Julie & Julia
An American In Paris
We Built This City: Paris
Day of the Jackal
Gigi
Victor/Victoria
Les Miserables
French Kiss
Ronin
Paris Je T’aime
Moulin Rouge
Funny Face
Silk Stocking
Charade
Paris When It Sizzles
Jefferson in Paris
Forget Paris
Everyone Says I Love You
The Bourne Identity
Before Sunset
Da Vinci Code

— Anne

We were awakened before first light for a morning game drive on which we saw:
- male and female leopards
- spotted hyena
- baboons
- impala
-kudu
- giraffe
- elephants

I never thought I would be happy to be awakened at 5:30 and dragged out for a 3-hour ride in a bumping car, the last hour of which it rained, but here I am with this grin on my face!
There are no words.  We are SO GLAD we came.
Then on the afternoon/nighttime game drive we saw:
- A mother white rhino & her baby

We drove into the middle of a herd of Cape buffalo
- Spotted a few gnu

And then - ta da!- we drove like Indiana Jones and sped to the site where a lioness had been spotted. And when we arrived - there she was - with her two cubs - right at the side of the road.  No one could breathe. She looked at us, the cubs played a bit, she picked up one of them by the scruff of the neck and headed off into the bush.  We followed and lost them for a bit and then saw the cubs - alone.  So where was the lioness?  We were holding our breath. Then we saw her - just off to our right  - 10 feet away!  Holy cow.  It was a moment to be sure -  we couldn’t decide if we were exhilarated or terrified.  Both, I guess.  But mostly the former.  It’s now after dinner and we are heading back to our room to review the videotape and say for the thousandth time “OH MY GOD!”

We had one more game drive in the morning and flew back to Jo’burg and then on to the US and home.  More hours that we can count.  But it’s all been worth it and we have loads of tales to tell.

—Anne

Despite every deterrent you can conjure to prevent sane people from getting on a plane, train or subway, they just keep coming.  “Hey, we forgot Spring Break is coming - we want to go somewhere, like say, Italy, London, Paris.  It’s not too late, is it?  I mean, no one is really traveling these days, right?”

WRONG!  Our intrepid clients and their referrals are planning trips, mostly of 7-14 days between now and the end of summer.  And many of them are forking over big bucks to do so.

Where are our clients going this year, and how?  Italy, once again, tops our list of most popular destinations, followed closely by Paris, London and a surge of interest in Portugal.  Cruising is back big time as well, Crystal and Regent being our major suppliers.

So, can everyone afford to travel?  Well, airfares seem to have gone up for sure, but the fare wars keep popping up that make a cross country flight affordable for most families at about $300 round trip.  Transatlantic travel is a bit harder on the checkbook, with average coach fares to Europe coming in at well over $1,000 per person.  Has it stopped them?  Nope, they are just renting an apartment in Paris to save money on hotels, and opting for casual meals rather than those 100 euro per person dinners.

So, have you made YOUR Spring Break plans yet?  Tick Tock!

- Audrey
www.onthemaptravel.com

The goal was  a luxury hotel, a bit of sightseeing, some Jewish history and the tennis matches.  All missions were accomplished and the trip was a great success.  Was she happy?   Well, let’s see… I have since planned trips to  New York City, San Francisco, Las Vegas and, oh yes, a month-long trip to Europe and Israel including a 12 night Crystal cruise.  I think she’s still happy – she and her daughter will be joining my Mother/Daughter Paris trip this summer!  But to the point — was I happy?  Yes.  Sometimes there are moments when Oprah is right.

— Audrey

So, here is the latest from Africa:  VICTORIA FALLS - OMG! - you cannot begin to imagine it – very wet and wild. We got soaked just from walking along the edge of the surrounding cliffs. It was beautiful and we saw lots of rainbows, but the best was a DOUBLE RAINBOW which we took as a sign that we were meant to come on this trip, meant to be in the travel business and that On The Map Travel was going to have a great year.  That may be a lot to see in a couple of rainbows, but we stand by it.
For budget reasons, we decided to forgo the boma dinner set up by the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge – we figured we would experience the real boma when we were on safari later in the week. BTW - a boma (we learned) is an open, natural space that provides safety and shelter in the bush - most safari camps have them as the dinner venue. Plus, we are not huge fans of “manufactured” group experiences.  On The Map Travel was formed to “provide individuals and groups with interesting and imaginative travel” and we didn’t think this dinner fits that description.  Instead we treated ourselves to a formal afternoon high tea at the ever-so-proper and historic Victoria Falls Hotel - overlooking the falls and the bridge.  A magnificent view.  Warthogs running around the well-trimmed, expansive lawn – talk about a dichotomy.  The hotel was built in 1904 (does that date ring a bell for those of you in St. Louis?) and is colonial to the max.  It was a wonderful afternoon – so relaxing and full of history – as well as my favorite meal of the day, High Tea (see our blog post about tea at London’s Milestone Hotel -  http://www.onthemaptravel.com/2011/01/18/on-the-maps-favorite-afternoon-tea-in-london).  We also got a tour of the hotel (for future business), which was lovely. This was an experience I would not have missed.  Though we did feel a bit odd, since it was so luxurious and yet the rest of the town, the rest of the country is so, so poor.  We ended up buying from some street merchants to support the local economy and assuage our feelings of Western guilt just a little.
After that we toured another smaller hotel in the center of town and, as we were looking over a balcony, we asked the manager, “Where are the deluxe rooms located?”   Without missing a beat, the hotel manager pointed and said “Do you see that warthog down there? The deluxe rooms are just behind him.”  And he was not trying to be funny.  It was the first time in my life that anyone used a warthog as a point of reference.  Only in Africa. . .

For a real Willy Wonka adventure, hop on board Switzerland’s Chocolate Train.  And what do you get?  A train ride AND all the chocolate you can eat!  My idea of a perfect day.  In Montreux, Switzerland we boarded vintage “Belle Epoque Pullman” 1915 carriages – with beautiful woodwork and velvet seats – and enjoyed croissants and hot chocolate served on board as we pulled out of the station. (Actually you have your choice of these 1st class “Belle Epoque Pullman” deluxe carriages or in panoramic coaches).  The Chocolate Train runs on tracks of the Montreux-Oberland-Bernois Railway (MOB), which offer scenic views of vineyards and peaceful countryside on its way to the first stop of the day - the medieval cheesemaking town of Gruyères. A postcard-perfect town, is Gruyères also has a fabulous fairytale castle - and tickets for a visit were included in the price of our train tickets. The Chocolate Train then continues nearly to the doors of the Callier-Nestlé factory where the very air you breathe is filled with the luscious scent of chocolate.  Though Nestlè chocolate is produced around the world, this factory in Broc is the only place where Callièr is still made.
After a short tour of the factory, we entered nirvana.  An entire tasting room filled with table after table of every variety of chocolate treats produced by Callièr -Nestlé. And it’s all you can eat!  The train returned to Montreaux (be sure and check out the Castle of Chillon and the Freddy Mercury statue by the lake!). The Chocolate train runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from May to October except June 2nd and 13th  2011 and every day in July and August. Reservations are required and can be made at Montreux train station or at a travel agency like ours. The package includes coffee and croissant on the train, bus transfers and a tour of the Gruyères castle, as well as visits to the demonstration cheese dairy and the chocolate factory. Chocolate Train prices for 2011 are 99.00 Swiss francs (CHF) for adults and 69.00 for children.  At today’s exchange it’s about USD $104 for adults and $73 for kids.  Prices are about half that if you have a SwissPass train card.  And may I say, it’s worth every bite…I mean penny!

For more information about the Swiss Chocolate Train visit www.mob.ch

— Anne

In town we saw a sign posted near an open market, filled with stall after stall of the same tired handicrafts….the funny thing about it is that ALL of the activities listed were taking place within 10 feet of the sign!  After checking into Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (www.victoria-falls-safari-lodge.com), we had lunch on a terrace overlooking the watering hole where the animals come to drink. None of the Big 5 showed up, but we did see a couple of what we thought were gazelles or kudu or antelope - we were not such which they were since we were relatively new to Africa. (Note: they turned out to be impala)

We took a sunset cruise and I saw my first wild hippos there – all I can say is that Disney has it just about right.  Those cute little ears on those huge heads just floating an inch above the water - just like the Jungle Boat ride at Disneyland.   They certainly don’t look it, but they are widely considered to be one of the most dangerous large animals in Africa. There are even signs around that say ‘Beware of the Hippopotamus’.  This is one of the things I love about travel.  There are no signs like that in St. Louis - or Los Angeles for that matter.  We cruised on and were rewarded with a spectacular and fiery sunset over the Zambezi River.
And get this — on that sunset cruise I met a group of women traveling from Cincinnati - half of whom knew my cousins that live there.  Every day, I am reminded that is truly is a small world after all.

— Anne

We rode the Rovos Rail luxury train from Capetown to Pretoria; it was spectacular (www.rovosrail.com). Very Agatha Christie. We were met at the private waiting room by none other than the owner – Rohan Vos.  Get it?  RoVos Rail . . . what a clever man.  The coaches are vintage wood paneled  - classics remodeled and refurbished to mint condition – meals were leisurely and the company was great – very interesting people. We really felt the romance and atmosphere of a bygone era. They hooked up a steam engine for a while – we all climbed into the cab and blew the whistle – boy was it hot in there! One night Audrey and I stood on the outdoor platform at the end of the lounge car – the very end of train – and stargazed as we chugged along in the wild African night.  I have never seen stars like that in my life. Is the word magical overused?   Oh well — what else is there to say?

— Anne

The Milestone Hotel
1 Kensington Court
London, W8 5DL.
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7917 1000
For reservations, you can email conciergems@rchmail.com

— Anne