Vineyards of Burgundy
Learn more about wines, from studying the grapes to matching wine with food, during the Au Coeur du Vin (The Heart of Wine) tour in France. Located in Chichee, south of Chablis, the tour program is organized by Eric Szablowski, who completed his studies of wine at the Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne in Beaune.
The “Heart of Yonne” program, for example, first takes visitors through vineyards to study the grapes and the vintners’ work. It then goes to wine cellars for tasting, followed by lunch and instruction on matching food and wine. After the meal, there are visits to the villages of Saint-Bris, Irancy, Chitry and Epineuil for wine tasting.
The cost is 135 euros per person for one to six people. It includes lunch and transportation in a classic Citroën 2CV car. If you choose to take your own car, the cost is 95 euros per person for one to eight people and includes lunch.
Go to aucoeurduvin.com, which has an English option.
Adventurous lodging
Igloos, concrete sewage pipes, a prison and an airplane — what do they have in common? They are all hotels.
Travelers seeking an odd twist in travel lodging should check out unusualhotelsoftheworld.com.
The site lists 252 properties around the world, including salt hotels, an airplane, underground and cave suites, historical harbor and coastal fortifications, a prison, igloos and a Berber retreat. There are several categories of hotels, such as deserted, historic and vehicles, and several themes, including industrial, kids, and food and drink.
AllStarCard for skiers
Skiers heading for the Kitzbühel Alps region of Austria might want to take advantage of the AllStarCard. The region is the country’s biggest interconnected ski area, and it is accessible with this single ski pass.
The pass allows skiing in 10 areas and includes about 675 miles of ski runs. The areas include about 512 miles of runs serviced by snow-making systems, 100 marked ski runs, about 56 miles of altitude gain, 356 gondolas and ski lifts and 271 ski and mountain huts.
Prices for adults range from 46.50 euros for one day to 245.50 euros for seven days. Children ages 16 to 18 pay from 37 euros to 196.50 euros and children 6 to 15 pay 23 euros to 123 euros.
For details, visit allstarcard.at/en/default.asp.
