Bran Castle in Transylvania, Romania

Still, I can’t blame them for wanting to capitalize on their literary heritage during the Halloween season, with special tours and events that capture the unique flavor of the season and the location.  And indeed they are trying to capitalize on their destination’s popularity with a number of Dracula tours, specially themed for the Halloween season, and lasting from a few hours up to 10 days.  Although many of these tours are offered year round, who wouldn’t love to take one this time of year.

Check out these tours:

• Vampire in Transylvania – Dracula Tour:  7 day tour covering the important historical places of vampire legend, including Dracula’s Castle.
• Vampire in Transylvania – Short Break:  3-day variation of the 7-day tour.
• Halloween Party in Transylvania with Vlad the Impaler: 2-day tour that departs on Halloween and includes a party with a traditional dinner and show that includes many of the eerie legends and traditions of Dracula’s home town..  This tour can be added to either of the Vampire in Transylvania tours, making for a longer excursion.
• Dracula’s Undying Legend:  5-day tour of significant locations in the life and death of Dracula.
• Dracula Weekend in Transylvania:  3-day getaway weekend that focuses on the two or three key locations of Dracula lore.
• Transylvania’s Dark Legends:  5-day tour that explores Transylvania in addition to the Dracula lore.
• Bucharest Dracula Day Trip:  5-hours to visit a Dracula location and experience a Dracula dinner and show.

With all the revived interest in vampire literature, would you go on a Dracula tour?

Photo credit:  wikimedia

Post from: Blisstree

Party with Dracula this Halloween

Save big with the Luxembourg Card

In Luxembourg, that small and expensive Grand Duchy situated next to Belgium, France, and Germany, families can save a bundle with the Luxembourg Card.

The card features include unlimited FREE use of trains and buses, along with FREE admission to 56 tourist attractions, including museums, castles, sightseeing trips, and more.

The Luxembourg Card is priced depending on the number of days that it is good for.  You can buy it in advance, and validate it on your first use.  The more people in your family, the more you’ll save.  And with the Euro vs. Dollar valuation right now, you’ve got to save whenever and wherever you can!

A card valid for one person costs €10 (about $14) for one day, €17 for two days, and €24 for three days.  A card valid for 2-5 people costs €20, €34, and €48 respectively.  This means that you’re paying for two adults and the kids get in or ride FREE.  That will save some serious coin on your vacation.

You can buy the Luxembourg Card online.  They are also available at tourist offices, hotels, hostels, and train stations, as well as most participating attractions.

Photo credit:  Luxembourg National Tourist Office

Post from: Blisstree

Big Savings with Luxembourg Card

With altitudes on par with the Rockies or the Alps, Turkey offers a November through April snow season, with modern facilities for downhill skiing, cross country, heli-skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing.  The ski resorts offer everything that you’ll find anywhere else, and often more, but are priced less than other ski resorts across Europe.  The currency in Turkey is the Turkish LIra (rather than the Euro), which accounts for part of the savings, but the price points in the country are also more value added.

Uludag Ski area in Turkey

Here are a few of the top ski areas in Turkey to get you started with your research:

Erciyes Ski Center – Located on the slopes of a once-active volcano, this is high altitude skiing any time you want.  And I do mean ANY TIME.  Erciyes Ski Center features year-round glacier skiing, and it is also a hot spot for heli-skiing.   The center has one chairlift and two T-bars.  Accommodations include four guest houses and the Dedeman Erciyes hotel.  The ski center is located about 45 minutes from Kayseri Airport, reachable from Istanbul with daily service, and about half an hour from the city of Kayseri.

Kartalkaya Ski Center – This top resort is located along Turkey’s western Black Sea area in the Koroglu Mountains.  It offers alpine skiing, cross country, and ski touring, in a season spanning December through March.  There are two chairlifts, six T-bars, three baby lifts, and 12 runs offering up to 12 miles of continuous skiing.  Hotels at the center are the Kartal Hotel and the Hotel Dorukkaya,  Kartalkaya Ski Center is an easy drive from both Ankara and Istanbul, and would make a great weekend escape from the city.

Palandoken Ski Center – Here you’ll find some of the longest and steepest ski runs in the world, and it is possible to ski continuously for 17 miles.  This is an extensive system of runs, serviced by a gondola, five chairlifts, one T-bar, and two baby lifts.  Four and five star hotels are nearby, offering lots of luxury accommodations, restaurants, and other amenities.  Palandoken Ski Center is a accessible from Ankara and Istanbul with daily flights from each.

Saklikent Ski Center – A little less steep than other areas, this is perfect spot for beginner and intermediate skiers.  The center offers two T-bars and two ski runs, and also has a half-pipe for boarders.  This is a popular spot during spring skiing, as guests can ski in the morning and then drive down the coast to swim in the Mediterranean Sea in the late afternoon.  Doesn’t that sound like a perfect day?!

Sarikamis Ski Center – This spot in Eastern Turkey also offers a slightly lower elevation with five runs with two chairlifts and one T-bar.  Several hotels and guest houses are in the area

Uludag Ski Center – Located in Bursa, this is one of Turkey’s most popular ski areas.  The history of the area claims that this was the place where the ancient gods watched the Trojan War.  Today, though, the slopes feature eight chairlifts and seven T-bars sericing 13 runs.  There are 27 hotels in the area, and lots of restaurants and shops to make this a self-contained vacation area.  The ski center is about 45 minutes from the town of Bursa and about an hour from the airport.  Bursa is a potential bidder for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and many events would be held at Uludag Ski Center.

NOTE:  Many of the websites providing information about the ski sites are not offered in English.  I’d recommend contacting a travel agent with experience in booking Turkey vacations to continue your ski vacation research.

Photo credit: Bicounet @wikimedia

Post from: Blisstree

Ski Turkey for Less

Oberammergau Passion Play

The play is a 5 hour production, and uses the talents of over 2,000 villagers, including children.  But don’t think you can just move here and get a role in the play.  Oh no, you must have been born in the village or have been living there for at least 20 years.  The residents of the village made the vow, and to this day, it’s the residents of the village that put on the play.

With a hat tip to reality, there is no make up, fake beards, wigs, or any other fakery.  Men start growing out their hair and beards months (and sometimes years) prior to the play, and every attempt is made to reach historical authenticity.

Tickets for the 2010 Passion Play are now on sale, along with a variety of packages that include accommodations.  The play runs May 15th through October 3rd, 2010, with performances five times per week.

Although tickets sales are a bit slow this year, most likely due to the economy, this event attracts close to half a million visitors of various religious backgrounds.  For many this is a once in a lifetime experience, and if you’d like it to be one of yours, you can keep up on events with the Passion Play newsletter.

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: Blisstree

2010 Oberammergau Passion Play Tickets on Sale

Replacing its out-of-print cycling guides, these newly revamped edition include complete information on each country.  You’ll find information on the environment, climate, bike friendly restaurants, accommodations, route descriptions and elevation information, maps and charts with GPS coordinates, bike maintenance directory, and a variety of specific planning information based on the town or region you plan to visit.

And all the information is presented with the cyclist’s needs and interests in mind.

Cycling Britain, Cycling Italy, and Cycling France are all available now.  Cycling New Zealand and Cycling Australia will be available next month.  The books are available from Lonely Planet, and retail for $24.99.

Photo credit: Lonely Planet

Post from: Blisstree

Lonely Planet 2nd Edition Cycling Guides

The top five countries for American spending are:

1. Mexico
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Germany
5. Japan

We set new spending records in Germany, Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Netherlands and Argentina.

Since I’m currently traveling in Europe, I found these numbers interesting.

I think they indicate that we are still traveling, and that we are working travel expenditures into our budgets.   Economic times may have shifted our traveling priorities – fewer trips, heavier importance on value for our dollar spent, more cautious travel expenditures, etc. — but we still think spending money to see the world is important.

I think traveling broadens the mind in exposing us to cultures and places where things are not just like home.  It’s a big beautiful world out there!

Are you still traveling?  How has the economy impacted your travel choices?

Photo credit:  personal collection

Post from: Blisstree

US Travel Abroad Declines in 2008