Dear Fellow Travelers:

I am very excited to announce the upcoming departure of what I believe is the most exciting and exhilarating tour in Insight's Blue Book catalog. This is not just your father's European tour, but an adventure in itself calling at such off-the-tourist-map places as Tirana, Albania; Ohrid and Skopje, Macedonia (FYROM); and Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. Then of course we will also explore the magnificent Croatian coastline, better known as Dalmatian Riviera, the surprisingly cosmopolitan city of Zagreb, and of course imperial Vienna. The grand finale will be the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the bustling metropolis of Istanbul, former Byzantium and Constantinople.

Having the great honor to be your fearless leader on this tour, I am currently busy preparing the final details, arranging optional excursions and querying my local contacts about upcoming events and the latest stories.

Here are few words of wisdom I would like to share with you in preparation for this tour:

- Prior to departing your home country, please check and double-check if you have all the entry visas required in your passport (depending on your nationality these may include Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania). Visas for Turkey are available for purchase (for prices please check with your local consulate!) at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, or can be obtained at your local Turkish embassy or consulate.

- As far as packing is concerned, temperatures will still be warm and pleasant, but especially in the beginning of the tour evenings and nights are already getting cooler, so bring a jacket, windbreaker or coat.

- Make sure to bring at least one pair of good, comfy walking shoes. A lot of the towns are best explored on foot, and that often entails cobblestoned lanes, and stairs (making for a great workout as well!).

- If you are planning to bring a digital camera (I will show you the best photo spots, of course!), bring an extra memory card and batteries as these are often difficult to come by south of Croatia.

- When it comes to money, I suggest to bring your ATM or bank card, but please advise your bank in advance that you will be making withdrawals abroad. In addition, I highly recommend to bring approx. EUR 500 per person in cash, and break larger bills in Vienna. The Euro is widely accepted in the countries of Southeastern Europe, but you will need smaller change and coins (think toilet stops!)

- Most important, travel with and open mind, add a dash of flexibility, a sense of adventure and the desire to blast new trails, and you will be rewarded with memories to last a lifetime!

On a footnote: our Viennse Gala Concert optional excursion, a brilliant mix of 18th century (Mozart) and 19th century (Strauss) music, paired with an expertly choreographed ballet performance and opera singing, will be offered on the night of your arrival (Aug. 30). Space at this extremely popular venue is very limited, and if you wish to attend I will need to know at your earliest convenience.

That being said, I very much look forward to welcoming you at the Vienna Hilton Stadtpark Hotel on Sunday, August 30. We are going to congregate at 6:00pm on the Mezzanine floor ("M-1" in the elevator) for drinks and a brief orientation. In the meantime, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Bernhard

P.S.: I will also be leading the subsequent reverse "E973 GOLDEN EXPLORER" from Istanbul to Vienna, starting September 13. Most of the things I talked about in this previous post also apply to the Golden Explorer, and I look very much forward to hearing from those of you booked on that departure!

Bernhard

ISTANBUL -- Last, but not least, a suggestion for those of you enjoying pools and spas: our hotel "Barcelo Topkapi Eresin" in Istanbul has a wonderful pool & turkish bath spa area. If you are planning to take advantage of this facility, please bring your bathing suit and a bath cap (required for the pool); if you don't have one, caps are for sale directly at the pool for 5 EUR.

Bernhard

Hi Bernhard

My name is Maureen and I will be travelling on the trip from Vienna with my friend Pam so looking forward to meeting you. Thank you for the tips as there are always ??? about clothing, money, visas etc. I am seeing Pam tomorrow so will remind her about packing a bathing suit and see if she would like to attend the Viennese Gala Concert - it is 14 years since I was in Vienna and didn't go then and have often regretted it. Well see you soon!!!

Berhard
Spoke to my friend Pam and confirm that we both want to attend the Gala Concert you are planning for August 30.
Maureen

Hi Maureen!

Thanks very much for your post. I, too, look forward to meeting you and your friend. You know, September is the best time to travel in South-Eastern Europe - school has started again in most of Europe, so the European holidaymakers are gone; the weather is pleasant; and a general atmosphere of post-summer relaxation fills the air.

I put both you and Pam down for the concert on Aug. 30. If there is anything else I can help you with in the meantime, please let me know!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bernhard

Bernhard
Are you leading the golden explorer leaving September 27th from Istanbul?
We are booked on this trip

Are any other readers booked on this too?

Mary and Richard

Dear Mary & Richard:

I will be leading the E973 starting in Istanbul on Sept. 13; not sure who is going to do Sept. 27, but I will check and see if I can find out for you. In any case, it is a wonderful journey, and you are going to enjoy it for sure.

Thanks for your post, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Bernhard

Bernhard - a question
Is it worthwhile bringing a small thermos to carry a hot drink in or are all our stopsduring the day somewhere where we can buy one if we want. I love a cup of tea - I drink way too many!

Maureen,

Bringing a thermos is certainly a good idea if you like your tea during the day. Many en-route stops have hot beverages available, but in this part of Europe it's a bit of a hit-or-miss situation. Once we get down to Bulgaria and Turkey, you will be in heaven, as tea is part of the culture there and very commonplace. Only thing is: especially in Turkey, black tea is drunk without any cream or sugar.

Bernhard