Main Tour Aug 1 depart Vancouver for Frankfurt; Aug 2,3 Rothenburg; Aug 4,5 Ettal; Aug 6 Salzburg; Aug 7,8 Vienna; Aug 9, 10 Hallstatt; Aug 11,12 Interlaken Switzerland; Aug 13, 14 Munich; Aug 15 Bad Homburg Germany; Aug 16 flight from Frankfurt.

Extended Tour Aug 16,17 Bad Homburg; Aug 18,19 Strasbourg France; Aug 20,21,22 Paris; Aug 23 London; Aug 24 Flight home from Gatwick

DETAILED ITINERARY

Thursday August 1, 2002: Depart on Air Transat flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt.  Hopefully you will sleep on the plane, as our exciting and magical itinerary kicks off immediately upon landing!
Friday August 2: Arrive at Frankfurt Airport around midday.  We’ll be able to spend a night in the Frankfurt area at the end of the tour, in Bad Homburg, but right now we must meet our professional driver Mike Hawker and head out immediately.  Mike is the humorous, likeable bus driver that everyone enjoyed so much on the UK trip in 1999.  We head south immediately on a 3-hour drive to Rothenburg, where we’ll be staying right in town in a character hotel called the Rothenburger Hof. Your evening is free to explore the town or retire early in preparation for a full day tomorrow.
Saturday Aug 3: concert #1.  Today we explore the beautiful medieval walled city of    Rothenburg, an actual thriving town that is also one of Germany’s outstanding historic attractions. We perform our first concert this afternoon for Rothenburg and its visitors in the main town square.  Morning and evening free to explore, shop, take photos, beer and wine-taste, etc.
Sunday Aug 4: concert #2. An early departure takes us on a picturesque route south through Germany to the Bavarian countryside where we’ll stay - Ettal.  The magic of Ettal, besides being a mountain village, is its proximity to the castles of Mad King Ludwig, which we’ll explore tomorrow.  We will arrive by late afternoon, in time to check in at the Ludwig Der Bayer hotel, enjoy dinner, and then perform a concert on the courtyard of the hotel (alternately this concert will be tomorrow evening). Note: a short walk from our hotel is a fabulous bakery with low prices, so if you haven’t tried German baking before, fasten your seat belts!

Monday Aug 5:  Today we take a daytrip through picturesque Bavaria to some of the  most beautiful and famous castles in the world: Neuschwahnstein, the model used by Walt Disney; Linderhof  Castle, a gorgeous and lavish Baroque castle, whose gardens and fountains alone are well worth the visit; and palatial Hohenschwangau Castle if time permits; then returning to our hotel in Ettal and the Ludwig Der Bayer hotel by evening.

Tuesday Aug 6: concert #3. Leaving Ettal after a good breakfast, we enjoy a short but scenic drive to Salzburg to stay one night at the Berghof Graml hotel. Salzburg’s historic old town area ‘rings’ to the tunes of Mozart and boasts the largest medieval castle in Europe.  This town is a stroller’s delight, so we’ll need to make the most of our very short time here.  Our late afternoon concert will be in the Mirabel Gardens on the River Inn.
Wednesday Aug 7: An early departure takes us on a picturesque route eastward across Austria to Vienna, the city that many consider the cultural capital of Europe.  Your afternoon and evening are free to stroll this magical city, after checking into the Hotel Cryston.
Thursday Aug 8: Concert #4 Enjoy the sights and museums of Vienna, find Mozart’s home, see the Lippezaners practice. In the afternoon or evening, we will perform our concert either at the residence of the Canadian Ambassador, or in one of Vienna’s rich assortment of public gardens. 
Friday Aug 9: Depart the bustle of Vienna for the quiet of Hallstatt, a delightful village in Austria’s Lake District, “Sound of Music” country.  This is no doubt the prettiest village you will ever see in all of Austria, if not Europe; a perfect spot to relax and explore the peaceful surroundings.  We’ll arrive by mid-afternoon or earlier at the Hotel Bergfried, just 2 blocks from the town square where we’ll perform tomorrow.
Saturday Aug 10: concert #5. Another day to discover and savor Hallstatt.  Take the cable car up the mountain to explore the ancient salt mines; go hiking up the picturesque trails above the town for spectacular views; take a boat tour on the often mirror like Hallstatter lake; find a cozy restaurant patio right by the lakeshore and sip a soda or cappuccino; or take the little ferryboat across the lake to meet the train for a day-trip to further explore this wonderland.   Our concert will be in the colourful village square this afternoon or evening.
Sunday Aug 11: A very early departure is required for a lengthy drive to the famous ski-resort town of Interlaken, Switzerland for a two night stay in the shadow of majestic Alps such as the Eiger, made familiar to movie goers in “The Eiger Sanction” where Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy do some hair-raising mountain climbing.  Interlaken is also nestled at the foot of the Jungfrau, Europe’s highest peak.  Our hotel is the aptly named Chalet Swiss.
Monday Aug 12: enjoy a full day to go hiking, take the famous cog-railway up the Eiger, ride a gondola up any of the nearby mountains, take a boat trip to the caves on Lake Thun or the cute village of Iseltwald on Lake Brienz, or just mosey through Interlaken and enjoy the shops, cafés, and views. You will not find more spectacular mountains in Switzerland!
Tuesday Aug 13:We want to depart early to have as much time as possible at our lunch stop, Zurich, after a pleasant drive through picturesque valleys of Switzerland.  Willi will be our tour guide in Zurich. The end of the day finds us in the beautiful German city of Munich, with a free evening to begin your walking tour after checking into the Hotel Modern.
Wednesday Aug 14: Concert #6? Full day to explore Munich.  Ah, Munich!!  A city whose focus is the old town, offering all its magic in a relatively small area. Within easy walking distance from the town square we discover Munich’s charm and unique character: a climb up the tower of 1000 year old St. Peter’s Church- revealing marvelous views of Munich’s red tiled roofed skyline; a huge outdoor food market with food stalls where you can sit under a canopy of green leafed trees, sipping a cola or perhaps a genuine Radler beer. Nearby are ancient beer cellars including the famous Hofbrauhaus and the Ratskeller. Such pubs have a charm and atmosphere similar to those of England, but are larger and way less smoky, with oompah bands guiding the singing of pub songs. A few blocks away is the greatest deli on earth….Dallmeyer’s. If you can’t find it here, it’s not worth eating. This place not only has everything edible, but also, cooked, baked, smoked, broiled, steamed, marinated, fricasseed, pickled, and fresh (with a capital F).We may or may not perform a concert this afternoon in Munich.
Thursday August 15: Hotel Kuhrhaus Ochs

Friday August 16: The main tour ends today, with some participants departing for home or parts unknown.  Mike will drive those people and all our instruments to the Munich airport for the flight home to Vancouver.   The remaining 30 people can rest up as we spend 2 more nights at the lovely Kuhrhaus Ochs in Bad Homburg, with its indoor pool.

EXTENDED TOUR: 

Friday August 16: After bidding farewell to those going back to Vancouver, we can rest and relax at our hotel in Bad Homburg, where we will stay tonight and tomorrow night.
Saturday August 17: Explore the Rhine Valley by bus, including a stop at a famous vineyard, then top the day with a cruise on the Rhine.  Stay at Bad Homburg.
Sunday August 18: Today we cross the border into the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, ending our scenic day in the beautiful town of Strasbourg and staying at the Hotel Hannong.
Monday: Enjoy the delights of historic Strasbourg , a town that some experienced travelers consider the most interesting and colourful in all of Europe!
Tuesday: Today, Paris! Drive across northern France to the City of Light, where we will stay for a total of 2 full days and 3 glorious nights.  Our hotel and base of operations will be the Cervantes.
Wednesday: Explore Paris 
Thursday: Sightsee in Paris     
Friday: depart Paris for the last leg of our journey, taking the ferry to England and ending our trip with one final fling in downtown London.  After checking into the Central Park Hotel, just north of Hyde Park, the evening is free for the theatre, taking the Underground to Piccadilly Circus at midnight, or simply strolling and enjoying the ambience of London.

Saturday August : we depart Gatwick midday for our homeward flight to Vancouver.