Christmas Markets Along the Danube
With Father Christmas
December 4 - 12, 2007
9 DAYS /8 NIGHTS
Join Dolph Gotelli for an exploration of the
Christmas Markets along the Danube River. Travel in luxurious, spacious cabins for seven-nights aboard the elegant 98-passenger Sound of Music.
Included and prepared by our chef are all meals during the cruise and welcome aboard and farewell receptions. Wines is included with dinners.
DAY 1 Depart U.S.A.
DAY 2 Munich / Nürnberg (Embark), Germany
Upon arrival in Munich, motorcoach to Nürnberg for embarkation of the Sound of Music. Following a welcome reception and dinner on board, you are free to explore the city.
DAY 3 Nürnberg, Germany
Delight in a guided tour of this historic Franconian capitol, with its Gothic churches; 11th-century castle; elegant patrician homes; and 13th-century city walls, complete with moats, gateways, and watchtowers. Stroll the Christkindles Markt, boasting such specialties as gingerbread (lebkuchen), roasted sausages and mulled wine (gluhwein). After lunch relax while cruising the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal to Regensburg.
DAY 4 Regensburg, Germany
Regensburg, with its nearly 1,400 historic buildings, is one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval cities. Enjoy a walking tour through the Altstadt, or Old Town, with its enchanting medieval 13th-, 14th-, and 15th-century homes, churches, and towers. Traverse the Steinerne Brucke (Stone Bridge), which has carried traders and tourists across the Danube since the 1100s. Regensberg escaped the Allied bombs of World War II, and its landmark buildings are authentic and painstakingly well-maintained. Return to the ship for lunch, and then stroll the traditional market at Neupfarrplatz and the artisan market, called Lucrecia Markt, at Haidplatz. Don’t miss this chance to sample a "knacker," the local grilled sausage, but be sure to save room for dinner on board.
DAY 5 Passau, Germany / Linz, Austria
Spend the morning acquainting yourself with this 2,000-year-old city situated at the confluence of three rivers – the Danube, Inn, and Ilz. Set on a narrow tongue of land between the Inn and Danube rivers, Passau faces the wooded cliffs and fortress of Oberhaus. Originally a Celtic settlement, the hamlet became a commercial and religious center during the Middle Ages. Take a guided tour to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to Europe’s largest pipe organ with more than 17,000 pipes. Later, soak up the breathtaking scenery along the Danube until you reach Linz, Austria, later tonight. After dinner, venture out to experience the city and its fabulous Christmas Market by night – a truly memorable experience!
DAY 6 Cruising the Wachau Valley / Melk, Austria
Take advantage of a leisurely morning, admiring the landscapes of the beautiful Wachau Valley from the decks of the Sound of Music. You’ll find that the castles, crags, and hilltop ruins exude an enchanting fairy-tale quality. Upon arrival in Melk, explore the magnificent 900-year-old Benedictine abbey with its wonderful frescoes and medieval manuscripts; the abbey, considered one of Austria’s most impressive sights, also enjoys a reputation as one of Europe’s largest baroque monasteries and one of the most imposing architectural masterpieces of the Alps.
DAY 7 Vienna, Austria
Continue sailing today along the Danube to your final destination – historic Vienna. Following dinner on board, you’ll be accompanied to the city center and its famous Christmas Market, near town hall. The ship overnights in port.
DAY 8 Vienna
Continue sailing today along the Danube to your final destination – historic Vienna. Following dinner on board, you’ll be accompanied to the city center and its famous Christmas Market, near town hall. The ship overnights in port.
DAY 8 Vienna
Awaken to the imperial architecture of Vienna – a magical place during the holidays! There is so much to see and experience. First, join a guided tour of Hofburg Palace; the impressive Vienna Opera House; the patrician buildings of the Ringstrasse; and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with its 390-foot twin spires. After lunch, you’ll also have a bit of time to make more discoveries on your own at the Christmas Market before rejoining your fellow travelers for a festive farewell dinner on board the Sound of Music.
DAY 9 Vienna (Disembark) / Return to U.S.A.
Trip Price
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530-758-4510
916-448-1951
800-255-4567 or email info@davisvilletravel.com
Tour cost from $1,895 per person in double occupancy. Air & transfers not included in cost.
$100.00 DISCOUNT PER PERSON FOR EARLY BOOKING ON OR BEFORE JUNE 29
Dolph Gotelli
About our tour escort, Dolph Gotelli
An international expert and lecturer on the subject of Christmas, Holiday Rituals, and Santa Claus, Visual Presentation Professor Emeritus DOLPH GOTELLI’s exhibitions have documented design in cultures around the world. International folk toys, global festivals, rituals, and celebrations, masks, edible media, Kitsch, and Fantasy as a problem solving methodology are among the categories that constitute his subject matter.
As a curator and exhibition designer, he has designed and installed major displays in retail settings such as Neiman Marcus, Dallas, and Macy’s, San Francisco; in museums including the American Craft Museum in New York, Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum and Canadian Craft Museum in Vancouver, BC. As Director and Founder of the Design Museum at UC Davis, he has been responsible for the national reputation of the gallery as an innovative and dynamic space that is on the cutting edge of presenting themed exhibitions from a global perspective. The design museum has presented numerous well-received exhibitions as "Designed for Fright: Halloween Imagery in the American Home," "Mythical Creatures: Dragons and Dragon Boats from Around the World," "The Kitsch Show: An Exhibition of Bad Taste." Gotelli was visual curator for an international traveling exhibition titled "Pani & Fili, Bread & Threads: Visual Parallels in Italian Breads and Textiles" that has been viewed in the United States, Canada and Italy.
His work has been published in the national visual merchandising magazine, VM & SD, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, Smithsonian, and MCM, an Italian design magazine, and national television and radio shows. He lectures nationally and internationally on his areas of expertise.
