Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig 2009
 
|
Through the Brandenburg Gate: The Best of Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig Art, Architecture and Music Tuesday, April 28 to Friday, May 8, 2009 |
 | A fascinating tour arranged for The Volunteers' Circle of The National Gallery of Canada |
BERLIN – THE HEART OF MODERN GERMANY
|
LEIPZIG – “LITTLE PARIS”
|
POTSDAM – RESIDENCE OF THE PRUSSIAN KINGS
|
 |
||||||
| Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour
Itinerary | ||||||
|
||||||
|
Tuesday, April 28 Depart Ottawa for exciting, vibrant Berlin on Air Canada via Frankfurt. Wednesday, April 29 Upon arrival at Berlin Airport, meet our local tour guide and transfer to the elegant Savoy Hotel, conveniently located near many restaurants and small coffee shops. The hotel is only two blocks from Ku'damm with its upscale shops, and within walking distance of many attractions. On the way to the hotel, visit Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, the Protestant Kaiser William Memorial Church. The original church on the site, built in the 1890s, was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. The present building, which consists of a church with an attached foyer and a separate belfry with an attached chapel, was built between 1959 and 1963. The damaged spire of the old church has been retained and its ground floor has been made into a memorial hall. Free time until Welcome Dinner in the hotel. Overnight, Savoy Hotel Berlin. D |
  
|
||
| |||
   |
Thursday, April 30 Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a guided architectural walking tour – “Traces of Karl Friedrich Schinkel.” Beginning in 1815, Schinkel, the most prominent architect of neoclassicism in Prussia, redesigned the city with a series of buildings that expressed Prussia's cultural ambitions and national pride. The guided walk includes the Neue Wache (New Guardhouse), the Academy of Architecture and church of Friedrichswerder. Lunch in a local restaurant followed by visits to historic Nikolaiviertel, with its winding medieval lanes and countless bars and restaurants, the Berliner Dom, a baroque Cathedral built between 1894 and 1905 on Museum Island and Pergamonmuseum famous for its original-sized, reconstructed monumental buildings such as the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, and the Ishtar Gate, all consisting of parts transported from the original excavation sites. Dinner on your own. Overnight Berlin. BL |
|||
| ||||
|
Friday, May 1 Breakfast at the hotel before departing for a full day in Potsdam, until 1918 known as the residence of Prussian kings. Enjoy a guided tour of Sanssouci Palace, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. Sanssouci and its gardens, which we will also tour, were designated a “world cultural heritage site” by UNESCO in 1990. The paintings of King Frederick II (Frederick the Great) are presented in splendidly carved and gilded frames at Sanssouci's Picture Gallery, the oldest r emaining royal museum in Germany. Lunch on your own in Potsdam (there is a restaurant at Sanssouci Garden) followed by a guided tour of the impressive New Palace at Sanssouci. The interior is filled with luxurious ceremonial halls, magnificant galleries and richly designed private suites. The New Palace also houses 18th century art and decorative objects in their original surroundings as well as the Sanssouci Palace theatre. Dinner in a local restaurant in Berlin. Overnight at the Savoy in Berlin. BD |
   |
|||
| ||||
Saturday, May 2 After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Kulturforum in the heart of Berlin for a guided tour at the Gemaldegalerie, celebrated for its world-class collections of European art from the 13th through 18th centuries. View masterpieces from such artists as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer. Enjoy a short organ devotion and brief tour at St. Matthews Church before lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, a guided tour at the Kupferstichkabinett - Museum of Prints and Drawings, the largest collection of graphic art in Germany - and one of the four most important in the world. The museum includes works by major artists ranging from Sandro Botticelli and Albrecht Dürer to Rembrandt and Adolph von Menzel, from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure. BL |
   |
|||
|
| ||||
  
|
Sunday, May 3 Following breakfast at the hotel, depart for a guided tour at Charlottenburg Palace, the largest palace in Berlin. Built in several stages, the original, central part was constructed between 1695 and 1699. It was intended as the summer home for Sophie Charlotte, Elector Frederick III's wife. The palace was expanded after Frederick became the first Prussian King, Friedrich I. Lunch at Charlottenburg Palace, followed by a guided tour at the Berggruen Museum. The Berggruen Collection contains more than 100 works by Picasso as well as many works by Klee, Matisse, Giacometti and others. Dinner on your own before a concert at the Berlin Philharmonie. Overnight at the Savoy, Berlin. BL |
||
| |||
|
Monday, May 4 Breakfast at the hotel, check out and depart for Dresden, with a stop enroute for lunch on your own. Afternoon guided walking tour of the historical city centre on the left bank of the Elbe, with its impressive buildings and interesting sights, including the Zwinger, the Green Vault, the Painting Gallery, the castle, the Semper Opera, the Court Chapel, Taschenberg Palace, the Dresden Church of our Lady (Frauenkirche), and the Brühlsche Terrasse. Check into the stylish Dorint Hotel, centrally situated, only a few minutes by foot from the historic old city and its stunning baroque backdrop. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight, Dorint Hotel. BD |
  |
||
| |||
   |
Tuesday, May 5 Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a full day excursion to Meissen, the historical cradle of Saxony. Meissen is famous for the manufacture of porcelain, based on extensive local deposits of china clay (kaolin) and potter's clay (potter's earth). Meissen porcelain was the first high- quality porcelain to be produced outside of China. Its signature logo, the crossed swords, was introduced in 1720 to protect its production. The mark of the crossed swords is one of the oldest trademarks in existence. Guided tour at the Porcelain Museum/Manufactory followed by lunch and a walking tour of the city including Albrechtsburg Castle. The late gothic Albrechtsburg Castle is a museum with particularly impressive architecture and a range of murals from the 19th century that illustrate events from the history of Saxony, the Wettin princes and the castle itself. There are also areas of the museum with permanent exhibitions on Meissen porcelain and on medieval Saxon sculpture. Return to Dresden for dinner on your own followed by an evening performance at the Semperoper, one of Europe’s most beautiful opera houses. The building, situated on the Theater Square in central Dresden on the bank of the Elbe River is considered to be a prime example of "Dresden-Baroque" architecture. During the last weeks of World War II in 1945 the building was destroyed. Exactly 40 years later, on February 13, 1985, the opera was rebuilt almost the same as it was before the war. It reopened with the same opera that was performed last before the destruction in 1945: Weber's Der Freischütz. Overnight in Dresden. BL |
||
| |||
|
Wednesday, May 6 Breakfast at the hotel and depart for a full-day excursion to Leipzig, a city with a rich tradition of music and culture. Visit St. Thomas Church where Martin Luther preached and where Johann Sebastian Bach was the organist. Visit Bosehaus, in the shadow of St. Thomas church, home of the Bach Museum and Archive since 1985. The house was built in 1711 by the Bose family, close friends of Johann Sebastian Bach. Following lunch, a guided tour at the Museum of Fine Arts. Dating back to 1837, the collection specializes in Old German, Italian and Dutch painting from the 17th century and 19th and 20th century German art. Its extensive collection of Cranach paintings is unique in the world. Visit Völkerschlachtdenkmal “Monument of the Battle of the Nations,” a monument to the Battle of Leipzig of 1813, also known as the Battle of the Nations, before returning to Dresden for dinner on your own and an evening at leisure. Overnight Dresden. BL |
  |
||
| |||
  |
Thursday, May 7 Breakfast at the hotel. Morning free to shop and discover the sights of Dresen, “Florence on the Elbe.” Lunch on your own. Afternoon guided tour at Gemeldegalerie Alte Meister, Old Masters Picture Gallery, which includes major works by Italian Renaissance painters Raphael, Giorgione and Titian. There are also significant Mannerist and Baroque works, as well as 17th century Dutch works by Rembrandt and his followers and Flemish works by Rubens, Jordaens and Van Dyck. Farewell dinner and wine tasting at Wackerbarth Castle with its enchanting Belvedere and gardens. BD Friday, May 8 Early breakfast at the hotel and check out. Transfer to Dresden airport for our 8:30 a.m. flight back to Canada via Frankfurt. B B, Inflight meals |
||
| |||
|
Travel Agency: Executive Worldwide Travel Agent: Jean Sheikh, C.T.C. (613) 236-5555 Or 1-800-267-5552 Registration No.: 1892605 Coordinators: Pamela Armstrong Margaret Jaques |
For more details on this tour or to request a brochure, please feel free to contact us at 613-236-5555 or email Jean Sheikh at [email protected]. | ||||
Back to Tours |