European Travel Information By Travelgroupie

LinkedIn Network Updates, 9/29/2011

2011-09-29T08:12:00.001+02:00

Network Updates, Sep 22 - Sep 29

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS is now connected to Cindy Lau and <a style="color:#006699;font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/20elxk-gt5ck56m-4t/fpf/59966337/EML_nus_dig_conn-F18/?hs=false&tok=2TKFj5skcQ04Y1">3</a> other people

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS I uploaded a @YouTube video http://t.co/gPl4yuYF Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Germany MOV03249.MPG

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS I uploaded a @YouTube video http://t.co/QXj4L9yt San Soucci - Potsdam, Germany MOV03190.MPG

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS I uploaded a @YouTube video http://t.co/IZm4yKio Wirtshaus Alte Mauer, Berlin MOV03162.MPG

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS This was filmed after the new compound was already opened, they were only in he (@YouTube http://t.co/dbterBXF)

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Adelaide is a great place (@YouTube http://t.co/WBfKspXa)

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LinkedIn Network Updates, 7/14/2011

2011-07-14T02:22:00.001+02:00

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS is now connected to Gisela Rone

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Highly reccomended Thai restaurant in Munich, by Thais for Thais, they have many dishes hard to find elsewhere http://t.co/PWBfxZR

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Munich Airport, Internet 20 minutes for 2 euro, not bad for the convenience and high speed, clean and comfortable

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Munich Airport, Amazing

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Blogger Email for Ph, see who you already know on LinkedIn

2011-07-13T13:58:00.001+02:00

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LinkedIn Network Updates, 6/30/2011

2011-06-30T05:11:00.001+02:00

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS More Great Greek food in Thaur near Innsbruck http://t.co/DLdB6Z5

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Love the Smurfs, then check this out http://t.co/OmfR95F

Global Smurfs Day

12 countries hope to break the world record for the largest number of people dressed as Smurfs within a 24 hour period.

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Wonderful seafood in Luzern Switzerland, a local favorite http://t.co/a7IMLR0

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Welcome to Budapest, Hungary, Another fantastic be my guest venue courtesy of Trafalgar Tours http://t.co/OlBUB2C

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LinkedIn Network Updates, 5/18/2011

2011-05-18T12:34:00.001+02:00

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS is now connected to Margot Björck and 3 other people

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Frankfurt, Sheraton Offenbach Sunday brunch for 33.00 Euro with a great assortment of hot and cold dishes, prosecco, tea coffee inc.

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS I've subscribed to GSocialMedia's channel on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/GSocialMedia?feature=autoshare

G Social Media

Social Media, Communications, Relationships, Connections, Marketing, and Development via the Internet http://GSocialMedia.com

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS I've subscribed to BrazilCarnivalCOMBR's channel on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/BrazilCarnivalCOMBR?feature=autoshare

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Glad you like it, the scenery is amazing(@YouTube http://youtu.be/gMK1jyEXvuo?a)

The Swiss Alps, The Eiger, The Monch and Jungfrau by Travelgroupie...

The Tope of Europe pretty well says it all, The journey from Interlaken to the Jungfrau via Lauterbrunnen and returning via Grindelwald is pretty hard to bea...

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Craig Hill, CTM, FRGS Maaaate(@YouTube http://youtu.be/-f-t86mPSSw?a)

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Trafalgar Winter Prague Vienna Budapest

2011-05-13T17:53:00.000+02:00

Trafalgar Tours Winter Prague, Vienna, Budapest

With Craig Hill and Kalman Acs

08/04/2011 to 17/04/2011

The Prague Vienna Budapest Itinerary for 2012 is now available why not send it to your friends

http://www.trafalgar.com/prague-vienna-and-budapest-2011-2012

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Trafalgar - Prague Vienna Budapest with Craig Hill April 2011

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Our Holiday

Day 1, Friday 08/04/2011 Prague, Holiday Inn Congress

We arrived at the hotel, by a variety of means, some people arrived a couple of days before the tour commenced, and others utilised the included transfers from the airport, either way on arrival to the hotel we were given a welcome pack containing information for the tour, some language lists for the countries we would be experiencing and currency information.

After checking in and having time to relax we met by the bar and had a welcome drink and with time to get to know each other we had our welcome meeting followed by our included dinner.

After dinner we departed for our Prague by night Excursion with our Local Guide Jan, after leaving the hotel we drove towards the city passing by the new town hall and the church of Cyril and Methodius as well as the Dancing House, also known as the Fred and Ginger building, we then crossed the Vltava getting our first views of the beautiful Castle of Prague a sight we would become familiar with over the next couple of days, we then continued up towards the Petrin tower and through some of the more exclusive districts of the city and on to our first stop.

Our first stop on the Prague by night was to visit the courtyards and grounds of the Strahov Monastery and to enjoy a fantastic view over the city of a hundred spires from a small terrace surrounded by vineyards.

We reboarded the coach and were then driven down to the town, we were dropped off at Na Florenci which is one of the official drop off and pick up points for the coaches, from here we began our walk seeing the Powder Tower and the Municipal House, and then walking along the Royal route of Celetna until we arrived at the Old Town Square, being in the square is just like being in a fairytale, dominated by the Tyn Church, the square had a special surprise, the Easter markets which would be opening the following day and we would have the whole afternoon free to enjoy them. We then continued making our way towards the Vltava and along the way hearing about Charles IV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV,_Holy_Roman_Emperor ) and the famous Charles Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bridge )

At this point we stopped for a magnificent view of the Castle complex and a little Fernet to warm us up before crossing the Charles Bridge, we then enjoyed a leisurely stroll across the Charles Bridge and after seeing the high water flood levels we then continued to the Vojariuv Dvur brewery where we had the choice of light or dark beer, red or white wine, soft drink, or tea and coffee. There was also an accordion player who played traditional Czech music as well as some other sing along tunes, The Czech republic is where the tune Roll out the barrel originated.

When it was time to leave we boarded our coach and after enjoying some final glimpses of the castle district we were soon pulling up back at the hotel, day one of the tour was over and it was a great first glimpse of the golden city, the city of 100 spires.

Some information about Czech Drinks

Beer

When it comes to beer (pivo to use the local language), the Czechs are world famous, not just for making, but drinking it too, as a matter of fact the Czechs claim to be the largest consumers of beer in the world, drinking even more than the Germans, on average every adult drinks 1 litre of beer a day. They say the unique flavour comes from the hand picked Bohemian hops.

As a testimony to the dedication of the Czechs to their beer culture Jaromir Vejvoda wrote one of the most famous beer drinking and party songs in the world, Skoda lasky (literally, Roll out the Barrels) is most commonly known throughout the world by either "Rosamunde", "Roll out the Barrel" or "The Beer Barrel Polka". Written in 1927 it has been translated into 16 language including French, Italian, Norwegian and Japanese and been used in over 136 films. General Dwight Eisenhower was so impressed by the polka he publicly stated it to be his favourite song. In 2000 the song was awarded the title "Czech Hit of the Century".

The most well known Czech lagers outside of the republic, are Pilsner Urquell (Plzen) and Budvar (Budweiser from ceské Budéjovice) however several other local brews include Staropramen (Prague) Krusovice, Gambrinus, Radegast and one you should not try to pronounce after one too many is Velkopopovicky Kozel.

If you like dark beer then look for Kelt Beer which many say tastes a little like Guinness also try Velvet which comes from Ostrava or alternatively ask for a Flek Pivo from the Novo Metsky Pivovar (Brewery). Worth noting is that often it can be more expensive to drink low alcohol beer than full strength.

Wine

For wine lovers it is best to drink imports but if you must try a Czech wine then ask for Burcak which is a young wine generally available in September it is the fermented juice of the first harvest if you have tried sturm from the heuriger villages of Austria then Burcak is like meeting an old friend. You can also look out for red and white wines from Moravia. The whites are more preferred and the Czechs prefer sweet over dry.

Spirits

The most popular spirits are Vodka and Rum which need no explaining, and Fernet, which comes in 3 flavours, natural which is a bit like a herbal medicine, and when mixed with tonic the locals call Bavorak or Bavarian Beer, and citrus and orange which speak for themselves.

Becherovka is another herbal spirit originally from the Bohemian spa town of Karlovy Vary, this is very popular for its medicinal use it is known to the locals as the 13^th spring. Another spirit you may come across is 'borovicka' a 'myslivec'. In the Czech Republic absinthe is still legal and can be bought in shops (be warned this is a very strong and dangerous spirit). 'Slivovice' is mostly home made brandy, made from plums and originally comes from the Moravian hills, it can also be made with Pear and Pine. Another liqueur worth trying is Klasterni Tajemstvi (Monastery Secret) its tradition dates back to the middle ages, it has a base of 19 domestic and oriental herbs which are in precise doses, wine distillate, sugar and alcohol is then added, Klasterni Tajemstvi has a natural herbal taste and offers beneficial digestive effects, it is best served at room temperature as an aperitif or mixed with cola.

Day 2, Saturday 09/04/2011 Prague, Holiday Inn Congress

Our hotel is located just a couple of kliometers from the old town square, however we are right next to one of the citys attractions the old castle of Vysehrad

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vy%C5%A1ehrad )

08.15 We departed the hotel and made our way through the traffic to the Prague Castle (Hrad) it is listed in the Guinness book of records as the largest ancient castle complex in the world, 570 m long and 128m wide. Inside the St Vitus Cathedral we saw the spectacular Stained glass windows that allow light to flood the nave, the most famous window here was created by the Art Nouveau Artist Alfons Mucha, telling much of the story of St Wenceslas he was responsible for the design of Fouquet's in Rue Royal, Paris from the tables and chairs to the lamps and fabrics. We also saw the Chapel of St Wenceslas with its 16th century paintings depicting the life of the patron saint of the Czech Republic.

From the castle we made our way down to the old town square (Stare Mesto) and walked along the Pariser Street seeing the Jewish district and then on to the Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) where we saw the Astronomical clock, which was built over 500 years ago.

Prague Astronomical Clock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ga6_bV7OI4

Photos of Prague

http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelgroupie/sets/72157626432638294/show/

It was at the astronomical clock where our included sightseeing concluded nearly 3 hours after it had begun, we had free time for some shopping before we were to next meet again to go on our lunch cruise, Craig suggested if we wanted to buy some books to go to the university book shop on Celetna and he suggested the following writers and their books,

Franz Kafka one of the most famous Czech writers who wrote "Metamorphosis"

Jaroslav Hasek author of "The Good Soldier"

Bohumil Hrabal (1914-97) on the 20th century he wrote "The Little Town Where Time Stood Still."

Milan Kundera lived in exile and wrote about life under the communist regime two of his most famous works are "The Joke" and "The Unbearable Likeness of Being" which was made into a film.

Today was also the opening day of the Prague Easter markets and there was an abundance of stalls in the main square selling everything from food and drinks to homemade crafts, we were given the whole of the afternoon free to enjoy and explore on our own and we arrived back to the hotel in the late afternoon where some people chose to relax and others decided to take a walk to Vysehrad.

We left the hotel again at 18.30 for our evening dinner cruise, this was with our local guide called Alexandra, heading back towards the city area again, we heard more interesting stories about life under socialism, one of the comments made by Alexandra which really summed up her feeling was "Life is still better and we would rather live in the rain with freedom, than in the sunshine under communism."

We arrived to our drop off point and walked across the bridge top where we would embark on our cruise. The cruise lasted nearly 2 hours and took us down to the smaller loch and the very peaceful garden area of Prague on the Stvanice Island. Dinner was a buffet with a selection of Czech Dishes both hot and cold as well as a variety of Salads and cakes for desert, along with goulash, dumplings, fish and chicken, we had a Prague Ham baked especially for us, after we had finished eating we went upstairs to enjoy the city views under lights along with a commentary by our guide as well some accompanying music by our accordion player.

Prague Castle By Night MOV09984.MPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6sgoQf4osE

Day 3, Sunday 10/04/2011 Prague, Holiday Inn Congress

We left the hotel around 08.00 and and after about 30 minutes we were passing Rip Mountain where according to a traditional legend, Říp was the place where the first Slavs, settled. In the 16th century the legend was revived by Václav Hájek of Libočany who claimed that Bohemus was buried in the nearby village of Ctiněves. On top of the hill there is a Romanesque rotunda of Saint George built by Soběslav I. The top of Říp became a popular pilgrimage place and a frequent site of national manifestations and mass meetings. A famous manifestation was held there on May 10, 1868 when the foundation stone was taken from the hill for the newly built National Theatre in Prague.

We continued north passing through the beautiful scenery of the Central Bohemian Uplands, (Ceske Stredohori) The range covers some 1000 km2 and is a mixture of picturesque mountains of a volcanic origin and is situated in the middle of the European continent, in the northern part of the Czech republic.

We met Carolla at the Kempinski hotel and then went for a drive around the city, and surrounding area

Trafalgar Tours – Dresden, The Elbe Valley

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/2/-StGQaX20nI

We then left the coach, stepping into a picture perfect day of blue skies and crisp clean air, we took a walk to the Zwinger, past the Semper Opera, and then along by the Meissen wall, we finally arrived to the Green vault where Craig was waiting with our tickets, it was also here that we met Christine, who would be our second guide, we all entered the green vault and it was amazing, some of the main features were as follows,

One of the most important statues in the collection is the Mohr mit Smaragdstufe (Moor with Emerald plate), created by Balthasar Permoser in 1724. The statue is richly decorated with jewels and is about 64 cm high.

Der Hofstaat zu Delhi am Geburtstag des Großmoguls Aurangzeb (Palace at Delhi of the Mogul Aurangzeb at his birthday) represents the idea of European monarchs about Arabic Palaces in India. It is a miniature with about 150 persons and animals. It was created from 1701-1708. It costs as much as one palace.

The Dresden Green Diamond is a Green brilliant with 41-carat (8.2 g), the green colour is unique because of its natural radiation. Another diamond is the Sächsische Weiße (Saxon White), it has 48-carat (9.6 g). Also unique is a Sapphire of 648-carat (130 g), a present of czar Peter I of Russia.

The Golden Coffee Service, which presents the cups and saucers and sugar bowls on an elaborate pyramidal etagère surmounted by the coffeepot, all in enameled gold, a cabinet piece unique in Europe. Augustus took the recently-completed ensemble with him to Warsaw at Christmas 1701, to dazzle the nobles of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of which he was the nominal ruler.

The Dianabad (The "Bath of Diana"), in which a chalcedony bowl in a filigree is supported between the horns of a stag's head.

Read more about the Green vault here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCnes_Gew%C3%B6lbe

The highlight for me was ______________________

After our tour of the green vault we then had free time for lunch before meeting up again for the return journey to Prague, Some of us went to see the Frauenkirch and others went back to look at the Zwinger. Dresden is a beautiful city and was well with the visit.

Trafalgar Tours – Bruhls Terrace Dresden

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/1/xUWc6OdBwto

Trafalgar Tours - Frauenkirche, Dresden, Music by Mr Campfire MOV00009.MPG

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie#p/u/0/HFyrbxZFN_k

On the way back to the hotel from Dresden we also took a lovely drive along the River between Usti nad Laben and Litomerice, this was a beautiful drive and a real hidden treasure.

We also passed the more sinister location of Terezin which during the second world war was under Nazi occupation. About 32.000 prisoners passed through the Minor Fortress of which 2500 were either executed or died of disease or hunger. In 1941 the town was changed to a Jewish ghetto transit camp of which 35000 of the 150000 deportees who passed through here died.

We arrived back to the hotel around 16.30 and then had free time until we departed for our be My Guest dinner at the Restaurant U Lipy.

The restaurant was several kilometres outside of Prague and when we arrived we were met by the owner Miroslav who told us the story about his family and the restaurant, they were the first people to open a free enterprise restaurant after the fall of communism. It was a great night, the food was great all home cooked the wine seemed to flow freely and it was like having dinner in a living museum. It was a fantastic night to finish our visit to Prague and to get to know our fellow travellers better.

Trafalgar Tours, Prague Be My Guest, Restaurant U Lipy

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/5/Zq5ZKyyMLaA

Day 4, Monday 11/04/2011 Prague to Vienna visiting Bratislava en Route

We departed about 08.45 and began our journey southeast out of Bohemia to the southern lands of Moravia and then on to Bratislava, after making a brief stop at a motorway service stop we were passing the city of Brno 400,000.

The name Brno comes from the Celtic brynn ("hill town"), The city is famous for its castle on the Špilberk, which withstood many a siege from the Hussites, the Swedes and the Bohemians and was later, occupied by the French in 1805, before Napoleon's triumph over the combined Austrian and Russian armies at Slavkov (Austerlitz). Its skyline is also dominated by the the Petrov Hill with St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral. Gregor Mendel, the monk-geneticist, worked on his theory of heredity (1865) in the monastery at Brno, and the famous light machine gun, the ZB (later manufactured in Enfield, Eng., as the Bren machine gun), was developed at Brno. They also have a famous Brno dragon, which looks a lot like a crocodile but don't tell anyone.

We continued on our way to Bratislava, travelling through beautiful countryside and before we knew it we were entering into Slovakia, the former partner of the Czech lands until Czechoslovakia was separated by the velvet divorce on the 1^st of January 1993.

A short while later we were arriving into Bratislava seeing the presidential palace and then leaving the coach at and walking over the bridge of St Michael which replaced the original drawbridge and then passing through the Michalska gate and tower from medieval times originating from the early 14C, it is under the tower that the zero kilometre, where all distances of are measured.

After free time for lunch and independent exploration we would meet at the fountain in the main square.

When we were all together we left the Main Square and then we saw Cumil the small character coming up from the ground and then we walked into a large open area to see the National theatre as well as the the statue of Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav (2 February 1849, Vyšný Kubín - 8 November 1921, Dolný Kubín) was a Slovak poet, dramatist, translator and a member of the Czechoslovak parliament for a short time.

Literary theoreticians consider him the most important Slovak poet of all times.

He was born as Pavol Országh. Hviezdoslav (a typical Slavic name, meaning approximately "celebrating the stars" and/or "Slav of the stars") was his pseudonym from 1875.

On departure from Bratislava we crossed the Danube and it then wasn't long before we were passing back out of Slovakia and into Austria where we were greeted by substantial wind farms and wide open plains of the Danube basin, about an hour after leaving Bratislava we were arriving to our hotel in Vienna the Hilton City, the hotel is in an amazing location, only 10 minutes walk from the Dom.

Welcome to Austria click here to view photos of Traditional Austria

http://www.travelgroupie.com/PortalDefaultPage.aspx?portalreferenceid=A281BDF7-7251-4AB7-8821-5A2AD6807A9F

After time to get changed, or go over to the Stadtpark or use some of the hotel facilities we were on our way crossing the Danube at the Danube island and hearing about the battle of Vienna, seeing the Kahlenberg hill in the distance where the battle took place, we also heard about the Danube flood basin and how it was designed to withstand floodwaters up to 14,000 m3 per second, there was only one recorded instance of this in 1501, the 2002 floods in Europe brought 10,000 m3 per second,

Not long after we were arriving into the small town of Deutsch Wagram and were greeted at The Manor House Marchfelderhof by a local band which was there to celebrate the opening of the Asparagus season. After Mary had cut the tape we were escorted in to our room and had a great choice of meals as listed below.

This place is an incredible eclectic mix of old and new as well as odds and ends from days gone by and has been visited by many of the rich and famous, celebrities superstars and sports stars of old and modern times, so we are in good company, some of the names include, Liz taylor, Rudolf Nureav, Kim Basinger, Paverotti, and Placedo domingo. There seems to be a band in every room and the place is very busy but not overcrowded. Our meal and drinks include

Aperatif jonathan- apple schnapps, Hot homemade sesame bread, Marchfelderhof salad then a choice of Weiner schnitzel, Viennese onion roast pork, Roasted pork knuckle, Turkey fillet, Grilled Atlantic fish, BBQ spareribs, Fresh mixed veggies or Tender boiled beef and for desert we have Topfenstrudel.

All drinks red and white wine beer, soft drinks as well as tea and coffee were included. This really was a fantastic night out.

The Restaurant is Located at Deutsch Wagram, the village was established in 1258, It was here that napoleon fought the battle of Wagram in 1809 as depicted on the Arc de Triumph in Paris.

Marchfelderhof, Deutsch Wagram, Near Vienna, Austria

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/4/_96FDYee_pQ

After leaving the restaurant we were then driven back to the hotel, but not before a quick loop around the ring road of Vienna by night to whet our appetite for the following day, another perfect end to another perfect day.

Day 5, Tuesday 12/04/2011 Vienna Hilton Hotel City

The buffet at the Hotel is amazing, including freshly made pancakes, and waffles as well as a wide variety of traditional Germanic foods including, bircher muesli, liver spread (aufstrich) fresh orange juice was offered to everyone and freshly brewed espresso by Illy available on request.

The excursion this morning takes us to the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburgs, or as the locals call it Empress Marie Therese little summer palace. Our local guide was Peter he is a native Viennese and knows the city and its history as well as its nooks and crannies intimately, after a short interesting drive we arrive at the The Schonbrunn Palace, it is the most visited site in Austria, and it is truly amazing.

The coach returned to the hotel and when we were altogether again we began our included sightseeing of the city, by driving in from the Schonbrunn palace and then disembarking from the coach near St Stephens in the centre of the town before taking a walk through some of the beautiful old districts of the city, we then rejoined the coach on the Burgring and drove around the Burgring seeing all of the most majestic buildings of the city, including the Hofburg, the Natural history museum and the fine arts gallery, the Austrian Parliment, the town hall, Burgtheatre, the Votiv Church,, the stock exchange, the Danube canal, and the stadtpark as well as the Vienna Opera.

Our included sightseeing concluded at the Albertina Platz, and the people who had been in the Schonbrunn in the morning then continued on to the Royal Crypts.

Photos of Vienna

http://www.travelgroupie.com/PortalDefaultPage.aspx?portalreferenceid=9F89C858-98AB-4FD2-9183-779C565550E9

Austrian Food Photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelgroupie/sets/72157616569334107/show/

we all had free time downtown some people went to the Sacher hotel to try the original Sacher Torte while others went back down to the St Stephens Dom, the Upper Belvedere was also popular as well as the new Swarovski Shop in the Karntner Strasse 24

http://vienna.swarovski.com/Content.Node/swarovskiwien.en.php

After time for lunch and some free time we were offered a transfer back to the hotel

There were plenty of places and different options for lunch just some of the dishes people tried were as follows

Sausages and Mains

Sausages (wurst)

Austria's most popular sausage would have to be the "Frankfurter" (similar to what is called a "Wiener"). The butcher Johann Georg Lahner (1772 to 1845) had learned his craft in Frankfurt, where he first got into touch with such sausages. In the early 19th century, he moved to Vienna and from around 1805, he sold his sausages in the Neustiftgasse 111 in a local variation with a mix of pork and beef. This type of sausage has been around in Germany since the middle ages.

Käsekrainer is a boiled or grilled sausage with small pieces of cheese inside.

You also might wish to order a "Eitrige mid am Bugl" (this very sausage with an end-piece of bread or a Semmel, expressed with Eastern Austrian slang terms).

A Sankt Johanner is like a frankfurter with bacon pieces inside.

Should you find yourself in Western Austria you must try a Bosna which is a piece of crunchy white bread similar to a baguette with a sausage, roasted onions, curry and mustard, it's the closest thing you will get to an American hotdog.

Weiner Schnitzel - breaded escalope of veal which every self-respecting Austrian housewife insists was discovered by her grandmother. Historical research shows however that when Field-Marshall Radetzky returned from Italy in the year of the 1848 Revolution, he brought back a certain 'Cotoletto alla Milanese,' a recipe which he passed on to the chefs of the Imperial Court. Ever since then, the breadcrumb coating for veal, pork, chicken or fish has been regarded as typically Austrian.

Desserts-Dessert

Sachertorte (Chocolate cake) The original Sachertorte is best served with unsweetened whipped cream. In 1832 Prince Metternich commissioned his kitchen brigade to make an exceptionally delicious desert, unbeknown to the prince the head chef was ill in bed that day so the responsibility fell to the sixteen-year-old second year apprentice Franz Sacher the rest is history. The world famous Sachertorte served today is still handmade to the original 1832 recipe.

Linzertorte has a tradition dating back some 400 years its fillings can be varied but one thing that has never changed is it lattice topped crust.

Apfel Strudel can be served warm either on its own or with cream, ice cream, or vanillesauce.

Topfenstrudel is a sweet cheese curd strudel and can also be served with vanillesauce.

Krapfen has a similar texture to a donut and often comes with apricot jam centre but sometimes the filling will vary they can be eaten natural, with vanillesauce or cream.

Beer

Gosser, Zipfer, and Kaiser are the most well known and easily available lager style beers, many of the various regions have their own brews via a selection of private breweries, and some you might see are Steigl, Egger Privatbraueri and Zillertal. One of the favourites in the area of the Tirol is to mix cola with weizen beer. Many of the beers especially lagers can be drunk as radler which is when the beer is mixed with lemonade making it sweeter and less alcoholic.

Wine

Some say the white wine of Austria is best produced along the banks of the Danube, with this in mind some of the most well known regions are Wachau, Steiermark and Kremstal, if you are looking for reds look for Blaufränkisch, Blauer Burgunder and blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlots, Pinot, Noirs and Shiraz from Burgenland as well as the Zweigelts and Pinot Noirs of Carnuntum.

However one of the great traditions not to be overlooked on a visit to Vienna would be to make your way into the Vienna woods and visit a Heuriger where a many great evenings have been enjoyed to the sounds of schrammel music and singing and dancing of the well fed patrons.

Coffee

There are over 20 variations in strength & flavour (Turkish origins)

Caffee Hag is decaffeinated coffee.

Some of the most commonly found are,

Kleiner Brauner (small brown) Espresso with a dash of milk.

Kleiner Schwarzer (small black) Espresso

Großer Brauner (Large Espresso)

Einspanner a strong black coffee, served in a glass with whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate powder.

Kapuziner (monk) a small amount of coffee mixed with a large amount of milk.

Wiener Melange (Espresso served with frothy milk and whipped cream, similar to a milky flat white)

Cappuccino, never assume the Austrian interpretation of the traditional popular Italian variety will be what you expect.

When drinking coffee don't forget your Maresi brand Alpenmilch full strength at 17.5% fat or Low calorie at 5.5% fat.

The following descriptions are from the Café Sacher part of the Sacher Hotel group of companies

Sacher Kaffee (Hot black coffee with Sacher liqueur and whipped cream on) top.

Fiaker is strong mocca served with Cherry liquor; this takes its name from the famous Viennese horse-drawn carriages. Coachmen like to drink this speciality to warm themselves up between rides. (Not sure how this fits with Austrian drink driving laws).

Maria Theresia Kaffee is a speciality large coffee with sugar, orange liqueur and whipped cream.

Kaffee Verkehrt is a made from 1/3 black coffee and 2/3 milk for people who don't like their coffee too strong.

Wiener Eiskaffee is made from vanilla ice cream with iced mocca and whipped cream.

Pharisäer Kaffee is hot black coffee with rum and whipped cream. The name came from a local priest who would preach every Sunday to his congregation against the evil of alcohol, The congregation discovered they could hide the smell of the rum in their coffee but placing whipped cream on the top of the coffee, The priest was accidentally given the wrong cup one day and hence discovered the sin of his congregation. He then called them "Pharisees".

Heiße Schokolade mit Rum, milky hot chocolate with a shot of rum topped with whipped cream.

In the Evening we went to a lovely little village called Grinzing where we had an included dinner at the Reinprecht.the musicians kept us busy with a variety of tunes som of which we knew and other which we never knew we knew until we knew we knew, if you know what I mean, the later we stayed the more we knew, and by the end of the night some of us could even speak German, I don't know but it was all Greek to me.

Austrian Potato salad (kartoffelsalat), ham and cheese were the starters followed by huge platters of grilled and roasted meats including, Schnitzel, Pork knuckle, chicken and sausage, with sauerkraut. Schnapps anyone.

http://heuriger-reinprecht.at/ereinpr1.htm

The drive home was accompanied by another sing along as well as some recitals of poems.

Day 6, Wednesday 13/04/2011 Vienna Hilton Hotel City

We left the hotel again with our guide Peter he has an incredible knowledge and is very easy to understand

We arrive to the Abbey of Heilgenkreuz around 1130, the abbey was founded by Leopold III the Pious of Babenberg, it was built to house a section of the true cross which had been brought back by his grandson in 1180, Leopold V

After our visit to Heiligenkreuz we continue on Mayerling the site of the tragic dual suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Hapsburg and his mistress the 17 year old Maria Von Vetsera, they had fallen love after meeting at a ball in the German embassy,

The Cover Up

The family were originally told he had been shot while hunting with a friend.

Maria was immediately buried at Heiligenkreuz, and there were confiscations of newspapers,

The confiscations were reminiscent of the censorship from the 1815 congress of Vienna to the 1848 revolution.

Rudolf was opposed to the unity of Bismarck's Prussia and some saw him as the saviour of the Empire, it was ironic that in the same year that Rudolf committed suicide only a few months later the son of Klara Polzl and Alois Hitler was born, many believed that Crown Prince Rudolf of Hapsburg could have kept Hitler in check.

The Rumours

In 1982 the former Empress Zita revealed that Rudolf had been killed for political reasons and that, he had put up a fight before being killed by French conspirators, Maria was beaten to death just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and dead people tell no tales.

A Carmelite convent now stands at the area where the hunting lodge once stood. A neo gothic church now stands on the spot where the two bodies were discovered.

The hunting lodge had been inherited by Rudolf in 1886, The lodge was originally part of a farm with a chapel added by the Heiligenkreuz Abbey

Continuing past the convent and Mayerling we found ourselves driving through a beautiful valley following a small stream which wound its way through the woods just as Beethoven had done nearly two centuries earlier, it would have been easy to be inspired by the heavenly surroundings and the peace, tranquillity and beauty of nature.

Baden

We arrived into Baden, famous for its sulphur springs since the times of the Romans when Emperor Marcus Aurelius mentions the location of the Aquae Pannoniae being located some 18000 double paces south of Vindabona, today some 15 springs yield over 4 million litres of water per day at a natural temperature of 36 degrees Celsius. One of the largest thermal pool facilities in the town is the Thermal Strandbad covering some 5000 sqm.

Beethoven lived and composed his ninth symphony here in 1823-24, Franz Schubert and Wolfgang Amadeus also stayed here as well as Napoleon and Empress Marie Louise

Located on the periphery of Baden is the Rosarium, which is a magnificent rose garden with over 25000 roses made up of some 600 different varieties, the rose has always been an important symbol of western Christianity.

After our visit to Baden we then re boarded the coach and made our way back to the city of Vienna, with the choice of either being dropped off in town or taken back to the hotel.

We departed the hotel around 18.00 and made our way to the Kursalon for our dinner and Palace concert., on arrival we were seated in the restaurant where we had tables of around ten people per table, the setting was very elegant and the food very nouvelle cuisine, we had made our menu selections the previous day so the service was very efficient as the meal was prepared to be timed exactly with our arrival.

After dinner we went upstairs to the Palace Concert, when we arrived it was very busy, however we had reserved seating this allowed us to turn up just before the performance started, the concert was at the Kursalon, located in the Stadtpark, we listened to works by both Mozart and Strauss,

During the interval we had a choice of Sekt which is the Austrian equivalent of champagne or sparkling wine or Orange Juice we pre ordered our drinks and they were set out on a table just for us, this saved us queuing for a drink with the hundreds of other people.

The Vienna Walzer Concerts internationally renowned orchestra, is honored to interpret for you the most suggestive and famous Viennese Waltzes and the melodies by the genius composer W.A. MOZART. Along with the soloists of the Wiener Ballet and with opera singers of international fame, you will be taken back in time to the romantic atmosphere of Imperial Vienna. The concerts will take place in the KURSALON, the historic palace in the heart of Vienna, where Johann Strauss performed and conducted his orchestra about 150 years ago. A surprise, at the end of the concert, will make this event and unforgettable experience.

The members of this ensemble share a common desire to perform the Viennese waltz in it's most perfect form, the works of the incomparable Johann Strauss as well as the finest pieces from W.A.Mozart.

Well-known singers and ballet dancers round out the orchestra's renditions, allowing the vitality of life in the Strauss era as well as the gentle melodies of Mozart to re-emerge and also enticing the audience to join them on a nostalgic trip back through the 18th century and to the merry parties of the "fin de siècle" Vienna.

The ballet dancers perform the waltz in inimitable Viennese style, following the violine in a colourful springtime roundel while offering tender declarations of love in three-four time.

FROM "SCHANT" STRAUSS TO THE WALTZ KING

For 200 years now, the waltz has been an integral part of life in the Austrian capital. It is waltzes which celebrate the beautiful things in Vienna, the silver ribbon of the Danube, springtime, love and wine.

Inextricably connected with this tradition is the Strauss family, who reigned delightfully in three-quarter time, shaping the world of the "Silver Operetta" with it's compositions.

The title "Waltz King", however, was reserved for one person and one person only, the unforgettable Johann Strauss the younger, who in the course of his life wrote five hundred compositions, far eclipsing his father and two brothers Josef and Eduard as a musical genius.

Before the backdrop of the 19th century Austro-Hungarian Empire, Johann Strauss cast a spell with the magic of his music, delighting all peoples and lands of the vast empire and launching the waltz on its way to capturing the hearts of the world. Of course, back in those days a true Austrian would always include polkas, czardas and snappy marches as well. "Schani" Strauss - the Austrian dialect name for Johann which the Viennese still fondly use in reference to him - took up his fiddle and imbued these dances, too, with his inimitable style.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born in Salzburg in 1756 the young composer received music lessons from his father from the age of four. He wrote his first composition at the age of five and promptly performed it in Salzburg as a "child protégé".

At the age of six "Wolferl" impressed Empress Kaiserin Maria Theresia and her family with his piano playing. Concert tours Over the next years took him to Germany, France, England and Italy.

As Concert Master of the Prince-Arch-Bishop's court ensemble he fell into disagreement the Prince Arch Bishop and moved to Vienna, where more than half of his works were written over 10 years. Despite his artistic success as Imperial Chamber Musician his debts grew.

W.A.Mozart died a pauper on 5th December 1791 in Vienna.

Day 7, Thursday 14/04/2011 Vienna to Budapest Ramada Plaza

We leave the hotel around 08.45 and begin our journey further to the east, after about an hour we arrive at the Austrian and Hungarian border, where we stop to use the bathroom and do money change, the services are relatively Spartan and it is pretty cold outside.

We join the coach and and are now en route towards Esztergom, Craig gives us an introduction to Hungary telling us more about its history and culture, which also ties in with the histories or the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria, as they were all entwined with the history of the Hapsburgs, leaving the motorway in the direction of Komaron we are now travelling through a more rural, traditional and nostalgic landscape, which is quite a contrast to the blend of Baroque and contemporary we have recently left in Vienna.

We stop for lunch at Esztergom and there is time to enjoy a bite to eat as well as make a visit to the Basilica, Esztergom is the cradle of the Hungarian nation, it was the capital of Hungary from the 10^th until the mid 13^th century when king Bela IV moved the capital to Budapest, it is one of the oldest town is Hungary, St Stephen was crowned king of Hungary here by St Gellert on Christmas day 2001.

The Basilica is the tallest building in Hungary and the 18th biggest church in the world. Its inner area is 5,600 m². It is 118 m long and 49 m wide. It has a reverberation time of more than 9 seconds. Its dome, It is 71.5 m high inside, with a diameter of 33.5 metres, and is 100 m high from outside, counted from the crypt.

After time to enter the Basilica as well as have time for lunch we then departed Esztergom and continued with the flow of the Danube until we reached the Danube Bend and Visegrad

From here we enjoyed a lovely drive through the forest covered with birch trees before reaching Budapest and our hotel the Ramada Plaza around 16.00

19.00 We departed the hotel for our Danube Cruise with dinner with our local guide Andrea, on arrival to our boat we were all given a glass of Hungarian Champagne and after being introduced to another tongue twisting Hungarian word we all raised our glass and shouted Egészségedre, Andrea explained the various dishes on the buffet which looked exceptional in its preparation, and this really was a feast for not only the eyes but also for the taste buds with so many combinations of types and styles of dishes as well as unique ingredients, both old and new were brought together in a symphony of flavour, which we could not wait to try, so as soon as the photos were taken and Andrea had finished explaining the dining began. Jó étvágyat!

We cruised one way along the Danube while we had a chance to try all of the delicacies of Hungary and then when we reached the Southernmost point of the City, we returned to enjoy the illuminations from the outer decks of the boat, the boat was for our sole use, the weather was fantastic and the city when viewed from the river is absolutely spectacular. One of the wines included with our dinner was Bulls blood of Eger(Egri Bikavér) it is Hungary's most famous red wine. It comes from the Eger wine region of northern Hungary

Trafalgar Tours – Danube Cruise Buffet, Budapest, Hungary

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/3/l-53gJSwT8s

Trafalgar Tours - Danube River Cruise, Budapest, Hungary MOV00075 .MPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0nac4Q5DfI

Tonight really was one of the great highlights of the tour and a dinner cruise in Budapest really is a must see and do experience, after the cruise we made our way back to the hotel with time to rest before our included sightseeing in the morning

Day 8, Friday 15/04/2011 Budapest Ramada Plaza

In the morning our first stop was the heroes square where we had a photo stop and heard the story of Arpad and the founding of Hungary.

We then drove through the city park and saw the world famous Gundel Restaurant, the Zoo, the circus and the Széchenyi thermal baths before continuing along the Andrassy Avenue and then past the Synagogue over the Elizabeth bridge, past the Gellert hill and on to the castle district,

We got off the coach at the castle district and then went for a walk to see the Fishermans bastion, where we had a group photo taken, we had free time here to shop for souvenirs and take some photos of our own

It is now about 11.00 am and our first stop on our Secret Treasures of Budapest is a visit to the world famous Gundel restaurant, where we enjoyed the world famous Gundel pancakes and coffee, the restaurant is spectacular and we have never seen so many waiting staff to attend to our needs.

The Gundel pancake (Gundel palacsinta) is luxurious and is made with ground walnuts, raisin, candied orange peel, cinnamon and rum filling, served flambéed in dark chocolate sauce made with egg yolks, heavy cream and cocoa. After enjoying our pancakes a rest was in order so we then went to the city park, where relaxed and savoured the moment of a private organ concert.

Trafalgar Tours - The City Park with Andrea, Budapest, Hungary MOV00078 .MPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSoazwpwQDw

After the organ concert and time to enjoy the park a little and take some photos of Anonymous we then boarded the coach and made our way to visit St Stephens Basilica which contains the 1000 year old Mummified hand of St Stephen of Hungary, the basilica was amazing.

Finally we were given the choice of either being dropped off in town by the Sofitel or a transfer back to the hotel, for those of us who decided to stay downtown we were then offered a second transfer back to the hotel, the hotel has excellent thermal waters and spa facilities which many of our group made use of during our stay.

In the Evening we went to a Hungarian folklore show in the countryside of the Buda Hills, another scenic drive with plenty of background information given by our local guide Andrea in a friendly and light-hearted way, she has an excellent manner and a lovely sense of humour, we were introduced to little Martin, who had a hidden treasure of his own in the form of palinca, (Palinka - local schnapps, distilled brandy with fruits like apricot, plum & cherry. Usually very sweet) our reward was we could keep the little Martins as a souvenir.

After an entree of soup we were served stuffed chicken, with wild mushroom sauce and Lecho, salad and a very rich desert, beer wine and soft drinks all included and as well as tea and coffee, and the knee slapping skirt twirling, and foot stomping traditional Hungarian folklore show were a great combination of food fun and cultural presentation with a great deal of fervour.

Click here to view photos of Budapest

http://www.travelgroupie.com/PortalDefaultPage.aspx?portalreferenceid=F960B44F-7A93-44D4-AFAC-DB7E6235307C

Day 9 Saturday 16/04/2011 Budapest Ramada Plaza

We meet Andrea again at the hotel, we then boarded the coach to go to the Parliament and start the excursion to Old Hungary. The Hungarian Parliament is the largest building in Hungary and one of the oldest legislative buildings in Europe, we all thought it was amazing from the outside, however after passing through security, the outside was just the beginning of a journey through one of the most incredible feats of architecture and symmetry exhibiting understated elegance at every opportunity, 268 metres long and 96 metres high the Parliament celebrates the uniting of the tribes by Arpad in 896 and the country's millennium in 1896.

After the Parliament we drove to St Andrews seeing along the way the Roman Ruins of Aquincum, we also hear about the arts and crafts as well as some of the history of the surrounding area and the Village of St Andrews

On the way to St Andrews we hear about life under socialism and the complications of ordering buying and owning a car.

We have lunch at the Rab Raby Restaurant, which consists of real Goulash soup, salad, Sliced veal in a mushroom sauce served with Hungarian gnocchi, and a cheese desert. The wine is served with a very unique pouring system and several of us purchase these to take as souvenirs.

Dave, Holly and the two Jims arrive in style on a horse and carriage just in time for our departure.

Click here to views photos of St Andrews

http://www.travelgroupie.com/PortalDefaultPage.aspx?portalreferenceid=BB5A17EF-A0F8-4EF0-AF6A-3273EAC44738

Our farewell dinner is at the very famous Gerbaud cafe, which also has a very unique beer cellar restaurant. It was a perfect private place and very suitable for our included farewell dinner.

We had a beautiful vegetable soup followed by a choice of either Pike Perch Fillet of Roasted goose leg and desert, included with dinner were 2 large drinks either .5 beer or red or white wine or soft drink tea and coffee.

When we arrived back to the hotel, there were lots of goodbyes as many people would be leaving early the next morning, some people stayed on for a nightcap at the hotel bar

Day 10 Sunday

Sadly time to say goodbye, the various shuttles arrived and before we knew it we were on our way, some of us back home and others on to further travel destinations, several of us already planning our next Trafalgar guided holiday.

Total Kilometres on tour are 1365, or on average 136.5 kms per day or 85 miles, less than many people commute to work.

All distances below are in Kms divide by 1.6 to get miles

Day 1 Prague, Transfers and Prague by night 15kms

Day 2 Prague Sightseeing and Cruise 20kms

Day 3 Prague Excursion to Dresden and be My Guest Dinner 250kms

Day 4 Prague to Vienna via Bratislava 450 Kms

Day 5 Vienna Sightseeing 50kms

Day 6 Vienna, Vienna Woods and Palace Concert 90kms

Day 7 Vienna to Budapest Danube River Cruise with Dinner 330kms

Day 8 Budapest Sightseeing and Gypsy Folklore 60kms

Day 9 Budapest Excursion to St Andrews and Farewell Dinner 70kms

Day 10 Tour Ends Transfers to Airport 30kms

Some Videos of our Tour

Prague Astronomical Clock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ga6_bV7OI4

Prague Castle By Night MOV09984.MPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6sgoQf4osE

Trafalgar Tours, Prague Be My Guest, Restaurant U Lipy

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/5/Zq5ZKyyMLaA

Germany

Trafalgar Tours - Frauenkirche, Dresden, Music by Mr Campfire MOV00009.MPG

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie#p/u/0/HFyrbxZFN_k

Trafalgar Tours – Bruhls Terrace Dresden

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/1/xUWc6OdBwto

Trafalgar Tours – Dresden, The Elbe Valley

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/2/-StGQaX20nI

Hungary

Trafalgar Tours – Danube Cruise Buffet, Budapest, Hungary

http://www.youtube.com/user/Travelgroupie?feature=mhsn#p/u/3/l-53gJSwT8s

Some Books To Read

Czech Republic

General

"The Good Soldier Svejk" by Jaroslav Hasek ISBN 0-14-118428-8

"Metamorphosis and Other Stories" by Franz Kafka ISBN 0-749-39953-8

"The Joke" by Milan Kundera ISBN 0-571-16693-8

"Xenophobes Guide To The Czechs" ISBN 978-1-902825-23-6

Prague

"I Served the King of England" by Bohumil Hrabal ISBN-13: 978-0679727866 The story of the waiter Dittie, a busboy and his ambition to become a millionaire, the story is full of crazy characters with antics ranging from the bizarre to the tragic.

"Mendelssohn is On The Roof" By Jiri Weil is a story about Jewish Life in Prague under the Nazi occupation. ISBN-13: 978-0810116863

"The City of Prague Museum" by Zdenek Mika ISBN 80-85394-39-1

"The Trial" by Franz Kafka ISBN 978-0805210408 is about a character named Josef K., who awakens one morning and, for reasons never revealed, is arrested and prosecuted for an unspecified crime.

Dresden

"Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN 978-0-099-80020-0

Movies to Watch

Hungary

"Music Box" Jessica Lange and Armin Mueller-Stahl is a 1989 film that tells the story of a Hungarian-American immigrant who is accused of having been a war criminal. His daughter, an attorney, tries to defend him, succeeds, and then learns he actually committed the crimes.

"Sunshine" 2000 Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, directed by István Szabó

The film follows a Jewish family living in Hungary through three generations, rising from humble beginnings to positions of wealth and power in the crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire. The patriarch becomes a prominent judge but is torn when his government sanctions anti-Jewish persecutions. His son converts to Christianity to advance his career as a champion fencer and Olympic hero, but is caught up in the Holocaust. Finally, the grandson, after surviving war, revolution, loss and betrayal, realizes that his ultimate allegiance must be to himself and his heritage

"Gloomy Sunday" 1999

Budapest in the thirties. The restaurant owner Laszlo hires the pianist András to play in his restaurant. Both men fall in love with the beautiful waitress Ilona who inspires András to his only composition. His song of Gloomy Sunday is, at first, loved and then feared, for its melancholic melody triggers off a chain of suicides. The fragile balance of the erotic ménage à trois is sent off kilter when the German Hans goes and falls in love with Ilona as well

"Children of Glory" directed by Andrew Vajna

The year is 1956. While Hungary is only a small slave nation within the massive Soviet

Block, it is also a superpower – its national water polo team is invincible. Even locked behind

the Iron Curtain, the players feel like kings. Thriving on success and enjoying the attention of

every girl in the country, they stand self-assured and unified. The team has lost only once in

1955, when a referee in Moscow simply did not let them win. The team are now bracing

themselves for a rematch due to take place at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Looking for your next great travel experience

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For more great travel products and inspirational ideas please visit The Travel Corporation website there really is something for everyone and their travel needs and wants.

www.thetravelcorporation.com/

I hope the information provided is of use and once again thank you for Travelling to Europe,

All the best for now and take care, it was a pleasure to share your holiday.

Craig Hill

Tour Director

Tel + 44 7802856208

craighill65@hotmail.com

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FW: Austria Shopping Information as at 26/04/2011

2011-04-26T14:11:00.000+02:00

Austria Shopping Information as at 26/04/2011

Some Well Known Names

Swarovski

The world famous Swarovski Crystal from Wattens Austria. They create crystal pieces to suit everyone from small souvenirs up too magnificent designer pieces they make excellent souvenirs and a great investment.

www.swarovski.com

Rosenberger Services

A fantastic service stop chain located in Austria also operating a city restaurant within Vienna.

www.rosenberger.cc

Sacher Hotel and Cafes

Famous for Sacher Torte handmade since 1832 and flown all over the world to be served in the finest of restaurants.

www.sacher.com

Riedel

Glasses for the drinks enthusiast

www.riedel.com

Schneiders Clothing

www.schneiders.com

Geiger

Specializes in clothing made from Tiroler Loden (boiled wool) extremely beautiful hardwearing and warm.

www.geiger-fashion.com

Gieswein

Boiled woollen products but especially their slippers.

http://en.giesswein.com/

Berndorf

Makers of world class cutlery

http://www.besteck.at/SITES/EN/index.php

Augarten

Classical Austrian porcelain.

www.augarten.at

The Lomo Shop

Compact cameras originally from Russia but now designed in Vienna specializing in special effects to make sure everyone's photos are worth looking at.

www.lomography.com

Duty Free

If you want to have a look at some of the duty free prices for Austria

www.travel-value.at

if you are looking for one of the best party towns on the ski circuit the head to Mayerhofen.

www.mayrhofen.at

Locally Handcrafted Goods

local crafts look for heimatwerk shops

Carinthia Home Made Goods

Carinthia for carved wooden boxes, ceramic, and wrought iron

www.kaerntnerheimatwerk.at

Salzburg Home Made Goods

for china, costumes, and pewter.

www.sbg.heimatwerk.at

Tax Free Shopping in Austria

In Austria there are many opportunities to benefit from Tax Free Shopping. More than 15.000 retail outlets offer Tax free service. Simply shop where you see the well-known Tax Free Shopping logo. The helpful staff in our affiliated stores will guide you through the process.

On the purchases you make you pay 16.67 respectively 9.09% VAT depending on the kind of goods you buy (9.09 for foods, books, newspapers, 16.67 for everything else). The VAT is included in the purchase price.

All visitors residing outside of the European Union are entitled to claim back VAT if they spend €75.01 or more in one shop in one day.

The goods need to be exported within three months plus the month of purchase.

Example: If you make your purchases on April 10th, you must leave the country no later than July 31st.

After deduction of the handling fee you will receive a refund of up to 15% of the purchase price. Global Refund offers several possibilities to receiving your refund.

For more details visit www.globalrefund.com

Processing Centre - please, mail your form(s) to the address below:

GLOBAL BLUE AUSTRIA
Zetschegasse 17
A-1230 Vienna
AUSTRIA

People belonging to special organizations are not eligible to reclaim the VAT through our company:
- Diplomats
- NATO
- UN
- Military

Please note the following goods are not refundable:
Vehicles, spare parts, alcohol

VAT Refund Information:
Minimum purchase amount: EUR 75.01 (per cheque and invoice)
Period for obtaining a valid customs stamp: 3 months from the issuing month
Cheque validity: with a valid customs stamp 3 years from issuing date
Receipt/Invoice: need to be attached
Customs stamp: an official Austrian or any other EU customs stamp

2011-04-06T11:00:00.001+02:00

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Trafalgar Tours Best of Germany with Craig and Berndt

2010-11-19T23:07:00.000+01:00

Trafalgar Tours Best of Germany

With Craig and Berndt

15/09/2010 to 26/09/2010

Frankfurt: Orientation of this impressive city.

Rhine Valley: Scenic Rhine Cruise seeing the Lorelei Rock (weather permitting).

Cologne: See the gothic Cathedral.

Hamburg: Orientation including the Inner Alster Lake.

Berlin: Sightseeing tour of this re-united city.

Dresden: Orientation includes the Zwinger Palace and Opera House.

Modlareuth: Visit the 'Little Berlin' village and museum.

Bayreuth: See the Wagner Festival Theatre.

Nuremberg: Orientation includes St. Sebald's Cathedral.

Rothenburg: Orientation of this medieval city.

Munich: Orientation including the Olympic Stadium, Marienplatz and Glockenspiel.

Dachau: Visit the World War II Concentration Camp.

Oberammergau: Visit the Passion Play village.

Neuschwanstein: See the Castle.

Titisee: See the Black Forest where cuckoo clocks were invented.

Baden-Baden: Orientation of this elegant Black Forest spa-town.

Heidelberg: Visit the castle courtyard.

Day 1, Wednesday 15/09/2010 Sheraton Offenbach

Berliner Strasse 111

63065 Offenbach

Deutschland ·

Phone: +49 69 82999 0

Fax: +49 69 82999 800

http://www.sheratonoffenbach.com/en/

Frankfurt Airport, handles approx 46 million passangers a year or on average 1200 flights a day.

9:30 First transfer departs from Terminal 1 and drives to pick up from Terminal 2 before continuing to the hotel

12.00 second transfer departs from Terminal 1 and drives to pick up from Terminal 2 before continuing to the hotel

14.15 Depart for Orientation, after a quick introduction to seat rotation we left the hotel and drove into Frankfurt, along the way we were given a brief introduction to the city before arriving to the area south of the river called the Museumsufer, this is where the museums are located, we then crossed the river and saw the banking district with the commerce bank tower (259 metres or 850 ft), the Frankfurt Opera, the Hauptwache the Ziel (Main Shopping Street), Goethe's house, he was born here on the 28^th of August 1749, the Romerplatz with the town hall, the fountain of Justice, justice faces the town hall and has no blindfold, making sure they know they are being watched, the St Nicholas Church (1290) the statue of Charlemagne, and most importantly one of the premier sights of Frankfurt, The Kaiserdom (Imperial Cathedral), Between 1152 and 1806, 33 of a total of 52 kings and emperors were elected here in Frankfurt, After some free time we then made our way back to the hotel for our welcome drink and meeting, this lasted around an hour and then we were free for the night, so a good chance to rest up for the following day.

Day 2, Thursday 16/09/2010 Renaissance Cologne

Magnusstrasse 20

Cologne

Germany 50672

Tel + 49 221 20340

Fax + 49 221 2034 777

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cgnrn-renaissance-cologne-hotel/

An early start this morning as there is plenty to see and do and we dont want to get caught in the Frankfurt traffic, nearly 300000 people commute to the city everyday, for either work or holiday.

We head west from Frankfurt crossing the Rhine river and then leaving the Autobahn via the Ausfahrt at the town of Bingen, as we pass the town of Bingen we see in the distance the statue of Germania overlooking the town of Rudesheim (Rudesheim and Germania http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD-FNZcfAUk)

After driving about 30 minutes along the vine clad banks of the Rhine, passing Baccarat and Oberwesel, and hearing about Hildegard of Bingen, Hatto the Archbishop and the legend of the Mouse Tower we arrived at St Goar, where we boarded our boat (The Liebenstein) We had lovely weather for the cruise which lasted about 1 hour along the most picturesque part of the Rhine Valley passing the Lorelei and numerous casles along the way.

After disembarking from the boat at Boppard we then continued on to Koblenz and then past Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven as well as the home of the Robin Hood Banker and onto Koln, we arrived here around midday and had free time for lunch as well as to enjoy the sights and some shopping. The main sights to see were the Koln Cathedral which is home to the Shrine of the Magi or one of the many museums.

Just after 3pm we were picked up and taken to the Hotel, after checking in we were then free for the evening, there were plenty of place sto eat near the hotel especially along the Friesenstrasse at the rear of the hotel.

Day 3, Friday 17/09/2010 Cologne to Hamburg Leonardo Hotel

Leonardo Hotel

Stillhorner Weg 40

Hamburg

Germany 21109

Tel.: +49 (0) 40 / 75015-0

Fax: +49 (0) 40 / 75015-5444

info.hamburgstillhorn@leonardo-hotels.com

www.leonardo-hotels.com

After another great breakfast, we were on our way to Hamburg, after a couple of hours we stopped at a place on the motorway called Herford', this was for a bathroom break, before continuing on our way to Hamburg.

We drove in the direction of Hannover passing along the way Bergen Belsen the concentration camp where Anne Frank had died.

As we had encountered some traffic as well as roadworks on the way out of Cologne it was decided that we would stop for lunch before arriving into Hamburg

We met our local guide Crista at the Hotel hotel and while we stopped to pick Crista up Craig and Bernd offloaded the luggage so the porters could have all the luggage delivered to the rooms by the time we returned.

We then departed the hotel and drove into Hamburg seing along the way the Chilee Haus, Little Venice, The Town hall, the upside down building and the Inner Alster Lake, we were then all dropped off at the Old Town Hall and given free time to take photos as well as visit the shops before we would meet again for people joining the Optional Harbour Cruise and Hanseatic Life at 15.00,

The excursion began with a drive around some of teh most exclusive resdiential areas of Hamburg, seeing homes of the rich and famous locals, we continued to the outer lakes and on to the St Michaels church and St Pauli where the beatles once played. (You Tube Hamburg The Reeperbahn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaP5OhfCsnY)

We then continued on to our harbour cruise seeing the new philharmonic building as well as the old warehouses.

Whilst on the cruise we saw the CMA CGM Corte Real which was only delivered on the 16/08/2010 a Monday morning in South Korea it is a very large container ship with a capacity of 13,830 20-foot equivalent units that is the third in a series of eight vessels of this size named after the great explorers.

The new ship, which was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, will join the CMA CGM Christophe Colomb and the CMA CGM Amerigo Vespucci on the FAL 5 service (French Asia Line) between Asia and North Europe.

The CMA CGM Corte Real, which is 1,270 feet long, 168 feet wide and has a draft of 51 feet, is the largest vessel to date to sail under the flag of the UK. The Marseilles-based company said it flies the flag of the UK as part of the white list of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, which provides a guarantee of safety, security and environmental protection.

(You Tube Hamburg CMA CGM Corte Real Hamburg Harbour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGnb085i9-Q )

After the cruise we all met up together again and then continued on to the hotel where we had an included dinner which was a very substantial buffet, we then had another free night to relax before we continue to Berlin the following day.

Day 4, Saturday 18/09/2010 Hamburg to Berlin Hilton Hotel

Mohrenstrasse 30

10117 Berlin

Deutschland

Tel + 49 (0) 30 20 23 0

Great breakfast again and we are off to Berlin, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin ) we have had a change in plans due to a protest taking place in Berlin it has been decided that we will be be doing our included sightseeing tour on arrival into Berlin and then after our included sightseeing we will have time for lunch before checkibg in to the hotel. As we drive towards Berlin we hear about the city as well as some information about the Berlin wall and the changes since reunification. Just before reaching the city we stop for a 30 minute break at a roadside service stop, we then continue in to the city to meet our Local guide Jan.

We arrived at Turmstrasse around 11.00 to meet our local guide Jan for our included sightseeing, we then set off to see the main sights of Berlin including The Tiergarten, the Victory column, The Brandenburg Gate, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACHDE1QhhrE ) The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Unter den Linden, the university area, the Berlin Dom ( as well as the Museum Island, Alexander Platz, the Television Tower, the Town Hall, and the rejuvinated Potsdamer Platz, before arriving to the

Our Included Sightseeing finished near the Ka De We which has one of the most extravagent food halls you could imagine, www.kadewe.de/en/

While we were having some free time Bernd and Craig went to the hotel to arrange our check in and drop the suitcases off so they would be up by our rooms by the time we arrived.

We arrived at the hotel which is very centrally located on the Gendarmenmarkt around 15.30 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmenmarkt ) and had a couple of hours before we would be setting off for our lakeside dinner, the hotel has an excellent location near plenty of shops as well as cafes and all the major museums.

For dinner we went to the Wirtshaus Moorlake www.moorlake.de

The menu was as follows

Starter: Fresh cream soup of the season, mushroom cream soup

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main Course:

Fresh Grilled Lake Trout

********************

Venison with red cabbage and potato croquettes

********************

Grillteller Moorlake-Grilled pork fillets with mixed vegetables,

sauce béarnaise and potato croquettes

********************

Eisbein, boiled pork knuckle with sauerkraut, and potato puree

********************

Chicken curry with rice

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Dessert: Tartufo (vanilla ice cream ball with chocolate)

Egg liquor

Beer wine and soft drinks were included with the meal and it was a great night for everyone to sit and get to know each other better and share a few stories.

On the way back to Berlin we even saw the eiffel tower, or at least something that looked alot like it, (The Berliner Funkturm or Funkturm Berlin (Radio Tower Berlin) is a transmitting tower in Berlin, built between 1924 and 1926 by Heinrich Straumer. It is nicknamed "der lange Lulatsch" ("the lanky lad") and is one of the best-known points of interest in the city of Berlin.)

Day 5, Sunday 19/09/2010 Berlin Hilton Hotel

We depart early this morning in order to beat the queues to enter the Reichstadt, it is a very popular sight and due to the enforced security measures, it can be a time consuming process to enter the dome especially if people are not properly prepared.

When we arrive there are only a couple of people in front of us so our entry is quite smooth and after about 25 minutes we are all on the top of the Reichstadt taking a walk around to see the views (German Reichstadt The View From The Top http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mZ4wneHkLc)

and then to the inside of the dome to hear about its construction, Inside The Reichstadt Dome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVA4sYfOAkY

After leaving the dome we then continued past the site of the russian monument and continued towards the Brandenburg Gate and then past the site of Hitlers Bunker, and after a stop at the Bendler Block where Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg was executed, and on to the East side Gallery which is the largest and best preserved section of the Berlin wall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyDBZmtl_gM

We returned to the Hotel about 3 ours after we had departed in the morning and had time to use the bathrooms, before continuing on to Potsdam and our visit to the Schloss Cecilienhof which was the Chief location for the Potsdam conference.

We returned to the hotel at around 14.30 and then had free time until our departure for dinner about 3 hours later.

We went to see the Charlottenburg palace and stopped here for a few minutes to take a photo, the palcae was built in the late 17C by Sophie Charlotte, who was the wife of Frederick I, and the granddaughter of James I of Scotland and England, she was the Mother of the Soldier king, and the Grandmother of Frederick the Great.

After our photo stop we continued to our restaurant for dinner, which turned out to be a very big party night, with singing and dancing and everyone having a great time.

For dinner we had

Starter: Mushroom soup OR Clear Oxtail soup OR Tomato soup

Salad: Mixed Salad of the season

Main: Mixed Grill (chicken, beef, pork) with chips and vegetable rice

Schweinhaxe Bavarian style (grilled pork) with Sauerkraut and boiled potatoes OR

Roast half leg of lamb with fried potatoes and steamed vegetables OR

Fillet of Sole (Skinless & boneless) with garlic or Hollandaise sauce and potatoes

Vegetarian Option (on request)

Dessert: Palatschinken - pancakes filled with ice cream and covered with chopped nuts and hot chocolate sauce

All drinks were included such as, wine, beer, soft drink, liquors tea and coffee.

After dinner we continued with our illuminations tour of the city driving first down to the kurfurstendam and stopping by the The Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, for a photo stop and then continuing through the tiergarten and seeing the Schloss Bellevue which is the residence of the German President, The Reichstag building and the Chancellory, after crossing the river Spree we saw The hauptbahnhof, and then continued along the river to the Freidrich Stadtpalast and then on to the Oranienburger Strasse which is one of the pouplar nightspots of the city, we also saw the Neues Synagogue The original was built in 1866, and then the Alexanderplatz and a drive along the unter den linden before returning to our hotel.

Day 6, Monday 20/09/2010 Dresden Radisson Blu Park Hotel

Nizzastrasse 55 Radebeul Bei

Dresden Dresden Germany 0

After leaving the hotel we drove south out of Berlin and seeing the Templehof Airport which was used during the Berlin Airlift, we also heard the story of Uncle Wiggly Wings, we continued south to the Spreewald before a morning stop at Freienhufen before continuing to Dresden.

We were first greeted in Dresden by the golden statue of Augustus II, who was so strong he could break horseshoes with his bare hands, he was also a very keen fox tosser, using only one finger against 2 men, we then crossed the Augustus Bridge and were greeted by the magnificent panorama of the Bruhl Terrace, the Residence, the Hofburg, the Zwinger, and the Semper Opera.

After disembarking from the coach at the Kempinski Hotel we then went to see the procession of the Princes which is made of 25000 meissen porcelain tiles and shows the 1000 year history of the House of Wettin, we then continued down to the Frauenkirch which after being destroyed in the second world war has now been completely rebuilt and is very much one of the symbols of the city, we then had a couple of hours free time until we would meet our local guide Carola back at the kempinski Hotel to begin our optional tour of the green vault and coffee and cake in the Grosser Garten.

The green vault, is the second oldest museum in europe it is 400 years old, and contains magnificent works by famous artisans including the most famous Johann Melchior Dinglinger. Some of the greatest works of the vault include the Palace at Delhi of the Mogul Aurangzeb at his birthday, It is a miniature with about 150 persons and animals. It was created from 1701-1708. It costs as much as one palace. There was also a golden coffee service with teh cups and saucers made of gold and then enamelled, which presents the cups and saucers and sugar bowls on an elaborate pyramidal etagère surmounted by the coffeepot, an incredible and unique piece

We were picked up after our visit to the green vault about 15.00 and after driving around the Zwinger and seeing the old gate of the orangerie we then continued with the coach down into the Scenic Elbe valley seeing along the way the vine clad slopes as well as the houses of the two toothpaste families Chlorodent and Plurodent, we also saw the New Forest Bridge construction which is the reason for Dresden losing its UNESCO heritage status. We then drove through the exclusive Blasowitz district with its mansion homes and its registry office before arriving to the Grosser garten where we would be stopping to enjoy a tarditional Saxon Cake and coffee

We then went into the Carola Schloss which is located on a lake within the park for coffee and a chance to try the Eir Schecke which is a traditional cake of Saxony www.carolaschloesschen.de

After our coffee and cake we continued past the revolutionary transparent volkswagen plant, where the phaeton is produced and the dresden botanical Gardens., before returning back to the centre of town to pick up the remainder or our group, and continuing on to the hotel for dinner.

Day 7, Tuesday 21/09/2010 Nuremberg Woehrdersee Hotel

Duerrenhofstrasse 8

Nuremberg

Germany 90402

Tel +49 (911) 99490

A couple of hours after leaving the hotel we were arrriving at Mödlareuth also known as little Berlin for a coffee stop and to see the open air museum. Modlareuth is a small village where the wall separating the east and west was built right between two small villages.

For more information on Modlareuth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6dlareuth

We departed for Bayreuth around 10.00 and drove about an hour before arriving at Wagners Festspielhaus, we stopped here for about 20 minutes and walked to the front of the building where we took some photos of the facade as well as the bust of Richard Wagner, The design was adapted by Wagner, without the architect's permission, from an unrealized project by Gottfried Semper for an opera house in Munich, and built under Wagner's supervision. Its construction was funded principally by Ludwig II of Bavaria. The foundation stone was laid on 22 May 1872 (Wagner's birthday). The building was first opened for the premiere of the complete four-opera cycle of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), from August 13, 1876 to August 17, 1876.

we then reboarded the coach and continued to Nuremberg

On arrival into Nuremberg we left the coach at the Castle and then walked down into the city after enjoying a magnificent view over the city, we continued to Tiergartenplatz seeing the house of Albrecht Durer and then onto the Sebalduskirche which contains the shrine and relics of the patron saint of Nuremburg St Sebaldus contained within an elaborate bronze monument which took the master sculptor Peter Vischer the elder and his sons 11 years to make. We then continued into the main square to see the Frauenkirche as well as the beautiful fountain which would be our meeting point later in the afternoon for our tour to the palace of Justice and the Documentation Centre.

http://www.kubiss.de/kulturreferat/reichsparteitagsgelaende/englisch/stationen.htm

http://www.museums.nuremberg.de/index.html

After meeting at the beautiful fountain we drove to the west of the city to see the Palace fo justice where the Nuremburg war trials took place after WWII. We then continued on to the Documentation centre, where we had a couple of hours on our own with the assistance of an audio guide to look through the centre.

After visiting the documentation centre we then boarded our coach and drove around the perimeter are of the rally grounds stopping at the tribune of Zeppelin field where we got off the coach and walked to the area where the rally ground speaches were given, it was avery bizzare feeling, we boarded the coach again and continued around to where we could see the great street with the silohoutte of the old town castle in the background, we then continued past the area where the 400000 seat german stadium was to have been built and then continued to the hotel, where we had a free night as we had enjoyed our highlight dinner as a lunch in the afternoon because of the full day we would be having the following day, visiting Rothenburg, Dachau, and Munich.

The hotel had some rooms that were rather ultra modern including bathrooms which somewhat flowed into the bedroom areas, there were mixed opinions about the modern style

Day 8, Wednesday 22/09/2010 Munich Hilton City, Sonnenhof and Alte Post Oberammergau

HILTON MUNICH CITY

Rosenheimer Strasse

Munich

Germany

Tel +49 (89) 48040

A very full day today and we are heading out of Nuremburg, with a nice smooth run before the morning traffic starts, before we know it we are arriving into Rotherburg and walking along the medieval streets to the much photographed spot of the Plönlein with Koboldzellersteig and Spitalgasse, we then continued to the Marktplatz where the town hall is located and then we continued down along the Herrngasse regarded as the most elegant street of Rothenberg with one noble house after another leading all the way down to the Western gate and the Burgarten, from here some people decided to explore more of the old Medieval town, as well as visit the St Jacobs church to see the famous Alter of the Holy Blood, several people also made their way to the Kathe Wohlfahrt store which specializes in Christmas Decorations www.wohlfahrt.com They are Famous worldwide and this is the ultimate shop for Christmas decorations.

http://www.rothenburg.de/index.php?get=121

After our free Time we rejoined the coach and then continued on our way along the Romantic road passing Dinkelsbuhl as well as Nordlingen before rejoining the Motorway at Augsburg, we then continued on to Dachau memorial site, and then on to Munich via the 1972 olympic stadium and BMW world to see the Glockenspeil and the Marienplatz, we were arriving into Octoberfest so no one knew really what to expect.

We arrived withthe coach into Max-Joseph Platz and walked to Marienplatz where the Glockenspeil is located it would be activated at 17.00.

We all met at Max-Josephs Platz and the people who would be continuing on to Oberammergau would then continue from here to their hotels, and the people staying in Munich would continue to their Hotel.

Dinner in the Hilton

Potato Soup with Leek

Grilled Chicken breast with tomato courgette vegetables and tagliatelle pasta

Pannacotta with strawberry compote

After dinner about 20 of us organized taxis to go to the Octoberfest grounds and to enjoy a stein in one of the beer hall gardens, several more decided to stay on to the later hours for some singing and dancing as well, Prost.

Day 9, Thursday 23/09/2010 Munich

For thos of is who had stayed in munich it was off to Salzburg and the Eagles Nest today, we begin with a drive west, with lovely views to the south looking towards Italy and the Inn valley, after a couple of hours we have passed the Chiemsee with another of King Ludwigs follies made a brief stop at the border, and we are pulling in to meet our local guide Veronica who will be taking us to the Eagles Nest, we are very lucky and the weather is absolutely perfect, we arrive at the base station and then transfer to special buses to make the journey up to the next level from where we will be taking a lift which has been bored 124m, 400ft right through the middle of the mountain to take us to the top, when we arrive we are taken for a look around by Veronica before we are taken into a room to watch a short video on the construction of the Kehlstein at 6,017 ft, we then had free time to have a coffee or to take a walk to some of the view points around the plateau, as mentioned the weather was perfect and the views spectacular.

After an unforgettable visit we descend through the lift system, onto the buses and before we know it after a lovely drive through the Austrian countryside seeing several of the locations where the sound of music was filmed we have arrived into Salzburg and are leaving the coach for a walking tour with Veronica, we walk through the immaculate Mirabell gardens, where several more scenes of teh sound of music were shot, before crossing the Salzach, the river that runs through the city, and entering the old town to see the Cathedral, Mozarts Birthplace and the wrought iron sign laden, Getreidegasse. We now have a couple of hours free time to have some lunch and enjoy exploring more of the city on our own.

We meet again later in the afternoon at Mozarts Birthplace, and walk back together to the coach, before continuing back to Munich

Dinner in Munich is

Cauliflower cream soup

Saddle of pork with onion mustard sauce, vegetables and thyme potatoes

Fresh fruit salad with lemon sorbet.

While some of us have been in Munich and Salzburg others have been staying in Oberammergau, located in south central Germany, in Bavaria, on the Ammer River. Situated in the Bavarian Alps, Oberammergau is a popular tourist resort and noted wood-carving center. The famous Passion Play, which originated in 1634, is performed here. It was first presented by the inhabitants in gratitude for the end of a plague. Except for the years 1870, 1920, and 1940, the play has been presented every tenth year since 1680 in keeping a vow made by the 17th-century townspeople. The daylong performances are attended by thousands; the passion play theatre was built in 1930. Population 5,225.

Day 10, Friday 24/09/2010 Huhnerhof

Huhnerhof

Tuttlingen

Germany

We drive south through Munich today, tracing our way around the old city ring, and eventually out on to the motorway, as we drive south we pass the area near the starnberg lake whre King Ludwig's body was found late in the night of 13 June 1886, it is believed he was murdered earlier in the evening. Further south we are treated to a lovely clear view of Germany's highest peak, The Zugspitz, befor we turn of towards Oberammergau, passing the Ettal Monestary then the houses decorated with Luftmalerie such as The Hansel and Gretal House, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Bremen Singers. http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelgroupie/sets/72157622611274538/show/

We arrive to Oberammergau and are given a few minutes to have a look around before we are off again, we are also given the chance to see the Weisskirche (church in the meadows) which is a very important pilgrimage point in Germany, and then we continue to Neuschwanstein where we have time for Lunch as well as photos of The fairytale castle of Ludwig on the Romantic Road.

We depart just after Lunch and continue westwards along the German Alpine road towards Bregenz before seeing our first glimpses of Lake Constance and the area of Baden-Wurttemberg an important wine and fruit growing district of Germany.

Our next stop is Friedrichshafen, where the Zeppelin airships were made as well as the Maybach luxury car and the Dornier plane, we had some time here to look around the waterfront as well as go into the Zeppelin Museum.

We then stopped at the Birnau church a masterpiece of rococo architecture which sits above the shores of lake Constance, before continuing to our hotel for the night near the Black Forest.

We arrived at the Hotel, run by the Gande family on the outskirts of Tuttlingen, it was very cosy and it was suggest that we have a get together after dinner as the following evening the tour would end sometimes people would not get the chance to say their goodbyes beofr ethe tour ended. It was a fantastic night with everyone chatting and having click here to see one of the highlights of the evening http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFsIReUbBP4

DAY 11 SATURDAY –FRANKFURT 25/09/2010

Sheraton Congress Hotel

Lyoner Strasse 44-48
60528 Frankfurt / Niederrad,

Germany
Tel + 49 069 66330

After another lovely breakfast we depart for Frankfurt, our first stop is in the Black Forest at the House of the Black Forest Clocks www.house-of-black-forest-clocks.com we are greeted by the owner Adolph Herr, whose family have been making Black Forest Clocks for generations, he also has a welcome gift for us that is very warming and provides a soft glow to the shopping experience, there is time to try the Luxurious Black Forest Cake as well as enjoy a coffee before we depart.

We continue our drive through the mysterious Black Forest until just before lunch we find ourselves passing throuh the Rebland, home to the vineyards of Baden Baden, we are right on the outskirts of town but it still feels like a world away, we arrive into the Spa resort town of Baden Baden, famous for its Casino which Marlene Dietrich described as "The most beautiful casino in the world" as well as the luxurious lifestyles that many of its guests enjoy,

We leave the coach at the Evangelical Church and walk along part of the 350 year old Lichtentaler Allee, a beautiful promenade ornamented with a wide variety of plants and flowers, we see the Kurhaus (1821-1824) as well as the Trinkhalle (Baden Baden's pump room) with its Corinthian pilars before arriving to the main area of the town at Leopoldplatz where we are given some free time to explore the delights of this elegant resort town, and lunch before departing for Heidelberg

We arrive to the university town of Heidelberg home to one of the most well preserved castle complexes in Germany, Berndt drops us off by the Heidelberg Castle and Craig organises our tickets, the castle is amazing and after having our group photo we have time to explore the castle on our own, including what is reputed to be the largest wine vat in the world, holding 220,000 litres (58,100 U.S. gallons), guarded by the court jester Perkeo and the German Pharmacy Museum

www.deutsches-apotheken-museum.de/englisch/index-en.php

After checking in to the hotel and having time to freshen up we then departed for our Farewell Dinner at the Loresbacher Thal located in the district of Sachsenhausen, The venue was very lively as the city was in Octoberfest mood we had a traditonal dinner as well as the chance to try apple wine, after several Conga lines to the cheers of the locals, it was sadly time to leave and say our goodbyes as we headed back to the hotel. The last song played on the coach as we pulled into the hotel was auld lang syne. An excellent tour is coming to an end and as we say our farewells we hope one day to meet again.

Dinner

Boiled beef is a typical hessian dish and only the best beef is served with a green sauce freshly made with egg whites a little quark a tiny amount of cream and 17 herbs.

Fish option is pike perch with a green sauce freshly made with egg whites a little quark a tiny amount of cream and 17 herbs

DAY 12 SUNDAY- AIRPORT 26/09/2010

07.15 First Transfer to the Airport

09.15 Second Transfer to the Airport

Farewell stay safe and Happy Travels, It was a pleasure to show you Europe and thanks again for Travelling with Trafalgar.

All the Best

Craig Hill

Photo Slideshows on Flickr

Nuremberg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelgroupie/sets/72157619399924137/show/

Oberammergau

http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelgroupie/sets/72157622611274538/show/

Uploaded Videos on You Tube

Hamburg CMA CGM Corte Real Hamburg Harbour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGnb085i9-Q

Berlin

The Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyDBZmtl_gM

Best of Germany Singalong with Rosanne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFsIReUbBP4

Conga Line at the Lorsbacher Thal Frankfurt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIniIFAbWsI

Movies

Germany

General

"Run Lola Run" (1998) by Tom Tykwer.

"Heimat" 1984 and the sequel Heimat 2 1993 by Edgar Reitz.

"The Nasty Girl" (1990) True story about hatred and denial when a young woman investigates her home towns Nazi past a part of a school project.

"The Enigma of Kasper Hauser" (1974), The true story about a young man who emerges after being held in a dungeon since birth, set in Nürnberg in 1820's.

"Ludwig" 1973

The tragic life of Ludwig II of Bavaria.

"The Blue Angel" (1930)

Starring Marlene Dietrich

Fritz Lang he made the ground breaking movie "Metropolis" (1927) hiring about 10000 extras to depict the war of the classes showing the intelligentsia living in luxury while the uneducated underground supporting the Moloch Machine. The film mainly explores theories of revolution and technology.

Second World War

"Turangaarere" The Story Of John Pohe, 2008

The unforgettable story of an extraordinary New Zealand war hero - Flying Officer Porokoru Patapu (John) Pohe, one of the first Maori pilots of the NZRAF and a leader of air crews in the skies over Europe during World War II. Directed by Julian Arahanga.

"Das Boot" (1981) The story of a WWII German submarine crew under attack.

"Downfall" (2004) Hitlers final days in the Berlin bunker

"Concentration Camp Dachau 1933-1945" can be purchased by emailing

cid-buchverkauf@kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de

Berlin

"Goodbye Lenin" 2003 Drama Comedy by Wolfgang Becker starring Daniel Bruhl and Katrin Sass. This film won the best European film award at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival.

"Das Leben der Anderen" 2006 "The Lives of Others" Political Thriller Written and Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, starring Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muehe, Sebastian Koch. The movie spans from 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall until 1991. This movie won best foreign language film at the 2007 Academy Awards.

"Wings of Desire" (1987) The story of an Angel who falls in love with a trapeze artist and decides to become human. Set in postwar Berlin.

Margarethe von Trotta "Rosa Luxemburg"

Munich

"Sophie Scholl - The Final Days" 2005 the story of the white rose of Munich

Nürnberg

"Triumph of he Will" (1935)

Leni Riefenstahl's Infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi part rally in Nürnberg.

Rothenberg ob der Tauber

"The History of Rothenberg ob der Tauber" narrated by The Night Watchman

Books to Read

Germany

General

"Stasiland" by Anna Funder

"Nibelungenlied" by Anonymous

"The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum" by Heinrich Böll

"Billiards at Half-past Nine" 1959 by German author Heinrich Böll [1]. It reflects the opposition Böll, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972, had to the period of Nazism as well as his aversion to war in general.

"Buddenbrooks; The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann

"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer

"The Last Days of Hitler" by Hugh Trevor Roper

"Deutschland: A Winter's Tale" By Heinrich Heine

"A Tramp Abroad" by Mark Twain

"The Reader" By Bernhard Schlink

"The Wall Jumper" by Peter Schneider

"All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque

Berlin

"Berlin Alexanderplatz" by Alfred Döblin

"The Wall: The Peoples Story" by Christopher Hilton

Berlin and Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor

Dachau

"The Dachau Concentration Camp 1933 to 1945" ISBN 978-3-87490-751-4

Dresden

"Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN 978-0-099-80020-0

Black Forest Cake Recipe

Black Forest Gateau – Todtnau Style

Naturally, it tastes best in the Black Forest, where you'll find it in virtually every café and restaurant. One of the essential ingredients is Kirsch, or cherry schnapps, from fruit picked locally, because the Black Forest is the only place where the right kind of cherries thrive to make this spirit.
So, if you are thinking of making your own Black Forest gateau, remember to buy a bottle while on holidays. (By the way: you don't necessarily need cake to enjoy Kirsch ...). Courses on how to make Black Forest gateau are offered in Café am Rathaus (Phone 07671 303) an in Hotel Engel (Phone 07671 91190, www.engel-todtnauberg.de

Ingredients

for the chocolate flan base:

6 eggs
200 g sugar
170g flour
30 g cocoa
60 g melted butter

for the topping:

50g red currant or raspberry jam
1,2 l whipped cream (sweetened with 50g of sugar)
250g sour cherries
100g Kirsch
50g chocolate flakes
16 cherries for decoration

Black Forest Gateau

Preparation:
Split the chocolate flan base horizontally in three pieces. Spread the first chocolate flan base with a layer of jam and put the sour cherries on it. Put Schnaps over it and then some cream. Place the second chocolate flan base on top and sprinkle with Kirsch. Do this again with the third layer. Coat the edges with the remaining cream. Finally, sprinkle the cake with the chocolate flakes and place each of the sixteen cherrieson on a little mound of cream.

Guten Appetit!

Black Forest Gateau

For further information:

Tourismus GmbH
zwischen Feldberg und Belchen
Meinrad-Thoma-Str. 21
79674 Todtnau
Telefon: +49 (0)7671 / 9 69 69-5
Fax: +49 (0)7671 / 636
info@bergwelt-suedschwarzwald.de

A Fyne Place for Fine Fish and Chips

2010-11-04T12:20:00.001+01:00

After an average lunch just over a year ago we revisited the Loch Fyne Restaurant in Twickenham and were very happy second time around, we tried the seafood chowder (£9.95) which was excellent, my mate had the Mussels (£9.95) and said they were great and I had the comfort food haddock and chips with mushy peas (£11.95) which was also just right after a couple of beers. Toffee pudding pretty well finished both the night as well as us off. I wont be waiting another year to come back.

Loch Fyne Restaurant

175 Hampton Road

Twickenham

TW2 5NG

Tel + 44 020 8255 6222

www.lochfyne.com

A Fyne Place for Fine Fish and Chips

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Oberammergau Timings

2010-05-07T10:12:00.001+02:00

Hi All

here is some oberammergau information that might be usefull, feel free to pass them on to anyone who might need them.

Please note: all of the times and distances below have been taken from a vehicle mounted GPS and are calculated on travel times using a car not a coach, other factors to take into account are traffic, service stops and slower average speeds when travelling in a coach.

Bad Bayersoien to Bad Kohlgrub 7km-10mins

Bad Bayersoien to Oberammergau 14kms-15mins

Bad Bayersoien to Garmisch-Partenkirchen 33kms-35mins

Bad Bayersoien to Innsbruck 88kms-1hr 30mins

Bad Bayersoien to Lucerne 311km-4hrs

Bad Bayersoien to Ludwigshafen 378kms-4hrs

Bad Kohlgrub to Bad Bayersoien 7kms-10mins

Bad Kohlgrub to Oberammergau 13kms-15mins

Bad Kohlbrub to Garmisch-Partenkirchen 40kms-43mins

Bad Kohlgrub to Fussen 38kms-36mins

Bad Kohlgrub to Lucern 315kms 3hrs 50mins

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Salzburg via Bad Tolz 189km-2hrs 15mins

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Oberammergau 23/E533 Junction 13kms-14mins

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Oberammergau 22kms-25mins

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Innsbruck 56kms-1hr

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Heidelberg via Stuttgart, Ulm, Munich 415kms-4hrs

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Stuttgart via Munich 303kms-3hrs

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Lucerne

Oberammergau to Salzburg via Bad Tolz 193kms-2hrs 15mins

Oberammergau to Innsbruck 77kms-1hr 20mins

Oberammergau to Lucerne via Kempten 325kms-4hrs

Oberammergau to Munich 93kms-1hr 10mins

Oberammergau to Munich Holiday Inn Sud 1hr 5mins with a coach

Oberammergau to Ludwigshafen 390kms-4hrs

Oberammergau to Garmisch-Partenkirchen 22kms-25mins

Oberammergau to Karlsruhe 325kms-3hrs 20mins

Oberammergau to Stuttgart 260kms-2hrs 50mins

Oberammergau to Heidelberg via Kempten 371kms-3hrs 45mins

Ulm to Oberammergau via Kempten 162kms or 1hr 52mins

All the best

Oysters in Australia at Freycinet Marine Farm, Delicious

2010-04-19T14:01:00.000+02:00

Freycinet Marine Farm

I had heard about it and read about it but on a recent flying visit to Tasmania after visiting the Freycinet lodge we were begining our journey south to Port Arthur when we drove back past a sign we had seen the night before, and promised ourselves to drop by again in the morning to see if would be fortunate to find the business open. It was and we were just in time to see some of the mornings oysters being freshly shucked, for us the temptation proved to be too much, despite being only nine thirty in the morning and still a full days driving ahead of us we felt compulsed to try some of the beautiful freshly fleshy plump oysters that were now beckoning us to sample their wares.

We decided on the premium oysters washed down with a lovely fresh house Riesling recommended by the lady shucking the oysters, it doesn't get much better than this for freshness, and a genuine taste of Australia, we paid 18.00 dollars for a dozen premium and the wine was a few dollars more, a fantastic start to the day. Go ahead treat yourself.

Freycinet Marine Farm

1784 Coles Bay Road

Coles Bay

Tasmania

Australia

Tel + 61 62570140

www.freycinetmarinefarm.com

Great Apartments in The Heart of Salzburg

2010-01-11T14:54:00.001+01:00

Gaby's Apartments Located right in the centre of the old town at Goldgasse/Brodgasse 3, i.e. just off the Alter Markt are Gabys apartments with a good throw you could hit Mozart's birthplace, the Cathedral or Residenzplatz or too many other sights to mention. The original 4 level house dates 1374 sorry no lift but plenty of history. The flats are on the top floor. The apartments have recently undergone extensive renovations and are now fitted with all mod cons including new bathrooms, kitchens, central heating, internet connection, flat screen televisions, yet they still retain many antique and unique features.

The rates when i last looked were 100 euro.- per day, 500 euro.- per week or 50 euro per day paid in advance for bookings longer than a month. These rates are per flat, each flat sleeps 2 persons.

For more information contact Gaby Frost

Dr. Gabriele Frost,

Brodgasse 3,

A-5020 Salzburg, Austria

tel: + 43 676 3165080

info@salzburgplacestostay.com

www.salzburgplacestostay.com

Edelbrand, Schnapps and Liqueurs in Inzing, Near Innsbruck in The Tirol, Austria

2009-12-18T15:06:00.001+01:00

Edelbrand Draxl is a very small and local distillery located just 15 minutes to the west of Innsbruck, it is owned by Lambert and Agnes and all of the produce which is used by the Draxls such as pears, apples, plums, walnuts, vogelbeer, and hollunder are from the farm, products used from the surrounding regions with great emphasis the quality of the products include grapes and marille (apricots) from the South Tirol, cherrys are either from the farm or the bodensee, the strawberrys come from Rattenberg.

The Draxls produce Edelbrand which is created using only the the best portion of the alchohol from the distilling process. This is where Edelbrand is different to shcnapps, Edelbrand is of a higher quality and therefor it does not burn or leave as strong a taste in your mouth as schnapps.
The most popular seller is the Birne (Pear) 41% which tasted great, I also tried Enzian 43% which had an earthy taste but was still very pleasant, as a note the Enzian used is from plants growing at heights of over 2000 metres in the mountains and is difficult to find and gather as well as expensive, for this reason Enzian is often mixed with apples to make it more affordable ie 25.00 Euro for 500ml,
Nusslikor (Walnut) 25% 9.00 Euro for 200ml, 14.00 for 500ml very very nice.

Vogelbberen is one of my favourites and when you consider it takes 100kg of vogelbeeren (birdberries) to make 2.5 litres of edelbrand Vogelbeeren 42% 49.00 euro for 500ml, well worth the money considering the quality.

If you do get the chance to visit, please note they only accept cash for purchases, Dinner and tastings can also be arranged with prior notice.

Edelbrand Draxl
Waidach 1
A-6401 Inzing Tirol
Austria
Tel +43 (5328) 88716
edelbraende-draxl@aon.at
　
　

Original Thai Food in Innsbruck , Austria

2009-12-05T20:10:00.000+01:00

Noi Thai

If you have been longing for some Thai cooking while away then the wait is over, this is recognized by many as the best Thai cuisine in the Tirol. I have eaten here many times and it is always frequented by many of the Thaïs living in Innsbruck, one of the only Thai restaurants with genuine Thai cooks, Sukiyaki is also available if ordered 24 hours in advance. Located 5 minutes walk from the Golden roof in the direction of the University, dine in or take away. Lunch and dinner weekdays and dinner on Saturday. Mention Travelgroupie for some special treats.

Kaiserjägerstrasse 1
SoWi Areal
6020 Innsbruck

Tel + 43 (0) 512-589777