2007

Registration has closed: Saturday, June 23, 2007

We’ll wind through the beautiful countryside, villages, and the Black Forest, visiting wonderful old historic cities of Germany and Holland.

We will visit some of the finest museums in the world for mechanical music, and will have private tours in most, with special focus on our interests, and not open to the public.

Many fine pianos may be seen and heard in the Museums of Munich, Bruschal, and Rudesheim. An added feature will be a tour of the Welte Company Collections, Pianos, Orchestrions, and history in Frieberg. Edwin Welte’s (the inventor of the reproducing piano) family, including his daughter, still live there.

The Linderhof Castle of “Mad King Ludwig” is a wonderful place to tour, and the grounds are spectacular. Be sure to visit the grotto and the peacock throne while you are there. The interior of the Castle is a sight to behold. This king was not into subtle, and he loved rococo and gilt. (Maybe there should have been a little guilt, too, since he nearly bankrupted the whole country with his extravagances.)

The seaside town of Friedrichshafen hosts a Zeppelin Museum, and there are cruises on the Bodensee. You have time on your own here, and can decide what you wish to do. It’s a pleasant place to just walk around, or sit on a bench by the Bodensee to watch the boats come and go.

The next morning we’ll visit the Raffin Organ Factory, which is really an interesting place. They make monkey organs, flute clocks, and larger organs, too. There are walls of facades to choose from should you decide to purchase one of their items. If you aren’t in a buying mood, it’s still fascinating to see the workmanship and all the different styles.

The town of Oberammergau is a center for wood carving, and they ship to the U.S.! Other interesting attractions of the town are the painted buildings. There are scenes on nearly every building, many two-stories tall, and the architecture of the town is pure Bavaria.

The Rheinfall is something to see, whether you choose to go down to the base of the falls, stop partway, or stay at the top. The amount of water going over these falls is amazing, and the scenic beauty is fantastic. We will be on the Swiss side, which gives you a real feel for the power of the falls.

Waldkirch will see us visiting the Elztalmuseum, with time to shop and have lunch in town. In the late afternoon we will visit the Jager and Brommer Organ Factory for a tour and dinner.

Triberg is a shopping Mecca for those so inclined, there are hiking trails up to the top of the waterfall and a wonderful Black Forest Museum.

You may have been to Germany before and visited the Bruchal Museum but if it has been a while you won’t recognize it. They have been doing extensive restoration on the building inside and recently obtained another large collection of mechanical music.

From there it’s on to the walled city of Rothenburg for free time in the early evening exploring the old city and eating dinner. It’s a lovely, quaint old town, with the walls built for protection, and you can walk the walls for views of the surrounding area. rothenburg germany picture

The pumper contest will be held using Adenauer’s piano, which is a pumper grand, and should give a whole new dimension to this always-popular event. We’ll have dinner with the German Music Club.

A tour of Siegfried’s Music Museum will highlight the next day, and there will be time to explore Rudesheim in the afternoon. This is another lovely, quaint town, with lots to see. Rüdesheim / Ruedesheim

Next is a Boat ride on the Rhein, viewing the many beautiful castles en-route, from Rudesheim to St. Goarshauven, where the buses will pick us up and take us to Utrecht, where we will have a private tour of the National Museum.

The National Museum is wonderful, magical Museum focusing on Mechanical Music, with clocks, organs, and all sorts of goodies. Since it is a private tour we will be able to enjoy more of the instruments.

In Holland we will visit the Haarlem Museum of Dutch street organs for lunch. From there we’ll visit two private collections, having dinner at one. We will see the finest of Holland’s Dutch Street Organs. Again, these are private tours, not open to the public.

We will finish up at Efteling, a fantasy-based amusement park, which is a lovely way to unwind from the trip and enjoy yourself in preparation for the flight home the next day. We found it extremely enjoyable. If you prefer, you can take the train on your own to Amsterdam for the day.

We will be traveling the scenic routes whenever possible to give you the best possible views and feel of the areas. There are so many quaint villages, lovely scenery, and we want you to be involved, not just travel main highways in traffic.

You will be presented with a very special table favor which will be a fantastic souvenir of your wonderful trip to Germany and Holland with your friends from AMICA. After all, what’s better than travel with a group of friends who share your interests?