Welcome Home folks!
Everyone made it home in one piece on Sunday after our disparate journeys across Europe - something that looked highly unlikely at some points on Saturday.
I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone for their flexibility & good spirits, throughout the tour in general but especially in the last few days. I know that the uncertainty created by the Air France strike was alarming & confusing, so I truly appreciate everyone's understanding & trust.
Despite some poor weather, a late bus in Salzburg, occasional heavy traffic or roadworks on the highways & in some cities, the Air France strike, & a bug going around, we had a hugely successful tour. Thank you to everyone for the part you played in it. From our excellent tour of Budapest with Andrea at the beginning to the Tribute to Vienna evening, feasting on roasted pigs' legs in Prague, touring the Ruin pubs, enjoying some spectacular scenery throughout the tour, learning about lederhosen with Markus & finally experiencing a little of Oktoberfest at the end, many wonderful memories were made.
Looking forward to seeing you all at our reunion!
Declan
PS: Information regarding submitting a claim to Delta/Air France for expenses/compensation will be sent out shortly.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
On Our Way Home (Sunday 21st September)
We are all on our way home, today!
With the help of a couple of dedicated Air France agents (the same cannot be said of their pilots!) everyone was rebooked to be able to return back to Washington Dulles today.
Please note the following arrival times & fought numbers:
With the help of a couple of dedicated Air France agents (the same cannot be said of their pilots!) everyone was rebooked to be able to return back to Washington Dulles today.
Please note the following arrival times & fought numbers:
- Capps, Madden, Tiedmans
- United Airlines flight UA133
- From Munich
- Scheduled to arrive at 3:25pm (latest estimate, as of 4:51am = 3:24pm)
- Cleland, Lights, McKenna, Phelps, Worshams
- United Airlines flight UA937
- From Zurich
- Scheduled to arrive at 3:25pm (latest estimate, as of 4:51am = 3:24pm)
- Eppes, Quillian
- IcelandAir flight FI645
- From Reykjavik
- Scheduled to arrive at 7:10pm (latest estimate, as of 4:51am = 7:10pm)
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Oktoberfest (Saturday 20th September)
Faced with the potential of being stuck in Munich for at least a day longer than expected, the group split up to enjoy this free day as planned.
Some headed out of town to the nearby concentration camp of Dachau, never a fun visit but very worthwhile. Others went into the city center to shop and/or to visit the Viktualianmarkt, the city's food & drink market that Markus had introduced us to.
In the afternoon, with the first day of Oktoberfest now under way, some headed out to the Theresienwiese, the 'Lawn of Theresa', aka the fairgrounds where the Fest is held. Through a mixture of luck & charm they all managed to find somewhere to sit, drink & have fun.
This evening we all met-up one last time for our farewell dinner, at the Augustinerkeller, one of the city's leading beer halls. As the evening went on more & more Oktoberfest attendees drifted in, giving the place a unique - & loud - atmosphere, with much singing & banging of the tables.
With multiple nationalities all around & lots of characters, it was a fun way to end our tour!
Some headed out of town to the nearby concentration camp of Dachau, never a fun visit but very worthwhile. Others went into the city center to shop and/or to visit the Viktualianmarkt, the city's food & drink market that Markus had introduced us to.
In the afternoon, with the first day of Oktoberfest now under way, some headed out to the Theresienwiese, the 'Lawn of Theresa', aka the fairgrounds where the Fest is held. Through a mixture of luck & charm they all managed to find somewhere to sit, drink & have fun.
This evening we all met-up one last time for our farewell dinner, at the Augustinerkeller, one of the city's leading beer halls. As the evening went on more & more Oktoberfest attendees drifted in, giving the place a unique - & loud - atmosphere, with much singing & banging of the tables.
With multiple nationalities all around & lots of characters, it was a fun way to end our tour!
Friday, September 19, 2014
The Bavarian Alps (Friday 19th September)
We headed back out of Munich this morning, driving into the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. The sun was shining brightly & it was a beautiful day to explore the region.
Our first destination was the famous village of Oberammergau, renowned for its once-a-decade Passion Play, its painted houses, & its woodcarving.
From Oberammergau it was just a short drive to our next stop, the surreal Wieskirche - a spectacular Rococo church in the middle of the Bavarian countryside.
Our final stop was Schloss Neuschwanstein, to visit the greatest creation of 'Mad' King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the fairytale castle that served as the inspiration for Walt Disney's Cinderella's castle.
Before we could visit the castle, we had to first climb the mountain, a 1 mile uphill hike.
Our first destination was the famous village of Oberammergau, renowned for its once-a-decade Passion Play, its painted houses, & its woodcarving.
From Oberammergau it was just a short drive to our next stop, the surreal Wieskirche - a spectacular Rococo church in the middle of the Bavarian countryside.
Our final stop was Schloss Neuschwanstein, to visit the greatest creation of 'Mad' King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the fairytale castle that served as the inspiration for Walt Disney's Cinderella's castle.
Before we could visit the castle, we had to first climb the mountain, a 1 mile uphill hike.
Berchtesgaden & Munich (Thursday 18th September)
We left Salzburg behind this morning as we began our journey to Munich. En-route we stopped to visit Berchtesgaden & Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest'.
In order to get up the mountain we had to transfer to 'mountain buses' that navigated the steep & winding road, complete with vertigo-inducing drops!
After an introduction by our guide Amy we entered the elevator tunnel, along which Hitler would be driven, to access the famous brass elevator.
Up at the Kehlsteinhaus itself, the Eagle's Nest, Amy explained a little more of the history & what some of the different rooms were used for. She had a collection of large photos which helped illustrate where we were, especially with photos of Hitler sitting or standing exactly where we were now.
The views were truly spectacular, & the weather couldn't have been better!
After riding back down the mountain we had time for lunch, then made a short visit to the nearby Dokumentation Center, a historical center telling the story of Nazism built above & in some of the Berghof's (Hitler's mountain headquarters) passages & bunkers!
After arriving in Munich we checked into our hotel before riding the U-bahn into the city center & meeting our entertaining guide Markus for a city tour that took in all the city center's sights & a huge range of history in just a couple of hours.
We began in Marienplatz, the city's main square, in front of the Rathaus (town hall)...
..and also saw the Viktualianmarkt...
...learned about lederhosen & dirndls...
...visited the Hofbrauhaus, but got Markus' tip that Augustiner is better!
...saw the upmarket shopping area around Maximilienstrasse...
...& ended where we began, at Marienplatz.
Dinner tonight was at one of the city's many brewery-owned beer halls, the Hacker-Pschorr keller, right by the Oktoberfest fairgrounds.
In order to get up the mountain we had to transfer to 'mountain buses' that navigated the steep & winding road, complete with vertigo-inducing drops!
After an introduction by our guide Amy we entered the elevator tunnel, along which Hitler would be driven, to access the famous brass elevator.
Up at the Kehlsteinhaus itself, the Eagle's Nest, Amy explained a little more of the history & what some of the different rooms were used for. She had a collection of large photos which helped illustrate where we were, especially with photos of Hitler sitting or standing exactly where we were now.
The views were truly spectacular, & the weather couldn't have been better!
After riding back down the mountain we had time for lunch, then made a short visit to the nearby Dokumentation Center, a historical center telling the story of Nazism built above & in some of the Berghof's (Hitler's mountain headquarters) passages & bunkers!
After arriving in Munich we checked into our hotel before riding the U-bahn into the city center & meeting our entertaining guide Markus for a city tour that took in all the city center's sights & a huge range of history in just a couple of hours.
We began in Marienplatz, the city's main square, in front of the Rathaus (town hall)...
..and also saw the Viktualianmarkt...
...learned about lederhosen & dirndls...
...visited the Hofbrauhaus, but got Markus' tip that Augustiner is better!
...saw the upmarket shopping area around Maximilienstrasse...
...& ended where we began, at Marienplatz.
Dinner tonight was at one of the city's many brewery-owned beer halls, the Hacker-Pschorr keller, right by the Oktoberfest fairgrounds.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
The Hills are Alive! Salzburg & The Sound of Music (Wednesday 17th September)
We spent today in & around the lovely city of Salzburg.
This morning we took a walking tour of the historic city center with our excellent local guide Ursula.
The sun shone brightly & the city was at its best, from the spectacular Mirabell Gardens...
...& Mirabell Palace...
...to the River Salz...
...the old historic town center...
...the Dom (cathedral)...
...& St. Peter's Churchyard.
This afternoon was free, but most of the group decided to stay together & take a Sound of Music tour, visiting many of the locations of the movie in the region around Salzburg.
This morning we took a walking tour of the historic city center with our excellent local guide Ursula.
The sun shone brightly & the city was at its best, from the spectacular Mirabell Gardens...
...& Mirabell Palace...
...to the River Salz...
...the old historic town center...
...the Dom (cathedral)...
...& St. Peter's Churchyard.
This afternoon was free, but most of the group decided to stay together & take a Sound of Music tour, visiting many of the locations of the movie in the region around Salzburg.
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