by S. Ryan Edgar, Hannawa Falls, NY
I grew up in a small town, and the closest I had come to adventure was living vicariously through friends. But my college graduation trip to Europe was going to change that!
Walking in the shadow of Mt. Blanc is a powerful experience. Intense effort is rewarded by spectacular scenery. Words cannot do it justice. How do you describe heaven?
by Dee Poujade, Portland, OR
During a trip to Portugal, Nov. 5-14, 2008 (July ’09, pg. 15), my husband, Kip, and I visited Madeira for some hiking and sightseeing.
by Rosemary McDaniel, Trenton, FL
by Wendy Schatz, Bellevue, WA
My wife, Eva, and I took the 4-day/3-night “Queen Charlotte Track” tour from Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company (London Quay, Picton, New Zealand; phone +64 3 573 6078, fax 573 8827, www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz), and we highly recommend this company.
They offer hiking, biking and sea kayaking trips a half day to five days long — great service, organization, guides and facilities. Our hiking trip, Dec. 27-30, 2007, cost US$1,000 each, all-inclusive.
My wife and I, both experienced world travelers, transferred through the Frankfurt, Germany, airport en route from Los Angeles to Lithuania and back in July ’08. We found landing at Terminal 1 and transferring to Terminal 2 (and vice versa) extremely difficult to accomplish.
There was construction going on in much of the area, and though my wife speaks German and could read all the signs (some of which were in English), they were confusing and not adequate. In addition, the distance between terminals was enormous.
Usually there are only a few times on a trip when I need my hiking pole, but when I need one I REALLY need it, i.e., when fording a rocky stream or climbing down steps of uneven heights.
As my husband, Manley, and I are somewhat limited physically, we wanted to see as much of Bhutan as possible but without a lot of physical demands. For a 15-day tour that we took with a friend, April 21-May 6, 2007, we used the superb services of Blue Poppy Tours & Treks (24 Lonsdale Sq., London N1 1EN, U.K.; phone 020 7700 3084 or fax 7609 2029… and Box 1296, Thimphu, Bhutan; phone 00 975 2 333540, fax 333541, www.bluepoppybhutan.com).