Easter Parade in Florence, Italy

Easter Parade

A few years ago we were fortunate enough to spend Easter in Florence. We'd never been to Italy before, and, as usual, I studied my travel books ahead of time. The main Easter Mass at Florence's fabulous 15th-century cathedral, the Duomo, sounded like an experience not to be missed: a large cart, covered in fireworks and pulled by white oxen, would stand outside the cathedral steps. At the end of Mass, the cathedral doors would be thrown open, and a spark representing the Holy Spirit would descend on a wire from the upper reaches of the cathedral to the cart, igniting the fireworks in joyous explosion.

the family in front of the Duomo Easter morning

Sounded great to me, but not to my family. My husband was still in the early stages of recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he was having trouble enough navigating Florence's cobbled streets without adding in huge crowds. My daughter said she didn't like fireworks. My son thought it would be hard to pray with so many tourists crowding the church. None of them wanted to have to get to the church early in order to find a seat, and none of them were at all moved by my descriptions of the cart with white oxen.

the exterior of the Duomo in Florence, Italy

The final vote was 3-1 in favor of the 7 am Mass.

The funny part was, missing that opportunity gave us the chance to see this:

　

After Mass--held in a shadowy side chapel, at which we were very nearly the only English speakers--we went down the road to a big fancy restaurant on a plaza, for a bang-up Easter breakfast. As we were finishing we saw that the plaza was filling with spectators.

　

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The people on parade took it very seriously. I would guess they've been doing this since the cathedral was built.

It was wonderful.

We learned a lot about Florence on our trip--including how to avoid 3-hour lines at the Ufizzi--and are happy to help plan your trip there.

Guest blogger:  Kim Bradley

Golf... A walking game

From its very inception, golf has been a walking game. Golf should be pleasurable excerise in the outdoors. My dad and I try to walk and carry as much as possible, we really enjoy it.

 

I would like to challenge you to carry for one round this year, I believe it is possible that you will love it and want to do it quite often. If not, it was good exercise for a couple hours ;-)



Matt.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas time is here and with it snow! Just like the 8th at Royal Dornoch.

From our family to yours, we hope you have a blessed holiday and a happy new year!

Merry Christmas!

Matt






Picture used from golfclubatlas.com taken by Brian Ewen.

"Liam's Ace" at Waterville...

How about this for a ball striking round at Waterville Golf Links...

The view to the right from the tee....

The view from the clubhouse:

We'd love to help you see Waterville.  Just shoot us an email and we'll get started planning your special trip.

Bart

The beauty of a rain suit

No matter what the venue might be, especially if you are playing on one of your memorable vacations, don't forget the wet gear!

 

The 18th at Royal Dornoch as another storm approaches.

And you might enjoy playing in the elements! I know I certainly do.



Connemara Golf Club, Connemara Ireland

The weather can even be inspirational! I have been the witness to a certain round in my dad's lifetime in which he cooly fired a 77 at Ballybunion during a monsoon ;-)

Let Bradley Golf Travel plan youre next trip and never under estimate the value of a good rain suit!

 

Matt

The Mass Hole --the 12th -- at Waterville

and the story behind it:

Myth: Using a Travel Company Costs You Money

I can't help but wonder why so many of our clients come to us with the belief that using a travel agent makes travel more expensive. They all seem to believe that if they book the trip themselves, they will be getting the lowest price. Most of the time, that notion is completely false. Using us to book the trip nearly always saves money, because golf courses and hotels offer travel agents reduced rates. Let me give you some examples.

Many of the big name courses in Ireland and Scotland give a 10 to 15% discount on green fees to tour operators. There are even bigger savings on lodging. For those same Ireland and Scotland trips, the tour operator rates on accommodations come at a 20-30% discount! While I am sure that some of the "big name" golf travel companies turn around and charge the client full price or even higher, our modest fee (8% for single travelers, 6% for groups) still provides a substantial discount to our customers. So using a service like ours saves you substantial cash and lots of time. Plus, with our experience, you'll end up with a better trip.

(the beauty of links golf....we can help you see for yourself)

What are you waiting for? Gives us a try and find out for yourself.

Bart