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| Day 1 |
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Depart U.S.
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Board your flight for Prague, the Czech Republic
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| Day 2 |
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ARRIVE PRAGUE
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Arrive in Prague (the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), where you will be met by your guide, and transferred to your hotel, conveniently located in the center of The Old Town. After checking into your rooms, enjoy some light refreshment, a brief orientation talk and a walking tour of The Old Town or Stare Mesto The walk through the streets of the Old Town will bring you to the famous, elaborate Astronomical Clock, Jan Hus Memorial, Kafka’s home, historic Charles University and/or the Estates Theater (the only European opera house that is nearly unaltered since Mozart’s time and where he conducted the first performance of his Don Giovanni). Dinner will be in the Old Town. (L/D) Bellagio Hotel (4-star) |
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| Day 3 |
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PRAGUE - CASTLE DISTRICT & LESSER TOWN
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Today have a guided walking tour of two historic districts (former towns) in Prague - the Castle District or Hradčany, located on a hill overlooking the Vltava (Moldau) River, and the Lesser Town bellow, spread on the slope of Hradčany hill. Visit the Prague Castle complex (one of the largest ancient castle complexes in the world), St. Vitus Cathedral, the medieval Royal Palace, St. George Basilica, The Golden Lane and the Palace Gardens, with beautiful views of the rooftops and spires of Prague. Your walking tour continues in the Lesser Town to see the splendid Baroque St. Nicolas Church and one of the lovely Baroque Gardens in the city. Walk through the charming Kampa (an island connected by bridges to the mainland) to the famous Charles Bridge, built over the mighty Vltava (Moldau) River in the 14th century, the only remaining large medieval bridge in Europe, named for its builder, Emperor Charles IV of the Holy Roman Empire. Lined with sculptures of saints and other religious figures, it is now a pedestrian bridge, filled with people selling handcrafts, presenting marionette shows (for which Prague is famous) or other attractions that keep it filled with visitors most of the time. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore on your own or rest. (B/L) Bellagio Hotel (4-star)
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| Day 4 |
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KARLOVY VARY (KARLSBAD) – MARIANSKE LAZNY (MARIENBAD)
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Today’s excursion will take us west and south of Prague, first to visit the historic and internationally famous spa towns of Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) and Marienbad (Marianske Lazny), including the Spa Museum and the Johan Wolfgang Goethe Museum. Karlsbad is the older of the two spas, and the springs were said to have been discovered by Emperor Charles IV in the mid-14th century, and his name was given to the town. The twelve different springs each have different combinations of healthful minerals, and prescriptions are given for people with various ailments to bathe in or drink from particular springs. The temperature and mineral content of each spring has remained constant over the centuries. These spa towns have attracted royalty from throughout Europe, as well as the international “rich and famous” ever since. While their peak of popularity was in the 18th and 19th centuries; they are still popular resorts. Later in the day, continue south to the medieval town of Plzen, which was liberated by the American General Patton at the end of World War II, and which is famous for the original Pilsner beer. Enjoy dinner here, before returning to Prague. (B/D) Bellagio Hotel (4-star)
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| Day 5 |
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PRAGUE - NEW TOWN & JEWISH QUARTER
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This morning, take a guided walk in the New Town (Nove Mesto), stopping to see some of Prague’s many outstanding examples of late 19th c and early 20th c. architecture, including Cubism and Art Nouveau (the work of Alphonse Mucha and of many other outstanding architects and artists). Your walk will include a tour of the Mucha Museum and the beautiful Municipal House, its Art Nouveau glories newly restored. Visit famed Wenceslas Square, where Vaclav Havel and the people of Prague raised their voices against Communism, eventually succeeding in establishing a democracy here. In the afternoon continue your guided walking tour of Prague’s Jewish Quarter or Josefov, with Europe’s oldest synagogue and oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, where you will see Rabbi Loew’s grave. The rest of the day will be at leisure to explore the city and its many attractions. (B/L) Bellagio Hotel (4-star)
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| Day 6 |
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CESKY KRUMLOV
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Today we leave Prague for a four days tour through southern Bohemia and Moravia. Travel south by coach through small villages, the road sides often lined with fruit and nut trees, following an ancient tradition of providing some nourishment for passing travelers. Arrive in the charming and quite picturesque southern Bohemian town of Cesky Krumlov (UNESCO World Heritage Site), loved by the artist Egon Schiele, and where we will delight in a guided walking tour through the narrow streets with buildings from many historic periods of time. Our visit will culminate with a tour of magnificent Krumlov Castle rising up at the end of the town, where we will visit the incredible Masquerade Ballroom (with amazing trompel’oeil frescoes) and the Chateau Theater (from the 1760s), one of the oldest complete Rococo theaters remaining in Europe. After reboarding our bus, we will make the short trip to the charming historic town of Trebon, where we stay overnight (B/D) Hotel Zlata Hvezda (4-star)
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| Day 7 |
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TELC - BRNO
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This morning cross the lovely, peaceful Southern Bohemian and Moravian countryside to see a unique architectural gem of world renown, the charming Renaissance town of Telc (UNESCO World Heritage site). Originally founded in the early 14th century as a water stronghold with Gothic castle and lake, the town grew under the reign of the Lords of Hradec into a unique Renaissance town. After some free time for lunch and a stroll in the historical center, a protected conservation area with a unique complex of Renaissance burgher houses with arcades, visit the castle. In the late afternoon continue to Brno, the capital of the Czech state of Moravia and second largest city in the country where you will overnight. (B/D) Hotel International Brno (4-star) |
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| Day 8 |
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BRNO
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Here we will visit the former home and now museum of the composer Leos Janacek, considered one of the three greatest Czech composers, along with Dvorak and Smetana – all of whom incorporated into their music Czech folk tunes and folk tales. A guided walking tour will take your through the Old Town to see Brno’s landmark, the Old Town Hall with its famous late Gothic portal, a kind of bizarre architectural joke; and the Reduta Theater, where Mozart performed in 1767. You will also see the splendid Gothic Church of St James the Greater, the New Town Hall, and the famous vegetable market with the Parnassus Fountain and the Holy Trinity. After some free time, visit the Mendelianum, a part of the Augustinian Monastery where the mid-19th century botanist/geneticist Gregor Mendel did his pioneering work on the common garden pea. Then drive through the countryside to a little town Hustopece for dinner in a traditional Moravian vinne sklepy or wine cellar. Return to Brno for the night. (B/D) Hotel International Brno (4-star) |
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| Day 9 |
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BRNO - KUTNA HORA - PRAGUE
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Today turn north towards Prague, stopping first at the Sedlec Cistercian monastery to see the unique example of the architectonic style known as Baroque-Gothic (Baroque modification of Gothic) by Jan Santini Aichel at the Convent Church of the Virgin Mary (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Chapel of All Saints with Ossuary. Continue on to visit the old silver town of Kutna Hora, second only in importance to Prague in the 14th and 15th centuries. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kutna Hora’s charms begin in its picturesque town square, lined with a wide variety of architectural gems, and continue to the nearby Cathedral of St. Barbara, one of Europe’s finest Gothic churches, built with the wealth of the silver mines that once made this area one of Europe’s richest. Visit the Mintner’s Chapel ornamented with wonderful 15th c murals and frescoes and an elaborate, colorful ceiling. Our guided walking tour of the nearby area will include remains of the old city walls, a 15th c. Gothic fountain and more. Return to Prague for farewell dinner and overnight stay at the (B/L/D) Hotel Diplomat (4-star) |
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| Day 10 |
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DEPART PRAGUE
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After breakfast, transfer to the airport this morning to board your return flights to the U. S. (B)
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