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China
Cruising China’s mighty
Yangtze river
A booming economy, the Beijing Olympics in
2008, World Expo in 2010 and home to the
world’s largest engineering project, the
Yangtze dam, few cannot have noticed that
China today regularly makes front page news.
Diary date
Wednesday 21st November 2007
Peter Deilmann River
& Ocean Cruises
An informal presentation on the
excellent 5 star European river
cruises will take place in the
Georgian House Hotel in Haslemere
at 1130 hrs.
If you would like to attend – there
is no charge – please call
Haslemere Travel on
01428 658777 to reserve your
place(s) or email:
cruise@haslemeretravel.co.uk
Escorted Cruise 2008
Join us on our escorted Danube
cruise departing 25 October 2008 –
a 7 night 5-star river cruise to
include Vienna & Budapest
For Bridge Enthusiasts 2009
Do you play bridge? Please let us
know if you would like further
details on our planned Spring 2009
European bridge river cruise.
To register your interest please call
Terry on 01428 658777
or email
terry@haslemeretravel.co.uk
Any itinerary to China in my opinion, should
include at least 3 nights on a Yangtze river
cruise to provide a relaxing interlude in
between visits to the modern cities of Beijing
and Shanghai, the Great Wall and the
Terracotta Army at Xian.
This classic river journey takes you from
Chongqing to Wuhan, passing at a leisurely
pace through the dramatic three gorges
region with their towering sheer cliffs,
riverside villages and towns – making for an
unforgettable experience. A visit to the new
dam site is also one of the highlights and
with completion due in 2009, when the water
level will rise to its maximum new level, this
is the time to view the gorges in all their
present glory.
Two companies we would recommend are
Viking River Cruises who operate a variety of
extensive tours including cruises from 5 – 9
nights duration on board their impressive 5
star vessels, the Viking Century Star and Sun.
Alternatively, for that extra exclusiveness,
Abercrombie & Kent’s new 5 star vessel the
Yangtze Explorer accommodating 180
passengers is due to be launched in April
2008, and will offer guests the style and
ambience of a discreet exclusive club, with
service, entertainment, food and on board
facilities to match.
If you would like to receive further
details on any of the above options
or wish to investigate alternative
possibilities for travel to China,
please give us a call on
01428 658777 or email us at
cruise@haslemeretravel.co.uk
Yachting
Not Cruising
An overnight stay on a Sea Dream Yacht was
too good an opportunity to be missed, with
just 55 couples and with a crew of 95, you
can just imagine the truly wonderful service
on board this small all inclusive luxury ship.
A casual and relaxing atmosphere pervades,
and services on board include a water sports
marina, golf simulator, mountain bikes, a fully
certified Thai spa as well as a well equipped
gym. Casual outdoor dining, dependent on the
weather, is a sumptuous experience.
A voyage on Sea Dream, whether in the
Caribbean or South America in the winter or
the Mediterranean in the summer, will allow
you the chance to experience some of the
loveliest harbours and
secluded coves in the
world that the large
cruise ships are
unable to reach.
Haslemere Travel Ltd.
2/4 Petworth Road, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 2HR
Tel: 01428 658777 Fax: 01428 651415
Email: experience@haslemeretravel.co.uk
Welcome to our first travel supplement
dedicated to river cruising, with the
occasional lapse into the world of
discovery and small ships.
Personal preferences and individual
circumstances can dictate whether the most
suitable choice for your next seagoing holiday is
to be on the Queen Victoria or the Minerva, the
Crystal Symphony or the Hebridean Spirit for the
high seas, Sunboat !V, or the Road to Mandalay,
MS Casanova or the Yangtze Explorer for a very
different experience on the rivers and inland
waterways of the world.
Small ships and river boats have the advantage
of mooring up against harbour quays, close to
little seaside villages, often well away from big
cities and tourist masses; they also have the
attraction of interesting itineraries that take in
spectacular scenery, historic monuments, and
local cultures.
Our cruising expertise is fathomless, but our
personal pleasure is to choose the most suitable
adventure and experience for every occasion.
Prague and the
Treasures of Saxony
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I could not
resist venturing back to the former East Germany to
see how life has changed since my last visit in 1998.
A large part of my background has been involved
promoting river cruising, but I had never had an
opportunity to cruise with the renowned Peter
Deilmann River Cruises; with high expectations of
this 5 star product, I need not have worried, from
the moment I stepped on board the MS Katherina
von Bora in Prague, I just knew that everything
would be wonderful.
After settling in to my comfortable cabin, we were
invited to the Captain’s welcome reception to meet
the crew, who turned out to be the best that I have
ever experienced, prior to our first sumptuous meal,
a splendid 7 course gourmet feast, this was the start
of seven days of gastronomic bliss with each course
presented as a work of art.
Over the next 7 days, my fellow passengers, just 63
out of a maximum of 80, and I were to enjoy the
splendours of Prague, before leisurely cruising north
west through the Czech
Republic and into Germany,
passing the extraordinary
Sandstone rock formations of
Little Switzerland before
arriving in Dresden.
This “Florence of the North”
has once again been proudly
restored to former glories,
and the 2 nights spent moored here allowed us the
necessary time to explore and savour the cultural
and architectural delights of the City. On to Meissen,
Dresden’s near neighbour, with it’s lovely castle
district and world renowned porcelain, Wittenberg,
home to Martin Luther and Magdeburg, which has
successfully blended architecture old and new.
Our final destination was Potsdam, the nearest
mooring place to Berlin, and both of these are
worthy of another and longer visit to enjoy the
many outstanding attractions that they offer.
For a fascinating introduction to a European cultural
experience with a difference, and at a relaxed
pace, I can’t recommend this river cruise holiday
highly enough.
For more information call Mike on 01428 658777 or
email mike@haslemeretravel.co.uk
www.haslemeretravel.co.uk 01428 658777 The Greatest Travel Experience www.haslemeretravel.co.uk