Hi everyone
After a very LONG flight we finally arrived in beautiful Vienna on Sunday afternoon local time. The tour started almost immediately, just by way of orientation, then we were in bed by 6.30pm and I swear asleep by 6.35pm!! We woke to snow falling, just as we hoped. There's heaps of Christmas Markets, the biggest being outside City Hall. There's almost too much to choose from, and like most markets, the stall holders are desperate for our tourist Euros. We've had a long session of free time, so before we head back to the bus shortly, what better way than to update the blog. We're off to Salzburg and then on to Munich tomorrow.

Hi from Kingsford Smith Airport

Hi,
Paul here: we've arrived at Sydney having left half an hour late. Arrived bang on schedule.
Couple of hours to fill in, so what better way than to fill you up with trivia! Had a very rough landing here. Marie says there'd better be no more of those!
Will update when we get to Vienna.
Cheers
Paul & Marie

Planning the trip

Here's where we are going on our trip. We fly into Vienna and finish in Zurich.

BMW confirmed our reservation for a factory tour of Munich welt on Monday, 06 December.

So it's all go!

BMW Factory Tour- Munich

Oh! look what I found ...

Christkindlmarkt - Another adventure!

We depart Saturday, 27 November 2010, at 5:00 pm. Arrive Sydney at 6:20 pm non-stop. Depart Sydney at 9:45 pm. Arrive Dubai, 28 November, at 05:20 am non-stop. Sunday, 28 November, depart Dubai at 09:45 am. Arrive Vienna at 12:50 pm non-stop.

Then we join the Christmas Markets Tour:

Christkindlmarkt of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland

Day 1 (28 November) - Arrive Vienna (2 nights) Welcome to the Austrian capital city, Vienna, at this festive time. There is time to relax before enjoying a Welcome Drink with our Tour Director and fellow travellers. Hotel: Hilton Danube

Day 2 - Vienna sightseeing and Christmas markets. Our sightseeing tour with a local guide includes a drive along the Ringstrasse with views of the Hofburg, the Parliament, City Hall, and the State Opera House. Then there is time to visit Vienna’s ‘Christkindlmarkt’ in traditional decorated wooden huts which display handmade wooden toys, local gingerbread and warming ‘Glühwein’.

Day 3 - Vienna – Salzburg – Munich (2 nights). A scenic drive along the Danube Valley brings us to Mozart’s Salzburg, where the Christmas markets are held in and around the ancient Cathedral. Our guided walking tour shows us the Mirabell Gardens, Mozart`s birthplace and the Old City. Then we drive through fairy-tale Christmas landscapes to the Bavarian capital of Munich, with its festive Christmas markets and bustling beer-halls. Hotel: Hilton Munich City.

Day 4 - Munich orientation and at leisure. Our orientation shows us the Hofbräuhaus, the Marienplatz, and the ornate Glockenspiel on the impressive town hall. Then time at leisure to browse through the stalls at the Christmas market and maybe visit one of the famous beer halls of this hospitable and charming city.

Day 5 - Munich – Neuschwanstein Castle – Oberammergau – Innsbruck. This morning, with views of snowcapped mountains, we drive to visit Neuschwanstein, the most extravagant of King Ludwig’s castles. Then to Oberammergau, where the Passion Play was performed in 2010, and on to Innsbruck, where, after an orientation tour, we have time to enjoy the Christmas Market in the Old Town Square. Hotel: Grauer Bär

Day 6 - Innsbruck – Liechtenstein – Zurich Christmas market – Lucerne (2 nights). We head westwards to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, before entering Switzerland and reaching Zurich the financial capital. Time to visit the lively indoor Christmas market before continuing on to lakeside Lucerne in central Switzerland where we spend the next two nights. Hotel: Schiller

Day 7 - Lucerne orientation and at leisure. This morning our Tour Director shows us the poignant Lion Monument, the covered wooden Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Church, before there is time to shop for Swiss watches and chocolate. Tonight, we all enjoy a festive Farewell Dinner with wine together with our Tour Director and new found friends.

Day 8 (Sunday, 05 December) - Lucerne – Depart Zurich. This morning there is a transfer to Zurich airport, as you return home full of the joys of Christmas! Rail travel to Munich.

From 05 December to 09 December, we are visiting Munich. Marie brought Fodor's "Munich's Twenty Five Best - what to see, where to go, what to do", which lists the BMW Museum Tour as must see! Maybe a BMW Factory Tour, too?

Thursday, 09 December Depart Munich 9:40 pm. Arrive: Dubai at 6:30 am, Friday 10 Dec 2010 Total Flight Time: 5 hours 50 minutes (Non-Stop).

Friday, 10 December Depart Dubai 9:05 am Arrive: Christchurch at 3:15 pm, Saturday 11 December 2010 Total Flight Time: 21 hours 10 minutes (2 stops).

Quote unquote

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

The question is not what you look at, but what you see. ~ Thoreau