Full Itinerary (May 8 - 21, 2018)
Day 1: Tue, May 8: Arrival Duesseldorf - Arnsberg area
Arrival at DUS airport; meet tour guide Lothar Moehlmann and tour bus / driver.
Depending on time of arrival spend the afternoon sightseeing in Dusseldorf.
Dinner;
overnight for the next two nights in SOest, about 30 minutes from Arnsberg:
HANSA HOTEL SOEAST
Siegmund-Schulze Weg 100
59494 Soest
Phone +49-(0)2921-70900
Day 2: Wed, May 9: Arnsberg Area
Breakfast in hotel
Morning sightseeing
Afternoon transfer to Arnsberg
Set-up rehearsal at the concert site
Welcome reception;
Joint concert and dinner with host choir
Return to Soest for overnight at the Hansa Hotel
Day 3: Thu, May 10: Arnsberg area to host community
Breakfast
Transfer to the Kassel area for your homestay of 3 nights,
hosted by members of a local choir
Evening concert in conjunction with host choir
Day 4: Fri, May 11: Host community
Breakfast
Transfer to second host community in the area between Hannover and Kassel.
Sightseeing en route, e.h. in Hamelin, home of the Pied Piper, or travel up the Weser river and visit Corvey castle (formerly an abbey), site of a renowned annual music festival.
Early evening arrival in your host community; dinner and welcome reception.
Day 5: Sat, May 12: Host community
Breakfast with hosts
Spend the morning sightseeing in the area
Afternoon joint rehearsal with hosts
Evening concert
Return home with your hosts for dinner and overnight.
(companion tour arrives today and links up with you, geographically at least)
Day 6: Sun, May 13: Host community to Erfurt (via Eisenach / Wartburg)
Breakfast with hosts
Performance during morning service at local church
Afterwards board bus for transfer to Eisenach.
Visit the Wartburg, the residence and refuge of Martin Luther during the time he translated the bible from Latin and Greek into German. (1521 - 1522).
Dinner, overnight in Erfurt:
RAMADA Hotel Erfurt
Auf der Großen Mühle 4
99098 Erfurt, Deutschland
Phone +49 (0)361 / 4383-0
Fax +49 (0)361 / 4383-400
Day 7: Mon, May 14: Erfurt area to Dresden (via Weimar)
Breakfast at hotel
Short sightseeing stop in Erfurt to see the Cathedral and the Krämerbrücke (merchant's bridge), Erfurt's oldest secular structure, a bridge covered with 32 inhabited houses (mostly half-timbered).
On to Weimar, UNESCO world heritage site for its rich cultural heritage: cradle of the Weimar Classicism literary movement, respresented by Germany's most renowned authors of the 18th century, Goethe and Schiller, as well as birthplace of the Bauhaus architecture and of the Weimar Republic democratic constitution.
On to Dresden for evening arrival; dinner and overnight at Dresden hotel:
Hotel MERCURE DRESDEN ELBPROMENADE
Hamburger Straße 64-68
01157 Dresden
Phone 0351 / 42 52-0
Fax 0351 / 42 52-420
Day 8: Tue, May 15: Dresden
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning of sightseeing in Dresden including a guided tour with visits to Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and the Zwinger
Afternoon free
Evening concert in Dresden or surroundings (e.g. Goerlitz - if in Goerlitz you might want to look at a mid-day departure so as to have a little time to spend sightseeing in Goerlitz)
Day 9: Wed, May 16: Dresden to Leipzig
Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to Leipzig, with en route stop in Meissen to see the Cathedral (and possibly sing an impromptu).
Lunch (on own) in Meissen.
Dinner and overnight in Leipzig
astral`Inn Hotel & Restaurant
Fabrikstrasse 17,
04178 Leipzig
Phone (0341) 355 366 0
Fax (0341) 355 366 999
Day 10: Thu, May 17: Leipzig - Holiday - Ascension Day
Breakfast at the hotel
Performance during festive morning service (Ascension Day)
at St. Thomas Church
In the afternoon you will go on a guided tour of Leipzig (with local guide) including visits to the Bach archives and St. Thomas church.
Free time afterwards for own discoveries.
Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 11: Fri, May 18: Leipzig to Berlin
Breakfast at the hotel
Board bus for transfer to Berlin,
with en route sightseeing stop in Wittenberg
and impromptu performance at the Stadtkirche or Schlosskirche
OR stop in Halle for visit to the Haendel house.
Late afternoon arrival in Berlin, check into your hotel (TBA); dinner.
Day 12: Sat, May 19: Berlin
Breakfast at the hotel
Embark on a 3 hour guided tour of Berlin in the morning.
The afternoon is free for own discoveries in Berlin.
Evening concert at a church in Berlin or Potsdam
Day 13: Sun, May 20: Berlin
(Companion Tour departs today)
Breakfast at your hotel
Morning performance during service at a local church.
Additional Berlin sightseeing in the afternoon
Evening farewell dinner
Day 14: Mon, May 21: Day of departure
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Berlin-Tegel airport and
Check in for your return flight to Chicago