Pops' Denmark Travel Guide, Upcoming Events

I want to give you a heads up on events coming up in Denmark. This will give you enough time to plan a vacation around these events if you are planning a trip to Denmark.

• Roskilde Festival is the largest music and culture event in Northern Europe. First held in 1971, Roskilde Festival has grown steadily in popularity and size, and now attracts some 80,000 people annually from all over the world who come to enjoy a diverse mix of music, arts – and camping. Internationally-renowned artists like Bob Marley, U2, Metallica and Radiohead have all played Roskilde in previous years and the festival is THE place to experience both established as well as new acts at their best. The event is June 28th through July 6th. 

• Also music related is the annual Eurovision Song Contest that will take place on Refshaleøen in Copenhagen. Many European countries will participate in this glittery, exciting international competition, which attracts approximately 170 million viewers from all over the world. Refshaleøen will be transformed into Eurovision Island, a power centre of music, festivities and community spirit. Here, the 59th edition of the competition will run for three days inside the industrial B&W halls in May 2014. The event is May 5th through May 10th. 

• Wondercool is Copenhagen's major winter festival with focus on art, architecture, design, food, fashion, music and cultural experiences. It is backed up by the city's large established festivals and institutions. Wondercool takes place in 2014 for the fourth time and throughout the month of February. Established festivals such as the food festival Copenhagen Cooking invites you to a wealth of gastronomic experiences, and the music festivals FROST and Copenhagen Jazz Festival offer an abundance of concerts.

• Denmark's largest Viking Festival will be in Ribe this year. More than 300 Vikings from the whole of Europe will gather to recreate an authentic and lively market atmosphere as it was in Ribe 1300 years ago. The public will be able to experience, how the Vikings lived and worked, and at the market place’s many exciting stalls a good trade can be done. Battle re-enactments, riding and archery displays are scheduled on both days. The event is April 28th through May 4th.

• More than 250,000 people make Copenhagen Jazz Festival one of the biggest, inclusive jazz events of its kind in Europe every summer. This year the event is July 4th - July 13th. 

• Carnival in Aalborg is the largest carnival in Northern Europe with up to 25,000 carnivalists in the Grand Parade and more than 100,000 spectators catching the magnificent wave of colors and fantasy along the parade route. Don't miss this spectacular event! Be a part of a world full of colors, impressive costumes, music, rhythms and dance from all corners of the world. You are the entertainer - the street is your stage. What distinguishes Aalborg Carnival from most other carnivals is that everyone can participate in the Grand Parade on May 24th. The parade moves through the streets of Aalborg and ends up in Kildeparken, where the festivities reach their climax and the biggest and most colorful party of the year takes place! The event takes place May 18th through May 24th.

• The Skagen Festival is Denmark’s oldest music festival. Come and experience the atmosphere and the many fantastic Danish and foreign bands, which all help to make the festival quite unique.
  The festival, which takes place at several locations throughout the town and at the harbour, offers a wealth of different styles of music which can be experienced at the many concerts on both indoor and outdoor stages. The event takes place July/3rd through July 6th.

As you can see there is a lot to see and do in Denmark during the year. This is just a sample of events happening this year. For more information and to sign up for a newsletter visit 

www.visitdenmark.com

Walt Disney World on a Budget Part 1

Going to Disney World can be expensive depending on how long your trip is and where you stay. I’m sure the majority of people planning a vacation want to try to save the most money possible, but that doesn't have to mean sacrificing comfort or luxury. In this blog I’m going to break down the costs associated with your trip and the ways to save money (that I've found). After reading this, please feel free to comment with any of your tips to save money. 

Before jumping into ways to save money, I want to note that the length of your trip will be a factor in your overall trip cost. If this is your first trip or if you don’t go to Disney World very often, I would recommend going for at least a week. There are 4 main theme parks at Disney World, so even if you only spent a day at each park, that’s already 4 days. Epcot and Magic Kingdom are our favorite theme parks, so we usually go to each at least twice. On top of the theme parks, you have Downtown Disney, water parks, and various other recreation activities. You also should consider that there are two other large parks within a short driving distance from Disney World: Universal Studios and Sea World.

On our trips, we usually go for between 11 – 14 days (which includes the travel days). I like a relaxing trip where I have the option of going back to the hotel for swimming or going miniature golf, without having to worry about squeezing everything into a short amount of time. When planning your trip, you should consider the following costs:

Tickets

Hotel

Airfare

Rental Car

Food

Note that the discounts and rates listed below are approximate and subject to change.

Tickets

When booking your hotel and tickets, you need to decide if you want to book them separately or in a package. Although I would recommend booking them separately, Disney does offer "Magic Your Way" packages, which combine hotel, tickets, dining, and other options, based on which package you select. One benefit of a package is that it’s more simple and convenient to book. Disney also occasionally offers package discounts, however I have found that the "room only" discounts are offered more frequently.

When buying tickets, Disney offers a base ticket (admission to 1 park each day) with a variety of add-ons. You can buy the base ticket for up to 10 days, with the price per day decreasing the more days you purchase. For example, an adult one day ticket is $101, while a ten day ticket is only $361.

In addition to the base ticket, you can purchase a number of ticket options. These options include:

Park Hopper – allows you to enter multiple parks each day

Water Park Fun and More – includes admission to the water parks and golf/mini golf courses.

No Expiration – Base tickets expire 14 days after initial use. This option means that any unused days on your ticket do not expire and can be used again on your next vacation.

When we've gone in the past, we usually just buy the base ticket with no options. The parks are so large and spread out that we only go to one park each day. If we get tired of that park, we tend to either go back to the hotel or go to Downtown Disney. Also, we usually go to a water park only once during the trip, which is cheaper to pay for separately than adding it on as option. However, the water park option is a good deal if you plan on going to the water parks multiple times on your trip.

Hotel

In the Ticket section above, I've briefly discussed the Disney vacation packages. While booking vacation packages might be more convenient; it is usually not any cheaper than booking your hotel separately (which I recommend). In this section I’m going to cover the best Disney hotel discounts that I've found. Note that in this section and the Ticket section above, I am referring to Disney owned resorts. However there are other non-Disney owned hotels, which you may want to consider. These hotels are often cheaper than Disney owned hotels and have their own discounts. I’ll provide more information on the different types of accommodation options in a future blog.

Before getting into the discounts, I just want to note that discounts are usually announced only a few months in advance (or less). If you wait until the discounts are announced, the most popular hotels may be unavailable. To circumvent this, we usually research what hotel we want to stay at and then book somewhat far in advance. Then when the discounts are announced, you may be able to apply the discount to your existing reservation!

• General Public Room-Only Discounts - Throughout the year, Disney will announce room-only discounts for the general public, typically ranging from 5% up to 30%, depending on your hotel. The more expensive (deluxe) hotels usually receive the higher discount. These discounts are often announced during the less busy times of year (Spring / Fall). Because they are "room-only" discounts, you will not be able to use this discount and combine it with a package. 
• Annual Pass - Please read this section even if you don’t currently have an annual pass! In addition to the general public room-only discount, Disney also offers hotel discounts to their Annual Pass holders at various times throughout the year. The discount amount is typically greater (up to 45%) than the general public discounts above. You might be saying this doesn't apply to you, but it could actually save you money to buy an annual pass if you can use it to get the discount. Here’s an example:

When we went on our honeymoon, we decided that we wanted to stay at the Yacht and Beach club; however the hotel is pretty expensive, with a standard rate of approximately $360/night. Note – this is one of the more expensive hotels at Disney World; you can definitely find less expensive hotels on property. In doing research, we found out there was an Annual Pass Discount being offered for that time. In our case, when we applied the discount, we ended up saving about $840, which included the cost of buying the annual pass. Here’s the breakou

• 10 night hotel without discount was approximately $3600 (plus taxes and fees). Additionally, two 10 day park tickets were approximately $720 ($360 each). So approximate total for hotel and tickets would be $4320.
• 10 night hotel with a 30% discount was approximately $2520 (plus taxes and fees). The price for one annual pass was about $600 and one 10 day park ticket was $360. So the approximate total for the hotel and tickets would be $3480.

• Disney Visa Card – If you plan on going to Disneyland or Disney World, I would highly recommend getting a Disney Visa card. In addition to getting Disney points for your purchases, Disney Visa also offers Discount rates for their card members. These rates are similar to the General Public and Annual Pass discount rates above. It’s just another great way to find discounts.
• Travel Sites (Travelocity) Discounts – When planning your trip to Disney World, even if there are discount rates being offered through Disney, I would still recommend searching for hotel specials on various travel sites (Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc...). On one of our trips, Disney was offering a 30% discount rate on their hotels; however we found an even better deal on Travelocity, which was offering upgraded room views for about 42% off the standard rate. This was a great find and we were able to stay in a Courtyard view room at the Wilderness Lodge, overlooking the lake. 

• Pin Codes – The last hotel discount I’m aware of is referred to as "Pin Codes". Randomly (or maybe not so randomly), Disney will mail select people a Pin Code associated with a certain percentage off your hotel. The codes are linked to you, so the only way to use them is for Disney to send them to you directly. Throughout the years, I've read numerous tips on getting these codes (which I've heard go up to 45% off). One way to get a code is to go on www.Disneyworld.com and request information on a Disney vacation. When you do this they send you a vacation brochure and DVD, but the trick is that it adds your name to their database and increases your chances of getting a code. After our honeymoon, I tried this out. I filled out the form online requesting more information and a few weeks later I got the vacation DVD. Then a few months after that I got a Pin Code in the mail good for 35% off hotels. Unfortunately it was only for a specific time period, so we didn't use it. However this is yet another way to get hotel discounts.

In part 2 of this post, I’ll discuss tips and ways to save money associated with airfare, rental cars, and food.

Pops' Formula One Travel Guide, New Season

This week begins the new season of Formula One as testing begins on January 28th in Jerez, Spain. This will be an exciting season as new technology changes opens everything up for grabs. This year the cars are going from a V8 to a 1.6 Litre V6 Turbo model. Additional changes are --

• Two Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) instead of the one last year. Having two ERS will give the car an additional 160 BHP during certain times on the circuit. 
• Cars will be limited to 100 kg of fuel for a race. In F1 there is no refueling during the race.
• Introduction of an 8-speed fixed ratio gearbox.
• Narrower front wing. This is supposed to reduce the clipping of the front wing in tight spaces.
• Shallower rear wing. This will reduce the amount of down-force supplied by the rear wing. 
• Maximum weight of the car and driver has been increased by 48 kg. This is to compensate for the additional systems added to the car.
• Lower chassis and nose. This is to reduce the launching of cars due to nose to rear wheel collisions.

As you can see there has been a lot of changes made to the cars for this year. 

In Jerez the cars will be unveiled for the first time. This will be the first time we will be able to see how the cars stack up against each other. It should be an interesting testing period.

The first race in the 2014 calendar is March 14 - 16 in Australia. Every team will want to get off to a good start. There was a lot of churn this off season with a lot of drivers changing teams and some rookie drivers added. Mark Webber retired from Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo moved up from Toro Rosso and Kimi Raikkonen moved from Lotus to Ferrari to name a few. 

At stake in Australia is Sebastian Vettel's streak of consecutive wins, currently at nine. One more win and he breaks the all-time record. Vettel is tied with Alberto Ascari who set the record across two seasons in 1952 and 1953.

If you have ever wanted to go to Australia and you are a fan of F1 why not combine your passions and attend the race this year. There will be a lot of excitement with the rule changes and Vettel's streak. It's not too late to get your tickets. You could see history being made. 

Pops’ California Travel Guide, Upcoming Events

There are two events coming up in Northern California that I wanted to talk about. One will definitely happen and the other will depend on nature. Both of these tend to happen around the same time.

Mavericks is a big wave surfing contest that is invitation only to the best surfers in the world. The reason that it may not happen is that the conditions have to be perfect. If the conditions aren't perfect the event will not happen for that year. This year it is scheduled to happen the weekend of January 24 – 26. Currently the surfers have been notified and are all on alert. We won’t know until it gets closer to the weekend. If you are in the area and the event happens then I would recommend going. You can watch from the shore. I have heard they are predicting 50 foot waves. Mavericks is in Northern California by Half Moon Bay.

Also coming up is the AT&T Pro Am in Carmel. This is a celebrity studded golf tournament that was started by Bing Crosby and was billed as the Crosby Clambake. The event happens in February every year and this year it is the week of Feb 3 – 9. The reason I know the events happen around the same time of year as Maverick’s is that one of the world’s best surfers is Kelly Slater. He likes to play in the AT&T and has missed Mavericks because of that. Last year I attended the pro-am for two days. The first day I focused on the celebrities and the second day the pros. The tournament is played over three courses with everyone playing each of the three courses. My strategy was to check out the program to find where most of the big name celebrities would be playing. I then camped out at a green for the day and watched them all play through. That way I was able to see a number of actors and sports heroes of mine. Your best chance of getting up close is to pick one of the courses other than Pebble Beach on either Wednesday or Thursday. The next day I wanted to see Pebble Beach so I went there to watch the pros. I wouldn't camp out at a particular hole. I would see as much of Pebble Beach as you can.  If you haven’t been to Pebble Beach you have to go. Take the 17 Mile Drive. It is some of the most beautiful coastline you will ever see.

By the way, right now the temperature is in the seventies here in Northern California. If that’s not an incentive to get over here I don’t know what is. 

Pops’ California Wine Country Travel Guide, The Napa Wine Train

If you want to do something very special while you are in Napa Valley I would suggest “The Napa Wine Train”. The wine train leave the city of Napa and travels north through the valley and past some of the historic wineries in Napa Valley. The trip is a relaxing three-hour, thirty-six mile round trip journey from Napa to St Helena and back. Guests aboard the Wine Train enjoy a freshly prepared gourmet lunch or dinner inside a fully restored 1915-1917 Pullman Dining Car or 1952 Vista Dome Car as they pass the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley. They also have the option of pre-purchasing a winery tour where they will drop you off and pick you up on the way back. Wineries are different depending on the day.

I have done this twice and would recommend booking the Vista Dome Car. You get a fantastic view from both sides of the car as you are sitting higher up and in a dome. After you arrive and check-in they offer wine tasting from a local wine expert who will be happy to answer any question. The ride is at a slow pace with a few stops as they let the people off and on that are touring a winery. The food is excellent and the wine selection is awesome as you would expect in the wine country. You can bring your own wine if you want and they only charge a small corkage fee. Also, the staff love what they are doing and it shows in the service you get.

Prices vary depending on the type of car you select. Their site shows prices ranging from $109/person to $149/person excluding wine and a winery tour if you desire.

For more information and booking you can go to their website - http://winetrain.com/ .

If you have the time this is a must do attraction.

Pops' Travel Guide, A Heartfelt Thank-You to Domaine Chandon

I have been going to the Domaine Chandon Winery for about 37 years. I started going there for work and was one of their original club members (I still have the card). Back then it wasn't a wine club, it was a Chandon club. Membership got you a special number to call for restaurant reservations and tables were set aside for club members. When you sat down at the table they would bring out a special desert wine called, I think "Panache". I have also been going to the restaurant every year for the 37 years. Membership also got you invited to special events and a monthly newsletter.

I started taking my parents to eat there about the same time for their wedding anniversary in October and got them hooked on the restaurant. My favorite dish was a puff pastry creamy tomato soup with vegetables grown on the grounds. We always made it a point of going on their anniversary every year.

This last October my father had been very ill and he was in and out of the hospital. I didn't know if we would make it to Chandon this year. Up until a week before our reservation he was in the hospital again. He got out and I asked him if he was up to the trip. Mom and dad live about an hour away. He said he definitely wanted to go.  

The day of the trip I went to pick mom and dad up and he was dressed and ready to go. That day he was more alert than he had been in months. You could see from the smile on his face that this really meant a lot to him. It was a beautiful fall day and the grounds are very beautiful with many flowers in bloom.

We arrived and sat down to a nice table inside. We just missed sitting outside by a few weeks as the weather was turning colder. We started with a bottle of Blanc de Noir  and some appetizers. Lunch came out and dad cleaned his plate. When you eat there it is like having your own private waiter for your table. The waiters only have a few tables to worry about so you have their undivided attention. He asked if it was a special occasion and I told him it was their anniversary. We ordered desert and the waiter also brought out a creme brulee. What he didn't know was that is dads favorite desert. Dad had the creme brulee to himself. The waiter also comped our sparkling wine.

This already had been a long day for dad but you could tell he had a fantastic time. For a week after that he talked constantly about how great a time he had that day.

A week later he was back in the hospital but this time he passed away. To have the memory of sharing an experience with my father that we had done for years will stay with me forever. We will continue to go every year with mom and we will make sure to have a toast for dad.

Chandon will always be a special place in our hearts.

Pops

Pops’ California Wine Country Travel Guide, Napa Valley

Napa Valley hit the scene when a California red and white wine each took first prize in the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine competition. Stags Leap won for its Cabernet and Chateau Montelena won for its Chardonnay. Up until then most thought of California wines as inferior to wines from Europe. Look at what we drank; Mateus, Lancers and Blue Nun all from Europe were very popular. People who collected fine wine couldn’t wait as the newest vintages came out from Europe of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Beaujolais. Gallo and Carlo Rossi were considered jug wines and I drank my fair share. Then there were Mondavi, Christian Brothers, and Charles Krug from Napa who produced a lot of wine and the very small (boutique) wineries like David Bruce and Chateau Montelena. People thought of the boutique wineries as someone’s hobby but they actually produced some of the best wine out there. These were known in California but not far beyond. Now Napa Valley is famous all around the world. It is definitely a tourist destination.

Starting in Napa there are two ways to travel north in the valley. Hwy 29 is the main route on the western side and the Silverado Trail is the other route on the eastern side. The Silverado Trail connects again with Hwy 29 in St Helena. On Hwy 29 you will pass through many towns, some just a train stop and others bigger. You will see Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St Helena and Calistoga. Napa, St Helena and Calistoga are three of the bigger cities. You will also see winery names that are recognized as making Napa Valley famous and then a lot of newer wineries as a new winery is opening all the time. The older names you will recognize such as Mondavi, Beringer, Charles Krug and V Sattui. Some like Christian Brothers no longer exist, Christian Brothers is now a culinary institute, and others have changed names. There are so many wineries to choose from it is hard to single any out.

On the Silverado Trail you will find wineries such as Clos Du Val, Joseph Phelps and Duckhorn. You will find the Silverado Trail to be less crowded than Hwy 29.  There is also the Silverado Country Club for golfing, tennis, lodging and eating.

Getting around: On weekends and during the summer Napa Valley can be very crowded. Traffic gets backed up and tasting rooms are full. The three modes of getting around are drive yourself, hire a limo and ride a bike. (There is also the Wine Train I will talk about in my next post)

If you have the time and are physically able to do so riding a bike is an excellent option. The landscape is beautiful and you can pick a cluster of wineries to see where the distance won’t be that great. The valley is pretty flat so it shouldn’t be hard to do.

Another option is to drive yourself. Driving you can cover a greater distance in a day but on busy days you’ll have to fight the traffic.

My favorite option is to lease a limo. That way you can cover more ground, you don’t have to fight the traffic and since you will be tasting you don’t have to worry about driving. The cost is high but it is safer and more relaxing. If you have a big group then that can help with the cost. Also, the limo driver knows the area and will make suggestions.

Places to Stay: On the Silverado Trail you have the Silverado Country Club. You can book a room or also book a condo. I stayed at a condo one weekend on a par 3 hole. Before leaving for a day of wine tasting I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the balcony and watched the golfers tackle the hole. From my vantage point I could watch them tee off and putting on the green. It was a relaxing way to start the day. Our condo had a fireplace and at night it was nice to sit back with a glass of wine by the fire.

Along Hwy 29 there are many options from resorts to bed and breakfast. I have stayed in Yountville and talked about those in the post on Yountville. My only advice would be that if you are seeing Napa Valley by bike is to pick a central location for that day so you aren’t riding to get to the wineries. Stay at different locations on your vacation. 

  

Places to Eat: I’ve talked about the Yountville restaurants already. Other choices in the valley are the Rutherford Grill (Rutherford), Market, Press (St Helena), Mustards Grill (Napa), and JoLe (Calistoga). These are some of the highly rated restaurants in the valley, there are a lot more. Ask the place you are staying for more recommendations.

Attractions: Just like Sonoma Valley you will find golfing, hot springs, spas, and of course wine and food. See if you get the same feeling that I do of having left the US and entering another country. Relax and enjoy!

Summary:  My favorite time to visit is in the spring or fall. The weather is the best and the crowds are fewer. Every winery has something to offer. In tasting wine it is all in what you like. If you are traveling a great distance to get to Napa Valley I would spend an entire week there. I know for some it is attached to a Bay Area vacation and you won’t have a week. Then, go by what you drink at home or what you have had at a restaurant back home. If you liked that wine visit the winery. Otherwise try as many different wineries as you can and find your favorite. 

Walt Disney World Planning - When to Go

My husband will argue that I enjoy planning my trips to Disney World as much as the trips themselves. I tend to research as much as possible and create a spreadsheet of everything (various hotels, various dates, different airfare options) so that I can get the most bang for our buck. When planning, there is so much to consider: who to go with, when to go, for how long, where to stay, what to see. There are so many options within each of those to consider and your choices will really influence the type of trip you have. Before any planning starts, think about what type of vacation you want to have.

• Do you want to try to see and do everything; stay at the parks all day and only go back to the hotel to sleep
• Do you want a relaxing vacation (yes, a Disney vacation can be relaxing!!) where you spend half days at the parks and the other half by the pool at your hotel? 
• Or do you want something in between? 

Once you really figure out what type of vacation you want, the planning can begin. Just remember this, no matter what you decide, your trip will not go exactly to plan! Expect the unexpected and go with the flow; that is the best way to enjoy it. 

When planning your trip to Disney World, one of the first things to consider is when to go. The time of year can have a significant impact on your trip, especially on getting discounts on hotels and the attendance levels at the parks. The busier times of year are often around US Holidays and the summer months. I would say to avoid going during the summer (end of June through September) if at all possible. If you have children in school, you may be constrained to go when they are on summer vacation. However this is the time when the parks are very busy and the weather is VERY hot and humid. This also is the official hurricane season, with rainfall at its peak in August through early October. Large crowds combined with unrelenting heat and humidity may lead to an unpleasant vacation.

Other times with large crowds include Spring Break and Christmas/New Years. If you have to go during one of these times, just get in the mindset that there will be crowds and you may not be able to conquer a park in 1 day, just relax and go with the flow. In addition to crowds, hotels will be more expensive during these holidays. Disney has seasonal rates for their hotels, with Christmas and New Years being the most expensive. Rates tend to be the lowest in January and in late Summer / Fall (excluding holidays). For the savvy planner, you can almost always find a hotel discount during these times. 

In addition to the US Holidays, there are a number of special Disney events held each year which are a lot of fun to attend (however they may also draw large crowds). When planning, make sure to research if any special events occur near your trip. Examples of these events include the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, Star Wars weekends, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Dates for these events may vary slightly each year. For a complete listing of events, go to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/

I’m sure everyone has a different opinion on the best times to go to Disney World, but I would recommend going in either May/early June or October. As an adult, we've chosen to go to Disney World in May or early June on all of our trips; in fact we enjoyed going during those months so much that we didn't even consider going any other time. For our first trip, we choose June because that was when we were married (we went on our honeymoon). May/early June is an absolutely wonderful time of year to go and I would recommend it to anyone for 3 reasons:

low attendance

perfect weather

the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

During this time of year, the majority of schools are still in session or have just ended. We found that this led to really low crowds in May, increasing slightly as you move into June. Some people may still complain that lines are long; however they are nothing compared to the lines you’ll get during the Spring / Summer weekends at Disneyland. For example, I remember people in front of us on Splash Mountain complaining of a 20-30 minute wait (which is nothing after you've spent 1+hours in line at Splash Mountain in Disneyland). Another reason for going in May/early June is the weather. The weather’s warm, the humidity is low, and the rain is infrequent. On all of our trips, the rain was expected every single day (this is Florida remember); however it either didn't rain at all or there would be a flash rainstorm lasting only a few minutes. 

Tip: If it’s warm enough, wear comfortable flip flops or other slip-ons (no socks). You’ll usually be at the park all day and if you get rained on, nothing is worse than walking around all day with wet socks on; they don’t dry out the longer you wear them like your other clothes. If you find wearing flip flops uncomfortable, bring a back-up pair of socks with you to the parks.   

Finally, my last reason for recommending May/early June is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. During this festival, Epcot is decorated with beautiful topiaries and flowers of various Disney characters and there are daily hands-on gardening workshops and nightly concerts. In addition, I've read that they have recently also started serving special menu items at marketplaces around the lagoon. For 2014, the Epcot Flower and Garden festival is from March 5 to May 18, 2014.

The other time I would recommend going is in October. October is very similar to May in attendance levels and weather; kids are back in school, the summer heat and humidity have tapered off, and hurricane season has (usually) diminished. Additionally, October has two of the best Disney events:

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is at the Magic Kingdom, after the Park closes (from 7 pm to midnight) on various nights throughout September and October. This event includes trick-or-treating around the park, a special Halloween parade, and fireworks. In addition, many characters are out and about signing autographs and taking pictures. Guests (children and adults) are encouraged to dress-up in their Halloween costumes. Note that admission into this event requires a ticket, with an additional cost. I have never attended this event, but I’m planning to take my kids to it on our next trip.

While Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party may cater more towards children, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival is definitely more for adults. 

This is an event my husband and I have been wanting to go to for awhile and almost the entire reason our next trip will be in October. The Epcot Theme Park is separated into 2 large areas:

Future World

World Showcase.

World Showcase consists of various countries from around the world situated in a semi-circle around a large lagoon. Each country is fully themed, including the building architecture, shops, and the food.

 

For example, as you walk into England you’ll pass the Rose & Crown Pub, which serves your favorite pub cuisine, including fish and chips, bangers and mash, and cottage pie. The pub also serves a selection of beers and hard ciders. 

Epcot serves a wide range of alcohol (which is either limited or non-existent at the other parks). Getting back to the Food and Wine Festival, during this event, marketplaces will be setup within each of the "countries", with various treats and cuisines. With the popularity of the movie Brave, the festival has added a Scotland marketplace serving traditional Scottish dishes. Last year it also has a Scotch Flight serving three glasses of single malt scotch (12 year, 15 year, and 18 year). I know this is something my husband is looking forward to! 

In addition to these marketplaces, there are culinary demonstrations and seminars, dining experiences with renown chefs, and a nightly concert series. While some of the seminars are included in park admission, others require a separate ticket. The free events are first-come-first-serve and fill up very quickly. The paid event reservations also fill up quickly so make sure you book whatever event you want to attend well in advance. Examples of some of the premium events from previous years include The Discovery of Chocolate, Mexican Tequila Lunch, Food and Wine Pairings, and Mixology Series: Taste, Shake, and Indulge like the French. Events and food vary each year and are not announced until the summer. If you want more information on this event, I would suggest you follow the Epcot Food and Wine page on Facebook, which provides the most up to date information https://www.facebook.com/EpcotFoodandWine.

In my next blog, I'll discuss how to get the most bang for your buck, including discounts I've discovered and different ways to save money. 

Pops is a featured traveler on "From a Travelers Desk"

To learn a little more about Pops please check out my story on "From a Travelers Desk".

http://www.fromatravellersdesk.com/p/featuredtravellers.html

Pops' China Travel Guide, New Website

I received this today and checked out the site. I would highly recommend this site if you are considering travel to China.  There is a lot of useful information.

www.chinalikeneverbefore.com

Pops’ California Wine Country Travel Guide, Yountville

Napa Valley has a lot of towns up and down the valley all with their own charm. Yountville is one of the towns and is located just a few miles north of Napa. The town's name is derived from the name of early pioneer George Calvert Yount. Yount was considered responsible for establishing the first vineyard in the Napa Valley.

Yountville is the home of the French Laundry, a gourmet restaurant owned by chef Thomas Keller, with a three star rating from the Michelin Guide, and a two-time winner of the title "best restaurant in the world" by "The Worlds 50 Best" restaurant rating organization. Keller also owns another restaurant in Yountville, Ad Hoc. Other restaurants which have won Michelin stars in Yountville are Bouchon, Richard Reddington's Redd and Étoile at Domaine Chandon. Two other Yountville restaurants have achieved Michelin's "Bib Gourmand" rating, Philippe Jeanty's Bistro Jeanty and Bottega. The chef at Bottega is Michael Chiarello, who said: "For those of us that have to commute or run to the airport and back, it’s nice to come to a community that has almost everything you need within 300 yards”. "To stroll downtown Yountville today is to thumb through the pages of a Zagat guide." Gourmet dining in Yountville dates to 1977, when Philippe Jeanty opened the restaurant at Domaine Chandon, owned by French champagne house Moet & Chandon. If you are planning on going to The French Laundry you need to make your reservation well in advance, maybe months in advance. As for price I talked to a friend of mine that ate there last week and he said it was about $300/person. The other restaurants listed are all very good and may not require reservations. Lunch is another option to dinner and may be easier to get in.

For places to stay all the hotels and bed & breakfast inns are within walking distance. You’ll have the choice of a bed & breakfast to a hotel and spa. Make your reservations early as they tend to fill up fast.

As with the hotels all being centrally located the same is true of the shopping. Within a few blocks you will find shops of every kind. The V Marketplace is an old brick multi-story building that houses many different shops. I collect art and have purchased many pieces at the North Bay Gallery in the V Marketplace. They also have a location in Sonoma. Some of the restaurants I mentioned are also located there.

Next I’ll talk about some of the other towns further north of Yountville.