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In August, Lisa and I went to a wedding in Chicago. After not having been to Lisa’s hometown for nearly 2 years, I can enthusiastically tell you that the city never looked better. We had a spacious corner suite on the 19th floor of The Pendry, an art-deco wonder originally built in 1929 as the Carbon and Carbide Building. Out our hotel window, we could view the faces seen on the Crown Fountain Video Sculpture at Millennium Park. We loved our breakfasts at the French Brasserie-style Venteux in the morning, before wandering over to the RiverWalk and the Lake Michigan shoreline to see arguably the best collection of architectural wonders in the country. We relished the opportunity to grab one of the city bikes and pedal along the shoreline, only to look up in awe at the 110-story Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and the vast assortment of skyscrapers surrounding the building. A remarkable sight. We would bike all the way out to Lincoln Park to have lunch with Lisa’s Uncle Wally and Cousin Jenny, then bike back in the glorious sunshine, only enhanced by the vast waters and crowded beaches by our side.
It was fun looking back on my favorite travel days in 2023. Hope to have many more in 2024. Our job at ActiveTravels is to create lasting memories for you and your loved ones. Let us know how we can help!
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Every day on DuVine’s 6-day biking trip into the heart of Portugal’s Alentejo region this past September was a daily dose of much-needed serenity. Biking with our good friends, Debbie and Michael, we zipped up and down the rolling hills past olives groves, vineyards, cattle, sheep, and forests of thick, gnarly looking cork trees. The days would become a blessed blur as we slowed down on the cobblestones to shout “Bon Dia” to the many women sweeping their front terraces and the men sipping espressos at the cafes. We would stop to let a shepherd and his flock stroll by, peer at the large slabs of marble being excavated in the small mines, watch a large wood stork fly from his oversized nest, and visit a cork factory to view the layers of bark being harvested. All the while, we’d be smelling the sweet eucalyptus, sour fermentation of grapes, and the pungent smell of manure.
Led by our wonderful leader, Joao, who had the good fortune to grow up and still live in Alentejo, and his sidekick, the gregarious Brazilian, Michele, we were treated to local treats like fresh figs straight from the tree or a creamy sublime local cheese that you needed a spoon to scoop out. Washed down, of course, with award-winning wines that never find their way to America due to their small number of bottles produced. After biking some 30 to 40 miles a day on the undulating roads, sometimes into a strong headwind, we were rewarded with gluttonous meals.
People ask how DuVine differs from other biking outfitters, and I usually note the smaller group size. Yet, where they really shine is at private meals of locals that I won’t soon forget. My favorite day on the trip ended with dinner at Dona Maria Vineyards, where we first stomped on grapes during the height of the harvest and then had a fantastic dinner in a home built in the mid-18th century by the King of Portugal for his mistress at the time, the namesake Dona Maria. We dined with the current owner, Isabel, and her two Jack Russell Terriers, Bowie and Ziggy, and drank copious amounts of her exceptional Grand Reserve. It was like walking into Cinderella’s ballroom before the clocks strikes twelve.
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Every day on our Backroads Danube River Cruise this September could have easily made it on this list, from biking high atop a ridge in Germany’s rural Bavaria region to riding from capital city to capital city, Vienna to Bratislava. But Day Four on the itinerary certainly stands out. It started with a short 13-mile warm up along the river on bike trails. Then it was off to see the impressive Melk Abbey perched on a hill atop the small town, looking more like a palace with its large courtyards, countless rooms, and vast book collection in the library.
The 23-mile afternoon ride was arguably the best of the trip, along the Danube in the heart of the Wachau wine region of Austria. Leaving Melk, terraces started to rise along the river, soon joined by the stone ramparts of forgotten castles. The ridges only got higher and soon small towns dotted the shoreline with their ubiquitous steeples piercing the clouds above. It was hard to bike because you wanted to stop repeatedly to take another photo better than the last.
It started to drizzle when taking a short ferry across the river. Soon we were biking straight through the vineyards, looking at the vines overflowing with fat grapes. We arrived in the small Medieval town of Durnstein, where we relaxed outdoors overlooking the vineyards at Alter Kloster Keller. We wisely chose to grab a bottle of their local Gruner Veltliner and an oversized charcuterie plate packed with local pates, sausages, hams, and cheeses. Perhaps we lingered a bit too long because when we got back on our bikes, the clouds were ominous and it started to pour. Five miles later, we arrived back at the boat drenched, only to find our fearless trip leader, Malcolm, hosting a party under a tent in a torrential downpour for all of us wet bikers. We drank shots of schnaps and glasses of Riesling while listening to a soundtrack that featured, “It’s Raining Men.” Memorable!
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On Days 3 and 5, we took early morning rides before seeing the fairytale city of Český Krumlov and bustling Vienna. That’s the beauty of this Danube River itinerary. Sandwiched between the starting point of Prague and the end in Budapest, you can spend time in world-class cities, yet the bulk of the biking is in the countryside, pedaling through farmland or vineyards. It’s a fantastic combination and you cover so much ground, 5 countries in 8 days.
Backroads took over the entire AmaWaterways ship on this cruise. Translation: Only bikers were allowed on the ship. It also means that the Backroads trip leaders run the show and they were phenomenal. Malcolm has 23 years of Backroads experience under his belt and I was amazed at his ability to change the itinerary, even at the last moment. When water levels were too low to go further east on the Danube past Budapest, we had to skip our last morning of biking and, instead Malcolm had buses and guides waiting for us to tour Budapest. He was also a fantastic DJ, leading two epic dance parties during the week, featuring the best of 70s and 80s music. Lee should be in stand-up comedy, every line out of his mouth a witty joke. Loved the whimsy and sheer joy of Alex, especially when dancing. Stephan knew every bike route like the back of his hand and was often cheering me on during those hard uphill climbs. If it wasn’t for Jenn, I’d still be biking in Austria, lost on some route. She was always there to direct me in the right direction and answer all my questions. Fantastic group of trip leaders, the crème de la crème at Backroads!
More than half of the passengers on the cruise used e-bikes, which really wasn’t necessary after Day 2, when we had few uphill climbs unless you craved them. Most of the biking along the Danube River was relatively flat on bike trails.
My kids, Jake and Mel, ages 26 and 24 respectively, loved the cruise. The biking was challenging, the rural landscape was stunning, and the sightseeing and dining in the cities exceptional. Unfortunately, there was just one other family with kids their age aboard the ship. There was a younger group of 35 who pulled out at the last minute due to the war in Ukraine, but tourism was thriving in all cities, including Budapest. The only signs of the war were some refugees we met from the Ukraine. That left the average age aboard the cruise in the early 60s, which is not far from the usual demographic aboard a river cruise. My hope is that a younger generation will sample these Backroads itineraries because it’s really a wonderful bike cruise. You’re rarely on the boat, except for cocktail hour, dinner, dance parties, and sleeping. The rest of the time you’re meeting up with the ship after your bike ride. It’s an exciting way to see a good chunk of Europe.
If interested in discussing any Backroads trip, please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll go over all the options.
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Today, we couldn’t pass up one of the rare opportunities to bike from one capital city to another, in this case Vienna to Bratislava. Actually, Lisa wouldn’t let me bow out of this ride early, because her mother was born in Vienna and her grandmother was born in Bratislava. So even though it was called the Iron Curtain Ride, we called it the Fried Roots Route for her mother’s family. Most of the riding was relatively level through bucolic countryside and forest, primarily on one of the EuroVelo trails that crisscross the continent for bikers. We stopped at a small snack bar for yes, our last radlers, and yummy cherry strudel, before continuing to our glamorous lunch spot, Schloss Hof, an 18th-century country estate established by Prince Eugene of Savoy. The gardens are still a wonder to walk, replete with resident camels, llamas, horses, and mountain goats.
Then it was on to Slovakia, crossing a small bridge where a memorial was dedicated to the people who died trying to escape communist rule in hopes of finding freedom in Austria. We pedaled past old castle walls before hitting the city and snaking along the Danube to where our trusty home for the week, the AmaLea was waiting. A nice 46-miler with relatively little elevation, 900 feet, and a great way to end the close to 160 miles of biking we did with Backroads over the course of the trip.
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Day Four of our Backroads Danube River Cruise started with a short 13-mile warm up along the river on bike trails. Then it was off to see the impressive Melk Abbey perched on a hill atop the small town, looking more like a palace with its large courtyards, countless rooms, and vast book collection in the library. The 23-mile afternoon ride was arguably the best of the trip, along the Danube in the heart of the Wachau Valley of Austria. Leaving Melk, terraced vineyards started to rise along the river, soon joined by the stone ramparts of forgotten castles. The ridges only got higher and soon small towns dotted the shoreline with their ubiquitous steeples piercing the clouds above. It was hard to bike because you wanted to stop repeatedly to take another photo better than the last.
It started to drizzle when taking a short ferry across the river. Soon we were biking straight through the vineyards, looking at the vines overflowing with fat grapes. We arrived in the small Medieval town of Durnstein, where we relaxed outdoors overlooking the vineyards at Alter Kloster Keller. We wisely chose to grab a bottle of their local Gruner Veltliner and an oversized charcuterie plate packed with local pates, sausages, hams, and cheeses. Perhaps we lingered a bit too long because when we got back on our bikes, the clouds were ominous and it started to pour. Five miles later, we arrived back at the boat drenched, only to find our fearless trip leader, Malcolm, hosting a party under a tent in a torrential downpour for all of us wet bikers. We drank shots of Schnapps and glasses of Riesling while listening to a soundtrack that featured, “It’s Raining Men.” Memorable!
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One of my top biking days of the trip, Day Two with Backroads was a 27-miler with 1600 feet elevation that you felt as soon as you climbed one long hill that crested the ridge. But then you were on top of the world for most of the ride, biking past fields of sunflowers and seeing the mountains of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria in the distance. We would pass small towns where roosters and geese came to greet us before biking over a small bridge into Austria for lunch and yes, another radler. That afternoon, we would bike on a trail alongside the gentle slope of the Danube before arriving at the college town of Passau. A sweet ride enveloped in fields of green. And the weather couldn’t be better, warm and sunny in the 70s.
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For the start of our weeklong cruise with Backroads along the Danube River, we woke up early in Prague and drove 3 ½ hours through Czech’s Bohemian region to Germany’s Bavaria. After lunch at a country farmhouse, we got fitted for our bikes. We were surprised to learn that 38 of the 53 passengers aboard our cruise were using e-bikes. Our family of four went the old-fashioned route, having trained all summer for this week of riding. That would come in handy within the first 15 minutes, when we had a good mile uphill climb. Soon we were high in the hills, past rolling green fields dotted with cows, rows of corn, and large patches of yellow canola. We would ride the first of many bike trails, connecting to narrow quiet country roads that only Backroads could find after scouring the countryside. Then another trail deep into the Bavarian forest before entering small farming communities with their large wooden houses and triangular roofs, not unlike a chalet.
After a brief stop for the first of many radlers that week, a satisfying combination of beer and lemonade that quenched our thirst, we had another killer hill before riding alongside a creek and the velvety green fields beyond. Finally, we reached the broad bend of the Danube River and pedaled the last 5 miles alongside the water until we reached our home for the week, the AmaLea. The perfect introductory ride to get us excited for the trip ahead, 40 miles with over 2300 feet of elevation. Our reward was pints of pilsner and live Bavarian music straight out of an Oktoberfest celebration at Hofbrauhaus, our welcome to Vilshofen, Germany.
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Since we celebrate the great Martin Luther King Jr. today, it’s a good time to dive into my top travel days of last year, which includes MLK’s hometown of Atlanta. We arrived in Atlanta for 3 nights after a weeklong trip along the South Carolina and Georgia coast in early November. Any one of those days could have made this list, especially strolling through the centuries-old live oaks at Charleston’s Magnolia Plantation, dripping with Spanish moss, and a majestic walk on the beach of Hunting Island State Park. But we really enjoyed our time in Atlanta, which started with a splash at the Holiday Lights show at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The city has a lot to offer, including a world-class aquarium, the High Art Museum, which featured an intriguing exhibition on the outsider art of Grandma Moses and Horace Pippen, and upscale shopping at Ponce City Market. The highlight was a 3-hour bike tour with Bicycle Tours of Atlanta that started at MLK’s boyhood home just down the block from Ebenezer Baptist Church, and ended with the cottages in Cabbagetown, with stops at Inman Park and the house used for the television show, Lovecraft Country. We also were introduced to the wonderful Atlanta Beltline, which transformed 33 miles of old railroad track into a biking and walking path that surrounds the city. Afterwards, our excellent guide, Robyn Elliot, led us to many walls and bridges covered with graffiti art. A perfect introduction to the city.
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There’s no better way to jumpstart the post-pandemic body than to entice the senses with a tantalizing venue of local food and drink. Many tour operators are upping the ante this autumn by not only bringing you to scenic locales like the Dolomites and the Douro River, but adding to the excitement by adding hosts like a Michelin-starred chef or wine expert.
The first trip that has us salivating is the Dolomites and Lake Garda Chef on Wheels Bike Tour with DuVine. Andy Levine’s love of topnotch restaurants, the finest wine, and memorable bike routes spurred him on to create DuVine Cycling decades ago. After all, his motto is “Bike, Eat, Drink, Sleep.” This is certainly true of this September 6-day jaunt in northern Italy with Michelin-starred chef Stefano Righetti. Raised in the mountains above Lake Garda, Righetti rose to prominence at Lake Garda’s acclaimed Vecchia Malcesine. Bike on a traffic-free network of local bike paths, crossing three regions from the Italian Alps to Lake Garda, and stop at Righetti’s favorite local wineries, farms, and food suppliers along the way. Actually, you’ll go one step further by foraging for wild ingredients and then preparing a sunset dinner in an alpine chalet with Righetti. If you want to start traveling again with gusto, this is certainly worthy of a bucket list trip! Please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll check availability.
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