Saxony Germany Trip April / May 2010

Fam Trip April/May 2010 /Robin Wilfong / Vacations By Robin
Sunday, 25th April 2010 -- Arrival day

8:05 AM Arrival at Berlin Tegel Airport
9:15 AM Transfer to Dresden
12:00 AM Arrival and Check-in at Radisson blu upon availability
5:00 PM Scenic view of Dresden from the city hall tower
5:45 PM Transfer to Dresden Reick
6:00 PM Visit the Panometer panorama of Baroque Dresden
7:00 PM Transfer to the hotel
7:30 PM Welcome Dinner at Radisson SAS Dresden


Monday, 26th April 2010 -- Dresden

9:30 AM Guided walk of Dresden's historic city center and Baroque "New Town"
12:30 PM Transfer to Pillnitz with short stop at Pfund´s Dairy
1:15 PM Lunch at Pillnitz Castle Hotel
2:30 PM Guided walk of Pillnitz castle and park
3:45 PM Steamboat ride to Dresden's city center
4:45 PM Walk to Royal Castle
5:00 PM Guided tour of "Green Vault" & "Turkish Chamber" in Dresden's Royal Palace
6:00 PM Walk to the banks of Elbe
6:15 PM Dinner at "Radeberger Spezialausschank" brewery restaurant
7:30 PM Walk back to the hotel

Tuesday, 27th April 2010 -- Saxon Elblands

9:30 AM Transfer to Moritzburg
10:00 AM Guided Tour of Moritzburg Castle
11:30 AM Transfer to Moritzburg Station
12:03 PM Narrow-gauge steam train ride to Radebeul
12:30 PM Arrival at Radebeul and transfer to Meissen
1:15 PM Lunch at Vincenz Richter's romantic restaurant
2:30 PM Transfer to Meissen State Porcelain Manufactory
2:45 PM Guided Tour of the Workshops, the museum and the 300th anniversary exhibition
5:45 PM Transfer to the Saxon State Winery at Wackerbarth Castle
6:15 PM Sparkling wine tour
7:15 PM Dinner and wine tasting at the winery's restaurant
8:30 PM Transfer to Dresden
9:00 PM Arrival at the hotel

Wednesday, 28th April 2010 -- Saxon Switzerland

9:00 AM Transfer to Königstein
10:00 AM Guided walk of Königstein Fortress
11:30 AM Transfer to Rathen
12:30 PM Scenic views from the Bastei rock formation
1:00 PM Lunch at the Panorama restaurant
2:15 PM Transfer to Dresden
3:00 PM Free time for hotel inspections, sightseeing and shopping


Thursday, 29th April 2010 -- Leipzig

9:00 AM Transfer to Leipzig
11:00 AM Welcome by Mr. Michael Steuer of the Leipzig Tourist Board
Guided tour of the exhibition "Retrospective - 50th birthday of Neo Rauch"
12:30 PM Lunch at Panorama Restaurant
optional: visit of the viewing platform
2:00 PM Guided city walk on the theme "Leipzig - city of Music" referring to Augustusplatz, Schumann-House, Museum of Musical Instruments, Mendelssohn-House
Visit of St. Nicholas' Church and St. Thomas' Church
4:00 PM Reception and guided tour of the just opened new Bach-Museum
5:00 PM Spare time
6:30 PM Dinner at the famous and historic restaurant "Auerbachs Keller"
8:00 PM Transfer to Dresden
__

Friday, 30th April 2010 -- Görlitz and Bautzen

9:30 AM Transfer to Görlitz
11:15 AM Guided walk of the historic town center
1:00 PM Lunch at the "Lucie Schulte" restaurant
2:15 PM Guided walk of the historic town center (part 2) and visit of the Silesian Museum
3:30 PM Transfer to Bautzen
4:30 PM Guided walk of historic "Upper Town"
6:30 PM Dinner at the "Bjesada" Sorbian restaurant
8:15 PM Transfer to Dresden


Saturday, 1st May 2010 -- Freiberg and Ore Mountains

9:00 AM Transfer to Freiberg
10:00 AM Guided Tour of Freiberg Cathedral
10:30 AM Guided Walk of the historic town
11:30 AM Terra Mineralia
12:15 PM Transfer to Colmnitz
1:00 PM Lunch and sightseeing at the Stracoland Christmas world
2:45 PM Transfer to Dresden
3:30 PM Arrival at the hotel and freetime
6:30 PM Goodbye dinner at Alte Meister Restaurant

Sunday, 2nd May 2010 -- Departure day

5:00 AM Transfer to Berlin Airport
7:30 AM Check-in for the return flight
9:35 AM Departure for the United States
12:45 PM Arrive at New York airport same day

Cruise 3Sixty-Vancouver,B.C. Canada

June02-06-2010 First time Cruise 3 Sixty was held out of Ft Lauderdale. 1407 Registered Travel Professional delegates. International participants from Austria,Brazil. India and Turkey. 46 per cent Canadian Agents. American Express-presenting Sponsor and Hong Kong another major sponsor.

The Conference opened at the beautiful Vancouver Aquarium with a Dolphin show,flowing cocktails and finger food.It was nice venue as Vancouver is such a natural City:greenry,flowers,mountains,Bay,Gardens,Modern Artitects and the most friendly Canadians.

CLIA seminars for credit,workshops,destination briefings,cruise line products,ship inspections and booking demonstrations.CLIA's Cruise Industry Hall of Frame inducted four new members.

The GALA Dinner featured live entertainment by the famous Blue Man Group from Las Vegas sponsor by NCL and the 42 Five a featured act by Celebrity Cruises. A delicious dinner was served at the Ballroom-Canada Place.

I got to inspected couple ships that was actually docked at Canada Place-you probably could have touch the ships from the walkway of the Hotel.

It was great meeting so many great Agents and networking about travel. We even completed our three CLIA exams in a group effort. It was much better than completing it indivdually. For me, it was a great learning experience and I really enjoy CLIA Cocktail Party for their Graduates at the Westin Bayshore Shore Hotel,another new sponsor. Fantastic seafood and dessert(home made ice cream sundaes) buffet with live music and exotic cocktails.The Currents served delicious Brunch.I highly recommend staying at the Westin Bayshore-right across Stanley Park,the Bay and the City Glass/Steel buildings. It is so Eco friendly,miles of walking trails and water sports.

Cruise 3Sixty 20011 bw back to Fort Lauderdale-April14-17-2011. $89,$109 and $169 per person. Check www cruise 3sixty.com. Anyone in the Travel business should at least attend one/two conferences for the lastest update in the industry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN CANCUN/RIVIERA MAYA

Years ago, my husband and I decided to celebrate life's events such as birthdays, anniversaries and milestone events. Since then, trips to local and exotic destinations are how we plan to cherish one another and God's goodness.

Earlier we had celebrated my husbands birthday after Christmas-before/during New Year's in Fiji. This was the very first time he had spent his birthday in a 'warm weather'/tropical destination.

Because my birthday lands on the brink of summer (June 10th), I usually have the luxury of celebrating in a warm climate either at home or somewhere far away.

This year we chose to travel to Cancun and the Riviera Maya - the Le Meridien Cancun Resort and Spa and the Hacienda Tres Rios Resort, Spa and Naturepark (a generous donation by Patricia Madrid-a prize she won during the Riviera Maya tradeshow in Sacramento). Since one is an 'EP' resort (LMC) - the other a five-star all-inclusive (HTR), we would be able to mix it up.

We had decided since we have previously visited this area and its' many tourist, historical and ecological areas - we would just enjoy the two resorts and what they have to offer.

We flew from San Francisco via Mexico City on Mexicana Airlines and arrived on my birthday

and were escorted to our room at the Le Meridien Cancun to the 'Club Level' on the sixth floor.

Later the resort concierge delivered fresh fruit and a birthday cake for us to enjoy on the

balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea to the left and the lagoon - with sunset to the right.

Guests may actually stay on any level, however 'Le Club' is a 'members only' section which offers a 'cold buffet breakfast' which consists of juices, coffee, fresh fruit and meats and cheeses.

It is a nice way to start the day overlooking the beautiful Caribbean Sea and many watched the FIFA World Cup soccer event on the flat-screen TV.

In the evening, hot hors d' oeuvres are served with premium drinks and can be a nice warm up to dinner or as we did - a complement to a full lunch at the beach-side grill- again as many watched World Cup soccer.

One day I ordered the 'Caribbean lobster' and I must say it was some of the best I've ever tasted.

Le Meridien Cancun also offers a 'full-service' spa, so my husband and I decided to have some

"me time" to refresh ourselves. As part of our package we paid $30-per couple for a full day use of the facilities.

My husband and I parted ways at the reception area and enjoyed the hot and dry sauna, whirlpool and cold plunge pool. Afterwards we relaxed in the outdoor spa/jacuzzi - a cool refreshing relaxation area in the warm Caribbean heat.

Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa - ADIOS!

We checked out and took a taxi from Le Meridien Cancun and headed to the Riviera Maya in a 40-minutes ride. It was interesting to notice all of the resort properties and tourist attractions that have sprung up in this area.

As we arrived at the Hacienda Tres Rios Resort, Spa and Naturepark, we noticed how it seemed as we were entering an ecological area - lots of greenery.

The reception was smooth and we were whisked to our room overlooking the entire property and the Caribbean Sea. We quickly decided to do a quick tour of the property and restaurants and decided to have lunch at the beachside 'Hacienda Grill'. I enjoyed the delicious sea bass and my husband enjoyed ceviche and battered shrimp along with 'top-shelf' margaritas. Then it

was "siesta time" as we layed by the pool and enjoyed the warm Caribbean sun.

Afterwards we visited the property's 'Il Forno Pizzeria' and were quite impressed with the selection and taste as we enjoyed pizza in our suite overlooking the property. Other guests partook in a "Mexican buffet'' for dinner in the courtyard with live entertainment.

After a buffet breakfast in 'Casa Las Islas'-where the resorts main dining takes place, we decided to explore the resort. I must say we did not visit the spa as we were on a limited schedule.

This day we decided to experience the complimentary 'Jaguar tour' which consists of a brief tour and a swim in one of the many 'cenotes' or caves - on property.

Because we did an afternoon tour, it was shorter than the normal two-hour tour. We were taken to an area, given a brief introduction and then assigned snorkel equipment. Our group then followed the gentle flow of the river to the sea. It was a cool refreshing experience.

Afterwards we parked ourselves by the pool and enjoyed a leisure afternoon.

On our last evening there, we decided to have dinner in the resort's Mexican restaurant, 'El Alebrije', as we were advised they served lobster. Although this restaurant usually requires a 24-hours advance reservation, we were allowed once we approached the concierge desk and advised we were departing the following morning.

The service, ambience and meal was all top-notch and a wonderful way to wind down from a lovely vacation - courtesy of our warm Mexican hosts.

WHAT A WAY TO CELEBRATE LIFE!

Post-cruise Stay in Rome

At the conclusion of the Transalantic cruise we spent five nights in Rome including a day trip to Florence by train. Rome has many famous places to visit but many are expensive and very crowded. The crowds of people surprised me as we were there well before the peak summer season.

Transfer from ship to Rome: The Princess bus transfer was $59/person from the ship to some unspecified “central location”. Since we were traveling with another couple, we were able to arrange a private transfer directly to our hotel for about $50/person. This was much more convenient and civilized.

Transfer from Rome to airport: by the time we were leaving Rome there were just two of us. The train would be 14 Euro each with some hassle with the luggage. The hotel offered a private transfer for 46 Euro total. The price difference of about $23 total made the private transfer a bargain.

Hotel Mediterraneo: While planning the trip I believed that a hotel near the main train station would be very useful. I found that this location was very convenient. But given that many sites are within walking distance and the subway system is really efficient, I wouldn’t bypass another hotel in a reasonable location. I booked the Bettoja Mediterraneo Hotel, across the street from the train station with upscale rooms and nice rooftop bar/café.

The room was very nice with hardwood floors and marble bath. A small TV had a variety of Italian stations, CNN and ESPN International (seemingly only soccer). The rooftop bar was pleasant but the weather wasn’t conducive to sitting outside and the price for drinks was very high ($8 for beer). The breakfast room was very pleasant and the ample buffet spread was replenished regularly. Rome hotels are expensive and this hotel cost more than I wanted to spend ($280/night); fortunately the Euro collapsed a bit during the trip bringing the cost down to $250 a night by the time that the charge cleared. I am normally willing to ‘pay extra’ for a good hotel location but not for a ‘fancy’ hotel. This hotel is great for those that appreciate a beautiful lobby and marble bathrooms; in retrospect, for me, I would have booked a place $50-70 cheaper in the same neighborhood.

Restaurants: after 14 nights on the ship we weren’t exactly in need of elaborate meals. As we wandered around near the hotel, every block had one or more “Restaurant/Pizza” establishments. Most had similar menus, though prices varied. About half had ‘fixed menus’ with a few courses for a set price and some included wine in the fixed price. We ate lots of thin-crust pizza, mostly very good. Our best meal was antipasto and wine at Cavour 313, a wine bar about a mile from the hotel. There was a really good gelato place on Cavour near the Maggiore piazza.  We had a nice lunch at L’Antica Birreria Peroni, a quasi-German beer hall near the Trevi Fountain. We also had several moderately priced, decent-to-forgettable meals near our hotel.

Touring Rome: with our 3 ½ days in Rome and 1 day in Florence we managed to hit most of the key tourist sites in these two cities.

--The most important thing in planning a visit is to learn when sites are closed; for example the Vatican is closed on Sunday and most museums are closed on Monday. So we visited many sites in Ancient Rome on Sunday and the Vatican on Monday.

--The next most important thing is to determine which sites allow pre-booking to avoid multi-hour lines. Another alternative is to join one of the tour groups being formed outside the attraction. This will double the already high admission price and reduce your flexibility.

--We discovered that even though our pre-booked tickets specified an entry time, at all of the museums but one we were able to enter early, saving us a lot of dead time. The one exception was the Galleria Borghese that only allows entry during specific 2-hour windows.

--Audio tours: we downloaded a several MP3 tours from www.ricksteves.com. I purchased a headphone ‘Y’ adapter at Radio Shack so that we could both listen to the tours from one MP3 device. I feel that his tours are well done and that they added a lot to our visits.

Day trip to Florence: the train takes about 90 minutes and costs just over $100/person RT. We spent about 7 hours touring Florence. The Academia, home to the original Michelangelo’s David, is a small museum that is best to pre-book. I didn’t realize photos were forbidden until after I got several shots of David. When I noticed that I was the only one photographing, I figured it out. The Uffizi was very large and would have been overwhelming without an audio tour. I was glad that we visited Florence independently rather than on a limited-time ship shore excursion. Note: some ship shore excursions include admission to one or both of the key museums while others provide merely bus transport. If visiting with limited time, advance bookings or guided tours are essential.  Photos are David and the River Arno's Ponte Vecchio bridge.

Favorite Rome church: While St. Peters in the Vatican is impressive, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, built in A.D. 432, is more user-friendly. It is located a short walk from the train station. Here are a few photos:

Rome Church, honorable mention: San Giovanni in Laterno, the first Christian church in Rome, was established in A.D. 318. It is located a few subway stops from the train station, near remnants of the old city wall.

Favorite ancient site: The Pantheon, a Roman temple built around A.D. 120, is considered Rome's best preserved ancient site. The fact that it became a church fairly early prevented a lot of the destruction found at other ancient sites.  It was very interesting and relatively uncrowded. The Rick Steves audio tour provided good insight into ancient construction techniques.

Least favorite famous site: in the Vatican Museum I experienced a major tourist overload. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people are herded past thousands of paintings and relics on a long slowly moving march towards the Sistine Chapel. Fortunately photography is forbidden, otherwise the herd would have stumbled over each other. The Sistine Chapel is truly amazing but the famous ceiling containing Michelangelo’s paintings is very high up and binoculars might be useful. We did discover the shortcut from the chapel directly into St. Peters (avoids another queue and an additional security check).  I was glad that we had seen the movie "Agony and Ecstacy" recently and that we could listen to the Rick Steves audio tour.

Sites I had to see but really didn’t get: the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Maybe it is better if you are single and go at night.

Conclusion: Our 3 ½ day itinerary allowed us to see a lot of famous sites without undue stress. Note: we allocated zero time for shopping.  You could probably hit the important highlights in two days if you are well organized (and not there on a Monday).  Alternatively you could spend a bit longer and do some other day trips such as Ostia Antica.  We very much enjoyed our visit to Rome but I didn't throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain.  I found the high prices and crowded sites to be a bit off-putting.

Crown Princess Tranatlantic, Marseille and Pisa

Marseille France: the tour books generally recommend using Marseille as merely a jumping off point for travel to visit more interesting parts of the French Provence countryside. I considered visiting Avignon, an old town on the Rhone River that was home to the Popes during the 14th century. I also considered visiting Aix-en-Provence, originally a Roman town, now populated with several universities. I selected a Princess shore excursion that included both Aix and Lourmarin, a charming village with a large renaissance castle. This excursion was advertised as ‘on your own’ but the tour guide provided very informative walking tours of both locations.

Our excursion began with a bus trip through the Provence countryside. Upon reaching Aix, the bus parked near one of the major fountains, a good landmark to help us find our way back to the bus. Most of us followed the guide as she walked down the Cours Mirabeau, the main street that separates the old town from the new town. It is lined with rows of plane trees. Interesting houses and shops are on both sides. Aix is known for fountains and several are seen as we walk along the street.

Next our guide led us into the old town where it was market day. Stalls were set up with a variety of produce, art and other goods. Our guide then pointed the way back to the bus and suggested that we spend the next few hours roaming the streets of this charming town.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The bus trip to Lourmarin gave us great views of rolling hills, several large chateaux, and vineyards. The small village was difficult for the bus so it parked on the outskirts and we walked into town. We were greeted with sidewalk cafes and many boutique shops, most closed because of a French holiday. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the narrow residential streets admiring the brightly painted doors and hanging plants. We even found a cat sunning in a flower box. We spent so much time wandering the village that we barely had time to tour the castle grounds. This is a beautiful village well worth a visit.


Anecdote: we were told to return to the bus by 3 PM. Everyone was back on time, except for two people. At 3:15 the guide announced that she had received permission to leave but that she was going to wait five more minutes. With one minute less the errant and unapologetic couple strolled onto the bus. This is one downside of shore excursion tours. Has that couple been left they would have been in serious trouble as there is no public transit to that village and a cab back to the ship would have cost several hundred Euros.

Tip: an excursion into the countryside is definitely the way to go in Marseille. One couple of our dinner companions stayed in Marseille in search of bouillabaisse; they were disappointed with the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Livorno (Pisa) Italy: Livorno is a busy industrial port stop primarily used by cruise ships for access to Florence, a few hours away by bus or train. Since I planned to visit Florence as a day trip from Rome I selected another plan. I studied the train schedules and planned to take a taxi to the train station, then go by train to Lucca, a charming walled medieval town. The return train allows a stopover in Pisa where we could quickly tour the leaning tower.

Unfortunately we awoke to a steady downpour which increased significantly by the time of our scheduled departure. Since Lucca is primarily a walking town, it seemed silly to brave the rain for a visit. We decided to wait onboard and see if the weather improved. About 10 AM the downpour lightened. and I went out and chatted with the taxi coordinator. We were offered a private taxi for four people to go to Pisa and back with two hours wait time in Pisa for exploration, all for 120 Euros (about $150 US). Since we were traveling with another couple that wanted to see Pisa, this was a good plan (and somewhat cheaper than the Princess excursion by bus).

Our cabdriver drove carefully through a heavy downpour as he wound his way through the highly industrialized dock area. About 20 minutes later the rain gradually lightened as we entered the city of Pisa. Pisa receives some bad press in the tourbooks, declared to be a destination with few charms other than the “Field of Miracles”, a broad grass lawn that surrounds the major church (Duomo), its belltower (the Leaning Tower), and the Baptistery. The cab parked in a taxi zone about 2 blocks from the famous area.

The Duomo was our first Italian church and it is truly impressive. We took lots of pictures inside the church and, of course, of the leaning tower. We spent almost two hours wandering about this area and really enjoyed our time. This was a nice excursion but I’m sorry that we missed Lucca due to the weather.

Our dinner companions enjoyed their shore excursions. One couple used a Princess shore excursion to visit Cinque Terre, five villages along the coast north of Livorno. The other couple arranged a private tour of Tuscany that included wine tasting.

Tip: many passengers travel to Florence by shore excursion or independently. Two famous museums in Florence are the Academia and the Uffizi Gallery. Some shore excursions include one or both. If traveling independently, it is important to prebook tickets to either of these museums to avoid substantial wait times.
The pictures below depict the Duomo, the leaning tower, inside the Duomo, the Baptistery and a portion of the medieval wall.