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We will depart by bus from Mercy Center, Dallas in time for our flight, which will depart from Newark. If you want to download your boarding pass, you can the night before we leave. You may also leave your car at a designated spot at Misericordia. If you plan on doing this, we need the make and model of your car and its license plate.
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We will arrive in Frankfurt. The bus driver will meet us inside the terminal.
Sit back and relax as we head toward Rothenberg, one of Europe's most beautiful medieval towns, and while it may look like a movie set — it is real! Rothenberg's enchantment has prevailed over the past 1,000 years and it continues to cast its spell.
After checking into the hotel, you will have the rest of the afternoon to explore this grand place. A welcome dinner [with 3 courses] will be served in the hotel at 6:30pm.
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Spend the entire day in this quaint city or participate in an optional tour of Nuremberg, Germany’s most famous Christkindlesmarkt [for an extra fee]. We will leave at 9 and arrive by 10:30 AM.
You will have time to explore the markets and grab a bite to eat. We will head back to Rothenberg at 3PM.
After supper on your own, there will be an optional one hour “Night Watchman Tour” at 8 PM for 8 E. Accompany the After supper on your own, and I want to suggest we go to Zur Holl, followed by an optional one hour “Rothenburg Night Watchman Tour” at 8 PM. We will follow the Watchman through dark alleyways and across dimly lit squares and enjoy the special mood of the town at night. Listen to his stories and find out how the people lived in the Middle Ages – a wonderful finale to your time in this magical place. I suggest you carry a small flashlight in your pocket.Rothenberg Night Watchman on his entertaining and informative rounds through the darkness. Follow him through dark alleyways and across dimly lit squares and enjoy the special mood of the town at night. Listen to his stories and find out how the people lived in the Middle Ages – a wonderful finale to your time in Rothenberg.
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We will leave Rothenberg at 8 AM. The ride to Regensburg is 2 hours. There we will visit the “Smiling Angel” in St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Devil and his Grandmother in the back of the church! You will also have time to explore some of its markets.
You will also have time for an ‘on your own lunch’ at the over 500-year-old historical Wurstkuchl by the Old Stone Bridge. We will leave at 1 PM and head to Oberndorf, which is 3 hours away. If possible, we will watch a movie on the way. On arrival, we will visit the place where Silent Night was composed, learn about the people for whom Gruber wrote, and even give you time to karaoke with Elvis, if you so wish.
We will eat dinner together in the village at 6 PM and then head out to Salzburg where we will stay for the next two nights.
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We will go into Salzburg at 10 AM, and begin the day with a guide on a walking tour of the city; after which you will have plenty of time to explore the markets and attend Mass if you wish at the Cathedral.
Be sure and listen to the many small concerts that will be held on the steps of the Cathedral during the day.
Dinner is on your own.
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We will leave Salzburg at 8:30 AM to go to Ludwig’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle [Visit there or his father’s castle], and spend some time in the village.
After which, we will go to Oberammergau and check in to our hotel where we will be for the next two nights.
Dinner is on your own; May I suggest a very nice brewery/restaurant called Ammergauer Maxbrau, that makes its own beer.
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Treat yourself to the quaintness of this Bavarian village with its many wood-carving shops and decorated houses. And prepare your heart for the arrival of Krampus, the dark companion of St Nicholas who ferrets out naughty children the night before Nicholas arrives.
Every adolescent and their father in Oberammergau dress as Krampus, and they begin running around the town mid-afternoon while the children taunt them.
Toward the end of the evening, all Krampus’ band together and lead the procession that brings Nicholas in. It is a hoot. Dinner is at the Post Hotel at 6:30 PM
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We will leave Oberammergau at 9 AM and travel to Innsbruck, a small city surrounded by mountains and the capital of the Austrian state of Tirol, which is a little over an hour away.
On arrival, we will go to the top of the city for a panoramic view, and then check into the Hotel Innsbruck. Afterwards I will take you on a walking tour of the Kiebachgasse where Fairy-tale characters, such as Rapunzel peer down from the windows. Later you can grab Kiachln, Advent doughnuts, served hot, with cranberry sauce and visit the markets, the most romantic of which are in the Altstadt.
At dusk, trumpeters play carols on the 500-year-old porch of The Golden Roof. Dinner is on your own.
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Tyrolean Folk Museum or Hafelkar
Today is a free day. Visit the city’s Tyrolean Folk Museum, Maximillian’s tomb, or ride the Funicular up the Nordkette to the top of the Hafelkar for views of twinkling city lights and snow-tipped peaks.
Or you may elect to travel through the Alps to the Italian town of Bolzano [previously Austrian Bozen] at an additional expense to experience an Italian market.
We will meet for dinner at 6:45, which will be at the Ottoburg Restaurant, at 7 PM. It is in one of the oldest buildings in town.
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The ride to Munich is about 2 hours. Holiday Music will accompany us on the way.
On arrival, we will check into our hotel, followed by a guided city tour., which will include being blessed By the Christ Child for 5 cents euro! Afterwards, you can enjoy the markets. For those who feel they need a break from the markets, there is much to see within walking distance of the city itself. You may also choose to have lunch at the Ratskeller, which is a Bavarian treat.
Afterward, we will check in at the hotel and choose a time when those who wish can walk back into town for Mass at the Cathedral at 6 PM and/or go to the Hofbrauhaus for an on-your-own dinner and an experience you will never forget!
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The morning is free
Our bus departs in time for our flight at Munich Airport.
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