Cox & Kings, The Americas - Travel Journeys

French Wine Country - by Laurel Schmidt

This morning dawned brisk, cloudy, gloves-and-wool-scarf cold.  By we were on the road just as the sun rose and the full moon set over the river. Destination: the wine country of Alsace, France.

Our first stop was the town of Obernai, surrounded by a thick wall with crenellated watch towers. Passing through the gates, we wandered through a warren of narrow streets lined with the best examples of half timber architecture I have ever seen---block after block of narrow two-story houses all dressed up for Christmas. Green boughs with red berries and raffia straw on doorways, windows and high on the eaves of the roof. The bakeries are in full swing, producing special cookies for Christmas and loaves and loaves of stollen. Just standing in the doorway and breathing in is a gastronomic event. At the top of the town was a beautiful Romanesque church with a huge graveyard. Each grave site was groomed with a degree of care usually reserved for formal gardens or new car showrooms.

The next stop was a tiny village in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains across the Rhine valley from the Black Forest. The hillsides are dedicated vineyards, but that means nearly horizontal farming. Some are terraced but in other areas the rows of grapevines just run straight up a very steep incline. It looks like it tough work from start to finish, but the people here are very proud of their wines. We were invited into boutique winery and enjoyed a taste of three different white wines in a cavernous subterranean room. The winery has been in the same family for three generations and their philosophy is simple and refreshing. They have a small amount of land. They make good wine and sell all of it to private customers. There’s no impulse to get bigger or capture more of the market. When it’s harvest time, family members, friends and relatives go out and pick the grapes. No machines. No strangers. It is truly handmade, homemade wine. Winemaking on this scale seems like an honorable life close to nature.

Icelandair Launches Denver Service with Trip Giveaway

April 30, 2012 10:50 PM
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Icelandair will start nonstop service between Iceland and Denver and is publicizing it by giving away a trip a day, every day, beginning May 7. For clues, you can “like” Icelandair on Facebook and “follow” Icelandair on Twitter to receive clues about where that day’s tickets are hidden as well as the password for the day. The first person to arrive at the location and reveal the password will win a trip to Iceland or one of over 20 Icelandair destinations in Europe.

Icelandair will hand out other prizes during the day, including gift certificates for travel on Icelandair, T-shirts and other Icelandair merchandise. Icelandair will also have additional prizes and awards for those who help spread the word by sharing on Facebook and re-tweeting with the hashtag, #DENGiveaway.

Ethiopian Airlines Pilots Complete Training for 787 Dreamliner

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 30, 2012 – Ethiopian Airlines, the first airline to operate the 787 in Africa, has completed training on the 787 Dreamliner for its first team of pilots at the Boeing Flight Services campus located at Gatwick, London. The second and third teams are scheduled for upcoming 787 training in the same facility.

“This is an important milestone in the history of Ethiopian Airlines,” said Captain Desta Zeru, Senior Vice President of Flight Operations for Ethiopian Airlines. “Our pilots are now qualified as the first African pilots to fly the 787.”

“The 787 is planned to be a key part of our service from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to our hub in Addis Abba, Ethiopia (ADD),” said Kagnew Asfaw, Director of Sales & Services for the Americas. “The introduction of the 787 will enhance the onboard experience that we provide to North American travelers. It also will position Addis Ababa as the most convenient hub to get to Africa from the U.S. and Europe.”

The Boeing 787 flight-training program uses an innovative suite of training devices including a full-flight simulator, flight training device and desktop simulation station to ensure that pilots are ready to fly the Dreamliner.

New schedule links Ethiopia to Seychelles

New direct flights on Ethiopian Airlines will connect Addis Ababa to Seychelles four times a week - Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The flight is about 4 hours long and makes Addis one of only three direct routes to Seychelles from the African continent. Combine our Ethiopia and Seychelles private journeys easily with this new flight - call Yvonne Whitcomb at 1-800-999-1758 for more information.

Nibbling in Vienna - by Laurel Schmidt

Our last day in Vienna was a real gift. The sun came out and it was the first time we’d seen the play of light and shadows on the beautiful old cathedral domes or palaces.  So we decided to stay outside as much as possible to take advantage of the break in the clouds. We started the day at the open-air 'Naschmarkt' located near the Kettenbrücke Bridge. This ‘nibble’ market is nirvana for foodies, a treat for the eyes and a playground for photographers.

There are over 170 stalls that look like little houses set in a double row that runs for blocks. They open each morning and the shopkeepers set out the freshest, most beautiful fruits and vegetables. Huge beets, lovely green cauliflower with delicate spikes like a sea creature, peppers, olives and baby carrots. There were cheese vendors displaying wheels of cheese that would take two men to move. Next to the spice merchants was a wonderful stand where a man sold vinegars all made from fruit — like fig, apricot and raspberry vinegar. He used a huge wooden barrel as a table and set out shot shot glasses so you could taste all you want. A few stalls down was where the bread lived — its yeasty aroma hijacking your nose and dragging you in for yet another ‘nibble. You could gain three pounds just by looking.

The meat vendors had all the usual cuts of pork but I was fascinated by the geese, ducks and whole rabbits — feet, head, teeth--only the hop was missing. One man was selling soup and as we walked by he would lift the lid on the pot and fan the aroma toward you. Now that's a good salesman. Lots of oysters on beds of ice and huge fish of a type I’ve never seen before — all so fresh. After the shoppers make their selection, the fish is handed over to the fishmonger for a good cleaning. He knew what he was doing because the scales flew like snowflakes in a stiff wind.

Back-to-back with the market stalls are a row of restaurants so you can shop and eat, shop and eat. What could be better? These are lovely places with white table cloths and bottles of wine and the daily menu written on a chalkboard. And here’s something charming. They have tables outdoors so you can dine and enjoy the bustle of the market. But in honor of the season each chair has a blanket hung over the back to keep you warm. It’s so hospitable and cozy — Vienna at its best.

The Art Scene in Prague - by Laurel Schmidt

Spectacular weather — blue skies all day but cool enough for jackets and gloves. My favorite! We started the day on Kampa Island, one of the most peaceful areas in the center of Prague, just a short walk from the Charles Bridge but a world away. The houses ringing the island date from the 17th century and the park is a haven for strollers. Even now at the end of November it’s dappled with sun and a few brave souls are stretched out, savoring the last bit of autumn.

Perched on the edge of the river is the Museum Kampa, with a stunning collection of Central European modern art. The building itself is a flour mill from the thirteen hundreds, renovated to provide views of the river from every room. The grace and light of the galleries frame some of the most touching art you will see in Europe — paintings and sculpture created by dissident artists during the communist occupation. A huge network of underground artists toiled in secrecy and fear, capturing the anonymity of soviet life, the terror of interrogation rooms, the isolation. In one corner stands a group of five life-size figures, their forms reduced to rough brown shells of burlap, their identities erased except for individual gestures of submission.  It’s sobering to think how these artists kept their creativity and spirits alive while oppressed and cut off from the outside world.

Across town was the visual anti-dote to the Kampa exhibit — After Velvet — art created after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when the Czechs won their freedom. The museum itself was an old town house with four floors, so sometimes you had to stoop to enter a gallery or climb a spiral staircase to reach the next room. The paintings, drawings and sculptures used the latest technology and vivid colors to capture the intoxication of freedom and a global awareness. A very sweet touch and a charming contrast to the cutting-edge art was provided by the gallery attendants — tiny grandmothers knitting as they waited to greet visitors to their space.

National Geographic has selected Cox & Kings' "Primates & Birding" itinerary for its list of 50 Tours of a Lifetime!

http://www.coxandkingsusa.com/travel-destinations/africa/luxury-group/congo-sao-tome-principe-safari.html

The Portal to Prague - by Laurel Schmidt

Arriving in the old section of Prague from the railway station was like taking a magic tramcar through a portal into the 13th century. With a nine-hour time difference, sleeping is a game of tricking yourself into believing in the darkness but insomnia has never been so beautiful. Our 700-year-old building sits at the end of the Charles Bridge. From one window we can see all 500 yards of its graceful marble and niches sheltering saints from every era. Another window frames is a narrow cobble-stoned street lined with a butcher shop, deli, wine store and lots of lively patrons. Church bells toll in the near silence.

In the morning light the bridge is already lively with artists setting up easels and kiosks displaying their wares. But we head up toward the castle. The streets scaling the hill are cobbled canyons so narrow that cars have to hold their breath to squeeze through. Buildings from the 11^th century stand shoulder-to-shoulder on both sides, without the infill of modern architecture that can feel so jarring in other cities. The houses are a riot of color, five or six stories high, each with unique windows, gables and names over the doorway. Even the sidewalks are cobbled in lovely geometric designs, and low arched doorways lead to secret gardens and courtyards set with tables for a sunny lunch.

The castle is really a walled city of palaces, art museums, government ministries and several amazing churches all clustered high above the city—the largest coherent castle complex in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s worth the trek just for the amazing view, the ritual changing of the guard and my favorite---the small kiosk selling mulled wine, a seasonal favorite. Crowning the hill is St. Vitus Cathedral—a six-hundred-year building project.  Soaring gothic ceiling and beautiful fresco paintings along with Hapsburg sarcophagi and acres of stained glass. Quite amazing but so cold you could hang meat in there. Warming our hands around our cups of wine, we criss-crossed down the back side of the hill through vineyards and cottages, all the while keeping our eye on the sunset spilling into the river.

The city is an architectural splendor but there are still tiny reminders of the old communist city I knew in the sixties. Public toilets are scarce and zealously guarded by women who look as if they just abandoned their plow or cows to dash in and harass patrons. They collect a few coins and then issue a scant amount of paper of the type you could find at a hardware store labeled sand paper/fine. All of this is accompanied with vigorous scolds if you don’t have proper change or present a large bill but according to my Czech friend, Jana, its all part of the show. And what a grand show Prague is.

Cox & Kings in the Press for Seychelles

Journalist Abby Ellin worked with Cox & Kings' Africa Destination Manager, Megan Bryant, on a story for Seychelles, highlighting many of the points we make for this fabulous destination:  it's outside of the cyclone belt, distinctly African, beautifully temperate and far more than a pretty beach... read the Global Traveler article here.

For more on Seychelles, see our website or contact Megan at megan.bryant@coxandkingsusa.com or 1-800-999-1758.

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue Island, Seychelles

BABY ELEPHANT BORN AT ABU CAMP – IT’S A GIRL!

Wilderness Collection, December 2011 – Abu Camp, located in Botswana’s pristine Okavango Delta, is proud to announce that Shireni, one of the Camp’s leading elephants, gave birth to her third surviving calf, a healthy female, at 10:05 pm on the 17th December. Measuring approximately 90cm at the shoulder and weighing about 242.5 lbs, the new-born stood on her own feet, wobbling, within 20 minutes. The elephant handlers have named her Warona, the SeTswana name meaning ‘For Us’.

Reaching up to her mother, Warona suckled properly for the first time at 7:00 the next morning, 10 hours after the birth, and now takes short naps of 5-10 minutes. Closely watched over by her doting big brother, Abu Junior, the new-born calf is already showing signs of playfulness. Both Warona and Shireni are doing well, along with the other elephants that form the Abu herd. This new member brings the number of the Abu herd to seven elephants.

Shireni was brought to Abu Camp as part of the original ‘Brat Pack Girls’ of young elephants saved from a culling operation in the ‘Sirheni’ area of Kruger National Park. The father is believed to be a wild bull or Mthondo, one of several elephants successfully reintroduced from the Abu herd into the elephant paradise of the Okavango Delta. Earlier this year, the Camp released Gika and her eight-year-old calf Naya together; they are adapting well to their natural home, roaming and mingling with wild elephants and another previously released elephant, Nandipa, who now has two calves of her own. A total of nine elephants have been released from the Abu herd, under the full support of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Abu Camp takes its name from the Arabic word meaning ‘all things to do with elephants’. The birth of Warona ends off a thrilling 2011, which saw the opening of the newly refurbished camp, together with exciting new initiatives within Abu Camp’s elephant program. The elephant experience is being supervised by San Diego Zoo Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Dr. Mike Chase, together with the support of Wild Horizons, a company with a strong history in high quality elephant interaction activities.

The elephant program is complemented by the reputation of Wilderness Safaris, Africa’s leading ecotourism operator that now manages the camp through its brand, the Wilderness Collection. The cornerstone of this new initiative involves Elephants Without Borders establishing a field research station in the Abu Concession. This happy moment overlaps with an ambitious new program which is devoted to the highest standards in elephant welfare, scientific research and meaningful guest experiences.

Warona will provide hours of fascination and enjoyment to visitors of Abu Camp, allowing them the rare opportunity to interact with a family group of elephants in one of Africa’s best wilderness areas: the Okavango Delta.

Visit Abu Camp on any of our Botswana Private Journeys, or contact Africa Destination Manager Megan Bryant at megan.bryant@coxandkingsusa.com or 1-800-999-1758.

Cox & Kings, The Americas October 2011 E-Newsletter is here!

http://coxandkingsusa.com/offers/NLB102811/NLB102811CR.html

Cox & Kings, The Americas - October 2011 E-Newsletter is here!

http://coxandkingsusa.com/offers/NLB102811/NLB102811CR.html