cycling,

Monica Malpezzi Price

5 Reasons Why You Should Join Us on the Coast of Tuscany

The reviews are in for our new Coastal Tuscany trips and  our tour leaders and customers have 5 reasons why you should put it on your list of places to go - - soon.

Number 1: Spectacular scenery
Number 2: Rides offer a great variety of shorter mileage days with smaller hills, or the opportunity to add an endless number of extra miles.
Number 3: The area is still a hidden part of genuine Tuscany that blends the seaside, spa hotels and, - a countryside fertile with vineyards and agriculture.
Number 4: Etruscan ruins from a lost civilization.
and Number 5: The 10-day trip finishes in a delightful rural setting at a traditional “agriturismo”  (working farm) with wonderful hosts and incredible food prepared in the Slow Food tradition.

 “Thank you all for making it such an enchanting trip. We will never forget May on the Tuscan Coast!”  Adele D., Fort Collins, CO.

Read more about these tours below:

• Cycling the Coast of Tuscany 
• Cycling the Coast of Tuscany Plus! Vineyards & Olive Groves

It is never too early to start planning your escape from winter!

So let's take a moment to talk about a critical element of winter preparedness. No, I'm not referring to flushing your antifreeze or cleaning the filter in your furnace; I'm talking about a family winter escape plan involving someplace exotic, tropical and fun for the young and old alike: Costa Rica.  

• Read more about Rich's recommended plan of action here....

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This month's interview comes from Linda Shaeffer and Larry Reams, who have recently completed their first trip with ExperiencePlus!. Larry decided to bicycle along the Dalmatian Coast, though he first had to learn to ride a bike...

Larry now that you've done the trip - what do you think of traveling by bike? It's a great way to explore and experience a new area, meet and interact with people who share the same interests, and, also to learn more about the local areas (and my children are impressed with my new look and wardrobe!). 

Read more from Larry and Linda here.

Paola sent this review  about Venice from our headquarters in Italy, better known  to customers and staff as, "the farm".

Using the skills of a consummate detective, Berendt presents a remarkable cast of individuals, both Venetian and expatriates, who have played an important role in Venetian society in the last decades.

Read the rest of Paola's review of The City of Falling Angels here.

We've received countless requests over the years for ideas of what to do with eggplant. Paola comes through this month with a simple and delectable idea.

During a recent visit to Greece and its islands in our Bike, Walk and Cruise Tour, I rediscovered, among other things, the great flavor of eggplant with Mediterranean spices.

Click here to read the rest of Paola's Eggplant á la Méditerranée 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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