PaperTrails - extras.mnginteractive.comextras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2010/... · Best...
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PaperTrails Welcome to Paper Trails Please upload your digital JPEG photo (no less than 3 megapixels) to the Paper Trails blog for publication consideration. Simply visit denverpost.com/travel and click on Paper Trails to follow the instruc- tions. If you have problems, please call 303-954-1300. If you do not have a digital camera, you can submit a good-quality print, and we will upload the photo for you. Write your name, address and daytime phone num- ber for contact information and follow the format shown in the newspaper (if it does not follow this format, it will not be considered and will not be returned). Send to: Paper Trails, Travel Section, The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202. Anyone can visit the Paper Trails blog at any time to view and comment on read- er photos and trips. PERU Who: Ethel Condon Where: Continental Divide on the Pan American Highway between Cusco and Puno Best meal: Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant at each meal, along with a variety of tasty meats from beef to chicken to al- paca medallions to fresh fish. You can’t go wrong with any selections you make. Best deal: At local markets throughout Peru, you can negotiate with the sellers on a variety of souvenirs. The exception is gen- uine baby alpaca sweaters and scarves, but even then the craftsmanship is beyond com- parison and worth the price. Best time to go: Traveling from June through August is the South American win- ter, when the daytime temperatures range from the 60s to 70s. Machu Picchu is very busy during these months. Best travel tip: Don’t miss the opportunity to explore Lake Titicaca, the world’s high- est navigable lake, south of Cusco. The floating islands are a must-see along with the pre-Incan funeral towers. ITALY Who: Anthony Carsaro and Marley (the mascot at my granddaughter’s school) Where: Rome, in front of Trevi Fountain Best meal: It’s hard to pick just one, but one to remember is in the piazza in front of the Pantheon. We ate and drank at Boccondivi- no, an outdoor restaurant. Best deal: Staying at the Oceania Hotel in Rome. The location was great. We were able to save money by being able to walk to all of the major sightseeing spots. The hotel staff was great with directions, and break- fast was included. Best time to go: Late August or early Sep- tember. The temperature was pleasant and lines were very short. Best travel tip: A big tourist trap is outside dining. When you get your check you will notice the restaurant adds additional charg- es for outside dining. Just be prepared, en- joy the view and take your time in eating. MEXICO Who: Don and JoAnn Lathrop of Steam- boat Springs Where: Chichen Itza Best meal: El Pescador restaurant in Cancun. This is Spanish for “the fisher- man.” All the grouper meals were fan- tastic and only about $13. Best deal: Jewelry and dresses at Chich- en Itza. The Mayan merchants were very fair and pleasant to deal with. Best time to go: During the equinox. February and March are also ideal in Cancun. Best travel tip: Use the public bus trans- portation in Cancun for 65 cents a trip and the driver will let you know where to get off. Also, the Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Costco stores have all of your supplies at reasonable cost and are on the bus route. HUNGARY Who: Lindi Brubaker and Corky Terry Where: Szechenyi Baths, City Park, Budapest. Hungarians love their baths, and this one is a favorite of the locals. Many large min- eral pools of varying temperatures as well as smaller indoor pools are available for use. Best meal: Greathall Market has many great eating places on the second floor. The first floor has many market foods available for purchase. The cherry strudel on the first floor is outstanding. Best deal: 10-pack travel tickets for use on the Metro and buses Best time to go: Early fall, when the weather was clear and temps in the 70s-80s Best travel tip: A city bus tour upon arrival gives you a good feel for the location of must-see landmarks. Plan to stay in Pest for eas- ier access to restaurants and shopping, etc. CANADA Who: Julie and Valor Dodd Where: Lake Louise Best meal: Dining in Lake Louise and Banff is expensive. Dining options in Lake Louise are mainly limited to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, but the Grizzly House Steak and Fondue restaurant in Banff is very good. The restaurant décor was unique and the fondue was awesome. The dessert was a melted Toblerone chocolate bar in a heated fondue pot. Fruit and vanilla wafers made excellent dippers. Best deal: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Lou- ise Hotel is on one of the most beautiful lakes you’ll ever see. Check the Internet for the best room prices. We were able to find half-price rooms on Travelocity.com that were not available on the hotel website or other travel websites. Best time to go: Right after Labor Day, when most schools are back in session and before it gets cold. As a comparison, we were there the last week of August and the crowds were large but the weather was al- most perfect — 65-75 degrees every day. Best travel tip: There are two great hikes that you can take from Lake Louise to teahouses. The teahouses serve refresh- ments and offer some of the best views of the surrounding glaciers and alpine lakes. PUERTO RICO Who: Alex and Rita Tingley Where: Island of Vieques, approximately 7 miles west of Puerto Rico, near a secluded snorkeling site called Culebra Island, with a coral reef and a variety of fish Best meal: In Fajardo, Puerto Rico, at the Fajardo Inn Restaurant Best deal: Prices of clothes and shoes in down- town Fajardo and also gift shops in old San Juan have good prices Best time to go: Prior to the hot tourist season — I would say September and October — the rates are lower. Best travel tip: Get a car rental direct through one of the companies near the airport and go see El Yungue Rain Forest near Fajardo. It’s about 45 minutes from San Juan International Airport. There are many nice resorts to use as your main headquarters while vacationing here. CELEBRATE WINTERSKÖL™ 2010 IN ASPEN JANUARY 14 – 17! The 59th annual Wintersköl™ Celebration is Aspen’s spirited toast to winter. The longest running winter event in Aspen, Wintersköl™ celebrates winter with lots of family fun in the snow! Most events are FREE and open to everyone. Bring the entire family and join in on the fun! For a full calendar and information on discounted Wintersköl™ lodging packages, visit WWW.ASPENCHAMBER.ORG/WINTERSKOL or call 888.667.5666 HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE SOUPSKÖL Local restaurants offer FREE soup samples & compete for the coveted soup bowl trophy WINTERSCULPT 48-hour snow sculpture and carving competition CANINE FASHION SHOW Aspen’s glamorous pooches come out in style TORCHLIGHT DESCENT & FIREWORKS on Aspen Mountain PRODUCED BY: 4T» TRAVEL sunday, january 3, 2010 B the denver post B denverpost.com 6
Transcript of PaperTrails - extras.mnginteractive.comextras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2010/... · Best...
PaperTrails
Welcome to Paper Trails
Please upload your digital JPEG photo (noless than 3 megapixels) to the PaperTrails blog for publication consideration.Simply visit denverpost.com/travel andclick on Paper Trails to follow the instruc-tions. If you have problems, please call303-954-1300.
If you do not have a digital camera, youcan submit a good-quality print, and wewill upload the photo for you. Write yourname, address and daytime phone num-ber for contact information and followthe format shown in the newspaper (if itdoes not follow this format, it will not be
considered and will not be returned).Send to: Paper Trails, Travel Section, TheDenver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite600, Denver, CO 80202.Anyone can visit the Paper Trails blog atany time to view and comment on read-er photos and trips.
PERUWho: Ethel CondonWhere: Continental Divide on the PanAmerican Highway between Cusco andPunoBest meal: Fresh fruits and vegetables areabundant at each meal, along with a varietyof tasty meats from beef to chicken to al-paca medallions to fresh fish. You can’t gowrong with any selections you make.Best deal: At local markets throughoutPeru, you can negotiate with the sellers ona variety of souvenirs. The exception is gen-uine baby alpaca sweaters and scarves, buteven then the craftsmanship is beyond com-parison and worth the price.Best time to go: Traveling from Junethrough August is the South American win-ter, when the daytime temperatures rangefrom the 60s to 70s. Machu Picchu is verybusy during these months.Best travel tip: Don’t miss the opportunityto explore Lake Titicaca, the world’s high-est navigable lake, south of Cusco. Thefloating islands are a must-see along withthe pre-Incan funeral towers.
ITALYWho: Anthony Carsaro and Marley (themascot at my granddaughter’s school)Where: Rome, in front of Trevi FountainBest meal: It’s hard to pick just one, but oneto remember is in the piazza in front of thePantheon. We ate and drank at Boccondivi-no, an outdoor restaurant.Best deal: Staying at the Oceania Hotel inRome. The location was great. We wereable to save money by being able to walk toall of the major sightseeing spots. The hotelstaff was great with directions, and break-fast was included.Best time to go: Late August or early Sep-tember. The temperature was pleasant andlines were very short.Best travel tip: A big tourist trap is outsidedining. When you get your check you willnotice the restaurant adds additional charg-es for outside dining. Just be prepared, en-joy the view and take your time in eating.
MEXICOWho: Don and JoAnn Lathrop of Steam-boat SpringsWhere: Chichen ItzaBest meal: El Pescador restaurant inCancun. This is Spanish for “the fisher-man.” All the grouper meals were fan-tastic and only about $13.Best deal: Jewelry and dresses at Chich-en Itza. The Mayan merchants werevery fair and pleasant to deal with.Best time to go: During the equinox.February and March are also ideal inCancun.Best travel tip: Use the public bus trans-portation in Cancun for 65 cents a tripand the driver will let you know whereto get off. Also, the Wal-Mart, Sam’sClub and Costco stores have all of yoursupplies at reasonable cost and are onthe bus route.
HUNGARYWho: Lindi Brubaker and Corky TerryWhere: Szechenyi Baths, City Park, Budapest. Hungarians lovetheir baths, and this one is a favorite of the locals. Many large min-eral pools of varying temperatures as well as smaller indoor poolsare available for use.Best meal: Greathall Market has many great eating places on thesecond floor. The first floor has many market foods available forpurchase. The cherry strudel on the first floor is outstanding.Best deal: 10-pack travel tickets for use on the Metro and busesBest time to go: Early fall, when the weather was clear and tempsin the 70s-80sBest travel tip: A city bus tour upon arrival gives you a good feelfor the location of must-see landmarks. Plan to stay in Pest for eas-ier access to restaurants and shopping, etc.
CANADAWho: Julie and Valor DoddWhere: Lake LouiseBest meal: Dining in Lake Louise and Banffis expensive. Dining options in Lake Louiseare mainly limited to the Fairmont ChateauLake Louise Hotel, but the Grizzly HouseSteak and Fondue restaurant in Banff isvery good. The restaurant décor wasunique and the fondue was awesome. Thedessert was a melted Toblerone chocolatebar in a heated fondue pot. Fruit and vanillawafers made excellent dippers.Best deal: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Lou-ise Hotel is on one of the most beautifullakes you’ll ever see. Check the Internet forthe best room prices. We were able to findhalf-price rooms on Travelocity.com thatwere not available on the hotel website orother travel websites.Best time to go: Right after Labor Day,when most schools are back in session andbefore it gets cold. As a comparison, wewere there the last week of August and thecrowds were large but the weather was al-most perfect — 65-75 degrees every day.Best travel tip: There are two great hikesthat you can take from Lake Louise toteahouses. The teahouses serve refresh-ments and offer some of the best views ofthe surrounding glaciers and alpine lakes.
PUERTO RICOWho: Alex and Rita TingleyWhere: Island of Vieques, approximately 7 mileswest of Puerto Rico, near a secluded snorkelingsite called Culebra Island, with a coral reef and avariety of fishBest meal: In Fajardo, Puerto Rico, at the FajardoInn RestaurantBest deal: Prices of clothes and shoes in down-town Fajardo and also gift shops in old San Juanhave good pricesBest time to go: Prior to the hot tourist season — Iwould say September and October — the ratesare lower.Best travel tip: Get a car rental direct through oneof the companies near the airport and go see ElYungue Rain Forest near Fajardo. It’s about 45minutes from San Juan International Airport.There are many nice resorts to use as your mainheadquarters while vacationing here.
CELEBRATE WINTERSKÖL™ 2010 IN ASPEN JANUARY 14 – 17!
The 59th annual Wintersköl™ Celebration is Aspen’s spirited toast to winter. The longest running winter event in Aspen, Wintersköl™ celebrates winter with lots of family fun in the snow! Most events are FREE and open to everyone. Bring the entire family and join in on the fun! For a full calendar and information on discounted Wintersköl™ lodging packages, visit WWW.ASPENCHAMBER.ORG/WINTERSKOL or call 888.667.5666
HIG
HLI
GH
TSIN
CLU
DE SOUPSKÖL
Local restaurants offer FREE soup samples & compete for the coveted soup bowl trophy
WINTERSCULPT48-hour snow sculpture and carving competition
CANINE FASHION SHOWAspen’s glamorous pooches come out in style
TORCHLIGHT DESCENT & FIREWORKS on Aspen Mountain
PRODUCED BY:
4T» TRAVEL sunday, january 3, 2010 B the denver post B denverpost.com 6
