Here’s the fourth and final installment in my round-up of the ways that we’re tweaking our tours to maximize experience in 2010: I believe that because our Best of the Adriatic tour is heavy on coastal towns, we end up rushing the powerful side-trip into Bosnia-Herzegovina, and don’t go into Montenegro at all. For me, Mostar is a highlight, and a trip into Montenegro would be touristic bushwhacking — which is a big part of what ETBD is all about. But you just can’t offer and sell a tour to Croatia without visiting the fabled Dalmatian Islands. As our itinerary stands now, we sail, have a long stop in Hvar, and spend two nights and an easy day (like a “vacation from our vacation”) in Korcula. Then, after a long day driving, we arrive in Mostar after lunch, and have the rest of the day there. We leave Mostar the next morning for an exciting drive through the relatively wild and completely untouristed Serb part of Bosnia-Herzegovina to get to Dubrovnik.
My sales staff weighed in on this, reminding me that if we add two days to the tour, it will be much more difficult to sell. (Tour length is a critical part of the sales decision-making process.) Given that this tour can’t be longer than two weeks and still sell well in here in the country with the shortest vacations in the rich world (USA), we agreed that for now there was no way to smartly extend the time in Mostar, and that Montenegro isn’t worth cutting existing stops out. I’m still frustrated with this, but we’ll have to go with our existing plan for 2010.
When our Germany, Austria, and Switzerland tour guides reported that a spa visit in Baden-Baden was no longer a part of our itinerary, I was disappointed. To me, Americans are childishly prudish when it comes to enjoying baths in Europe where the dress code is just a towel. This prudishness gets stronger (and makes more sense to me) when the Americans would be getting naked not just with a bunch of European strangers, but with fellow members of their own tour group…including tour buddies of the opposite sex. Much as I wish all Americans could experience the baths in a German spa resort, I finally agreed with my guides that you just can’t build it in as a group activity. So, while I encouraged the guides to recommend this experience, taking the spa is something people will have the option to do on their free time in Baden-Baden (likely sneaking in at a time when they expect nobody else from their group will be there).
Also in Germany, Trier is a fine stop, but I had a problem with giving it nearly a day and a half at the expense of the nearby Mosel River (which hosts my favorite castle, Burg Eltz, and the vineyard tranquility and river-town charm that many dream of — but never find — along the Rhine). So, in Trier, we decided to cut into a leisurely free day to create itinerary space for a long and beautiful day exploring the Mosel River. For 2010, we’ll drive up the meandering river, skip Cochem but have lunch in sleepy little Beilstein (where I go to convalesce when really fried with my work in Europe), then tour Burg Eltz, before catching the autobahn back to Trier in time for dinner.
In Vienna, Art Nouveau sights are trendy. But I learned that the consequence of our guides’ passion for Vienna’s organic and leafy architecture was that the Habsburg palace visit became a “free time option.” (Free time is vital for a good tour. But I’m skeptical about relegating great sights to “free time options,” as they often get beat out by easier, lighter activities — like shopping, laundry, and snoozing.) I may just be the world’s biggest Habsburg fan, and this was their capital for centuries, making Vienna the eastern rival of Paris in Europe. The Habsburgs had two palaces that attempt to outdo Versailles: Schönbrunn and the Hofburg. While Schönbrunn, the summer palace in a gilded park on the edge of town, is the most visually striking from the exterior, the Hofburg — right in the town center and an easy walk from other tour activities — is just as splendid on the inside and comes with a gob-smacking treasury, Vienna Boy’s Choir lore, and the Spanish Riding School. In 2010, we will do the Hofburg justice, and let Art Nouveau (whoever he is) just deal with it.
I am fascinated that British travelers make a virtual pilgrimage to France’s Dordogne to celebrate the force-feeding of the geese and, once the geese are slaughtered, to eat their huge and tasty livers — and yet, many Americans think the whole process should be outlawed. Few American anti-foie gras activists consider actually visiting a goose farm to talk with the owner and hang around for meal time (never much of a wait) to see the forced feeding. I have a favorite goose farm where our tour members could actually witness la gavage, as pulling the goose’s neck up and filling its belly with corn is called (the process reminds me of transferring cereal from one box to another). Our French guides were all for the visit, but when considering our itinerary, being there during hours the farm is formally welcoming the public would rush our Dordogne River canoe trip. I enjoy the canoe experience even more than a Mr. Rogers-type visit to a goose farm. I encouraged my staff to keep the canoe time sacred and beg the farmers — for the love of goose-liver pâté — to let us visit outside of regular hours. If that doesn’t work, we’ll visit an alternate farm, and have both wonderful French experiences as part of our tours in 2010.
Surveying all these changes, I’m satisfied that our 2010 tour will be more experience-packed than ever. I hope you’ll agree.
I LOVE foie gras and someday will make my own pilgrimage to a Goose farm in France. Interestingly, my captcha is “nibbling.” I’d love to be nibbling on a rich foie gras while sipping an excellent wine…
I used to travel to Germany on business and although my last trip there was a pleasure trip about four years ago I’m sure the bath experience is pretty much the same in Baden-Baden as it is in Bad Homburg – some of the locals wear swim suits, others nothing at all. It is a bit awkward so I kept my trunks on but nobody seemed to care one way or the other. It’s a personal thing. There is a lot of “gingerbread” in Vienna if you like that kind of thing. For me, Vienna’s palaces and gardens begin to run together and that includes that other monument to excess, Versailles. Montenegro is a place I will research(tourist bush-whacking?)so that we can decide whether to go there before or after touring the other places mentioned. Burg Eltz is worth the 20 minute walk from the parking lot – it takes you back to days of yore and gore. The Mosel is also fun but watch out for tipsy bicycle riders and try not to become one yourself.
This sort of reminds me of people who say that water boarding is not torture. Lets see Rick have his neck held up and have his belly filled with corn. Its only like moving cereal from one box to another.
Learn anatomy, Goose /= Human.
I like Trier but I agree it is not worth a day and half. I wish you would bring back St. Goar — my favorite. The Mosel is so gorgeous. The baths in Baden-Baden were optional when I took the GAS tour. I didn’t partake but I think I missed a great experience according to my fellow travelers. The casino tour was something that could have been skipped and I’m not sure it is even included now. Vienna — so much to see and do. You should add the ferris wheel – I didn’t make it in my free time as we got caught up in the art museums which are fantastic.
One of the things that resonates with me as I read these blogs is that Rick Steves’ tours are not for everybody and I give him credit for reminding people of that. The hotels are not always acceptable, the togetherness is sometimes onerous, the agenda is too rigorous for some and not active enough for others, a guide who was stupendous six trips ago is now jaded and appears to be bored, some tours really don’t include a “wow” moment, the food ranges from excellent to too much to too long to too salty etc. As a restless traveler, I like to pick my own poison – stay somewhere longer, leave quicker. But RS does have some outstanding guides and destinations. You really have to ask yourself why you are traveling, what are you searching for, is the view worth the climb?
Beilstein & Burg Eltz make a GREAT day! Did that very thing on our trip a couple of summers ago.
Just a note here about the Vienna experience. When I was on the Berlin/Prague/Vienna tour a few years ago (a trip which we LOVED and would do all over again given unlimited time & money), the thing we noticed was that the Schonnbrun palace exterior was much nicer than the interior. The interior tour trapped you in an audiotour that you couldn’t speed up, so you spent far too much time inside and not enough outside at the gardens. I rather wished we had been offered the choice of whether to do the inside or outside part of the palace; we didn’t know how long the inside tour took.
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Rick, Please don’t “cinque terre” the Mosel!!
Rick, Please don’t “cinque terre” the Mosel!! +1!
Well Rick just take your own advise I have read over and over. Don’t travel to a country and think it is going to be the last. You can’t see everything on one visit. We have always applied that to our travels and we really enjoy spending the quality time instead of running from place to place and getting nothing out of it.
Rick, Please don’t “cinque terre” the Mosel!!
There is no doubt that we all want our little piece of the world all to ourselves (relatively speaking) so when RS promotes a region it is positive for business but not for us as individuals. After our visit on our own to Vernazza, Italy (cinque terre)and encountering all the American tourists there in May plus an RS tour, we realized we would have been better off staying in La Spezia 25 minutes away and taking the train between all the other towns including Vernazza. That way I could also have avoided driving the narrow, twisty, vertiginous road leading into Vernazza (so narrow, I had to collapse the side view mirrors on our rental car to get past another coming the opposite way.)
please i beg of you don’t patronize farms that force feed geese. The geese suffer tremendously as you would and can hardly walk with their distended liver. I am not a vegetarian but do believe fodder from living animals should be produced as humanely as possible.
Hi! For anyone interested in taking a virtual tour of one of Prague’s other treasures – it’s doors, please visit my blog where every day I post a new door that I have come across during my walks around this city (I live here). Prague has hundreds and hundreds of interesting doors..some are beautiful but terribly sad due to use and abuse, many are incredibly rich and well-loved and admired then there is a whole group that falls in between. If you start looking, you might get hooked on door hunting like I have. I would enjoy any comments anyone has. Enjoy your travels, where ever you go! Cat
Cat I would love to visit your blog, how do I get there?
In Vienna, another alternate ‘palace experience’ is the Belvedere Palace (upper and lower, which are separated by a garden). It is located just off the Ringstrasse on Rennweg, just beyond Schwartzenberg Platz; easily reachable by strassenbahn (streetcar). This was Prince Eugen’s palace and houses art, most notibly work by Gustav Klimt.