Salzburg to Vienna by Bike with the Bambinos

A sleepless train ride marked the beginning of our Austrian bicycle adventure. We made it through the overnight train ride from Florence to Salzburg, well just barely. We had hoped for a sleeping car but ended up packing the three kids and myself into a 2nd class passenger car with two other women who were cruising through Europe in nine days. Luca was impressed that they had been to Rome, Pisa and Florence in the last 24 hours. Our very own talk show host, Luca continued to interview them about their adventures while simultaneously putting us all asleep. Since we did not have a reserved seat we had to move twice before landing in a passenger car with another traveler. Before long, feet, arms, legs and other body parts were stretching out all over the place. Dosing and rearranging ourselves continued through the night.

After switching in Innsbruck at 4:30 AM we arrived in Salzburg at 7:30 and took a cab to our first hotel of our trip. We were wiped out so Mauro, Lorenzo and Luca took naps while Valentina and I roamed the town by foot. A few hours later our bikes were dropped off and we all headed into town along the glorious river to the market place to gnaw on some local cuisine including several pretzels, Mozart Balls, fruit and strudel. We can do a lot of damage at the local markets. Then onto the Mirabella gardens to explore the flowered pathways and strange odd midget sculptures. We found a cool playground with an awesome slide while I wandered through a the setting up of an art show with the theme of Asylum. We spoke with the artists, one from Sardinia about the ideas behind their work when hunger called and we followed. After much searching we found an excellent restaurant: Zum Fidelen Affen.  I had a delicious risotto with vegetables, Valentina a fig salad while Mauro, Luca and Lorenzo had a grilled meat dish. The beers were cold and refreshing and the service very friendly.

We were tired after a long day and cycled back to the hotel to be fresh for day two. Day two in Salzburg, our first stop was the market for sandwiches and pretzels then a tram up to one of the oldest fortresses in Europe, The Fortress Hohensalzburg.  Gorgeous views and a museum with a collection of a typical fortress collection of Armor, gold, medals, wooden beds and the always popular, torture instruments. The highlight of the castle was actually the Marionette museum which was filled with beautiful puppets and scenes from the recent shows. We made our way through the museum and cycled down to the main squares bustling with street performers and oddities such as the guy seemingly balancing in air on a cane.

It took a local physicist to help us figure it out. Zig zagging through the streets on bikes is huge fun and everyone bikes in Salzburg so we feel like we fit right in with the locals From here we biked to the Hellbrum  trick fountains, the ride there proved trickier than the fountains themselves. It was long and we managed to get off the main bike path. The kids were starved, it was too late for the tour and it started to rain. Complaining ensued and the old “Mom Did it Again” routine began until I started in on the old “Don’t worry you’ll have lots of Misadventures” like this in your life speech which usually sends them running. We biked through the gardens, saw the giant fish, got a peek at the fountains and then we inhaled some cookies in a gift shop. Back to Salzburg on the main road went much faster. We were back at the square ready for a quick Lebanese wrap before the Marionette Show of The Barber of Seville. The marionettes were gorgeous but the opera was a bit hard to follow. The gestures of the puppets and the captions that were flashed helped us follow along but much to my kids disappointment, I dose off a bit but a rousing Figaro Figaro Figaro wakes me up again!

Day One, July 8: Our Austrian bike adventure officially begins! We head into Salzburg for one last Mozart ball and to visit the Salzburg Museum. We head out of town at 1:00 with me seeing “Bye Bye Salzburg”. We follow the river bike path out of town and after asking a few Salzburgians, we take a right on a small bike path following a river and heads through small neighborhoods. The climb is steady for miles as we make our way through hilly (and very pungent) farmland and towards the little village for lunch.  Valentina and Luca start singing 100 bottle of beer on the wall which drives Lorenzo crazy. I agree that this is one of the more stupid songs in the world and could never understand why anyone found it so enjoyable but they do and that’s what makes the world go round. We follow the Tirolian tower to the center of town and find a grocery store. Not too many picnic spots so we plop ourselves in front of a bakery where we also enjoy a café latte.

After lunch the scenery gets more dramatic as we head towards Lake Mondsee. It’s cow manure pungency increases as well and at one point we almost get hit with fertilizer machine as it comes a bit too close to the bike path. Riding toward Mondsee we get into a nice groove. Behind me I hear the kids chatting beautifully and playing rounds of 20 questions.  Valentina who usually squabble like old ladies get along great when they are biking. One of their favorite antics is to go no handed and to the Macarena. I only allow this on a bike path and where I know there are no cars of course. The bike path gets sketchy in this area. I believe we actually missed several miles of it and were taking the main road instead. By the town of Thalgau Luca has a small meltdown and is craving a chocolate bar so we stop at a supermarket and stock up on the sweets. They fill their bike pockets with Neapolitan wafer cookies and the stars are in alignment again!  The bike path from here is well marked, flat and gorgeous. The bike path goes along the base of a spectacular Mountain Range towards St Lorenz and Unterach. We pass lots of cyclists as we approach Lake Mondsee. The bike path along the lake continues and troops become anxious to reach the hotel. Just when we needed something to break up the monotony we get to go through a long bike tunnel that cuts through the mountainside. Lorenzo’s back begins to ache and I am thinking it’s because his muscles are very tight. He has been suffering a painful Achilles tendon and is supposed to be stretching daily.

We reach our hotel right in Unterach on Lake Atterseee by 7:00 PM. We are starved and tired and showers feel wonderful. The owner of the hotel, George, is welcoming to cyclist. After showers, we are ready for dinner. While the cream of asparagus soup is not a huge hit, we gobble up our main course of pan friend lake trout, potatoes and vegetables. After a simple bowl of ice cream for desert, sleep comes easy.

A marvelous Day on Lake Attersee. 25 miles

Today the kids slept in and the AM, after our abundant Austrian breakfast on the hotel’s lovely porch, we wandered around the craft market and into Despar to get lunch pickings. At 12:45 we boarded a lovely excursion boat that took us up the Attires to Were.  The views of the mountains, pristine landscape and the gorgeous blue water were incredible. We enjoyed our picnic lunch on deck and them moved inside out of the hot sun.  The boat was quite elegant with most passengers enjoying the restaurant and service on board.  By 2:00 we landed in Weyregg and begin pedaling North along the lake. The road was quite busy with cars all the way to Seelwachen.  In Seelwachen we managed to get off the main road and discovered an excellent public beach complete with high diving platforms and water slides. SCORE!  It was quite a scene filled with locals.  I reminded the kids that taking back roads is always the best way to find the local treasures. We made a long stop here. The kids loved the water slide and the diving platforms where the local teenagers were showing off their jumps and stunts to all their friends. Lorenzo and Valentina made it to the highest platform while Mauro and Luca made it to the second. It was tough for him but not to be outdone by his siblings, he made the jump. I was fine on the lowest level.  The water was so cold and clean, it was the perfect break from the hot sun.

After our swim stop we continued on our way along the lake. We found a small road paralleling the main road that meandered high above the lake through farmland and offering gorgeous views. In the town of Haining the road descended back to the busy lake road. This side of the lake was not quite as busy.  The road was fast and allowed us to move along at a nice clip. There were lots of great and tempting swimming spots but we kept going so as to reach Unterach by 7:00. Valentina was pushing hard in the front and it was hard to keep up with her. Lorenzo’s back began to ache so we stopped to stretch and have a snack. We kept moving along, the kids beat me to the hotel!

After showers the kids were all anxious to have some facebook time. We relaxed in the hotel’s lovely sitting room. I enjoyed a large beer and I offered the kids the local ginger ale. At 8:00 we sat down for dinner on the lake, our view and the mood could not be lovelier

Unterach to Halstatt. 40 miles

Another late start to our next destination. The kids are just beat from all the biking and I do not have the heart to wake them. They get up just before the waitresses put the breakfast away. We pack up our rooms and walk through the craft market one last time before heading out along the lake.  On the way out of town Lorenzo bike starts showing signs of fatigue. The fender is falling off so I go and find a piece of wire that I use to secure it to the bike. I think I impressed the kids with this little bike magic trick. The lake road is cool and the views are wonderful. I hate to leave this little Shangri-La. We start a long climb towards Bad Ischl. We watch the kilometer markings in the road go from one to eight while playing yet another game of 20 questions.

The descent begins at kilometer 9 and we luckily had the easier part of the climb, the descent was steeper and curvier for us. Lots of motorcycles on this road. At the base of the descent we hit another river valley, which we follow all the way to Bad Ischl. We pull into Bad Ischl, a very pretty and elegant town. We are all starved and I find a great little pizzeria. Too bad I can’t find my camera. I go a little crazy then begin retracing my tracks and ride about 5KM back on the river scanning the ground like crazy and asking cyclists if they had seen a small black camera.  I decide to give it up and ride back. Back at the pizzeria the family has already eaten. I check the bags again and discover the camera in Mauro’s pannier.. Valentina gets the whole scene on film.

I have my pizza and salad and we take a picture with our lovely hostess who speaks Italian and we head on our way up the river  30 KM Halstatt.  After watching a Rick Steves program about this charming destination, we are excited to get there. We follow the main road then get on a small bike path that follows a clear river for miles. We are tempted to hop in but feel the pressure to get to Halstatt to see the Salt Mines. It’s a glorious ride but Lorenzo finds it a bit boring. By 3:00 we make it to the bottom of the Lake and opt for the main road rather than the bike path on the west side. The road is busy with buses and cars but we just want to get there. We arrive to this lovely Austrian town by 3:30. It turns quickly magical with tiny streets and wooden houses perched on the side of the hill. Gelato calls and Luca discovers he can get his beloved ice cream cup person.

Onto the Salt Mines. We arrive a few minutes too late for the last tour. Disappointment reigned as we were all looking forward to this highlight of the day that we worked so hard to get to. After everyone gets a chance to whine and blame each other (except Mauro who says that he did not want to see them anyway) we calm down and opt to wander around the town for another hour before our little boat to the other side of the lake. The side streets up the side of the village revealed a salt history street that was quite interesting. Reminded me of the town of A in Lofoten where one singular economy drove the lives of the people. Lofoten and Hallstatt were obviously connected in some historical way since Salt and Cod are intertwined

Tired and cranky it was time for food again. After the kids enjoyed a lamb sandwich at a roadside stand (these roadside Lebanese food stands are very popular in Austria)  and I had a warm beer we got on our little boat to the other side of the lake to catch our train to Gmunden. When the train came we had to act fast to get our bikes in the rear of the train. This became another opportunity for the kids to goof around at inopportune moments. Once on the train, Mauro and relaxed and talked while our little Hooligans started singing invented Austrian songs out the window of the train. Never ever a dull moment.

We arrived in Altmunster at 7:00 and descended the hill a mile to our hotel where our cycling friends from Texas had arrived and were enjoying an intense soccer match for the women’s world cup: The USA versus Brazil. We got to learn all the players names as they went into a final kick. The USA wins. Shower and dinner which was an absolutely terrible Lasagne but we shared a lovely conversation about great places to travel. We convinced them about Italy, while they peaked our curiosity about Iceland!

Day 4 Halstatt to  Linz. 10 miles

Upon waking and reviewing the route I make an executive decision that going back and seeing the Salt Mines (and taking a rest day) would take precedence over the ride to Linz which looks uneventful and boring. Sometimes sightseeing and culture rules and this is one time the decision was easy. The kids were psyched and got up easily (well sort of). We were back on the train and took the 10:30 train to Halstatt. We were at the Salt Mines by 12:00. A very steep funicular took us to the top of the mountain where we had lunch with one of the most spectacular  “lunch” views I have ever seen. For some reason Luca was in his Dr Jeckle mood so that put a bit of a damper on our lovely lunch. It’s hard not to let these moods get into my head and he knows this.  Was a good family picture moment but Luca would not cooperate so it was just Lorenzo and Valentina.

After lunch we took the tour of the Halstatt salt mines which was incredible and so worth a return visit. The tour took over two hours and descended deep into the salt mines for a detailed, multi media immersion into the history of salt and mining since prehistoric times.  I had no idea that salt was like the petroleum of its day and was the driving force behind the Austrian economy of the day. Of course the children loved the tour. They got to go down a wooden slide though the mine, watch a movie underground about salt, see immense blocks of salt glowing with light and ride a mining car. Our tour guide gave an extensive tour in German and pretty good snippets in English.  After the tour we descended back down the Trail of Salt and down the funicular to ride around the opposite side of the lake to catch the train to Gmunden before heading on to Linz.  We had a nice little visit of this charming town on Lake Traunsee. I had forgotten about the big downhill to the Lake. We were starved and stopped at bakery for snack before heading over to the Tuscany Park then back up the hill to catch our train to Linz. We arrived in the Linz train station at 9:30 and raced through town and along the Danube at dusk. It was quite beautiful this time of day. We arrived at our modern hotel on the Danube at 10:00 just in time for a dinner on the Patio. The hotel was modern and business like but the rooms were big, clean and perfectly fine for a good night’s sleep, which we needed!

Day 6 Linz to Grein: 37 miles

The last ones to a large Austrian breakfast, we get another late start to Grein. The first 10 KM are flat and ugly as there are factories in the distance and the river is dirty. The head wind and our noon hunger does not help. We stop for lunch at a Despar. The kids fight over a fanta and there is already much dissent. Valentina is complaining of a bad headache. Luca just wants her to “shut up” and ride. Lorenzo stirs the pot on both sides.

The riding becomes more pleasant and in the shade as we near our lunch spot in the town of Ybbs where we stopped for pizza and to briefly check out the bicycle museum. As we approach Grein there are more and more cornfields. The ride is along the river and in the shade all the way to Grein. The flat riding is beginning to get to me. Although I can see why the Danube is a popular area to ride, it has not been one of my favorites. Simply not enough variety in the scenery to rank high on my list. While the maps are highly detailed, I need to see the big picture on a less detailed map. As we approach it’s already 7:30 so another late dinner awaits us. Our hotel in the main square is lovely and right next to the oldest theatre in Austria,  The Stadttheater Grein. We eat dinner outside but we are all exhausted from cycling. Valentina barely makes it through dinner. Good night!

Day 7 Grein to Krems: 50 miles

In the AM before leaving we finalize our Paris plans, have breakfast and get on our way. Well it is never that simple, movement forward quietly and efficiently is always a challenge. Before leaving we enjoy a short visit to the tiny theatre next to our hotel that included a toilet right next to the audience so there’s no need to take an potty break from the show. There is also a hole in the wall where prisoners were allowed to view from. From Grein we continue our tour down the river, more shaded routes.  As we ride a cargo ship is making its way down the river so we begin race with it. The non-trafficked cycling is peaceful and gives us all a chance to take it easy and talk about whatever crosses our minds. Several games of 20 questions evolve as we steadily make our way towards Melk. Lorenzo’s gears give out and I switch bikes with him and make a  10K sprint towards Melk to see if I can find a bike shop open. I arrive in Melk with address in hand and I get sent on a wild goose chase in search of a bike shop to no avail. I return to the center of Melk, sit down at a café and guzzle down two lemonades while waiting for the crew.  When I see them, I jump out into the square and wave them on. It’s hot, late and Mauro is done. He asks about a bus to Krems. I encourage Lorenzo to bike with me all the way. He opts for the Krems challenge and so the others want to ride too. We insist that they take the bus so Lorenzo and I can hit the road towards Krems. We take off and I tell Lorenzo that as long as we keep the pace of 13 mph we will be in Krems in two hours.  The ride from Melk to Krems is the most beautiful of the entire Danube trip. Pity the others don’t get to experience it up close. A stay in Melk would have been better then ride another stay closer to Vienna. Oh well. The ride dips up and down and along the Danube. We get on the right side thanks to a  dad and his pack of young Ausrtian cyclists off for a swim. We push hard but not too hard. The light is beautiful and the landscape evolves from flat to gently rolling apricot orchards and vineyard. This was the landscape that I had expected for the whole trip. Lorenzo is loving it too. At one point, a bus goes by and toots its horn. It’s Mauro, Luca and Valentina in the public bus. We are ten KM into the ride and know that we are making good time and having a better time on the bike. Lorenzo cannot resist stopping and picking apricots so we do. We enjoy the spray of the sprinklers watering the fields. We keep pushing along. I am so thrilled and thankful to be riding this 20KM with Lorenzo. He is wonderful company and it remains one of my most special memories of our entire tour. As we reach Krems, I ask a completely tattooed cyclist how close we are to Krems. He tells us 2KM! It’s 8:00 so we are 15 minutes within our time goals of reaching our hotel before dinner. We cross the bridge at Krems and I follow the last direction to the hotel, The Arte Hotel. We make it to our hotel by 8:20. Luca is mad at me for not letting him come. Of course it worked out perfectly so I choose not to argue, enjoy a hot shower and we bike to our lovely restaurant  “Crems” 2 KM away in the historic center of town. By dinner I am forgiven and we enjoy fish and other Austrian fare then a large gelato for all next door. While a passeggiata around the town would be nice, we head back through the dark streets.

Day 8 Krems to Vienna

The last ride of our European adventure begins with repairs at a bike shop. A couple of the bikes are showing signs of wear and tear so we take them for a little tune up that costs $18. On our way towards Vienna, we ride through more apricot orchards and corn fields towards wine country. Castles in the distance. I choose to ride away from the Danube in hopes of finding villages and a bit more rolling roads to add some variety to the flat river riding. The kids are in a rambunctious mood. What else is new but we have three close calls on the bikes. First Luca rides right into a corn field. While admittedly it was funny, the distracion concerns me. Next Lorenzo, riding too close and not paying attention slams into a young cyclist who stops suddenly. Last Luca and Valentina slam into each other. Luca goes down and seconds later a large truck come barreling down the road. Enough is enough. We stop in our track and reinforce safe riding. For the most part, they have learned well but when boredom sets in, their riding gets sloppy.

We descend from the rolling hills towards Traismeyer where we seek out lunch. We find a little café with a Charlie Chaplin theme (go figure) serving Middle Eastern sandwiches. We order, sit down but the three musketeers will not sit still and the horsing around begins. The apricot tree in the courtyard becomes a war zone as Luca and Lorenzo start hurling tiny fruits at each other. We bring it all to a halt to each our lunch and get on our way. Next stop is a Dinosaur Park that gets Luca mildly excited. We pass by it but it is closed. We move on and head towards the Danube for our last 20 miles of River riding. The kids get the idea of riding through a corn field which I quickly nix but opt for photo ops on top of Hay Bales which once again turns into a circus of jumping from Bale to Bale and of course someone gets hurt. We move on from that activity towards our final destination: Tullin. It’s a lovely village with a magnificent fountain.

I propose the Vienna Challenge: 40 KM ride into Vienna. Mauro insists we all take the train. Luca and Valentina are tempted and opt to join me. We take off at 5:30 and I set the pace. We have a strong tail wind so we’ll make it easily but we plug on. After one hour we do a mileage check and we discover only 10 more K to Vienna!  We pass by some very cool murals and then see a snack shop. We all could use some sugar so we stop for ice cream, drink and coffee. A mom and her kids is sitting there too and when we tell them how far we have ridden that day (70KM) she is very impressed (which pumps up Luca and Valentina). We keep following signs to Vienna but as we pass under overpasses and other large roads I am concerned that we missed a turn somewhere. Graffiti is everywhere and the scene turns from Bucolic to urban very fast. Bike lanes are great but it’s easy to follow any lane you see which of course can bring you off track quickly. Luca and Valentina are unshaken and having a blast talking. On perhaps one of the busiest path we have been on, Valentina sees a raspberry bush. They stop and start picking  while I try to figure how to get us the hell out of here. I ask a few people. No one knows but eventually I ask a local cyclist, Ziggy, who offers to escort us the whole way through the maze of roads to our hotel. As close as we were it ends up taking us an hour to wind our way through the city. We arrive at our hotel. Lorenzo pokes his head out the window. We take our final group portrait  with Ziggy and head up to our rooms for showers. 80KM! Bravi.  While not my favorite from a cycling point of view, the memories that we shared bring us together and keep us coming back for more. It’s been a wonderful journey. On to Paris!

Contemplating the Layers of Life in the Grand Canyon

What better place to contemplate the layers of one’s life than the Grand Canyon where billions of layers of earth lay raw and exposed

Layers  that start with the violet cactus flowers bursting like a tiny baby through crumbling white limestone

Layers that include the trees, the pine, the birch and the groves of aspen with their pure white bark, sparkling leaves. All their layers of roots hold the rocks and  earth firmly together. Their branches allow the layers of wind to gust, curl and float between their leaves.  Even when their life is gone the trees maintain their sculptural elegance against a bright blue sky.

As the trees fall in layers amidst the rocks and grass, their trunks dissolve with sprawling limbs as the last to go, twisting a reaching into a now smaller space lose to the ground. The logs now give their life back to the earth in layers of crumbling planks of gray, red and dark brown. This layer life process repeats itself throughout the forest, a miniature world of birth, life and death at all times.

This process compared to the layers of the canyon that opens up before me as I fly through onto wheels. I ride along the ledge and the layers are so vast and immense that I can see no real detail, only shapes of color and form. Layers of life  that I cannot even begin to comprehend. Billions. What is that? I know only a mere 50, that at times seems so “old” yet feels younger than the lines that layer around my eyes.

Layers of flat plateaus once beneath a rumbling and salty sea. The visible and invisible layers. The wind is the invisible layer that wakes us each morning while we are deep in the cocoon of our sleeping bags. On that same invisible layer an eagle soars and knows how to play each directional drift to move from place to place.

I sit here on this crumbling rock where no electronics  beckon. Life has slowed down and opened up and there is space between the layers in my brain to reflect on the layers of my life. Layers that are squeezed and transformed by the weight of each passing day. Layers of friends, experiences, countless views of places that each find their way into my heart. Layers of family going back to the layers of mountains in my grandmother’s tiny village nestled in Le Marche. How I feel connected to that place, to so many places.

Layers of thought, where do those layers go? I am blessed with the layers of my life as the forest is blessed and in need of trees that hold together the earth with their roots. A tree canopy reaches high as do my dreams and it’s roots hold tight to their world as I cling to parts of my past that I may need to shed to make way for new life.

John Muir wrote, ” The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness,” It’s been a long time since the forest and I have had so much alone time together and it has been good for me to experience a clear path again.  I go back to my busy life but take these forest meditations with me and will return again soon

Energized and inspired at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Aveimore Scotland

Scotland Mountain High

Having  returned from the annual  Adventure Travel World Summit in Aveimore Scotland, I am once again energized, inspired and proud to be a part of one of the fastest-growing and most successful travel sectors—Adventure Travel. Adventure travel companies, like fellow members of Trusted Adventures, have placed the bar very high when it comes to “the guest experience.” Since we are launching a NEW bicycle tour in Scotland, I was excited to taste as much of this wonderful country as nine days (and lots of meetings, lectures and networking) would allow. As usual, I packed a full schedule!

Highlights of the nine days included a walk up to Arthur’s seat, a guided 2 hour bike tour around Edinburgh with Andy of  Story Bikes, learning the intricacies of Single Malt Scotch at the ” Scotch Malt Whisky Society with my  Trusted Adventure colleagues, paddled with an expert kayaker/ tour operator from Sweden, mountain biked through lavender fields and at every meal was blown away by a different country’s presentation of their unique destination.

On my first afternoon in Edinburgh I rented a bike and did what I do best: EXPLORE. I checked out the city's bike map and sought out the highlighted bike path. I found this lovely path along a canal overflowing with cyclists, walkers and scullers.

Late afternoon shadows at the end of a 2 hour exploration Edinburgh by bicycle

Childrens' art was mounted on a wall along the canal near the center of Edinburgh

Andy of Story Bike Tours stops in a park across from the childhood home of Robert Louis Stevenson. The lush park complete with pond with a small island is said to have been the inspiration for Treasure Island

On tour a Story Bike Tour, we bike all around the city and ended at the base of the Edinburgh Castle

The Trusted Adventure leaders gather in Edinburg for our pre-summit meeting which included a hike to Arthur's Seat. Recognized worldwide for uncompromising quality, exceptional guest care and sustainable travel ethics, the Trusted Adventures alliance is a partnership of eight distinguished, award-winning, and independently operated companies; Austin-Lehman Adventures, Wildland Adventures, Western River Expeditions, Myths and Mountains, The Wayfarers, ROW Adventures, Great Alaska International Adventure Vacations, American Safari Cruises and Ciclismo Classico

Our Trusted Adventure guide took us on a behind the scenes walk which included the Edinburgh Cemetary where economist is buried.

Yes I AM a tree hugger: On our drive up to Aveimore, we stop at the Birnam Oak, a tree dating back to Medieval times and made famous in Macbeth

On our summit "Day of Adventure" I walked, canoed and Mt biked with a group of over 30 adventure specialists from around the world.

As expected, the Scottish tourist board won points for authenticity in their live performance of the Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns. The haggis is a traditional Scottish dish traditionally served with “Neeps and tatties” (turnips and potatoes) and “dram” (a glass of whisky).

How lucky am I?  Not only did I travel to a spectacular country but I was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn the latest trends in travel, explore exciting new destinations via multi-media demonstrations and mingle with adventure travel “movers and shakers” from around the word. Enjoy some favorite moments from Scotland from Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48084728@N02/sets/72157625169959908/

Over 500 adventure delegates from all over the world took this year’s theme, “Share and Inspire” to heart. Whether it was  Costas Christ, Editor At Large for National Geographic Traveler sharing his vision of the future of adventure travel or  Dr. Wallace Nichols from the California Academy of Sciences whose life long love of turtles and the sea led him to passionately promote his r/evolution that is helping save the planet and is making a difference— the message rang loud and clear: as leaders in adventure travel interacting with literally millions of travelers annually, we are making a difference in the way people are experiencing the world’s most precious resources.

Shannon Stowell and Chris Doyle, Brainchilds and passionate founders of the Adventure Travel and Trade Associate raise the "authenticity" bar on Scotland evening and they are looking good in the traditional Scottish attire

On our "Night out in the Park" we had dinner on a historic train. Adventurous conversations flowed with Judy Alpress of The Wayfayers and Judy Carvahal of Enchanted Expeditions (Specialists in Ecuador expeditions)

Adventure travel companies (and their guests and stakeholders) have an important role to play. We represent millions and millions of customers worldwide as a group.  Bicycle tour companies, eco-lodges, adventure operators, outfitters, safari companies, rafting companies, diving companies, walking tours, the list goes on endlessly. But we know instinctively that as a group we do impact millions of travelers and nearly every region on the planet with what we do.

We embrace the vision of the Adventure Travel Trade Association is very clear:  Ciclismo Classico is proud to be a part of a thriving community of responsible, profitable businesses, destinations and media who transform customers and businesses alike into advocates for sustainability and justice worldwide.

Nicky Fitzgerald summed up what she hopes adventure leaders will strive for as they host travelers on their tours into one word. This one word from her South African homeland—Ubuntu is actually an ethical concept.  Ubuntu, the essence of being human, refers to how we rely on others for our sense of self, how we are all interdependent and need to work together for our emotional and material health and wealth.  Embracing Ubuntu reminds of us of our interconnectedness, certainly the most profound way that adventure travel can transform and change each of us.

At a session on Mega Trends, Nicky reminded us that while the Adventure Travel “industy” can come up with lots of reasons why we hope our guests will take a travel adventure, the reason why people take an adventure is for self discovery, whether they know it, or not. Our responsibility, is to connect each traveler with their own soul. Amen.

This annual summit is a celebration of Ubuntu–adventure lovers from around the world sharing what they know and love best: Immersing oneself actively into the beauty of our natural world and its diverse culture.  I was in my  zone connecting with old “adventure friends” like:

Ellen Barone. Freelance Travel writer and Ciclismo alumni extraordinaire. Her peaceful smile is the first thing I look for when I arrive. She’s always got some great adventure going. This year, she will be back with Ciclismo!

Judith Fein, author of Life is a Trip,  gets my creative juices going. I have adopted her line: I LIVE TO LEAVE. This Travel journalist, travel filmmaker, travel speaker, travel columnist, travel addict also has knack for getting everyone on the dance floor, in a circle and strutting their stuff .

It’s always nice to find Timo Shaw, President, Country Walkers, in the Pub. My favorite ATTA rascal from down under, Timo’s got his hand on pint and his brain on the adventure travel business

Jim Sayer. Director of Adventure Cyclist. We are connected at the HUB when it comes to our vision for roads, bike lanes and bicycle travel in the world

Perry Lungmus of Travcoa. Just an all around nice guy who knows the ins and outs of Adventure Travel and has been around and around in this wonderful world.

Kathy Dragon of Travel Dragon. Well she is simply and wonderfully crazy & smart. Proudly closing the bars everywhere in Scotland.

Moe McCarrick of Momentum. We are new friends but something tells me, from her smile and NH connections, that we knew each other in another life

Ben Bressler and Don Martinson of Natural Habitat. Simply the craziest and funniest living duo  I have met to date.  Bummed that I missed the de-tox Mt Bike Ride but I was promised a rain check. They better not let me down!

Jason Rodi of Nomad Industries  Another “new” friend that I met on summit of a lovely mountain hike behind the hotel. I look forward to working with this talented filmaker. He also has roots in Calabria, so you know we had lots to talk about.

Andreas Lappe. Really excited to meet a fellow bicycle traveler from South Africa. Take me on a bike safari, please!

and of course hanging out in Edinburg with my fellow Trusted Adventure Colleagues:

Whisky lover Peter Grubb of Row Adventures put us to shame with his tasting talents. Kurt Kutay of Wildland Adventures. Not only does he have great party shirts but he has an intuitive sense of what makes the adventure travel business tick. Brandon Lake, The brains behind Resmark Systems & Western River showed us how to get work done AND attend a conference. Allie E. Almario of Myths & Mountains was bursting with energy despite her en route travel injury.  Alaskan Mountain Man Kent John of  Great Alaska took the Mt Bike Ride that I missed! Doting new papa and Trusted Adventures Leader Brad Moss kept us focused and on track. Finally,  Judy Alpress and Betsy West of The Wayfayers—although this was the first time we officially “hung out,” these classy gals took care of me and made me feel at home with their wide smiles and big hearts.

The experience of “Ubuntu” on our Ciclismo Classico tours may explain why so many of our guests claim to have been transformed by their travel experience.

Interconnecting our guests with the landscape, the people and their surroundings is the Ciclismo Classico Way of Life.

Thank you fellow Adventure Travel Friends for sharing views, ideas and best practices. See you in Mexico, hosts of the 2011 Adventure Travel Summit!

Places We Love to Bicycle around the World

Just in time for Valentines Day, we asked our Ciclismo fans what place they love to ride and here is the list

I will start with mine:
Sardinia: Captivating at every curve
Tuscany: Where the Ciclismo Story began
The Dolomites: Magnificent!
Le Marche: Soulful roots of my family tree
Puglia: Playful & bursting with Flavor
Keene, NH: Views of Mt Monadnock take me home
Lofoten, Norway: Leave me here for a month to explore!
Abruzzo: Piano Grande. Fly Me to the Moon

Allyson Jones Wong; Bike Across Italy
Sorano! I loved that breath taking view from our castle hotel room in the misty morning. My husband and I went there on our honeymoon. It was our first trip with Ciclismo.
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/pitigliano.htm

Nathaniel Hefferman: Cape Cod
The Cape Cod Rail Trail – where my wife and I started dating.
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ccrt.htm

Bobbie Carlton (Nate’s Wife!)
17 years ago — Cape Cod Rail Trail — trying to decide if the guy on the bicycle ahead of me was The One. (Note: we’ve now been married 15 years.)

Susan Cassidy: Martha’s Vineyard
Easy — a ride with my husband on the Vineyard, out to Gay Head. Got caught in a brief cloudburst so we took refuge at and got a great snack at a farmer’s market in (I think) West Tisbury. It was a great day, simply awesome ride, and I loved introducing my husband to biking on the Vineyard.
http://www.mvy.com/CWT/External/WCPages/WCDirectory/BikingOnTheVineyardDirectory.aspx?Category=bicycle&Adkeyword=bicycle&EntityID=0

Julia Kropp
My top five lifetime rides:
5. Sonoma Wine Country Loop
4. Ride Around Lake Tahoe
3. Best Buddies Ride Down California Highway One
2. Biking Across the Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon … See More
1. Ciclismo Classico’s Bike Across Italy (the whole thing- it’s gorgeous!)

Rich Poliak
To be honest virtually anywhere in Italy! There are several rides and places that come to mind where Cath and I have great memories:
Bike across Italy – we did it twice, 94′ and 00′.
Giro D’Italia we did that one twice as well, 96′ and 01′- the climb from Norcia to Piano Grande for a great picnic of formaggi e salumi con tartufi! I’m hungry now….
SR222 from Firenze to Greve and then to Siena. Wow!
Riding through the Crete outside of Pienza…
Riding in Puglia especially all the Trulli around Alberobello.
I can go on and on…

Kimberly Kapner
On the top of the wall in Lucca with my hubby. And through beautiful English countryside and towns stopping for pub lunches and tea (same companion).

Rob Jones: Paris
Let’s see…late night ride around the glass Pyramid at the Louvre! Lit from below…street musician playing a saxophone…beautiful summer evening.

Alyson Fletcher
So hard to decide! Montreal was quite nice – over the bridges, to the islands, to the tippy top of Mont Royal and all the museums and sites in between. They even have bike stoplights! & Separated and protected bike lanes! Other competitors:
1. Vancouver – biked around the entire city peninsula. Almost all coastal, with vistas to the beaches, … See Moreoceans, forests, and mountains. (How awesome is Canada??!)
2. The Finger lakes: Biked around the finger lakes in western new york during the Musselman Tri – cool breezes, vinyards, farm animals, and mennonites trotting alongside on horse and buggies. So cute!

Giovanni Massa
Along the Danubium from Wien to Praga

Michael Stechow
Hard to pick one best, but in no particular order:
Montenegro – Kotor to Cetinje and back
Macedonia – Ohrid and Prespa lakes ride
Greece – loop around Sithonia peninsula
France – Mont Ventoux, my tandem partner was so proud…

Thorey Jonsson Goldstein: Puglia
http://www.ciclismoclassico.com/trip_finder/view_trip/128/easy_pedaling_puglia
Biking in the Puglia region with my husband on a tandem. Spectacular! And then of course riding up to the Marroon Bells in Aspen.

John Dancy: Bike Across Italy
1. The climb from Fossombrone up through the Cesane forest to Urbino – i made a lifelong friend on that trip, thanks Ciclismo!
2. Mountain biking the Resurrection Pass Trail, Kenai Wilderness Preserve, Alaska – 40 Epic Miles
3. Tossa De Mar to Sant Feliude Guixols, not a long ride, but spectacular twists and turns along the Mediterranean in Spain’s Gold Coast, near Girona
4. My favorite loop at home in Loudoun County, VA, along Snickersville Turnpike, which alway reminds of the farm country in Tuscany. Bellisimo!

Networking, Learning and Blue Marbles at the Adventure Travel Summit

After a 10 hour drive from Boston, Andrew and I finally arrived at the Fairmont Richelieu in Charlevoix Quebec, Canada. Crowded around the bar unwinding from a long day of traveling were many fellow adventure travel folk reconnecting over tall Canadian beer

On day one we joined other adventure delegates for a hike up to 6000 meters to the summit of Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes yesterday. The trail was long but easy which eased my one armed status. At our lake break we learned about a cool company based out of New Zealand called ZORB. They essentially send people downhills in big plastic globes. We hung out at the gorgeously clear summit with Timo Shaw of Country Walkers, Kathy Dragon of Dragon Path and Peter Grubb of ROW adventures. The views of the Saint Lawrence River and the surrounding mountains were spectacular.

Later that night at dinner we were immersed in photos, history and culture of the Charlevoix region. We heard from Daniel Gauthier, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil and the president and CEO of Group Le Massif.  He shared his vision for the region, a large scale recreational project called the Massif de Charlevoix, involving ski resorts, a destination train, signature lodging, spas and much more. The project slated for completion by 2013, spans over a territory of 120 sq KM, where creativity and freedom prevail in a concept that is furthest from artificial.

Days 2-4 have been filled with visionary speakers and engaging learning sessions. Most intriguing included Astrophysicist Hubert Reeves who gave us (some very scary) insights into how humans might remain here on a radically changing earth in livable, sustainable conditions. His message. Don’t be optimistic or pessimistic–Be determined to make a difference. Jeff Dossett, CEO of Adventurelink.com shared his midlife epiphany in which he began climbing mountains leading to his being the 3rd Canadian in history to comlete the “Seven Summits”.  Jeff Greenwald of EthicalTraveler.org discussed what we can do to promote goodwill and ease cross-cultural tensions.

My personal favorite speaker was Dr. Wallace Nichols from the California Academy of Sciences ( he also recognized my sling as he had similar shoulder surgery as I).   His life long love of turtles and the sea led him to passionately promote his r/evolution that is helping save the planet and is making a difference He promotes a simple concept treasure and fall in love with nature (again and again). His simple and powerful form of social media? He handed out a blue marble to all the attendees ( symbolizing our “big blue marble” earth) and asked us to share the marble in the next 24 hours.  It’s a simple idea: commit a random act of ocean kindness by sharing a blue marble forward with someone doing good things for our blue planet and tell them to do the same.

Other highlights:
• A slide show and presentation about Chile by Jon Bowermaster, contributing editor for National Geographic Adventure
• Having dinner with my adventure travel buddies Dan Austin and Paul Lehman of Austin&Lehman Adventures. 
• A engaging talk about branding via compelling storytelling by Edward Wachtman and Sheree Johnson
• Meeting and learning from industry folk &  travel writers:
Judith Fein (she had me do a poem about a tour!) www.YourLifeisaTrip.com
Everett Potter who has written lots about Ciclismo over the years and has a great travel blog
Caren Osten Gerzberg she writes about travel, education, and women’s issues for a variety of publications. Her articles also include features, profiles and essays, and she is the co-founder and editor of a blog, Drinking Diaries, about women and drinking.  (She and her three kids will hopefully be joining us on a tour)
Ellen Barone ( A travel writer, photographer, Ciclismo Classico Sicily alumni and facebook friend). She will hopefully join us in Lofoten Islands
Fran Farrell ( formal publisher of Men’s Journal and National Geographic Traveler and all around super nice guy whose family joined us on the Greece Islands
Kathy Dragon. Ms Social Media. I covet her networking savvy, industry knowledge and new IPhone.

Some of the most interesting new adventure folk that I met included:
Don Mankin a travel writer who is writing a book about how travel is transformational
Craig Horrocks CEO of ZORB. You just gotta click on this to believe it.
George Asquith  President of The Great River Journey.  A delux river journey on the YUKON

LA Chancy of DNA Travel. Geneaology combined with travel

In addition to the people connections at every lunch, dinner and cocktail we were hosted the by following delightful destinations
Canada Keep Exploring
Chile Always Surprising
Innovation Norway
Brasil Sensational
Mexico Time to Go
The Alps
Ecuador: Life at it purist
The Yukon Larger than Life
and the host for next year’s Summit (and where we will have a new 2011 cycling tour)
Scotland

In the hallways, at the round tables, over dinner and at the bar until the wee hours of the night I met many smart, well connected, interesting and visionary summit delegates. I thank you sharing, your entertaining conversations and your adventurous spirits

As usual I am pumped up and ready to use and share what I have learned with my team, guests and guides

Please share YOUR favorite moments and experiences at this event!