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14 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 7, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Europe may be so tempting, you'll end up going T ransat Holidays Europe program is so enticing, you might be convinced to book a holiday even if' you had no intention of going to Europe this year. Just wander into your travel agent and pick up the books. Transat Holidays Europe offers so many choices and it has just launched its second brochure with 168 pages including the all-new Bike & Boat package to the Netherlands. Friends of mine see themselves as upscale travellers who don't mix with the hoards of IT'S GREAT TO B13 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH Make Friday the 13th your Lucky Day and join us for our 13th Birthday Celebrations! FREE DABBERS ALL DAY! FREE CAKE & COFFEE at the 12:30pm & 4:00pm sessions! 13 @ $1,000 Games 7:00pm session only $13 for a 5 strip dabbing book 13 @ $100 Free Draws at the 10:00pm session EVERY SUNDAY WE SERVE HUNGRY? COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST 11 AM - 12:30 PM For details on all our jackpots and promotions, check out: www.meadowvalebingo.com or call the Hotline: 905 821-7883 for further details 2295 Battleford Road, Mississauga Meadowvale Sponsors Assoc. Lic. #36-004 & M507567 Oceania Cruises presents Celebration of Savings with a special promotion: USD2,000 Price Reduction per Stateroom in addition to 2 FOR 1 Cruise Fares with Free Airfare on 18 of their 2009 European Collection sailings making these voyages one of the year's great travel values. All three of Oceania's elegant mid-sized ships, Insignia, Regatta and Nautica sail the waters of a Europe from April to November, covering the continent in its entirety. The 2009 Celebration of Savings includes Enchanted Escapade, Rome to Athens, 12 days visiting Portofino, Monte Carlo, Florence, Amalfi, Sorrento, Taormina, Valletta, Santorini, Rhodes, Delos and Mykonos; departing 05JUN09 or 16AUG09 aboard Nautica and 04SEP09 aboard Insignia. Aegean Adventures, a Athens to Istanbul, 12 days with stops in Kusadasi, Rhodes, Delos, Mykonos, Santorini, Katakolon, Corfu, Dubrovnik and Crete departing 23JUL09, 09SEP09 or 29OCT09 aboard Nautica and 23AUG08 aboard Insignia. Whispers of Antiquity, Venice to Istanbul, 17OCT09 aboard Regatta visiting Kusadasi, Rhodes, Delos, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens, Sorrento, Amalfi, Taormina, Kotor and Dubrovnik. These are but a few of the highlights of the Celebration of Savings. Space is limited - contact our office for details and availability. This offer is valid on new bookings only, based on double occupancy in stateroom categories G through A1 and is valid until 31MAR09. Third and fourth guests in the cabin are at 50% off and the single supplement is just 25%. Oceania Cruises' 2009-2010 Winter Collection of Savings offers huge savings on their entire winter program featuring 17 distinct itineraries in the Caribbean, Australia, Asia and South America. Save on 10-Day voyages with a USD500 per Stateroom Price Reduction plus USD500 Per Stateroom Shipboard Credit plus Free Prepaid Gratuities. A USD1,000 per Stateroom Price Reduction is offered on 12 to 24-Day cruises. This extraordinary offer expires 31MAR09. Oceania Cruises feature three elegant mid-sized ships with only 684 guests and 400 staff featuring large-ship amenities; the finest cuisine at sea, served in four distinctive open-seating restaurants; country-club ambiance ­ tuxedos and gowns are never required; exclusive Tranquility Beds featuring plush duvets, goose-down pillows and fine Egyptian cotton linens ­ the best value in cruising. OCEANIA CRUISES unwashed rest of us, confessed at a party recently that Transat's two- or three-city package (flights, accommodation, breakfasts or kitchenettes and train transfers) are the best buy around. "Of course we travel Club, not in the back of the plane." I could have told them that, but they know best. The bike tour sounds very tempting. You get flights, accommodation, boat, breakfast, bike, and train leaving from Amsterdam. You can explore the region's countryside on your bike, or sit back and relax on-board the boat as it glides through magnificent landscapes. You even have two choices. What is so appealing about this brochure are the ideas that come with each destination and the fact that many of them include a free excursion, and you can book excursions and car rentals and even theatre tickets along with your ticket before you go. I spent hours all the way to Vancouver pouring over the brochure, and often remembering favourite destinations. I looked at the Cannes choices and thought back over the long pleasant walks along the waterfront, the designer stores, the side walk cafes, the market in Nice. Romantic Germany brought back memories of music (concert tickets are very reasonable) and the castles just plain magic. Nneuschwanstein Castle (think Cinderella's Castle) on what is called the Romantic Road belonged to mad Bavarian King Ludwig II and is the stuff of dreams. And so is the one-day Rhine cruise where you'll cruise past medieval castles and charming little villages in the Rhine River Valley. You'll have wonderful memo- ries, too, if you choose Austria and Central Europe. The music ranges from Mozart to The Sound of Music and you can go see where the movie was filmed. Vienna means those wonderful white stallions and more. The two-city Brussels package brought back memories of last year's trip, where dining in Brussels is an experience in itself and how amazing Frankfurt was. Flip a few more pages, and the memories of Paris and London surface. The dinner cruise on the Thames was amazing and so was the food. Paris is just as romantic as every story tells you. I can shut my eyes and smell the Sunday market, the Marais, Notre Dame and Saint-Germain. It happens I'm wearing the line jacket I bought in the Galeries Lafayette bringing back warm and fuzzy memories of a whole group of French women out shopping who paused and helped me decide on the colour and size. So much for Parisians being rude and cold. Transat Holiday's City Hopping program means you can see a greater number of towns and cities but stay long enough to get your fill. Drive from one place to another or travel by train. Round-trip flights, accommo- dation and train tickets or car rental is included. Stay in a destination or two for a week and then take a cruise. Pick a city or countryside place you've dreamed of then discover Europe from a different perspective. There are lots of itineraries from cruise lines you'll recognize, and if you book before ... you'll save. You can sail from London, Genoa or Portofino in Italy. Stay in a destination for a week and then take a coach tour. There are lots of itineraries, and this is great way to see the countryside with someone else doing the driving. Accommodation choices are great -- everything from tiny ancient digs, big modern hotels to the Apart'hotel Citadines or Citea apparthotels and villas of France where you rent either a studio or apartment or even a house, which is a great way to save on your budget. Speaking of budget, there are several promotions listed in the brochure that offer savings up to $700 per couple. Book a package before March 31 and save $200, book and pay for a coach tour early and you could save $500. If you book a cruise that includes an Air Transat flight, you'll save up to $400 a couple. And after all that, if you book before April 19, you'll receive a gift certificate worth $100 per person towards your next Transat Holidays Sun vacation. Now let's see. Do we want to take the bike, and canal package? Italy beckons and there so many choices in that program it'll be a difficult call. But then perhaps we'd like to walk through Ireland. So many choices, so little time. -- You can reach Sam Ion at samion10@cogeco.ca. Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com Crime Prevention Starts in the Neighbourhood www .oakvilleneighbourhoodwatch.ca Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre Relax... you're with us 221 Lakeshore Road E. (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 905-337-2228 www.hookedoncruising.com To advertise here call 905-845-3824