Take advantage of what might be the most reasonable airfares to England in years! New for 2009, Breakaway Adventures delivers our exceptional blend of interest packed cycling routes, gorgeous hotels and great food in the picturesque backroads of England.
Our Wye Valley Cycling Tour introduces the pristine natural beauty of Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys in the Welsh/English borderlands, where watermills and gypsy caravans lie below Iron Age hilltop fortresses.
On our Shropshire Castles Tour, you'll explore the landscape of remote river valleys strewn with the ruins of 2000 years of conflict, where you can picnic on heather moors with views over to Snowdonia.
And you won't even need to brush up on your French (Italian, Spanish...you get the idea).
Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com writes today that "this is an absolutely crazy airfare environment... Several airlines have dropped their prices below $500 for round trip flights to Moscow. No, not Moscow, Idaho ...I'm talking Russia".
Want to escape the winter blahs? Get a jump start on spring with big savings on any April departure of our walking and cycling holidays (subject to availability). Just book and pay in full by the end of February – then get packing!
Airfares are typically cheap this time of year, which is traditionally the slowest period for travel. What’s news is the number of carriers slashing prices on tickets for flights in the spring and even early summer.
We saw this article in the Star-Telegram noting that many international destinations are on sale even for flights departing in June. If you are planning on travel to Europe, move quickly! Once sales are advertised only about 20 percent of the seats on any particular flight will be discounted.
It’s the first rainy day since I arrived in Spain. My cab driver speaks a little English, enough to assure me that she will navigate the winding, narrow road carefully back to Malaga. The one hour journey is a reminder of all I’ve seen over the last week, pristine white villages and locals strolling the streets, even Pepi on his new donkey. (Our guide knows him well. Pepi is 75 years old and lost his beloved donkey 2 weeks ago. The fear was that we would not replace him and go into his own decline. So, hope lives!).
Malaga is a fairly large city, I discover as we wind the residential, city and then old village streets to the train station. This will be my first of several train journeys as I make my way to Seville and then Madrid. The purchasing of a ticket is a bit challenging – given that nothing is in English and no one speaks English. Remember to ask for a ticket “for today” and get in the line for “Immediate departure”!
I board the train, which is very nice and roomy. The train “attendants” give you earphones for the on ride movie. I’m ecstatic to find that the movie (Fracture with Anthony Hopkins) is in English with Spanish subtitles! Wonderful for a person a bit starved for the English language. Too bad I get off in only 1 hour.
Cordoba is fantastic! Even though it sputters and rains (not enough really even for an umbrella) the streets are great for exploring – cobbled, winding, narrow and filled with shops, cafes and historical sights. My hotel, El Conquistador, is positioned right ON the Moorish temple wall - the Mezquita. Couldn’t be any better for access to everything and sets the tone for a mysteriously, exotic evening!
My self-guided walking tour starts at a café and pastry shop I spied on the way in by taxi. As it is now 3 pm, I need time to check out the city map and plan the next 3 hours. The main attractions are definitely the Roman bridge over the Quadalquivir River and aqueduct. It looks like an ancient artifact, and almost glows with some aura.
The problem with being on two feet is, if you miss a turn, you might end up walking an extra mile or two – not insignificant. My strategy to look more like a resident than a tourist fails (this means I don’t consult a guide book and map) when I get lost. No worries though, I finally decide to pull out the map and find I’m WAY, WAY, WAY going the wrong way. With some effort I make it back to the Jewish Quarter - the Juderia (lots of cobbled streets lined with interesting shops and restaurants). Passing a nougat store (a delicious candy made with almonds) I consider buying some to eat on the spot – as a tactic to avoid weight gain – I decide to come back later (bad decision, as I never have the energy left to do this). Lesson: don’t pass up these types of things. If my husband had been with me, we would have been right in there stocking up with a years supply.
Finally back at the room. It is sooo modern and fabulous. Even a sitting area with two little velvet settees face to face over a glass topped coffee table. I wander out for dinner and end up in the “3 columns” restaurant around the corner (some guy handed me a flyer earlier in the day, so I wrongly think they are sincere about serving up nice food). I’m the only one there and this is not a good thing as the meal is mediocre at best. The columns sort of overwhelm me (the lighting is dim too) - should have gone to the Middle Eastern looking casaba type restaurant next door – but as I leave I notice no one is there either. Probably just too early (8 pm) or the economic meltdown has hit Cordoba too.
Day 3 I’m a bit toasted; opt today for the 1 boot (easier) option. This means I can relax for a couple of hours before heading out. The pool is inviting, until I dip my toe in – feels like ice water. But, I’m thinking that my muscles are sore and my joints are swollen, so this could be the equivalent of a whole body cold pack. It takes me 15 minutes to slowly immerse myself, but then it feels quite nice and I swim for awhile and then dry in the sun. I feel like I’m at a Swedish spa having some kind of treatment! Today’s hike takes us up 30 minutes by 4-wheel vehicle to the start point of the ancient silk route, used to transport the silkworm cocoons from Competa to Granada (the mule tracks actually extend all the way to China). We start at a stunning overlook over the peaks of the Sierra Almijara – you can see right out over the shores of the Mediterranean and maybe even to the ridge of the North African Rif Mountains on a clear day. We take a picnic lunch at abandoned ruins of what was once a mountain lodge frequented by silk traders – you can almost imagine the clinking of wine glasses and smell of roast pork on an open pit. After lunch, it’s a fragrant (dense with pine, wild fennel and lavender) and exhilarating walk – mostly ridge walking, just a short section of steep, rocky uphill. Andrew keeps an eye out for big birds – and he finally rewards us with a sighting of a large group of griffon vultures (3 ft wing spans) spiraling over the ridge. We arrive at the dirt road for our final 2 hour downhill stretch. One sighting of a group of ibex (mountain goats) keeps us looking for more as we continue on what seems like a very long end of the day (the last 2 hours are always the hardest!) We stream into the hotel in small groups and have an hour of so to shower and relax before a special guest chef serves dinner. Dinner starts with a wonderful selection of tapas (salad with smoked salmon and avocado, toast with baked goat cheese, spicy skewered shrimp, and stuffed pasta). No worries about leaving room for the main course, I’ll plenty hungry! This is followed by an Andalucian lamb specialty served with potatoes and fresh vegetables. Dessert is the piece de resistance – almond cakes served with a delicious homemade vanilla & honey ice cream. Very sad this is my last night with the group, but tomorrow I’m off to Cordoba! P. S. I've hopefully solicted the services of a "ghost writer" for the remainder of the walks - stay tuned for our special guest (aspiring stand up comedian).
Today is a warm up day - The Three Villages Walk – we’re expecting a 6 mile walk, but the elevation changes could make that seem a lot longer. The weather so far has been ideal, warm (say 75 F) in the daytime but cooling off quite a bit at night. We start out right from the hotel with a moderate uphill climb (I’m a bit worried, as I’m out of breath in 10 minutes) but then we quickly head down through olives and almonds to the village of Archez, famous for its beautiful decorated Madéjar church.
Stopping mid morning for a coffee, Andrew relates a surprisingly huge knowledge of the history of the region, dating back to the Phoenician, Roman and Moorish rules. It quickly becomes apparent that he is somewhat of a Renaissance man – working as a mountain guide part time and an artist the remainder of the year. His knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region is only surpassed by his enthusiasm. My initial concerns about the difficulty of the walk evaporate, as he paces the group and stops frequently to point out herbs (wild thyme and rosemary) and fruit (avocado and pomegranate) and we taste our way through the countryside.
It’s then a climb on past terraced hillsides to the pretty white village of Còmpeta with the backdrop of the Sierra de Tejeda. We stop in the village square (dominated by the 16C church – stunning views to the Mediterranean) for a tapas lunch at picture postcard pretty outdoor café dotted with blue umbrellas. As long as they keep bringing the food, I’ll keep eating it! Love this way of leisurely snacking – a few bites at a time for an hour or so.
It does take a bit of dedication to keep going, although Andrew has promised a long, flat and steady mule track across to the village of Canillas de Albaida. We pass locals riding donkeys along with their produce on packs and old women dressed entirely in black (a tradition for widows). The mountain irrigation system is extensive (Roman origins) and we get a chance to fill our water bottles with sparkling, crystal clear water from the aqueduct.
Canillas is charming, with winding narrow, tiled downhill alleys past flower filled verandas and heavy wooden doors. As we reach the outskirts of the village we are serenaded by the lively dialog of an African grey parrot (check out the video, yes! it is a parrot).
On our final stretch (the Hotel Finca is so close, but SO far away) is completely downhill and then a strenuous zig zag straight uphill. We arrive around 5pm, ready for a hot shower and late afternoon rest before another fabulous dinner (at a local restaurant in Compèta). By now, we’ve bonded as a group, so the discussion is lively (US politics dominates – seems everyone worldwide is following the soap opera) and the wine is free flowing!
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