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Puppentour 2007 Highlights
Fri, Sep 14 - Depart USA
Overnight flight to Paris.
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Sat, Sep 15 - Arrive Paris (4 nights)
Tucked away in the Impasse Berthaud near the colorful Centre Pompidou is the diminutive Musée de la Poupée. More than five hundred stunning French dolls, dating from 1800 to the present, are cleverly displayed in vignettes containing doll furniture, doll accessories, and toys. Toys from the Middle Ages to the present day are the focus of our attention at the Musée
des Arts Décoratifs, where furniture, wallpaper, tapestries, ceramics, glassware, and other objets d’arts are also exhibited. (Holiday Inn Bastille, 4 nights)
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Sun, Sep 16 - Paris Flea Markets
It’s all-day shopping at the Puces de St-Ouen. With a seemingly inexhaustible supply of venders – as many as 3,000 of them – it is one of the largest collectibles markets in the world. The high quality of the items to be found here defies the term ”flea market.” We will show you the best places to shop for dolls and toys. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Mon, Sep 17 - Paris Shopping & Leisure
You have the whole day free to shop, see the sights, or visit a museum at your leisure. The Louvre is open today. If you’re looking for something a little different, check out the Musée du Parfum, exhibiting an exquisite collection of perfume bottles from the 17th through the 20th centuries. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Tue, Sep 18 - Monet's House & Garden at Giverny
Our day trip to Giverny brings us to Le Maison et Jardin Claude-Monet. The house, with its pretty pink walls and green shutters, has been lovingly restored to Monet’s original designs and is open to visitors. Stroll through flower-laden gardens to the famous Japanese bridge and water-lily pond, which appear in many of Monet’s paintings. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Wed, Sep 19 - Beaune & Pérouges (3 nights)
We stop in Beaune on our way to Pérouges. Beaune is the capital of the Burgundy Wine Country and one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the district. The town is best known for the Hôtel Dieu with its splendid roof of multi-colored geometric tiles. Pérouges is perhaps the most picturesque medieval stone village in Burgundy and our home for the next three nights. (Buffet Breakfast) (Ostellerie Vieux Pérouges, 3 nights)
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Thu, Sep 20 - Lyon
Devoted exclusively to cloth and fashion, the Musée des Tissus gives particular attention to the history of silk from the Renaissance to the present. Observe the “pochoir” technique of silk printing, and see how the figured relief is painted entirely by hand on silk mousseline at the Atelier de Soierie. Shop for couturier fabrics and Lyon silk. (Continental Breakfast)
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Fri, Sep 21 - Chazelles-sur-Lyon & Marcy l’Etoile
The Musée du Chapeau in Chazelles-sur-Lyon not only exhibits an exceptional collection of hats from the 18th century to the present, but documents, with a video and live demonstrations, the process of transforming rabbit fur into luxury hats. Le Château de la Poupée in Marcy l’Etoile shelters a stunning collection of French and German dolls. (Continental Breakfast)
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Sat, Sep 22 - Luzern (3 nights)
We travel to Luzern – the picturesque Old Town straddles the narrowed waters where the River Reuss flows out of Lake Luzern. There’s plenty of sightseeing and shopping here! (Continental Breakfast) (Hotel Seeburg, 3 nights)
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Sun, Sep 23 - Mt. Pilatus Summit & Zürich
Ascend 7,000 feet on the steepest cog railway in the world to the summit of Mt. Pilatus for the best 360-degree panorama of the Alps in Switzerland. Throw snowballs, warm up with a cappuccino, and admire the fabulous views to the “sounds of the mountain” — Alpenhorns blown by the Pilatusbläser. We descend the mountain by aerial cable way in panoramic gondolas. Sasha lovers can visit the Sasha Morgenthaler Puppenmuseum in Zürich this afternoon. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Monday, Sep 24 - Luzern Shopping & Leisure
You have the whole day free to shop, see the sights, or visit a museum at your leisure. We know a nice place to shop for antique dolls, dolls’ houses, and dolls’ accessories, and we’ll take you there. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Tue, Sep 25 - Basel & Colmar (3 nights)
Basel's four-story Puppenhausmuseum offers an especially unique exhibition of dolls, toys, and teddy bears. Thousands of objects are cleverly arranged in themed displays that captivate, charm, and amuse. Colmar is the most beautiful city of Alsace – calm canals and rows of rainbow-colored, half-timbered houses invite an evening stroll after dinner at a sidewalk café. (Buffet Breakfast) (Mercure Champ de Mars, 3 nights)
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Wed, Sep 26 - Illkirch & Betschdorf
The Marquise de Sévigné invites you to share her passion for chocolate in Illkirch's unique museum – Les Secrets du Chocolat – devoted entirely to cocoa and its transformation into exquisite, delicious chocolate. The main thoroughfare of Betschdorf, the Town of Potters, is lined with the most charming 18th-century, half-timbered houses. Begin your visit at the Musée de la Poterie. Then visit some of the dozen potteries where you can buy the famous grey-and-blue, salt-glazed stoneware. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Thu, Sep 27 - Colmar Shopping & Leisure
You have the whole day free to shop, see the sights, or visit a museum at your leisure, such as the little Musée Animé du Jouet. (Buffet Breakfast)
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Fri, Sep 28 - Trier (3 nights)
Today we travel to Trier, Germany's oldest city, the home of Roman emperors. The history of Trier begins around the middle of the 1st century BC when Gaius Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and integrated the Mosel region into the Roman Empire. We begin our visit at the Spielzeugmuseum in the beautiful Hauptmarkt. The rest of the day is free for shopping and leisure. (Buffet Breakfast) (Hotel Römischer Kaiser, 3 nights)
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Sat, Sep 29 - Trier Sightseeing
Our tour of ancient Trier includes the Porta Nigra, the Roman Basilica, the Imperial Baths, and other sites of antiquity. (Champagne Buffet Breakfast)
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Sun, Sep 30 - Constantine Exhibition
The city of Trier is staging one of the most important cultural and historical exhibitions of 2007 – "Constantine the Great" – and we’re here to see it! Treasured exhibits from internationally renowned museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the Capitoline Museums in Rome, the Vatican, and the British Museum in London, will be displayed with finds from ancient Trier made public for the very first time. Our visit will include such highlights as the head of the colossal statue of the Emperor Constantine, exquisite natural stone tesserae mosaic floors, and the breathtaking Constantine ceiling frescoes. (Champagne Buffet Breakfast, "Auf Wiedersehen" Dinner Banquet)
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Mon, Oct 1 - Frankfurt
After breakfast, you are transported to Frankfurt for your return flight to the USA. (Champagne Buffet Breakfast)
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