Berlin and Beyond Berlin, Dresden & Leipzig
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
BERLIN AND BEYOND BERLIN, DRESDEN & LEIPZIG MAY 2-15, 2019 TOUR LEADER: CHRISTOPHER MENZ BERLIN AND BEYOND Overview BERLIN, DRESDEN & LEIPZIG Berlin is one of the most interesting and diverse of all the great capitals of Europe, and is currently enjoying a major cultural renaissance. First Tour dates: May 2-15, 2019 documented in the 13th century, the city has been the capital of the Prussian Empire, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Third Tour leader: Christopher Menz Reich. Since 1989 the city has relished its role as the capital of a unified and re-energised Germany. Tour Price: $7,250 per person, twin share Berlin is home to some internationally renowned cultural institutions – Single Supplement: $1,750 for sole use of such as museums of antiquities and fine arts – and has ongoing double room significance as a centre of contemporary art and design. Berlin is also famous for its musical heritage, with outstanding ensembles such as the Booking deposit: $500 per person Berlin Philharmonic and three major opera houses adding great lustre to the city’s cultural landscape. Recommended airline: Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines/Lufthansa This 14-day tour allows you to take an in-depth look at Berlin, and the nearby cities of Potsdam, Leipzig and Dresden. Daily walking tours, Maximum places: 20 background talks and guided visits trace the history and development of Berlin from its earliest days through the glory days of the Prussian and Itinerary: Berlin (5 nights), Leipzig (2 nights), German Empires to the darker days of the early 20th century and its Dresden (2 nights), Berlin (4 nights) rebirth after 1989. Date published: October 3, 2018 Accommodation throughout is at centrally located five-star hotels. We stay at The Westin Grand Hotel on historic Friedrichstrasse in the Mitte neighbourhood, for both of our Berlin stays. Our hotels in Dresden and Leipzig are each beautifully renovated historic buildings, well positioned in the old cities. Your tour leader Christopher Menz is a former art museum director and curator and has been leading cultural tours in Europe, the United States and Australia since 2013. He has expertise and interest in the visual arts and music. Christopher has a BA (Hons) from Flinders University. He is a former director of the Art Gallery of South Australia. Before that he was a curator, specialising in decorative arts, and worked at the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, and National Gallery Enquiries and of Victoria. He has published and lectured extensively on Australian and bookings European decorative arts, notably on the design work of William Morris, and curated numerous exhibitions. Christopher is based in Melbourne For further information and to where he is an art consultant and valuer, and Development Consultant secure a place on this tour for Australian Book Review. Christopher has led cultural tours to please contact Jamal Germany, England, the United States, as well as in Australia. Fairbrother at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 “Our tour leader Christopher Menz was excellent, his expertise in art (outside Sydney) or email galleries was invaluable, he went out of his way to show us galleries in [email protected] free time.” Feedback from Christopher’s Alps to the Rhine tour, April 2017. Tour Highlights ART IN BERLIN Berlin has a reputation for being the ‘New York of Europe’, offering a wide range of museums and galleries that hold treasures both ancient and contemporary. Some of the highlights include masterpieces by Botticelli, Raphael, Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Gemäldegalerie. We spend two days leisurely admiring the remarkable and vast collections at Museum Island. EAST AND WEST BERLIN In the quarter-century-plus since the Wall came down, Berlin has re-established itself as Germany’s capital and gone through an urban and social transformation that has made it, once again, one of the most exciting cities in Europe. We explore this fascinating city with walks through the historic neighbourhoods of both East and West Berlin, including the Brandenburg Gate, where east met west during the Cold War. POTSDAM Spend a full day in Potsdam, known for its 18th-century baroque architecture, especially Frederick the Great’s Sanssouci Park, the former residence of the Prussian royals. The town centre offers historical landmarks, charming boutiques, and café-lined cobblestone streets. Although it was severely damaged by bombing during World War II, much of the city has been restored to its former glory. LEIPZIG AND DRESDEN Travel through the scenic countryside to the charming old town of Renaissance Leipzig, which Göethe describes in Faust, as “a little Paris”. We spend time too in the elegantly restored city of Dresden, that has risen from the ashes, after devastating World War II bombing, regaining its reputation as “the Florence on the Elbe”. Each city offers impressive art collections at the Grassi Museum and the Zwinger Palace. REICHSTAG The symbol of Berlin’s mash-up of old and new, the Reichstag building anchors central Berlin with a Sir Norman Foster designed glass dome atop of the 116-year old structure. Our tour ends with a farewell meal at the Reichstag at Restaurant Kafer. Afterwards, walk the gently rising ramp inside the glass dome, taking in the views of Berlin and the parliamentary chamber below. Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letters B, L and D. Tour start & finish time The tour starts on Thursday May 2 at 6.00pm, at the bar at The Westin Grand Hotel, Berlin. The tour ends on Wednesday May 15 at 9.00am, with a group transfer to Berlin Tegel airport. Thursday may 2 Arrival If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel we will organise a transfer from Berlin airport to our hotel. Please note that hotel rooms may not be available until early afternoon. In the evening meet Christopher Menz at the hotel bar for welcome drinks followed by a light dinner. Overnight Berlin (D) Friday May 3 Medieval to Prussian Above: the gardens and palace at Charlottenburg, commissioned in the 17th century by Sophie Charlotte, wife of Friedrich III Today we visit the Berggruen Museum to admire its exceptional collection of modern art including works by Matisse, Klee and Below: the famous bust of Nefertiti, now found in the Neues Museum Giacometti. We pause for our welcome lunch at a fine local – the new home of the Egyptian Museum restaurant before continuing to Charlottenburg, for a guided tour of the richly decorated interior of the palace. Built by Elector Friederich III in 1699 as a summer palace for his wife Sophie Charlotte, this regal estate, the largest palace in Berlin, is framed by a baroque-style garden. In the late afternoon we cruise by ferry on the River Spree back to Berlin. Overnight Berlin (B, L) Saturday may 4 Frederick the Great’s city Today we spend the day in Potsdam, just a short distance from Berlin. The city is closely associated with Frederick the Great (ruled 1740-1786) the monarch of the newly created Kingdom of Prussia. Most of the day is spent exploring Sanssouci Park a complex of palaces, gardens and pavilions covering 287 hectares. We will also visit Cecilienhof Palace, the last Hohenzollern Palace and the site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference. After an early dinner in Potsdam we return to Berlin. Overnight Berlin (B, D) Sunday may 5 – Tosca Museum Island After a talk on this evening’s performance of Puccini’s Tosca, we walk to Museum Island. On the site of one of Berlin's two original settlements, this unique complex of five state museums is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a must-visit in Berlin. Today we visit the Neues Museum, the new home of the Egyptian Museum and the famous bust of Nefertiti. Mid- morning, we visit what is perhaps Berlin’s most renowned institution, the Pergamon Museum. The museum is currently under partial renovation so the hall containing the Pergamon Altar is closed . What we will see are the impressive Near Eastern antiquities and Islamic art, much of which was collected by the German Kaisers from their close contact with countries such as Turkey, Iraq and Iran in the early 20th century. We spend lunchtime in the nearby Hackesche Höfe, a district comprised of a series of interconnected courtyards bustling with restaurants, boutiques and galleries. This evening we walk to the recently reopened Staatsoper Unter den Linden, to see star soprano Sonya Yoncheva as one of opera’s iconic characters - Tosca. Overnight Berlin (B) Performance details Venue: Staatsoper Unter den Linden Program: Puccini’s Tosca Performers: Sonya Yoncheva (Tosca), Teodor Ilincai (Cavaradossi), Andrzej Dobber (Scarpia), Domingo Hindoyan (conductor) Monday may 6 The Prussian City We begin our day at the German History Museum, to survey the collection that focuses on Germany’s two-thousand-year history. Our next stop is Berlin's most famous landmark, the Above: acclaimed soprano Sonya Yoncheva will play the title role of Brandenburg Gate. A symbol of Berlin and German division Tosca at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, following a successful 2018 run in the same role at the Metropolitan Opera during the Cold War, it is now a national symbol of peace and unity. In the afternoon we visit the Gemäldegalerie, assembled in the early 19th century, the gallery’s collection represents all the major schools of European painting and includes Below: the Frauenkirche in Dresden stands as a great symbol of resurrection for the city masterpieces by Botticelli, Raphael, Caravaggio, Breughel, Vermeer and Rembrandt. This evening we have dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Berlin (B, D) Tuesday may 7 Museum Island II We depart Berlin today for Leipzig, first returning to Museum Island to visit the Altes Museum, home to an impressive collection of Greek and Roman antiquities.