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Greetings Fellow Travelers!
In just a few weeks, the Untours 2007 fall catalog will be out. It promises to be full of
great information and tantalizing photos. You'll even be able to read about special events going on in our destinations on nearly
every page. In the meantime, enjoy this 'Best of' issue of the Eurozine. Finally, it's not too late to book a 2006 Untour. As of September
5th, you'll be able to see 2007 availability on our website only, but you'll still be able to reserve a 2006 Untour. All you need to do is give us a
call (888-868-6871) and one of our knowledgeable, friendly staff will take care of you!
Happy Travels,
Kim Paschen
Editor, Eurozine
PS: If you are not yet on our mailing list, click here to sign up for your free Untours 2007 catalog! |
Untours Eurozine
August 2006
The Markets of Tuscany
A guide to European beverages
A Swiss deal you can't miss
Eco-friendly Untours
Untours featured accommodations
Contact us:
www.untours.com
travel@untours.com
888.868.6871
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A beautiful spread easily assembled from a market visit
Photo by Andrea Szyper |
Markets of
Tuscany by Andrea Szyper, Italian Untours Staff
I am half awake in cool sheets when I remember
and shoot up in bed. "Honey, it's Saturday!" I shriek. 8:00 am. My husband is reading. "You've gotta catch the chicken man!" Within 10 minutes
he is showering and I am cracking the shutters open to the cool Tuscan morning. Surveying the vineyards, our vineyards.
Brunello vineyards.
Saturday is market day in little Buonconvento,
when the largest square in the pretty town center fills with stalls selling fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, house wares and meats. The chicken man
serves up rotisserie chickens slow roasted with herbs and garlic, crisp skins browned and fragrant. His cart runneth over, but by late morning they
are normally all claimed! Friends of ours learned this the hard way, so he is out the door like a shot, before I've even had my morning espresso.
He returns with two chicken halves to reheat
for lunch and a bag of tomatoes so firm, dense and flavorful, my father takes to eating them whole for breakfast, biting into them like plums. The
flat wax beans must be in season; they cook up nicely with olive oil and garlic. And the white beans simmer in white wine, harmonizing with the sage
and rosemary we've picked on the grounds of the farm. Our Saturday kitchen hums!
It's always market day somewhere
in Tuscany! Yesterday was Montalcino's morning! Among the tables of potted flowers and the produce men we found an incognito fish stand
there, a tiny, clean tiled shop built into the wall, only big enough for one person to enter at a time. The monkfish we made Friday night was divine,
preceded by a simple tomato sauce over hand-rolled pici pasta! But as we walk off Saturday lunch there, we can hardly find the nondescript
locked door where the fishmonger greeted us yesterday morning. The street is tidy and no odors remain. Just people like us out strolling after family
lunches.
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There's no better place to enjoy your drink than on the terrace of a
café (Photo courtesy of the Netherlands Board of Tourism) |
Let Grappa grab ya...an introduction to some of Europe's more
obscure beverages Kir: A delightful mixture of white wine
and crème de cassis (a berry concentrate) taken as a pre-dinner cocktail. A kir royale is made with champagne instead of wine.
Noisette: A chic Parisian drink consisting
of a shot of espresso and a dash of frothy milk on top, served in any café.
Obstler: An Austrian apple/pear brandy sold by the
stamperl (tiny glass) by village bands as a fund-raiser. Young women dispense it from small kegs hung around their shoulders.
Sturm: A young sweet wine, available only once a year,
that is served while still fermenting. It must be consumed quickly once it is opened since the flavor degrades rapidly.
Limoncello: A refreshing concoction of lemons and sugar
steeped in vodka for several weeks.
Grappa: A heady drink produced by extracting the alcohol
from vinacce, the skins and seeds of grapes left in the fermenting tanks after wine is transferred to casks to age. The smell and flavor are
strong and offer hints of wine mixed with licorice and herbs.
Glühwein: A heated red wine infused with
spices, citrus, and sugar, usually enjoyed around Christmastime.
Ebbelwoi: A distinctive apple wine very common in
Frankfurt served in a decorative clay pitcher.
Panache: Beer mixed in equal parts with lemon or orange
soda. A very refreshing drink to enjoy while hiking or biking. (Note: this beverage is called Radler in Austria.)
Rivella: Switzerland's number one soft drink made from
milk serum and other natural ingredients.
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Trains, buses, and boats make travel in Switzerland a breeze!
photo by Frank Hench |
A Swiss deal you
can't miss! by Kate Duncan, Swiss and Dutch Untours Staff
One of the best things about the Swiss
Untour is the Swiss Pass, good for unlimited travel on Swiss Federal railways, buses
and boats. Up until this year, the Swiss Pass was known primarily for easy, no hassle riding on the Swiss transportation network, an adventure in
itself. It's a great way to see the jaw-dropping Alpine scenery without hiking 12 miles up a mountain, and the trains, buses, and boats are
always spotless and right on time. Plus, the connections are excellent and the nearest train or bus station is no more than a ten-minute walk from
most Untour apartments (click here for sample).
Just when you think the offerings couldn't get any better,
we have a new reason to love the Swiss Pass. Starting in 2006, every Swiss Pass will double as a Swiss Museum Pass, good for access to over 400
of Switzerland's world-class museums.
When in the Oberland, use your pass for a train ride to the Bern art museum (the nation's
oldest), then flash it at the entrance to admire the works of Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Ferdinand Hodler and more from their collection spanning eight
centuries. In Ticino, let the bus drop you at the entrance
to Bellinzona's three medieval castles and their fortifications, all on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In the Heartland, take the Golden Pass line to the Obwalden Historical Museum in
Sarnen to learn about the history of the Swiss region you call home. Or, if natural history is more to your liking, hop the tram to the
Gletschergarten in Luzern, an impressive natural monument and museum focusing on the once-tropical Luzern and the last ice age.
Although we recommend at least some outdoor activities, it
is possible to spend your whole Swiss Untour just riding the rails and visiting museums-now all included with the Untour package! For a complete list
of museums covered by the Swiss Pass, visit http://www.museumspass.ch. |
Untours founder, Hal Taussig, in one of his favorite places (Switzerand)
with
his favorite mode of transportation (a bicycle) |
Eco-friendly Untours
At Untours, we are committed to a triple bottom line: people, planet,
profits. We respect the environment and are champions for social justice. Just recently, Media, PA, where the Untours office is located, was
named the first Fair Trade town in America. Here are some other interesting facts about Untours.
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Untours founder and president, Hal Taussig, used to be a cattle
rancher and college history professor.
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At 81 years of age, Hal rides his bicycle to work nearly every day.
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In 1999, Untours won the "Most Generous Company in America" award
given by Paul Newman and John F. Kennedy Jr. through Newman's Own and George Magazine.
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Untours offsets its employees' daily commutes and business travel
through NativeEnergy. With the purchase of their "green tags", which fund the
development and implementation of renewable energy sources, carbon dioxide emissions released into the air can be offset with alternatives
to fossil fuels such as wind and methane farms.
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Untourists have the option to purchase these "green tags" for their
own travels.
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The Untours office features a worm composter and a battery-recycling
center, and uses only non-toxic cleaners.
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The Untours catalog is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
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Untours off-season
apartments
It's not too late to plan an Untour for 2006. Check out some of these
great accommodations still available below! Plus, don't forget about The RIGHT Vacation Rental where you can book properties year round! |
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What a view! Enjoy the vista from your Balcony Apartment on the Amalfi Coast. This property
from The RIGHT Vacation rental is available year round!
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Idyll, Ltd.
415 E. Jasper Street
Media, PA 19063
www.untours.com
P. 888-868-6871
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