SOUNDS OF POLAND and RUSSIA - 2010

Warsaw, Cracow and
St. Petersburg
Visit Czestochowa, Zakopane and Lodz

Opera performances:
In Warsaw:
04 June. MADAME BUTTERFLY by Puccini
In St.. Petersburg
Not announced yet.

Departure from U.S.A.: 02 June 2010
13 days. Return: 14 June 2010

LAND COST: (includes orchestra level seats in theaters listed above)
Double occupancy: $5,250 per person - Single supplement: $1,150
Deposit: $750 per person - Balance due ten (10) weeks prior to departure.

Single Single occupancy $6,400.00 Single occupancy ex. deposit $5,650.00 Deposit $750.00

Double Double occupancy per person $5,250.00 Double occupancy ex. deposit per person $4,500.00 Deposit per person $750.00

Day 1. June 02. (D).* UNITED STATES - WARSAW
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice from the U.S.A. to Warsaw, Poland. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.

Day 2. June 03. (B,D). WARSAW
Independent arrival at the Warsaw International airport. We meet you at the deluxe HOTEL BRISTOL, where we stay three nights. Briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 3. June 04. (B). WARSAW

Panoramic sightseeing this morning will include the Monument of the Warsaw uprising, the Ghetto Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Chopin Monument and the St. Cross Church where Chopin's heart brought from Paris is placed. This evening listen to the world-famous works of mazurkas and polonaises by Chopin in the Ostrogski Castle or enjoy an opera at the National Opera.

WARSAW: The beginnings of the city go back to the turn of the 13th century when the Dukes of Mazovia built wooden buildings that were gradually replaced by the Castle. In 1569 Warsaw became the site of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Two Nations, Poland and Lithuania. The city was severely damaged in the mid-17th century during the Swedish invasion. After the glorious reign of the last King of Poland, Stanislas Augustus from 1764 to 1795, Russia, Prussia and Austria partitioned the country. Poland regained independence in 1918, only to be partitioned again by Germany and Russia in 1939, which started the Second World War. At the end of November 1944, the Nazis blew up 85% of the city. It took 43 years after the war ended to completely restore the exteriors and interiors of the Old Town. 

Day 4. June 05. (B). WARSAW
Today we visit the Royal Castle lovingly restored to its original condition after it was totally destroyed by the Nazis in 1944, the St. John's Cathedral and walk through the Old Town. Afternoon free.

Day 5. June 06. (B,L). CZESTOCHOVA - CRACOW

This morning we drive south to Cracow, first stopping in Czestochowa to see the famous Jasna Gora Monastery with the Black Madonna icon. Lunch en route. Arrive in Cracow where we stay three nights at the centrally located RADISSON SAS HOTEL.

CRACOW: The one-time capital of Poland, going back to 1040, with its medieval town-planning arrangement, and priceless monuments of the past, was included on the list of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1978. Among its 30 museums is the National Gallery where one can see Leonardo da Vinci's beautiful painting of 'Lady with the Ermine,' and Rembrandt's 'Landscape with a Merciful Samaritan.' The Main Market Square, 200 yds. by 200 yds., is one of the greatest of this type in Europe. The Wawel Hill on the Vistula River constituted a suitable point for defence. Through the centuries, the Royal Castle and the Cathedral Church were erected here, along with many social and administrative buildings.

Day 6. June 07. (B,D). CRACOW - WIELICZKA

This morning we visit the Wawel Castle and the Cathedral where Poland's Kings were once crowned. In the afternoon we drive to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, still in production after more than 700 years. You will see the amazing sculptures, chapels and galleries hewn out of rock salt, more than a mile deep underground. Dinner will be served in one of the salt mine's chambers, while the Miner's Band entertains us.

Day 7. June 08. (B,L). ZAKOPANE - CRACOW

This morning we drive to Zakopane situated at the base of the Tatra Mountains. En route we make two stops. First in Debno to visit a lovely, wooden church, put together without using nails, now protected by UNESCO. The next stop will be the village of Chocholow to see an open-air museum of wooden architecture and visit the local art gallery. Lunch in a fine forester's cottage enjoying lively highlander's music. In Zakopane we will visit Atma Villa, once home of the eminent Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. Return to Cracow.

Day 8. June 09. (B,D). LODZ - WARSAW

Today we drive north to visit Lodz, the city of three cultures - Polish, Jewish and German, to see the birthplace of the world-famous pianist of Jewish origin, Arthur Rubenstein.  Afternoon arrival in Warsaw, where we stay one more night at the deluxe HOTEL BRISTOL. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 9. June 10. (B,D) ST. PETERSBURG

This morning fly from Warsaw to St. Petersburg, Russia. We transfer you to the deluxe HOTEL ASTORIA facing St. Isaac's Cathedral, where we stay four nights. Afternoon tour of the most interesting city in Russia. Among the sights to see along the main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospect, are many impressive buildings. We visit the Peter and Paul Fortress where many Czars are buried. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 10. June 11. (B). ST. PETERSBURG

This morning we will visit the world-famous Hermitage Museum founded by Catherine the Great, to see the most magnificent collection of Old Masters' art treasures in the world. This evening and the next evening we will see two operas at the Mariinsky Theater.

ST. PETERSBURG was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as his "Window on the West." The city was renamed Petrograd in 1914 but lost its status as capital of Russia in the 1917 revolution that began in this city.  In 1924, the city took the name of Leningrad after the death of the revolutionary leader, Lenin, and it remained thus until a referendum returned the city to its original name in 1991.  Thanks to Lenin's determination to prevent its destruction in 1917, the city survives today as an extraordinarily beautiful and perfectly preserved tribute to Peter's vision and the taste of his imperial successors.

Day 11. June 12. (B,L). PETRODVORETS, PUSHKIN - ST. PETERSBURG

This morning we drive to see one of the most charming palaces built on the outskirts of St. Petersburg and to admire the exquisite architectural and sculptural ensembles of Petrodvorets begun by Peter the Great as his summer palace. We will visit the Grand Palace and take a brief walk through the breathtaking gardens with huge gilded sculptures which were hidden in the forests to avoid destructions by the Nazis. This afternoon we drive to Pushkin to visit the luxurious Catherine Palace which has seen many restorations in the past 250 years, especially after the extensive damage done by the Nazis during the Second World War. Lunch en route.

PETRODVORETS (formerly called Peterhof) was founded in 1714 on plans personally drawn up by Peter the Great, which provided detailed instructions to eminent Russian and European architects and sculptors to create a total of 144 fountains, four cascades, beautiful gardens, dazzling gold-plated statues and the very impressive GRAND PALACE to rival Versailles in France.  During the Nazi occupation from September 1941 to January 1944, the beautiful palaces were destroyed and the grounds were totally ruined.  What we see today is a complete and thorough restoration of Peter the Great's dream.

PUSHKIN was a trading village one thousand years ago when the Swedish Vikings exerted their influence in the Baltic lands.  In 1709, the troops under Peter the Great occupied these territories.  The country estate in the town was presented by Peter to his wife, the future Empress Catherine I.  What began in 1718 as a modest, two-story, stone mansion for Empress Catherine was leveled to the ground and then expanded by every successive monarch. In 1752, Empress Elizabeth enlisted the services of Bartholomeo Rastrelli for the reconstruction of the mansion.  He built a magnificent rococo palace with a blue and white exterior with gilded decorations.  There were subsequent additions by various architects under Catherine the Great (1762-1796), with no heed paid to an integral composition.  Outside the palace gates is a statue of the famous Russian poet, ALEXANDER PUSHKIN, who went to school here.

Day 12. June 13. (B,D). ST. PETERSBURG

Today is free to shop or to visit any of the city's cathedrals or take in the Hermitage Museum one more time. Gala Farewell Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 13. June 14. (B). ST. PETERSBURG - BACK HOME

Fly this morning from St. Petersburg back home, arriving the same afternoon. See you soon on another H.A.T. tour.

*B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)

Airfare is not included. Individuals make their own flight arrangements. Please make sure that your airline ticket reads: U.S.A. to Warsaw, Poland; Warsaw to St. Petersburg, Russia and St. Petersburg back to U.S.A. (consult with H.A.T. Tours for the group's flight from Warsaw to St. Petersburg. We urge you to check airline cancellation penalties before purchasing airline tickets since international departure times and flights can change. H.A.T. Tours does not accept liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased independently in conjunction with this tour. 

The group is limited to fifteen persons maximum. The Managing Director Grethe Arani and/or Aspee Arani will personally escort this tour. Local English-speaking guides are provided in each of the cities visited.

H.A.T. Tours has been operating in Central and Eastern Europe for the past 29 years, and is very familiar with this part of the world. Therefore, we conduct a special tour with many 'extras,' which comes from our long-term knowledge of the area.

Please send your deposit to:

H.A.T. Tours

PO Box 46876, St. Petersburg, FL 33741

Phone toll free (800) 472-4448 or Fax (727) 360-8459

Email: gnahat@EuropeanOperaTours.com

www.EuropeanOperaTours.com