Paris/ Enchanting Mosel and Rhine Rivers/ Prague/ Berlin

May 24 - June 6, 2007

 

May 24, 2007 (Thursday):                Flight - Atlanta to Paris

          Delta Airline Flight # 28        Atlanta to Paris

          Departs - 3:35 p.m.      Arrives - 6:20 a.m.

(Note: 8 hr. and 45 min. flight.    Paris is 6 hours ahead of our time in Atlanta)

 

May 25, 2007 (Friday):                Paris, France

*     6:20 a.m.   Arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport

*     8:00 a.m.   Depart airport for “Overview Tour” of Paris

          Photo stop at Eiffel Tower

            Tour of Notre Dame Cathedral

            Champs Elysees

            Arc de Triomphe

            Other landmarks of Paris

*     Lunch included at a Parisian Sidewalk Cafe

*     Check-in at Paris Hilton Hotel located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower

*     Free time to clean up, relax and maybe walk back to the Eiffel Tower for a visit and ride to the top.

*     Dinner on your own at the hotel or surrounding restaurants, grills, etc.

 

May 26, 2007(Saturday):                   Paris, France

*     Buffet breakfast included at our hotel

*     Today is yours to enjoy as you wish.  Leland and Gherry will help you get acclimated to traveling in the city, show you how to buy subway tickets and how to use the subway.  We are located very, very close to so many locations, that you may prefer to walk to places.  Please give some thought to what you may be interested in seeing before you get to Paris.  Some ideas may include:

          1.   Eiffel Tower - ride up part way or all the way to the top for a breathtaking view over Paris

          2.   Louve Museum - A treasure house for the arts

          3.   Musee De Orsay - A fabulous collection of the Impressionists

          4.   Champs Elysses - The famous “shopping street” of Paris

          5.   Latin Quarter - This area is famous for its students and publishing houses

          6.   Montmartre - The artists’ village

          7.   A leisurely stroll along the Seine - Such fun!

*     Lunch on your own - If you are near Montmartre, the Hard Rock Café is located near there if you need t-shirts to take home.

*     Dinner on your own back at the hotel or local eatery

*     Evening River Cruise along the Seine - We will enjoy this as a group for those who wish to join us.  There is no city on earth as beautiful as Paris at night.  We never tire of seeing this sight.

May 27, 2007 (Sunday):      Paris to Trier, Germany by way of  Luxembourg

*     Buffet breakfast included at our hotel

*     8:00 a.m.   Depart hotel for Trier, Germany to board our ship

*     Scenic drive through the French countryside of Champagne

*     Reims, France - A short stop at the Reims Cathedral, begun in 1211, it is one of the great cathedrals of France

*     1:00 p.m.  Arrive Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

*     Lunch included on the terrace at the Breedewee Restaurant, a glorious location over the Old Town of Luxembourg City.

*     2:15 p.m.  Walking tour of Luxembourg City, including Old Town and the fortress ramparts dating back to 963.  Both of these were declared  Unesco World Heritage Sites in 1994.  Free time included.

*     4:30 p.m.  Leave Luxembourg for Trier, Germany

*     5:30 p.m.  Arrive at our ship, the Amalegro and check in.  We will be traveling with Amadeus Waterways.  The Amalegro will be a brand new ship, setting sail in 2007. 

*     7:00 p.m.  Welcome dinner included on ship

*     Following dinner it is a short walk into Trier, a beautiful little town.  You may enjoy exploring this tonight because we will begin our journey down the Mosel River during the evening.

 

The first part of our cruise takes us through the enchanting Moselle Valley which is dotted all along the way with picturesque villages.  The Moselle River winds its way through the very heart of the German countryside with its beautiful castles and renowned vineyards.

 

May 28, 2007 (Monday):         Bernkastel - Zell - Mosel Valley, Germany

*     Breakfast included on our ship

*     This morning arrive in the charming village of Bernkastel, located in the middle of the Moselle wine-producing region, the largest single wine-producing region of Germany.

*     Guided walk through the Old Town with its Medieval and Renaissance buildings surrounding you and right in the middle of it all is a beautiful 17 century St. Michael fountain.

*     Lunch included on our ship

*     Sail on to Zell, a quaint little Moselle village that dates back centuries BC.

*     Enjoy a welcome by the Mayor of Zell.

*     Dinner included on our ship.

*     Evening celebration in Zell with wine tasting and Ompah music at the Black Cat Fountain.

 

 

 

Today, May 29th,  we begin our journey on the Rhine River, a river noted for its vineyards, small villages, and castles clinging to the cliffs along the river.

 

May 29, 2007 (Tuesday):    Cochem - Koblenz - Rhine Castles - Rudesheim

*     Breakfast included on our ship

*     Cochem village - Tour of the spectacular Reichsburg Castle, a feudal castle with its turrets and pinnacles, that crowns a conical hill entirely covered with vines.

*     Koblenz - Walking tour of this charming town that is located at the point where the Rhine River and Mosel River meet.

*     Lunch included on our ship

*     Sail through the Rhine Valley which is a magnificent part of our cruise.  We shall see beautiful castle after beautiful castle perched all along the river’s edge.  You will be sure to see the legendary Lorelei Rock.   This area of the Rhine River is a sight you will always remember.

*   Afternoon arrival to Rudesheim, an utterly charming town with narrow streets filled with shops and restaurants.

*     Mini train ride into Rudesheim to visit the fascinating Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum.  It is not just a museum, all of the instruments will be played for you in the museum.  It is marvelous!

*     Free time to stroll down the Drosselgasse, a narrow alley lined with quaint little wine taverns and restaurants. 

*     Dinner included on our ship this evening.

 

May 30, 2007 (Wednesday):      Mainz - Heidelberg - Frankfurt, Germany

*     Breakfast included on our ship

*     Today, you decide:

          1.   Disembark in Mainz and travel by motorcoach to Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town, where you will visit the red-walled Castle; see the Great Vat, a 49,000 gallon 18th century wine cask and beautiful views of the Neckar Valley and Heidelberg town below.  Then take a walking tour of old Heidelberg and free time for lunch on your own. You will love Heidelberg.  It is a “fairytale” little town.  In the afternoon drive to Frankfurt, the bustling metropolis on the River Main, where you rejoin your ship.

Or

          2.   You can enjoy a leisurely walking tour of charming Mainz, hometown of the famous printer Guttenberg and the Roman ship museum.  The Gutenberg-Museum that has two original editions of the world-famous Gutenberg Bible on display is worth a visit.  Return to the ship and take a lunchtime cruise on the Main River to Frankfurt where you will have a guided walking tour of the historic city center “The Romer.”

*     Dinner included on our ship

 

May 31, 2007 (Thursday):     Miltenberg - Wertheim, Germany

*     Breakfast included on our ship

*     Miltenberg - Arrive in Miltenberg and disembark for a guided morning walking tour of this lively, romantic and medieval town.  The timber-frame houses create an intimate feeling of German life in the 16th and 17 C.  In the same way the gabled houses in their pristine condition reinforce the impression of a town virtually transported from the medieval age into modern times.

*     Lunch included on our ship

*     Wertheim - Continue on the river to the typical medieval village town of Wertheim, known for its glassworks, Franconian wine, and friendly people.  We will enjoy a glass-blowing performance and have free time to browse the market square before re-boarding our ship.

*     Dinner included on our ship

 

June 1, 2007 (Friday):              Wurzburg, Germany

*     Breakfast on our ship

*     Wurzburg - We will tour this “Pearl of the Romantic Road” which is a center of wine and trade.  We will visit the major sights including the magnificent baroque Residence Palace.

*     Lunch included on our ship.

*     1:00 p.m.  We have scheduled a private bus to take our group to Rothenburg, a fairytale town of cobbled stone lanes, ramparts and towers.  You will feel as if you are in another century and a knight on a white horse may appear at any moment.  Rothenburg is absolutely fabulous!  You will have the whole afternoon to enjoy this town by walking, admiring, and shopping.  You will always remember this little town with fondest memories.  We have been to Rothenburg many times and we still look forward to returning to this enchanting little place.

*     6:00 p.m.  Return to our ship

*     Dinner included on our ship

 

June 2, 2007 (Saturday):              Bamberg

*     Breakfast on our ship

*     Enjoy a leisurely morning cruising before we enter the Main-Danube Canal at enchanting Bamberg, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

*     Bamberg - Disembark for a guided tour of this medieval gem, with its uniquely intact townscape.  Marvel at the breathtaking cathedral, the Old Town Hall that straddles the river, and the city’s serpentine streets with charming houses and 18th century mansions.

*     Return to our ship for dinner

*     Late tonight arrive in Nuremberg, Germany

 

 

 

June 3, 2007 (Sunday):               Nuremberg - Prague, Czech Republic

*     Breakfast on our ship

*     8:00 a.m. - Disembark our ship for transfer to Prague. 

*     Lunch included at Strahov Restaurant in the Castle District

*     Afternoon visits to:

          1.   Prague Castle - One look at the view from the ramparts of Prague Castle (built in the 9th century), and you’ll understand why the capital of the Czech Republic is known as the “City of a Hundred Spires.”

          2.   St. Vitus Cathedral - Located inside the walls of Prague Castle, you will marvel at the fabulously stunning stained glass windows.  A trip to the top of the tower has incredible views over the city.

          3.   Golden Lane - This is a charming and delightful narrow passageway of colorful, little houses built in 1597, by order of Emperor Rudolph II, in order to house his top marksmen and their families.  Today, these little houses are used for beautiful gift shops.

*     Check-in at our magnificent Renaissance Hotel located right at Old Town.

*     Dinner on your own tonight.  Enjoy dinner at the hotel or in Old Town.  It is great fun to wander the streets of Old Town on your own.

 

June 4, 2007 (Monday):                         Prague

*     Breakfast included at our hotel

*     Morning walking tour of:

          1.   Old Town - This area today remains the nucleus of the city’s development.  Every epoch has left its mark here.  A thousand years of history stands before you.  Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Art Nouveau are styles of some of the buildings found here.  Old Town was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

          2.   Jewish Quarter - Formerly, the Jewish ghetto of the town, it is the only Central European Jewish town-quarter that survived the Holocaust.

          3.   Charles Bridge - The bridge was built in 1357 as a road to the castle.  In later years it was lined with intriguing figures of saints.  Today, you can find street sellers, musicians, and artists all lining the awesome bridge.

*     Lunch on your own - Try a charming Czech restaurant or café.

*     Afternoon free to shop or relax.  You may wish to head over to the Lesser Quarter or Little Town - one of Prague’s most exquisite neighborhoods..  It was established in 1257 and for years was where the merchants and craftsmen who served the royal court lived.  Its charm lies in the tiny lanes, the sudden blasts of bombastic architecture, and the soul-stirring views that emerge for a second before disappearing behind the sloping roofs.

*     Dinner and authentic Czech  folklore show is included this evening at a lovely country inn outside of Prague.

 

 

June 5, 2007 (Tuesday):              Berlin   

*     Breakfast included at our hotel

*     Check-out of our hotel in Prague

*     Drive from Prague to Berlin

*     Lunch included in Berlin

*     Overview tour with highlights and photo stops of East and West Berlin

*     Check-in to our beautiful Kempinsky Bristol Hotel located right on Kurfursten Damm, the main shopping street in Berlin.

*     Dinner on your own tonight.  There are so many wonderful restaurants and cafes just outside our hotel, or you may wish to eat at the hotel.

*     8:30 - 9:45 p.m.   Canal boat ride through Berlin.  The boat ride will let us see the important highlights for photo opportunities from the canals plus those sights that we missed this afternoon during our “overview” tour.  Berlin at night is beautiful.

*     Repack and organize tonight for our flight home tomorrow.

 

June 6, 2007 (Wednesday):    Berlin - JFK New York -  Atlanta

*     Breakfast included at our hotel

*     8:30 a.m.   Depart hotel for airport in Berlin

*     Delta Airlines Flight from Berlin to JFK New York to Atlanta

        Flt # 79   Departs Berlin 12:10 p.m.  Arrives JFK at 3:10 p.m.               

        Flt # 175 Departs JFK at 5:35 p.m.  Arrives Atlanta at 8:22 p.m.

 

 

This trip is going to be a fabulous trip with so many varied sights and experiences.  We feel that you will thoroughly enjoy your holiday!!!

We do hope that you will join us.