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Recent Trips
Tulip Time in Holland
April 10-19
Sunny skies and nice spring temperatures greeted our group throughout our trip.
And, yes, we saw spectacular tulips at the world famous
Keukenhof
Park
. But in addition we were also
treated to a private tour of Flora Holland auction in Naaldwijk which is more
spectacular than Aalsmeer (where most travelers visit).
By staying in
The Hague
we had the opportunity to not only visit many sites in this small country, but
also to dine at some wonderful restaurants near our hotel…a real treat.
And of all our stops, I think people on the trip would agree that
Bruges
would definitely be worth a re-visit. At
the end of our trip, the river boat provided an excellent time to relax and
enjoy the sites along the way including the most popular Dutch Windmills. The
Ukraine
May 22-June 4
The
Ukraine
is an emerging destination for travel. Our
guides Ally and Natasha provided us with so much information on the new
Ukraine
…much of which struggles with its newly acquired independence.
The eastern half of the country needs infrastructure and upgrading. I
would guess that
Odessa
and
Sevastopol
will become very popular tourist destinations soon.
We all enjoyed our visit at
Yalta
to see where
Europe
was divided up after WWII. We traveled north on the
Kneiper
River
to see the Soviet influence being replaced by modern architectural buildings.
While on board, our guides provided us with programs from politics to the
Ukrainian language…they were such fun to be around.
As we got closer to Kyiv we could see more prosperous farms and villages
and could better understand the needs of this country.
I think all on the trip will agree that they learned a great deal about
this areas history and heritage, plus we enjoyed our off-boat tours. Lest you
think it was all educational, we made some wonderful friendships with our fellow
English speaking traveling partners who joined us from
Norway
,
New York
,
California
,
Michigan
, and our Iranian friends from the East Coast. Thailand
June 13-29
Yes, it was a long flight…but well worth it since we were able to spend two
weeks here.
Thailand
can easily be called one of the most friendly countries to visit.
We learned about their faith and saw many Budhas as well as the personal
shrines in the yards or on the apartment balconies.
We took long boats to several flower, food and trade markets; visited
traditional Thai villages; traveled the Bridge over the River Kwai and learned
its terrible history; saw several cultural dance shows with dinner; learned
about their silk and rice industries; rode elephants and learned about their use
for labor; and visit several of their revered king’s palaces and saw his
beautiful royal barges. As we headed
north to visit ruins of Wats (temples), we saw the beauty of this country
unfold. We stayed at the Golden
Triangle where
Thailand
, Myranmar (
Burma
) and
Laos
share their border with the
Mai
Kong
River
. And, finally, we had a wonderful
time sampling all the Thai food at the many beautifully presented buffets...and
we found that many of their foods were quite mildly spiced and tasty.
Thailand
definitely is a destination to add to your must see countries in
Asia
.
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