Travel Together
with Fellow Quilters

to Switzerland & Alsace, France
Zurich ~ St. Gallen ~ Appenzell ~ Steckborn/ Kreuzlingen ~ Colmar ~ Alsace

September 10 - 20, 2009

Your tour includes:
ALL hotels
ALL dinners, breakfasts & one lunch
ALL group tours & activities
ALL land travel by private motorcoach
ALL luggage handling at hotels
Panoramic tour of Zurich
Tour and mini-workshop at BERNINA
Two days admission to the 15th European Patchwork Meeting
Escorted by a professional tour leader
Fabric shopping & much more!

Join us for this exciting quilt adventure!

Your tour itinerary:

Thu, Sep 10
You will need to arrange your flight to depart North America today, in order to arrive in Zurich, Switzerland on September 11th.

Fri, Sep 11
Due to the varied flight arrival times from North America into ZURICH AIRPORT, you will be provided with detailed information on getting from the airport to the Novotel Zurich City West, located in the newly developed area known as 'Zürich West', and our home for the first three nights on the tour. Just be sure to arrive in time for our 6:00pm Welcome Dinner, giving you the opportunity to meet everyone on the tour.

Sat, Sep 12
After a good night's rest, our morning begins with a panoramic tour of the largest city in Switzerland, with a population of 370,000 and the world's gold trading centre. The tour will give you an overview of the most well-known sights, including the well-preserved Old Town, the commercial center, Fraumuenster Church with Marc Chagall's stained-glass choir windows, and more. The tour will end at the Burkliplatz, where you can board a boat for a scenic ride on the northern shore of Lake Zurich, where you will get some of the best views of the Swiss mountains. The Burkliplatz is also the place to rummage for rarities and antiques at the Saturday market and the starting point of Zurich's famous Bahnhofstrasse, often called the most beautiful shopping street in Europe. Built a century ago on the site of the ancient moat, it's a stroller's paradise. Located in picturesque Old Town, the Rosenhof Market is where you will find objects from distant lands and original Swiss handicrafts. The wares on offer include clothes, jewelry, precious stones, leather goods, handmade pottery, culinary delicacies and antiquities. Late in the day our coach will take us back to our hotel.

Sun, Sep 13
This morning we drive to ST. GALLEN, one of the highest cities in Switzerland. It is situated between Lake Constance and the mountains of the Appenzell Alps, and home to Textilmuseum St. Gallen. The museum, which was set up in 1878 for the promotion of the industry, began to collect textiles as patterns. The museum's internationally acknowledged collection, which contains some 30 000 objects, is made up of textiles found in Egyptian tombs, historic embroideries from the 14th century onwards, handmade lace from major European lace centres, ethnic textiles, historic fabrics and costumes, needlework utensils, as well as objects of contemporary textile art. The inventory of Eastern Swiss hand and machine embroideries documents the impressive development of St.Gallen's embroidery industry. Located in a picturesque and hilly landscape to the south of St. Gallen is the small town of APPENZELL, famous for its particular brand of swiss cheese. We'll have time for lunch and a chance to explore Appenzell's main square, Landsgemeindeplatz, and its main street, Hauptgasse, to view the many houses adorned with murals, which are characteristic of this region.

Mon, Sep 14
We depart our Zurich hotel this morning and head north to Steckborn, home of BERNINA SEWING MACHINES. After a morning coffee and introduction to their Creative Center, we will take a guided factory tour to witness how Swiss Quality makes every BERNINA a machine that lasts. After a product demonstration and lunch at Bernina Bistro, we will participate in a mini-workshop for quilting. Then it's off to the town of Kreuzlingen and the studio of Swiss quilt designer, ARANKA NEMITH-HOPP. We first met Aranka in Hungary at a quilt exhibit in Szekzard and admired her beautiful art quilts. Aranka has graciously invited us to visit her studio, with several members of her quilt group on hand to welcome us. KREUZLINGEN is located on the shores of Lake Constance and we will be having dinner at one of the local restaurants, with Aranka as our guest. Our hotel tonight is the Mövenpick Hotel at Zürich Airport. Recently refurbished, this 5-star hotel is a great location for getting an early start in the morning for Alsace, France. This will also be our hotel on the last night of the tour, allowing you to get the hotel shuttle to the airport in time for your individually scheduled flights home.

Tue, Sep 15
ALSACE is found in eastern France, on the border with Germany to the east and the Lorraine region of France to the west. It is the smallest region in France and very pretty in its location between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine, with a perfect, fertile environment for grape growing and wine production. Alsace has a very individual personality - neither French nor German, but somewhere between the two. It is also known as one of the friendliest regions of France. Our first stop will be the village of SELESTAT, with Tuesday being their market day. You'll find regional specialties and locally made products and fresh produce. We'll be on the lookout for booths selling fabric, in addition to admiring traditional Alsace buildings, and a scattering of grand old houses and historical monuments. The nearby wine village of RIBEAUVILLE is next on the agenda. Parts of the ancient town walls are still standing, along with its narrow streets of 16 and 17C half-timbered houses overflowing with geraniums, which are common to this region. You'll want to be sure to look for the storks nesting in the specially made baskets on the village chimneys. We'll stop at the nearby BEAUVILLE FACTORY OUTLET SHOP where you can find some of France's most elegant table linens at unbeatable prices, so be sure to have your table measurements with you! Mercure COLMAR Champ de Mars hotel will be our home for the next four nights. Located in the Champ de Mars Park in the heart of Colmar, you will be just a few steps from the picturesque 'Little Venice' quarter. Street after narrow street of half-timbered, half-painted houses, will show you the real Alsace as it was hundreds of years ago.

Wed, Sep 16
A visit to the Alsace area of France would not be complete without a visit to STRASBOURG and we will be spending the day exploring the capital of Alsace. Located on the banks of the Rhine River, on the French border with Germany, Strasbourg is a beautiful city with a great deal of architectural and historical heritage to admire. It is also the home of the European parliament. The historical centre of Strasbourg is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was the first city to be so honored. The highlight of a visit to Strasbourg is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, a splendid gothic building and instantly recognizable landmark visible from all over the town due to its high spire. The most interesting historical centre of the town is the quarter known as 'Petite France', an impressive region with many beautiful renaissance style houses, flowers tumbling from windows and balconies, and pretty bridges across the River Ill.

Thu & Fri, Sep 17 & 18
You will have these to days to enjoy the 15th EUROPEAN PATCHWORK MEETING! Sainte Marie aux Mines, France, will again host one of Europe's largest quilt shows at the Val d'Argent Expo. The show will feature 800 textile works from 5 continents, 140 European and American exhibitors, a designers area with 25 craftsmen, fashion shows, and a commercial corner featuring the biggest patchwork boutique with vendors from all over Europe offering accessories, fabrics, and publications. Each year there is a wonderful exhibit of Amish quilts, as the Amish movement was founded in Sainte Marie aux Mines in 1693. The show is spread out over 14 sites in four communes (with free shuttle service between sites), making this one of the most original and famous quilt shows in Europe. There will be morning, mid-day, and afternoon transfers to and from our hotel in Colmar. Entrance fees for these two days will be included in the price of your tour. Any additional costs for workshops or lectures will need to be paid for and arranged by you. To view the 2008 show program, you may download it by going to European-Patchwork. This will be the same site that will have the 2009 show details, once that information is available. In addition to exploring the 'Little Venice' quarter of Colmar, the town has two great works of art hidden away, for which it is renowned: The first is in the Unterlinden Museum - the Issenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, a magnificent piece of Renaissance art; The second is in the Dominican church - the 'vierge au buisson de roses' by Martin Schongauer, also a highly regarded altarpiece. It was in Colmar that Auguste Bartholdi, creator of the Statue of Liberty, was born. The Bartholdi Municipal Museum is located in the sculptor's childhood home - a vast 17th century private hotel in the centre of Colmar, housing the largest collection of sketches, models, and sculptures produced by the Bartholdi.

Sat, Sep 19
We depart Colmar this morning and head south to Wesserling, France, for a visit to the MUSEE du TEXTILE et des COSTUMES de HAUTE-ALSACE. From raw material to fabric, the museum tells the story of the beginning of a great textile adventure (1762-1840). We'll see their production line of printed cotton, presented in their new extension of the museum that features spinning, weaving, dying, drawing, engraving, and printing. We've saved the Pièce de résistance for last! After time for lunch in Mulhouse, France, we will have a guided tour of the MUSEE de L'IMPRESSION sur ETOFFES (Museum of Printed Textiles). In 1833, a group of textile manufacturers based in and around Mulhouse formed an Industrial Society known as the "Societé Industrielle". They decided to collectively archive the designs they produced. In order to complement their own personal collections they added designs from other countries, and from earlier times. This collection grew in importance to become what is today the premier collection of printed textiles in the world. The original purpose of this design collection was to inspire artists and designers of the time by introducing them to new and different patterns and styles. This long established history of sharing ideas continues today in the form of the textile research room, where more than 3 million samples are housed here, spanning three centuries of design history. The Museum produces its own collection of cotton squares, silks, handkerchief, shawl...getting inspiration in its large archives to make them live again. These will be available in their on-site shop. We depart Mulhouse and return to the Movenpick Hotel at Zurich Airport for our Farewell Dinner.

Sun, Sep 20
The Movenpick airport shuttle will get you to the airport in time for your individually scheduled flights home. After having received so much inspiration for new quilting projects, it's time to return home. Saying goodbye to the friends you have made on the tour will be difficult, so be sure to stay in contact with them for making plans to Travel Together on the next quilting adventure!

Book Early!
Space is limited!

$ 2804 person, based on double occupancy
$ 683 single supplement
Tour Price (Does not include RT air to Zurich):

Please note: In order to fully enjoy this trip you will need to be able to walk up to 5 city blocks at a moderate pace and climb several flights of stairs.