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Day 2 • Old Town Warsaw
Day 4 •Shrine of Czestochowa
Day 6 • Shrine of Lagiewniki
Day 8 • Schönbrunn Palace
Day 12 • Munich
Day 1 • Departure from the USA
We start our journey as we board our plane and fly to Warsaw, Poland.
Day 2 • Warsaw
We arrive in Warsaw, Poland, where we are met by our friendly Signature Tours International Manager who helps us to our awaiting motor coach, which takes us on a city sightseeing tour. Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland, as well as the administrative center of the Mazovia region. It is located in central Poland on the Vistula River. More than 90 percent of the city was destroyed during World War II, but the historic Old Town section has been painstakingly reconstructed. After checking into our hotel, we have time at leisure to explore some of Warsaw on our own. Dinner and overnight are spent in Warsaw.
Day 3 • St. John's Cathedral
Day 3 • Warsaw/Czestochowa
Our day begins with a half-day sightseeing tour where we see the most famous religious building in Warsaw, St. John's Cathedral, which was completed in the fifteenth century. Here one can admire work by Wit Stwosz, one of the most famous Polish artists of all time. St. John's Cathedral was originally a parish church and only became a cathedral in 1798. Many important events took place in this cathedral, including the coronation of Stanislaw August Poniatowski in 1764 and the swearing in of the Sejm, or Polish parliament, to uphold the 1791 constitution. During World War II, St. John's Cathedral was destroyed. It has, however, been brought back to its original gothic style. The interiors of the Cathedral feature multiple works of religious art, tombs and various sculptures and paintings. We have lunch on our own before we transfer to Czestochowa for dinner and the night.
Day 4 • Czestochowa /Krakow
Today we take a guided sightseeing tour that includes the Shrine of Czestochowa, which is located at the Monastery. Under the heroic leadership of the Prior of the Monastery, Father Augustine Kordecki, the Shrine withstood the attacks of the Swedish invasion of 1655. This great victory proved to be a tremendous boost to the morale of the entire Polish nation. As a result, the King made a solemn vow proclaiming the Mother of God to be the "Queen of the Polish Crown" and the Shrine of Jasna Gora to be the "Mount of Victory". The Shrine, a spiritual capital for Poland, is the perfect place to spend time in reflection and prayer. Following our tour, we travel to Krakow with a stop en route for lunch on our own. Upon arrival, we have an afternoon at leisure to experience Krakow. Dinner and overnight are in Krakow.
Day 5 •The Wawel Cathedral
Day 5 • Krakow
Krakow, a city in southern Poland, is the capital of the Krakow Province and is located on the Vistula River. The city is an industrial, cultural, and educational center of southern Poland, as well as being the third largest city in the country. Krakow is also the leading center of trade in coal, zinc, salt, timber, cattle, agricultural products, and wine. Today we take a half-day sightseeing tour of this historical city. Included is a visit to The Wawel Cathedral, Poland's national sanctuary, with its 1000-year-old history. It was the coronation site of Polish monarchs and is arguably the most interesting place in the whole country. We will also visit St. Marie’s Church. Our afternoon is at leisure to enjoy more sightseeing under the guidance of our Tour Manager. Dinner and overnight are spent in Krakow.
Day 6 • Krakow/Wadovice/Krakow
The day begins with an excursion to Wadovice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul. We have time for lunch on our own before we tour the Shrine of Lagiewniki. By today’s standards, the 20th-century icon of the Lord’s Grace hardly matches other Krakow’s twenty-odd wonder-making sacred images that are usually much older and mostly valuable as objects of art. Yet devotion by thousands of believers has made the painting sacred. It shows Christ as He appeared before a visionary Polish nun, St. Faustyna Kowalska, in February 1931. The Lord instructed St. Kowalska to paint this likeness of Him, complete with the caption, which reads in Polish, “Jesus, I trust Thee.” At first the sister found little understanding among her fellow convent members who thought the days of miracles were long past. The Church gave little support to these thoughts. Nonetheless the knowledge of the visions and the cult of the picture have spread far. Today the painting adorns many a Catholic chapel around the world. And people, both Polish and foreign, come daily in the thousands to pray before the original picture at the Krakow convent. 33-year-old sister Faustyna died in 1938 and here she is buried. On August 17, 2002 Pope John Paul II consecrated the sanctuary a new basilica. Every year some two million visitors from all over the world visit the shrine.
Day 7 •Vienna
Day 7 • Krakow/Vienna
Boarding our motor coach, we leave Poland behind and travel to the country of Austria and the city of Vienna. En route we take in the beauty of the incredible countryside and stop for lunch on our own. Upon arrival and transfer to our hotel, we enjoy a tour of this remarkable city, which, since ancient times, has been a crossroads of European significance and is known to have been a city of choice for many famous musicians. Dinner and overnight are in Vienna.
Day 8 • Vienna
Today we take a tour of Vienna, including St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Schönbrunn Palace. With origins dating back to the middle of the 12th century, St. Stephen’s Cathedral went through a complete restoration in 1945. Schönbrunn Palace was built by Emperor Leopold I for his son, Josef I. Marie-Antoinette spent her childhood here. It was in the concert room that Mozart, at the age of 6, astonished the empress and her courtiers with his amazing talents. Later, in the castle’s little theater, the prodigy directed his opera Der Schauspieldirecktor in 1786. In 1805 and 1809, Napoleon I set up his headquarters in Schönbrunn. There is have time for lunch on our own and the afternoon is available for exploration on our own. Our Tour Manager is available with tips on what to see. We’ll have dinner and spend the night in Vienna.
Day 9 • Vienna/Salzburg
This morning we travel to the beautiful city of Salzburg. Salzburg was the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born on January 27, 1756. By 1770, at the age of 14, Mozart already had behind him a career and volumes of music that more than one composer might envy. But, according to his father, a visit to Italy was necessary to complete a musician’s education. So Wolfgang traveled to Italy where he would compose an opera. Mozart died on December 6, 1791 at the age of 35. We also tour Mozart’s birthplace. Dinner and overnight are in Salzburg.
Day 10 • Salzburg/Oberammergau
The day begins with the morning at leisure to experience a little more of Salzburg. There is free time for lunch before we continue our journey to Oberammergau and the culmination of our tour – the Passion Play. Dinner and overnight are in Oberammergau.
Day 11 • Passion Play
Day 11 • Oberammergau/PASSION PLAY
Today is the day we have all been waiting for! This small town of peasants and craftsmen, encircled by the wooded foothills of the Ammergau, owes its fame to the internationally renowned Passion Play. Performed only once every ten years, and involving 1,100 amateur actors from the local population, this play, re-enacting the final days of Christ, lasts an entire summer’s day. This is sure to be a day we will never forget. We have dinner and spend another night in Oberammergau.
Day 12 • Oberammergau/Munich
After an unforgettable day in Oberammergau, we board our motor coach for transfer to Munich. Munich, a cultural center and the capital of Bavaria, is also the largest center for industry and commerce in southern Germany. Munich was host to the XX Olympic games in 1972. There is free time for lunch before we take a panoramic sightseeing tour of Munich. Dinner and overnight are in Munich.
Day 13 • Munich/Hometown, U.S.A.
We transfer to Munich Airport for our return flight to the U.S., bringing with us many memories to share!