Top 5 Wine Regions for Bicyclists, Bordeaux, France
Other biking outfitters can try to emulate Butterfield & Robinson, but none can approach George Butterfield’s innate sense of style. Trips can cost upwards of $1,000 a day but are worth every penny when you consider some of the amenities—nights at 14th century estates, seven-course feasts at private French vineyards, a van always by your side when you tire of biking. He’ll customize any Bordeaux trip you want or simply sign up for his 6-day jaunt from Bordeaux to Dordogne that runs from mid-May through early October. You’ll bike on relatively flat terrain through these two famous wine regions, but it won’t be easy when your lunch consists of a private wine tasting at such famous vineyards as Mouton-Rothschild. At night, you’ll be staying at a former 16th century monastery, now a Relais and Chateaux property, and a 17th century chartreuse perched atop a hill surrounded by vineyards, orchards, streams, and ponds. Dinner is a gluttonous feast, accompanied by, what else, more excellent wine.
The finest way to savor Chicago’s stunning skyline is on two wheels. Rent bikes at Navy Pier and head south on a bike trail along the Lake Michigan shoreline. You’ll soon pass the flowing waters of Buckingham Fountain, the Shedd Aquarium, and Soldier’s Field, home to the Chicago Bears. Yet, it’s the jaw-dropping vista of the skyscrapers on the return trip that will have you reaching for the camera. You look up at a wall of spectacular buildings. If you want to continue past Navy Pier and head north, you’ll reach Oak Street Beach, the first of many beaches that are open to the public, a perfect place to lounge and get a much needed rest. 
Home to two of the most active volcanoes in the world, one would expect Hawaii’s southernmost island to be an angry land of deadened rock and rivers of red. But this ever-expanding island has a myriad of moods—the gentle rolling hills of Waimea; the inviting sand of the Kohala Coast; the almost impenetrable jungle-like interior of the Hamakua Coast; the enormity of two mountains that are nearly 14,000 feet; even a rain forest on the backside of a volcano. Indeed, Hawaii is more like a miniature continent than an island in the Pacific.
I can think of no better way to start 2011 than to look back at my year of travels in 2010 and see which experiences surpassed all expectations. Last July, I took the family to Paris. We climbed up the Eiffel Tower, viewed the monumental works of art at the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Pompidou museums, shopped in the Marais, celebrated my brother’s birthday with a lavish spread at a friend’s home in the 16th arrondissement, and toured an overlooked museum devoted to French innovation, Musee des Arts et Metiers. The highlight for me, however, was our one day away from Paris on a bike tour to Giverny, the home of Claude Monet. Run by 
Our first morning in San Francisco, we wandered over to the Ferry Building to sample the wares at the 
Since its inception 40 years ago, the
Hi Steve,
I see your many articles about wine and travel. Our group just returned from Ethiopia and guess what? They also produce wine. The reason seems to be the Italian occupation in the 1940’s preceded by turn of the century Italian plantation owners in Ethiopia. The wine was not bad, ressembling Italian table wine.
Thought that Ethiopia and wine might fit Active adventure travel and your themes. Thanks, Phyllis Stoller
Doesn’t surprise me that you just returned from Ethiopia, Phyllis. You always have wonderful trips, http://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/. Very exciting about Iran in November! Thanks for filling me in on Ethiopian wine.