Day 2 Wednesday 4 August 2010 Paris
We arrive at Paris Airport, where we are met by our private coach and transferred to exciting Paris for a sightseeing tour. Highlights will be Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and a drive along the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe. The afternoon will be free.

DAY 3 Thursday 5 August 2010 Paris
This morning we visit Claude Monet’s famous house and garden at Giverney. This beautiful garden, with its ponds and water lilies and Japanese bridge, appears in many of the artist’s paintings. Another section of the garden has a more formal layout, featuring espaliered apples and pears and a riot of colour from plantings of roses, irises, bulbs, poppies and thousands of annuals. It has been magnificently restored and gives a vivid impression of Monet’s inspiration. This evening we will have a welcome cocktail party to celebrate the start of our wonderful holiday.

Day 4 Friday 6 August 2010 Amiens
This morning we depart Paris to explore some of the famous WWI battlefields of the Somme, where Australian forces saw action. We spend time in the Villers Brettoneux area, visiting the Australian National Memorial and the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel. We will see the Musee Franco Australian and the Villers Bretoneux cemeteries. Bruce will lead a moving memorial service for the fallen. We will stay overnight in Amiens.

DAY 5 Saturday 7 August 2010 Amsterdam
This morning we depart Amiens for Amsterdam. We travel to Brugges where we stop for lunch. The town appears to come straight out of the Middle Ages. The houses of brick huddle close to the banks of the canals, where swans glide gracefully across the dark waters. We will see the Grand-Place, flanked by houses with crow-stepped gables, old Guild Halls and the covered market situated in the shadow of the magnificent town belfry. We arrive in Amsterdam late afternoon.

Day 6 Sunday 8 August 2010 Amsterdam (embark)
This morning we will have a city tour with a local guide. We see the flower markets, the pretty canals, the Royal Palace, the cathedral, and the interesting shops in the antique and art sector of the city and the infamous red light district. After the tour we will be transferred to the ship for embarkation. We depart Amsterdam this evening. Be up on deck as we sail away.

Day 7 Monday 9 August 2010 Cologne
This morning we arrive in Cologne, the capital of Rhineland and one of the largest cities in Germany. On the Rhine’s west bank, the old town forms a semicircle between the river and the Ring - a curving avenue following the line of the city’s thirteenth century fortifications. We will have a walking tour, including a visit to the Cologne Cathedral. The beloved Cologne Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This evening we will have the special Captain’s Welcome Dinner.

Day 8 Tuesday 10 August 2010 Cruising the Rhine, Rüdesheim
This morning we cruise the romantic Rhine. This afternoon we arrive in Rudesheim, a wine town at the southern end of the Rhine Gorge. We will take a gondola ride to the Niederwald Heights. From the terrace there is a view of the vineyards and the confluence of the Thine and the Nahe rivers.

Day 9 Wednesday 11 August 2010 Offenbach (Heidelberg)
Today we have a full-day tour of Heidelberg. It is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe and is home of Germany’s most famous university established in 1386.

Day 10 Thursday 12 August 2010 Wertheim
This morning we will tour the tiny medieval town of Wertheim, which sits at the confluence of the Main and Tauber rivers. Pretty half timbered houses, mainly from the sixteenth century border its twisting, narrow streets.

Day 11 Friday 13 August 2010 Würzburg
Today we visit the Würzburg Residenz, an impeccable example of Baroque architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will end the tour with a tasting of Franconian wines in the Residenz cellar.

Day 12 Saturday 14 August 2010 Cruising the Main River
Today we will spend the day cruising the wonderfully peaceful and scenic Main River. This morning Bruce Mansfield will entertain the group with a description of his life in the media.

Day 13 Sunday 15 August 2010 Bamberg
We will have a walking tour of Bamberg today. As you wander through this UNESCO World Heritage city you will marvel at its unique Town Hall, Renaissance palaces, Baroque houses, and breathtaking cathedral. The town is a work of art in itself, with 2300 protected constructions that range from the Romanesque to the Baroque period.

Day 14 Monday 16 August 2010 Nuremberg, cruising the Main-Danube Canal
This morning we tour Nuremberg, an archetypal German Medieval city encircled by mighty defensive walls. We will learn about its WWII history from the Nazi party’s pre war rallies to the war crimes trials. This afternoon we sail through the Main-Danube Canal.

Day 15 Tuesday 17 August 2010 Regensburg
Today we have a walking tour of Regensburg. Originally a Celtic colony, it later became a Roman garrison town guarding the natural frontier of the Danube at its most northerly point. We will discover one of Germany’s unspoiled medieval gems and marvel at the architectural treasures of the Old Town, including the twelfth century Stone Bridge.

Day 16 Wednesday 18 August 2010 Passau
A highlight of our cruise is our tour of Passau and an organ concert. We explore the charming old town of Passau on foot and visit St. Stephan’s Cathedral for an organ recital on Europe’s largest pipe organ. Passau, a frontier town between Bavaria and Austria is known as the “Town of the Three Rivers”. It lies in a marvellous setting at the junction of the Inn, the Danube and the small river Ilz.

Day 17 Thursday 19 August 2010 Melk, cruising the scenic Wachau Valley, Vienna
This morning we tour Melk’s nine hundred year old Benedictine abbey, a masterpiece of Baroque art and architecture, situated high atop the granite cliffs of the Danube. We continue cruising the UNESCO World Heritage Wachau Valley before arriving in Vienna. This afternoon come and test your knowledge with a game of 3AW Trivial Pursuit. Bruce Mansfield will ask the questions.

Day 18 Friday 20 August 2010 Vienna
We have an exciting Vienna city tour this morning. Our excursion will take us along the stately Ringstrasse to the magnificent St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We then visit the stunning National Library.

Day 19 Saturday 21 August 2010 Budapest
Today we arrive in Budapest. We have a sightseeing tour including Budapest’s famous nineteenth century Chain Bridge, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the stunning Parliament Building, and the UNESCO World Heritage Castle Hill district. This evening we will have the special Captain’s Farewell Dinner.

Day 20 Sunday 22 August 2010 Budapest (disembark)
This morning we disembark and are transferred to Vienna airport. Tour members are able to extend their stay in Europe if they wish.

Day 21 Monday 23 August 2010 In flight

Day 22 Tuesday 24 August 2010 Australia
This morning we arrive back into Australia. Tour arrangements conclude.