SOUNDS OF EAST GERMANY - 2008

BERLIN, DRESDEN, LEIPZIG and WEIMAR

Opera Performances:
In Berlin:
11 April - DON CARLOS by Verdi in Staatsoper
12 April - TANNHAUSER by Wagner i Staatsoper
In Dresden: 
13 April - L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI by Rossini in Semperoper
14 April - THE MAGIC FLUTE by Mozart in Semperoper
15 April - THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Rossini in Semperoper
In Leipzig: 
18 April - LA BOHEME by Puccini in Leipzig Oper

Departure from U.S.A.: 09 April 2008 - 
11 days. Return: 19 April 2008.

LAND COST includes orchestra level seats in the theaters listed above.
Double occupancy: $ 4.650 per person - Single supplement: $ 1.250
Deposit: $ 500 per person - Balance due ten (10) weeks prior to departure.

Day 1. – April 09. (D)*. UNITED STATES – BERLIN
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice from U.S.A. to Berlin, Germany. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.

Day 2. – April 10. (B,D). BERLIN
Independent arrival at the Berlin International Airport. We meet you at the deluxe RADISSON SAS HOTEL, where we stay three nights. By special arrangement, our rooms are in superior class on the upper floors with a beautiful view of the historical and the new heart of Berlin. Briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at a local resaurant.

Day 3. – April 11. (B). BERLIN
Morning sightseeeing to include Alexanderplatz, the Town Hall, the Palace of the Republic, the Humboldt University, The State Opera and Unter den Linden. We drive through the Brandenburg Gate for a tour of the former West Berlin to see Potzdamer Platz, the newly restored parliament, the Reichstag, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Charlottenburg Palace, the shop-lined Kurfurstendamm and the Emperor William Memorial Church. Afternoon visit to the Museum Island with the famous Pergamon Museum. This evening we will see the opera DON CARLOS  by Verdi in the Staatsoper.

BERLIN: From the building of its first wall 750 years ago to the recent destruction of its second wall, Berlin has had a tumultuous history. It belies its war-torn past. The well laid-out parks, clean streets, smart shops and restaurants make this one of Europe's most cosmopolitan cities. In the heart of old Berlin is the great boulevard, Unter den Linden, planned by Frederick the Great as the central axis of his imperial capital. It leads from the Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz. Here lies the Museum Island with the famous Pergamon Museum, which houses the Pergamon Alter, actually an enormous 2nd century Hellenistic temple brought in its entirety from Turkey. In January 2000, Berlin once again became the capital of the new Germany.

Day 4. – April 12. (B). BERLIN
This morning we will drive to Potsdam to see San Souci, an elegant baroque palace, and to visit Cecilienhof, where Truman, Stalin and Churchill signed the Potsdam Agreement to divide Germany after the war. Afternoon at leisure. This evening we will see the opera TANNHAUSER by Wagner at the Staatsoper. 

Day 5. – April 13. (B,D). DRESDEN
Today we drive southeast to arrive in Dresden, where we stay three nights at the de luxe Kempinski Hotel Taschenberg located a few steps from the Semper Opera House. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Dresden to see the glorious rococo and baroque architecture of this city made famous by Augustus the Strong. This evening we will see the opera L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI by Rossini at the famous Semperoper. Dinner at the famous hotel.

DRESDEN, splendidly situated on the banks of the Elbe River, is known as the “Florence of the North,” and has long held an attraction for artists. Dresden has been home to Friedrich Schiller, master of German poetry and drama, who while spending the years 1785 to 1787 wrote the drama, Don Carlos, upon which Verdi based his opera of the same name, and the Ode to Joy, which forms the text of Beethoven's Ninth, or Choral Symphony. Composer Carl Maria von Weber lived and worked here, as did Richard Wagner. Besides the Zwinger Palace, Dresden's second major attraction is the rebuilt Semper Opera, named for its architect, Gottfried Semper. Wagner and von Weber conducted and many Richard Strauss’ operas had their premiers here.

Day 6. – April 14. (B). DRESDEN
This morning we will see the collection of paintings by the Old Masters at the Zwinger Palace, and the fantastic collection of the precious objects in the Green Vault. Afternoon at leisure. This evening we will see the opera THE MAGIC FLUTE by Mozart at the Semperoper.

Day 7. – April 15. (B). DRESDEN
Today we will drive to see the homes of composer Carl Maria von Weber  who lived near Dresden, while composing some of his operas. This evening we wll see the opera THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Rossini in the Semperoper.

Day 8. - April 16. (B,D). MEISSEN - LEIPZIG
Today we drive west to visit the world-famous Meissen Porcelain factory and its museum. We continue our drive to arrive in Leipzig where we stay three nights at the elegant, centrally located WESTIN LEIPZIG HOTEL. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 9. – April 17. (B,D). LEIPZIG
This morning we visit the Thomas Church where Johann Sebastian Bach played the organ and is buried. On Whit Sunday in 1539, Martin Luther gave a sermon here to inaugurate the Reformation. We also visit the Altes Town Hall and the home of composer Felix Mendelssohn. Afternoon at leisure. Gala Farewell Dinner at the hotel.

Leipzig, the City of Books has one of the world’s earliest books, the Glossa Super Apocalipsim, printed in the year 1481. The German Book Exchange, founded in 1825, has publishers coming from all over the world, to attend the trade fair every year. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, music lovers come to enjoy its reputation, thanks to its St. Thomas Choir, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy National College of Music.

Day 10. – April 18. (B). WEIMAR - LEIPZIG
This morning we drive southwest to visit Weimar, the intellectual and cultural center of Germany, home to Goethe, Schiller, Bach and Liszt. We visit the Baroque mansion where Goethe lived for half a century and wrote his masterpiece “Faust.” This evening we see the opera LA BOHEME by Puccini at the Leipzig Oper.

Day 11. – April 19. (B). LEIPZIG – UNITED STATES
Morning departure aboard your flight back to the United States arriving the same afternoon. Auf wiedersehn. 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 Berlin and Leipzig back to USA. We urge you to check airline cancellation penalties before purchasing airline tickets since international departure times and flights can change. Tours also can be cancelled due to low enrollment. 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 26 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
E-Mail: gnahat@EuropeanOperaTours.com
Web site: www.EuropeanOperaTours.com