1. BY SARAH WEEKS
travel
NewZealandFitness,December2011/January2012
56
inEUROPE
between the sights than walk, so
you’ll see more in less time! The
commentary from the tour guide
is entertaining and insightful
and you’ll meet other travellers.
Although Paris is extremely
large, the area you bike in is
very flat and the tours follow
carefully selected bike-friendly
routes, so you’ll return energised
rather than worn out.
Biking is the best way to see
all the sights including The Eiffel
Tower, Napoléon's Tomb,
Musée D'Orsay, Louvre
Museum, Tuileries Gardens and
Champs-Elysées. And if you’re
up for a challenge afterwards,
you can even climb the stairs of
the Eiffel Tower – all 1,652 of
them! It’ll save you money, by
not paying for the lift, but will
cost you time and energy. If you
want to go straight to the top,
though, you will have to use the
lift for the last level.
The next stop on tour is Mt
Rigi in Switzerland, 1,800m
above sea level and a great place
for fun and recreation. With
breathtaking
panoramic views of
The Alps, the mountain offers
120km of hiking and nordic
walking paths. And what better
way to keep fit and enjoy the
views from the top of this
spectacular mountain than
walking to its summit.
Alternatively, you can catch
the cable car to the top and
make your own way back down
the mountain.
In Italy we stop at the
famous Leaning Tower of Pisa,
which you can climb by taking
the 294 steps to the top. It’s a
great workout and although
you’ll be slightly out of breath by
the time you reach the end, the
view is very much worth it.
Florence too has it’s own
“stair master” at The Duomo
with over 400 steps. After
navigating your way up the
narrow spiral staircase, you can
enjoy the breathtaking views
over this magnificent city and the
interior of the stunning church,
before making your way back
down the steep staircase on
the other side.
Next up is a visit to the Tyrol
region of Austria. We’re given a
choice between mountain biking,
tandem paragliding, skydiving or
canyon jumping. Mountain
biking is probably the easiest
option but still requires a
moderate level of fitness as you
have to navigate trees, rocks and
other obstacles when making
your way downhill through the
Austrian Alps. As you weave
your way through the thick
bush, it’s easy to build up a
sweat, but a great opportunity to
see this country’s flora and fauna
up close. I decide to give
paragliding a go, which is more a
test of my mental fitness, rather
than physical. Taking a gondola
ride up to the top of one of the
highest mountains in Austria,
my small fear of heights gets a
whole lot bigger the further I
rise. Once at the top and all
Europe has spectacular scenery, cultural experiences
and glorious food! But the challenge is to keep fit and
healthy while on tour. SARAH WEEKS, touring with
Topdeck, strives to stay fit and to keep French pastries
and German beer to a minimum.
Keepingfit
B
efore setting off on
this 18-day Topdeck
tour (appropriately
called the European
Odyssey), travelling through nine
different countries, I make sure I
have a good quality pair of
trainers to pack in my suitcase.
Then it’s a case of breaking them
in before flying out to avoid
blisters. I figure I’ll be walking
between six to eight hours each
day in Europe so maintaining
good fitness levels is important.
With that in mind, I hit the
pavement, parks and mountains
of Auckland to get myself used
to the pace. Walking is actually
one of the best ways to keep fit
and toned.
Topdeck provides many
options for travellers looking to
keep active and what better way
to start off than with Fat Tyre
Bike Tours in Paris. Biking
around allows you to see more
with less effort and best of all,
it’s lots of fun! The tours
leisurely cover 10.5km in four
hours. It takes less time to bike
✈
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2. 57
NewZealandFitness,December2011/January2012
strapped into my harness
ready to fly, it’s a short but
powerful run downhill until my
parachute fills with wind and
I’m lifted up into the air. After
half an hour of drifting down
towards the valley, including
a few mid-air acrobatics, I’m
ready to go again!
Berlin is a city full of
fascinating history from Nazi
Germany to the Berlin Wall and
what better way to hear about
this than with a Third Reich
walking tour from a
knowledgeable tour guide.
Street names have changed,
many buildings have gone –
but the nerve center of the
Third Reich is all located in one
part of Berlin. The tour finishes
above the exact position of
Hitler’s bunker, where he
committed suicide.
Amsterdam is one of the
most bicycle-friendly large cities
in the world with nearly
everyone owning a bike – that’s
over 400,000 bikes! And there’s
no better way to explore this
cosmopolitan city than how the
locals do, so we hop on our
bikes and wind our way through
the many canals along the well-
marked bike paths. Mike’s Bike
Tours take you around the
centre of this beautiful city
covering all the highlights
including houseboats, bicycle
filled streets (and canals),
Museumsplein with the Rijks
and Van Gogh museum and the
Red-Light district where you'll
see the Old church. They of
course give you a run down on
the coffee shop scene and point
out some nightclubs and venues
to enjoy later on. After all that
riding around, it’s time for a
break at Vondel Park where you
can toss around a frisbee or
lounge in the grass.
One thing to keep in mind
when doing a Topdeck tour is
how many hours you’ll be
spending sitting on a coach tour
bus when travelling between
each city. Travelling days,
however, are often broken up by
stops and day trips along the
way. You can also do some easy
exercises to stretch your muscles
and help keep your body flexible.
Stretching gives you extra energy
by improving blood flow.
While sitting straight up
with your feet firmly on the
ground, stretch your right hand
up, fingers spread open, and
bend to your left side letting
your right hand stretch over
your head. Hold this position
while counting to ten and
slowing breathing in and out.
Now do the same with your left
hand and bend right.
Your legs can also become
stiff and sore when sitting still
for too long, especially with the
amount of walking you will be
doing in each place, so it’s
important to exercise these
muscles too. While sitting on
the edge of your chair with your
feet flat on the floor, keep your
knee bent and pick up your right
foot off the floor and hold while
counting to ten before releasing.
Do the same thing with your left
foot and repeat several times,
switching feet.
Now you could happily eat
your way through Europe with
all the glorious food on offer but
it is important to remember to
eat food that’s healthy and good
for you as you’ll need all the
energy you can get. With this
Topdeck tour, all of your
breakfasts are included and
about half of your dinners.
Most hotels provide a
continental breakfast buffet and
in countries such as France and
Italy, pastries, breads and cheeses
are very popular on the menu,
but a healthier option is to fill up
on fresh fruit, yoghurt and
cereal. These options are low GI
so release energy slower
throughout the day, allowing you
to go further and see more of the
wonderful sights Europe has to
offer. For snacks during the day,
try buying fresh fruit and muesli
bars at local supermarkets to
carry in your daypack and most
importantly, carry a bottle of
water with you at all times.
Just remember to enjoy
yourself – you’re in Europe!
• Sarah Weeks and Craig
Wrightson travelled to Europe
courtesy of Singapore Airlines
and Topdeck tours.
Fit way to see Amsterdam,
with Mike’s Bike Tours.
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