Dan Ware, President of Toto Tours
Jonathan Lewis, Manager
Jon Buillot, Our Guide and Interpreter

During this tour I learned a lot about how Germans live their lives today. September was a great time of year to make the trip.  It was the best time for us to do outdoor activities.  It was also the time of Munich's city festival.  The street parties of the old city at night were filled with people from around the world.  I really enjoyed the magnificent sights of old buildings, castles and churches from the 14th Century.

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Saturday, September 4th
Arrival in Germany
I arrived in Munich, Germany, then I checked through customs and exchanged currency at the airport.  I rode a taxi cab on the way to Hotel Arabella Bogenhausen. Later that evening we met in the lobby.  Dan Ware, President of Toto Tours, introduced me to Jon from London, our guide, and Jonathan, his partner, and the rest of the group at the bar.

Sunday, September 5, 2004
The Romantic Road to Frankfurt
After breakfast, the coach driver took the group to Augsburg, one of Germany's oldest cities.  Our tour through the Bavarian countryside included seeing medieval villages, old castles and manor houses enroute to Rothenburg, a well-polished gem from the Middle Ages. It is crisscrossed by cobbled lanes lined by picturesque old houses and enclosed by towered walls.  Some sort of festival was taking place in Rothenburg, and we enjoyed watching bands and seeing people walking through the old streets in costume. We also visited an Interesting Torture Museum. We continued to Frankfurt, arriving at the Arabella Sheraton Congress in the late afternoon.

Monday, September 6, 2004
Frankfurt Sightseeing / Rhine Cruise
We began today's tour by visiting the old  town square with the medieval Town Hall and Paulskirche, site of the first German National Assembly in 1848.  After touring Frankfurt, our coach took us to the River Rhine for a lovely, three-hour cruise on the river from St. Goarshausen to Ruedesheim.  We returned to the hotel for a free evening.

Tuesday, September 7, 2004
Heidelberg / Freiberg / Black Forest / Titisee
We traveled to Heidelberg, home of Germany's oldest university (14th Century), quaint cobblestone streets, Baroque architecture, market squares, countless outdoor cafes and castle ruins overlooking the town.  We toured the Castle Ruins and also saw the Grosses Fass, an enormous 18th-century keg reputed to be the world's largest wine barrel. After lunch we went to Freiberg, the gateway to the Southern Black Forest.

We enjoyed hiking through the forest before arriving at the Titisee Maritim Hotel on the banks of Lake Titisee.

Wednesday, September 8, 2004
The Three-Country Triangle of Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Early in the morning we walked around the banks of Lake Titisee before departing to Schaffhausen in Switzerland.  We stopped to see the Rhine Falls, Europe's biggest waterfall. After lunch, we toured along Lake Constance and made a stop in Konstanz, an old university town, to see the baroque style architecture. I was very impressed by with the oldest church of St. Gall, with a Roman foundation from before 1380 and Baroque altar. We went to the Hotel Mercure and then took for a stroll along the Lake Constance.

We dined together outdoors at night.  It was good weather.

Thursday, September 9, 2004
Mount Pfander / Bavarian Alps / Fuessen

This morning we rode a cable car up Mount Pfander at 3,500 feet overlooking the beautiful views of Lake Constance and the Austrian and Bavarian Alps.

We hiked up the mountains before proceeding to Fuessen, driving through the gorgeous Bavarian Alps. Fuessen is situated near "Mad King Ludwig's" most famous castle.  Ludwig II was the King of Bavaria in the 19th  century.  He spent enormous sums of money building fantastic castles and palaces as his residences.  Upon arrival we visited Hohenschwangau, his parents' castle, and then spent the night at Hotel Luitpold Park.

Friday, September 10, 2004
Neuschwanstein / Garmisch / Munich
Early this morning we went to Neuschwanstein Castle and visited  King Ludwig's magnificent and most famous castle, perched above the city of Fuessen with gorgeous mountain views from every window. After lunch, we continued to Garmisch Partenkirchen, Bavaria's number one alpine resort. We enjoyed our trip up to the Alpspitze Mountain by cable car overlooking the beautiful views of the colorful scenery. This evening we returned to our original hotel in Munich.

Saturday, September 11, 2004
Munich / Farewell Dinner
We enjoyed a sightseeing tour of Munich this morning, featuring the Marienplatz, the heart and soul of the old city, and a visit to the old Rathaus (Town Hall).  Afterwards, we went back to the hotel and  relaxed for a while. That evening, Dan and Jonathan hosted a Farewell Dinner to say "auf wiedersein" to Bavaria in style.

Sunday, September 12, 2004
Departure
The tour ended officially after breakfast this morning.  Most tour members departed today, but three of us remained at the hotel for one extra night.  It was raining so I stayed at the hotel and read all day while the two others went out and explored the city.  We enjoyed dinner together that night, and departed Bavaria the next morning.

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