Here are the 5 most memorable travel experiences from The Traveling Professor's small group tours:
Above the Clouds at Machu Picchu: On our small group tour to Machu Picchu, one morning we rise early, before the sun. We get to Machu Picchu for a 90-minute hike along the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate. The sun majestically rises and appears over the mountains. The warm air rises bringing the clouds from the valley rushing past our faces revealing the mystic citadel below. There is nothing like it in the world.
Norway Fjord Cruise: On The Traveling Professor small group tour to Norway, we actually do two fjord cruises. My favorite happens to be on the 1,850 luxury ferry cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo. It departs Copenhagen at about 4 pm and sails overnight, arriving the next morning approaching the glistening fjord that Oslo sits beside. The waters are calm and the sun shines on the city as we slowly cruise in. The other fjord cruise we do is a fjord safari cruise in the port of Flam, directly on the Sognefjord. We go along the fjord, under waterfalls, greeting seals and propoises, with scenic mountains rising above us.
Normandy Invasion Beaches: Words simply cannot describe the emotions felt upon seeing the thousands of crosses and Stars of David at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. We walk on the same sand where the landing-craft ramps dropped and our heroes were given the command to "go". Everyone always says, "how did they do it?" while staring at the cliffs in wonder from the same vantage point the invaders did while staring at enemy guns blaring at them. There are many travel experiences people may have, but this is one that will not soon be forgotten.
Northern Lights: I can best describe this experience as "mystical". On our small group tour to Iceland we go out at night for "The Hunt for the Northern Lights". If Mother Nature is kind, she will give a small preview of the show. Patience matters here, as she reveals more and more and then puts on the full light show as green and blue beams dance in the sky. Then, a few minutes later, it is gone, like it never happened.
Giverny, the Home of Monet: Out in the countryside on the border of Normandy, is the home of the famous Impressionist painter, Claude Monet. His home at Giverny was his studio. Over the years, in the back of his home he cultivated a Japanese garden which inspired his famed water lillies paintings. Now, anyone can go to a museum and see these paintings, but the experience of being at the gardens is like being IN a Monet painting. That is certainly a unique feeling.
Join The Professor on a small group tour.