Oberammergau 2010
Pre-arranged Itineraries

Depart the United States aboard your overnight trans--Atlantic flight to Europe.  The night will pass quickly, and you will soon be landing in London.

DAY 2
ARRIVE LONDON

Welcome to London! After passing through necessary customs formalities, you will be met by your Tour Director and transferred to your hotel, with the remainder of the day at leisure to begin exploring on your own.

DAY 3
LONDON

Breakfast at your hotel.  The city of Elizabeth and Charles Dickens, Lord Nelson and Peter Pan, fills your half--day guided sightseeing tour with sights unlimited.  Your route includes Buckingham Palace with the traditional Changing of the Guard (if held), Marble Arch and Hyde Park, the Mall, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, St. James Palace, Parliament, Big Ben, and the major shopping streets.  Here in London you find the best in theater from traditional to authentic avant--garde, and for the cinemaniac, the latest and finest films.  Music lovers may choose from a full and varied program the year round, and for the ballet fanatic, London is studded with offerings in this category

DAY 4
LONDON – DOVER - CALAIS - PARIS

Breakfast at your hotel.  Following breakfast, board your motorcoach for the drive through the English countryside to Dover.  At Dover you ell embark on the ferry crossing the English Channel to Calais on the French side and on to Paris by coach.  Upon checking into your hotel, the balance of the day is free for you to start exploring Paris. . Still the world's most photogenic city, there is not a corner that isn't a delight to walk through.  Where else could you find a welcoming cafe on every block?  You're never far from a landmark, be it the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower or the impressive Champs--Elysees.

DAY 5
PARIS

Breakfast at your hotel.  The city of the Can--Can, boulevardiers and artists looks as lively as its reputation.  Your morning sightseeing tour shows you the spice of its life: the Opera, Place de la Concorde, Champs--Elysees, les Invalides and Notre Dame Cathedral. The afternoon is free for further exploring or shopping.  In a city where even the handkerchiefs have fashion, you'll certainly enjoy the great department stores, as well as the designer boutiques.  For art lovers, the Louvre and Jeu de Paume museums are an absolute must.
 
DAY 6
PARIS – LUCERNE

Following an early breakfast, you will board your motorcoach for the drive through France and on to Lucerne in Switzerland.  Lucerne, capital of its canton and one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, is extremely popular as a lake resort.  It is at the foot of Lake Lucerne or the Vierwaldstaettersee, in the cradle of historic Switzerland.  The city's medieval heritage is evident in the fortifying walls and towers, the old churches and quaint houses and the unusual covered bridges that span the Reuss River.  Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

DAY 7
LUCERNE

Breakfast at your hotel.  Imagine the ideal Swiss town and you've imagined Lucerne.  Medieval walls, a covered wooden bridge, and the Lion Monument are on the agenda of your morning sightseeing tour of this quaint city.

The remainder of the day is then free for personal activities. You might like to take an excursion to Mount Pilatus.  The perfect, unforgettable Mountain Circular tour by aerial cablecar and cogwheel railway, this excursion offers a superb view of Lucerne, its lake and the majestic panorama of surrounding Swiss Peaks.  Or you may wish to stroll along beautiful Lake Lucerne or the city's parks which are like gardens.  For the shoppers, browse along the streets to see chocolates and pastries arrayed as if they were jewels.  Good buys are of course watches, handcrafts, toys, cameras and chocolates.  Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

DAY 8
LUCERNE – OBERAMMERGAU

Breakfast at your hotel.  Today you will continue on to Oberammergau.  It is in the Bavarian Alps, and is known throughout the world for the Passion Play presented here every 10 years.  The advent of Hitler interrupted the performances, but they were resumed in 1950. The natives of the town are skilled wood carvers, and a school is maintained here for instruction in the art.  Upon arrival, time is free for you to take a leisurely stroll about the town. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

DAY 9
OBERAMMERGAU

Breakfast at your hotel.  Today you will have the exciting opportunity to see the 41st production of the Passion Play.

For the 41st time since 1634 Oberammergau is preparing to keep the solemn promise of their forefathers to reincarnate the life and bitter suffering of Our Lord.  A village in Ammertal is once again being dominated by its great play:  The Passion.  The pious and faithful loyalty to its tradition gives the village the strength to demonstrate once again that the play still has the same validity as 356 years ago and that it has become a unique event in Germany, not only of cultural significance.

In the year 1633 when the Black Plague stopped short of the little mountain village, the inhabitants took an oath that they would stage a performance of the Passion of Christ every ten years.  And the story goes that from that moment on, the village was spared from the black death.

Already in 1634 the inhabitants of Ammergau fulfilled their oath.  They kept their promise and performed the Passion Play every ten years right up to the present.  The Play depicts the story of Christ's Passion beginning with entry into Jerusalem and ending with the resurrection and transfiguration.

The performance will last an entire day.  It begins at 2:30 in the afternoon and will end at 10:30PM.  The evening dinner break lasts three hours from 5:00PM until 8:00PM.

The text for the Passion Play was written between 1850 and 1860 by the parish priest Alois Daisenberger from Oberammergau.  The Daisenberger version is the fourth largest text period in the 356 year history of the play.

The music for the Passion Play was written in 1815 by the Oberammergau school teacher Rochus Dedler.  Employing a large choir and orchestra, his compositions still compass the entire play today.

DAY 10
OBERAMMERGAU –  MUNICH

Breakfast at your hotel.  Your first stop today is the dream castle of Neuschwanstein; the fortress, a formidable mass of cold grey granite bristling with towers and pinnacles.  The first sketches of the castle were made by a theatrical director, not an architect, which explains the dream--like atmosphere.  Walt Disney chose to model his own fairytale castles in Disneyland and Disney World after the Neuschwanstein Castle.

The tour of the interior, where marble--gilded paneling and heavy tapestries are in abundance confirms this impression of unreality.  King Ludwig II stayed at this castle for only 102 days, and it was here on June 10, 1886 that he learned of being deposed.  He died three days later.  Continue to Munich for dinner and overnight.

DAY 11
MUNICH

Following breakfast you will have a Munich froths with good German beer and Bavarian friendliness.  To capture that mood you'll start the day with a morning sightseeing tour -- a drive to Koenigsplatz, a view of the University, Odeons Square, and the Marienplatz with its neo--Gothic City Hall, boasting the famed glockenspiel.  You afternoon is free.

DAY 12
MUNICH – U.S.A.

Breakfast at your hotel.  It is time to bid farewell to Munich and be transferred to the Munich Airport for your return flight home.

DON'T WAIT ANOTHER 10 YEARS!