Oops, thanks Bunneh good catch.

I had done a search on Google/Images and presumed it was Bayreuth.
I'll make the switch.
Love your home town though :-)

Frank, do we know yet what hotel we are staying at in Vienna? I am booking an extra night and trying to confirm arrangements for the extended two days.

I am extending on both ends.

Hamburg arrival will be Sat. Two wonderful smaller towns have been explored online to do that day. Lubeck northeast and Luneburg just south. Both should take 30-45 public transportation. I have chosen to go to Luneburg and stay overnight at a hotel on the river there.

Vienna area intrigues me so I will stay 2 days and leave from Munich on Sunday. First day, Fri, to the east is a wonderful castle with beautiful formal gardens recently restored. Should be a quiet day after the hustle bustle of the tour.

Then my piece de resistance is a tour on the Danube from Melk (abbey) to Durnstein or Kelms, which will take all of Sat. I'll return to Melk overnight with a train to Salzburg in the morn with lunch there and a short tour of something we might have missed and then onto Munich for the flight home at 4.

These might be of interest to others.

Hi LL,
Good question, I don't know yet, I'll have to check with Hill's.

We are thinking of extending a day or two also, might jump up to Estonia to visit
Indrek's place. Cutting it close though as they start their holiday on Sat.

BTW, anyone who is going (or interested in going) is welcome to contact Hill's
directly too if you have any questions. They are more than happy to help.
(see below)Just make sure you tell them it's about the Piano World European Tour.

Tour Arrangements Made Through Hills Travel, St. Petersburg, FL

Hill's Travel Service has been around for over 80 years helping make travel
dreams come true. With personal relationships with thousands of airlines,
cruise lines, hotels, resorts and premier destinations worldwide, you are
guaranteed the best pricing and service available. To learn more about Hills Travel or to contact them with questions...
visit www.hillstravel.com or contact Kimberly Winters at 727-896-7161 or
Kimberly@hillstravel.com .

i have checked, and they won't take one of my kidneys

My wife and I are considering this trip (Charles and Juliana Kraver from Chandler AZ). How close to the start point (Hamburg) or the stop point (Vienna) is Paris (I have a sister living there) or Brustles (I have a brother living there). I should probably just google map this question. What VISA stuff do US citizens with a passport need to travel in the EU?

My mother-in-law has also shown interest (Jia Hui Wang from Chandler AZ/Shanghai China). She has is a Chinese citizen with a US green card. What VISA stuff would she need to travel in the EU?

Do any of the committed or definite maybes speak Mandarin, Shanghaiese or Cantonese? Her english if very limited. Obviously my wife could translate but it would add to the experience if others spoke one of these Chinese dialects. Plus it might provide her an obvious roommate.

Hi Chuck,

That's wonderful, we would love to have you, your wife, and your mother-in-law join us on the tour.

I would recommend checking with our travel agent, I know if they don't have the answers they will certainly get them for you. I've also asked them to monitor this thread to help us answer any questions.

Contact Kimberly Winters at 727-896-7161 or Kimberly@hillstravel.com .

I intend to create a list soon with as many of the details as I can about things like the visa, electric adapters, cell phone use, wireless Internet access, etc.

There are actually some pretty good suggestions and facts in the thread I started a while back about

Learning German for the Trip

Please let me know when I can add your names to the list of people joining the tour.

Hi Chuck,

I did check with our Travel Agency, our agency contact in Germany provided the following...

==================================================================
Regarding the questions of Charles and Juliana Kraver here the answers:

- Vienna and Hamburg are both not close to Paris: Vienna is about 11 hours ride and Hamburg about 7 (train or car)

- Brussels is a little bit closer - 5 h 30min from Hamburg and 10h from Vienna

- for US citizens a visa is not required for a stay of up to 90 days

- as far as the visa requirements for Chinese are concerned I would kindly ask to contact the Chinese Embassy

- I am not aware if any of the participants speak Mandarin, Shanghaies or Cantonese

Please let me know if I can assist Charles and Juliana any further.


Best regards,


Elle

Hill's Travel Service

Saint Petersburg, USA

Trier, Germany

P: (877) 845 7437 – toll free
F: (727) 896 7167
Email: elle@hillstravel.com
=========================================================
Also Chuck I would add that I hope everyone who plans to join the tour, or is even thinking about it will keep an eye on this thread (and by all means let us know as soon as you decide so we can get you on the list). We may come up with someone yet who can help to make your mother-in-law's participation more pleasant (no mother-in-law jokes now people).

In spite of the german "no speed limit" on the Autobahn that seems quite optimistic to me and probably is calculated without the necessary breaks (and european traffic jam).

These are more or less the distances by car.
Hamburg - Paris : 900 km.
Hamburg - Brussels : 600 km.
Vienna - Paris : 1200 km.
Vienna - Brussels : 1100 km.

We are on the fence, only because we have just purchase a new home. With this tidbit of information, I am certain we will move to the "going" list; and please add my mother-in law, Cathy to the list. Could we get an update on where we are number wise?
Thanks
Carl

Hi Carl,

Glad to hear you are planning to join us, looking forward to meeting you, your wife and your mother-in-law.

While I definitely want everyone who plans on going on the tour to let me know, I'd appreciate it if you would also contact Kimberly (Contact Kimberly Winters at 727-896-7161 or Kimberly@hillstravel.com ) as it helps them track things on their end if they hear directly from our participants.

Best,

Frank Baxter
Piano World

Early on in this thread I may have written "people need to put their money where their mouth is: or maybe I said that in a PM to Frank. Well, anyway I just sent in my deposit to confirm my place on this wonderful opportunity. I'm encouraging others to do the same.

In recent weeks many churches have been encouraging their members to make their pledges of contributions for the upcoming year. One over enthusiastic young preacher got carried away in his stewardship sermon and called out from the pulpit: "I upped my pledge...up yours!"

I don't know if he got his point across, but the sooner more of us step up to making our financial commitment to this trip the sooner we will know what the bottom line cost will be. That information will me helpful to me in my planning and I think that would be the case for many others too.

The latest update brings us to 31 who say they want to join the tour.

If everyone does indeed come through, we will be in the last (lowest) price bracket.

We still have at least 13 people who are undecided. Now is the Time!

Hi Jim & Sandy,

The reason we weren't asking for deposits until the start of Dec. was to
allow time to bring as many people on board as possible.

As you know, the more people the better the pricing (up to a point).

In addition some of the places on the tour wouldn't lock in prices too far ahead.

We had set Dec. 1 as the original lock down date for deposits, now extended slightly to Mid Dec. because we've gotten other people raising their hands.

I will be working with Elle this coming week to get the details we need.
As soon as we have them, Elle will be sending an email to everyone who plans to join the tour, and I will be posting the updates on the Forums.

Thanks for your patience, glad to hear your anxious to get this settled and reserve your spot.

Hello...we don't need people "raising their hands"...we need people making financial commitments to the tour!

Hello, what a wonderful Trip - I wish I could join you but I have no money left after booking several journeys.
I am German and new on this forum. I know many of the places you will visit for sightseeing. When I saw your plans on the trip for June 12th I wondered how that will be possible and checked the time you need for transportation. By the way both cities -Nuremberg and Rothenburg are extremely beautiful and interesting. But on that day you will spent about 4 hours in the bus: 1 hour from Bayreuth where you stay overnight to Nuremberg, 1h 15 min. from Nuremberg to Rothenburg, 1hour 50 minutes from Rothenburg to Bayreuth. In the towns your program will be extremely tight. You might regret not to have more time there.

I thought I should tell you that so that you can check once more wether this is really what you want!

Hello Munich, and welcome to the forums.

Thank you for your comments.

I know we are cutting some things a bit close, we may need to adjust.
There is so much to see and do, we could have a month and not see it all.

But we have only 12 days, which no doubt will go by very quickly.
The tour will give everyone a chance to experience a little bit of a lot of things.
Some who, like myself, have never been to Europe will want to take it all in with the thought that they will return one day to spend more time with the places and people they liked the most.

Looking forward to seeing your beautiful country.

Best,

Frank Baxter
Founder / Host
Piano World

Hello Frank, Elle and All,

I sent my deposit in today. Frank and/or Elle, can you let me know when enough deposits have been received that the trip is a definite go? Airfare is nonrefunadable and I want to get my airfare after enough folks are signed up and paid, so that the trip is a sure thing.

Really looking forward to it! Are we going to be doing any Bach- related excursions?

Also will we be able to see Beethoven's grave?

Yours in Piano,

Frank, you've put together a great trip - I'll be with all of you in spirit, just can't afford it at this time.

I know all PW travelers will have a great time and wonderful memories.

If time permits, keep us posted on your travels.

Bon Voyage

Think about it ...

This Trip Would Make a Christmas Present of a Lifetime!

If you haven't done so already, it's time to...

Join The Piano Tour Now! Please Read On...
Do you know what a Catch 22 is?
Well that's what we are experiencing right now. Why?

Because a number of people have indicated they want to join the tour...
ONCE THEY KNOW WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE!

Well, if you are sitting on the sidelines waiting, you may well be the one(s) creating the challenge.
We need YOU to join us now so we will have "enough" people.

We Have Enough People IF...
You make the commitment to join the rest of us. You know you want to be part of this adventure.
It will be like no other tour/trip you've ever seen. Fun, educational, mesmerizing, musical, stimulating, interesting, unique.

Did You Realize?
We will be treated to private tours of top European piano manufacturers conducted by:
Steingräber u. Söhne Tour (Bayreuth, Germany) Conducted by Udo Steingräber himself. A gentleman and world class piano designer.
Blüthner Tour (Leipzig, Germany) Tour to be conducted by Dr. Christian Blüthner. Dr. Blüthner has a fascinating bio, as does Blüthner piano.
Hamburg Steinway Tour (Hamburg, Germany) Kyle Kirkland, Chairman of Steinway Musical Instruments has promised a memorable tour.
Bösendorfer Tour (Vienna, Austria)Thanks to the artist formerly known as Bosie Eric for putting us in touch with the right people.

And that we will enjoy a private concert (in a castle no less) by Pianist/Composer/Author Robin Meloy Goldsby (author of The Piano Girl, Rhythm, and ...)

Plus we will be touring composer's homes, music museums, cathedrals, and castles.
Not to mention staying in beautiful classic European hotels and dining in wonderful restaurants.

All this plus lots more, including traveling in a comfortable tour bus with our own guide (leave the driving to them), breakfast and dinner included so you don't have to think about it (of course you can do your own thing if you prefer), time to yourself to do tourist stuff (or nothing).

NOTE: We have single travelers who are interested in pairing up to save the "single" fees. Make sure you
let Elle (our travel agent) know if you are either looking for a travel mate or are willing to consider pairing up with someone.
Same gender only, we aren't match making here you know :-)

Please Don't Wait Any Longer - Commit Today! (this would make a great Christmas present :-)

Elle is our contact at Hills Travel (our travel agency). She can accept credit cards, or you
can mail a check. She is also available to answer any questions. Get your deposit in and hold your spot!

Hill's Travel Service
Saint Petersburg, USA
Trier, Germany
P: (877) 845 7437 ­ toll free
F: (727) 896 7167
Email: elle@hillstravel.com

We are so looking forward to meeting up with everyone in Germany!

Have a Very Merry Christmas & a Happy and Safe New Year!

Musically Yours,
Frank & Kathy
P.S.
We will be at the NAMM show (Anaheim, CA) Jan 12-17.
Hope to catch up with those of you who will be attending the show.

Have you sent your deposit yet?

You'll hate yourself if you miss this tour!

I'm wondering about arrival times in Hamburg. I would hate to have a flight delay and miss meeting up with the group on Sunday evening. Is anyone planning on flying in on Saturday?

Yes Agilita, I am arriving a day early and will stay just south of the city in a small charming town. I'll travel on to Hamburg early on Sun. Don't we have something going on Sunday?

Sorry to miss Sunday night meeting; My 50th high school reunion is Saturday night, and the best I can do is 7:30 Monday AM at the Hamburg airport. I've let Elle know about this.

Lilylady,

What is the "charming town"? I think I'll plan a Saturday arrival. Not sure what I'll do with the extra time. I need to get a guide book and do a little reading.

When willl second payment be due?

Bart, the pdf with the pricing said this:

"25% of entire amount is due by December 1st. Another 25% is due on March 1st, 2011, with final payment due by April 4, 2011"

Since the first payment was extended until mid-December, I don't know if the other deadlines will change or not.

Why I asked the question. Hope it is.