|
Southwest Germany
September 27 - October 7, 2008
Saturday
Overnight flight from your gateway city to Frankfurt, Germany.
Sunday
Arrive early morning and be met by your tour leaders. We will all travel by train to our home base in the Rheinland-Pfalz area. After checking into our Gasthaus Hotel you will have free time to stroll through the old town before meeting the group for dinner. (D)
Monday
Today we take a short train trip to Kaiserslautern, where we will visit the Institute for Palatinate History and Folk life Studies. The Institute deals with regional history, with an emphasis on emigration from this area. Their library is composed of regional history books, newspapers and a 300,000 sheet emigration file. With a lecture on emigration history, we will learn why and how our ancestors left this part of Germany. Lunch on your own in Kaiserslautern. On our way back we stop in Neustadt an derWeinstrasse for a guided tour of the Hambach Castle. This fortress is considered the Cradle of Democracy where we will learn about the “48”ers and revolution in Germany. Dinner will be at our hotel. (B, D)
Tuesday
Free day- Today you have a chance to visit your ancestral hometown or visit with relatives if you are lucky enough. Other options will be to join us as we visit several of the historic wine towns on the Deutsch Weinstrasse. Castles, Roman ruins and of course local wine festivals are waiting for our discovery. (B, D)
Wednesday
Today we travel to Stuttgart where we make a stop at the Stuttgart Archives, where we learn what is available at this facility and have a lecture on the Culture and History of Baden-Wurttemberg. You can stay and do some research there or join us on an afternoon trip to the historic Town of Tuebingen. If we have time we may visit Waldenbuch for a visit to the museum of Everyday Life in Wurttemberg. Waldenbuch is also famous for its chocolate factory. We return to our home base for dinner. (B, D)
Thursday
We will take short hop today to Speyer, where we will have a guided tour of this Historic city with its magnificent Dom (cathedral), which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city also boasts a noteworthy Museum of Palatinate history You could also research at the Speyer archives Free time to explore this lively city on your own, before we leave late afternoon for our new home base in the Black Forest. We will check into our hotel in Gengenbach and meet for dinner.
(B, D)
Friday
Freiburg today we travel to the medieval city situated at the foot of the Black Forest mountains We will take a guided city tour in the morning and then you are free to explore the city more or the surrounding environs. Just an hours ride will take you to any number of picturesque locations in the Black Forest, Alsace or Switzerland. There is also a Landsarchiv Center in Freiburg, as with all the Archives; if you wish to do research please let me know well in advance as we need to make appointments We also will have suggestions for your afternoon sightseeing (B, D)
Saturday
Free day visit your ancestral hometowns in this area of Baden or Alsace region There will be options for other sightseeing adventures for those interested. Perhaps Triberg, home of Germany's highest waterfall and the Black Forest museum, which includes traditional Black Forest costumes. Triberg is also town of cuckoo clock fame. (B, D)
Sunday
Visit the Schwarzwald Open Air Museum and experience a slice of life from the time of our ancestors. Enjoy the magnificently preserved Vogtsbauernhof, a striking example of a Black Forest home, along with typical farmhouses, cottages, and more than 15 examples of architecture from centuries past. (B, D)
Monday
Another Free Day. There will be numerous options for group or individual excursions.
Tuesday
Leave for airport for return flights home
As with all our Heritage tours, you are free to use your train pass and explore on your own and join the group for what excursions interest you If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via E-mail at familytreetours@charter.net or call me at 314-954-7005.
Cost per person based on Dbl. Occupancy
$1449.00
Sgl. Supplement: $175.00
Included:
Hotels in Shifferstadt & Gengenbach
Breakfast and Dinner daily
8 day German Twin Pass Rail Ticket
Entrance fees and Guided Tours to:
Kaiserlautern, Hambach Castle, Speyer
City Tour, Freiburg City Tour and the
Black Forest Open Air Museum.
|
