WHAT DID WE DO IN UMBRIA FOR 5 DAYS???

Day 1 We all met at Heathrow Terminal 5 and were suitably impressed, especially as luggage gets to the same destination as you do!! We were met at Rome by Gerry fom Alba Travel who was brilliant throughout the 5 days. Werner also joined us for most of the tour. A Belgian relocated to Umbria for over 20 years he provided information on a level I would not thought possible. Probably because I have little or no memory at all so Werners extraordinary voluminous knowledge was remarked on by the whole group in awe. Our 2 minicoach drivers were Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (only faster!!!!) and frayed nerves were overcome with a light lunch in Orvieto with some excellent local white wine and a tour of the extraordinary cellars, only recently discovered after literally thousands of years having been walled up in Romantimes. We then had a guided tour of Orvieto  Located high on a volcanic plug of rock, Orvieto was one of the twelve-strong federation of Etruscan cities. These days it’s an attractive town, despite the dark volcanic tufa stone with which it is largely constructed, and it has an undeniably superb setting. The main attraction however is the Duomo, one of the greatest Gothic buildings in Italy – described by Burckhardt as "the greatest and richest polychrome monument in the world" the facade is breathtaking: a riot of columns, spires, bas-reliefs, sculptures, colossal doorways, and all with an almost overpowering use of colour. Inside the highlight is Signorelli’s fresco cycle, The Last Judgement, in a chapel at the end of the south nave. We then went in terrible weather to visit Monte Castello di Vibio’s 'smallest theatre in the world' where a presentation was given and we enjoyed a glass of prosecco sparkling wine. The most prestigious building in the small town of Monte Castello di Vibio is undoubtedly the Teatro della Concordia, started in 1808 by some local families while the town was under Napoleonic occupation. We then checked into the hotel in, which was our base for 2 nights, you will receive a bottle of local wine per room, compliments of Simply Groups, before we had dinner at the local and brilliant restaurant.
Day 2 After breakfast and in beautiful weather, we visited Deruta ceramics, Italy's most renowned centre forceramics and majolica production where we had a factory visit with a guided presentation. The town of Deruta is almost entirely devoted to ceramics – some pieces are so big you need a trailer to transport them, and some are tiny, but most pieces are simply beautiful – hand-made, hand-painted, and, by common consent, Italy’s finest. From here we went to Madonna dei Bagni a very curious church and certainly worth a look. Its walls are covered with hundreds of votive tiles left by pilgrims over three hundred years, giving occasional wacky insights into the pecularities of religious belief. The most amusing are those offered as gratitude for miraculous escapes – a fall from a cow, or a bite from a donkey and a favourite, falling out of olive trees after a liquid lunch!!. We took lunch in Torgiano at the Ristorante Siro/Al Grappolo D’Oro after which we went to Torgiano for a wine tasting and Wine Museum visit. The remainder of the afternoon was spent in Perugia. We had planned a visit to a chocolate facotry, but there were so many children there we decided to dedicate more time to Perugia.  Perugia is Umbria’s provincial capital and it’s centre is still characteristically medieval. Notable sights in the centre are the Piazza IV Novembre in which there is the Fontana Maggiore, as well as the enormous Palazzo dei Priori, often described as one of the greatest public palaces in Italy. We had a guided visit to the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria is included which has one of the finest and largest collections of medieval and Renaissance paintings. This evening we sampled food from Umbria
Day 3 After breakfast we checked out and headed up the Valnerina, or Valley of the River Nera. This is the most beautiful part of Umbria, and it encompasses the whole of the eastern part of the region. It is an area of high mountains, steep wooded valleys, upland villages and even wolves that still roam the summit ridges, a genuine forgotten corner of Italy. We visit the Piano Grande, an extraordinary prairie surrounded by bare whaleback mountains and stretching uninterrupted with trees, hedges and other flora for mile upon mile. It is much photographed, especially in Spring when it is ablaze with poppies and the film director Zeffirelli even used it as one of his backdrops. We didnt get to see the spring flowers in this amazing plateau because there was still a couple of metres of snow, so we threw snowballs at each other and took some memorable photos Before lunch we had a hilarious pasta making lesson, which Brenda, Tony and David I am sure will remember!! Lunch was at a quite amazing hotel where we were joined by the owner and our pasta instructor turned out to be the 1* Michelin chef who cooked us a emmorable lunch. Walled Norcia is a very pleasant mountain retreat noted as the birthplace of St Benedict and also as Italy’s top producer of salami. We had a little free time after lunch to explore and wander around the shops of Norcia, searching for Balsamic syrup for Brenda, which was a recurring theme throughout the next few days!!! We checked into our 2nd hotel of the tour, the 4 star Hotel dei Duchi in central Spoleto, our base for 2 nights.
Day 4 After breakfast we had a guided visit of the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi. Assisi is well-known largely thanks to St Francis, Italy’s premier saint and founder of the Franciscan order, the world’s biggest order. The Basilica of St Francis is undoubtedly one of the greatest monuments of Italian art of the 13th and 14th centuries. But there’s certainly more to Assisi: the Oratorio dei Pellegrini, a 15th century hospice for pilgrims (free admission); the Temple of Minerva, a perfectly preserved classical facade from the 1st century; the 13th century Duomo with a lovely three-tiered Umbrian facade and much more. The Basilica of St Francis is simply Umbria’s single greatest glory – it has one of the most overwhelming collections of art, outside a gallery, anywhere in the world. It is split into two parts, the Upper Church and the Lower Church and people usually start with Giotto in the Upper Church, a fabulous airy vehicle for showing off his dazzling fescoes on the life of St Francis. The low-lit vaults of the Lower Church were designed to create a mood of calm and meditative introspection, an effect added to by the brown-robed monks and ban on photography (note!). Frescoes cover almost every available space and span a century of continuous artistic development by Cavallini, Cimabue, Martini and Lorenzetti (the latter two from the best of the Sienese School). St Francis himself is buried here in the crypt. A light lunch (hahahahahaha more like a heavy lunch) was enjoyed here before we spent the rest of the afternoon on a guided walking tour of Spoleto. Spoleto is an intimate medieval city, many of its streets are narrow and it is not uncommon for many buildings’ magnificent facades to be visible on one street level, yet they back on to a lower or higher street level – this is the case with the Municipal Offices, the Palazzo Rosari-Spada and the Palazzo della Signoria. The Fortress (visible for miles around) and the Tower Bridge are the focal points of this charming city. More searching for Balsamic syrup!!!
Day 5 We checked out of the hotel after breakfast and travelled north to where we hoped to spend some time in the highly pubicised Farmers Market, Italian style in Marsciano.! Erm however, to Gerry's horor the market had never really taken off with the local farmers so we had a bit of a laugh at his expense and moved swiftly on to Todi, which is one of Umbria’s best-known & stunning hill-towns. The Piazza del Popolo is widely held to be the most perfect medieval piazza in Italy, which is why most people visit this town. Lunch for most of us was taken together in a brilliant local restaurant before before we returned to Rome (at a more liesurely pace!!!) for the return flight to the UK, arriving back later this evening. I then drove back to Yorkshire with Brenda and Brenda with MY balsamic syrup that I founf in the Airport (sorry Brenda!)

WHAT HAPPENNED ON OUR LINCOLNSHIRE & THE EAST MIDLANDS FAMILIARISATION TOUR???

On Day 1 At the crack of dawn I drove from Ilkley to Huddersfield to collect Brenda and Brenda (great). We got on like a house on fire and poor old Brenda half way down tot he meting point realised that she had on only one sock!! We met Ron from Eurorider at a service station along with the rest of the group, who he had picked up along the way from the south coast. To everyone's horror, I had not forgotten my joke book, and the groans were nearly audible over the constant stream of joke telling. The first visit was to Nortnampton and 78 Derngate a unique house which was remodelled in 1916-17 by renowned Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Northampton businessman Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke. We had the most amazing light lunch, which consisted of the best soup we had ever tasted. After which we had a guided tour included the adjoining property, number 80, which has been transformed from a small Georgian terrace into a modern gallery. We departed and made our way to the hotel for dinner.
On Day 2 we departed from the hotel after a hearty cooked breakfast to our first point of call which was Wollaton Hall. Designed by Robert Smythson and built by Sir Francis Willoughby between 1580 and 1588, Wollaton is now home to a natural history museum. We were met by 2 costumed guides who gave us a comprehensive insight into the history of the hall from top to bottom. Top being the roof!!! Be warned, the stairs can be very tricky for those not very fit. BUT, our gang managed to bravely struggle to the top where we enjoyed some stunning views. There was also a televised cross country event in the grounds that day to add to the excitement! From here we continued on to Kedleston Hall, now managed by the National Trust which is a classical Palladian mansion built for the Curzon family between 1759 and 1765.  A light lunch was included at Kedlesdon before we visited to Bolsover Castle. We were met here by our 2 guides who provided the most amazing guided tour that was (for me) a highlight. They brought the building and it's history to life in a humourous, interesting way punctuated by cameos where our guides acted out scenarios from life at Bolsover back in the 12th century.
Day 3 We took our glad rags with us because we were to dine at the stunning Belvoir Castle this evening before returning to the hotel. So, on a bright and  breezy morning we visited the fascinating Newark Air Museum located on part of the former World War Two airfield of Winthorpe. We had a guided tour, which we all thoroughly enjoyed, hearing about the history of the collection and stories about individual exhibits. A hot drink was welcomed because, despite the lovely clear skies there was a biting wind. We then traveled on to Doddington Hall a much loved family home which has never been sold, since it was built in 1595 by Robert Smythson, one of England’s foremost Elizabethan architects. The lady of the house showed us around and gavce us an insight into the families ancestry and history of the old house. It was a superb tour and one on a very personal level as this is a working household. We were invited to have a light lunch in Doddington's cafe, whcih again was a superb home-made soup and crusty bread. From here it was on to Lincoln City where some of us braved the short rain storm, and others were dropped in town to explore. On arrival at Belvoir we were joined by Shauna and Kathryn from the office and met by the Dukes equerry, who gave us a brilliant tour of the castly. He also related stories about the recent filming of 'The Young Victoria' where Belvoir was used extensively for interior scenes. Dinner was a grand affair with local fayre, wine aplenty and speeches with prizes (some from Anne Summers!!!!!)
Day 4 hWe checked out of the hotel after another hearty cooked breakfast and then we stopped at Melton Mowbray for a visit and pork pie demonstration at Dickinson & Morris’s "Olde Pork Pie Shoppe" who have been making traditional pork pies since 1851. Of course, and despite the nice breakfast, we all tried the pies and most bought something too. We continueed on to Bosworth Battlefield, where we had a guided tour of the new interactive exhibition and Ambion Parva Medieval village.
We had great weater, superb jokes and quizzes throughout and all in all, we enjoyed a varied and comprehensive tour of the East Midlands.

THE DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG MARCH 2008

Day 1 Depart from your pick up point and travel to take the short channel crossing and on to your hotel in Vianden.
Day 2 -There is a hoice today of what you might like to do depending on your preference. Either you can visit the Military History Museum in Diekirch followed by a little free time in Vianden OR you may want to visit  with an included guided tour followed by free time in Vianden. Dependent on the weather you may be able to take a chairlift across the gorge to the panoramic restaurant but this cannot be confirmed at present. You will take lunch at the hotel Petry today before we continue onto medieval Bourscheid Castle which is located on an isolated promontory, accessible only from the north-west, 150m above the level of the river Sûre and 370m above sea level. Even today the ruins testify of an impressive fortification and it is surrounded by a massive ring wall with 11 watchtowers. Bourscheid is an excellent example of the medieval castle tradition. After a brief visit here we continue on to Wiltz where we start with a guided visit to the National Brewery & Tannery Museum. which is located in the Castle`s former stables. In the Brewery Museum is a mini brewery that was installed in 2001 by the Simon Brewery & Georges Pauly, a local tanner, founded the famous Simon Brewery in Wiltz in 1824, and the traditional recipe for Simon Pils has been passed down through the generations. The exhibits in the Tannery Museum illustrate the history of bygone local tanneries. You will of course get to try the local brew before we continue onto the Gardens of Wiltz which is a 2.5 hectare public garden which was created and is maintained by local disabled and unemployed people, participants in temporary workshops, crafts people and artists. Resistance is a central theme for the Jardin de Wiltz and it does not represent the wholesome domestic bliss of an allotment garden, but is rather a place that offers new insight into people and their role within society. We return to the hotel where dinner is included this evening at the hotel.
Day 3 - Travel to Luxembourg for a guided city tour which will give you a unique picture of the history of this little Grand-Duchy and the journey through the past, as you travel through the valleys and ramparts of the city. A You will have free time afterwards in the city, which prompted UNESCO to feature Luxembourg in the ‘World Heritage list in 1994. For centuries the city was one of the strongest fortresses in Europe and many of the relics have remained intact. Lunch is included today at a local restaurant before we continue with a visit to the famous chocolate maker, Oberweis, where divided into small groups you will be given a tour and of course a tasting of their wonderful confectionary. We finish the day with a cruise on the Marie Astride on the Moselle river before returning to the hotel for dinner for a typical Steengrill meal. There will be an evening of music tonight at the hotel for everyone’s enjoyment.
Day 4 - This morning we start the day with a guided tour of 'Little Switzerland' otherwise known as the Muellerthal. This is a very picturesque area and we will be visiting some of the prettiest villages in northern Luxembourg (some walking involved). This tour will finish in Echternach, the capital of the region, which is a beautiful medieval and historic town famous for it’s imposing Basilica as well as the world famous "Dancing Procession". The basilica houses Saint Willibrord’s white marble sarcophagus, he was a Northumbrian monk who brought Christianity to the region in around 700AD. Lunch is included in Echternach before we return to the hotel to freshen ready for your final 2 visits today. The Caves St Martin have for more than 75 years been synonymous with the most romatic wine cellars on the Luxembourg Moselle. The sheer endless majestic vaults of the cellars and galleries hewn into solid rock, are bound to impress themselves indelibly on our visitors' memory. Since Roman times, the best wines were made right here, in the Moselle valley. "Caves St Martin" continues this tradition of highest quality, for all still and sparkling wines. You will have a guided tour and tasting here before we continue onto our dinner venue this evening, This castle is in such beautiful condition today, thanks to 20 years of restoration by the Luxembourgish state which bought the castle in 1968. Today it is used to house arts and crafts production & has a lovely restaurant. We return to the hotel late this evening.
Day 5 - We depart after breakfast and re-trace our steps as we head northwards, stopping en route in the Belgian Ardennes town of Namur for lunch (payable locally) and some free time before continuing onto Calais for your early evening crossing back to the UK and onwards to your original departure point.

ROYAL KRAKOW, PIESKOWA, AUSCHWITZ BIRKENAU

Day 1 I flew out a day early with some of our office staff but met the group at the airport the following day. It was a very wet and cold day but the group were in good spirits. Our guide joined us at the airport and we set off for the city. Our first port of call was the Kazimierz district and we braved the conditions to walk around this beautiful area of the city. We visited many of the sites where Steven Spielberg filmed the memorable 'Schindlers List'. The hotel Colombus was a welcome haven after a wet walking tour. It is 3 star, small, privately owned but beautifully renovated to an extremely high standard and the staff and food are excellent. It is about a 15 minute walk into the city centre but a very straightforward and pleasant stroll.

Day 2 After a superb breakfast we set off on a walking tour of Royal Krakow. The weather was not perfect but at least it had stopped raining. We took in all the stunning palaces and places of interest in the city. On arrival in the city square I decide that a 'gluh wine' was required and this seemed to go down well (perhaps too well!!!) Thyere was some free time after the walking outr before we met up in the evening for dinner at a local restaurant. Now I shall refrain frmo mentioning the ladies name, but the evening ended on a hilarious note. You know the old song 'oh dear what can the matter be, three old ladies stuck in a lavatory'? Well we had one youngish (for the sake of diplomacy) lady stuck in the lavatory!!! After much heaving and banging we managed to free, she who shal remain nameless. I wont mention the injury I sustained as I am a hardy soul from 'up t' north'!

Day 3 It was the salt mines for us and whilst it sound very depressing, we were completely amazed at the scale of the Wieliczka Salt Mines underground wonderland. Lunch was superb at a local restaurant followed by visits to Niepolomice and Pieskowa castles. Dinner was at a traditional countryside restaurant where we had been advised to try a local hot beer!!! On this issue of hot beer, our advice is, if you do visit Poland, give tHe hot beer a miss. We like our warm beer in the UK but hot beer - NO.

Day 4 I am not sure how to say I was looking forward to today because it is not the right way to describe a visit to Auschwitz Birkenau. To say this is an emotional few hours is an understatement. I think may of us had a quiet tear and there was little conversation during our guided tour. Fitting considering our desperate surroundings. If anyone tries to put you off going, dont listen, Everyone should go. The weather had cleared up and it was a stunningly beautiful day, but about minus 10 degrees, which made the visit all the more stark. We let the group loose on the Krakow xmas markets for the afternoon before our final dinner at the Ariel restaurant in the Jewish quarter. (Apparently Spielberg's favourite restaurant) We were treated to a musical feast as well as excelent food, despite the moody service!!

Day 5 No visit to Poland would have been complete without a visit to the most popular Pope's home town. Now, we had suffered from day 1 rain, day 2 fog and drizzle, day 3 cloud and day 4 azure skies and freezing, but no on eprepared us for a foot of fresh snow!!! But it made the visits look like a fairyland and our final lunch was quite superb before the return to the airport.
I would like to thank the group for a great few days and to the pleasure of your and your groups company in Krakow in 2008.

LAKE BALATON & HEVIZ

Day 1 We met at Stansted airport quite early on June 12th to check in with Ryan Air. Many of the group, including me had travelled to a hotel near the airport the night before. The incoming plane had a fault and we all expected the worst, but the very bright pilot simply packed up his things and walked to the nearest Ryan Air plane, got on and asked us to move 10 gates and 'come on down', which we did, very quickly!! We were still delayed by about an hour but the flight was uneventful and very short, just a couple of hours. We were met by Andi at the airport at Balaton, which was an old Russian built military base converted (very nicely) into a modern, but small provincial airport.Andi is our representative in Hungary who stayed with us for the week. Her knowledge of the region was something to behold and she had every visit, guided tour, excursion planned to the finest detail. She had planned everything in advance with Shauna from Simply Groups who had been taken around the region with Andi to dot the 'i's and cross the 't's a few weeks in advance of our visit and this detailed planning showed in the operation.
Our driver was John, who, whilst not speaking much (if any) English was a brilliant driver, helpful, courteous and an excellent driver of a nice, air conditioned and modern coach. We were originally to visit Keszthely and Festetics Palace, however, due tot he late arrival we went straight to Badascony, a volcalic hill on the lake shore and famous for it's wines. We had an adventurours ride up the hill in what can only be described as ex U.S. Army jeeps to the restaurant and wine cellars where we tasted some lovely wine. After we were a little more relaxed we enjoyed a lovely lunch of typical Hungarian fayre. A lake cruise was next on the agenda and a lovely and more relaxing way to see the views could not have been imagined. Our last visit today was to the village of Salfold, and the Nature Conservation Farmstead where local and rare farm species are protected. There are also well preserved examples of life on a typical Hungarian farm down the ages with farm equipment and farming techniques on display. A horse and carriage ride through the countryside followed and despite the heat (30 degrees+) everyone had a lovely afternoon. Our hotel was the Annabella, on the shores of the lake and we had time to relax a little and have a swim in the lovely pool before dinner this evening.

Day2 This morning we had a little free time to enjoy our surroundings as well as keep cool in the pool before we had a lovely funicular train ride of the Balatonfured in the glorious sunshine with a liesurely walk back through the pretty lake side park to the hotel. After short coffee break we boarded the coach for the brief journey to Tihany, which we could see from the hotel on the peninsular. The Tihany peninsular was given the status of Nature Reserve back in 1955 to protect the many rare species and flora and fauna. Perched on the summit is the famous and historic Benedictine monastery, which was established as the burial place of the Hungarian Royal Family since 1055. The monastery also houses many historic artefacts as well as the first written record of the Hungarian language. It was nice and cool in the monastery but outside the temperature was soaring and after a short walk through the lovely shaded grounds we arrived at our restaurant, a local tavern called Fogas Csarda, where a lovely and traditional lunch was provided. It was here that some of the group (they know who they are!!) began to show their true colours and became a little frisky when the local Hungarian traditional band started to play some old favourites. The hits just kept on coming and I was half expecting some of the group to get up and have a dance, but sadly they restrained themselves to singing along and applauding appropriately. Sadly we had to leave Tihany and re-boarded the coach for the short journey to Herend and the world famous porcelain factory. On arrival at Herend the impressive building was  prepared for our visit and the guide gave us a superb  tour of the factory where we took in all the aspects of the process and watched the skilled workmen and women at their craft. The quality of craftsmanship and of the product impressed everyone and there was a bit of a rush for the factory shop with credit cards being waved! There was a beautiful coffee and cake cafe on site and we were welcomed by the staff who presented everyone with tea, coffee and a selection of magnificent home made cakes, which needless to say went down very well! We left Herend and the Porcelain factory for the beautiful and historic town of Vesprem. We parked quite close to the centre and walked through the old town with Andi who gave us a comprehensive talk about the history of the town. The raised viewpoint in the town centre gave us a spectacular view over the lower part of the town and surrounding region. We returned to the hotel to freshen up before we had a lovely evening of wine tasting and dinner at a local restaurant. A short walk from the coach to the cellars of St Donat, or a taxi for those who required it was taken and St Donat provided us with lovely views over the lake and the wine was of course quite superb and well received. One of us (who will remain nameless) tried to use a slightly larger glass (normally for spitting out the wine!!!!) but a quick booing from the group put this insurgency down! Dinner was at Lucifer restaurant which was on the outskirts of Balatonfured. Dinner was cooking in a massive pot over an open fire when we arrived and the owner welcomed us with a glass of firewater, or Palinka as it is known in Hungary. We were in high spirits, which no amount of local mosquitos could dampen and we had a wonderful evening with some highly amusing after dinner games!! There was no shortage of voulenteers for the highly embarrassing games and cucumbers, grapes and wine were in plentiful supply (this section has to be censored due to the sensitivities of the group!!!!).

Day 3. We had to check out this morning to our next 2 night hotel, which was in Hevis, a world famous health spa resort. En-route we had the opportunity to visit Tapolca, where volcanic activity thousands of years ago created an underground labyrinth of caves and waterways. It was once again boiling hot but on entering the caves we were soon cooled down by the lovely atmosphere. We had been warned that we would be travelling through the caves in twin seat self propelled rowing boats!! But it was great fun and we paddled, pushed and grappled our way through the cave system with much laughter and awe. A refreshment was in desperate need and we walked into Tapolca centre where there was a lovely lake, waterwheel and pleasant cafe where ice creams and a few beers were had. Sumeg and lunch beckoned and the restaurant had decided to dine us outside in the cooling breeze and in the shade where we were treated to a fabulous 'goulash' and local desert. The restaurant also hosts jousting and medieval tournaments that attract visitors from all over the world and during the guided tour we discovered that not only do the jousting tournaments take place in the spectacular outdoor arena but also in the massive cellars underneath the restaurant. It was onwards and upwards, literally, as those prepared to sweat a little took the walk to the top of Sumeg castle, whilst the more sensible took the taxis. Sumeg was one of the highlights for me, with the medieval castle dominating the surrounding countryside and amazing views from the battlements. We ad a little time to walk around the ramparts before we boarded the coach and travelled the short distance to Heviz. We passed the outdoor spa lake where visitors from all over Europe take in the sulphourous pool waters and health treatments. The Helios Anna Hotel was quite simply, wonderful. We were welcomed by the staff and after checking in we were invited to join the manager (in swimming costumes and dressing gowns) in reception for a guided tour of the hotel and its facilities. I have to say that the indoor sulphour spa pool was a little (lot) smelly but the facilities were wonderful with a large sparkling swimming pool in beautifully manicured gardens. We were about to take the plunge but, and the were no exceptions, we had to wear a bathing cap. As no one had one we had to use the plastic ones supplied, so there went everyones street cred!! We did look daft but like all good Brits we took it on the chin and had a jolly good laugh. We were welcomed into the restaurant by the manageress who gave us a little presentation and some champagne, which was, like all the wine tastings well received and dinner was lovely.

Day 4 Oh the embarrassment of yet another aqua aerobics session in a spa pool. My mind was cast back to Egger on the fam trip to Budapest last year when I was doing aqua aerobics in a plastic hat. The therapy for that had just finished and now I was faced with another plastic hat session. We all met in reception like criminals awaiting sentencing and marched off to the smell pool. But after the initial shock I, we were pleasantly surprised and our aqua aerobics instructor certainly didn't hold back and put us through a quite rigorous session! Suitably refreshed we had a lovely breakfast and boarded the funicular train that took us on a morning ride around the pretty town of Heviz. We were deposited at the spa pool and walked through the magnificent gardens to the entrance where the group enjoyed the health spa for an hour or two. I, on the other hand had been making notes on the activities of the group over the last few days and went into town to buy some appropriate and funny presents for the group. The afternoons leisure activity (swimming & sunbathing or resting) was punctuated by a massage with one of the hotel's excellent masseuse. It was a first for me and truly a wonderful experience which everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy. We met once again feeling refreshed in the hotel reception in our glad rags for the short coach journey to Keszthely where we were expected at Bacchus for a wine tasting and gala dinner. On arrival we were welcomed and taken for a wine tasting in the cellars. Our somnellier gave us an interesting talk on local wines and we had the opportunity to sample some of the wines, which is always well received!! The meal was excellent and the atmosphere even better with humorous banter and raucous laughter heard throughout the evening. I had been planning the speech/presentation for some time and tried to incorporate much of what we had done during the few days as well as single out a few 'interesting' characters who had left their mark on the party. I told s few of the remaining jokes that I had in my joke book and presented a few gifts as well as something that would remind each person of the tour. The thing I chose had to be, of course, the swimming hat, which had been the cause of so much hilarity. I knew that this one gift would encapsulate the great fun that we had all had during the tour and I got the impression that it was quite well received!!!
Day 5 Sadly we had to leave Heviz this morning, but I still managed to get in a last early morning dip at 07.00hrs (no one else was there from our group although there were lots of Germans). We departed for Keszthely and Festetics Palace, which we had to miss out on on the first day due to the delay. On arrival in Keszthely we parked outside the main gates, where security was extremely tight due to an American film team who were filming about the life of the 2nd American president. Some little known actor, a Tom Hanks, was in the starring role but we declined his requests to meet us (as if!!!!) and we took a slightly restricted tour of the Palace. The sections not closed for filming left us with an impression of Hungary's more grand history. The library was quite extraordinary and it was a shame that we could not see everything, but the group organisers said that this was a must on their itineraries for when they returned with their groups. We also visited the recently renovated stables, which now house a fascinating collection of carriages dating back many centuries. From here we had a little time in the pretty town centre of Kesthely for last minute shopping and a light meal before we returned to the airport to catch our flight back to Stansted.

In conclusion I would like to thank each and every one of the group for participating and making the familiarisation tour a great success. We have already done several quotations and hope to introduce many more groups to Balaton and Heviz in the coming years.

THE RHINE CRUISE 15.11.06

This tour was for small groups and individuals that departed on November 15th and the group travelled out by coach joining the M.V. Virginia in Cologne. The first impression of the boat was that it was extremely well maintained, very comfortable and the staff were all wearing santa hats, smiling and were extremely friendly and helpful.

The cabins were spotlessly clean and comfortable each had private en-suite facilities (shower, toilet and hand basin) and there was a tv with satelite channels. The main lounge area was very spacious, beautifully furnished with a dance area and lovely bar. The views from here were superb and it is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the passing scenery.

Dinner was served in the dining room, which is at eye level with the water line and took a little time to get used to. However, the food was absolutely brilliant. A well thought out menu with something for everyone. We were informed that if the menu, posted each morning on the notice board, was not to our liking we could ask the purser to inform the chef, who would provide an alternative.

Day 2 We set sail to Konigswinter on a crystal clear cloudless morning. It soon became obviousthat this was a superb way to see the Rhine in a warm, friendly and comfortable environment. No traffic, no getting on and off a coach just slow gentle meandering down this fascinating waterway. Kongigswinter is a small but pleasant town with the main feature being the dominating Drachenfels Castle. We took the wonderful funicular railway to the top and the views were breathtaking. The leaves were still on the trees and the colours were stunning.

Day 3 We departed from Konigswinter for Koblenz where, after lunch we were met by our guide Hans. He was absolutely brilliant. Not too formal, lovely sense of humour and a fascinating insight into the history of the city with a smattering of jokes thrown in.

Day 4 It was back to Cologne where we had the afternoon to explore the city. Everyone made a 'b' line for the stunning cathedral and then the shops.

In conclusion this was a wonderful tour. A super boat with a fantastic compliment of staff, excellent food and great excursions.

MEMORABLE PHOTOS

For a few years some of our more risque' group tour organisers have requested this image to be placed on the web site. It was taken in Eger in Hungary on our first familiarisation tour to Hungary at the spa town of Eger. We a steaming sulpher bath and aqua aerobics, which I have to admit to being press ganged into joining in!!

Yet another embarassing (for me) moment at the Helios Hotel in the world famous health spa of Hevis on our fam trip to Balaton and Budapest. Another aqua aerobics session in an extremely smelly sulphuric pool. I am sure it did us all good but the outdoor pool in the glorious sunshine was a more attractive option.