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Happy New
Year! You are receiving this newsletter because you are a Walking Softly Adventures client, or because you have requested information from us in the past. We will be sending you three or four e-newsletters or information updates per year. |
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The
full-color 2007 Trip Brochure is out! Walking Softly’s 2007 full-color brochure highlighting the 2007 trip line-up is out! Let us know if you haven’t received it, or if you’d like extra copies to share with friends. |
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Annual
Reunion Scheduled for March 10 in Portland Once again Walking Softly alumni and friends will gather at Portland's award-winning Alba Osteria Ristorante and Enoteca for an evening of fun. Re-connect with your traveling companions and re-live your journeys abroad. Chef Kurt Spak will be serving Piemontese cuisine “family-style” so get your tastebuds ready for a virtual journey to the east slope of the Maritime Alps. On Sunday, March 11, we’ll be stretching our legs on the Eagle Creek Trail, one of the most beautiful hiking routes in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. More details about the reunion can be found in the Showtime! section of the website. |
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Low cost flying in
Europe Budget air carriers are proliferating through Europe these days, and that’s helping to drive down the cost of intra-European flights. The low fares offered by these airlines can also help you keep the cost of getting to your European destination under control particularly during the peak summer season. For instance, you can fly from the U.S. to a less expensive European gateway (such as Dublin or London) then use the budget carriers to fly to your final destination. The Irish low-fare airline, Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), maintains its principal hub at Dublin Airport. Both Ryanair and EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) serve London’s secondary airports at Stansted and Luton. And if you're flying east to Bulgaria for either the Mountains of Bulgaria hiking trip in June or the Heritage of Bulgaria tour in October, SkyEurope's new “SkyLink” service from Dublin to Sofia may just prove to be the most inexpensive way to go (www.skyeurope.com)! The European low-cost carriers are also providing a competitive incentive for Europe’s “mainline” carriers to offer low fare options as well, so it’s worth checking flight options with the “biggies” before making a final decision on your routing. For a guide to other budget airlines and where they fly to and from, visit www.whichbudget.com. |
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BEYOND EUROPE Hokkaido Trails trip set to go in September, and Patagonia on tap for March 2008 Walking Softly’s first organized hiking tour outside of Europe will get underway on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on September 7 this year. So far, eight adventurers have signed-up to participate in the “exploratory” Hokkaido Trails tour. Hokkaido is Japan’s “wilderness island.” Though it may lack the cultural treasury of temples and gardens so often associated with “traditional Japan,” Hokkaido makes up for it with its vast open spaces and national parks. Participants on the Hokkaido Trails tour will sample the trails of the Shikotsu-Toya, Daisetsuzan, Akan and Shiretoko National Parks as well as enjoy Japanese inns and traditional foods. In March 2008, Walking Softly will make its first foray into South America with a hiking trip to Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. Chile’s Torres de Paine National Park along with Argentina’s lake district, Monte Fitzroy massif, and the southern island of Tierra de Fuego are on the planned itinerary. We’ve seen quite a bit of interest in the trip, so if you’d like to be part of this “exploratory” adventure, let us know right away (if you haven’t already)! |
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Bulgaria
& Romania join the EU this month On January 1, Bulgaria and Romania became the newest members of the European Union. This event was an official recognition of the re-integration of these countries into the larger European community. Now is a great time to visit these countries especially if you’re a travel pioneer and want to experience this part of Europe before the crowds (and higher prices) descend upon them in the wake of their accession to the EU. Walking Softly offers hiking as well as cultural heritage tours in both countries in 2007. |
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Memories
from the Trail: Dolomites, 1999 We were surrounded by the rocky spires and pinnacles of the Italian Dolomites as we completed the classic loop hike around Monte Paterno under brilliant blue skies and sunshine! The view of the iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo from the Rifugio Locatelli was "picture perfect" and we reveled in the mountain splendor. The view is the same today, and so are the joys that will fill you at trail's end. Make these memories yours on the Best Hikes of the Dolomites trip this July! |
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© Walking
Softly Adventures, Inc., PO Box 86250, Portland, OR 97286 |
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