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Exotic Escape: China Jul 05

Exotic Escape: China
Just a quick glimpse of cruise tours available with the Yangzte River. Uniworld is a boutique river cruise line.
http://youtu.be/H4RyCu66SgI
Contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
travel expert & escape artist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Category: Asia, Cruises, River Cruises  | Comments off
Wildlife Safari Cruise Jul 03

Wildlife Safaris
Get up close & personal. The Chobe River cruise can be done in conjunction with a safari in South Africa, Kenya or Tanzania in East Africa.
photo courtesy of AmaWaterways

Savute Elephant Camp

Roughing It
The staterooms on the Zambezi Queen are as elegant & comfortable as are the safari camps & lodges used on the land segments
photo of Kampana Lodge courtesy of AmaWaterways

kapama-river-lodge-family-room

Urban Jungle
Both Cape Town & Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa can be added to the Chobe River cruise in Botswana as extensions.
photo of Cape Town courtesy of AmaWaterways

Cape Town, South Africa (3)

Hear the Roar
Not the sound of wildlife but the constant rush of water.
Can you name these world-famous falls in southern Africa?
If you are traveling all this way, this side trip is well worth it!
photo courtesy of AmaWaterways

Victoria Falls (2)

Answer: Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world, considered to be the largest waterfall in the world, between Zimbabwe & Zambia in southern Africa.

Category: Africa, River Cruises  | Comments off
Exotic Escape: Africa Jul 02

Exotic Escape: Africa
A Trip of a Lifetime!
Do you have a sense of adventure? a love of nature & wildlife? an appreciation for upscale travel? Many avid world travelers consider an African Safari to be the ultimate travel experience.
Did you know it can be combined with other land segments & a river cruise?

Game Drive with Cheetah Sightings (2)

The Zambezi Queen
An even smaller, more luxurious river cruise vessel sailing the Chobe River in Botswana. Would you like to experience Southern Africa this way with only 28 travelers? Sounds good to me!
photo courtesy of AmaWaterways

Zambezi Queen (2)

Al Fresco
The open air lounge area on the Zambezi Queen offers great views
photo courtesy of AmaWaterways

ZQ-Restaurant-DiningRoom(3)
Contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
travel expert & escape artist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Category: Africa, River Cruises, South Africa  | Comments off
Exotic Escape: Egypt Jul 01

Exotic Escape: Egypt
Did you know you can cruise the Nile River?
BTW, Uniworld is a boutique river cruise line

Contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
travel expert & escape artist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Category: Africa, Cruises, Egypt, River Cruises  | Comments off
Exotic Escape: River Cruises Jun 26

FAQ: Are there river cruises in other parts of the world?
Yes! On the Nile River in Egypt & the Chobe River in Botswana, Africa. The Amazon River in Brazil, South America. The Yangzte River in China & Mekong River in Southeast Asia.
Are YOU intrigued by any of these exotic choices?

Vietnam(2)

Contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
travel expert & escape artist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Category: Africa, Asia, Cruises, River Cruises  | Comments off
Celebrate the Season Jun 25

holiday marketsCelebrate the Season
Ever feel nostalgic about the traditional holidays of yesteryear?
The Christmas Markets in Eastern Europe always receive rave reviews. These are special sailings on the Danube & Rhine Rivers in late November & December. Contact me for more details.
photo courtesy of AmaWaterways

Contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
travel expert & escape artist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Category: Cruises, Europe  | Tags: , , ,  | Comments off
Gourmet Getaways Jun 24

Gourmet Getaway: Germany
Vineyards of the Rhine & Moselle
This is a food & wine cruise tour beginning with a few nights in Paris, followed by a 7-night cruise on the Rhine & Moselle Rivers in Germany, finally ending in Amsterdam. photo of castle along the Rhine courtesy of AmaWaterways

castle along the Rhine (2)

Gourmet Getaway: Italy
There is a brand-new culinary cruise tour starting in Venice with a 7 night cruise on the Po River followed by a 5 night land tour to Florence & Rome with guided sightseeing & hotel stays.

Venice, Italy

Gourmet Getaway: Portugal & Spain
A 7 night cruise on the Douro River through Portugal can be combined with pre or post stays in Lisbon, Portugal & Madrid, Spain.
photo of Porto, Portugal courtesy of AmaWaterways

Porto (2)

Not Created Equal
The river cruise experience is fairly similar but the 5 river cruise lines that sail in Europe are NOT. As travelers you have many choices. It’s important that you be matched with the one(s) that best meet your needs. Contact me to discuss different options.

Contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
travel expert & escape artist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Au Revoir Jun 21

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Au Revoir
We bid farewell to the staff & our home for the last week. Tomorrow we take an overland transfer to Barcelona, Spain for more sightseeing . . . and more food & wine – tapas & cava!
left to right: hotel director, assistant captain, captain, moi, cruise director

For more delicious details, contact:
Jacintha Perera, culinary escape artist
Gourmet Getaways, a division of
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597

Category: Europe, France  | Comments off
A Movable Feast Jun 20
Serve It Up A member of one team carefully portions out the soup as others do the same with their items.
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A Movable Feast
Food & wine were all carried next door to the adjacent bistro,  owned & operated by our culinary host, Chef Julien. A cute little place to have lunch. What do you think?
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We enjoyed a private happy hour – with more wine  -before strolling back through town to our ship at our leisure.

For more delicious details, contact:
Jacintha Perera, culinary escape artist
Gourmet Getaways, a division of
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597

Category: Europe, Food & Wine, France, General Travel, Gourmet Getaway  | Comments off
Let’s Get Cooking Jun 19

Mis en Place
We are at Le Studio de Cabestan, a cooking school, in Avignon. Everything stands ready for our small group visit this afternoon.

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Let’s Get Cooking
Chef Julien Cabestan quickly assigned tasks to participants in this hands on experience, beginning with some basic prep work for our menu of Provencal appetizers.

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Collaboration
Here, he discusses the ingredients while demonstrating technique for a smooth brondade. Would YOU rather participate or spectate?
Notice that glasses of local rose has been offered to everyone during the cooking process What’s in your kitchen?

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Cuisinart
Chef Julien checks the ingredients & the equipment for our fresh gazpacho before he rotates through the culinary teams again to discuss plating & finishing touches.

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For more delicious details, contact:
Jacintha Perera, culinary escape artist
Gourmet Getaways, a division of
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597

Category: Europe, Food & Wine, France, General Travel, Gourmet Getaway  | Comments off