Any mother will tell you the most important thing in her life is her children. Inherent in each “La Mamma” is the drive to mold her kids into upstanding adults. Ever since they were born I have loved sharing travel experiences to shape the minds, heart and spirit of my three children (Lorenzo, Valentina and Luca), aged 11, 9 and 5. Sharing my travel/cycling passion with my children is one of the highlights of our family life. It is enormously satisfying to watch my children experience travel at their own speed and with their own wonderfully playful eyes.
Traveling with children is one of the best ways to offer them unique and fun learning experiences. Seeking out unusual locations offers them an education that can’t be taught in a classroom or the “typical” family vacations. Forget Disney World, Venice offers a Disney-like fantasy experience combined with thousands of years of culture, history and a stimulating modern culture focused on art and a passion for living. Walking through the zigzagging Venetian streets is the world's best maze, eating in the piazza is like a huge dinner party, taking the vaporetti or water taxis on the Grand Canal is better than any “ride”, visiting the Murano fishing villages is a “very cool” step back in time.” This blend of play and learning is what connects us with our children. When traveling, playful opportunities abound and because I love to play, I easily connect with my children wherever we go.
Seeing the world through the eyes of a child conjures memories of a much simpler time when we were young and experiencing things for the first time. Kids at this age respond to the simplest pleasures and remind us to slow down, play in a fountain, try on a mask or chase a pigeon through a piazza. Kids always love walking through villages, taking in the pulse of life and following their serendipitous natures.”
For those reluctant to take their kids on a vacation for fear small kids will be too challenging, Consider this, kids, while amazingly fulfilling, can present challenges wherever they are, so why not take them on a trip where we parents can have a uplifting travel experience. At home, kid are in their comfort zone and can be more difficult. When traveling, it is more likely that kids will let their guard down and follow your lead. I am usually more at peace on outings or traveling with my kids than when I stay at home where I battle the ‘Mommy, I am bored’ syndrome. When I am on a bike trip alone without my kids I find that I am always wanting to share my experience with them. Our lives are simpler when we travel. There is less stuff in our travel life, no multi tasking, constantly taking care of practicalities or rushing to get places. We are focused on each other and more in the flow of life. The spontaneity, serendipity of it all brings us closer. We see each other at our best.
Allowing your children to have experiences they would not otherwise have at home will create memories to last a lifetime for all. We loved jumping off our boat into the gorgeous blue waters of Sardinia, getting soaked in Roman fountains or playing tag in The Boboli Gardens. Some of our memorable travel experiences include bouldering (hiking rocks) along the Sardinian coastline, spinning downhill 10 miles to the sea in Greece and hiking through the Dolomites. It’s a collective memory I know we will treasure for a very long time.
When planning vacations, I start off with some initial research to list things to see and do. Upon arriving in a certain locations, she’ll make adjustments depending on each day. Guidebooks and web sites like the Family Travel Forum with kid-friendly ideas are instrumental in helping find all the kid-friendly eateries and activities. I will always mix up the highly cultural experiences with fun ones. A trip to Rome will include some classics, but lots of gelato breaks and hanging out in piazzas,” says Lauren. Anything that includes swimming, the beach or open playing (like rambling fields, etc) is a hit for us. When picking sites, we usually avoid very crowded places (like the Vatican museum) for they are guaranteed stress producers. I always choose a more low key ‘attraction’ where we can have a more authentic, human experience over the more touristy ones.” As the kids get older, allow them to have some input into the vacation plans. You never know what they are going to come up with. In the near future, This year we hope to expand our travels beyond Italy to Ireland, Paris and Norway. The world is our oyster!
Friday, May 9, 2008
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY: Share Your Travel Experiences with Your Kids!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Spring Vacation in Washington, DC
Of all of our family travel experiences, our recent trip to Washington, DC was the trip that had brains most constantly engaged. It was a journey into the the power of words and the risks and challenges that our Nation's heroes took to preserve and guarantee their vision. Of course our bodies got plenty of movement walking from museum to museum and climbing up and down the metro escalator. The timing was ripe for all us Our children 5, 9 and 11 were the perfect age for their introductory tour of this most fascinating and thought provoking city; I had not been since my own 8th grade school trip (and a couple of college protest marches) and for my husband, an Italian lawyer by trade/ new American citizen our week in Washington was important chapter in his own unique American experience.
We took the overnight train from Boston hours after spending hours cheering runners up heartbreak hill for the Boston Marathon. We rented an apartment using Vacation Rentals By Owner and found a cute apartment near the zoo. We landed at Union Station and hit the ground running. First stop was the Air and Space Museum, the most visited building on the planet. We spent all day roaming through the rich collections of exhibits. My personal favorite was the Frank and Wilbur Wright gallery in which we learn how two humble bicycle mechanics evolve into the world's first pilots. The children loved all the hands on exhibits, I caught up on some sleep at the IMAX show. From the Air and Space onto the Washington, Memorial, a fun place to run around and plan the details of the week ahead
As a child I would savor the pages of National Geographic as soon as it landed in our mailbox and was certainly the inspiration for my love of travel and photography, so a visit to its base in Washington was first on my list. The National Geographic Society museum is small but always has unique revolving exhibits, we were lucky to see one that had live frogs from around the world creatures . The museum is small but has great rotating exhibits. Here we also learned about our human footprint (one Sunday paper uses 500,000 trees) and saw sculptures made of garbage. We also learned about the Genographic Project, a five-year study using DNA as a study tool to map how humankind populated the planet.
On to the Library of Congress, considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Washington, we roamed its beautiful halls and fascinating exhibits including the an original Guttenberg Bible, an exhibit on Creating the United States that offered insights into how the nation’s founding documents were forged and the role that imagination and vision played in the unprecedented creative act of forming a self–governing country and an exhibit on Bob Hope whose voluminous joke collection was donated to the Library of Congress.
We spent the rest of a perfect spring afternoon to explore the memorials, starting with the Lincoln Memorial, then moving to the Vietnam, WW2 and Jefferson Memorial, each stop stirring many great questions about life, death and freedom. Reading the Gettysburg address and thinking of Martin Luther King's words spoken here is an empowering mental and emotional journey of how a powerful, passionate vision can ground and inspire each one of us to reach great heights.
Thursday was packed with eclectic learning starting with my son Lorenzo's first choice: The International Spy Museum. While I could have passed this descent into a Bond lovers fantasy, I found the museum's rich content, including exhibits about Renaissance spying fascinating. My 5 year old loved the James Bond Car and my daughter loved scrambling through the air ducts. The museum could better orientate its visitors, it starts out with all of the Spy paraphrenalia which bogs you down (and tires you out ) until you emerge to the broader Spy culture and history exhibits which were intriguing. Be prepared for kids to go crazy in the gift shop
Another museum on my list was the Native American Indian museum, a beautiful building that was designed to reflect the Native American sense of space the natural world. The museum was not jam packed with artifacts, instead there was a calming flow of presentations about a handful of Indian cultures in the Americas.
From Spys to Native American and finally the National Archives where we, and dozens of others jammed into a rotunda to see the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill or Rights. All faded but pretty special. The gift shop is excellent.
My favorite museum hands down was The Newseum, the world's most interactive museum, (that opened on April 11 ) that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second innovation and fun. It's a great museum to wrap up your visit to Washington for it brings history full circle demonstrates how our beliefs are challenged daily. One exhibit that blended famous film clips and the first amendment offered a huge learning opportunity to internalize our most precious right. Our kids even got to be filmed as live reporters. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. "Visitors will come away with a better understanding of news and the important role it plays in all of our lives," said Newseum Executive Director and Senior Vice President Joe Urschel. "The new Newseum is educational, inspirational and a whole lot of fun." We spent the entire day here, aside from an hour to tour the Capitol.
By Saturday AM we were ready for an easy stroll through the Washington Zoo with friends who live in the area. Even though it was crowded, the kids enjoyed seeing the Pandas, elephants and rhinosaurus.
What a perfect family spring destination...we'll be back
Monday, March 3, 2008
Lake Placid: A Learning Winter Wonderland
Although my family had fantasized returning to the warm beaches of Mexico for our February break, we eventually opted to enjoy the awsome winter season here in the Northeast. We knew that we wanted to ski but I was hoping to go somewhere different as well as a place where we could all learn something new. Lake Placid came highly recommended by my cross country ski pal Jennifer Saffran who provided me with copious emails and web site links on all the great activities we would find there. I got Olympic fever, made my reservation and started planning our week. I had also been to the 1980 Olympics to see the 50KM men's cross country ski race won by Nikolay Semyonovich Zimyatov, one of the most successful Soviet/Russian male cross-country skiers ever. He was the first man in the sport to win three gold medals at a single Winter Olympics, winning in the 30 km, 50 km, and 4 x 10 km relay at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Needless to say, I was curious to return to this historic trail
We spent an entire week and had a great time in this charming Olympic Village that hosted the 1932 and 1980 Olympics. We rented a spacious condo with a sauna, jacuzzi and mountain views right on the golf course. If your family loves winter sports, then this is a great destination to inspire them to take any winter sport they love to the next level.
The first thing we did was to buy an olympic passport that allowed us free entry to many of the olympic venues and some great discounts on events. With our passport we did following:
1. Toured the Olympic Stadium and museum and enjoyed many historic film clips including Eric Heiden winning his 5th gold medal and the US Hockey team win against Russia
2. Took a gondola to the top of Whiteface Mountain, the Olympic Mountain, to enjoy amazing views of the Adirondacks
3. Toured the Bobsled run and watched old film clips and current insane athletes travel over 60mph down a mile course in under one minute
4. Lorenzo and Valentina actually had a ride on the Olympic track in a real bobsled (with two drivers) they made it to 55 mph!
5. Toured the 150 ft ski jump ( an elevator goes to the top) and watch more insane athletes fly like birds
6. Skated for hours (and over 60 laps, we counted!) around the Olympic oval where Heiden won his historic 5 medals. Valentina proclaim as she tries to skate like the pros: I love this, maybe I can win a gold medal someday!
In addition to the getting our passport stamped, we cross country skied for three days Van Hovenburg and Cascade Cross country ski center where we played "hide and ski" on their maze of easy and charming trails and had a delicious lunch in sun filled lodge. We also enjoyed a chilly dog sled ride across Mirror Lake, sledded down long golf course runs, bowled at Bowlwinkles (5 year-old Luca won!) and hiked through High Falls Gorge where we roasted marshmellows along the rushing river and learned all about the fascinating geology and history of the gorgeous Adirondack Region. That evening we spent watching a great movie about the history of the Olympics.
As you can tell by my other posts, I am a huge cross country ski fan so, as my son claims, I take sides easily and stand by my claim that cross country is one of the healthiest, most amazingly beautiful lifetime sports one can participate in. Aside from the fact that the sport killed and keeps stressing my knees, downhill skiing is an outrageously expensive family sport, especially if you only ski occasionally. One adult family member's downhill ticket costs the same as our entire family cross country skiing for two days. OK stop me here! Downhill is a FUN family sport that gets everyone smiling so we took the gang to Whiteface which was very vertical, windy, cold and icy. They had the snow makers going everywhere to ready the mountain for school vacation week (thanks for telling us). The loud noise and snow blowing everywhere made the skiing unsettling and more treacherous for lack of visibility. There were lots of ski patrols and folks in stretchers. Needless to say, our first day skiing there did not leave me with a lasting impression about this mountain.
Since Lorenzo prefers the downhill thrill (Valentina has been converted to cross country), I agreed to give it another chance and offered Lorenzo and Valentina the chance to take snowboarding lessons on our last day in Lake Placid. For an hour I stood in various lines, settled the gang into boarding lessons and equipment, left Luca and Mauro on the magic carpet and fled back to Van Hovenburg where I had two hours and 15 KM of cross country skiing bliss. I then returned to downhill ski half day with everyone on the easier kid friendly zone just as the big flakes started coming down. Lots of "watch me mom" and "come do the jumps with me mom", "check out the snowflakes on your goggles mom!" OK, you'll get me on another chair soon. It was a lovely snowy icing on our wonderful week. Both snow bunnies did great on snowboards and both may opt boarding over downhill. Luca is improving his "pizza" all the time and holds his own down any beginner slope. Mauro does OK for a guy who never saw snow until he was 28 and did not start skiing until 2 years ago.
As far as eats go, we mostly cooked pasta plus at our condo and ate our share of peanut butter and nutella, GORP and fruit but we did have three excellent dining experiences. For our arrival first night we had a great meal at Lisa G's where we played pool while we waited for a very nice meal, on Monday we had dinner with friends from the area who recommended simple fare at The Cottage, right on the Mirror Lake but our favorite meal by far was the Caribbean Cowboy, a small "hip" charming bistro off the main drag.
Before we left on Saturday, we returned to Van Ho (what the locals call it) where we had a couple more hours of skiing before we jumped into the car to drive home and enjoy the lasting views of a gorgous region....bye bye Lake Placid, we will be back!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Mental Winter Wanderlust to La Bella Sardinia
Even though here in Lake Placid on winter break with my family, I am immersed in the world of snow sports (and winter Olympic history) a trip to Lake Placid's premier bicycle store, High Peaks Cyclery gets my imagination quickly spinning towards spring cycling and my plans to ride again this summer Sardinia with my family on our Mediteranean Multi Sport (join us!)
My guests and cycling friends inevitably always ask me what is my favorite place to ride and although I am reluctant to respond (as if I had to choose a favorite child), my answer is alway Sardinia. We currently have three Ciclismo Classico tours there ( Swept Away in Sardinian, Mediterranean Island Hopping and Mediterranean Multi Sport). We plan to expand our offerings and with the guidance of our Native Sardinian expert, Simone Scalas, who can also create a custom tour for you. Backpedaling for a moment, I love cycling almost anywhere as it pedaling outside always puts me in a better frame of mind no matter where I am. It's a fact that, for the record, I have never had a bad bike ride ANYWHERE!
Having made that grand proclamation, there are cycling destinations that simply make my heart, soul and body soar and our focus at Ciclismo Classico is to take you to the world's absolute BEST cycling destinations such as Italy, France, Ireland, Austria and Spain.
So why do I pick Sardinia as my ultimate favorite place in the world to pedal? It fulfills the following TOP TEN list on what makes a premier Ciclismo Classico cycling destination:
1. Smooth, untrafficked, varied network of roads with many terrain options
2. An abundance of gorgeous views and scenery
3. Abundant opportunities to connect with the local culture
4. A balance of pristine nature and indigenous culture, a high local respect for sustaining both
5. Friendly, welcoming locals who respect cyclists
6. Gastronomically delightful. Delicious fresh food, markets, local eateries, enolologically intriguing
7. Abundance of historic and cultural options
8. Adventure options in addition to cycling (swimming, hiking, kayaking, caving)
9. A nice variety but not overwhelming choices of accommodations
10. A tourist culture that is affordable, friendly, sustainable and professional
Sardinia passes every one of this TOP TEN list with flying colors. Here's how:
1. Silky Smooth Roads: Sardinia's tourism is mainly in August and on the Northern Coast which means on the rest of the island for the rest of the year, Sardinia's silky smooth roads are cycling heaven. My favorite ride in the world is the descent to Cala Ganone (one of my favorite places in the world) and the gradual 20 mile ascent from Dorgali to the Barbagia Mountains with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. My favorite cycling is along stunning coastline and Sardinia has more than anyplace I have been.
2. Gorgeous Scenery: Sardinia is is defined by its abundance of gorgeous views and variety of scenery, especially abundant are a wonderful blend of mountain and seascapes. Unlike the rest of Europe, Sardinia is rural, and underdeveloped. One of the last off the beaten path destinations Europe has to offer. It is like Wyoming surrounded by an amazingly beautiful blue waters. If you love to swim or simply experience some of the world's most gorgeous blue water than Sardinia is the place for you.
3. Culturally Fascinating: The Sardinian indigenous and native culture is alive and thriving. Sardinia with its own unique language, many distinct cultures and rich craftsmanship offers the cyclist Abundant opportunities to connect with the local culture. It is difficult to find a musical heritage so varied and full of expression as the one you can find in Sardinia. Sardinian traditional music is in every sense one of the richest and oldest in the Mediterranean. The expression of this heritage can be found in polyvocal or monodic songs and in the use of instruments, some of which are typical of the island. Undoubtedly one of the most original forms in the island's polyvocal heritage is the CANTO A TENORES (Tenors song). http://www.sardi.it/sardinia/artig1.htm
4. Natural Wonders Abound: Sardinia has the cleanest waters and most pristine natural areas in the world and is working harder than most of Europe to preserve and protect them.
5. International Cycling Destination: Although Sardinia is still emerging as a cycling destination for Americans, this amazingly varied island attracts thousands of pedaling Europeans who flock to Sardinia every year.
6. Delicious, healthy cuisine: Howard Hillman's in his World Cuisine Guide calls Sardinian cuisine "the most distinctive of Italy's regional cuisines, mainly due to the island's geographic isolation from Italy's mainland." That's why Ciclismo alumni and master chef Micheal Romano of the Union Street Cafe chose to join our Swept Away in Sardinia tour. For a cyclist Sardinian specialties such as Pane Carasau, Culingiones (fresh stuffed pasta) Bottarga (spaghetti with a tuna roe sauce) and so many other delicious others make all those miles worthwhile!
7. Historically Intriguing: Sardinia is a living museum! While there is not the abundance of museums as on the mainland, any Sardinian itinerary historical Abundance of historic and cultural options including roaming around ancient nuraghi villages or stopping to explore a romanesque church.
8. Sardinia is Europe's Adventure paradise: The second largest island in the Meditteranean, with thousands of mile of pristine coastline and gorgeous protected natural areas, there is plenty of adventure for non-cycling days. Kayaking along Sardinia's gorgeous coastline, hiking through the lush barbagia, sailing around La Maddelena, snorkeling, rapelling and caving are a sampling of this outdoor paradise.
9. Charming, tasteful, historic accommodations. The Sardinians have been very careful in developing their tourism as a result most hotels are small, family run and connected to their local culture. My favorite hotel in the world (and used on our Sardinian tours) is Sul Gologone nestled into the the Barbagia mountains near the famous muraled village of Orgosolo. Literally a gallery of Sardinian fine art and crafts, the rooms, cuisine, and spa make this a family-run hotel a place you'll want to call home!
10. Welcoming, friendly and caring! On my first bike tour around Sardinia in 1992, I was welcomed into the Fonteduus home in Siniscola (northwest Sardinia), treated for three nights to abundant local specialties and even dressed up in the traditional wedding clothes of our hosts! I could tell that I had landed in a very special place where I would be honored to bring cyclists. We have been running tours there for over 15 years and have expanded our guide team to include Sardinian specialist, Simone Scalas
As one of my favorite Italian web sites, Italy Online writes: "Small enough to be classified as an island but big enough to be a universe unto itself, Sardinia lies about 120 miles west of the Italian peninsula. Its coastline is probably Europe's most spectacular. Its waters teem with fish and shellfish. Its broad valleys turn into golden oceans of wheat in summer. Its rugged mountains, pocked with caves, are home to large flocks of sheep that feed on pungent wild herbs and produce a cheese your palate will never forget. Nestled into its silent olive groves are some of the continent's oldest archeological remains, dating back to 1700 BC. Its people speak a language incomprehensible to all other Italians, celebrate more saints' days than anyone else in the nation, and love to dress up in elaborate costumes at the drop of a finely-embroidered hat. ' "
Interested in joining my family and I for a very special week in Sardinia this July? email me at lauren@ciclismoclassico.com
Favorite Sardinian Links:
Best overall Site: http://www.mondosardegna.net/index.php, http://www.sardegna.com
Sardinian Photo Album: http://www.initaly.com/regions/sardinia/sardinalb.htm
In Italy Online: http://www.initaly.com/regions/sardinia/sardinia.htm
http://www.sardi.it/indexuk.htm
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Women's Cross Country Ski Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
This past weekend my 8 year-old daughter Valentina and I headed to Central Vermont to participate in our first Women's Cross Country Ski Day at the gorgeous Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, VT. On Super Bowl Sunday, while millions of fans were getting their parties and kegs rolling, 200 intrepid and active women of all ages and abilities were focused on learning and improving their cross country skiing techniques. My daughter and I decided to make it a special mother-daughter weekend and pull out all the stops. After a two hour drive we made a "tasting" stop at the fabulous Vermont Country Store with really cool and hard to find stuff that I have not seen since I was a kid. Another two hours and a wrong turn onto Route 100, we arrived at Mountain Top where we checked in had dinner and toasted, Valentina with a Harpoon ROOT beer and I with my own local draft, to another great mom-daughter weekend. We listened to a couple of folksingers play James Taylor and other Irish tunes and since I am now 2 months into "learning the guitar" I watched the chords carefully. "Someday you'll play like that Mom" Valentina says smiling and boosting my guitar spirit. After dinner we took a horse drawn sleigh ride and enjoyed the jacuzzi in our wonderful room with a porch and a snowy white view of the lake and the distant Green Mountains.
On Sunday, we bounded downstairs holding hands and excited for the buffet breakfast with our fellow female skiing friends. We then walked up the hill to The 7th Annual, sold out, New England Women's XC Ski Day, "for women, by women," inspired by similar events in Norway (the Inga Lama) and Alaska (the Anchorage Women's Ski Day).
Event organizers, Olympiad Trina Hosmer, of Stowe, VT, and Anne Donaghy, of Meriden, NH, started this special ski day to share their love of the sport with other women. "To teach women of all skiing abilities the joy of gliding that lies just beyond the plodding walk usually taught to new skiers" said Trina Hosmer, a member of the United States' first women's Olympic XC Ski Team in 1972.
Mountain Top is a beautiful location with well groomed, easy terrain just outside the door of the resort. It was a perfect facility for the extended lunch hour with speakers and a well-stocked raffle table including several items donated by Ciclismo Classico; Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, an avid and accomplished cross-country skier was the featured guest speaker at this delicious lunch, which was included in the $25 registration cost, an amazing deal for an outstanding day of learning, exercise and bonding!
The instructors provide three clinic periods through the day, ranging from Beginner classic or skate technique, Intermediate classic or skate and Uphill/Downhill classic or skate. Valentina and I participated in the intermediate skate clinic and learned a few new tricks about V-1, V-2 and V-2 alternate...does anyone have a V-8? Why didn't they just call these techniques, power stroke, glide stroke and glide and speed stroke?
The instructors (all women) included former Olympic, National team, and collegiate skiers such as JoAnn Hanowski, winner of the Birkiebeiner, Trina Hosmer - first women’s US XC team, 1972 Olympics, Olympiad Leslie Krichko -was in two Olympics, Kathy Maddock a Top Dartmouth Skier, Top Harvard skier, Anna Mcloon, Mary Osgood who started the Dartmouth women’s xc ski team, Amy Patenaude a masters racer and politician, Janice Sibilia -NENSA’s program director and ex bike racer, Liz Stephen -who won at US nationals this year, masters champ Sally Swenson and Cami Thompson -head coach at dartmouth.
What united all of these super women athlete is that they knew how to make skiing fun. An optional, fun 1KM relay took place in the afternoon with prizes for sister-sister, mother-daughter, relative-relative, friend-friend and oldies divisions. Since Valentina opted to sit on the side-lines, I connected with another skier and we raced in the "oldies" division and came in second place, right behind Olympiad and organizer Trina HosmerJoan Benoit Samuelson, what an honor, what a thrill!! I had a moment to talk with Joan who said that she will be starting to bicycle more after her "swan song" and marathon retirement at the 2008 US Women's Olympic Marathon Trials the day before the Boston Marathon on April 20th.
At the end of the day we all raised our poles, let out a HOOT and a cheer for a great day. Ski author and photographer Kris Dobie, who throughout the day captured all the best moments on camera (while on skiis) snapped us all for a final group photo. Every year New England Women's Ski Day also raises money for a local women's charity. This year the event supported the Rutland County Women's Network and Shelter, a non-profit, community-based organization serving victims of domestic violence and sexual violence in Rutland County.
After spending the day learning, bonding and exercising, I got the idea, why not start a Women's Bicycling Day. Ladies in Lycra? Interested? Comment here, let me know & Stay tuned
Thanks Trina, Anne, coaches and Mt Top for a very special day!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Cross Country Skiing at Craftsbury
Over Martin Luther King Weekend my family and I went to one of our favorite cross country ski centers in NE, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, VT. In the heart of Vermont's unspoiled Northeast Kingdom, you'll find some of the finest cross-country skiing in New England. Located on a high rolling plateau, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center often gets more snow than other locations. It also gets mighty cold as it did the weekend we were there but when you are cross country skiing you stay warm even in sub-zero temperatures. We have been coming to Craftsbury for many years, sharing the experience with a handful of friends from Southern Vermont.
The weekend we were there the snow and the conditions were perfect. Fluffy white snow came falling down on my daughter Valentina and I as we skied the 8.0 KM loop around Big Lake Hosmer. She was might proud and kept wanting to keep the lead. One of the great things about Craftsbury is that there are beautifully groomed trails for all ages and abilities. My husband and my 5 year old son Luca opted for the easier open field trails, my Bill Koch racer Valentina likes the rolling trails as well as the oval track where she could practice her skating technique. The entire group of families did a wonderful 7KM group ski along a river to the picture postcard center of Craftbury. The kids and a few parents hopped in Craftsbury's van for a shuttle back, te rest of us got to ski back and log on 15 KM of sking for the day.
I love the long 12Km loops such as Ruthie's Run that get me deep in the woods, gliding, double poling, breathing and reaching my cross country zone. I enjoyed this trail a couple of times with a group of other moms of equal pace and intensity, we all left the kids with the dads as we relished in powdered freedom. The trails are a mix of woods and gorgeous farmland with broad white vistas framed by farmhouses, birch trees, picket fences and the distant green mountains. The track keeps you centered, the landscape opens your heart.
All trails lead back to a simple cross country ski lodge where you can rent equipment and get hot drinks, snack and other simple winter delights. A favorite hang in the evening is the ice skating rink in front of the lodge. If the kids are done skiing and skating the sledding hill is filled with kids making jumps and doing joyful after joyful run. The accommodations are simple and rustic but if you are skiing all day and just want a place to lie your head, you'll be fine!
Like cyclists, cross country skiers get big appetites. Another highlight at Craftsbury Outdoor Center is their delicious healthy buffet offered to guests 3 times a day. Hearty meals such as
zucchini stew, potato pancakes, zucchini quiche and of course a wonderful soup and salad bar keep the troops settled. Homemade deserts are a dream come true. We fill our bellies with the the grateful thought that our bodies are burning more calories than we are consuming. If you are a cyclist and want an excellent cross training sport you can do for life (and that uses every muscle in your body), take up cross country skiing in 2008!
Craftsbury Outdoor Center is the perfect place for families. After skiing, kids love to ice skate or speed down the sledding hil before dinner. They have a wonderful family week during February vacation that is jammed pack with kids activities including scavenger hunts, ice fishing, kids races and tandem skiing ( ski on a ski built for two).
Another popular event at Craftsbury Outdoor Center is the annual Craftsbury Cross Country Ski Marathon. The TD Banknorth Craftsbury Marathon is a point-to-point, classical technique, cross-country ski tour and race starting at Highland Lodge in Greensboro and finishing on Craftsbury Common. There are 25 and 50 kilometer course options that pass through three exquisite Northeast Kingdom upland towns. Local inns and a historic general store provide trail-side food and drink including tasty soups, home baked breads and pastries. One hundred and seventy volunteers located on course provide support and cheer skiers on. The TD Banknorth Craftsbury Marathon is the largest cross-country ski event in the Eastern US and has been proclaimed one of the top ten winter events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce for several years.
Come back to Craftsbury in the summer when you can scull, run or enjoy mountain biking along the same trails that you skied in the winter.
Coming up this weekend, the Craftbury Marathon and Women's Cross Country Ski Day at the gorgeous Mountain Top Inn in Killington
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
New Year's Skiing in Quebec
Happy New Year to all!
My family and I just returned from 6 days of gorgeous snow in Quebec. We stayed at the charming Chalet Montmorency perfectly located minutes from downhill and cross country skiing at Mont Saint Anne. We stayed in a delightful 2 bedroom condo steps away from the pool and hot tub. I skied about 100 km over the 6 days that we were there and being with my family snuggled into this snow heaven was a relaxing reward (and the best gift I could ask for) to a busy holiday season and the perfect conclusion to a wonderful year. While the skiing was pretty great all over the Northeast over the holidays, Quebec is simply a winter wonderland. There is over a three foot base for downhill and perfectly groomed cross country trails. The cross country ski center is hand's down the best place I have ever cross country skied (yet) although I would love to hear about YOUR favorite cross country ski areas as we are planning our February vacation ski week. What are your favorite cross country ski areas in the USA and beyond?
At Mont Saint Anne there are over 200 KM of trails are perfectly groomed for classic and skate skiing and they are long enough and easy to follow so you are not taking out your map at every turn or change in terrain. The trails are varied, gorgeous and perfectly suited to all levels including my 5 year and my own desire to ski 20 KM of intermediate terrain. One of my favorite twisting trails is the 10K ski home to our chalet along a frozen river. I also loved skiing the easier #33 trail with my daughter and friend Eli and stopping along the way to warn our mittens and eat chocolate in heated chalets. It is a nice cross country ski culture and in the lodge and on the trail you will meet many folks from the USA as well as Canadians to practice your French with.
In addition to the amazing snow conditions, we enjoyed a memorable New Year's eve in Quebec's main square. Not only was it New Year's Canadian Style but the city launched it's year long celebration of its 400th year anniversary. Before the big countdown we walked Quebec's quaint historic streets and decked out of the cold into a small restaurant where we had dinner and ice cream sundaes. We did not arrive in the packed piazza until 11:30 PM but we managed to squirm our way to the center stage where we enjoyed the multi-media show. Finally there was the countdown to New Year's in French of course...Buon Annee! It was a wonderful way to kick in the new year...stay tuned for my Blog on my New Year's resolutions which include learning to play the guitar (finally and I mean it), focusing our business more on our cycling core and writing and blogging more.
A few words about cross country skiing and cycling. For those of you who have discovered the joy of cross country skiing, you know that it is the perfect compliment and cross training for cycling. For those of you who have not nordic skied but have always wanted to, why not make learning to cross country ski as one of your 2008 resolutions? Not only is cross country super low-impact, lifetime sport but you burn tons of calories, it is highly aerobic and it works every part of your body, especially the upper body that does not get a lot of work cycling (unless you are climbing lots of hills). If you love being outdoors in the winter, I highly recommend that you take up cross country skiing. Unlike downhill skiing, the equipment investment is minimal ($100-$400) and you can use your cold weather biking clothes! The trail fees are at least 1/4 the cost of downhill: my entire family cross country skied for $49 a day. Like cycling, you only need a couple hours to feel like you have gotten a great workout. I would recommend a couple of lessons to learn the stride and technical basics, then just like cycling, the more you ski, the better you get! You can also learn a lot about this wonderful sport on the web at xcskiworld.com. The hardest part of cross country skiing in the NE is depending on and finding snow.
This year has started out great, although conditions can be touch and go so it is best to enjoy it when you can. In the Boston area, Weston Ski Track actually makes snow so as long as it is cold enough, skiing is only a short drive away. While kids, including one of mine, might opt for the thrill of downhill skiing, cross country skiing is the perfect sport for kids: low impact, inexpensive, easy to learn, few injuries and fun. If you live in the Northeast and you are interested in getting your kids involved with this lifelong sport, check out the Bill Koche League If you live in the Boston area, come visit one a practice of the Eastern Mass Bill Koche Ski Club.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Hefferon/Rugiero Clan travel to Mexico
Our home for the week was a sweet little caban on the beach in Tulum. On first arrival we were taken by the constant rumble of the wind and the soft white sand that met our toes outside our door. My 7 year old daughter exclaimed as she ran in circles waving her arms like a kite, mamma I feel so wild here. Ahhh to see your children in this raw, free state of living is a total joy. Nine year old Lorenzo was taken by the coconuts everywhere and immediately started climbing palm trees (he looked like Mogley in the Jungle Book) to twist them from their branch to the ground and pound them against every hard surface he could find to retrieve the coconut milk inside. Luca, well for him everything is simply a scene from Batman or Starwars so he took his little men and had battles in the colorful hammocks. Once Lorenzo had gloriously discovered how to break the coconut he invited his siblings to quickly drink the precious liquid. All three kids lined up with plastic cups as if to recieve some kind of gift from the gods. "Mom," they exclaimed "we did it, we are getting milk!"
We spent our first morning swimming in the intense warm waves. Later in the day we drove to town had our first Mexican meal and realized that our kids were in for another week of rice, chicken and lemondade the staple that satisfies them wherever we go. I on the other hand, I could not get enough seafood which I enjoyed at almost every meal.
After lunch it was off to the ruins of Tulum. The Mayan gods were right on when they chose these gorgeous cliffs by the sea for locating their kingdom. We roamed this gorgeous archeological site with our guide, who engaged the kids in Tulum's folklore, history and wildlife such as the enormous iguanas everywhere.
The next day it was time for some adventure! Bring on the Cecnotes, underground rivers whose enormous stalagite and stalagmite give the sensation, as you climb down a steel ladder into a dark whole, that you are being swallowed by some enormous being with huge teeth. My kids dressed in life jackets, masks and snorkels did great. Four year old Luca was a real trooper kicking his legs and moving slowly behind our guide.
The real highlight of the experience however was the bumpy ride through the jungle in the back of our guides rickety truck. For my kids it was better than a ride at disney (thus a reminder that the real world can offer more exciting thrills). The other cenote divers on the truck must have felt they were a bit loco as they screamed in joy with every bump.
Of course no kid excursion is quite complete without a popsicle but what Luca was not expecting was that their pet Spider Monkey named Lola would reach through his cage and steal his popsicle right out of his hand. For his sake we trie d to hold back our laughter but when Luca's shocked response turned quickly into an enraged "monkey fit" we all could not help but laugh. Luca learned an important lesson about survival in the jungle: Hold your food close and tight.
From Hidden World Cenotes it was on to an evening in Play di Carmen where we had dinner by the sea, wandered the lively streets and treated Valentina to a full braid experience. It took almost an hour to do her hair but when it was done she had a few dozen braids and looked like a miniature Bo Derek.
The next day we were off the Xcaret, Mexico's overrated Disney World eco park. We went there so the kids could swim with the dolphins which was indeed a thrill but too bad I was "disabled" by the raw fish I had the previous day. Mishap after mishap sunk our spirits. Luckily the evening show of music and ancient Mayan "basketball" match help end the evening a high note.
Our wonderful eco adventure the next day made up for Xcaret. It was to the Sian Ka'an (Maya for "Where the sky is born") which was established as a biosphere reserve in 1986 and incorporated into UNESCO's list of natural world heritage sites in 1987. The Sian Kaan reserve is composed equally of semi evergreen tropical forest, wetlands and savannas, and marine habitat with coral reefs.Sian Ka'an it is home to more than 345 species of birds, including over one million wintering migratory song birds from the U.S. and Canada and the rare Jabiru Stork. We only saw a few birds on our boat trip but the highlight was floating through a tiny river boardered by mangroves.
The next eco tour we took was kind of a Mayan Smorgasbord to the interior where the whole family zip lined through the jungle, rapelled into a cave, kakaked to a Cenote, was blessed by a Shaman, had lunch prepared by Mayan women and finally rode old bikes around Coba, one of the most beautiful Maya ruins. Coba is nestled by Yucatan's thick jungle and surrounded by exquisite lakes nearby, its name means water stirred by wind and started to become a major independent community at the time Roman legions were on their way to building an empire.
For our last day, it was pure relax on the beach in front of our Cabana. Valentina and I made a mermaid sandwoman while Lorenzo and Luca worked on a moat. In the afternoon we headed to Akumal to snorkel in a wonderful coral reef. Our Hollywood bound actor Lorenzo was desperate to see the Oscars (every year we host an Oscar Party) and we just happed to find an elaborate Oscar Party at a restaurant on the Beach in Akumal. A red carpet promenade, betting on the oscar winners, margaritas for mom followed by a large screen viewing of the awards each wall highlighted our final Gringo evening.
