Welcome to Cruise Holidays of
Clarkson’s November Newsletter
As we write this article for our
November Newsletter Issue, Joe and I just returned from Europe, our third trip
this year—South America and Antarctica in January, a cruise on the Adriatic Sea
in May and one on the Mediterranean Sea just this October. It’s always an
honour and privilege to travel with you, our Cruise Holidays of Clarkson
traveler, and to admire the rich history, spanning countries and centuries with
a diverse mosaic of cultural treasures.
Zaneta’s Interview with Bill Anderson of Classical 96.3 FM
Just recently I was invited to a radio
interview by Bill Anderson of Classical 96.3 FM, our host on many of our group
travels in Europe. I was asked to talk about the logistics of organizing our all
- inclusive, culturally enriched cruise tours. You can imagine the challenge
this presented: to describe a 12 to 18 month process in five minutes. Where
does one begin? There is a whole barrage of people involved in these
undertakings. Our secret? We partner up with conscientious, reliable and honest
partners who are aware and share our own standards and principles; then, we
seek out opportunities to culturally enrich your travels primarily through
music and history; and now for next year, culinary and gardening themes as
well. Bill and his wife Sharon will accompany us on our Classical Music
Delights on the Danube river cruise tour in April of next year—the first step
in planning this tour was to find a river cruise that this particular classical
music band was commissioned to perform on (which happened to be the beautiful
Blue Danube), and the rest, as they say, is history….
Current Promotions
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| Click here: Bill describes "Delights" |
Many of you are listeners of the
Classical 96.3 FM radio station, and have heard our promotions on the radio.
Currently, we are taking bookings for the Classical Music Delights on the
Danube tour, which departs Toronto on March 31st and returns on
April 14th. Yes, we recognize it would have been better if this trip
started a couple of weeks later, but had we done so, we would not have been
able to offer a classical music programme with such richness. Plus, weather
conditions are really not very easily predictable anymore, so we follow the “be
prepared, not scared” motto, and it works. This promotion ends mid November-if
you are thinking of joining us, please contact us soon—bookings are almost at
capacity. |
| Click here for Orient Express brochure |
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| Click here to review our Aus / NZ brochure |
We also have two staterooms available for our
Australia and New Zealand cruise tour on Oceania in February 2012. The ship is
completely sold out—we have the last two cabins in our group. In addition to the
Australia and New Zealand voyage and the Danube tour in April next year, Joe
and I will be hosting the Deluxe Orient Express tour in November 2012—if you
are looking for a true exotic experience, this is it, look no more; Thailand,
Singapore, Bali are among the most exotic destinations in the world; we stay at
5 star deluxe properties, we hired the best local guides, and we spend three
most memorable nights on the infamous Deluxe Orient Express train—ah, what a nostalgic
and memorable experience this will be! Joe and I are truly looking forward to this
trip-hope you can join us. We have room for a few more discerning travelers
like you.
Cruise Destination Review
This October, we returned from our Magical
Mediterranean Memories cruise tour. Our group of forty was accompanied by
Marilyn Lightstone of Classical 96.3 FM. Marilyn shared moments of “her life in
the arts” experiences as we cruised from Venice to Monte Carlo on the luxurious
Regent Seven Seas Voyager, all along being entertained by four Canadian opera
singers—what a musical feast this was! Although we visited three other
countries on this cruise (Croatia, Greece, and Monaco), Italy was the highlight
on this voyage. Italy lies in the heart of the Mediterranean-the north of the
country is rooted in Europe, and the south stretches like a bridge to the coast
of Africa. Many an ancient mariner has landed on Italy’s rugged coast, and the
eventual rise of Rome turned the Mediterranean into a Roman Lake which they
called Mare Nostrum. 
When Rome fell, the northern cities of Genoa, Pisa and
Venice emerged as great sea powers and rival city states. Then came the Italian
Renaissance, born in Florence in the early 1400’s and beauty became a byword of
Italy. Glorious churches, grand palaces, and landscaped gardens were built.
Marble fountains and statues soon adorned the squares, and a sense of style
became an Italian birthright. The country’s creative force, fueled throughout
the centuries by political turmoil and military conflicts, has been described
by the art historian Bernard Berenson as “the intensification of life”. We travel
to Italy to see the ruins and famous works of art, and soon find all of our
senses awakened. This sense of living each moment in a state of beauty, is the
ultimate “la dolce vita”. 
Equal to the quality of this wonderful cruise tour, was the hospitality of Marilyn Lightstone and Moses Znaimer; Marilyn very generously invited the group to her home for our reunion and what an enjoyable Saturday afternoon strolling through the luscious grounds and enjoying the ambience of a wondeful home with gracious people. We thank you, Marilyn and Moses.Our Culinary cruise tour with Julia Hanna
Joe and I love Italy and we are going back
next September. This time, we will be travelling with a culinary host; Julia
Hanna, Oakville restaurateur and chef. She is the proud owner
of Julia’s Ristorante and Ritorno, both restaurants in Oakville. She is also
the founder of Kids Culinary Community (KCC), a non-profit organization. KCC
programs educate children about the benefits of healthy eating by providing
experimental learning programs such as cooking sessions. These cooking sessions
are designed to educate and entertain, while achieving Julia’s life-goal of
leaner and healthier future generations. The children also learn taste doesn’t
need to be sacrificed for nutrition. As a token of our appreciation, Cruise
Holidays of Clarkson has offered to donate funds to the KCC foundation for each
cruise booking on the Oceania’s Riviera October 14th, 2012 10
night-sailing from Athens to Rome. Join us on this spectacular voyage as we
sail along the spectacular Amalfi Coast and savour Italian inspired delicacies.
Call our office for details on this amazing Mediterranean cruise experience.
Group on tour
Our China and Tibet group has just
returned from their extensive tour. They were accompanied by Jean Stilwell of
Classical 96.3 fm and her collaborator Patti Loach. We’ve enjoyed travelling
with Jean and Patti on numerous other voyages—their company is an absolute
delight. Stay tuned for the details on their trip in our December issue—and some
spectacular photographs; Patti is a passionate photographer.European Barge Cruising
Constantly searching for new and
exciting ways of exploring our beautiful, wide world, we would like to welcome
you to the world of European Barge cruising—a unique holiday experience that
has been around for decades, but only recently captured the interest of you,
our discerning traveller. Discover the fascinating world of hotel barging by
the vineyards of Burgundy, on the shaded Canal du Midi in Southern France, the
Venetian Lagoon, or the Shannon in rustic Ireland—there are so many delightful
waterways to be discovered. Perfectly suitable for small family reunions or
friends’ get together adventures, European Barging will be the next “it” in
cruising without a doubt. We have just the ideas for your barging
experience—call us and find out more details.
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| Click here for our spring 2012 programme |
