Seniors, You Have Options, Lots Of Them

Peaks by the hundreds, glaciers, ice fields, and rushing rivers; the awe-inspiring Canadian Rockies is a destination not to be missed. Seniors have the option of many Rocky Mountaineer Train Vacations.  A two-day ‘Rocky Mountaineer‘ rail excursion, a luxury motor coach through the Canadian Rockies – senior travelers will encounter amazing scenery and topnotch service. Your vacation highlight is the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience – travel by an all-terrain Ice Explorer onto the top of a glacier.

Traveling between Calgary and Vancouver, Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (formally Rocky Mountaineer RailTours) transits Banff, Yoho, Glacier (the one in Canada), and Revelstoke national parks in Alberta and British Columbia. You also travel down the rugged Fraser River canyon.

VIA Rail Canada offers beautiful routes, some of the most scenic in the world.  Seniors will discover that traveling Canada by rail allows them to see all the wonders that Canada has to offer.

VIA Rail Canada

For 20 years Fresh Tracks Canada has created thousands of vacations in Canada for international travelers. Based in Vancouver, no one knows Canada like Canadians do. Every hotel, every train, every connection, every activity, every experience, every journey, every day. From the moment seniors arrive to the minute seniors leave, they are promised an amazing rail experience.

I had friends who took the train trip across Canada  to the west coast.  They dearly loved it.  You will too.
There is very little that can match this exciting trip and that will thrill seniors as they view terrific scenery unmatched in the states.  Ride along on YouTube on this rail trip through the Canadian Rockies via Rail Canada.

Canada offers many train trips including a special one from Toronto to Vancouver. It is such a relaxing means to travel and to enjoy all the various accoutrements that go with such a train trip.  So grab your map, make plans to travel afar and enjoy the rail excursion across the Rockies.  It promises to be most memorable. jeb

Senior Travelers Take To Rails

The Rocky Mountains are unequaled for beauty and the railways that pass through the mountains are a great means for seniors to spend a super holiday.  Rocky Mountains Vacation offers travelers the best that the Canadian Rockies and surrounding areas have to offer. View the Rockies by rail and enjoy the majestic views in luxurious surroundings.

Rocky Mountaineer rail tours range from 2-day tours to 17-day tours that offer all the best attractions. Vacations by Rail is a super means for seniors to take in the beauty of the Rockies. The Georgetown Loop Rail has many different tours for senior vacationers to consider.

Georgetown Loop Rail

The Rocky Mountains begin in Alaska, near the top of North America. Their crests break up Canada’s Yukon Territory, British Columbia and Alberta. They rise through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, before tapering off in the deserts of New Mexico. Green valleys, fed from high-altitude streams, follow the base of the mountains, and peaks up to 14,000 feet high can bear snow year-round. Much of the Rocky Mountains still resembles the wilderness that explorers first traveled. Indeed, most any train that runs in the Rocky Mountains can promise senior citizens a scenic journey.

The Durango Silverton RR

In its early days, the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad served to connect two mining communities together. These days, the train takes senior riders for a day-trip to the Old West, with gunfight reenactments and old-fashioned saloons in the small town of Silverton. The original steam engine clings to the mountainside as it makes its slow ascent through the Rocky Mountain pass.

There is certainly more than one way to cross the Rockies by rail. The cheapest option is to head for Amtrak  who offers half a dozen routes across the continent. Arguably the most scenic train ride in the United States is the daily California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, which snakes through the Rockies between Denver and Salt Lake City. A full day on the train from Denver to Salt Lake costs $76, and you can spend most of it in the double-deck Sightseer Lounge. Meals in the diner are extra, but not expensive.

I really enjoyed writing this blog and in fact, my wife has put a rail tour across the Rockies on her ‘Bucket List’.  But it is across the Canadian Rockies that she wants to take her train ride.  So look for the next blog where we’ll consider a scenic rail tour across the Canadian Rockies.  jeb

Seniors Track La Route des Vins d’Alsace

One of this senior’s many highlights on my trips to France was taking the world famous Route Des Vins d’Alsace while leading an Elderhostel program called “Foods and Wines of France.”  Set against the “blue line of the Vosges Mountains“, the route winds north–south through endless terraced vineyards which produce the region’s famous white wines. Opportunities for tasting  are plentiful, with free dégustations along the roadside and in the caveaux (a small cellar) of most villages, and also at the region’s countless wine festivals – mostly coinciding with the October harvest.

The Wine Road

The vine-covered slopes sometimes reach a height of 435m (1,427 ft.), and an estimated 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of vineyards line the road. Some 30,000 families earn their living tending the grapes. The best time for senior travelers to visit is during the harvest in September and October. You might even be offered a job of helping to pick the grapes as they did with me/us.

Seniors Discover More Than Vineyards

The Wine Road starts at Marlenheim. All along the well-marked route are small villages that specialize in wine-making.  Riquewihr and the famed Château Haut-Koenigsbourg stand out in my memory. The small medieval village of Riquewihr is surrounded by some of the finest vineyards in Alsace and appears much as it did in the 16th century.

Haut Koenigsbourg is a 15th-century castle perched on a high hill. In 1901, the then-ruined pile was offered as a gift by the city of Sélestat to the German kaiser, Wilhelm II, who rebuilt it at massive personal expense.

Biking the Wine Road

The nearby Strasbourg tourist office provides maps showing bike routes that fan out from the city into the countryside. One of these is a 27km (17-mile) stretch that runs southwest from Strasbourg to the wine hamlet of Molsheim. It has forest on one side, the banks of the Brûche River (a tributary of the Rhine) on the other, and little car traffic.

Senior bikers are welcomed in winstubs and wine cellars at any time celebrating the love of wine and enjoying good food. Dotted with numerous information panels, each wine trail aims to unveil the work of the winegrower, the art of wine from Alsace and the characteristics of each varietal.

 There are many other attractions that seniors will find of interest in Alsace.  And the food. Ah yes, try one of the specialties of the area called Choucroute Garni. It is a full platter of various sausages, boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. I love it!  Of course the beer in Alsace-Lorraine is quite famous as well.

As you pass through villages, keep your eye peeled for “cigognes” (storks) that build their huge nests on high chimneys.  It is considered good luck to have a nest perched on a specially built chimney on your home.

The Route des Vins will be memorable and strikingly scenic.  That’s guaranteed. jeb

Go Dutch…try Curaçao

Seniors are attracted to Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The country of Curaçao, which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Kleini Curaçao (“Little Curaçao”), is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its capital is Willemstad. It has a “Dutch Heart and a Caribbean Soul.”  Curaçao is one of the Caribbean’s most sophisticated islands.

What Makes Curaçao Special?

What makes Curaçao special among Caribbean islands? Authenticity. For centuries, it has forged a vibrant and rich culture rooted in history and hospitality. The heritage is both European and African – representing more than 50 nationalities. A favored stop for many cruise lines, Dutch, Spanish, and English are spoken– as well as a local language, Papiamentu, a colorful Creole dialect.
 

Seniors Explore Undiscovered Curaçao

The best part of exploring Curaçao is that it feels undiscovered to senior travelers, like an exclusive hideaway. One of the tiny “ABC Islands” – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao – this secluded slice of paradise is the Caribbean’s best-kept secret.

The Curaçao tourism board wants to help senior visitors uncover its many wonders. They say that there are no “tourist traps” here. Locals and visitors mingle in harmony throughout the island. Relax and unwind amidst Curacaoans working, playing, and enjoying life to its fullest – the same as they have done for generations.

For a small island, Curaçao is packed with sporting attractions. On land or on water, active senior vacationers can choose from a wide array of activities, ranging from swimming and snorkeling to hiking and horseback riding. Plus, senior visitors can enjoy special events and festivals all year long.  You won’t want to miss the Maritime Museum, the Sea Aquarium, and the Curaçao Postal Museum to see bright Antillean stamps.

Large or Small…

Curaçao is the largest and most populous of the three small ABC islands.  It has a land area of 171 square miles and a population of a little over 140,000. Lots of sunshine smiles down on Curaçao, which sits on the outer fringe of the so-called hurricane belt. Gentle trade winds help keep temperatures generally in the 80s.

Water sports—including outstanding reef diving—attract senior enthusiasts from all over the world. Curaçao claims 38 beaches—some long stretches of silky sand and smaller coves suitable for picture postcards. In the countryside, the dollhouse look of plantation houses, or landhuizen (literally, “land houses”), makes a cheerful contrast to stark cacti and austere shrubbery.

Frommer’s invites seniors to check out the many attractions on the island. You will keep busy with the island’s multitude of attractions including the capital, Sint Anna Bay and the pedestrian-only Queen Emma Bridge. Check out this handy map to orient yourself prior to arrival. Fodor’s kicks in with sights, restaurants, hotels, entertainment and travel tips. A hearty appetite will help you to enjoy the many Caribbean culinary delights.

Genieten van curaçao senioren. jeb