Itinerary

May 11, Friday – Fly out of O’ hare

May 12, Saturday             Arrive Zurich

Day One, Viking Cruise – River cruise up the Rhine and part of the Moselle River, taking us through parts of Switzerland, Germany and France.  The trip ends with a train ride to Paris and two days in Paris, which we have extended to four days.

                First Day in Zurich, Switzerland

 

May 13, Sunday                                Day Two, Viking Cruise  Zurich

                Viking Walking Tour and Lake Cruise in Zurich (morning):

We will visit the city’s Altstadt, or Old Town, and see the many colorful guild houses and former merchants’ quarters . We will view the Rathaus, built in 1690, and many churches: Fraumünster, which ruled the town until 1336; Grossmünster, founded by Charlemagne; and St. Peter’s Church, which boasts the largest church clock face in Europe. 

May 14, Monday              Day Three, Viking Cruise, Basil, Switzerland

                Viking Highlights Tour (afternoon)

Three nations converge in Basil—Switzerland, France and Germany. Basel’s Old Town is a cluster of medieval buildings spread on a hilly riverbank. We will visit the Marktplatz, or Market Square, surrounded by guild halls of late Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles. We will also see the the Rathaus, or Town Hall, and the 13th-century Munster Cathedral. We will have time to explore the city’s open air market. 

Basil was also the home of Carl Barth.  We are hoping to visit him home and the church he pastored.

May 15, Tuesday              Day Four Viking Cruise, Strasbourg, France

                Viking Strasbourg Highlights Tour (morning)

This city is equal parts French and German culture. We will drive through the German Imperial District and the European Quarter, home of many institutions of the European Union and proceed to the city center for a walking tour of the Petite France area. We will see the Old Customs House the covered bridges with their defensive towers. In Cathedral Square we will view the restored Strasbourg Cathedral. It was once the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874. 

May 16, Wednesday       Day Five, Viking Cruise, Speyer, Germany

                Viking excursion -  Heidelberg & Martin Luther’s Worms

We will visit two of Germany’s most historic cities: Worms, an edict declared Martin Luther a heretic for his religious beliefs. We will stop at the Imperial Worms Cathedral and after, continue to Heidelberg on the Neckar River. Its university is the oldest in Germany, founded in 1386. We will have a chance to stroll the old streets and visit the Heidelberg Castle.

May 17, Thursday            Day Six, Viking Cruise,    Mainz, Germany

                Viking Mainz Walking Tour & Gutenberg Museum

                This city is over 2,000 years old.   We will walk though the streets of the Old Town, stopping to explore Mainz Cathedral. We will continue past medieval houses and storefronts to the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to the inventor of movable type and book printing. The museum features exhibits that covers the history of the printed word. 

May 18, Friday                   Day Seven, Viking Cruise, Koblenz, Germany

                Historic Koblenz Walking Tour

We begin our tour of Koblenz at Deutsches Eck, the city’s famed German Corner, a public park which is home to a equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm I. We will continue our walk though narrow streets to visit Jesuitsenplatz, or Jesuit Square, in the heart of the Old Town and named after the religious order of the same name. 

May 19, Saturday             Day Eight, Viking Cruise, Cochem, Germany

                Cochem, Reichsburg & the Moselle Valley Tour (afternoon)

The tour begins with a drive through the countryside and up to mountain to the 1,000-year-old Reichsburg Castle, conquered by Louis XIV in the Nine Years’ War and later purchased and restored in a Gothic Revival style. During a walking tour of Cochem, we will see the medieval town gate and pass various churches, including the 15th-century St. Martin’s Church. In the market square, we will view the baroque Town Hall and the 17th-century Capuchin monastery, once a haven for friars.  You will also visit a local winery and sample some of its fine vintages.

May 20, Sunday                                Day Nine, Viking Cruise, Trier & Bernkastel, Germany

                Bernkastel-Kues Wine Tasting (morning)

The town of Bernkastel-Kues straddles the Moselle and enjoys a status as both a health resort and a center of winemaking. We will see the Bernkastel side, cobblestone streets lined with timber-framed houses, the marketplace and its 1608 Town Hall, and visit the narrow, tiny Spitzhäuschen, the “Pointed House,” built in 1416. At a local winery, we will sample Moselle wines.

Trier Highlights Tour (afternoon)

We will tour Trier, Germany’s oldest city, and a once-mighty outpost of the Holy Roman Empire. Vestiges of Rome’s power are everywhere here. We will pass the Roman amphitheater, see the massive Roman baths, and also see the Roman city gates. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will also admire the Cathedral of Trier, built under the direction of Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, and the Liebfrauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady, one of the earliest Gothic churches in Germany. 

May 21, Monday              Day Ten, Viking Cruise, Luxembourg

                Luxembourg Walking Tour & American Cemetery

Luxembourg City’s Old Town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site perched atop a gorge cliff.  We will stroll through the old streets past charming houses, the Place d’Armes, the Monument of the Millennium and the Grand Ducal Palace. Just outside the city center, we will stop at the American Cemetery to visit the more than 5,000 US soldiers are buried there; many of whom gave their lives during the Battle of the Bulge, fought in 1945. 

May 22, Tuesday              Day Eleven, Viking Cruise/   Day one: Paris

(Technically we are still on the Viking Cruise at this point but we have chosen to take advantage of a couple of Viking tours and chart our own course the time in Paris.)

Viking Bus Tour: (morning)  Bus tour provides an orientation to the city, driving by: Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Palais Garnier Opéra house, Louve, and glass pyramid, Paris Town Hall, Notre Dame (Stop and visit), Latin Quarter, St. Germain des Pres, Luxembourg Gardens, Musée d’Orsay, Place de la Concorde – site of the guillotining of Louis the 16^th, Grand Palais and Petit Palais – built for the worlds fair 1900, Les Invalides complex, and Ecole Miltaire, and a view of the Eiffel Tower from Champ de Mars.  

Afternoon: Self guided Garden walk along the Seine River.

May 23, Wednesday       Day Twelve Viking Cruise/   Day two: Paris

We will visit the Eiffel Tower and proceed to the Louve. 

We will take a break mid day to walk along the seine toward the Ile de Cité and visit 

The Catheldrals of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle.

We will return for more of the Louve in the afternoon. 

May 24, Thursday            Day three: Paris

In the morning we will visit the Arc de Triumphe and proceed up the Ave des Champs Elysees to the Palais Garnier Opera House where we will take the tour.  In the afternoon we will head south of the Seine to visit the Eglise St. Germain de Pres, built over a 6^th century Abbey and shop some of the historic shops in St. Germain then conclude with a walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg.

May 25, Friday                   Day four: Paris

In the morning we will visit the Musee d’Orsay which houses Paris’s Impressionist collection and the Musee Rodin, is which the sculptures of Rodin are displayed including “The Thinker.”  In the afternoon we will visit SacreCoeur, built to honor St. Denis, the patron saint of France and we will wander the Montmartre backstreets and see some of the works of local artists.

We also plan to take a boat trip on the Seine as dusk to see the lights of the city come on.  We will watch the weather for the right night.  We are also exploring lots of wonderful options for dining in Paris!

               

May 26, Saturday             Fly to Thessalonica, Greece and settle into the Veenendaal apartment.

May 27, Sunday                                Get oriented to Greece and Thessalonica

May 28, Monday              Explore Thessalonica

May 29, Tuesday              Ouranopoulis, Greece and Mt. Athos

                We will rent a car and drive to Ouranopoulis where we will take a Boat tour around Mount Athos which is home to 20 monasteries supervised by the Greek Orthodox church.  It has been a spiritual home for monasticism since the 10^th century.   Its first constitution was signed in 972 and 1,400 monk inhabit the Mt. Athos today. |Women are not allowed on the Pennisula, so we will take the boat tour around the southern edge of Mr. Athos.

May 30, Wednesday       Karvalla and Philippi, Greece

                We will continue our journey to Karvalla, Greece where the Apostle Paul first set foot on Greek soil.  We will drive on to Philippi to see the ruins of the city, where Paul founded the church of Philippi.  

May 31, Thursday

                We will continue sightseeing in Karvalla and return to Thessalonika.

June 1, Friday – Jun 4, Monday  Explore Thessalonica

Jun 5, Tuesday                  Patmos, Greece

                We will fly to the Island of Samos and catch a Ferry to Patmos.

Jun 6, Wednesday           Patmos, Greece

                We will visit the Shrine to the Apostle John and see the cave where John received the vision and wrote the Revelation of John.  Then we will see the Monastery of St. John founded in 1088 which is a World UNESCO site.

Jun 7, Thursday                 Patmos, Greece

                We will return to Samos and fly back to Thessalonika.

Jun 8, Friday  - 9, Saturday            More Thessalonica

Jun 10, Sunday                  Venice, Italy

                Extra day in Venice

Jun 11, Monday                                Venice, Italy

Walking Tour of Venice and Traditional Venetian dinner

Jun 12, Tuesday                                Venice, Italy

                See historic Venice including St. Mark’s Square and Cathedral

Jun 13, Wednesday         Venice, Italy

                 Visit the Accademia Gallery and boat ride on the Lagoon

Jun 14, Thursday              Florence, Italy

                Renaissance Tour of city center and cathedral

                Tuscan dinner

Jun 15, Friday                     Florence, Italy

                Backstreets of Florence, Palazzo Davanzati, and Italian cooking class for lunch

Jun 16, Saturday               Florence, Italy

                See the great Renaissance art in the Uffizi including Michaelangello’s David

Jun 17, Sunday                  Rome, Italy

                Drive to Rome via the Italian wine country

                Evening stroll through Rome

                See: Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, and the 2,000-year-old Pantheon

Jun 18, Monday                                Rome, Italy

                Tour Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s cathedral

                Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's Pietà.

Jun 19, Tuesday                                Rome, Italy

                Morning: Tour San Clemente — a 12th-century church

                Tour the Colosseum and the Forum.

                Afternoon: Explore the Palatine ruins, St. Peter-in-Chains Church (home to 

                Michelangelo's Moses), and maybe the Catacomb of Priscilla – early third         

                century paintings

Jun 20, Wednesday         Rome, Italy

                RS Tour ends today  (breakfast provided)

                Tour of San Sabastian church – catacombs dating to 250 AD, possible original resting 

                place of Peter and Paul

Jun 21, Thursday – June 27, Wed.             Santorini, Greece

                We fly to Santorini for a week of rest and sunshine

Jun 27, Wednesday         Fly back to Thessalonica

Jun 28, Thurs – Jul 1, Sunday       Thessalonica

Jul 2, Monday – July 4, Wednesday

                Trip south to Meteora (the hanging Monasteries) and Delphi on the way to Athens.

Jul 5, Thursday                  Athens

                See the old city, Acropolis, the Agora ( old market), Mars Hill (where Paul preached.)

Jul 6, Friday

                Photo Tour of Peloponnese

Jul 7, Saturday – July 9, Monday

                More of Athens and day trip to Corinth

Jul 10, Tuesday  Good bye to Greece and on to England

                Drive to Oxford

 

Jul 11, Wednesday          Explore Oxford

Jul 12, Thursday               

                Our Day with Julie and Vikram

Jul 13, Friday

                Drive to Salisbury, England

                See the old town, Salisbury Cathedral, Stone henge?

               

Jul 14, Saturday – July 23, Monday

                Newlyn, Cornwall England

                Sea Shimmer apartment

                                - visit with our Cornwall/ Exeter cousins

                                - visit St. Michael’s mount

                                - rest, read, drive around Cornwall, breathe the sea air.

Jul 23, Monday

                Leave Newlyn and Drive to London Heathrow

               

Jul 24, Tuesday                  Fly Home to Chicago     

 

Jul 25, Wednesday - Home

Jul 26, Thursday – Drive to Crystal Mountain: Family Reunion

               Terry joins us

Jul 27, Friday     

                Stephen and Liz join

                Austin and Alicia join

Jul 28, Saturday

                Mom and Dad join

                Dean and April join for dinner

Jul 29, Sunday

                Stephen and Liz fly home

                Austin and Alicia drive home

                Mom and Dad go?

Jul 30, Monday

Jul 31, Tuesday – Sally, Mike and Terry drive to La Porte

Aug 1, Wednesday – Aug 2, Thursday     La Porte

Aug 3, Friday – Aug 6, Monday   - Fly from Chicago to Dallas        

               Visit Kathy and Conrad

Aug 7, Tuesday – Aug 12, Sunday              Study time in Petoskey

 

Aug 13, Monday – Drive home to La Porte

Aug 14, Tuesday – Aug 18, Saturday

               Reopen the house and reclaim the gardens.

Aug 19, Sunday                 First Day back in the churches.