UPDATED ITINERARY!!!!

Day 1: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Board your overnight flight to Berlin.

Day 2: Thursday, May 21, 2009

Arrival in Berlin
Arrive in historic Berlin, once again the German capital. For many years the city was defined by the wall that separated its residents. In the last decade, since the monumental events that ended Communist rule in the East, Berlin has once again emerged as a treasure of arts and architecture with a vibrant heart.


Walking Tour of Berlin (time permitting)
Stroll among the cafés, restaurants and embassies of the elegant, tree-lined Unter den Linden, sometimes known as the Camps-Élysées of Berlin. Your tour director shows you the city's most famous sites as you continue to the Reichstag, Germany's Parliament. The building, constructed in the lat 19th century, was the seat of the Weimar Republic government until it was seized by the Nazis in 1933. Sir Norman Foster's glass dome, added to the top of the Reighstag between 1995 and 1999, is now one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, offering fantastic views of Berlin from its top.

Overnight in Berlin.

Day 3: Friday, May 22, 2009

Guided Sightseeing of Berlin
Ride past the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (left un-restored as a reminder of the ravages of war) and down the glittery Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's liveliest street. Pass the Rathaus Schöneberg, where 1,500,000 West Berliners flocked to hear President Kennedy's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963. On your way to the Easter sector, pass the Reichstag, former seat of parliaments of the German Empire and Weimar Republic. Arrive at the Brandenbug Gate, once the symbol of the undeclared Cold War, and now the symbol of a reunited Berlin. It was at this gate that the famous images of East and West Berliners dancing atop the crumbling Berlin Wall were filmed and broadcast around the world. As you see where the Berlin Wall actually stood, imagine the bleak watchtowers and piercing spotlights that guarded "the border" until November 1989. Journey down Unter den Linden, once considered one of the world's most elegant boulevards.

Visit to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum
On the site where Checkpoint Charlie once guarded the border between East and West Germany, you'll visit a museum devoted to the era of the Berlin Wall. Inspect the "escape cars" once used to cross the border. See if you can find the secret compartment where escapees hid. Then view a photo exhibit that evocatively portrays the 30-year separation of East and West Germany, reunited in 1989.

Visit the Jewish Holocaust Memorial
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, more commonly known as the Holocaust Memorial, was designed by New York architect, Peter Eisenman. The controversial memorial was Inaugurated in May of 2005. The Information Center is located under the "Field of Stelae" and contains four exhibition rooms, one of which includes all of the known names of Jewish Victims.

Free Time in Berlin
The remainder of the afternoon is yours to make some new discoveries of your own in Germany's capital. New Alexanderplatz, you may visit the TV Tower and observation deck, where visitors have been taking in the ever-changing panorama of Berlin since 1969.

Dinner is not included this evening.

Overnight in Berlin.

Day 4: Saturday, May 23, 2009

Free time in Berlin
Today is free for activities arranged by Dr. Kovalcik.

Night Train to Krakow
The bus will drop you off at the train station, where you will board your overnight train to Krakow.

Overnight in Berlin/Krakow

Day 5: Sunday, May 24, 2009

Arrival in Krakow
This morning, you will arrive in Krakow. This city, since the end of the Cold War, has emerged into an upbeat cultural center while remaining home to Poland's oldest and most prestigious university.

Guided Sightseeing of Krakow
Set out on a guided tour of Krakow, the only major city in Poland to escape devastation during WWII. Visit Wawel Hill, perched high above the Vistula River, and Wawel Cathedral where Polish kings were crowned and the late Pope John Paul II once served as archbishop. Stroll through Glowny Square, passing beautiful Sukiennice Cloth Hall and the Jagiellonian University.

Visit to the Wawel Castle and Cathedral
After your guided tour of Krakow, you will return to Wawel to explore it a bit more thoroughly. Restored during the 1990's, it reopened just four years ago. while here, you will have time to explore both the private apartments, as well as the state rooms. Be sure to also spend some time in the Wawel Cathedral, where Polish kings were crowned and buried until the 18th century.

Dinner is not included in this evening.

Overnight in Krakow

Day 6: Monday, May 25, 2009

Visit to Auschwitz
Between 1940 and 1945, over 1.5 million people died at the Auschwitz and Birkenau death camps as a result of Hitler's "Final Solution" to rid Europe of Jews and other ethnic minorities. A chilling reminder of man's inhumanity to man, the camp has since been turned into a memorial museum. Observe a moment of remembrance for the 6 million victims of the Holocaust, and view a film about the horror of Auschwitz and the Third Reich.

Visit to Birkenau
Next you will visit Auschwitz II, known as Birkenau, the extermination camp. Birkenau was the sister camp of Auschwitz and the site of the gas chambers and crematoria. Although Auschwitz has always been recognized as a death camp, it was actually Birkenau that was used specifically for the purpose of mass murder. About 2.5 million people were killed in this camp. Typically, prisoners from Auschwitz and other camps would have been sent to Birkenau to be killed, following the systematic guidelines of the Final Solution. Just a fifteen minute walk from Auschwitz, the march from one camp to the other was termed the death march. Birkenau has been left exactly as it was found in 1945 by the Soviet Army. However, prior to fleeing, the Nazi Army did destroy some of the gas chambers, barracks and crematoria.

Dinner is not included in this evening.

Overnight in Krakow

Day 7: Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Transfer to Prague via Brno
On your way to Prague today, you'll stop in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravia region. Destroyed in the 17th century by Swedish aggressors, the city was subsequently rebuilt in the Baroque style you see today. Brno is known for its industry, most notably for its textile and metal manufacturers. Two of its most popular attractions, the Brno Dragon and the Wagon Wheel, derive from playful city legends.

Arrival in Prague
Encounter the legendary beauty of Prague, former capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Dubbed the City of One Hundred Spires, the city boasts an enchanting mix of diverse architecture, Bohemian cultures, and storied history. Despite many recent changes, the undeniable charm of centuries past still permeates from the cobblestone streets and countless Gothic spires piercing the skies.

Overnight in Prague.

Day 8: Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Guided Sightseeing of Prague
Your tour begins at the celebrated Prague Castle (Hradcany). In the castle's courtyard, you'll visit the magnificent St. Vitus Cathedral, which took over 600 years to complete. On the nearby Golden Lane, royal alchemists once labored (unsuccessfully) to turn lead into gold. More recently, on the same street, Franz Kafka turned his angst into some of the century's finest fiction. You'll also stroll through the quaint, cobbled streets of the Mala Strana, the backdrop for Milos Forman's Amadeus. Cross the Charles Bridge, adorned with 30 beautiful baroque statues, to the 13th-century astronomical clock. You'll also wander through Josefov, the traditional Jewish Quarter, home to the oldest synagogue in Europe (built 1270).

Free time in Prague for Group Leader arranged Activities
This afternoon is free for activities arranged by Dr. Kovalcik.

Dinner is not included this evening.

Overnight in Prague.

Day 9: Thursday, May 28, 2009

Free time in Prague for Group Leader arrange Activities
Enjoy another day of activities planned by Dr. Kovalcik.

Dinner is not included this evening.

Overnight in Prague

Day 10: Friday, May 29, 2009

Transfer to Linz via Mauthausen Concentration Camp
Today you will stop at the Mauthausen memorial in northern Austria. The Nazi regime built a concentration camp in this location shortly after Austria's annexation by the German Reich in 1938. Over half of the prisoners interred at Mauthausen died before the camp was liberated on May 5, 1945. Mauthausen is now a memorial site, with the dual purpose of honoring the memory of those who died here, and keeping the memory of the Nazi atrocities alive, that they may never again be repeated.

Overnight in Linz (pending availability)

Day 11: Saturday, May 30, 2009

Transfer to Munich via Nuremburg
Your EF Tour Director shows you the second largest city in Bayern, the site of the Nazi war-crime tribunals. See architecture built up from the stone foundations bombed by the Allies during WWII.

Arrival in Munich
Welcome to Munich! This center of culture boasts over 45 museums, 10 university buildings and two opera houses. The city is also home to the Olympic center with full facilities and more than the occasional beer-hall.

Overnight in Munich

Day 12: Sunday, May 31, 2009

Visit to Neuschwanstein
Visit "Mad" King Ludwig's fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein, the real-life model for the Disney World castles. Ponder the young king's mysterious death as you learn the story of one of Europe's most eccentric rulers. Kind Ludwig so preferred dreams over reality that his servants could address him only from behind a screen. (In fact, the original plans for the castle were drawn up by a theatre set designer, not an architect.)

Excursion to Dachau
Once merely another sleepy German village, Dachau has gained notoriety as Germany's first Nazi concentration camp. Today, the old administration building houses a museum documenting the rise of Hitler and the horrors of camp life. Commemorative chapels and memorials have also been built on the site, which stands as eternal memorial to those who endured life here until liberation by Allied forces.

Dinner is not included this eventing.

Overnight in Munich

Day 13: Monday, June 1, 2009

Transfer to the airport for your flight home
Your tour director assists with your transfer to the airport, where you'll check in for your return flight home.