45+ Not Grumpy Travel

 
 
 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP:

• The beautiful Peles Castle
• Dracula Castle
• Brasov – the „Crown of Transylvania”
• Sibiu – Europe’s Cultural Capital City in 2007 
• The medieval citadel of Sighisoara
• The Mogosoaia Palace

ITINERARY : To secure your space please email [masked]

Day 1

Arrival – Bucharest

„Welcome to Romania!” Arrival at Otopeni International Airport. Enjoy a detailed sightseeing tour of Bucharest together with your local guide. Start with the Constitution Square, where you will find the Palace of the Parliament - the second largest building in the World after the Pentagon Building in the USA. The Romanian Parliament known as “Casa Poporului” (The People’s House) was built in just 5 years, spans 12 stories and 3100 rooms. The sightseeing tour continues with the Union Square and its beautiful spring fountains, with the University Square, the Roman Square, the Victory Square and the Charles de Gaulle Square. Check-in at the hotel. Overnight in Bucharest.

Day 2 Bucharest – Sighisoara

After breakfast, enjoy a scenic drive through idyllic Transylvanian landscapes and medieval villages. Discover Sighisoara, the medieval citadel, where Vlad the Impaler (Count Dracula) took his first steps. The town was settled by the Saxons in the 13th century. This delightful town still preserves the medieval atmosphere, its 14th-century wall, towers, and bastions. Enjoy a pleasant walking tour inside the citadel, which is on UNESCO World Heritage list, and visit the Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill and the birth house of Count Dracula. Check-in and overnight at Sighisoara.

Day 3 Sighisoara – Brasov

As you wake up in the heart of the medieval citadel, have breakfast at the hotel and depart towards the city of Brasov. The walking tour in Brasov starts at the Council Square, built by the Saxons and called Marktplatz. One of the main highlights of the city is The Black Church, Romania’s leading gothic church, and the largest one between Vienna and Istanbul, that got its name after the Great Fire in 1689. On your tour, you will see also the narrowest street in Europe: the Rope Street. Check-in and overnight at Brasov.

Day 4 Brasov – Sinaia – Bucharest

After breakfast, you transfer to Bran, where you will visit the world famous Dracula Castle. Next, you arrive in Sinaia, where you visit the Peles Castle. Considered by many one of the most stunning castles in Europe, The Peles Castle is a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture. Commissioned by King Carol I in 1873, the castle served as the summer residence of the royal family until 1947. After the visit, you continue towards Bucharest, where you arrive at the airport for your departure.

The package of £ 480 includes:

• 3 nights accommodation in 3 and 4 stars hotels
• Bed & breakfast buffet
• English speaking local guide from/to the airport
• All entrance fees as per itinerary
• Transportation in modern bus
• Financial protection

The package doesn't include:

• Ryaniar flight return flight from £ 70
• Personal expenses
• Single supplement £ 60
• Travel insurance

Minimum 10 people maximum 14.

To secure your space please email [masked]

 
 
 

Join us on 16th April Sunday for a day out in Portsmouth.

Would you like to spend more out of London?
Experience a quiet and peaceful time?
Learn to Meditate?
Connect with your body and be present?
Make new friends and connect with old friends from past walks?

Join us on a mindful walk and meditation while exploring Portsmouth the Great Waterfront City – packed with world-class attractions.
We meet in Waterloo station outside M&S shop and taking the 10.00 am train to Portsmouth, back with 19.30 pm train to Victoria (arriving at Waterloo around 21.15).

This is a new day out and is a mix of walking and meditation, plus some time for coffee and lunch together.

A little about Carmina, she has been practicing yoga and meditation for more than 17 years and started teaching 12 years ago. She has several certifications in different styles of yoga. Her favourite meditations are in nature and with movement.

Tina is one of our holidays abroad host and together with Carmina will take you on a journey Sunday 16th April.

Meetup fee £ 38: included return ticket London Waterloo- Portsmouth, guided walks all day.

Please are limited to 18 people, to secure your space please email [masked]

 
 
 

Canals, Boats, Art, Architecture, Palazzos, Pizza, Pasta…& Spritz!

Four days, three nights of fun discovering Venice with me,
as you have never seen it!!

I adore Venice. I have visited ‘La Serenissima’ on numerous occasions and every time I fall in love with it again. It is four years since I was there and I stayed on the Lido that time. It impressed me. I saw the city from a whole different perspective. The Lido has an exciting, individual vibe, it is also a living suburb (with beaches!) and is only a 15 minute ferry hop from St Mark’s Square and, what’s more……. it is affordable (for Venice)!

I still have much to discover of this unique and beautiful region so, as a professional tour organiser and guide, I am inviting a few like-minded fellows to join me on this adventure in the Venetian Lagoon.
I will guide you on a flexible itinerary of paths old and new, making the most of our travel passes, and going with the flow, wherever the ferries or our feet take us.

MONDAY 24th APRIL
I will greet you on arrival at Marco Polo airport and we will take the fast ferry direct to the Lido to check into our hotel, a few minutes walk away. We will then have a wander around the centre getting our bearings and discovering our surroundings before spending a relaxing evening together dining in a local osteria.

TUESDAY 25TH APRIL
We will spend the whole day exploring Venice.
After breakfast we will jump on a local vaporetto to sail up the Grand Canal, hopping on and off at our fancy, strolling back streets and alleyways. We will also be sure take in the irresistible, classic sights of St Mark’s Square and the Rialto market, whilst stepping between a few local cafés, sampling cicchetti (Venetian tapas), spritz and gelato along our way. Returning early evening back to the Lido.

WEDNESDAY 26TH APRIL
We will spend our day exploring the Lido, the Lagoon and the town of Chioggia.
In the morning we will head by bus and boat to the picturesque fishing town of Chioggia. A pure gem of the Adriatic, totally authentic and unspoiled with its’ canals, typical narrow streets, and tiny piazzas, it is nicknamed ‘Little Venice’.
In the afternoon we will explore more of the long sandy island of the Lido, with its natural preserves of dunes and grasslands and many blue flag beaches. There is a wide variety of both public and private beach clubs ranging from the hip and fun to the luxurious and exclusive (Venice Film Festival/Death in Venice), ideal spots for a relaxing apero!

THURSDAY 27TH APRIL
Our late flight affords us the whole day, so I propose we spend it exploring Venice once again, visiting any sights and places we left uncovered.

Cost: £575 per person (places are limited to 6 people)

This price includes: 3 x nights bed & breakfast with single occupancy in an en-suite double room in a centrally located comfortable hotel, ferry transfers, a city transport pass and the services of Lits, an expert tour guide & 45Not Grumpy leader.
(Flights, * meals and travel insurance are not included).

* Meals are not included however there will always be the opportunity of dining together (bills will be split and calculated fairly so you only pay for whatever you have chosen to order).

I will organise a Zoom for us to meet and discuss everything beforehand.

A deposit of £100 is payable on RSVP - please contact Lits for payment details: [masked] /[masked]
(This is non-refundable unless the tour is cancelled)

Recommended flights: - Please do not book until I give the go ahead
EASYJET
Monday 24th April LGW 12,30 VENICE 15.40
Thursday 27th April VENICE 21.40 LGW 22.50

 
 
 

From the Albanian Riviera to its many UNESCO sites, Albania is an off the path gem in Europe. Join us on this 5 days tour in April 2023.

25TH APRIL TO 29TH APRIL 2023

REPEAT TRIP due to popular demand

Day 1: Arrival in Tirana

Your local English speaking guide will welcome you at the airport in Tirana. Transfer to your centrally located hotel. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight

Day 2: Half day city tour

Our walking tour will start after breakfast. We will get to know the most important sites of Tirana as the Skanderbeg Square, the Ethem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower, Enver Hodja Pyramid, the University quarter and the famous “Blok” – Albanian’s former “forbidden” city, passage was only allowed to party members of high rank. Enver Hodjas Villa is also located in this area.
Afternoon for leisure
We will enjoy dinner at the fish market today. Overnight.

Day 3: Kruja – Durres

This morning, we will explore Kruja, the first capital of Albania in the 15th century. Visit the castle with architectural elements of the byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman period and walk through the ancient, original Bazaar roads and see the museum dedicated to Skanderbeg, the national hero, who rose against the Ottomans and also the ethnographical museum – giving a very good overview of traditional life in the past. You will have some time to stroll through the original bazaar street, colorful with its many shops offering local handicraft and souvenirs. Transfer to our hotel in Durres on the Adriatic coast.
Free time
Dinner and overnight in Golem, Durres (Hotel Klajdi Resort or similar)

Day 4: Day on leisure

Day tour to Berat, UNESCO world heritage, also called the city of thousand windows. You will be fascinated by the beautiful mansions nestling alongside Osumi river and the castle rising majestic over the town. The castle is the only remaining one, which is still inhabitated. We will visit also the Onufri Museum located inside an ancient monastery and the famous Batchelors mosque. We will also visit one of the most famous wine producer of Albania and enjoy some tasting & snacks)
Dinner and overnight as day before

Day 5: Breakfast

Departure. Transfer to Tirana airport
Your investment is £ 495 for a twin/double shared room and £ 545 for a double room single use.

What is included:
 2 overnights in a centrally located, good 4-star hotel in Tirana
 2 overnights in a good 4-star hotel in Durres
 4 Breakfasts
 4 dinners (at local restaurants in Tirana, at the hotel in Durres)
 All transfers (group transfer)
Day tour to Berat
 All tours and sightseeing according to the itinerary
 Entrance fees
 English speaking, licensed guide
 Comfortable, air-conditioned minivan or coach acc.to the group size (up to 12 people)
 Local taxes

Return flight is currently around £90 with Wizz air, options with British airways or Easyjet.
To secure your space please email [masked].