Vodka On The Vistula

Save up your zlotys to plunge into Poland, a bit off the beaten Euro path and very Old World.  Exeter International will escort you for 8 days on a tour that has won the National Geographic esteemed status “50 Trips of a Lifetime.”  The itinerary is split between the capital, Warsaw, and Krakow, both straddling the Vistula, the longest river in the country.  Both cities are rich in UNESCO World Heritage medieval sites including the Warsaw Old Town center and Kraków’s Old Town Square, home to about six thousand historic sites and fine examples of Renaissance, Baroque and Goth architecture. There will also be a guided visit to the eternally tragic memorial of Auschwitz.

Top stops will include a visit in Lomianki village to a private family nalewki distillery –killer local herbal vodka.  If you recover from this pit stop the one to a glass factory will be a breeze. Get your hands full of flour in a local restaurant during a private Pierogi-making lesson — this national dish is a half-moon dumpling stuffed with minced pork, onions, cottage cheese and secret seasonings. And thrill to a Chopin concert under the stars.

Exeter is offering two in-depth Poland trips in 2012 – both priced at $4,675 (land only, double basis): July 6 – July 13 and September 7-14.  Should you happen to be in the ‘hood — Berlin, Prague, Budapest or Vienna — this Poland trip would make for an exceptional offbeat add-on.

For the full itinerary or more details, click on www.exeterinternational.com or call them in Florida at (800) 633-1008.

Whitewater Rafting in Bosnia

“Bosnia Three Rivers” is one wild and wet way to experience a relatively an as-yet untrodden country. Part of Yugoslavia until it gained independence in 1992, Bosnia is a fresh, new and exciting country to explore.

Solo travel adventurists, get out your paddles and jump in with O.A.R.S., one of the world’s premier whitewater rafting outfitters and sign up for one of their two 9-day trips being offered in August, 2012. Bosnia is spectacularly situated in a rich culturally convergent mix on the Balkan Peninsula, with Croatia to the north, Serbia to the east and Montenegro to the southeast.  Quite a neighborhood.

Over the course of 3 rafting days, the glorious white waters will be those of the Tara, the Vrbas and the pristine Neretva Rivers, and if you’ve never heard of them – all the more exciting. Tour Sarajevo (often called the Jerusalem of Eastern Europe), a cosmopolitan European city with a unique Eastern twist and get some awesome hiking under your boots.

National Geographic Traveler Magazine applauds this O.A.R.S.’ trip as one of their “50 Tours of a Lifetime” — most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours of 2012. California-based O.A.R.S. has set the standard in first-class rafting, sea kayaking and multi-sport vacations, with destinations and unparalleled experiences on over 35 rivers and coastlines of the world since 1969.

The two August departures are August 12 and 21 and well-priced at $2990 per person (double occ.)   Click on: www.oars.com or call 1-800-346-6277.