BG Adventures, Indianola, IA (2026)

06/15/2026

Folks…. This is your LAST chance for a GREAT ride this year. We’re talking about the Danube!! That’s right, the Blue Danube! This tour will be from 9-18 September (departing the US on 8 September)

We’ll start this adventure from Munich, the city you’ll fly into, then we’ll drive to our start point, Passau, Germany. From there we’ll get our bikes (E-bikes available) and head out on the trail.

The Austria trail is a WORLD CLASS trail, with concrete or asphalt nearly its entire distance to Bratislava. Now I have you wondering…. Where are we going? Actually we’ll be riding in THREE countries…. Germany, Austria and Slovakia.

Our overnight towns will be Munich, Passau, Aschach, Ruprechtshofen, Melk, Dürnstein, Klosterneuburg and Bratislava and we’ll average only about 40 miles a day, well within the capacity of the E-bike batteries.

You can have a trip of a lifetime….Riding across Austria, seeing mountains, valleys, rivers, churches and castles. Now’s your chance…. Let’s chat!
DM for full details

04/24/2026

The last BG Adventures tour for this year (and maybe forever) is the Christmas Market tour. This will be an EPIC tour, covering 5 countries… Germany, Czechia, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Here is our confirmed itinerary…..

You’ll depart the USA to Munich 3 Dec
On arrival in Munich you’ll go to our old town hotel where we’ll spend 2 nights 4/5 Dec.

On the 6th of Dec we’ll be picked up by our bus and we’ll head to Regensburg for 1 night where I believe the Best Christmas market in Germany is located, at the Thurn und Taxis Castle. Of course Regensburg has other sights as well like the Dom (cathedral) and more smaller markets but you’ll find this a great visit.

On the 7th we’ll head to Prague for 2 nights (7/8 Dec) and we’ll be in the heart of the old town near the market. Prague had a long history of being an important part of Europe so it will be full of opportunity to explore.

Dec 9 we’ll head to Passau, Germany for 1 night and we’ll explore this town on 3 Rivers… the blue Danube, the green Inn and the black Ilz Rivers will be a sight to remember when standing at the Dreiflüsseeck (Three Rivers Corner). And the market at St Stephan’s Marktplatz is a very nice one… you can even get a sample of Schnaps from some of the vendors!

On the 10th we’ll go to Salzburg for 2 nights. This is the home of Mozart’s birth house and we’ll be staying a short distance from there. Again this is in the old town where we’ll have access to many of the sights. Mozart’s house, the Funicular up to the Festung (fortress) overlooking the city, and the markets at the Domplatz. But for a little surprise, as we go to Salzburg we’ll visit the lovely village of Hallstatt which sits on the banks of a lake.

On the 12th we’ll head to the ancient city of Vienna and spend 2 nights which will give you ample time to explore this historic city.

On the 14th we’ll go into Slovakia, a short distance from Vienna, to Bratislava for 1 night. We’ll stay in the Arcadia Boutique Hotel which is a charming hotel a short distance from the market.

Our last night (unless you extend your trip here) is in Budapest on the 15th of Dec. Budapest is really two conjoined cities separated by the Danube River… Buda and Pest. There is so much to see in Budapest you may well WANT to extend your stay.

Finally, on the 16th (or later if you desire), we will depart for the USA from Budapest. As we wing our way back to the “Land of E Pluribus Unum” (thanks to the Wizard of Oz for the quote), we’ll be looking at all of our photos reminiscing on the adventure we’ve just had.

It’s easy to make this Bucket List item happen…. Contact us for the full details! Let’s do it!!!

04/15/2026

Spaces are rapidly disappearing…. Let’s chat and make this Bucket List trip come true for you!! DM now!!!

04/10/2026

Christmas time in EUROPE is amazing! The Lights, the Trees, the Food… they all add to the joy of the season. Well, this year, we’re going to visit some AMAZING cities, filled with art and history.
Munich, Regensburg, Prague, Passau, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest will be the cities we will get to experience. Every city has its own charm…. Whether it’s the Coffee Shops of Vienna, Mozart’s Birthplace in Salzburg, the Glockenspiel in Munich…. Every stop will have unique places to see BEYOND the Christmas Markets.

YOU’LL LOVE IT!!

So let’s chat and make this Dream come true!!

04/06/2026

Good afternoon everyone!!! We have just completed booking the rooms and transportation for our EPIC European Christmas Market Tour. 5 countries!!
Germany, Czechia, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary!! We’ll start in Munich then visit
Regensburg, Prague, Passau, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and ending in Budapest.
We’ve got space available for about 4 couples….. please let me know if you’re interested! We’d love to have you join us!!

03/07/2026

The last tour for this year is the Christmas Market tour. This will be an EPIC tour, covering 5 countries… Germany, Czechia, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Here is our preliminary itinerary…..

Depart USA to Munich - 3 Dec
Munich - 2 nights - 4/5 Dec
Regensburg - 1 night - 6 Dec
Prague - 2 nights - 7/8 Dec
Passau - 1 night - 9 Dec
Salzburg - 2 nights - 10/11 Dec
Vienna - 2 nights - 12/13 Dec
Bratislava - 1 night - 14 Dec
Budapest - 1 night - 15 Dec
Depart for USA - 16 Dec

We’d fly into Munich on 4 December and meet at our hotel. Then we’d spend two days exploring the city, her markets, churches and museums.

Then it will be on to the other cities above. We’ll end our EPIC tour in Budapest, Hungary where you can stay one (or two nights if you want to extend).

This will be an extremely unique tour…. We’re extending the stay in towns with historical or cultural significance so you can see more than just the markets.

So, if you are interested in joining us this year, LET ME KNOW ASAP. This will be a very Unique Tour to say the least.

We’re putting the package together as I’m writing this…. So let me know if you can make it!! COME JOIN US!!!

11/28/2025

Day One - Stuttgart
I’m calling this Day One….. yesterday was Arrival Day and I was trashed. After arriving and meeting up with the first few travelers, I had a Beer and checked into my room at 130 pm.

And after unpacking, I took about an hour nap before heading to dinner with Petra and Jean. Then when I got back to the room, I passed out!! I slept great…. Sound asleep till 6 am.

Today was a time for gathering. I had 4 more people coming in, all arriving by 1015!!! We sat around chatting and enjoying some coffee. The newcomers made it to their rooms by 1 pm. Our plans for the rest of the day was a bit of a nap and then get ready for our first market experience.

We met in the lobby at 4 pm to go catch the S Bahn (Subway) into Stuttgart. That’s the great thing about Stuttgart… the hotel is 100 yds from the airport and the S-Bahn is in the basement of the airport.

The trip to the old town was about 20 minutes. Once we got there, we walked a short distance to the Market. The Stuttgart Christmas Market is a bit unique…. Every stall has a topper with a holiday theme. After walking around a while, we found our first Glühwein stand to get in the spirit then caught a stand with bratwurst for dinner.

We spent about 2 hours exploring the market before we caught the S-Bahn back to the airport/hotel.

It was a great starting market for our trip! Tomorrow we head south to the Bavarian Alps……

11/25/2025

It’s getting close….. Bavarians/Alpine Christmas Markets start on Friday in Stuttgart!!! And Saturday we’ll be in Reutte, Austria for the Krampusumzug (Krampus Parade)….. always fun!!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRJvhQLCNBT/?igsh=MTZsdmN2c3ZseXoycg==

10/14/2025

We’re planning a couple of bicycle rides again in 2026. And we didn’t want to forget you!

In May, we’ll ride along the Main River from near its source in Bayreuth all the way to its confluence with the Rhine near Mainz. The Main Radweg (pronounced “MIne”) is the ADAC’s (German AAA equivalent ) first 5 star cycleway. It is a wine and beer heavy tour… since we’ll be in the heart of the Franconian wine region as well as in Bavarian beer territory. This is about a 400 mile ride, done over 8 days. The length ranges from 68 to 27 miles, with the average being 43 miles.

In September, we’ll be planning a repeat of the Danube again from Passau, Germany to Bratislava, Slovakia. This ride is a shorter ride at 310 miles with the average again around 43 miles (long 50, short 21 miles). And if you’re interested, I’m also making it time just right so we can do Oktoberfest as well. And since we’re there, if there is interest, after Oktoberfest, we can hit some of the great beers and breweries in Bavaria and Franconia on The Beer Tour.

If you have an interest in any of these, let me know! We’d love to have you along!!

09/17/2025

Day Fourteen - The Great Danube Adventure
The Retrograde Evolution…. The third of three days - HEADING HOME

Heading home…. It’s a great feeling! It will be great to see Gretchen at the airport picking me up! And it will be great seeing Forrest and Everett and everyone else soon!!

I woke up at 0530 and got a shower and dressed. I got everything left to be packed in the appropriate suitcase and then a final sweep around the room for “gear adrift”. I was set to go.

Once I was convinced there was nothing left in the room, at 0615, I went down to the lobby to check out and for a bite of breakfast. I had a cup of cappuccino and a small cinnamon roll and then it was off to the airport.

There was a taxi right there on the curb so I got in and headed out. My driver, a nice guy named Tayyab, was from Pakistan originally but he’s been here for years and considers the Frankfurt area his “Heimat”. We chatted and he complimented me on my German. It makes me feel pretty good and should be quite the compliment as well for my teachers, Herr Karl Pullen (IHS) and Herr Glenn Buhr (Simpson College). Even though it was 50+ years ago, enough has stuck with me that I can do pretty well in a German speaking country. Hey, I’m not fluent by any stretch of the imagination but then I’m not fluent in English either!

Once at the airport, I got in the check-in line and spoke with some nice people who had just gotten off a “Bike and Barge” tour in Luxembourg/on the Mosel River! This cycling thing must be catching on…..

I got my bags checked then went through Customs and headed to the Priority Lounge, the Delta SkyClub contracted equivalent. It’s a nice little place to hang out for a bit. Alice, the desk attendant, was very friendly and helpful regarding the boarding gates and security. Never hurts to be reminded how things work over here.

At about 0900, I headed to the security lines. I’ve always found that even with priority access, it’s not a bad idea to get to the gate a bit early….. for two reasons. To avoid the lines and to get a seat in the waiting area!

I made it through security (both levels) without the ADDITIONAL screening that could have arisen if I would have had the dreaded “SSSS” indicator on my ticket. It’s always nice to avoid that additional level of scrutiny. BUT…… I bought a gift for one of the kids and for some reason (apparently it had liquids in it….purchased at the gift shop) they had to “strip search” the gift!! I got it back but….. a delay. See, leaving early pays off.

Boarding was a piece of cake… I got everything stowed in the overheads and got a Mimosa to start the flight. As I always do, I gave the Purser a stack of gift cards to Starbucks for the Flight Attendants. And I asked to poke my head into the cockpit to give the pilots their cards as well.

I had downloaded a few episodes of different shows to watch on the plane. Always a good idea in case there’s nothing you want to watch or if inflight entertainment happens to go down.

Now it’s time to settle down and enjoy the flight Home! It’s only been two weeks but it does seem like forever…. I’m ready to sleep in my own bed again.

I hope you all enjoyed this Adventure…. More coming soon!!

Ben

BG Adventures

06/15/2026

04/24/2026

04/15/2026

04/10/2026

04/06/2026

03/07/2026

11/28/2025

11/25/2025

10/14/2025

09/17/2025

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