itinerary -illustrated
TRANSCRIPT
HARBOUR VIEW HIGH SCHOOL12 DAY PERFORMING TOUR TO EUROPE
JUNE 25 – JULY 6, 2013Preliminary Itinerary – September 17, 2012
Note: It is the responsibility of all participants to be in possession of the correct documentation to travel out of the country. Failure to do so will result in participants being denied entry/boarding and returned home at the expense of the individual. Canadian Citizens require a valid passport (the Canadian Government recommends that passports are valid at least 6 months beyond your return date). Groups are advised to obtain notarized letters of consent for persons under 18 years of age. Non-Canadians must check entry and transit requirements. Please notify the group leader at time of booking if you will be traveling with a passport from another country so we can check requirements and advise you accordingly.
Day 1 – Tuesday, June 25 to FRANKFURT, Germany- a coach arrives at Harbour View High School for loading of luggage- board the coach and transfer to Halifax Airport- check in with Condor for your trans-Atlantic flight- depart on Condor flight 2063 to Frankfurt- dinner will be served at the discretion of the airline
Day 2 – Wednesday, June 26 to LEIPZIG B/D- breakfast is served before landing- arrive at Frankfurt Airport – clear customs and claim your luggage- meet your motor coach and driver who will be with you for the entire trip- board your coach and depart for Erfurt – The Capital City of Thuringia –
Germany’s Green Belt (estimated drive time is 30 minutes) - its’ earliest historic records date from AD 729 and the city’s cultural, intellectual and economic dominance drew great personalities such as Martin Luther, Goethe, Schiller, Bach (his parents were married in the Kaufmannskirche), Czar Alexander of Russia and Napoleon
- meet your professional English speaking guide for a walking tour of Erfurt – highlights of the tour may include Dom St. Marien, the Fischmarkt, the Kramerbrucke (the merchant bridge which spans the River Gera), the Anger (the market square and Erfurt’s main shopping street), and the Augustinerkloster (in the neighbouring monastery, can be found the reconstructed cell where Martin Luther lived as a monk)
- time to purchase lunch and explore the town in your chaperoned groups
continue on to Leipzig- check into your accommodation for a 2 night stay- dinner at the hotel
Day 3 – Thursday, June 27 LEIPZIG B/D- breakfast at your accommodation - board your coach and depart for St. Thomas
Church (Thomaskirche) where you will meet your guides at the Bach Memorial
- divide into 2 groups and begin your 2 hour walking tour of Leipzig
- Johann Sebastian Bach was Leipzig's musical director – director ‘musices lipsiensis’ – and choirmaster of the St Thomas' Boys Choir between 1723 and 1750. The city has dedicated itself to maintaining Bach's heritage with the Bach Archives, the Bach Museum, the St Thomas' Boys Choir, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
- your tour will include a visit to St. Thomas Church where J.S. Bach produced music for 27 years. J.S. Bach is perhaps the most important musician and composer of all time. He advanced the concepts of tonal harmony that would become the foundation for musical structure and design to this day. His vast collection of works has been performed by choirs, orchestras, pianists and organists worldwide for three centuries. Bach’s musical intelligence lead him to further refine the equal tempered tuning system. This concept made it possible for keyboard instruments to be played in all 12 major and minor keys. He wrote many etudes and fugues in all 12 keys for his students to study and learn.
- “a Capella” performance featuring the Harbour View Choral Ensemble
your tours will conclude with time to purchase lunch in your chaperoned groups- meet outside the Bach Museum where you will have a guided tour- following the tour there is time for independent exploration
in the museum- board your coach at a predetermined location and depart for Alumnat
Saint Thomas School- meet your hosts and begin your guided tour of the Alumnat- The Thomanerchor (St. Thomas' Choir) is a shared living and
learning experience of nearly 100 boys between the ages of 10 and 18. The major focus of the choir is with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. It is believed that no other choir specializes to such an extent on one single composer. Established 780 years ago, the Thomanerchor is the oldest cultural institution of the city of Leipzig.
- exchange of performances (2 songs each)- dinner at your hotel - retire to your rooms for the evening
Day 4 – Friday, June 28 to ESSEN B/D- breakfast at your accommodation
followed by check out- board the coach and depart for Essen
- a stop will be made in Kassel – this area was rebuilt after WWII with new buildings to give a clean break from the past
- continue to Essen- Essen began with a Benedictine
monastery that was built in 850 A.D. - As the city grew, it eventually became, during the Industrial Revolution, an important center of mining and iron and steel production.
- check in at your accommodation for a 2 night stay
- dinner at the hotel- transfer to a local church to
prepare for your concert- performance by Harbour View High
School Choral Ensemble
Day 5 – Saturday, June 29 COLOGNE/ESSEN B/D- breakfast at your accommodation - board the coach for a day trip to Cologne,
Germany- upon arrival in Cologne prepare for your
performance at the Cologne Cathedral - performance by Harbour View Choral
Ensemble (sing 1 or 2 songs)•Cologne Cathedral is the heart of the city – 144 metres long, 86 metres wide and with spires 157 metres tall•following the performance there is time to explore the cathedral and stroll the market area in your chaperoned groups•purchase lunch in your chaperoned groups
- board the coach and return to Essen- visit the Zollverein Coal Mine - a
UNESCO World Heritage site that preserves the story of the evolution and decline of coal mining before and since the Industrial Revolution
- return to the hotel to freshen up before dinner
- dinner at a nearby restaurant
Day 6 – Sunday, June 30 to UTRECHT, Holland B/D- breakfast at your accommodation followed by
check out- board the coach and depart for Nijmegen and
Groesbeek site of the Canadian War Cemetery - the final resting place for 2,338 Canadian soldiers, many who became casualties during the battle for the Rhineland…they were transferred here by order of General Crerar who decreed that no Canadian casualties of World War II were to be buried on German soil. - there will be time in Nijmegen to purchase lunch in your chaperoned groups
- board the coach and continue to Utrecht- check in at your accommodation for a 2 night
stay- dinner at the hotel or a nearby restaurant
Day 7 – Monday, July 1 AMSTERDAM/UTRECHT B/D- breakfast at your accommodation - board your coach and depart for Amsterdam - arrive in Amsterdam’s Jordaan District at The Anne
Frank House…the hiding place in "The Annex" that Otto Frank
found for his family, the van Pels family, and Fritz Pfeffer, which kept them safe until tragically close to the end of the war, when it was raided by Nazi forces and its occupants deported to concentration camps (due to the size of your group, 2 consecutive entrance times have been booked)
- noon time concert performance by Harbour View Choral Ensemble
- time to purchase lunch and explore in chaperoned groups- meet at the Rederij Lovers Boat Pier located in front of
Amsterdam’s Central Station- arrive at the Lover’s Boat Cruise Pier in time to board your
canal boat- depart on your 60 minute illuminated cruise tour of
Amsterdam’s Canals (the center of Amsterdam features many interesting buildings, canal-
side houses and attractions which at night are beautifully lit) – enjoy the evening
- at the conclusion of the cruise make your way to dinner- group dinner at Humphrey’s restaurant (or similar)- board the coach and return to Utrecht
Day 8 – Tuesday, July 2 to ANTWERP, Belgium B/D- breakfast at your accommodation followed by check
out- board the coach and depart for Antwerp- a stop will be made at Delta Works – one of the Seven
Wonders of the Modern World- Delta Works is a series of construction projects to
protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea – finished in 1997 after almost 50 years of construction
- mid afternoon departure for Antwerp- late afternoon arrival in Antwerp- check in at your accommodation for a 2 night stay - dinner is included at a nearby restaurant - meet professional step on guides in front of the hotel
for a walking tour of Belgium’s second city which combines high fashion with a medieval Old Town and a vibrant nightlife scene
Day 9 – Wednesday, July 3 Vimy and Beaumont Hamel, France B/D- breakfast at your accommodation - board your coach and depart Antwerp heading south for northern France- midmorning arrival in Vimy and Vimy National Memorial Park a site that needs no introduction to Canadians, where it has often been accurately said that Canada became a nation…enjoy a guided tour of the trenches and tunnels (tentative to confirmation)
- informal midday “a Capella” performance featuring the Harbour View Choral Ensemble at the base of the beautiful Vimy Memorial
- view the exhibits in the Visitor’s Centre- The Battle of Vimy Ridge has become one of
the most significant moments in Canadian military history and marks the first time that the Canadian Corps went into battle as a national unit. On that day, at great cost, the Canadian forces achieved the biggest single advance on the Western Front during World War I, and won back the high ground from the Kaiser’s Troops, which had previously been unobtainable to the British and the French Forces
- board the coach and depart for Beaumont Hamel - a stop will be made to purchase lunch (suggest Arras)- continue on to the Newfoundland Memorial- on arrival the choir will sing a few songs of remembrance- begin a guided tour - board your coach and return to Antewerp- dinner at the hotel or a nearby restaurant
Day 10 – Thursday, July 4 to KOBLENZ, Germany B/D- breakfast at your accommodation followed by
check out- board the coach and travel to Brussels- on arrival you will meet your English speaking
guide for an overview of the city with small town charm- there will be time to explore and purchase lunch in
your chaperoned groups- board the coach and continue to Koblenz- check in at your accommodation for a 2 night
stay- dinner at the hotel or a nearby restaurant
Day 11 – Friday, July 5 KOBLENZ B/D- breakfast at your accommodation - today you will enjoy a cruise on the Rhine River- possible performance- farewell dinner
Day 12 – Saturday, July 6 HOME B- breakfast at the hotel followed by check out- load the coach and transfer to Frankfurt Airport- on arrival check in with Condor for your flight back to
Canada- depart on Condor flight 6062 for Halifax- set your watches to local time before landing- arrive in Halifax where you will clear customs and
claim your luggage- meet your coach for transfer to Saint John- arrive at Harbour View High School- welcome home
