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Travel Together
with Fellow Miniaturists

France and Autumn Miniatura®, Birmingham, UK
September/October, 2009

Visit Mini Museums, Mini Collections, Mini Shops & More!

**Details will be available once Miniatura sets dates for the
Birmingham Show expected sometime in Nov ·08**

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Click here to receive information when it becomes available

See Photos
of our previous Miniature Tours

We are a NAME Business Partner

  As advertised in Dollhouse Miniatures, and Miniature Gazette.

  Visit Doll House Miniatures at http://www.dhminiatures.com

  Visit the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts at: http://www.miniatures.org/


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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.

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Miniature people on the tour.