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Adventure Travel invites you
to experience this legendary event
on one of the special vacations being
offered in 2010.
from
$2319.00
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Oberammergau
2010 |
The quaint village of Oberammergau is world famous
for its spectacular Passion Play, performed by the
locals just once a decade.
In 1634 the Black Death decimated Europe’s population.
Oberammergau remained untouched until a homesick
villager returned one night, unknowingly bringing
with him the dreaded plague. Almost 100 villagers
died as a result.
Frightened
survivors vowed
that if God saved them from the plague, once every
10 years they would reenact the agony and crucifixion
of Christ. From then on there were no further deaths
from the plague—and the villagers have fulfilled
their pledge ever since.
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Frankfurt
/ Cologne / Berlin / Nuremberg
Munich
/ Oberammergau / Black Forest
Itinerary:
Day 1 Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Frankfurt, Germany. Time to
rest or to explore the bustling metropolis on the River Main.
This evening meet your Tour Director and traveling companions
for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)
Day 3 Frankfurt-Remagen-Cologne. A special treat
at the very start of your journey through Germany is a RHINE CRUISE
along the most scenic section of the Rhine River with castle-crested
hills, terraced vineyards, pretty wine towns, and finally the
legendary Lorelei Rock. Disembark, and drive to the ruins of the
bridge in Remagen, where American troops breached Hitler’s West
Wall. Spend the afternoon in Cologne with plenty of time to visit
the awesome GOTHIC CATHEDRAL. Its twin 515-foot towers, five naves,
splendid stained-glass windows and the shrine of the Three Holy
Kings are eloquent testimony to the quality of medieval engineering
and craftsmanship. (B,D)
Day 4 Cologne-Berlin. Ride the EUROCITY TRAIN
to Berlin, capital of reunited Germany, where sightseeing with
a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the elegant
Ku Damm, the restored Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, the 210-foot
Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park, and a picture stop
at monumental Brandenburg Gate. Visit KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL
CHURCH with its bomb-damaged tower, drive along Unter den Linden
Boulevard, pass the State Opera House and Checkpoint Charlie.
(BB,D)
Day 5 Berlin. You may wish to join an optional
excursion to Potsdam, and tonight is your chance to sample Berlin’s
fine restaurants and nightlife! (B)
Day 6 Berlin-Leipzig-Nuremberg. On your way south
through what used to be the “other” Germany, visit Leipzig, an
important center since the Middle Ages. Visit the THOMASKIRCHE,
where J.S. Bach worked, and the Market Square with its fine renaissance
buildings. Continue to Nuremberg, the town of children’s toys
and gingerbread, and the birthplace of painter Albrecht Dürer
and poet and meistersinger Hans Sachs. Admire Nuremberg’s impressive
medieval ramparts and walk through the charming pedestrian Old
Town. Visit ST. SEBALD CHURCH, painstakingly reconstructed as
a monument to peace from the rubble of near-total wartime destruction.
(B,D)
Day 7 Nuremberg-Rothenburg-Munich-Oberammergau.
Today, focus on Germany’s Romantic Road, which leads from the
flat country towards the Alps. Enjoy a walking tour of medieval
Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes and 16th-century
houses. Then, head south to the Danube Valley and Munich for an
orientation drive before continuing to picturesque Oberammergau.
(B, D)
Day 8 Oberammergau. Today, the highlight of your
vacation: the original PASSION PLAY, held every 10 years, and
performed by the residents of Oberammergau. (B,L,D)
Day 9 Oberammergau-Lindau-Black Forest. A scenic
day starts out with a leisurely drive along the panoramic German
Alpine Road to the sunny northern shore of Lake Constance, Europe’s
largest freshwater reservoir. Stop for a lunch break in charming
Lindau, then, continue north and visit the baroque church at Birnau,
on your way to your hotel. (B,D)
Day 10 Black Forest-Heidelberg-Frankfurt. This
morning, enjoy a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION before arriving in
Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town of Student Prince
fame. Time to stroll around and to have lunch in the Old Town.
Then, the highlight
of today: visit the red-walled CASTLE where the GREAT VAT, a 49,000-gallon
18th-century wine cask, attracts particular attention. Back to
Frankfurt for a farewell dinner with your companions of a fascinating
vacation. (B,D)
Day 11 Your homebound flight arrives the same
day. (B)
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