by David McGuffin | Nov 9, 2014 | Destinations
I was reminded that today is the 25th anniversary of the FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL. Many recall hearing of the Wall and its 28 year history of separating East and West Berlin. You may also remember listening to news reports of the events leading up to its fall on November 9, 1989.
During the Wall’s 28 years, it is documented that border guards fired 1,693 times and made 3,221 arrests. It is believed that at least 136 people were killed at the Wall while trying to escape. There were 5,043 documented successful escapes.
My wife and I often say, “I’ve been there”, while watching movies or TV shows. It all started shortly after my first trip to Europe in the 1970’s when I returned home an “expert” (ha!) on all the destinations I had visited. Now that we both have traveled all over the world, we continue this “tradition” trying to identify familiar scenes featured in the media.
But you know, we DO become “experts” when we experience a place. The Berlin Wall was just a distant news story and historical event until I actually visited it. I was at the Wall in March 2014. Although I’ve traveled extensively in Europe, I’d never made to Berlin until this trip. Being there, walking around, experiencing, seeing, tasting, and smelling the actual place left a lasting sensory connect with the destination. There is nothing like the first-hand experience of being able to say, “I’ve been there.”
This is why I make it my mission to inspire European travel with my tours focusing on culture, history, art, and engaging experiences. I believe all travel is an adventure that leaves lasting positive or disappointing memories. I hope to empower my travel partners with knowledge, guidance, and confidence to embrace the adventure, seize the moment, and most of all… have fun!
Here are several links to today’s news about The Wall’s 25th Anniversary that I ran across this morning. I hope you enjoy the virtual experience. Maybe you’ll consider going with me to Berlin in September 2014 and experience the real thing!
The Berlin Wall, a 96-mile-long barrier, was erected in stages around West Berlin in 1961. The East Germany government did not call it a barrier or wall, but the “Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart.” Major portions were rapidly constructed, almost overnight, to prevent the constant seepage of people from the East to the West. It is said that close to 3 million people had leaked out between 1949 and 1961. So, by 1961, the East had had enough and built “The Wall” or “Mauer”, as it’s known in German. Read more of my article about my first visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial.
The area around the 158-kilometer (98.2-mile) stretch where the Berlin Wall divided the city has changed utterly in the last 25 years. The barbed wire, machine-gun turrets and tanks in “no man’s land” have gone. In their place have sprung up shopping malls, parks, office blocks and bright, glass-fronted train stations. (Read about the fall of the Berlin Wall and explore its history in an interactive timeline.)
Published Nov. 5, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Photo credit: Left: Getty Images; Right: Mustafah Abdulaziz for The Wall Street Journal
To many Germans, Harald Jaeger is the man who opened the Berlin Wall.
It’s a legacy that still makes the former East German border officer uncomfortable 25 years after he defied his superiors’ orders and let thousands of East Berliners pour across his checkpoint into the West.
“I didn’t open the wall. The people who stood here, they did it,” says the 71-year-old with a booming voice who was an East German lieutenant colonel in charge of passport control at Bornholmer Street. “Their will was so great, there was no other alternative but to open the border.” read more…
Alain Nogues/Sygma/Corbis
by David McGuffin | Nov 3, 2014 | Destinations, news
I’ve been busy the last few months with several projects designed to promote David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe and to introduce my tours in new markets. Last week, we participated in The Travel and Adventure Show in Dallas, Texas where we had the opportunity to visit with thousands of travel minded people, just itching for somewhere to go.
We’ve completely reworked the tour areas of davidmcguffin.com, making it more descriptive, interactive, and easy to sign-up and get going on a tour.
My 2015 Travel Planning Calendar is printed and ready to be shipped next month. If you are a McGuffin tour alumni or on our mailing list, your calendar (and the material mentioned below) will be in the mail to you next month.
We’ve also produced a brand new full color Tour Catalogue detailing all my 2015 tours.
Finally, we’ve designed beverage coasters featuring images of our favorite tour destinations.
2014 has been my busiest year ever! Adding it all up, I reckon I’ve spent four months in Europe leading tours, doing research, and updating my travel information. This has helped me explore new destinations, shift perspectives, and focus on offering an even better tour experience for my travel partners.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
SIGN UP NOW… SAVE $100 ON ANY 2015 TOUR
Book your seat on any 2015 David McGuffin tour, and automatically save $100 per person. We are offering more tours than ever. Booking early is a sure way to lock in current prices, your preferred departure date, and save $100! Hurry, this offer ends December 20, 2014. Your Adventure Starts Here!
15 TOUR ROUTES
12 COUNTRIES
44 DEPARTURES
We’ve got a tour, destination, and departure that’s sure to fit your schedule. Browse all my 2015 tours
FEATURED SLIDE SHOW
This Best of Sicily Tour takes you on a circular tour visiting my best destinations on the island. We will definitely visit all the main tourist sights but often it is the cultural experiences, small villages, and unique destinations that make the most vivid travel memories. I think we’ve come up with a balanced mix of both.
Beginning in Palermo, you’ll experience a lively and vibrant city full of colorful characters, ancient churches, and bustling markets. Then we will get out of town visiting the ancient Greek sites of Segesta, Agrigento, Taormina, and Syracuse. Along the way you’ll experience the culture, cuisine, and sense of community only found in small villages and hilltowns. Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities to slow down and enjoy some free time on your own to make your own travel memories. Sicily will provide an intense dose of Italian culture supercharged with a Sicilian flair.
Have you traveled on a David McGuffin Tour? If so, I am laying down a challenge to my computer-savvy shutter bugs to design and post an online scrapbook website of your favorite David McGuffin tour experiences. Everyone is eligible as long as you have traveled with me to Europe anytime in the past thirty years.
Your odds of winning are great! Last year I had a lot of interest, but no entries for this contest. Here is all the information to get you started.
My Facebook Page is growing every week and at the moment I have close to 1000 “likes”. I’ve added a feature to my Facebook page which allows Exploring Europe Tour ALUMNI to write a REVIEW about their tour experience. If you’ve traveled with me, I’d appreciate your writing a short review of your tour experience. https://www.facebook.com/ExploringEurope?sk=reviews
by David McGuffin | Nov 2, 2014 | Destinations, news
Book your seat on any 2015 David McGuffin tour, and automatically save $100 per person. We are offering more tours than ever. Booking early is a sure way to lock in current prices, your preferred departure date, and save $100! Hurry, this offer ends January 5, 2015. Browse all my 2015 tours… Your Adventure Starts Here!
Here’s the fine print…
To receive this early-booking discount of $100 per person, you must reserve a tour by midnight EDT, January 5, 2015. Discounts are valid for new bookings and must be secured with a $400 per person deposit.
Your $100 discount will not appear in your online tour deposit order. It will be noted in your confirmation letter and automatically deducted from your final balance.
Returning alumni who book early can enjoy this $100 discount in addition to their tour alumnus discounts!
All prices and dates are subject to availability and change.
by David McGuffin | Jul 25, 2014 | Destinations
Christmas Markets in Europe
Christmas Markets spice up the winter holiday season with an extra dose of spirit and cheer. Outdoor markets celebrating Advent and the Christ child pop up in many towns from the first weekend in December right up until Christmas Eve. In German speaking regions they are known as Christkindl Markt or Weihnachtsmarkt. Our English translation is “Christ Child Market” and “Christmas Market.” However, they are not limited solely to Germany and Austria… Christmas Markets are a longtime tradition in many areas associated with the spread of Christianity in Europe under the guidance of the medieval church and the Holy Roman Empire.
My first experience at a Christmas Market
I fell in love with the “Christmas Market experience” several years ago when Charlotte and I visited Vienna and Prague. We had some airline miles to use before the end of the year, so we took off for a winter escape from the Florida heat. My luggage (and heavy winter coat) had been “lost” in flight, so my first experience was walking around Vienna’s markets in nothing but a thin cotton blazer. I assure you I had my fair share of glüwein trying to keep warm that night! I was impressed with the focus on Christmas and Christ, the hand-made unique crafts, and the general festive atmosphere.
Later, we visited Prague and experienced some of the most amazing foods. Locals were roasting huge hams on spits over open wood fires. All you had to do was walk up and they would whack off a piece, slap it on a slice of crusty bread and hand it to you. Many towns specialize in their own variety of sausages, sweets, breads, and chocolate covered treats. I can promise you’ll not go hungry! There is a fair amount of drinking too. Countless local varieties of glüwein (a piping hot mulled wine), pünsch, kinderpüncsh, schnapps, hot chocolate, and coffee are available and served in their own souvenir cup representing the Christmas Market and year.
All this, combined with chilly weather, caroling choirs, brass bands, millions of lights, and festive decorations are sure to supercharge your holiday travel experience. It is totally different traveling in the winter and being immersed in the Christmas cheer. Even if you’ve visited these destinations before in the spring or summer… this winter Christmas Market experience is like making it all fresh and new again.
Why not join us?
This year, why don’t you join me in experiencing the Christmas Markets of Germany and Austria? I guarantee you’ll catch the Christmas spirit, get in some fine shopping, eat well, experience the sights, and still be home in time to celebrate Christmas with your usual traditions.
We leave the USA on December 6 and return December 14. A few seats are still available and we are keeping one warm for you!
Merry Christmas,
See the tour itinerary, get more details, and sign-up.
Watch a video slideshow featuring all my Christmas Market destinations.
by David McGuffin | Jul 22, 2014 | David's Journal, Destinations
Leaving Ireland
I’ve been in Ireland for more than a month and although I love the Emerald Isle, I’m ready for a change. This morning, I was up at 4:30 and on my flight to Athens by 7:30. Even before my Aer Lingus flight took off, I was dozing.
Four hours and two time zones later we touched down in Athens to a totally different landscape than I’d left in Ireland. Gone were the 40 Shades of Green and patchwork quilted countryside. Now all I could glimpse out the small oval window were rocky mountains littered with scraggly shrubs, an occasional olive grove, and sun-burnt tumbleweeds.
Touchdown in Athens!
The unmistakable grinding of the landing gear being hoisted into position alerts me our landing is near. Looking out the window, I see we are flying into a valley with mountain peaks soaring above us. I know there is a runway somewhere up ahead, but I always wonder! The young Asian kids in the seat in front of me begin exclaiming, “IKEA, IKEA, IKEA”. I look out the window, and sure enough my first recognizable landmark in Greece is the big blue and yellow marquee of the do-it-your-self megastore.
Touchdown! Brakes! More brakes! Then a swift left turn and we are heading to our parking spot. No gate and gangplank for Aer Lingus! We park on the tarmac (Why do they call it that? There is no tar, it’s all concrete.) Rolling stairs are positioned at the front and rear doors, and off we go, heading to the terminal on foot.
Charlotte is meeting me here later today, so I’ve got four hours to waste in the airport until her KLM/SkyTeam flight arrives from Amsterdam. Knowing that I will eventually have groups arriving here for my Exploring Europe tours, I locate the toilets, ATM’s, money exchange, rental cars, public transportation, taxis, restaurants, and other typical airport facilities. Finally, I track down the EU and International arrivals portals (only two possibilities, areas A and B) and then get some lunch at a café.
I notice straightaway the prices are significantly cheaper here than in Ireland and the rest of Europe. My lunch cost about €15 for three courses including my drink. Yesterday in Ireland, I spent €25 plus drinks for my group’s final dinner in the seaside town of Howth.
Athens – The Parthenon
Charlotte’s flight is on time and arrives by 4:45. We connected within minutes and are in a taxi heading towards central Athens in no time. We’ve planned to stay here for three nights to tour Athens and adjust to Greece. I’ve chosen the Electra hotel group for our stay in the city. For me it is a proven hotel property that is centrally located in a safe and historic area of town. Upon arrival at the Electra Hotel, the reception agent tells us we have the “best room in the house”, gives us our key and we head up to our room.
The room is well… roomy and well appointed. Minutes after our arrival a gentleman shows up with a bowl of fruit and chilled bottled water… that’s a nice touch! We pulled the drapes and slept soundly for several hours. When we woke up, it was dark outside… about 9:30 p.m.
Flashback to 1977
This was my fourth trip to Athens’ Plaka neighborhood. The first had been in 1977 when I arrived with a group of 50 or so friends embarking on a three-week choir tour. I remember waking up that first morning in the Palka to the sounds of the street. All European cities have the same routine and associated sounds… if you are up early enough. Looking down from my balcony, I found shopkeepers washing the sidewalks with buckets of water and old scraggly brooms chatting with one another in a language foreign to me. Old men sitting at the café down the street with their first cup of coffee of the day. Dogs were wearily wandering around trying to find a morsel left from last night’s dinner, and kittens were running to and fro engaged in a skillful game of hide and seek. I’ve always remembered that first morning in Europe and given the chance, try to allow it to “evolve” naturally where ever I visit.
Let’s Eat!
Ok, back to present day… I asked at the hotel desk for a place to get dinner. The lady at reception quizzed me on what type of place we were looking for… fancy, four-star, typical Greek, local, or humble family-owned place. You probably know my answer,
And her directions went something like this, “out the door go left, at the corner-left, then straight, straight, straight (imagine hand motions), then right and straight, straight, straight, at the theatre turn left to the place.”
We ended up on a small square in the heart of the Plaka neighborhood surrounded by local restaurants spilling out onto the sidewalk. It was kind of funny that the lady had directed us to a place named simply “Trattoria”, a term associated with Italy, certainly not Greece. I think Charlotte and I both ordered a Greek Salad (the first of many), shrimp saganaki, and traditional chicken souvlaki with roasted potatoes.
Shrimp Saganiki
Walking back to the hotel we noticed an almost full moon rising above a nearby church. Here is Charlotte’s photo:
Back in the room and after an long day for both of us, we turn the A/C down to 18°C, pulled the drapes, and sleep soundly all night.
Read my previous post in this series. Read my next post in this series.
by David McGuffin | Jul 21, 2014 | Adventures in Tour Guiding, Destinations
I’ve struck off on a two-week adventure in Greece and I hope you’ll share it with me. My primary purpose is to explore the country and develop an Exploring Europe tour for 2015. Along the way, I’ll visit some of the big tourist destinations such as Athens and Olympia, but I promise to get off the beaten path and poke around lesser known places as well.
Once out of Athens I’ll pick up my rental car and do all the driving. I’ve already discovered the map and the GPS don’t alway agree, so I’m sure to make a few wrong turns and may even get lost, but that will be part of the adventure!
I am traveling with Charlotte, my wife, and Janey, a long-time friend and Exploring Europe tour alumna (that’s Janey in the photo above). We have a roughly planned itinerary that includes several islands and much of the Pelopennese Peninsula, but part of the adventure will be deviations from the plan!
I’ll add a new post every few days, so please keep in touch, add your comments, and share with your friends.
Best Regards,
I was reminded that today is the 25th anniversary of the FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL. Many recall hearing of the Wall and its 28 year history of separating East and West Berlin. You may also remember listening to news reports of the events leading up to its fall on November 9, 1989.
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