SILVERSEA REVEALS ENRICHMENT LINE-UP FOR CIRCUMNAVIGATION VOYAGE OF AUSTRALIA

Silversea has revealed an exciting line-up of guest lecturers, wine experts and celebrated chefs for its first ever 30 day circumnavigation voyage of Australia, departing Sydney on 19 January 2011 aboard the ultra chic 382-guest Silver Shadow. 

The enrichment programme will include luminaries from the worlds of film, art, wildlife, world affairs, winemaking and cuisine, including film director John Stainton, artist Noel Miller, biologist Prof. Craig Franklin, world affairs expert Dr. Mark Elovitz, Penfolds wine specialist Jamie Sach, gourmet providore Simon Johnson, and Relais & Chateaux chefs Mathew Macartney of Chateau Yering and George Francisco of Jonah's Whale Beach.

One of Australia's best known historians and commentators, Prof. Geoffrey Blainey, will be onboard from 19 to 29 January between Sydney and Darwin. Blainey has published 30 books and fronted a history of Australia, The Blainey View, on ABC Television.

From 25 to 29 January, between Port Douglas and Darwin, Mathew Macartney, Executive Chef at the Yarra Valley's famed Chateau Yering will be presenting his modern Australian cuisine and sharing the secrets of his signature dishes in the ship's culinary theatre.

Between Darwin and Adelaide on 29 January to 11 February, Prof. Craig Franklin will join the voyage to impart his knowledge of Australian marine wildlife. Franklin is a biologist and Professor in Zoology at The University of Queensland and has carried out extensive research into native species ranging from turtles to crocodiles.

Award-winning artist Noel Miller will also be on this sector, lecturing on Aboriginal art. Miller is renowned for his landscapes of the Australian outback, as well as his charcoals, which are highly prized by collectors.

For wine connoisseurs, renowned Australian winemaker (TBA) will be onboard from 19 to 25 January, Sydney to Port Douglas. From Darwin to Port Lincoln from 29 January to 10 February, Silversea's wine ambassador, the widely published food writer Lyn Farmer, will be onboard. And between Perth and Port Lincoln from 6 to10 February, Jamie Sach, chief spokesperson for the iconic Penfolds Wines, will share his extensive knowledge of the wine industry with guests.

Epicurean expert Simon Johnson will provide an insight into Australia's rich abundance of artisan produce from 11 to 14 February, as Silver Shadow sails from Adelaide to Melbourne. New Zealand born Johnson began his career as a chef, before opening a showroom in Sydney with Australia's first specialist in-store fromagerie. This soon transformed into a retail store, of which there are now eight across the country.

Between 13 and 18 February, from Geelong to Sydney, George Francisco, Head Chef of the acclaimed Jonah's Whale Beach in New South Wales will present cooking demonstrations to guests, sharing the culinary expertise that has seen him garner the restaurant Sydney Morning Herald Chefs Hats in 2009 and 2010.

John Stainton will be aboard the Melbourne to Sydney sector from 14 to 18 February, lecturing on Australian film. The notable film producer and director was a close friend of Australian naturalist Steve Irwin and directed all of Irwin's documentaries, as well as his highly successful movie for MGM, Collision Course.

Throughout the 30 day voyage, commentator Dr. Mark Elovitz will present his insights into world affairs. During his colourful career, Elovitz has served as a litigator, a government advisor, an historian, a U.S. Air Force Officer, and as the anchor of a World Affairs TV show. He served in Washington during the Carter and Reagan Administrations as a government advisor on public policy and is currently Director of the Centre for Strategic Geopolitics, a world affairs think tank.
Finally, Australian destination consultant and world traveller Ian Denton will also be onboard for the whole cruise, broadcasting commentaries on local features, wildlife, flora and fauna.

Silver Shadow's circumnavigation voyage will visit Australia's state capitals, as well as lesser known ports, taking in spectacular landscapes, diverse wildlife, ancient culture and gourmet hotspots. Travelling from Sydney up Australia's east coast, ports of call include Brisbane, the Whitsunday Islands, the Willis Islets, Port Douglas, Cooktown, Broome, Exmouth, Perth (Freemantle), Albany, Port Lincoln, Kingscote, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Hobart, arriving back in Sydney on 18 February.

All-inclusive cruise only fares for the 30 day luxury adventure start from AU$20,667* per person, double occupancy. Silversea's generous fare includes all-suite accommodation with butler service; gourmet meals; complimentary wines, Champagne and spirits, and all gratuities.

* Subject to availability, terms and conditions. Port charges are included.

For more information please contact Angas travel.
 

One of Adelaide’s enduring street icons – the French-inspired Colonne Morris - has received a new lease on life to mark its 30^th year. 

The Colonne Morris is located on the corners of Hutt and Angas Streets, in front of the Angas Travel building.

New original artwork was commissioned for the distinctive column, which stands 3 metres high and is adorned with distinctive green fluting at its peak. 
The services of local artist and Francofile, Craig Bowyer were engaged to undertake the task.

The Honorary French Consul, Christine Rothauser unveiled the new art on December 03. 

The art depicts a colourful array of scenes from France, including the Mona Lisa, l’Arc de Triomphe,  & La Tour Eiffel.

Believed to be the only one of its kind in Australia, the distinctive Colonne Morris has a colourful history. Former Honorary French Consul, Dr Rex J Lipman, who was also the founder of Angas Travel, was given special permission by the Adelaide City Council to erect the eye-catching column. For the first decade eye-catching posters were sent from Paris to adorn the column ... with staff having to regularly clean off the graffiti that images of the can-can dancers of the Paris Lido seemed to attract.

“Whenever I return from France, I feel as though a small part of it remains with me.  I look up from my desk and there it is, a sight you see on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, yet it is right here in the heart of Adelaide,” says Jackie Male of Angas Travel.

Staff are very pleased with the resulting art work and in Kate's words, “The results conjure the heart and soul of France, and it adds something beautiful to cosmopolitan Hutt Street. People constantly tell us what an attraction it is. They are curious about its origins and why it is there.
We thought the 30^th anniversary would be the perfect time to give it an artistic makeover.”

Angas Travel is a French travel specialist. It organises customised itineraries for independent travellers, takes school groups to the Western Front each year, and arranges French language, art and history tours for school groups and discerning clients who are seeking to fully experience the French way of life.

The majority of staff at Angas Travel have either lived in France or travel there regularly, and speak the language to some degree.

Members of the French Australian Chamber of Commerce (FACCI) were on hand to witness the unveiling. 

03 December had a dual purpose – the unveiling of the new artwork, plus the Christmas get together of the French Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry with Angas Travel & their guests.  Angas Travel has recently joined the FACCI & this is an introduction to the group.

Some extra info on “Les Colonnes Morris” – just for interest & copied from various internet sites:

Advertising columns or morris columns (French: Colonne Morris, German: Litfaßsäule) are cylindrical outdoor sidewalk structures with a characteristic style that are used for advertising and other purposes. They are common in the city of Berlin, Germany, where 1855, the first 100 columns where installed. Advertising columns were invented by the German printer Ernst Litfaß in 1854. Therefore it is known as Litfaßsäule (Litfaß column) in Germany, and can be found all over the country there.

In France originally built by La Société Fermière des Colonnes Morris, from which they derive their name, they are mostly built and maintained today by the JCDecaux company, which purchased Morris in 1986

Advertising columns are most typically used to display advertisements in the form of posters; many such advertisements have traditionally concerned theater, cinema, nightclub, and concert announcements. Some are motorized and rotate very slowly. A few Advertising columns house Sanisettes or telephone booths. At the beginning of 2006, there were 790 Morris columns in Paris, of which 18 contained telephones and six contained Sanisettes. Some 233 Advertising columns are scheduled to be removed in the near future.

In 1986, JCDecaux acquired Société Fermière des Colonnes Morris, the French company that installed the first columns in France designed to promote shows and cultural events. JCDecaux brought them up-to-date and called on designers to create columns that incorporated related services. Today, the pillar-shaped billboard has become a “multi-service” column and includes public toilets, Internet terminals, telephone booths, ticket machines or newspaper kiosks.

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Countless Tours and Cultural and Musical events have been planned in Poland in 2010 to celebrate the 200th birthday of Frederick Chopin.

Visit the official website of the Polish Celebrations Office 2010 http://chopin2010.pl/en/events/news to discover and explore the many tours and events that are available to the traveller. When you find something that is of interest to you, please contact us to help you arrange both bookings for the events and travel arrangements to Poland. 

In addition to those events displayed on the Celebrations Office 2010 website, ATA/PCI are agents promoting a series of Special Programs in Poland arranged by Mazurkas Travel in Warsaw.
The April to June 2010 program is presented below to give you a taste of what to expect.
Please contact us if you would like a full PDF presentation of these programs.

Special Programs in Poland from Mazurkas Travel 

Spring with Opera & Chopin
April 8th – 13th, 2010
Including world famous opera & ballet works, such as: Madame Butterfly, Tosca, Oniegin and Swan Lake

The itinerary will include:

WARSAW NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE

 “MADAME BUTTERFLY” by Giacomo Puccini

Director Mariusz Trelinski

PRIVATE PIANO RECITAL “Romanticism in Chopin’s Music” including:

_ Improptu G-fl at major op. 51 No. 3

_ Fantaisie-Impromptu C-sharp minor op. 66

_ Nocturne D-fl at major op. 27 No. 2

_ Grand Valse-brillante E-flat major op. 18

_ Mazurka C-sharp minor op. 30 No. 4

_ Ballade G-minor op. 23 No. 1

WARSAW NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE

“ONIEGIN” by Piotr Czajkowski

Director Mariusz Trelinski

 PRIVATE PIANO RECITAL Polish Folk tunes in Chopin’s Music” including:

_ Polonaise C-sharp minor op. 26 No. 1

_ Nocturne C-sharp minor op. posth.

_ Etude C-minor op. 10 No. 12 (Revolutionary)

_ Mazurka C-sharp minor op. 50 No. 3

_ Mazurka D-major op. 33 No. 2

_ Valse C-sharp minor op. 64 No. 2

_ Scherzo B-minor op. 20 No. 1

Karol Szymanowski,

 Polish national composer, a founder of Young Poland in Music. He was influenced by the music of Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, Max Reger, Alexander Scriabin and the impressionism of Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel. He also drew much influence from his countryman Chopin and from Polish folk music. Carefully digesting all these elements, eventually Szymanowski developed a highly individual rhapsodic style and a unique harmonic world of his own.

Program to include:

_ Etudes b-minor op. 4 no 3

_ Prelude op. 1

_ Mazurek op. 50 no 1

_ Mazurek op. 50 no 10

_ Mazurek op. 50 no 1

_ Mazurek op. 50 no 13

_ Don Juan Serenade from „Masks” op. 34

Exceptional Music Weekend in Warsaw
May 14th – 17th, 2010
Including special ballet performance “Chopin” staged by the National Opera House in Warsaw as specially designed to celebrate 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin’s birth

The itinerary will include:

May in Poland with Opera & Chopin

May 18th – 23rd, 2010

Including special ballet “Chopin” staged by National Opera House in Warsaw to celebrate 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth and other great opera works including famous “The Haunted Manor” – a masterpiece of Polish National Opera

The itinerary will include:

 Music Days in Wroclaw & Warsaw

May 19th – 22th, 2010

Including special ballet performance “Chopin” staged by the National Opera House in Warsaw to celebrate 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth and world-famous opera works staged by the Wroclaw Opera House

The itinerary will include:

Special Program

Summer in Wroclaw & Warsaw June 24th – 28th, 2010 including Mega Production of TURANDOT by Wroclaw Opera and special Bach Dances – ballet performance by National Opera House in Warsaw

The itinerary will include:

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