Travel
Together
with Fellow Miniaturists
to Germany & Switzerland
Soest ~ Bad Sassendorf ~ Heidelberg ~ Freiburg ~ Lindau ~ Davos
~ Zurich ~ Basel
May 30-June 11, 2007
Included
in your tour:
All
hotels
All dinners & breakfasts
All
group tours & activities
All
group motorcoach transportation
All
airport transfers and luggage handling (When traveling at
the same time as the group)
Two
days admission to "1zu12-Fair" Miniature Show
in Soest, Germany
Miniature
museums, collections, mini-shopping & much more!
Your
tour itinerary:
Wed,
May 30 ~ Today you will board your flight for the overnight
journey to Luxembourg.
Thu,
May 31 ~ Flights need to arrive at Luxembourg Airport no
later than 11:00am. We depart the airport and cross
the border into Germany to see a large collection of dollshouses
and roomboxes. A German couple by the name of Rita and Wolf
have 43 dollshouses, numerous roomboxes and 3 model railway
displays. They began their hobby more than 10 years ago
and Wolf builds the houses and roomboxes from scratch, using
his own designs. Rita is the decorator and crafts many of
the miniatures herself. Daughter Natalie is often their
inspiration, supplying them with ideas and miniatures for
many of their projects. http://www.germini.de.vu/ Our next stop is Hotel Karl Mueller in Cochem, a town located
in the Moselle Valley.
Fri,
June 1 ~ Our drive today continues along the Moselle where it meets the River Rhine in Koblenz. As we make our way north, we will stop for lunch
at one of the small picturesque towns along the way. Late
in the afternoon we will arrive in Bad Sassendorf, a beautiful little village located
in the North Rhine-Westphalia
area of Germany. The village is known
for its parks and the healing powers of its spas, so be
sure to pack your bathing suit! The more than 200-year-old
“Schnitterhof” is part of an old Westphalian estate
and will be our home for the next two nights.
Sat,
June 2 ~ The "1zu12-Fair" in Soest began in June of
2000 with just 70 exhibitors. In 2006 there were more than
170 craftspeople, artisans and traders from ten European
countries, making this the largest miniature show in Germany.
We will be attending the show today and tomorrow, so you
will have plenty of time to enjoy all that the show has
to offer. Be sure to visit http://1zu12.com/gb_exhibitors2006.htm
Sun,
June 3 ~ Soest is a famous old Hanse town, situated in the heart
of Westphalia. The walled town dates back to the middle
ages, with two-thirds of the wall and some of the towers
still intact. The houses are timbered and some of the little
streets and alleyways are still cobbled and lined with a
variety of small shops and restaurants. There are several
churches and chapels if you would like to attend a service
this morning. The show opens at 10am today, so you will
have time for another look at all of those minis before
our early afternoon departure for Heidelberg. The five-star
Crowne Plaza is situated right in the heart of the picturesque
city of Heidelberg, our home for the next two nights.
Mon,
June 4 ~ Heidelberg is one of the few German cities that was
not leveled by air raids in World War II and therefore still
has original buildings from the later Middle Ages and early
Renaissance. You will have the entire day to enjoy everything
that the city has to offer. Whether you choose to shop at
the many stores located in modern Heidelberg, enjoy the
ambiance of the old town and the Markplatz, or ride the
mountain railway up to the city’s famous castle, our
hotel is centrally located and just a short walking distance
to any of the main attractions.
Tue,
June 5 ~ This
morning we depart for the city of Schorndorf and a visit
to Barbara’s “Kleine Welt” (small world).
With approximately 400 dolls from more than 20 different
makers, you are sure to find at least one to your liking.
In addition to Barbara’s many teddy bears, you will
find a large selection of miniatures for sale and time to
view her galleria of over 100 scenes.
www.Barbaras-kleine-Welt.de
Our
afternoon drive takes us into the Black Forest area of Germany
and the city of Freiburg. Our hotel tonight is the Mercure
Hotel Freiburg Am Munster and is located on the edge of
the pedestrian area in the historic town center.
Wed,
June 6 ~ Freiburg is the home to Museum Kleine Welt, our
first stop this morning. The museum is the collection of
Ldtke/Trefzger, dating from 1800-1950 and offering four
large rooms of dolls, dollshouses and scenes. http://www.puppenmuseum-freiburg.de
Next on our agenda is a stop along
the famous German Clock Route (total length: 320 km) to see
the world’s biggest cuckoo clock. A clock porter will explain
the mechanisms, followed by a wine tasting. Eble Park offers
a wide range of unique clocks and souvenirs that are handmade
and typical to the Black Forest. We continue our journey
to Hotel Bad Schachen, idyllically situated in its own park, which leads directly
to the shores of Lake Constance. Founded
in 1752 and still owned and managed by the same family,
the beautiful Hotel Bad Schachen was painstakingly rebuilt
in 1906, faithfully embracing the Belle Epoque style. Stunning
views across the lake to the medieval island town of Lindau
are afforded. An attractive outdoor pool on the lakefront
is surrounded by pretty 1920s cabanas – these were
originally used as bathing tents and add further testament
to the hotel's character.
Thu,
June 7 ~ Our visit today will be to Miniatur Puppenwelt Wengen, the
mother and daughter shop of Maria Theresa Mayer and Monika
Mayer-Lubeck. The shop carries
many original works, including items from their own workshop
and woodcarvings and authentic German Christmas ornaments in miniature.
This afternoon will be spent exploring Lindau, the
largest town on the Bavarian shores of Lake Constance. The
town consists of the picturesque old town on an island in
the lake; the harbor used by the Lake Constance "White
Fleet"; and the garden city of Lindau, spaciously laid
out amid orchards on the morainic slopes of the mainland.
Fri,
June 8 ~ Today we drive south into Switzerland to the town
of Davos, home to the Toy Museum of Angela Prader. The museum
houses Angela’s private collection of rare and perfectly
kept exhibits from the 18th through to the 20th
century. The museum opened in 1996 and was enlarged and renovated
in 2002. The collection is arranged thematically in various
rooms with more than 70 showcases, elegantly constructed
of glass and aluminum. A special feature are three "miniature
cabinets", small rooms where only the small and smallest
items are on exhibit. Angela Prader has great talent in
exhibiting and in the use of lighting effects, she manages
to create an extraordinary and individual atmosphere in
every single showcase.
http://www.spielzeugmuseum-davos.ch/00_home_en.html
Our hotel tonight is the Morosani PostHotel in Davos.
Sat,
June 9 ~ We depart Davos this morning and drive to Zurich. In order to get some of the best views of the Swiss mountains we will
view the beautiful northern shore of Lake
Zurich, by boat. Then we’ll disembark at the Brkliplatz which is the beginning of Zurich’s famous Bahnhofstrasse,
often called the most beautiful shopping street in the world.
Built a century ago on the site of the ancient moat, it’s
a stroller’s paradise. There will be time for lunch
and shopping before we board our coach for Basel. Our home
for the last two nights of the tour will be the Radisson
SAS Basel, located in the heart of the city.
Sun,
June 10 ~ It’s the day you have all been looking forward
to and the perfect way to end the tour! The Puppenhausmuseum
Basel is the largest of its kind in Europe
and you will have the entire day to explore the more than
6,000 items housed in the museum. Adequate
space has been given to the displays throughout the four
floors and each floor features
a modern interactive information station, which provides
the visitor with details and background information about
some of the exhibits. On
the lower floors of the Museum, the main focus centers on
doll’s houses and shops. There
are also contemporary miniatures on the third floor. Teddy
bears and dolls inhabit the whole house and the
exhibited items give the appearance of interacting with
each other. Large dolls play in shops and many
scenes can be mechanically activated. At the press of a
button you can enjoy the thrills of
a whole amusement park. Visitors can find all they need
for their doll’s houses in the museum shop on the ground
floor; miniatures for new collectors and small works of
art for the more demanding collectors. There is a selection
of items on sale by artists from all over the world. If
you are a Teddy collector there is a comprehensive assortment
of bears to choose from and a substantial range of miniature
bears for sale. These include manufactured bears as well
as individually handcrafted pieces by the artists.
http://www.puppenhausmuseum.ch/index-en.html
Mon,
June 11 ~ We depart the hotel this morning for Basel Airport
and our flights back to the U.S. Your scheduled flight departure
will need to be 10am or later.
