Austria, Switzerland, Turkey & Greece
with
Reverend Bryan & Dorelle Gilmour
Featuring the Oberammergau Passion Play 2010
13 Sep to 8 Oct 2010
Turkey: | Ephesus, Istanbul (Constantinople)... |
Greece: | Athens, Corinth... |
Switzerland: | Glacier Express Train, Zermatt... |
Austria: | Salzburg, Vienna... |
MONDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2010
Depart Australia to Vienna, Austria. (Meals in flight)
TUESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER
Morning arrival and check in to your hotel. Remainder of the day is free to rest. In the evening meet your travelling companions for a special welcome dinner at your hotel. Overnight Vienna. (Meals in Flight – D)
WEDNESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER
Meet your Guide and start your sightseeing with vistas of Prater Park with its giant Ferris wheel, and the United Nations City on the banks of the Danube River. Then drive along Ring Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian Imperial family. Marvel at the impressive courtyards and famous Heldenplatz and visit awesome ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL. Afternoon excursion to Schonbrunn Palace and the wine village of Grinzing. Overnight Vienna. (B-D)
THURSDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER
A full day to explore Vienna independently. Why not visit the imposing Hofburg Palace with the precious Hapsburg dynasty treasures? If you are interested in great paintings, do not miss the Museum of Fine Arts, with works by Jan Van Eyck, Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael, and more. Overnight Vienna (B-D)
FRIDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER
This morning enjoy a leisurely DANUBE CRUISE. Afterwards, follow the Danube Valley to historic Melk for pictures of the Melk Abbey. No landscape is more typically Austrian than the Salzkammergut lakeland. A picture stop at the Parish Church in Mondsee, which was used for the wedding scenes of The Sound of Music, then continue to Salzburg for overnight (B-D)
SATURDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
A pleasant stroll with our guide through the historic centre. Admire exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, ST. PETER’S CHURCHYARD, the monumental Domplatz and take pictures of Mozart’s birthplace in the charming Getreidegasse. Afternoon at leisure. (B-D))
SUNDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER
Morning visit to Innsbruck in the Tyrolean Mountains. Enjoy a pleasant walk through its quaint medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Next, enter the Swiss Engadine, considered by many as the most beautiful mountain area in the world, with its deep-blue lakes, airy larch forests that turn golden in autumn, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet and quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the characteristic Grisons style. The rest of the day is at leisure in ritzy St. Moritz. (B-D)
MONDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER
Drive through exhilarating Alpine scenery. At Chur board the first-class panoramic coach of the world-renowned GLACIER EXPRESS TRAIN. Admire thundering waterfalls, impressive peaks, glacial ice fields, and tiny villages as you pass through the Valais, a region known for its great mountain resorts and excellent wines. This afternoon you are in Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the majestic Matterhorn. (B,L,D)
TUESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER
An entire day at leisure to breathe the fresh mountain air and to catch up on your postcards. A suggestion: ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. (B-D)
WEDNESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER
Board the MOUNTAIN TRAIN to Tasch and motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhone Valley to the shores of Lake Geneva. Here enjoy a highlight visit to CHILLON CASTLE, the 12th-century water fortress immortalised by the poet Lord Byron. Evening arrival in Berne. (B-D)
THURSDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER
Sightseeing with a Local Guide starts at the popular BEAR PIT and then focuses on the monumental Federal Palace and the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town. Witness the hourly parade of painted figures at the Clock Tower and take your pictures of ornate, flower-adorned fountains. Leisurely lunch break in Interlaken, beautifully situated beneath the towering Jungfrau. Over Brunig Pass to picture-book Lucerne. You may wish to sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking. (B-D)
FRIDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER
On your walking tour this morning, admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT, the ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards an opportunity to shop for watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car, or take a cruise on the fjord-like lake. Overnight Lucerne. (B-D)
SATURDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
After breakfast we depart for Oberammergau via Vaduz the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein where we stop for a time. Continuing along with a visit to Mad King Ludwigs’s Neuschwanstein Castle we take the panoramic drive through the Bavarian Alps. Afternoon arrival to the picture book village of Oberammergau for overnight nearby. (B-D)
SUNDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER
Morning free in the Village. The PASSION PLAY will be presented after lunch in a full afternoon and evening of theatre. This unique drama will enrich us spiritually and be a vivid reminder of our Saviours suffering, death and resurrection. Overnight nearby Oberammergau. (B-L-D)
MONDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER – COMMENCE OPTION 2 – GREECE & TURKEY EXTENSION
Early morning departure to the Munich Airport for our flight to Istanbul, Turkey. After lunch we tour this magnificent ancient city beginning with a visit to the Topkapi Palace, built on one of the seven hills of Istanbul. This huge complex commands views of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. It was the seat of government for the Ottoman Empire for many centuries and you will see the extravagant treasury and priceless Chinese porcelain. Outside the palace we can view the ancient Roman aqueduct. We visit St Sophia, which was both Cathedral and a Mosque, and is now a magnificent museum, the Blue Mosque - famous for its delicate blue ceramic tiles and its unique six minarets built in the name of Sultan Ahment Overnight Istanbul. (B-D)
TUESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
Free morning in Istanbul. Time to visit the Grand Bazaar for some bargains. Late afternoon departure to Izmir. Overnight Izmir. (B-D)
WEDNESDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER
In the Port city of Izmir, known in the New Testament book of Revelation as SMYRNA, we visit the Velvet Castle built by one of Alexander the Greats generals. We travel to PERGAMON where we will climb to the Acropolis referred to as the seat of Satan. Overnight Izmir. (B-D)
THURSDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER
Morning drive to SARDIS, the capital of the ancient Lydia, where the first coin of the world is invented. See the ruins of the early Church constructed next to the Temple of Diana. Continue to Alasehir to see the 1st century PHILADELPHIA Church. En route to Ephesus we visit the House of the Virgin Mary, the grave of St John the Apostle and archaelogical museum at Selcuk. In the centre of Selcuk we will see a huge statue of the Goddess Artemis who Paul spoke against in Ephesus. Then on to the colourful Port of Kusadasi for overnight. (B-D)
FRIDAY 1ST OCTOBER
Today we tour the ruins of EPHESUS (Rev. 2:1) once the Roman capital of Asia of which Paul asked "is there a greater city"? We will walk the ancient marble streets past the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Basilica of St. John the Apostle. Overnight Kusadasi. (B-D)
SATURDAY 2ND OCTOBER
After breakfast we transfer by ferry to Samos and transfer from port to airport to take a midday flight to the Greek capital of Athens. Afternoon city tour of Athens. We will climb up to the marble-capped Acropolis and visit the famous Parthenon and the Erechtheion. We will then walk to nearby Mars’ Hill (Areopagus) (Acts 17:22) where the Apostle Paul delivered his well-known sermon. Our tour continues with the highlights of modern Athens: we pass by the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Parliament House, Presidential Palace, Panathenian Stadium, Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Academy, the University and the National Library. Overnight Athens. (B-D)
SUNDAY 3RD OCTOBER
Our route out of Athens takes us by the Saronic Gulf via the historic Corinthian Canal (quick stop for photos) to ancient Corinth (Acts 18:1- 18). It was to this megalopolis where the apostle Paul came and worked, established a thriving church, subsequently sending two of his epistles now part of the New Testament. Here, see all of the sites associated with his ministry: the Agora, the Temple of Apollo, the Roman Odeon, the Bema and Gallio’s Seat. The small archaeological museum here is an absolute must! We continue to visit to Lechaion and also see the ruins of early Christian 5th century basilica at the ancient port of Cenchreae before returning to Athens for Overnight. (B-D)
MONDAY 4TH OCTOBER
Today we tour Delphi where the priestess Pythia pronounced her famous oracles in the Temple of Apollo. Visits to the theatre and stadium. Overnight Delphi. (B-D)
TUESDAY 5TH OCTOBER
Morning free to browse in the local galleries and handicraft stores. Afternoon departure for Kalambaka, location of spectacular Meteora with its thousand-year-old Byzantine monasteries perched precariously on huge rocks. The view from here is beautiful. Overnight Kalambaka. (B-D)
WEDNESDAY 6TH OCTOBER
After breakfast depart for a visit of the magnificent Monasteries of Meteora. Return to Athens for Overnight. (B-D)
THURSDAY 7TH OCTOBER
Departure to the airport for your return flight to Australia (B-Meals in flight)
FRIDAY 8TH OCTOBER
Arrival home with memories to last a lifetime. (Meals in Flight)
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