Tom Douglas

Package tour or solo - the choice is yours

Package tour or go-it-alone? This is a question that we all must face when we're planning that once-in-a-lifetime holiday.

And, like everything else in our society, there is no easy answer to this problem. Each method of travel has its advantages and disadvantages.

The first drawback that springs to mind when you give consideration to the package tour is the 15 countries in 14 days rat-race that was satirized a number of years ago in the movie: "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium!"

That title, by the way, was lifted from an exceptionally well-done CBS documentary of several years previously in which one harried tourist asks a companion on a whirlwind tour what country it is that they've just arrived in by tour bus.

"If it's Tuesday," says the equally harried second tourist, referring to his timetable, "it must be Belgium."

And yet it's amazing how many people want exactly that kind of experience - at least until they get into the middle of it. They figure that this might be their only chance to see Europe, or wherever, and they want to cram in as much as they can.

If this is your feeling as well, then such tours do exist, and you'll no doubt get your money's worth. But be prepared for a hectic schedule, stopping at the Louvre in Paris, for instance, just long enough to snap a photo of the Mona Lisa, the Venus di Milo and, if you hustle, perhaps the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

There'll be long drives by tour bus to get you to the next country and, while the tour companies try to make these rides as comfortable as possible, a bus ride is still a bus ride.

There are several other disadvantages to the package tour to keep in mind while deciding how to spend your travel dollar. If you find a city you particularly like, you can't just tell the rest of the group that they all have to spend an extra day there. All you can do is make a mental note to spend your entire vacation - or a fair portion of it - in that city the next time you head to Europe.

You must also remember that when you go on a tour, you're stuck with the other people on it for the entire trip. Your travel agent can make sure you get with a group that shares some of the same interests and is made up of people within the same age bracket as yourself - but Murphy's Law dictates that at least one person on the tour will be a loud-mouthed boor or bore and your stuck with him or her for the duration.

However, there are some definite advantages that a package tour has over going it alone.

In the first place, because a tour means volume bookings by the packager, it quite likely much cheaper to travel in a group than on your own. Also, if you are travelling during the peak tourist season, a loner my find it difficult to secure a room on the spot. You could, of course, have your agent book every hotel in advance, but it cuts down on the spontaneity of travel if you have to be in a certain city on a specific date and at a specific time.

The individual traveller has to worry about making his or her own airplane, train or bus connections in each country visited. You also have to be able to speak enough of the language - or be lucky enough to find locals who speak English - to successfully navigate the maze that modern-day travel has become.

On a package tour, your planning has been done for you. Reputable tour companies - the only kind you should deal with no matter how tempting the offers made by packagers you've never heard of - will have been in business for a long time and will know what the average traveller wishes to see. This can save you a great deal of precious time that you would otherwise spend on your own trying to find the sites that interest you.

Perhaps the best advice for a novice traveller is to take the package tour the first time and then strike out on your own when you travel again if you prefer the freedom of the open road.

There really is something exciting in the knowledge that you are in a strange country all by yourself and that you have to rely on your own initiative to make the trip a success.

You'll no doubt run into difficulties, but that's part of the adventure. And you'll be amazed, no matter where in the world you are, at just how many friendly people there are out there. Of course, you have to be careful choosing who to trust, but as you become a more seasoned traveller, you develop a sixth sense about who you can put your faith in and who you should give a wide berth to. As with many things in life, the best rule of thumb is: When in doubt, don't.

Whatever method of travel you ultimately choose, there's a whole world out there just waiting for you and your vacation choices are literally endless. Bon voyage!

Photo by Tom Douglas

Article published in Places Travel Magazine

 

You have your choice of two side-by-side Bruges hotels

BRUGES, Belgium – What a difference a door makes!

 

“Tourists land in here, take one look at the surroundings and know right away that there has to be some mistake,” said Johan Creytens, owner of the Heritage Hotel in this city of canals that bills itself as ‘The Venice of the North.’

 

It’s an easy mistake to make. The Heritage, a four-star establishment, is located at Niklaas Desparsstraat 11. Right next door, at Niklaas Desparsstraat 9, is the Hotel Nicolas, which has a two-star rating. It isn’t uncommon, according to Johan, for a travel-weary tourist stumbling out of a taxi late at night to wander into the wrong lodgings.

 

“We don’t consider ourselves competitors,” said Johan. “They serve a particular clientele and so do we. If somebody chooses the wrong place – and it happens from time to time – we cheerfully send the guest next door and they do likewise.”

 

What brought about this conversation was an attempt to satisfy my curiosity. On a recent stroll through the downtown area of Bruges, I found myself on a small thoroughfare just a block or so from the Market Square. How could it be, I wondered as I glanced at the tariff lists posted outside two not dissimilar looking hotels, that one would be charging almost three times as much as the place next door?

 

The Heritage was asking 144 euros a night for a single room, with breakfast another 15 euros. The Nicolas listed a single at 50 euros a night, breakfast included. I decided to find out why. European hotels will normally let you take a look at their rooms before registering or on spec for a future stay. My requests to take a gander were accepted graciously.

 

I learned very quickly the reason The Heritage has been given four stars. It provides all the amenities that designation promises, from a sumptuous breakfast buffet being served in a beautiful salon setting off the lobby as I walked by to elegantly appointed rooms you would look forward to getting back to after a long day of playing Jo(e) Tourist.

 

The Nicolas’s two star rating meant a fairly basic breakfast and rooms weren’t anything to write home about, but they were clean and seemed comfortable enough. I’ve paid more for less.

 

The Heritage owner happened to walk by during my inspection tour and invited me to have a look at the hotel’s super deluxe Belfry Suite. Situated on the top floor of the four-story building, this 416 euros a night showpiece features a skylight on each section of the sloped ceiling and each skylight showcases a different church spire. These top-of-the-line accommodations come with a cozy sitting room, linen sheets on one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever given the finger bounce test to and an enormous bathroom featuring a double sink, Jacuzzi bathtub and separate shower cabinet.

 

Johan and his wife Isabelle purchased the historic building in 1992. It had been a bank for about 70 years and had had a varied existence before that, dating back more than 500 years. Extensive renovations turned the edifice into a luxurious inn and spa – and a residence for the Creytens who live in a suite on-site so they can keep close tabs on its day-to-day operations.

 

The Nicolas is also family operated by Yiling and Thomas Timmermans and they too take pride in what they have to offer. “We’re not in the same league as the Heritage,” says Yiling. “But we offer clean, comfortable accommodation for travelers keeping a fairly close eye on their budget.”

 

One attractive feature of these hotels is that they are just a short walk from the Market Square, where boutiques and shops offer a cornucopia of Belgian specialties, including chocolate, lace and myriad souvenirs.

 

There is also a vast array of eating establishments nearby. For the mussel aficionado, this popular mollusk is the main bill of fare at many Bruges restaurants and outdoor cafes, served by the heaping bowlful and accompanied by some of the crunchiest and tastiest <<pommres frites>> this side of Paris.

 

No matter which hotel you choose in this medieval West Flanders city, their doors will open onto an unforgettable exerpience that, just like the chocolate you'll be nibbling on, will leave you hungering for more.

 

For further information, check: www.visitflanders.com  www.hotel-heritage.com   www.hotelnicolas.be

 

Photo by Yiling Timmermanns

 

Article published in Ottawa Citizen, Delta Optimist, Langley Advance, Travellers Notebook, canada.com, travelingtales.com

 

 

Cattle of the Swiss Alps fight with udders - and that's no bull

It’s not the kind of sport Hemingway would have extolled in one of his adventure novels.

  

In fact, the macho author would probably have snickered into his margarita at the thought of anyone taking in the cattle fights in the Valais canton of Switzerland.

 

You see, the animals that take part in the annual “Combats des Reines” to determine the top dog, as it were, are all actually, well, girls!

 

Your first clue is the udders that sway with each footstep beneath the bellies of the beasts as they walk into the 5000-seat Roman amphitheatre in Martigny, the French-speaking district capital situated at a crossroads between France, Italy and Switzerland.

 

The wicked looking horns, the throaty bellowing and the pawing of the ground beneath the hooves of these specially bred Hérens cattle would make the casual visitor think of the running of the bulls in Pamplona or a bloody corrida between matador and el toro in Madrid.

 

But instead of death in the afternoon, what you have here could best be described as a bit of pushing and shoving on a glorious fall morning. Little, if any, blood is shed and the only thing hurt is the losing cows' feelings.

 

The main event takes place in early October and the owners of Hérens herds all over the canton anxiously await this final showdown of their prize cows. The winner will be declared “Queen of the Queens” since each of the contestants in this ultimate battle have been crowned queen in regional competitions throughout the spring and summer. Champions and their calves fetch astronomical prices at subsequent cattle auctions.

 

This “mad cow” obsession begins each year in May when the cattle are released from their winter barns and herded up to the rich grasslands of the canton’s many alpine meadows. Cranky after being cooped up indoors for several months, the cows instinctively pick a fight with each other to see who will be the alpha female – and thus enjoy the best grazing land.

 

The wily Swiss have capitalized on this bovine bitchiness and hold competitions in a number of alpine villages. Townsfolk as well as breeders and cowfighting enthusiasts from afar flock to watch the tussles, bet unofficially on their favorites and wash down mounds of cheese and basketfuls of bread with flagons of local wine.

 

While the cows have faces only their owners could know and love, the crowd keeps track of the competitors by the numbers that are whitewashed onto their hindquarters. The entrants, sporting tough-guy names like Lion, Tarzan, Bandit and Turbo, fight in various classes according to their age and weight. The winners are awarded ornate cowbells the size of soccer balls, and the beast that stands her ground against all challengers is declared Queen of the Herd.

 

The story of the fighting cows of Switzerland literally poked me in the back while I was visiting the picturesque little village of St-Luc, about 1650 metres (5415 feet) above the town of Sierre. I had joined a mixed bag of tourists from Poland, Germany and Bolivia on a white-knuckle postal bus ride that negotiated more hairpin turns than a hyperactive hairdresser up a mountain road to a parking lot just below the village.

 

Next came a brisk walk to a funicular railway that crawled its way up an alpine slope to a grassy area where a large herd of what appeared, at first glance, to be fighting bulls was grazing peacefully in a flower-strewn meadow. As we got closer, even us city slickers could tell that these animals were definitely female.

 

Two of our other fives senses had alerted us to the presence of the cattle before they actually came into view. Each of them was outfitted with a large bell around its neck and the combined clatter as they moved from one tasty floral patch to another sounded like all the churches in Bedlam celebrating a festival day at the same time. In addition, the smell of the beasts on the hot summer air announced their presence with authority.

 

Assured by our guide that the critters were harmless, we all sauntered among them to take photos. I was focusing on one behemoth whose hindquarters had been painted with white numbers that reflected the last two digits of my birth year (none of your business) when a rather forceful nudge from behind almost knocked me off my feet.

 

Turning around to confront whoever it was who had pushed me – probably one of the playful Poles, I imagined – I came nose to muzzle with the largest animal I’d ever encountered. Well, there was the time a moose and I had scared the dickens out of each other on a bush trail in Northern Ontario, but that’s another story.

 

The thought of being butted in a high arc over one of the statues depicting the solar system that are a popular tourist attraction in that particular meadow had me scrabbling for the high ground as fast as my mountain-weary legs would carry me.

 

Once our guide had stopped guffawing at my antics, he recounted the story of the fighting Hérens cattle of the Valais canton, assuring me that they were docile now that they had determined the pecking (goring?) order of the herd. The cow that had nudged me was just curious and friendly, the man said.

 

Battling cows? Tell me another one, I thought, like alpenhorn-playing mountain goats or tap-dancing swans. I hadn’t realized that the seemingly staid Swiss enjoyed relating tall tales to gullible tourists, but I’d play his silly game as long as I didn’t have to socialize any more with those long-horned monsters.

 

It was only after we had made the descending funicular trip back to St-Luc and had settled comfortably into the chairs on the terrace of the spectacular Hotel Bella Tola that I decided to believe the guide’s story. Hotel owner Anne-Francoise Buchs, who greeted us as we sat sipping a glass of a refreshing local white wine, corroborated the story. She was such a gracious and captivating host that she could have told me the view of the towering Matterhorn across the valley was a Hollywood set and I would have believed her.

 

The Bella Tola, by the way, is a remarkable establishment. Originally built in 1859, it was purchased by Anne-Francoise and her husband Claude in the 1990s. Each bedroom has since been furnished down to the last detail with authentic period furniture and accoutrements. The establishment was named Historic Hotel of the Year in 2001. In 2005, a Wellness Spa, complete with mud room, sauna and whirlpool bath, was added.

 

All of us had already arranged accommodation in Sierre and thus had to settle for a brief tour of the Bella Tola by Anne-Francoise herself. Brief it might have been but it convinced me that a return trip to St-Luc and a stay at this impressive inn had to be added to my travel wish list.

 

Perhaps I could pay for the trip by taking in some of the championship battles staged by the fighting cattle of the Valais and writing a book along the lines of something Hemingway would have churned out (no pun intended). I already have the title: A Moo-vable Feast.

 

For more information, contact: www.myswitzerland.comor www.saint-luc.ch

 

This article appeared in Travellers Notebook, travelingtales.com, Langley Advance, Richmond News, Delta Optimist and on canada.com