There are approximately 750,000 birds in the Galapagos Islands.

My first official sighting was a brown pelican perched at the Baltra docks that stared me down like I was a 135 pound fish.

The road from Galapagos’ newest airport cuts through an arid landscape, rife with cacti, thick brush and lava rocks, ending some 15 minutes later at the ferry landing that connects Baltra to Santa Cruz via a small turquoise blue channel.

Once on land, we moved with the speed of the road again. Windows and door wide-open, the vans powder blue curtains fluttered in the wind as our group of 16 barreled across Isla Santa Cruz. I laid by head back against the vinyl seat and sunk in as the tropics smashed into my face.

Beat from the early wake up call out of Quito–5 a.m. to exact–I did my best to keep awake for the ride. In front of our shuttle van, the hot pavement spread out like a dark serpent, cutting through lush tropical brush. As my eyes finally gave way, I let my other senses take over, mainly my nose. These first smells of the Galapagos (the airport bus had its AC on) conjured up memories from childhood war games we played in the woods behind our suburban Pittsburgh homes.

And then the rain started. First, the drops dotted the windshield, but soon grew into a heavy rain that stayed with us as we boarded the dingy in Tortuga Bay and motored out to the Galapagos Odyssey, our home for the next six days during our cruise through the islands with Adventure Life. Along the way we passed exquisite sailboats, broke down vessels with heavy weight squatters that barked orders at us as we passed by, and countless other yachts that rocked in rhythm to the rolling swell.

Once we reached our yacht we didn’t stick around long. After a quick change and a brief meeting with our guide, Whitman Cox, we headed back to Santa Cruz. By the time we reached the port again, the rain had stopped and the sun began to break through the thick, charcoal clouds. For the next few hours we toured around the island visiting the Tortoise Sanctuary near the Darwin Center, where we saw Lonesome George’s all too lonesome stomping grounds.

Despite its resemblance to an aging tropics zoo, the sanctuary was a nice way to get acclimated to the Galapagos and its conservation efforts, while getting a sneak peek of these docile giants before witnessing them up-close in nature. Afterwards, we made our way back into the port passing through Galapagos’ biggest little city, before heading back to the Odyssey for dinner and some much needed rest.

That night as we laid in bed doing our best to flow with the rolling sea, we didn’t know exactly what the morning would bring except that our 7 a.m. excursion to Tintoreras couldn’t come soon enough.

This was a sneak peek into our time on Santa Cruz Island – stay tuned for a full photo essay next week about the island!

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

**While our travels to Ecuador were hosted by Adventure Life, our views and opinions are always our own.

Somewhere In Time is a somewhat weekly photo from around the world. Enjoy! 

Welcome to the Wachau Valley in Austria. Beautiful isn’t it?

This photo was taken on the top sun deck on the Sound Of Music river boat as we cruised down the Danube, as part of our tour with Gate 1. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because the scenery was truly outstanding. One glance will have you humming “The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music” and you would be 100% accurate. Even though we took a day trip to Salzburg (of The Sound Of Music fame) on this trip, the views still did not compare to the couple of hours we spent rolling down this section of the Danube.

Being on the boat while cruising through the Wachau Valley ended up being a really reflective time for me. Something about the peaceful rhythm of being on a slow moving boat coasting on a mostly waveless river surrounded by stunning landscape can do that to a person. It was cold on the top deck (that will happen when you take a cruise in mid-November) but it was so serene and quiet. Even though I knew there was a hot wine beverage waiting for me inside, I just that I couldn’t pull myself from away.

I perched myself upon the long end of the deck, thinking my thoughts, listening to the waves as they gave way below the boat and glistened in the sun. I fell in love with the shadows – they appeared sharp and stoically, then disappeared just as quick when the sun dodged in and out of the clouds.

Other people kept to themselves mostly appreciating the views or each other. There was quite a bit of hand holding and romance rekindling on the sun deck.

Just as I was taking everything in, this couple walked by completely in their own world. They became the rock, the moving rock that anchors this photo yet makes me a bit envious. I am sometimes too tough on the outside, I don’t let moments like this happen to me. I see them all the time, yet I am never in them. I know it’s my own fault too, Randy and I have a fantastic relationship. I’m just a jaded, cynical grain of sand that’s afraid of becoming a moving rock.

This couple did not have that problem, or if they did the Wachau Valley solved them. In any case, I should thank them because I love this image. It’s my favorite from the entire trip and without them it just wouldn’t be the same.

Interested in taking your own Danube River Cruise?

Be sure to check out our other Gate 1 Travel Stories or visit Gate1.com to discover upcoming sailing dates.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

**Although Gate 1 hosted us on this trip, our views and opinions are always our own.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Andrew Tipp. Please see his full bio below.

Copenhagen – a great place to visit and plenty of hostels!

From bunk romance to pool rules and shared bathrooms – what’s acceptable hostel behaviour?

One of the best things about backpacking is staying in hostels. You can end up sleeping in some pretty amazing places; I’ve stayed in beach houses, old mansions, converted prisons and even a tree house.

You can meet some brilliant people too. People that become friends, drinking buddies and travel mates. Hostels are like these random cultural mash-ups. Sometimes they’re more interesting than the actual place you’ve come to check out.

But if you’re new to backpacking, or just haven’t spent much time in hostels, there are some unwritten rules you need to be aware of. Here’s a brief guide to backpacker hostel etiquette.

Respect the hostel culture

First things first – you’ve got to respect the vibe of the hostel; each one is slightly different, and sometimes they have very different cultures.

If you’re staying at a chilled, relaxing hostel you probably shouldn’t be hosting loud, drunken late-night parties every night. Conversely, if you know you’re staying at a bit of a party hostel, don’t moan if things are jumping well into the early hours of the next morning.

You can usually get a feel for what kind of hostel you’re in within a few minutes; are the walls covered with photos of hostel parties or abstract, calming artwork? Is the bar at the heart of the hostel or a super chilled lounge area? What are the people who run the hostel like?

No romantic bunking

Sometimes as a backpacker you hook up. That’s awesome. But try not bring your romance back to the dorm. A ten-bunk room isn’t the place for sexy time.

Some people think they know how to get around this rule. You know what they do? They hang a towel up. A towel. People, this is not the answer. We can still hear you. And if we’re in the bunk above/below you, we can feel you.

Getting romantic in an empty dorm room is borderline acceptable. But make sure you lock the door. If someone walks in half-way through it’s pretty awkward. For everyone. Just get a room. Your own room.

Put yourself out there

Some people are lone wolves. That’s cool. Mingling isn’t compulsory. But most of us are social animals. If you’re travelling on your own and want to make friends, the done thing is to put yourself out there. Get to know people.

Don’t be super intense about it. Just spend time in the social areas of the hostel. Listen out for conversations where you can join in. Ask people about their travel plans. Buy them a beer – they’ll have to talk to you.

Don’t expect people to come to you. Travellers warm to you when you make an effort, especially if you’re clearly forcing yourself out of a comfort zone.

Use book exchanges fairly

A lot of backpackers are using e-readers these days, but books are awesome and still have their place. Hostel book exchanges can be a great way of finding useful resources (like travel guides) and discovering amazing novels that you would never have ordinarily read.

Judging book quality is always going to be subjective, but try not to trade decent novels with trash. Good book exchanges are only going to work if travelers make an effort to keep the standard up.

Don’t hog the bathroom

Sharing a bathroom with up to a dozen other backpackers – sometimes even more – can be a challenge. You know what makes it really difficult? People spending ages in the bathroom doing stuff that they could be doing in the dorm. Or the hallway. Or anywhere that isn’t the bathroom.

It’s not always girls, but they usually have more of a ‘routine’ that involves standing in front of mirrors. Basically, hostel etiquette dictates that you only use the bathroom to do things you couldn’t do outside the bathroom.

Be a considerate dorm mate

Keeping a lid on your romantic liaisons is just one aspect of being a good dorm mate. Dorms can be intimate places. You’re forced into very close living quarters with strangers. So be sure to think about a few other things.

Hygiene is a big one. Yes, you’re a traveler and keeping it real. Maybe you’re not shaving, or you’re giving up make-up. Whatever. That’s fine. Just remember to wash. And don’t stink out the dorm room with the fugly aroma from your clothes. They need to be washed every so often too.

Your in-bunk behaviour is also important. If you’re climbing up to the top bunk at 4am, try not to use you bunk mate as a stepping stone. If you’re a snorer, try to do whatever you can to minimize it. And no matter how horny you get, be aware that in-bunk ‘self-love’ is frowned upon.

Share the web

If you’re using a smartphone or laptop in the hostel, try not to use up all the Wi-Fi bandwidth by uploading massive image or video files to your travel blog all the time.

If the hostel has an internet cafe setup with a few different computers, don’t hog any of them – especially at busy times. Try and be aware who’s hanging out waiting for their turn to search for trains or book a bed at their next hostel.

Be honest with the honesty bar

This should really go without saying, but obviously if a hostel can’t physically man their bar try and keep an accurate record of what you’re drinking. And how many you’re drinking.

With pool, you play to the house rules

One thing you find out when you stay in lots of hostels is that every country seems to have a different way of playing pool. It can get get particularly confusing working out what happens after a foul shot.

The thing to do is establish the house table rules before you starting playing. This is especially important in hostels that have ‘punishment’ rulings, like making you run round the table a dozen times naked if you lose a game without potting anything.

Remember you’re roughing it

A tree house hostel!

Lastly, don’t forget that hostels are supposed to be budget accommodation. So don’t complain if the showers aren’t always hot, or your bed is uncomfortable, or the dorms are drafty, or the paint’s peeling off the walls. It’s all part of the experience. It’s character-building.

Obviously, if something is dangerous then you need to say something. And you also need to judge everything by how much you’re paying; if you’re stumping up some serious dollar for a boutique hostel you should judge it it differently for a no-frills YHA place.

About the author:

Andrew Tipp is a writer, blogger and editor. He used to work as a travel editor for advice and community site Gapyear.com, and has spent more than a year backpacking and volunteering around the world. His favorite countries are Bolivia and Sri Lanka, and he would love to visit the Malay Archipelago. He also provided all of the photos for this post.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

Story by Randy Kalp

Photography by Bethany Salvon

Consistently in the Top 5 most in demand tourist spots in the world, Italy gets more than 40 million visitors a year. Legacy cities, like Rome, Venice and Florence, get most of the action, leaving some of the best regions seemingly tourist free.

One such place is Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy. Set between Milan, Cinque Terre, Venice and Florence, Emilia-Romagna jumps with local flavors, customs and pride, doing so many things well that it is hard to comprehend how its nine provinces have been consistently overlooked by travelers for so long.

Emilia-Romagna is anchored firmly by its capital city, Bologna, but each city in this region brings something to the table, often times literally–tortellini, Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) and the world’s best balsamic vinegar are all staples of this eclectic environment. Let’s just say that after spending a week eating my way through the region, I split my pants 24 hours later while straddling a bench near the Colosseum in Rome.

I know what you are thinking: Why the heck would I pull a Rick Steves (think: Cinque Terre) and go blabbing all about Emilia-Romagna? Well, because we love you guys and we do what we do to share our discoveries with you. Plus, I’m no Rick Steves, so I’m confident that no matter how much I share our love for Emilia-Romagna logic dictates that the masses, when traveling to Italy, will still always choose the country’s famed cities for their one or two week vacations, ensuring that this little piece of foodie heaven will remain off the proverbial beaten path for years to come.

We spent a week in the region with Emilia-Romagna Tourism as part of its Blog Ville project, using Bologna as our home base. So, we have a lot of great stories and photos to share with you over the coming weeks and months. In an ode, though, to old travel days when postcards and snapshots were how many of us got our first glimpses of foreign lands, we decided to showcase a handful of our favorite iPhone photos from our journey as an introduction to this amazing region.

One of several ancient canals that runs through and under the city of Bologna.

Homemade lunch by Sports In Open Spaces who guided us on our white water adventure down the Trebbia River.

Piccolo and Sublime, a local hangout in the university section of Bologna.

The sacred halls of the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium in Parma, Italy.

The medieval colors of Grazzano Visconti, a village in northern Emilia-Romagna.

Piacenza, Italy

                                                                                     Black Gold from Acetaia di Giorgio in Modena.

Chef Ivan Polatti of Cantina Bentivoglio making Emilia-Romagna’s signature dish, tagliatelle al ragu.

Selection of breads, including the local favorite, Tigella.

Bobbio, Italy

Do you have a favorite destination that is off the tourist path?

*This campaign was hosted by Emilia-Romagna Tourism and supported by iAmbassador. As always, our thoughts, opinions and split pants are entirely our own.

Editors Note: This is a guest post by fellow travel blogger Susan Shain. Please see her bio below to learn more about her.

Traveling to a new country is a journey into another world. The language is different. The food is different. The music is different. Even the smells are different. But one thing that stays the same? The kids.

I’ve worked with children in the United States, Tanzania, South Korea, and Nicaragua, and spent time with them in many other countries. I’ve come to the highly scientific conclusion that they’re the same everywhere. That’s what makes them so awesome. They laugh and cry at the same things. They’re maniacs at age 5 and too cool for school by age 13. Though one may be playing with a brand new soccer ball, and the other with one made out of old plastic bags, they’re still playing the same game.

The best part about kids, no matter where they’re from or how much money their family has, is their attitude: their energy, curiosity, and positivity. It’s the reason I enjoy working with them — and photographing them. In these photos, I’ve tried to capture some of that magic. I hope it’ll make you smile, or even better, inspire you to instill some child-like zeal and wonder into your own life.

Mongolia:

Kenya:

Tanzania:

Jordan:

Guatemala:

Philippines:

Nicaragua:

Israel:

Susan’s Bio:

Susan Shain has been working seasonal adventure jobs and traveling the world since 2008. Her favorite things ever are ice cream and baby anythings. If you’re sick of your 9-5 and are yearning for something different (or just like pretty pictures), check out her blog, Travel Junkette. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

We’ve got a really special Pin Up Live! tonight! You may remember that we traveled to the Galapagos Islands in March with Adventure Life, and tonight we are going to be chatting with them live and sharing tips about taking a trip to the famous Ecuadorian islands.

Our tour with them was amazing and we are really looking forward to sharing our stories with you and answering any questions you may have about visiting the Galapagos Islands. Plus, one lucky Pin-Up Live participant will win 5 percent off one of Adventure Life’s Galapagos tours.

Join us tonight (5/15) at 7 p.m. (EST) to have a real time chat about Adventures in the Galapagos Islands with a healthy dose of Pinspiration! It’s simple to participate on tonight,  just head on over to our Pinterest board, Pin Up Live, which is dedicated to the event. We will be pinning inspirational travel pins to the board, each one containing a question related to the Galapagos Islands. All you have to do is join in on the conversation!

Joining the conversation is easy!

We will pin seven of the question pins every few minutes and if you read or see something you like, we’d love to hear from you in the comment section of the pin. This is a way for all of us to share our travel stories in a visual way. During the chat we’ll be checking out your boards and repinning some of your items to the board as well. The theme for this week’s chat is going to be Adventures in the Galapagos! Adventure Life will also be joining us live on Pinterest, so you can ask them any questions you might have through the comments on the pins. Feel free to chat away. We want to hear your travel tales!

Important: Pinterest does not use hashtags (#) in a real time way as of now so in order to follow the conversation, you’ll have to be on the Pin Up Live board at the dedicated time (Wed 05/15/13 at 7pm EST) to participate. You will also need to refresh that page every couple of minutes to see the updates. Remember to refresh!

How do I enter to win the Galapagos Tour Discount and free Quito Tour?

In addition to the discussion, each person who leaves a comment on a pin during the chat will be entered to 5 percent off their Galapagos Tour booking and a free day tour of Quito with Adventure Life.

Why Pinterest?

Ever since joining Pinterest last year, we’ve been hooked. And a lot of it has to do with the inspired ideas and photos we encounter on a daily basis. There’s a lot of incredible people on Pinterest, but no real good way to have a conversation–until now. As avid travelers, we love sharing our travel tales and we believe the best tips and advice comes from your connections–family, friends and social networks. Pin Up Live brings the conversation to Pinterest, making it easy for people to connect and share stories, tips and beautiful images, while developing a comprehensive travel resource board that will grow more robust as new topics are discussed in the weeks and months ahead. This is the first live chat held on Pinterest ever and we plan to continue it each week with different travel themes so please let us know if you have anything in mind you’d love to chat about.

Remember, joining in the conversation is easy, just head on over to our Pin Up Live Board on Wednesday (5/15/13) at 7 p.m. (EST). And remember, if you’d like to be entered in this week’s drawing, all you have to do is comment on one of the question pins during the session.

We can’t wait to chat live with you this Wed!

It happened by accident.

Hangover Mike – the unconventional Roman tour guide.

Instead we decided to visit St. Peter’s and when we arrived we were equally shocked at the length of the line. It was another two hour wait to get inside. When Randy and I had visited a couple years before there was no line to enter and we just walked right in. But at the time we were there in late September and there were a lot less tourists.

It became clearly pretty quickly that our chances of seeing either spot were starting to dwindle fast.

Our merry gang of four walked around trying to figure out our best option when we were approached by a man offering a tour of the Sistine Chapel that included a skip the line ticket for both the chapel and St. Peter’s. The cost was 25 Euro per person plus the normal 16 Euro entrance fee to the museum. (Note: There are discounts if you are a student, see below.)

It was our last day in Rome and one person in our group had to catch an early flight out the next day so our options were limited. Because we all really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s, we decided to jump on the opportunity and go for it! A few moments later we were ushered over to meet our tour guide Mike.

Mike is an American ex-pat (from Ohio originally) who came to Italy seven years ago to be with his Italian girlfriend. It didn’t work out according to plan and you’ll be sure to hear all about his failed relationship during your tour. At one point, I suggested the tour should be called Heartbreak Tours because he clearly is still heartbroken over the situation. He makes several references relating to this disastrous romance when describing different items on the tour. For instance part of his description of The Temptation and Expulsion fresco by Michelangelo (see below) involved a lengthy discussion of how Eve snatched the fruit from the tree and got both of them kicked out of the Garden of Eden even though Adam was entirely innocent. He gave special reference to the fact that Adam was clearly paying the price for Eve’s problems and how this all related back to his own life. It sounds kind of heavy now but it was actually a pretty hysterical interpretation of the painting.

Later on in the tour, Mike pointed out that his tours actually do have an official name: Hangover Tours.

He clarified that he named them this because he is in fact hungover for almost every single tour. Turns out his other job is a nightclub promoter and he usually stays up drinking all night. He had just woken up about 20 minutes before our tour and was indeed hungover.

I won’t lie, after we initially committed to this tour I was a little skeptical. Clearly Mike is not your typical tour guide. In his own words: “I don’t like go into dates too much like other guides because they are boring.” After he said that I wondered if what he really meant to say was “I don’t go into dates because I don’t know any.” but ultimately it didn’t matter. Turns out Mike is actually a pretty smart guy who is not only an informative tour guide but a passionate one too. He loves what he does and once we entered the museum all signs of his hangover had completely disappeared. He ran around, with plenty of energy, pointing out things and telling us about little known gems that we definitely would’ve missed on our own.

He’s also quite the jokester and he makes a habit of cracking jokes at the expense of his customers and it’s really quite funny. Although you may not get an insane amount of knowledge dropped on you with this tour I can say that it was indeed one of the funniest and most memorable tours I have been on in a long time. Everyone on the tour fully enjoyed themselves, saw a lot of fantastic art, heard plenty of entertaining stories (based both 500 years ago and from Mike’s life) and laughed the entire time. Plus we all got to see St. Peter’s and The Sistine Chapel at the last minute without waiting in any lines. That alone was worth the 25 Euro.

Mike told great stories about the life and times of Bernini and Michelangelo and the extensive tour lasts about three hours in total. It begins in St. Peter’s Square, then moves onto the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel. Finally it ends in St. Peter’s Basilica where he drops you off to explore on your own which is nice because you can spend as much time as you want in there. And even with his unconventional ways and disdain for boring dates in history, Mike does talk about plenty of important dates, including all the significant moments in history related to the Vatican, St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel.

A scene from the beginning of the tour.

We had a great time on this tour and we certainly won’t forget it anytime soon. If you’re in Rome with limited time and you failed to book a tour in advance but you still want want to see St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel, definitely consider taking Mike’s unconventional tour. For an extra 25 Euro you’ll get into both spots without waiting in line and you’ll be entertained the entire time while learning some rough and tumble stories about the history of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s.

I should also point out that another great thing about this tour is that Mike will give you great suggestions for other spots to see in Rome, like a church made of monk’s bones and some great local restaurants. He will also will write the directions on your map so you can find the way. On our tour there were people of all ages from college age to retirement but because Mike is a young guy strongly tied into the local party scene you can also ask him for some more ‘underground’ suggestions if you want to find the best party spots in Rome. He will be more than happy to help and this could be an added benefit for young people traveling together that want to make the most of their nights in Rome as well!
How To Find Mike:

Wanna book your own tour with Mike? Visit his Facebook Page: Hangover Tours

The tour costs 25 Euro per person or 20 Euro if you are a student. It includes a tour of the Vatican square, the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel and ends in St. Peter’s.

Additionally you will need to buy a ticket into the museum which is 16 Euro (payable at the museum) or 8 Euro if you are a student. The tour lasts about 3 hours.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

O.K., so we lost the first two challenges, but we still have one more chance to win. It’s a new week and we are carrying over the prize from the second challenge!

Want To Own An iPad Mini? Keep Reading…

Three weeks ago we announced a fun partnership with Captain Morgan – for the next couple of weeks we are running a competition with Captain Morgan and some other awesome bloggers. And if we win we get to give away stuff to some of our fantastic (and lucky) readers – that’s you! It’s not just any old ‘stuff’ but really amazing items like Go Pro’s and IPads!!!

How Does It Work?

Every Monday at 12PM EST, for the next three weeks, we’ll post a challenge here which can only be solved by watching the 60 second “Perfect Getaway” video below. To be entered into the contest each week, all you have to do is watch the video to answer the challenge question. Then leave your correct answer in the comments before Friday at 2pm EST. 

Want To Win?

So do we! Each week, Captain Morgan will give the blog with the most right answers in its comment section two identical prizes–one for us to keep and one for us to giveaway to one of our readers!

For the third challenge, we are going to take things to the next level!

We have an iPad Mini to give away to one of our readers IF we can win this challenge.

That’s where you guys come in; we can’t do it alone! It’s a race of brain and brawn – we need to the most correct comments to win so be sure to watch the short video closely to answer the riddle!

Without Further Ado, here’s the third riddle!

Challenge #3:

The mechanism used to set the prisoner free; the number of these found in the 2010 Panama excavation is this challenge’s key. (Hint: Sundance)

You’ll find the answer to the riddle somewhere in this video. Once you’ve got your answer then simply leave it in the comments! Remember, the more right answers we get in the comments the better chance we have at winning the weekly challenge and sharing the Captain Morgan Booty with you! Please feel free to share this contest with your friends and family so they can join in too.

Good Luck!!

*This challenge runs until this Friday 3pm EST!

One day in the not so near future you will be able to bicycle from Florence to Rome on a path through the Val di Chiana.

We got a taste of that 400 km journey on our recent trip to Tuscany with GAdventures. Believe it or not, without Leonardo Di Vinci’s help, this Tuscan valley would mostly likely still be a muddy wetland since the Chiana river had a notorious habit of flooding, which the artist fixed by changing the river’s flow of direction.

In the past, we had local experiences on vineyards and farms while WWOOFing in Italy, but never the chance to participate in popular activities like cycling.

My history with biking is relatively average, except for a period of 5 months in high school when I became obsessed with bombing dirt roads in the foothills of western Pennsylvania. In fact, I would say that I haven’t peddled more than 15 miles in 17 years. That all changed this past week when we busted out a cool 23 km under a cloudy Tuscan sky.

Our guide took us thorough the countryside, past vineyards large and small, a blooming mimosa tree ( a rare sight since it only comes alive for 20 days a year) and a variety of terrain that got me high again on a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time–coasting down hills and pumping up them and the adrenaline and sweat that comes from each.

Riding through the back country roads, some dirt, some paved and others gravel, was an absolute amazing way to start the day. I’m already in love with the region and the ride sealed the deal even further. I could easily see myself picking up biking again and really explore the region and backroads of Chianciano Terme if I lived here.

Our bike ride concluded at a local and very out of the way restaurant where we dined on fresh bruschetta, bread salad, sliced meats, a variety of local cheeses and the largest beans I have ever seen. So large, Beth insisted I turn one into a mustache.

After a long, cold Massachusetts winter and spring, a bike ride through Tuscany with a local foodie twist was the perfect way to shake off my cob webs of inactivity and get me excited about biking again. A perfect start for our trip to Italy!

*Although G Adventures hosted us on this trip, our thoughts and opinions are always our own.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

While we lost the last challenge, we are far from out of it. It’s a new week and we got an awesome new prize!

Want To Own An iPad Mini? Keep Reading…

Two weeks ago we announced a fun partnership with Captain Morgan – for the next couple of weeks we are running a competition with Captain Morgan and some other awesome bloggers. And if we win we get to give away stuff to some of our fantastic (and lucky) readers – that’s you! It’s not just any old ‘stuff’ but really amazing items like Go Pro’s and IPads!!!

How Does It Work?

Every Monday at 12PM EST, for the next three weeks, we’ll post a challenge here which can only be solved by watching the 60 second “Perfect Getaway” video below. To be entered into the contest each week, all you have to do is watch the video to answer the challenge question. Then leave your correct answer in the comments before Friday at 2pm EST. 

Want To Win?

So do we! Each week, Captain Morgan will give the blog with the most right answers in its comment section two identical prizes–one for us to keep and one for us to giveaway to one of our readers!

For the second challenge, we are going to take things to the next level!

We have an iPad Mini to give away to one of our readers IF we can win this challenge.

That’s where you guys come in; we can’t do it alone! It’s a race of brain and brawn – we need to the most correct comments to win so be sure to watch the short video closely to answer the riddle!

Without Further Ado, here’s The Second Riddle!

“The Captain’s vessel is of great fame. The answer to this challenge is in its name. (Hint: Morgan’s flagship)

You’ll find the answer to the riddle somewhere in this video. Once you’ve got your answer then simply leave it in the comments! Remember, the more right answers we get in the comments the better chance we have at winning the weekly challenge and sharing the Captain Morgan Booty with you! Please feel free to share this contest with your friends and family so they can join in too.

Good Luck!!

As an added bonus just for being awesome, here is one of our favorite Captain Morgan drink recipes!

Mutineer

Ingredients
• 1 & 1/2 oz CAPTAIN MORGAN® ORIGINAL SPICED RUM
• 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
• 5 PC Raspberry
• 3 Dashes Bitters
• Bottom: 2 oz Cola

DIRECTIONS
1. In a shaker, combine all the ingredients
but the cola.
2. Shake and strain into a rocks glass with cola.
3. Garnish with a lime wedge.

*This challenge runs until this Friday 3pm EST!