Saaremaa Opera Days July 24 - 28, 2013 / 5 days

Thu, July 24 / Tallinn 10:20-15:15 Individual arrival to the capital of by Easyjet flight from Gatwick airport Transfer to a centrally located 4* hotel. Check-in for one night 17:00-19:00 Guided walking tour in the medieval Old Town of Tallinn, the best preserved old town in northern Europe which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fri, July 25 / Tallinn – island – island 07:00-09:00 Breakfast 09:00 Departure to Saaremaa island (2 h drive to Virtsu harbour) 11:20 - 11:50 Ferry trip from the mainland of Estonia to Muhu – a tiny island where time rests Visit to Pädaste manor park and Koguva open air museum in Muhu island

Pädaste manor now operates as a luxury hotel but also invites visitors to take a stroll in its garden and park. Five 19th Century iron stone buildings join the stately Manor in a horse shoe shape, opening up to the Baltic Sea. The Manor ensemble is set amidst a 7 hectare landscaped park surrounded by 22 hectares of meadows & forests. The estate is surrounded by centuries old iron stone walls, partly overgrown with moss. Our shoreline gives way to astonishing views of the bay with its islets and untouched coastland. A variety of grasses, ferns, wild flowers, berries, brushes, orchids, pine, birch and our ‘national’ tree the juniper, paint the landscape of Pädaste Bay.

15:00-16:30 Lunch at Kaali Tavern. After lunch, time to admire Kaali field of meteorite craters.

The approximate time of Kaali meteorite fall is 7500-7600 years ago. Meteorite fall caused big damages on already inhabited Saaremaa, it could be compared to explosion of atomic bomb. At the height of 5-10 km meteorite fell apart and came down to the ground in pieces the biggest of which created a big crater with diameter of 110 m and depth of 22 m and 8 smaller craters. Interesting to know: Among the world's giant craters Kaali crater is on 8th place. Kaali field of meteorite craters on Saaremaa is the rarest nature wonder in Estonia, being at the same time the most spectacular in Eurasia.

17:30 Arrival to Kuressaare Check-in to a centrally located Johan SPA Hotel, to a SPA-class room for 3 nights

HansaTravel Ltd . e-mail. [email protected] Ph. +372 6009933 www.hansatravel.ee 19:30 Departure to the concert venue (Kuressaare Castle Opera House) on foot (15 min) 20:00 Verdi „Attila“ Tbilisi PaliashviliState Opera and Ballet Theatre (Georgia)

Fri, July 26/ Western part of Saaremaa island Breakfast 09:30-14:30 Half day tour to a Western part of Saaremaa island to explore its unique nature . We visit Loona manor, village and take a 1,5-2h hiking trip in peninsula. Picninc in nature Small Loona manor-house in Kihelkonna is a vivid example of a long and complex story of reaching it'spresent form. Oldest parts of the building date back to Middle Ages, the cellar uses battlements of anold vassal-castle. We will be given information in Loona manor about National Park and its rare nature before we are heading on to the hiking trip in Harilaid peninsula.

Harilaid has an infrequent, elongated trapeze shape with waved boundary lines, extending from South-East to North-West. It is a low plain, the highest point of which in the north-easterly part does not exceed 5 m. The area of the peninsula is 3.62 km². The Flora of the peninsula represents 261 species of flowering plants and vascular cryptogams. Interesting to know: Harilaid arose from the sea as an island 1000-2000 years ago. There is a lighthouse on the north-easterly point on Kiipsaare cape. After the walking trip transfer back to Kuressaare

15:30-17:30 Visit to the Bishop Castle of Kuressaare (built in 14th century) 19:30 Departure to the concert venue (Kuressaare Castle Opera House) on foot (15 min) 20:00 Evening with Geaorgian National Ballet . Thbilisi state opera and ballet company presenting three one act ballets: Fokin "Chopiniana"; Kask "A Wingless Flight into the Darkness"; Possokhov "Sagalobeli" (“Song of Praise”)

Sat, July 27 / Kuressaare – Northern part of Saaremaa Breakfast 10:00-11:00 Walking tour in Kuressaare

11:00-15:00 Half day tour to a Northern part of Saaremaa island:

HansaTravel Ltd . e-mail. [email protected] Ph. +372 6009933 www.hansatravel.ee We are visiting the organic soaps cottage industry Goodkaarma and take part of a popular soap making workshop there. Next stop is at Angla windmill park where we will have lunch and admire historical windmills.

Four of the five Angla windmills are typical trestle windmills characteristic of the island of Saaremaa. They were built at the beginning of the 20 th century. Now also forming part of the complex is the Angla Heritage Culture Centre, where you can take part in a number of workshops – trying your hand at pottery, felting, bread-making and more.

15:00 Arrival back to Kuressaare 19:30 Departure to the concert venue (Kuressaare Castle Opera House) on foot (15 min) 20:00 Opera Gala “Wagner and Verdi 200 ” Choir and symphony orchestra of Thbilisi State Opera and Ballet Company Conductors Giorgi Jordania, Gianluca Marciano, Andres Mustonen Soloists: Johanni van Oostrum (soprano, Republic of South Africa/Netherlands) Tuija Knihtilä (mezzo soprano, Finland) Koit Soasepp (bass, Finnish NO) Estonian National Male Choir

Sun, July 28 / Kuressaare – Tallinn 07:30 Breakfast 08:45 Check-out and departure back to Tallinn. 10:15-10:45 Ferry trip from Muhu island to the mainland of Estonia 12:00 Visiting Luhtre tourism farm and have lunch there 16:00 Arrival to the Tallinn airport 17:40 Departure flight to London by EasyJet

Price € 767.- /person includes: • Accommodation at centrally located ***+ hotels, in double/twin rooms • 4 x breakfast, 1 x picninc, 3 x lunch • Concert tickets to all mentioned performances in the program • Transfers by minibus, incl. airport transfers • Professional English-speaking tour guide • Guided excursions in Tallinn, Muhu island and Saaremaa island • Entrances to all places mentioned in the program

Single supplement € 180.- /person To book the tour package and/or to ask more information about the program please contact Ms Margi Allikmäe [email protected] or ph. +372 53439696 Deposit for the tour is 50% of the tour package price

HansaTravel Ltd . e-mail. [email protected] Ph. +372 6009933 www.hansatravel.ee Payments via wire transfer. HansaTravel Ltd. will send you an invoice for the deposit fee via e-mail latest 24h after the booking was made.

More information about the sights, places we visit: Book your flights directly from EasyJet: http://www.easyjet.com/en Johan SPA hotel: http://www.johan.ee/ Saaremaa island: http://www.visitsaaremaa.ee/index.php?lang=en Muhu island: http://www.muhu.info/eng/ Pädaste manor park in Muhu: http://www.padaste.ee/about/manor/park-and-grounds/ Kuressaare episcopal castle: http://www.saaremaamuuseum.ee/en/to-visitors/ Kaali meteorite crater: http://www.kaali.kylastuskeskus.ee/ing/home.php Organic soaps cottage industry Goodkaarma: http://goodkaarma.com/saaremaa/

HansaTravel Ltd . e-mail. [email protected] Ph. +372 6009933 www.hansatravel.ee