etk reise specials
ESSEN+TRINKEN+KUNST=KULTUR
presents
FOOD + WINE + ARTS = CULTURE
…ins Land der Franken fahren
(line from a very popular traditional song in Franconia)
… I'll travel to Franconia …
Gastronomic wine, culture and sightseeing tour of Franconia in northern Bavaria/Germany – homeland of famed wines from Juliusspital, Wuerzburger Stein and Escherndorfer Lump – and the major tourist attractions in the region
Wuerzburg – Nuremberg – Rothenburg
and the Baroque Festival Gala at the baroque palace in Wuerzburg
Monday, May 10, 2010, through Saturday, May 15, 2010
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Statue of St. Kilian, patron-saint of the city of Wuerzburg, on the medieval bridge crossing the Main River in front of the Marienberg castle
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Participants in this tour of Franconia should select flights leaving the US for Frankfurt Intl. Airport / Germany on Sunday, May 9, 2010, that allow them to arrive in Frankfurt in the morning of Monday, May 10, 2010. In case they will already arrive on Sunday, Walter Liehmann, the organiser and guide of the tour, will assist participants, who wish to do so, in making a reservation at a hotel at or near Frankfurt Intl. Airport for the night of Sunday, May 9, 2010.
Tour Program in Germany
Day 1, Monday, May 10, 2010
Frankfurt Intl. Airport – Miltenberg – Buergstadt – Wertheim – Wuerzburg
a.m. Flight arrivals from the US at Frankfurt International Airport/Germany
Participants in the tour will be welcomed at Frankfurt Intl. Airport by the tour guide, Mr Walter Liehmann, owner of WALTER LIEHMANN REISE SPECIALS, who will take the group to the tour bus. He will stay with the group throughout the tour.
Bus ride east over the Autobahn (interstate) past the city of Aschaffenburg, then along the Main River valley, passing through little romantic wine-growing towns, on to Miltenberg, well-known as a romantic movie backdrop. Walk through the historical town center and lunch at the oldest restaurant in Germany, the “Gasthaus zum Riesen”.
p.m. In near-by Buergstadt, visit and wine sampling at Weingut Rudolf Fuerst, formerly Weingut Paul Fuerst, one of Germany’s best producers of red wines (visit not yet confirmed) or another good wine estate. The ride continues along the Main River valley to Wertheim, a beautiful old town by the river. Short stop, if there’s enough time, depending on the departure from rankfurt Airport, and on to Wuerzburg, the former residence of the Dukes of Franconia and Princebishops, today an important university city and the capital of the wine-growing region Franconia.
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Wuerzburg, the Main River and Franconia's most famous wine appellation, Wuerzburger Stein,
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Check-in for five nights at Hotel Greifenstein, a family-owned traditional four-star hotel with recently renovated rooms, situated in the very heart of the historical city center facing the Gothic St Mary’s chapel and just off the central market square, in comfortable walking-distance to all major sights. Dinner at hotel.
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Gothic St. Mary's chapel in the market square
with beautiful stone-carved ornaments | | | | | | | | Well-known statues Adam and Eve by famous sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider
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Day 2, Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Wuerzburg – Volkach – Nordheim – Escherndorf – Wuerzburg
a.m. Trip to the historical town of Volkach and the popular wine-growing villages along a very picturesque part of the Main River valley. Leisurely tour of the town, then short bus ride to Nordheim for a visit and wine sampling at Divino, the best winegrowers' cooperative in Germany, highly awarded at various international contests. Typical lunch with fresh seasonal products at the “Zehnthof”, a very popular restaurant in a stately building that originally belonged to a near-by Benedictine monastery and served as the “tax office”, where local farmers and winegrowers had to deposit one-tenth that is “der Zehnte (Teil)” of their produce as tax-payment to their landowners. Now the “Zehnthof” is owned and managed by Divino.
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Vineyards near Nordheim with Hallburg castle
| | Wine appelation Escherndorfer Lump with Vogelsburg monastery
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p.m. Cossing the river the traditional way by ferry to the village of Escherndorf, famous for the Escherndorfer Lump, an extremely steep section of the river bank, where some of the best Riesling and Silvaner wines of Germany are harvested. At Weingut Rainer Sauer, one of the top wine producers, the tour group can sample some of the outstanding wines.
Late afternoon return to Wuerzburg. Dinner at hotel.
Day 3, Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wuerzburg – Nuremberg – Wuerzburg
Day Trip to the city of Nuremberg. Walking tour of the historical center. Despite devastating destructions due to heavy air raids in World War II, the city, home of the most famous Christmas market in the world, today is proud of having many beautifully restored historical buildings, among them the town hall, St. Mary's Chapel in the market place and St. Sebald’s Church.
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City view from the imperial castle
with St. Sebald church in the foreground |
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Towering gothic St. Sebald church
| | The impressive interior of St. Sebald church
| | The chapel of St. Mary in the market square,
where the famous Christmas market is held |
Special guided tour in English of the impressive imperial castle of the free city, only subject to the German Emperor.
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The mighty castle watching over the city
| | Walk up towards Sinnwell tower and deep well
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Light lunch at “Goldenes Posthorn”, first built in 1498, Germany's oldest wine tavern, where the famous medieval painter Albrecht Duerer was a regular customer and where Richard Wagner composed parts of his romantic opera DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NUERNBERG (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg), looking at the fascinating St. Sebald’s Church. This is an excellent opportunity to enjoy "Nuernberger Bratwuerste", small savoury pork sausages, served in three different preparations: simmered in a slightly spicy sweet-and-sour vinegar-wine-onion-carrot stock, smoked in a special oven, with hoarse radish as a side dish, and grilled on a charcoal barbecue, served with sauerkraut, potato salad and brezel, not to forget the special local beer, served in stone steins.
Return to the hotel in Würzburg in the late afternoon.
Evening:
Dinner in the well-renowned traditional restaurant of the Buergerspital Wine Estate, part of a charitable donation by a wealthy citizen in the Middle Ages for the sick and the old in town. The donation comprised fields, forests and vineyards. Today the production of - excellent - wines still supports geriatric treatment institutions and homrd for elderly and handicapped people.
The charming patio of the historical Buergerspital
Day 4, Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wuerzburg – Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Wuerzburg
a.m. Another highlight is waiting for the group, a trip to wonderful Rothenburg, one of Franconia’s and Germany’s (!) best-known tourist attractions, is scheduled for this day. Guided walking tour to the most beautiful sights in the medieval center with its walls, gates, moats, vaults, buttresses, half-timbered houses and lots of souvenir shops, including the famous “Christmas Market” right opposite the town hall.
 | |  | One of many postcard views
| | St.-Jakobs church, risng high above small houses
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One of Timan Riemenschneider's greatest masterpieces,
the Last Supper, part of the main altar in St. Jakob's church |
p.m. Time for individual discoveries in Rothenburg. Return to Wuerzburg along the Romantic Street.
Evening: Guided tour of the historical wine cellar of the famous Juliusspital Weingut, one of Germany’s most-renowned wine estates and – like the “Buergerspital” – part of an important charitable donation by Prince-Bishop Julius Echter, also founder of the Wuerzburg University, one of the oldest in Germany. This donation and the wines produced support one of the best hospitals of the region.
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The Prince's palace, the central building of the
Juliusspital, still a hospital today | | The historical wine cellar underneath the Prince's palace, a place of perfect medication
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As a matter of fact, the impressive wine cellar lies underneath the hospital, and the tour participants will have the unique chance of sampling excellent wines as a perfect medication in the cellar of the hospital, founded by Julius Echter, Prince-Bishop of Wuerzburg. Dinner in the Juliusspital restaurant.
Day 5, Friday, May 14, 2010
Wuerzburg
a.m. Visit of the castle-fortress Marienberg high above the Main River valley, facing the historic city center of Wuerzburg (short ride on a c ity bus).
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The historical city center of Wuerzburg
with the medieval bridge across the Main River |
Explanation of the famous wine appellations and vineyards lining the river, like the Wuerzburger Stein, and visit to the museum in the castle with a collection of statues and other masterpieces by the famous medieval sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider.
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The castle-fortress Marienberg, in the foreground
the appellation Wuerzburger Innere Leiste,in the
background the famous appellation Würzburger Stein | | The picturesque Gasthaus Alte Mainmühle by the river,
the right place to enjoy a savoury meal after sightseeing |
Easy walk back into the city, crossing the medieval bridge over the Main River with its stone-carved statues of saints and kings. Lunch at “Gasthaus Alte Mainmuehle”, a charming restaurant in a historical mill right by the bridge, overlooking the river with a perfect view of the castle Marienberg.
p.m. Guided walking tour of the historical city of Wuerzburg including the UNESCO - World Cultural Heritage Monument Residenz, the palace of the former Princebishops and Dukes of Franconia with famous frescos by the Italian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
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The Fuerstbischoefliche Residenz, the palace of the Princebishops and Dukes of Franconia,
a UNESCO-World Cultural Heritage Monument |
Evening: The last evening in Wuerzburg brings an unforgettable highlight, a Baroque Festival Gala in the Residenz, including a concert with music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, a gala dinner and superb Franconian wines, presented by the German Wine Queen and served by the Franconian Wine Princesses in the ceremonial halls of the palace. Tickets are included in the tour price. The reservation is confirmed!
Day 6, Saturday, May 15, 2010
Wuerzburg – Frankfurt International Airport – flights back to the USA
It’s time to say good-bye. Early transfer from the hotel in Wuerzburg to Frankfurt Intl. Airport for flights back to the USA.
An individual extension of the stay in Wuerzburg/Franconia or in other parts of Germany is possible and can be arranged on demand. Contact WALTER LIEHMANN REISE SPECIALS www.walter-liehmann.de ; Walter.Liehmann@t-online.de
Program, including all excursions and visits, text, photographs and web design by Walter Liehmann
Prices:
2,475.00 USD per person in double room (15 - 19 persons)
2,325.00 USD per person in double room (20 - 25 persons)
Supplement for single room: 105.00 USD
Minimum number of participants: 15
Maximum number of participants: 25
Services included:
- All transfers and excursions in modern overland bus equipped with AC, toilet, refrigerator with beverages, reclinable seats and safety belts in all seats
- All guided tours and entrance fees
- Baggage service and tips in the hotel and the restaurants; tip for the bus driver
- 5 x overnight stay at the four-star Hotel Greifenstein in the center of Wuerzburg
- All rooms with private bathroom with bath or shower and toilet, AC, hairdryer , colour-SAT-TV and radio, telephone, free wireless internet access and fax connection , minibar and complimentary umbrella
- 5 x comprehensive buffet breakfast at hotel restaurant
- 2 x dinner at Hotel Greifenstein restaurant
- 2 x dinner at good historical restaurants
day 3 - restaurant at the Buergerspital
day 4 – restaurant at the Juliusspital
- 4 x lunch at typical traditional taverns or restaurants
day 1 – Gasthaus zum Riesen (the giant) at Miltenberg
day 2 – Zehnthof at Nordheim
day 3 – Goldenes Posthorn in Nuremberg
day 5 – Gasthaus Alte Mainmuehle in Wuerzburg
- 4 x visit at excellent wine estates and sampling of their wines
Weingut Rudolf Fuerst (not yet confirmed) or other, Buergstadt
Divino winegrowers' cooperative, Nordheim
Weingut Rainer Sauer, Escherndorf
Weingut Juliusspital, Wuerzburg
- Guided visit to the imperial castle in Nuremberg in English
- Guided visit to the Residenz in Wuerzburg in English
- Baroque Festival Gala in the Residenz, including reception with sparkling Franconian wine, baroque concert, gourmet dinner accompanied by gold-medal winning Franconian wines
- Qualified tour guide Walter Liehmann, owner of WALTER LIEHMANN REISE SPECIALS,
a travel agency specialised in wine and culture tours in Franconia, France, Spain, Portugal.
Walter Liehmann, a former teacher of the German, English, Spanish languages and literatures at university, chamber of commerce and high school in Germany, England (London) and Peru (Lima), member of the Weinbruderschaft Franken, a fraternity or society of wine producers and selected wine consumers trying to maintain a high quality level of the wine culture in Franconia, similar to the Tastevins in Burgundy, France.
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Ewald Moseler at Mitchell Wines, Portland/Oregon
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