Westworld Alberta

S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 | W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A 29 2 Flavours of Italy Why we love it: Ravioli, prosciutto, mortadella, salami, Chianti, olive oil – need we go on? is 11-day tour gives you all of that flavour and more, right from the source. Plus, you get a pretty good taste of the countr y as a whole, with stops in Rome, Greve, San Gimignano, Florence, Pisa, Parma, Bologna and Venice. Highlight: Trafalgar offers a number of what they call "insider experiences," like a visit to a local market in Florence with a boisterous chef named Libero, to pick ingredients for a pasta supper you cook together. Elsewhere, you'll savour supper and wine in a family vine- yard overlooking grapevines and olive groves, as the sun sinks into the golden Chianti hills. Why it's better on a bus: Yes, you could do a similar trip on your own – but would you know where to find the best delicatessen in Bologna to taste crescente (stuffed bread) and prosciutto? And find a professional chef in Tuscany to give you an off-the-cuff talk on the basics of Italian cooking? And learn about Marco Polo's house on a secret walking tour of Venice? It's all taken care of. 3 WWI and WWII Battlefields Why we love it: History come to life. is 13-day tour covers all the big war sites in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. You begin in London, with a peek at all of the main tourist attractions, then get straight down to business with a visit to the Imperial War Museum. From there, you head down the coast to Portsmouth, and on to French war sites such as Normandy, Caen, Amiens, the Somme and Vimy – plus Belgium's Ypres Salient and Groesbeek, Netherlands. Highlight: Alighting at the Canadian National Vimy Ridge Memorial dedicated to Canadian soldiers who died in the First World War – a site that all Canadians should try to visit at least once in their lives. Likewise Essex Farm Cemeter y, outside Ypres, Belgium, where Lt. Col. John McCrea wrote In Flanders Fields, and the Normandy beaches where Allied troops landed on June 6, 1944. Why it's better on a bus: You cover four countries in less than two weeks – yet no fussing with planes, trains or automobiles. Plus, you have a travel director with major history, geography and culture chops offering rich knowledge every step of the way. Pair that with ample free time for exploring, and you'll come away with a truly nuanced under- standing of places you've only read about in history books. W

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