Planning Your Next Getaway? Happiness Awaits…

Dear Travellers,

Looking for a dopamine boost in these last days of winter? Plan your next getaway! Science backs me up on this: multiple studies show we are at our happiest when we have a trip planned. Plus, travel is a gift that keeps on giving: even a short trip helps produce “happiness chemicals” in our brains long after it’s over.

At Senior Discovery Tours, we’re a pretty happy bunch, always researching and planning the incredible itineraries our travellers love. We offer 8 types of tours – everything from cruises and rail journeys to guided tours of the world’s most fascinating locations. When it comes to planning, we do the heavy lifting, so all you have to do is the fun stuff, like deciding where to go and when.

We’ve got some amazing tours lined up this year. If you don’t already get our brochures, give us a call or sign up here! We’ll get one to you in the mail right away. In the meantime, keep reading to get a taste of some of our delightful upcoming tours.

Happiness awaits!

Danny Shay, President
Senior Discovery Tours

All aboard for the Scottish Highlands!

Considered one of the world’s greatest rail journeys, this one-of-a-kind experience is a 135-kilometre round trip through Scotland’s breathtaking Highlands. You’ll see mountains, lochs, islands and villages, making your way through some of the country’s most beautiful scenery.

One of the highlights of our Rail & Sail Scottish Highlands tour is a ride on the legendary Jacobite train – an old-fashioned steam train you might recognize as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies.

An impossibly scenic train ride

The journey traverses the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct (pictured above), which overlooks dramatic Loch Shiel and the Jacobite monument to the 1745 Jacobite uprising. If there’s time, the train pauses on the viaduct to give passengers a chance to take in (and photograph) the magnificent view.

The train makes a longer stop at Mallaig, a remote but busy fishing port on the Highlands’ craggy west coast. It’s a lovely place for a stroll, some shopping or a spot of tea – and the perfect opportunity to sample the area’s famous fish and chips.

Explore the Highlands with us!

This exciting train ride is part of our 16-day Rail & Sail Scottish Highlands tour departing August 29 and September 19. Join us as we travel by coach, train and boat to see glorious Scottish countryside, with plenty of incredible scenery and unforgettable experiences.

Trivia question: Which Harry Potter film features the Jacobite train and the Glenfinnan Viaduct?

Find the answer below!

Time travel back to the Gilded Age: Visiting the spectacular mansions of Newport, Rhode Island

The lovely town of Newport, Rhode Island is famous for something other than typical New England charm: it’s home to a series of incredible mansions built by America’s richest families in the late 1800s. These palatial “cottages” – many of which are now museums – are a testament to the ostentatious wealth of the Gilded Age’s “new millionaires.”

At the turn of the 20th century, many of the country’s wealthiest families summered in fashionable Newport, where they escaped the heat of the city to enjoy a sophisticated social season of grand balls and garden parties, carriage parades and concerts, sporting events and other entertainments.

Newport’s extravagant summer social scene is described in Edith Wharton’s novel The Age of Innocence. More recently, the town has been used as the setting of the popular HBO’s historical drama The Gilded Age, with scenes filmed at a number of the famous mansions.

The jewel in Newport’s crown

The Breakers is the largest and grandest of them all. Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II to emulate the homes of European royalty, this 125,000-square-foot house is everything a Gilded Age industrial titan could possibly want in a summer getaway. It has 48 bedrooms, 27 fireplaces and 50-foot ceilings, with columns, arches, and Renaissance flourishes galore.

In its heyday, the house played host to presidents, royalty and the world’s most prominent citizens. Today, the less stratospherically wealthy among can step through its doors and explore its riches – The Breakers is now a museum open to the public.

Travel back in time with us

We will visit Newport this October on our Fall Foliage Cruise on the Enchanted Princess. Join us as we sail from New York City to Halifax and back, stopping in Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Maine and St. John, New Brunswick to take in fascinating towns and spectacular fall colours along the scenic East Coast.

Tasting the Wines of Alsace: 6 Varietals to try in this Wine Region

If you love white wine, you will fall head over heels with Alsace. This French region, located just across the Rhine from Germany, is known the world over for its crisp, aromatic whites.

Give a typical Alsatian wine a sniff and you’ll come away with pleasingly floral, peachy aromas. Sip it and you’ll get a tingle of brilliant acidity with rich texture.

A few wines to try in Alsace:

Riesling. If you’re familiar with sweeter German-style rieslings, Alsace’s version will come as a wonderfully dry surprise. While it’s made with the same grape as the one used in German wines, the region’s unique terroir makes it drier and full-bodied.

Gewürztraminer. Full-bodied yet delicate, this wine is treasured for its intense floral aromas and freshness on the palate.

Cremant d’Alsace. Made using the same technique as Champagne but with different grapes, this is a must-try if you’re partial to sparkling whites and rosés.

Sylvaner. This lesser known but exquisite single varietal wine has subtle apple, peach and pear flavours, with less acidity than a typical riesling.

Pinot d’Alsace. This blend of the various Pinot grapes grown in the region is known for its rich golden colour and unexpected flavour, and is probably the most unusual wine you’ll try in France.

Alsace rosé. Made exclusively of Pinot Noir grapes, this dry rosé is the perfect summer wine: light, refreshing and wonderfully aromatic.

Explore France’s incredible wine regions

This is only a sampling of the amazing wines Alsace has to offer. Taste them all (and more!) on our Wine Routes of France and Paris tour this fall. We will visit the three most famous wine regions in France: Champagne, Burgundy and Alsace, touring renowned wineries, exploring fairy tale towns, taking in beautiful landscapes – and of course, tasting plenty of delicious wine!

Alsatian flammekueche

This pizza-like dish from Alsace is packed with flavour, and goes beautifully with the region’s crisp Sylvaner wine.

For the base
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water

For the topping
2½ oz bacon
½ onion
½ tbsp butter
3 tbsp crème fraîche
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
¼ cup gruyère

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Mix flour, oil, salt and water. Knead and set aside to prepare toppings.
3. Cut bacon into thin strips, fry until it just starts to brown, remove from pan and set aside. Add onions and butter to pan and cook until softened.
4. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to crème fraîche and mix well.
5. Roll dough out on a lightly-floured surface, getting it as thin as you can. Transfer to baking sheet and spread crème fraîche over top. Add sauteed onions, bacon and gruyère.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are crisp and lightly browned.

Bon Appetit!

Trivia question answer: Chamber of Secrets! The viaduct appears in the scene where Harry and Ron have missed the train and take the flying car to catch up with it.

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Call to book 1.800.268.3492 or visit SeniorDiscoveryTours.ca

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