Park City’s Girlfriends Go Tours Announces Summer 2007 Adventures!
Only in Italy…. The best thing about Italy is …mmm, everything. Off the top of my head, images of hedges of rosemary with an aroma so pungent and delicious that you must stop and bury your face in it. Or perhaps it’s Luciano, the owner of the farmhouse we frequent.
In true Italian form, he transforms from scruffy farmer by day to a polished rival to George Clooney offering homemade grappa and vin santo by night. If only all men could pull that off.
To briefly and somewhat adequately convey my love for Italy is to recount the Gran Fondo di Brunello mountain bike race we did there last September. With the registration packet, a pair of socks?….a water bottle?…a tee-shirt?…not a chance. Each of the 1,200 racers received a beautiful bottle of Brunello wine, the pride of Montalcino. Let’s see, do I pop it open before or after the race? The race led us through vineyards with grapes so ripe you could smell them, past a 13th century monastery where Gregorian monks still chant, past castles, through rivers, and finally to what I was waiting for, the post-race meal. Where else would you be served wine crafted to perfection, pasta so delicious it didn’t matter that it came from a vat serving hundreds of hungry racers?
Only in Italy would the podium consist of three wine barrels stacked side by side. Only in Italy would the lucky race winners receive magnums of Brunello and two-kilo hunks of proscuitto. I am still unclear about the prize I won although I profess to speak Italian. I could only give the emcee an embarrassed but enthusiastic ‘Grazie!’ when he handed me, along with some locally produced miele and a lovely bottle of vino rosso, my prize: lingerie that still makes me blush when I look at it. Only in Italy.
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The Importance of Gal Pal Relationships & Health: Girlfriends Traveling Together - It’s a Health Issue!
A current study by UCLA Drs. Klein and Taylor suggest that friendships between women are an integral part of our health. These scientists indicate that hanging out with our friends can actually derail the stress that can be detrimental to our well-being and longevity. When encountering a stressful situation our ancient ‘fight or flight’ survival mechanism kicks in, but research suggests that when women gather and support each other in a nurturing environment, a hormone called oxytocin is released. This may be part of a biological need to tend children and to gather and befriend other women. The ‘tend and befriend’ theory by Klein and Taylor indicates that the development of social ties assists in releasing the hormone oxytocin. May this be the reason women outlive men? Oxytocin actually reduces women’s risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol.
A related report by the Nurses’ Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that those with the most friends over a nine year period cut their risk of death by more that 60%. This same research has proven that being without friends can be as detrimental to your health as smoking or being overweight.
“Women are a source of strength and nurturing to one another”, states Ruthellen Josselson. “Women need space with each other to do that special talk that women do - which can be an extremely healing experience”.
You see! It’s true what we have always known instinctively - our friendships are a great healing tool for our health. Come develop some new gal pal relationships while traveling the world, exploring new cultures, talking, sharing, laughing and staying fit with Girlfriends Go Tours! Who will be with you on the next girls’ adventure?
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Every girl deserves an adventure…
Girlfriends Go Tours are unforgettable adventures that include biking, cooking, laughter, running, surfing, language, wine tasting, yoga and tasty cultural treasures. Come explore the world with us in 2007 as we cycle through Tuscany, swing like monkeys in the Costa Rican rain forest, and run along the canals of Venice!
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“Laughter is the language of the soul…” - Pablo Neruda
Come travel and laugh with us in 2007:
May 19-26, 2007 - Girlfriends Go: Tuscany FULL- Biking, Wine, Cooking, Language & Cultural Tour
May 26-June 2, 2007 - Girlfriends Go: Tuscany FULL -Biking, Wine, Cooking, Language & Cultural Tour
July 18-22, 2007 - Girlfriends Go: Park City Mountain Experience Mountain Bike Clinic & Summer Camp for Women
October 13-20, 2007 - Girlfriends Go: Tuscany Biking, Wine, Cooking, Language & Cultural Tour
October 25-November 1, 2007 - Girlfriends Go: Venice Marathon Marathon, Wine, City & Lake Tour
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Live with purpose travel with passion… www.girlfriendsgo.com
