Mamma Mia! A Bicycling Tour on the Greek Island of Crete
Posted October 17, 2009 , comments closedMamma Mia! A Bicycling Tour on the Greek Island of Crete
Each September I attempt to extend my New York summer by a week or two and “get” more cycling miles in a warmer place. The venue should have beauty, culture, history and outstanding beaches. The experience would be enhanced if it is a place I haven’t previously visited. When I planned the September, 2009 trip earlier in the year, the economy was still in its sick state so keeping costs within moderate parameters was also an objective.
I had previously enjoyed a bicycle tour of the Greece mainland and one its islands, Zakynthos with Classic adventures.com in 1998 and noticed in their 2009 brochure they were running one on another of its islands, Crete in September.
Crete had been on my mind since I had appreciated the beauty of the Greek islands as settings for “ Momma Mia”, “Zorba, the Greek” and other motion pictures. The price of the ten day tour which included almost everything (the use of a Trek road bike, most meals, etc.) was $3500 ($4100 for a single room. Round trip airfare which was additional from New York to Crete was $830 via Delta, Air France and Aegean airlines. In my opinion, the price of $320 per night represented a real value for a bike tour—it was substantially less than most other bike tours.
The founder of Classic, Dale Hart is a retired college professor of Greek History and gave us many insights regarding the sites we cycled by. The tour began in Crete’s largest city, Heraklion, and included such highlights as ancient Knossos, the Lassith and Omolos plateaus, the Minoan site of Karphi, the Potami River Valley, the Libyan Sea, the Plain of Messara, the Amari Valley, Palm Beach, Prevali Monastery, Souda Bay,, Samarian Gorge and the Harbor at Chiana.
Virtually all parts of the island were included in our biking and hiking itinerary. There were ten biking days. The group was split into two sections. The “Extreme” people rode about 60-70 miles daily, usually “climbing” about a mile each day. Cyclists could opt for a less demanding route in terms of both mileage and hills. The two groups were reunited each evening and used the same restaurants and hotels..The less demanding group was shuttled in a minibus over the
difficult stretches and could take advantage of cultural and historical attractions along the way while waiting to be reunited with the extreme group.
I was a member of the extreme group. Another tour ran in May. Bicycling Magazine called the Tour “one of the best 50 rides on the planet”. Scenery included spectacular and stunning mountain, sea and canyon vistas, vineyards and olive groves, donkeys, goats, cows, sheep and birds. Some of the hotels had swimming pools and/or were easily accessible to Crete’s famous beaches. Dinners included Greek culinary specialties such as honey, yogurt, grilled seafood , feta cheese, olive oils, lamb tzatziki ( a succulent mix of yogurt, cucumber, garlic and olive oil). moussaka and baklava. Breakfasts and almost all dinners (usually with wine) were included.
Classic’s support staff of 3 were all members of the Hart family, Dale, his wife Dianne and son Benton (the heir apparent) They checked the mechanics of each bike daily. One day Benton discovered and repaired a mechanical flaw in my bike’s shifting mechanism which I had never noticed. They also fixed flat tires and made emergency bike repairs on the road as needed. One of the hard working, capable and friendly Hart family members drove a minibus which carried cyclists’ luggage between hotels. It was also used to shuttle tired cyclists or those who had opted for the less demanding routes.
There also were two days with hiking options. One (which I did) was a memorable 12 mile trek down Crete’s famous Samaran Gorge. The local Cretan population generally gave us a warm reception. The condition of the roads was surprisingly good—comparable to those in my home county in New York state. We were fortunate to have had good cycling weather—daily temps in the mid to upper 70’s and virtually no rain. According to the historical climate data I checked, this is generally typical for Crete at this time of the year.
The fourteen members of our cycling group ranged in age from their forties to about 70 and included a mix of couples and solo travelers. There was a couple from Calgary, Alberta and a solo American woman who has been living in Germany. The remainder were from various U.SA. locations.
The level of restaurants and hotels was generally good but neither luxurious nor exceptional.
Facilities at this level simply did not exist along some of the outstanding bike routes we took and as I pointed out the price of the tour was by no means excessive. However I was never uncomfortable.
Although some of the hotels didn’t have a/c it didn’t seem to be hot in any of them (it may have been in midsummer) Several times there seemed to be a hot water shortage, but in most cases we were able to get it by either running a the tap for a while or asking the desk to turn it on.
Our hotel for the last two nights was the Almyrida Residence, a modern and new Miami Beach style hotel with ground level and rooftop pools and an adjacent appealing Mediterranean beach.
On the only evening for which dinner was not provided by Classic, ten of us shared an hour long taxi ride to the cobbled streets of the old town of Rethymno for an unforgettable culinary experience—dinner at the wonderful AVLI restaurant, one of Greece’s best. All of us greatly enjoyed our dinner selections and outstanding Greek wines served outdoors in a lush garden.
To “work off” some of the excellent menu offerings, the “extreme” bike routes were very hilly and difficult for most cyclists. Some of the hills (I should say mountains) were very steep and long.
There were as many as 15 switchbacks on the way up—at the end (turns) of the switchbacks it was sometimes very windy. When we finally reached the summit and looked down the view resembled a panorama from an airplane—Our vantage point was so high. I was impressed by the courage and effort of the cyclists.—all of them were not in the “supercyclist” category, age and genderwise. Of course, all had the option of demoting themselves permanently or temporarily to the non extreme program (which I did on a very windy day!) They could also take a day off from the grueling 10 days in a row cycling schedule. (which I also did—spending it with a book and writing this piece on a relaxing and gorgeous Cretan beach).
I still wound up biking about 440 mostly hilly miles in 8 days. Of the 60+ multiday bike I tours I have done, this ranks among the 3 or 4 most difficult!.
AA raises $2.9 billion, will expand in Chicago, New York, Dallas and Miami
Posted September 18, 2009 , comments closed- NYC joins forces with American Airlines to bump up tourism
- AA announces summer box and bag embargo on certain flights
- American Airlines hires wine expert
- American Airlines to cut US capacity 9 percent
- American Airlines cabins to go cashless
- New flights at Logan Airport in Boston
- American Airlines announces additional flight to Florida's capital
- Airline eliminates 2 Chicago routes
Sep 18, 2009
American Airlines, the world’s second-largest carrier, said it raised $2.9 billion in cash and financing in “a show of strength” and will expand at four U.S. hubs to prepare for a recovery in travel demand.
American parent AMR Corp. rose the most in 11 months in New York trading. Credit-card partner Citigroup Inc. paid $1 billion in an advance purchase of frequent-flier miles, and GE Capital Aviation Services provided $1.6 billion in jet-financing commitments, American said today.
The cash will bolster liquidity for Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR before winter in the U.S., when travel typically slows and carriers tap their reserves to fund operations. Higher-fare business passengers have cut back on flying in the recession, helping drag the biggest U.S. airlines to losses.
“There are signs of improvement in the revenue environment and in consumer sentiment, but the winter season is still potentially a challenging one,” said Douglas Runte, managing director at Piper Jaffray & Co. in New York, who doesn’t rate AMR. “This liquidity raising is an important move.”
‘Show of Strength’
“This is the time for a show of strength,” Chief Financial Officer Tom Horton said in an interview. “As capital flows in this industry, we believe it should flow to the strongest companies. Our company represents that.”
American’s ability to access capital while the airline industry struggles has “taken the liquidity question off the table,” Horton said.
The carrier also has about $2 billion in unencumbered assets should it need to borrow more. AMR expects to have about $3.7 billion in cash and short-term investments at month’s end, including funds for specific uses. It pared debt to $14 billion as of June 30 from $21 billion at the end of 2002.
Details of the mileage sale and aircraft financing weren’t disclosed.
“AMR likely conceded certain terms, potentially on underlying collateral, in order to close the deal as AMR enters its seasonal cash burn period,” said Hunter Keay, a Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst in Baltimore who advises holding the shares. “But the near-term benefit of new liquidity will likely far offset any longer-term concessions.”
Hub Flights
American said flights will increase from the hubs at Chicago, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, and some regional jets will get first-class cabins. The carrier also will purchase 22 70-seat Bombardier Inc. planes.
Daily departures for mainline jets and regional carrier American Eagle will drop by 46 at St. Louis and 9 at Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, American said. The carrier said it’s still assessing how many employees will be affected.
Seating capacity in American’s main jet operations will increase 1 percent next year over 2009, the carrier said. Domestic markets will be unchanged, while capacity on international flights, typically the most profitable routes for airlines, will rise 2.5 percent.
The GE Capital Aviation Services agreement will provide funding for Boeing Co. 737-800s being added through 2011 by letting American sell the jets to the General Electric Co. unit and lease them back. American is buying 84 737s, which are 25 percent more fuel efficient than the MD-80s they will replace.
GE’s Role
Boeing 737s use only CFM engines, built by GE’s jet-engine manufacturing venture with Safran SA of France. Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE is the world’s biggest maker of jet engines and the largest aircraft lessor by the number of planes.
The new GE financing also includes $280 million in cash under a loan accord. American put up 10 aircraft as collateral for $225 million of that funding, and will pledge 3 more planes as security next month to tap the remaining $55 million.
American is at least the fifth major U.S. airline since 2008 to raise funds by selling frequent-flier points to credit- card issuers. The miles are distributed as awards for purchases.
Citigroup can use the miles in equal monthly installments from 2012 through 2016. The agreement also extends the New York- based bank’s co-branded credit-card program with American.
The route changes for American and American Eagle will include the addition of 57 daily flights and 12 destinations in 2010 from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The airline will add 23 daily departures from Miami, 19 from Dallas-Fort Worth, 7 from John F. Kennedy airport in New York, 2 at New York’s LaGuardia and 2 at Los Angeles.
American didn’t disclose a cost to add first-class cabins to its fleet of Bombardier CRJ700s, allowing the carrier to charge more and compete with UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, which sells the premium tickets on its 70-seat planes from Chicago. American will begin accepting the 22 new CRJ700s in 2010.
“We’re really focused on where you want to be big in the U.S.,” Horton said of American’s emphasis on the four hubs and its base at Los Angeles. “It is a signal for the future as to where this company is going to place its bets.”
U.S.-based carriers slashed flight capacity in 2008 and this year, first in response to record fuel prices and then to better match supply as corporate and leisure business dwindled.
Friends of the Earth grades 10 major cruise ship lines
Posted , comments closed- Bigger is better for new cruise ships
- World's worst airports to sleep in
- Cruising off the beaten path
- Micky Arison: Cruise prices have bottomed
- Boost in booking levels reported by cruise lines
- Cruise lines weigh tougher response to pirate threat near Somalia
- Bargain cruises and brand-new ships
- Vago calls for debate over arming cruise ships
Sep 18, 2009
An environmental group released its report card Wednesday on how well cruise ship companies operating in American waters are doing to reduce pollution, and not one received an overall grade of “A.”
Friends of the Earth graded 10 major cruise ship lines, including some of the biggest names in the business, such as Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival received a “D-minus.”
The report issued the highest grade — a “B”— to Holland America Line. Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises also scored relatively well, each getting a “B-minus.”
The lowest grades —”Fs” — went to Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International. Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises also scored poorly.
Cunard Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas Cruises received about average grades.
“Typically, cruise ship passengers are attracted to cruise vacations with pictures of pristine waters and promises of unspoiled scenery and abundant wildlife, but these passengers are never told that their vacations could leave a dirty mark on the places they visit,” said Marcie Keever, who spearheaded the “Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card.”
Cruise Lines International Association, a group representing 24 cruise lines, castigated the report, calling it arbitrary, flawed and ignoring “the fact that our cruise lines comply with and in most cases exceed all applicable environmental regulations.”
“It is regrettable that Friends of the Earth authors such misinformation when in fact this industry has made tremendous progress in the past several years in advancing technology and developing programs that go a long way in protecting the environment,” the association said in a statement.
Friends of the Earth graded the cruise lines on three categories: sewage treatment, air pollution reduction and water quality compliance in Alaska waters. It also issued a simple pass/fail grade for each line’s accessiblity to environmental information.
The group said Florida, which has some of the least stringent laws preventing cruise ship pollution, also has the top three cruise ship departure ports: Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale.
Alaska and California have taken the strongest stance nationally against cruise ship pollution, the group said.
Keever said some of the cruise lines have been working to make its ships less polluting, especially in the area of sewage treatment. Holland America, Norwegian, Cunard and Celebrity received high marks for having advanced sewage treatment aboard their ships.
Carnival and Disney received “Fs” for sewage treatment.
Disney, with two ships and two under construction, could score better on sewage treatment next year because it has promised to make upgrades on all its ships, Keever said. The company announced last week that for the first time it would begin offering tours in Alaska beginning in 2010.
Keever said the technology is in place for cruise ship companies to meet Alaska’s stringent environmental laws — a claim disputed by Alaska Cruise Association president John Binkley. He has said cruise lines would be happy to adopt affordable new technology to meet Alaska’s tougher standards if it were available, but there is nothing that is reliable.
Binkley was not available for comment Wednesday.
In 2008, 12 of the 20 ships allowed to discharge in Alaska waters received violations, mostly for ammonia and heavy metals, Keever said. The fact that eight ships had no violations shows it can be done, she said.
The 10 cruise lines received lower grades for reducing air pollution. Seven out of the 10 cruise lines received “Fs.” Only Princess received a high grade.
Princess has spent millions to reduce emissions from its cruise ships, Keever said.
The company invested $4.7 million in the Juneau port so that ships tying up there can plug into shore-based power instead of running their own engines to provide power to passengers and crew. The company also has invested $1.7 million to upgrade the Seattle port. Keever said nine of Princess’ 17 ships are equipped with electrical plug-ins.
The Los Angeles port later this year is expected to have shore-based power at its cruise ship terminal, she said.
Without the power upgrade at the ports and the retrofitting of the ships, cruise ships are forced to burn bunker fuel while in port, a “dirty-burning” fuel that is 1,000 to 2,000 times dirtier than diesel truck fuel, Keever said.
Cruise ships also can be equipped to burn marine distillate, a cleaner-burning fuel than bunker fuel, Keever said. California recently required all ocean going vessels, including cruise ships, to burn the cleaner fuel within 24 miles of shore.
World’s Best Hotel Designs – Gold Key Award Winners
Posted September 3, 2009 , add a commentThe 2009 Gold Key Award winners for ‘Excellence in Hospitality Design’ have been announced, and the world’s best hotel designs (urban) were judged to be the Andaz West Hollywood, InterContinental Chicago O’Hare and Las Alcobas in Polanco, Mexico.
Andaz West Hollywood & Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare
The best bar/lounge design was the W Hotel Atlanta Downtown, Atlanta, GA, along with the Mondrian Miami and the Punk Bar in Beijing, China.
Drink Shop, W Atlanta Downtown
The best guest room award winners included the Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm and the Mondrian Miami, along with the Miraval Guestrooms in Catalina, Arizona.
Lydmar Hotel, Stockholm
The best lobby/reception winners included the Smyth Hotel in New York and one of the ‘Best Suite’ design winners was Penthouse Eight at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, also in New York.
Tribeca Grand, New York
The Gold Key Awards are sponsored by Interior Design and HOTELS magazines, and finalists were selected by a panel of notable industry experts from more than 225 projects in 24 countries. The awards ceremony will be held during the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show® (IH/M&RS) on Nov 7-10, 2009, at New York City’s Javits Center.
For more details about all the winners and their designers in all categories, visit IHMRS.com.
Photos courtesy Hyatt Hotels Corp., IHG Plc, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, WorldHotels and Grand Hospitality.
Netflights launches Weekend Megasale giving Supersize Savings on all American Flights, Hotels, Holidays and Car Hire
Posted , add a comment) It looks like the rain has become permanent, but before the nation starts swearing at TV weathermen and politicians for persuading everyone to stay at home this summer in an attempt to out-crunch the recession, www.netflights.com has launched a 4-day USA megasale, offering massive savings on all things American. That’s huge reductions on flights to America, holidays in America, hotels in America - from budget to 5-star - and America car hire.
Given the current state of the British weather, destinations such as cosmopolitan New York and family-friendly Orlando, where the temperature is now a pleasant 25C, not to mention entertainment capital Las Vegas at 27C and glamorous Miami at a sweltering 28C, are great places to escape the drizzle. At www.netflights.com, return flights to these great cities start from under £300 ? that’s direct ? from airports UK wide. What’s more, Netflights have managed to snag completely exclusive holiday offers in these and more of America’s favourite holiday destinations, including free nights and discounted hotel rates in the most exciting cities Stateside, such as vibrant Boston and cool, eclectic San Francisco.
To make getting around on holiday an affordable piece of cake, at www.netflights.com this weekend, USA car hire rates also drop to an incredible ? and unbeatable ? price, starting from just £6 per person per day! Netflights offers cheap car hire in America’s most popular ? and drivable ? holiday destinations, including Florida, San Francisco and Las Vegas, as well as discounted car hire rates in all other worldwide destinations. So rather than have to fork out for taxis or wait around for public transport, you can have your own transport at your disposal to take you where you want to go, when you want to go there. Even after adding the price of fuel, car hire can still work out a lot cheaper than other means of transport. And let’s face it, being able to pick where, which way, and when to go, makes these rock bottom USA car hire prices from www.netflights.com all the more appealing.
About Netflights
Netflights is part of the Thomas Cook Group and guarantees fantastic offers on flights, hotels, holidays and car hire worldwide. Thousands of discounted airfares from over 135 airlines, reduced rates at over 15 000 hotels, great holiday offers and cheap car hire are all available at www.netflights.com, giving you easy access to all the latest and best travel discounts.
Netflights is a fully bonded member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and every flight, hotel, car hire booking and holiday sold is ATOL protected, giving you full financial protection and complete peace of mind when booking ? whether online or over the phone.
To book, visit www.netflights.com. Offer ends midnight Monday 24th August 2009.