Europe 2015 Itinerary

LFMSS Europe Tour 2015

1 “The Grand Tour”

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, MARcH 11, 2015 - DEpART VANcouVER10:30 AM Coach to YVR2:25 PM LH 493 To Frankfurt



8:20 AM Arrival in Frankfurt10:20 AM LH 232 to Rome12:10 PM Arrival in Rome1:45 PM Board coach, transfer to Colosseum3:30 PM Tour of Colosseum, Forum5:30 PM Walk to Pantheon6:30 PM Transfer to Hotel7:00 PM Dinner at Hotel

THuRSDAY, MARcH 12 - RoME

WEATHER

RoMEThe eternal city. Has it always been here? Today we explore the Roman Empire as we tour the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum - shopping mall of the ancients! We will also stop by one of the few remaining Roman temples - the Pantheon.

Casa ValdeseVia Alessandro Farnese, 18, 00192 Roma, Italy+39 06 321 5362



8:00 AM Breakfast9:00 AM Transfer to Vatican10:15 AM Tour of Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peters12:30 PM Transfer to Trevi1:00 PM Lunch near Trevi3:00 PM Transfer to Capuchin Crypt4:00 PM Walk to Spanish Steps6:30 PM Dinner7:30 PM Transfer to hotel

FRiDAY, MARcH 13 - RoMEWEATHER

RoMEBaroque Rome is our focus today, starting with a visit to what some believe is the greatest museum of the western world - the Vatican, including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

Casa ValdeseVia Alessandro Farnese, 18, 00192 Roma, Italy+39 06 321 5362



7:15 AM Breakfast8:00 AM Transfer to Florence (286km/4h)11:30 AM Picnic lunch1:15 PM Accademia1:30 PM Accademia2:30 PM Renaissance Walk through Florence3:30 PM Mercato8:00 PM Dinner

SATuRDAY, MARcH 14 FLoRENcEWEATHER

FLoRENcEThe birthplace of the Renaissance, and therefore the modern world, Florence was the one time capital of a financial empire controlled by the original Italian “family”, the Medicis.

Hotel Panorama Firenze Via Cavour, 60 50129 FirenzeT: 39 055 2382043F: 39 055 264404



SuNDAY, MARcH 15 - piSA AND LEVANToWEATHER 8:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM Transfer to Pisa (98km/2h)11:30 AM Visit Leaning Tower of Pisa in 5 groups1:30 PM Lunch and walking tour in Pisa3:30 PM Transfer to Levanto (110km/1.75h)5:30 PM Check into hostel7:30 PM Dinner at Moresco

piSAClimb the tower before it falls!

Ospitalia del MareVia S. Nicolò19015 Levanto (SP)tel. (+39) 0187 802562Fax: 39-187-803696



9:00 AM Hike the Cinque Terre1:00 PM Lunch packets on trail8:00 PM Dinner at Moresco

MoNDAY, MARcH 16 - ciNquE TERREWEATHER

ciNquE TERRERain or shine, the paths linking these five (cinque) lands (terre) along the Mediterranean coast offer a different perspective on hiking. Italian biology students often visit this region to study the unique plant life. And for us, passing through olive groves and lemon orchards, we know we’re not in BC anymore. The Cinque Terre is in Liguria, the birthplace of pesto. Mmmm... pesto. The five towns that make up the stopping points along the route are all ancient Roman fishing villages, and many of the residents can trace their ancestry in the region back centuries. Devastating floods in October 2011 brought life in Vernazza and Monterosso to a standstill - months of hard work digging out and rebuilding have made them accessible to visitors again.

Ospitalia del MareVia S. Nicolò19015 Levanto (SP)tel. (+39) 0187 802562Fax: 39-187-803696



8:00 AM Breakfast9:00 AM Transfer to Venice (390km/5.5h)12:00 PM Lunch at Autogrill3:00 PM Walk into Venice4:30 PM Santa Maria della Salute walk7:00 PM Dinner at La Corte

TuESDAY, MARcH 17 - VENicEWEATHER

VENicELa Serenissima, the most Serene Republic, Venice. An independent nation for a thousand years, Venice retains its medieval and Renaissance charm with a layer of elegant decay.

Foresteria Valdese di Venezia Castello 5170 Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, Venice 30123, Italytel. 041-5286797 fax 041-2416238



8:00 AM Breakfast9:00 AM Visit Doges Palace11:00 AM Visit St. Marc’s Basilica11:30 AM Walking tour of Venice12:30 PM Gondola rides through canals1:30 PM Lunch / getting lost / dinner

WEDNESDAY, MARcH 18 VENicEWEATHER

VENicEI love Venice. It’s a cliché, but it’s true - Venice is another world. It’s the only place I tell tour groups to “get lost”. With all the “Per Marco” and “Per Rialto” signs, you’ll always eventually find your way back somewhere, unless you take a wrong turn and end up in a canal. Enjoy a romantic gondola ride (not too romantic) with your group, some gelato, and some Venetian cuisine.

Foresteria Valdese di Venezia Castello 5170 Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, Venice 30123, Italytel. 041-5286797 fax 041-2416238



8:00 AM Breakfast8:30 AM Walk to Piazzale Roma9:30 AM Transfer to Sgonico (152km/2h)12:00 PM Grotta Gigante1:00 PM Picnic Lunch at Grotta Gigante2:00 PM Transfer to Bled (147km/2h)4:00 PM Guided Tour of Bled/Pletna rides on the lake6:00 PM Check-in to hotel7:30 PM Dinner at hotel

THuRSDAY, MARcH 19 - BLEDWEATHER

BLEDBled was the favourite vacation spot of many a Yugoslavian back when Tito’s League of Communists ruled much of the Balkan Peninsula. Since the war of independence in 1991, Slovenia has developed closer ties to the Western European community, eventually joining the EU in 2007. With our friendly local expert Robert as our guide, we will delve into the medieval and more recent history of this gem of the Julian Alps today.

Hotel Savica Bled Cankarjeva cesta 6, 4260 Bled, Slovenia+386 4 579 19 00



FRiDAY, MARcH 20 - SALzBuRg

7:00 AM Breakfast8:00 AM Transfer to Hallein (230km/2.75h)11:00 AM Tour of Salt Mines1:00 PM Lunch at Salt Mines2:00 PM Transfer to Salzburg (19km/.5h)2:30 PM Walking Tour of Salzburg3:30 PM Salzburg Fortress5:30 PM Transfer to Mostwastl Hotel7:30 PM Dinner in Mostwastl

WEATHER

The “Rome of the North” gained its wealth from the eponymous salt mines in the surrounding mountains. We will visit some of the grand buildings in the city proper, as well as ascending to the impenetrable fortress that sits on a cliff top overlooking Salzburg.

Gasthof MostwastlMostwastlweg 3, 5082 Salzburg, Austria+43 662 823572



8:00 AM Breakfast9:00 AM Transfer to Dachau (176km/2.5h)11:30 AM Tour of Dachau1:00 PM Picnic lunch1:30 PM Transfer to Munich (32km/.75h)2:30 PM Check into hostel3:30 PM Walking tour of Munich 6:00 PM Dinner at HB House

SATuRDAY, MARcH 21 - MuNicH WEATHER

The first of the vile concentration camps set up by the Nazis, Dachau opened in 1933, soon after Hitler took power. It served as a “work” camp where prisoners were routinely worked to death, and was the training ground for the SS men who would go on to start and run scores of other camps until they were liberated in the closing years of WW II.

The capital city of Bavaria was a flattened, smoking ruin just 70 years ago. The residents chose to rebuild the city as it was, instead of trying to modernize it, and the result is one of the most pedestrian friendly beautiful cities in Europe.

Easy PalaceMozartstr. 4 - 80336 MünchenFon: +49 (0)89 55 87 97 0Fax: +49 (0)89 55 87 97 97



SuNDAY, MARcH 22 - RoTHENBuRg oB DER TAuBERWEATHER 8:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM Transfer to Rothenburg (258km/3.25h)12:30 PM Arrive in Rothenburg - early check in1:30 PM Walking Tour of Rothenburg3:00 PM Kriminal Museum4:00 PM Scavenger Hunt7:00 PM Dinner at Hotel

RoTHENBuRg oB DER TAuBERThere are actually quite a few “Rothenburgs” in Germany - but only one that is “on the Tauber” (river). Here you will compete in a scavenger hunt for the greatest German delicacy of all schneeballe. Mmmm.... Actually, I’ll reward the winning team with... something. Scavenger hunt on the next page. Those who attempt to bribe me for answers can expect harsh punishment at the Kriminal Museum.

Akzent HotelSchrannenplatz 691541 Rothenburg ob der TauberPhone: 0 98 61 - 95 50-0Fax: 0 98 61 - 95 [email protected]



MoNDAY, MARcH 23 - NüRNBERg & BAcHARAcH

NüRNBERgNürnberg was the National Socialist Party’s stomping grounds in the years leading up to World War II. Hitler’s grand visions for Germany were celebrated here in huge rallies, famously recorded in the film “Triumph of the Will.”

WEATHER 7:30 AM Breakfast8:30 AM Transfer to Nuremberg (107km/1.75h)10:30 AM Nazi Documentation Centre12:00 PM Picnic Lunch12:30 PM Walking tour of Old Town Nuremberg1:30 PM Transfer to Bacharach (305km/3.75h)5:30 PM Arrival in Bacharach7:30 PM Dinner in hotel

BAcHARAcHBacharach, former capital of the Holy Roman Empire is one of many quaint little towns along the Rhine River complete with its own castle on the hill. In this town, though, the castle isn’t a ruin and we get to sleep in it!

Burg Stahlek55422 Bacharach, Germanyphone: +49 6743 1266fax: +49 6743 2684



7:30 AM Breakfast8:30 AM Transfer to Verdun (308km/4h)1:00 PM Picnic Lunch1:30 PM Tour of Verdun Battlefields2:30 PM Transfer to Paris (272km/3.5h)6:30 PM Dinner at Monte Carlo7:30 PM Transfer to Hotel

TuESDAY, MARcH 24 - VERDuN AND pARiS WEATHER

VERDuNThe name Verdun was synonymous with death, destruction, devastation to a previous generation. The longest continuous battle in the history of modern warfare saw the end of many young men’s lives and an entire region that once included 9 happy rural villages.

pARiSWelcome to Paris! Today we visit the Arc de Triomphe - the grandest of all triumphal arches in the world, and the resting place for the Unknown Soldier and his eternal flame.

Ibis Porte de Vincennes2, Avenue Léon Gaumont75020 PARISFRANCEPhone:(33) 892683257Fax:(33) 156933001



WEDNESDAY, MARcH 25 - pARiS, FRANcEWEATHER 8:00 AM Transfer to Louvre

9:15 AM Tour of Louvre11:15 AM Transfer to Latin Quarter11:30 AM Notre Dame Cathedral12:30 PM Lunch in Latin Quarter3:00 PM Eiffel Tower4:30 PM Transfer to Sacre Couer5:00 PM Sacre Couer6:30 PM Dinner at Monte Carlo7:30 PM Transfer to Hotel

pARiSWith so much to do and see in Paris, today could be nothing but busy. We will be visiting some of the greatest treasures of Western Civilization in the Louvre this morning, and then exploring medieval Paris in the afternoon, topping our day off with an ascent of the Eiffel Tower and a visit to a Sacred Heart.

Ibis Porte de Vincennes2, Avenue Léon Gaumont75020 PARISFRANCEPhone:(33) 892683257Fax:(33) 156933001



THuRSDAY, MARcH 26 - ViMY AND BRugES7:00 AM Breakfast7:30 AM Transfer to Versailles (30km/1h)9:00 AM Tour of Versailles11:00 AM Transfer to Vimy (210km/2.75h)2:00 PM Vimy Ridge Memorial3:00 PM Transfer to Ypres (68km/1.25h)4:30 PM In Flanders Fields Museum6:00 PM Transfer to Bruges (73km/1.25h)7:15 PM Check into hostel - dinner at hostel

WEATHER

Europa HostelBaron Ruzettelaan 1438310 Brugge/Assabroek - BelgiumTel. +32-50-352679Fax. [email protected]

ViMYIn Northern France, the Battle of Vimy Ridge created the first true sense of Canadian unity. Forces from each of the provinces joined together and did what other Allied forces during the First World War had failed to do, storming the ridge and conquering a long-held German stronghold.



FRiDAY, MARcH 27 - BRugES8:30 AM Breakfast9:00 AM Walk into Bruges9:30 AM Climb Bell Tower10:30 AM Walking Tour of Bruges12:30 PM Lunch at Vlemish Pot2:00 PM Church of Our Lady3:00 PM Chocolate shopping 5:30 PM Dinner in small groups

WEATHER

Europa HostelBaron Ruzettelaan 1438310 Brugge/Assabroek - BelgiumTel. +32-50-352679Fax. [email protected]

BRugESBruges has remained unchanged in many ways since its medieval glory days. “Discovered” by a new class of Europeans in the 19th century - tourists - this former headquarters of the Hanseatic League has more bicycles than cars, and good thing, as Belgium is known for its great fries, chocolate, and waffles.



Your Bedroom, Your HouseLangley, BC, Canada

4:00 AM (!!) Transfer to Brussels (112km/1.5h)5:30 AM Check in at airport7:05 AM LH 1025 to Frankfurt8:10 AM Arrival in Frankfurt10:20 AM LH 492 to Vancouver12:30 PM Arrival in Vancouver

SATuRDAY, MARcH 28 - go HoME!

WEATHER

jouRNAL: SATuRDAY, MARcH 28, 2015

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Europe 2015 Itinerary