Archive for category Postcards
A Tango Story
Posted by Cristine Lammers in Postcards, Uncategorized on February 5, 2010
by Virtuoso Preferred On-Site in Argentina – Mai 10
The event: Virtuoso Voyager Club 20th Anniversary Gala Dinner.
The time: dusk on a perfect summer evening.
The place: Buenos Aires’ first tango club, El Viejo Almacén. The story begins…
As Virtuoso Voyager Club guests of the Crystal Cruises World Cruise 2010 stepped off their motorcoach, they stepped into Buenos Aires of the 1920’s, the era when tango had reached its zenith. The sights and sounds of life on the old street quickly drew the guests into the magical setting.
The flower girl, the paperboy, the patrolman and the old man were there. So, too, were the beautiful young women who vied for the attention of young men sporting finely tailored suits. A solitary couple danced in the street as a young musician played a melancholy tango. Nearby Voyager Club guests looked on as they enjoyed cocktails and appetizers.
Guests were soon invited inside the historic tango club for a private meal of the finest Argentinean cuisine and wine. The club was quaint and dark, the perfect backdrop for a stunning tango show. One after another, couples came to the stage, held each other close, and performed the exquisite steps of the tango. The passion of their music and the intensity of their dance captured the hearts of the audience. Time stood still. The enchantment was complete.
Abuzz with excited conversation about the evening’s events, Virtuoso Voyager Club guests returned to the Crystal Serenity. It was the end of their tango story. It was also the beginning of a new adventure at sea as the Serenity departed at midnight with a new heading – Cape Town.
These and other experiences are being captured in a blog by Jesse Upchurch, Chairmain of Virtuoso, Ltd. and honorary host of this historic world cruise. Read Jesse’s blog here.
Getting Ready For The 2010 Winter Olympics
Posted by Michelle Duffy in Postcards on January 19, 2010
I spent last weekend with my family at Whistler Blackcomb – our first foray onto the slopes in this ski season. This is an exciting season in Whistler and Vancouver, with the 2010 Winter Olympics just around the corner. Here’s a quick preview into how things are shaping up for a great Winter Olympics.
Vancouver To Whistler Transportation Improvements
The sea-to-sky highway improvements are largely completed and are just fantastic. There’s now a two-lane highway almost all the way from Vancouver to Squamish. Between Squamish and Whistler there are passing lanes at regular intervals. Drive times to the resort from Vancouver and Vancouver Airport are significantly reduced.
The Snow Conditions At Whistler
January can be a hit or miss month in terms of fresh snow on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. (You can check historical statistics here). You can take it from me: the current snow conditions at Whistler Blackcomb are really great. There’s plenty of fresh powder all over the mountains.
Preparations For Olympic Events At Whistler
The Downhill and Super-G events will be raced on the Dave Murray Downhill and Franz’s runs (men’s and women’s respectively) on Whistler Mountain. These runs are in great shape with lots of snow cover all the way to Creekside. You do have to take a slight detour between upper and lower DM Downhill because of construction for what looked like a viewing stand. The helicopters flying overhead carrying loads of lumber were a new sight on the mountain.
Olympic Shopping Opportunities
There’s Olympic logo gear, toys and totchkes in most shops in the village especially those run by the resort. My boys just loved the soft toy versions of the Vancouver 2010 mascots, Miga, Quatchi and Sumi.
Thank You Virtuoso For Supporting Passports With Purpose
Posted by Michelle Duffy in Postcards on December 27, 2009
Look at the smile on that face. This is the image I’ll be keeping in mind as I process the fact that Passports with Purpose 2009 has been a tremendous success and that because of this effort, some child may one day smile just like this. At a desk, in a school, learning to read and write.
Virtuoso gave us a fantastic start by committing to be our Platinum Sponsor. Virtuoso partners, the Four Seasons Seattle and the Fairmont Olympic supported by donating some excellent prizes. We’re excited to have spear-headed this effort which brought together so many different people from the online and offline travel community and truly humbled by the impact of what this community has done.
Postcard From Sydney
Posted by Michelle Duffy in Postcards on December 12, 2009
Dawn Over Sydney Harbour Bridge
Having left Seattle on a cold, wet, November day we felt our spirits lift as we walked out of Sydney Airport into the bright sunshine. My boys, nine and 13, were brimming with excitement from having flown on Qantas’ new A380 – especially since the cabin crew had given them a cockpit tour. It was an auspicious start to what would be a fun-filled ten days in Sydney.
Sydney is a fantastic vacation destination spot for families. There is so much to see and do in the city and then, when you’ve had enough of sightseeing and you feel like relaxing there’s an abundance of great beaches to choose from, all easily accessible from the downtown core – known as the Central Business District. But the high points of our visit were two activities arranged for us by Virtuoso’s partner Tourism New South Wales.
Learn To Surf With Let's Go Surfing
I contacted the folks at the Tourism NSW office in Los Angeles before our trip and explained to them that I during my visit to Sydney I would be a solo-traveling parent with two tween boys. I asked for suggestions for activites for children in that age group who might, realistically, be too old for checking out the koalas at the zoo. From the long list of great ideas they provided, I selected two things: a surfing lesson with Let’s Go Surfing on Bondi Beach and a photography tour of The Rocks with Sydney Photography Tours. Both activities were a resounding success particularly because I’m not sure I would have even considered doing either if Tourism NSW hadn’t brought them to my attention.
If it had been possible, I think my younger son would have abandoned all other activities and just spent the rest of our vacation perfecting his surfing skills with the friendly and professional instructors at Let’s Go Surfing. It will take a while for my older son to work through all the digital photography tips, tricks and techniques shown to us by photographer Alfonso Calero on the photography tour.
Thanks to Tourism NSW for suggesting and organizing these fun experiences for me and my children.
Postcard From The Yucatan
Posted by Michelle Duffy in Postcards on November 20, 2009
By Mikiah Fender, Virtuoso Staff
I’m standing in the middle of the Yucatan jungle looking at what must be the oldest man-made structure I’ve ever seen. “365 steps to the top,” Juan Carlos says. Juan is the quintessential tour guide. He is well versed in all Mayan history, but even better, at the art of the punch line. “That represents the days in the year,” he says. “The nine main platforms of the pyramid are thought to represent the 18 months of the haab, and the 52 panels represent the number of years it takes for a calendar round date to recur.” The Maya were such mathematical geniuses that some people think that the gods and idols they believed in were simply created to explain mathematical equations for the times that their many calendars aligned with special astronomical events or another calendar. And from just looking at El Castillo, the icon of the Mayan people, you can imagine that this is a real possibility.
Inevitably, a member of our group asks if the World is going to end in 2012. “The only thing we can be sure about,” Juan Carlos snaps back, “Is that London will get the Olympics in 2012.” The crowd chuckles. ” The Maya believed heavily in cycles,” Juan continues, “Just like they knew that a new people would come to change their way of life, they understand things change. Their math and studies showed them this. The Maya did not believe the world would come to an end on this date amigos, they believed that this was an end of a cycle and a beginning of a new one.”
Whether or not the Maya could in fact predict the future is uncertain. What is certain is that these incredible people and their culture left an indelible impression on me. Mexico and it’s true history is something that can fill the mind and heart of even the most experienced traveler with wonder and curiosity, which I believe are some of the true treasures of life. Thank you to Classic Vacations for organizing this amazing educational experience.