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April 20-27, 2010
A WEEK IN BERLIN Travel with us once again to BERLIN. By day, we will explore world-class museums and historic landmarks, and wonder at stunning architecture that spans the centuries. At night, the cafés, cabarets, and concerts of this vibrant and exciting city will be there for us to enjoy. A visit to the grand rococo Sanssouci Palace in POTSDAM is included and a night in LEIPZIG has been added to our optional extension to DRESDEN. TUESDAY, APRIL 20 – Early evening departure from Philadelphia, or your home city, to BERLIN. Dinner and breakfast will be served aboard the airplane. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21-- Upon arrival in BERLIN, transfer to the HILTON BERLIN. It is conveniently located on the Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin’s most beautiful squares. In the afternoon we will enjoy a walking tour of the neighborhood including the French and German Cathedrals built in the early 18th century, the neo-classic Konzerthaus built by Berlin’s most famous architect Karl Freidrich Schinkel, and the Friedrichstadt Passages, a huge development of luxury shops, offices and restaurants built in recent years. A welcome dinner is included this evening. THURSDAY, April 22 – Our tour of historic Berlin this morning will include the BERLINER DOM, the city’s most important cathedral built in the mid-eighteenth century, and the BRANDENBURG GATE, the Neo-Classical symbol of Berlin. We will pass through CHECKPOINT CHARLIE, the former crossing point between East and West during the Cold War, and visit the REICHSTAG, built in the 1880s, with its modern elliptical dome designed by Sir Norman Foster. We will see the TIERGARTEN, and UNTER DEN LINDEN, a magnificent avenue lined with Baroque and Neo-Classical buildings. Then we will visit SCHLOSS CHARLOTTENBURG with its delightful gardens, the 18th century summer palace built for Sophie Charlotte, wife of King Freidrich I. As an option this afternoon you can visit the museums of the KULTURFORUM: the NEUE NATIONALGALERIE housing modern art in a building designed by Mies van der Rohe; and the exceptional GEMALDEGALERIE, with its collections of European Painting & sculpture. NOTE: OPTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR EACH FREE EVENING FOR DINING AND PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS INCLUDING CONCERTS, BALLET, OPERA, CABARET AND JAZZ WHEN AVAILABLE. FRIDAY, APRIL 23 - Today we will visit historic POTSDAM, an independent city with 140,000 inhabitants bordering Berlin. In the beautiful Park Sanssouci, we will see the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, built in 1747 on the site of an orchard; the Neo-Renaissance Orangerie, built in the 19th century to host foreign royalty; the Rococo-style Chinese teahouse with its exquisite porcelain collection; and the Neo-Romanesque Church of Peace, modeled after the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome. Lunch is included in Schloss Cecilianhof where Churchill, Truman and Stalin met at the end of World War II. SATURDAY, APRIL 24 - This morning our guided visit to MUSEUM ISLAND will include highlights of the recently reopened NEUES MUSEUM, housing Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities including the 3000-year-old bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti; and the phenomenal PERGAMON containing precious ancient artifacts such as the processional street from Babylon and the Zeus Alter from Pergamon for which the museum is named. In the afternoon, you can tour the ALTE NATIONALGALERIE on your own. It currently contains works of 19th century artists such as Max Liebermann, Arnold Böcklin, and the French Impressionists. The afternoon is free. SUNDAY, APRIL 25 – In the morning we have planned a tour at the JEWISH MUSEUM. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, its collection focuses on Jewish history and art, and houses spectacular artifacts which were once part of everyday life in Berlin. In the afternoon, we have planned an optional visit to the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL, opened in 2004 and designed by American architect, Peter Eisenman. This will be followed by a walking tour of the Hackeshe Höfe, a complex of interconnecting courtyards surrounded by tall and beautifully proportioned buildings. It was built in the 1910s in the German Secessionist Style. We will also visit Grosse Hamburger Strasse, one of the main streets of Berlin’s Jewish Quarter. MONDAY, APRIL 26 – The world’s finest architects flocked to Berlin during its exciting reemergence in the 1990s. Our tour this afternoon will focus on designs of many such contemporary masters including Helmut Jahn, Frank Ghery, Rafael Moneo, and Renzo Piano, many of which are found in POTSDAMER PLATZ with its restaurants, shops and cinemas. In the afternoon you might choose to visit KADEWE, Berlin’s most exclusive department store and wander down the Kurfurstendamm to visit the tiny private museum of the works of Käthe Kollwitz, whose riveting paintings and drawings portray the social problems of the poor. Dinner is included this evening. TUESDAY, APRIL 27 -- If you are returning home today, we will arrange for transportation back to the airport. Additional nights at the Hilton Berlin are available upon request. LAND ARRANGEMENTS: $2425.00 per person based upon double occupancy. The single supplement is $735.00. We will make every effort to arrange for a compatible roommate if you so desire. Costs are based on a minimum of fifteen participants and the exchange rate not to exceed $1.50 = 1Euro. INCLUDED IN THE LAND PACKAGE: Accommodations for six nights at the Hilton Berlin including tax and service; two dinners, one lunch, and full buffet breakfast daily; all sightseeing and special events as listed in the itinerary including museum admission costs; taxes and service on all included items; and a pre-trip reading packet. Airport transfers are not included but will be arranged at the best possible cost by EXCURSIONS FROM THE SQUARE. The trip will be escorted by a representative from EXCURSIONS FROM THE SQUARE. OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO LEIPZIG & DRESDEN (April 27-May 1) – Depart Berlin for LEIPZIG, a prosperous commercial city since the 16th century. We will spend the night before moving on to DRESDEN, often called the “Florence of the North.” Here we will visit the Semper Opera House. The Church of Our Lady, reopened in 2005 and the Zwinger, with its Old Masters Gallery and dazzling Porcelain Collection. An excursion to MEISSEN to see the famous porcelain factory is also included. COST: $1295.00 per person, double occupancy. The single supplement is $195.00 including one night in Leipzig and three nights in Dresden including breakfast and tax, two lunches, one dinner and a full program of sightseeing. THE BEST AVAILABLE ROUND-TRIP AIRFARE will be booked at the time reservations are made. Current fares and schedules, as well as information about flights from cities other than Philadelphia, are available upon request. Airfares are guaranteed only when ticketed. Airline tickets may be charged to major credit cards. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO RESERVE FOR THE TRIP AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO INSURE THE BEST AIRFARE. SPACE IS LIMITED TO 34 PARTICIPANTS. Please complete the coupon below and mail it with a deposit of $450.00 to EXCURSIONS FROM THE SQUARE, PO Box 2189, Philadelphia, PA 19103. We now accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Credit card payments must be made over the phone for your protection. Final payment is due no later than Tuesday, February 23, 2010. Full refund for land arrangements may be made until February 23 less an administrative fee of $450.00. Thereafter, all costs are non-refundable unless a replacement is found. Airfares are subject to airline cancellation restrictions. Trip cancellation insurance is available from EXCURSIONS FROM THE SQUARE. |
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