Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, visit Weimar 12 days

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1 EAST GERMANY Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, visit Weimar 12 days Departure: April 16, 2019 Return: April 27, 2019 There is a unique opportunity to see the rarely performed opera Julius Caesar in Egypt by George Frederich Handel in the beautiful Semper Oper in Dresden sung in German with English supertitles. In Berlin, at the Staatsoper you will see the opera Magic Flute with the famous stage set desiged by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1816, which has become an icon of scenography. Also in Berlin, you will see the opera Barber of Seville by Rossini, and in Leipzig you will see the opera The Flying Dutchman by Wagner. In Dresden we have selected the super deluxe Kempinski Taschenberg Hotel, across from the Semper Opera and the famous Zwinger museum. In Berlin we will be staying at the deluxe Regent Hotel right behind the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. We will also visit Weimar, the famous capital of Germany at the end of the First World War to visit the homes of legendary writers Goethe and Schiller. Join us for this fabulous tour. Opera Performances In Dresden: April 18 - Julius Caesar in Egypt by G.F.Handel In Leipzig: April 22 - The Flying Dutchman by Wagner In Berlin: April 25 - Barber of Seville by Rossini April 26 - Magic Flute by Mozart, with Schinkel's 1816 stage set design and Rene Pape singing

2 Tuesday, April 16. (D)*. DEPART FOR DRESDEN Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice to Dresden, Germany arriving the next morning. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane. Wednesday, April 17. (B,D). DRESDEN Upon arrival at Dresden International airport take a taxi to the deluxe KEMPINSKI TASCHENBERG HOTEL, where you will stay three nights. We will reimburse you the taxi fare. Briefing and cocktails at the hotel. Gala Welcome dinner at the hotel s fine restaurant. Thursday, April 18. (B). DRESDEN Morning sightseeing by bus for an orientation tour of this city made famous by Augustus the Strong, to see the rococo and baroque architecture started by him. This evening we will see the opera Julius Caeser in EGYPT by G.F.Handel at the Semper Oper. DRESDEN, splendidly situated on the banks of the Elbe River, is known as the Florence of the North, and has long held an attraction for artists. Dresden has been home to Friedrich Schiller, master of German poetry and drama, who while spending the years 1785 to 1787 here wrote the drama Don Carlos, upon which Verdi based his opera of the same name, and the Ode to Joy, which forms the text of Beethoven's Ninth, or Choral Symphony. Composer Carl Maria von Weber lived and worked here, as did Richard Wagner. Besides the Zwinger Palace, Dresden's second major attraction is the rebuilt Semper Opera, named for its architect, Gottfried Semper. Wagner and von Weber conducted and many Richard Strauss operas had their premiers here. Friday, April 19. (B). DRESDEN This morning we will visit the Green Vault Museum to see the fantastic collection of precious objects. This afternoon we will visit the Zwinger Palace to see the huge collection of Old Masters from Rembrandt to Ruben. Saturday, April 20. (B,D). DRESDEN - LEIPZIG This morning we drive south to first stop in WEIMAR, one-time capital of Germany after the First World War, to visit the homes of the legendary writers Johan Wolfgang von Goethe and Frederich Schiller. We will also see the home of composer Franz Liszt. We drive on to reach

3 Leipzig, where we stay three nights at the RADISSON BLU HOTEL. Dinner at a gourmet restaurant. Leipzig today is Germany s fastest growing city and is celebrated by the media as a hip urban center with a very high quality of living. For centuries, it was noted as a prime location for trade fairs and it is still renowned for publishers to come from all over the world to exhibit and sell their books. Since the reunification of Germany Leipzig has undergone significant changes with many high-rise buildings and the new Leipzig Opera house. Sunday, April 21. (B). LEIPZIG This morning we visit the Thomas Church where Johann Sebastian Bach played the organ and is buried. On Whit Sunday in 1539, Martin Luther gave a Sermon here to inaugurate the reformation. We also visit the home of composer Felix Mendelsohn. Afternoon free. Monday, April 22. (B). LEIPZIG Morning free to stroll around the nearby city center or visit the museum Grassi with its collection of arts and musical instrument or the Bach Museum. This afternoon we will see the opera The Flying Dutchman by Wagner at the Oper Leipzig. Tuesday, April 23. (B). LEIPZIG - BERLIN Today we will drive northeast to arrive in Berlin, where we stay four nights at the deluxe REGENT HOTEL. Wednesday, April 24. (B,D). BERLIN Morning sightseeing tour by bus to include Alexanderplatz, the Town Hall, the Palace of the Republic and the Humboldt University. We drive through the Brandenburg Gate for a tour of former West Berlin to see Potzdamer Platz, the newly restored parliament, the Reichstag, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Charlottenburg Palace, the shop-lined Kurfurstendamm and Emperor William Memorial Church. Afternoon at leisure. Gala Farewell dinner at a gourmet restaurant. Berlin became the capital of a newly founded Germany in 1871 and expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. It lost it's position as a capital to Weimar at the end of the First World

4 war in 1918 until it was moved back by the Nazi party and Hitler in Then again, in 1945, at the Postdam meeting it was divided into two cities, the East, under the control of communists and the West, a de facto West German enclave surrounded by the Berlin Wall. Following German unification in 1990, Berlin once again become the capital of the whole of Germany. Thursday, April 25. (B). BERLIN This morning we walk to the Museum Island with the famous Pergamum Museum, which we will visit. Afternoon at leisure. In the evening we will see the opera Barber of Seville by Rossini at the Staatsoper Under der Linden. Friday, April 26. (B). BERLIN This morning we drive northwest to Postsdam to see San Souci an elegant baroque palace and visit Cecilienhof where Truman, Stalin, and Churchill signed the Postsdam Agreement to divide Germany after the Second World War. This evening we will see the opera Magic Flute by Mozart, Rene Pape singing at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, with stage set design by Schinkel in 1816 for the Magic Flute. Saturday, April 27. (B). BERLIN BACK HOME We will provide transfer from the hotel to the airport in Berlin for departure aboard your flight back home arriving the same afternoon. Auf wiedersehn. See you soon on another HAT Tour. * B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)

5 LAND COST DOUBLE: $6,950 PER PERSON SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $1,300 DEPOSIT: $2,000 PER PERSON BALANCE DUE: JANUARY 16, 2019 TOUR INCLUDES 1 st Category orchestra level seats in theaters Four operas Deluxe centrally located hotels Buffet breakfast daily, and 3 dinners with wine in gourmet restaurants Welcome reception with cocktails Private sightseeing in each city Experienced English speaking local guides Entrance fees to museums Transportation to and from theaters Baggage handling Guide, driver and bellboys gratuities Travelling with the owner at your service Complete package with details of operas listed Transfers from and to airports on published arrival and departure days only HAT Tours LLC Address: PO Box 46876, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33741, USA Phone: (727) Fax: (727) Toll free: (800) operas@hattours.com Website: