However.....I really could not pass up the opportunity to be part of the amazing trip that Sue Burleigh of Socialbeadia has put together with Debra Curle of Triple M Tours. The 15 day itinerary is a dream come true including 5 days in the city of Prague, 3 days in Vienna, a 3 day river cruise to Budapest and 4 days in Budapest.
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I've been to and loved Prague but I've never been and have always wanted to visit Vienna and Budapest. Throw in a river cruise, well it sounds like the perfect travel itinerary.
I love a number of things about the way this tour is organized. First off the three beautiful cities, with a good amount of structured and free time to explore each of them.
Secondly the beading, while it will appeal to the beaders who join this trip (more on that later) it is spread out with one session in each city giving you time to bead on your own in between, but also importantly giving you time to enjoy yourself with any non beading companions. Sue and Debra have also thought to provide wonderful non bead related tours for your companions while you are beading. My take is this should work really well, so well that Mark is definitely joining me. I certainly would hesitate to take him to a weekend or week long beading retreat but this trip I think will serve both our needs beautifully.
Fitting in a three day river cruise is the perfect way to travel between Vienna and Budapest, relaxing (no organized beading) and enjoying the scenery along the way.
I won't review the entire itinerary here, just suffice it to say that every day appears to be a perfect mix of intriguing sight seeing, time with friends and a good amount of free time for those who love to explore on their own. Have a look at the details here. I believe there are still some spots but I wouldn't hesitate. I am glad to report that I know a few of the folks that have signed up and I think we are going to have a stellar time!
So what will the beading be like? I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about this and the course work is evolving but I'd love to do a process class, somewhat similar to the master class called Playing with Possibilities that I taught in Milwaukee and again in England. Both 3 day classes had great results with everyone achieving a good deal of success in creating pieces that matched their vision. My plan is to focus first off on some Bohemian color schemes! Boho style is definitely on trend right now so there is a lot of visual inspiration. I'm going to select 3 of my most popular components or maybe 4 and work up some samples of different ideas. For those who are signed up sometime before the cruise I will provide you with instructions for the the components we'll be using so that you can familiarize yourself with the thread path. I'll also make recommendations on what beads to bring to help create your designs. We'll spend some time talking about your design ideas and you'll bead the pieces you wish to add to your design and finally work on arrangements to bring them into a piece of jewelry that will be uniquely yours. In between our formal sessions, one in each city we visit, you'll be able to bead as much or as little as suits you, and of course I'll be around so impromptu design consultations will be available as time permits.
Below are some shots from my first time in Prague.....over ten years ago now, but what I definitely remember about the city is the whimsy of the skyline with all of the spires on building tops. And the many angel statues. I kind of have a thing for angel statues. And the architecture, oh and beads. Part of the visit to Prague will include a tour of a glass & Jewelry Museum!
i am very jealous! this sounds like a perfect adventure for you.....
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