ITINERARY

Sat 4/6   Orientation
First Rehearsals
Riverdale High School
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

June 2-4 Rehearsal Camp
See Home page for details

Thu 6/6 Departure from Nashville Internatl Airport.  Specific terminal, airline and time to a

Fri 6/7 Arrive in England. 
Windsor then London

Sat 6/8 London

Sun 6/9 London

Mon 6/10 To Paris

Tue 6/11 Paris

Wed 6/12 Paris

Thu 6/13 To Crans-Montana, Switzerland

Fri 6/14 Chateau Chillon & Montreux

Sat 6/15 Zermatt & the Matterhorn

Sun 6/16 To Rothenburg, Germany

Mon 6/17 Rothenburg

Tue 6/18 To Salzburg, Austria
--staying and performing
in village of Bad Hofgastein

Wed 6/19 Salzburg

Thu 6/20 Salzburg

Fri 6/21 To Munich
Fly Home

Departure from Nashville International Airport.  Specifics regarding airline and time to report were distributed at the April 6 meeting.

1 meal included during transatlantic flight. All others at individual expense.

Arrive London Heathrow Airport - meet tour escorts and drivers in main arrival hall. Transfer to Windsor. Groups will be arriving at different times, so each group's experience at Windsor will vary.  After being greeted by our city coordinators, who will provide a brief orientation, we can enjoy some free time in Windsor for lunch (individual expense), sight-seeing, souvenir shopping and other adventures, like a walk in Windsor Great Park, or a boat trip on the River Thames.

At the appointed time return to the coach park to transfer to London for our Arrival Dinner at The Cumberland. After dinner we may have some free time in London before we transfer to our "home" for the next three nights:

Travelodge Docklands Central
Oregano Dr.
London E14 2AE, UK

Included meals - inflight breakfast, dinner

Following breakfast at the hotel, load motorcoaches and depart for a guided city tour of London. This morning's tour of top attractions of the city may include Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and more.  

Our first full day in London is a very special day: the 2nd Saturday in June is the official celebration of the reigning monarch's birthday (regardless of the actual date the King or Queen was born) known as Trooping the Colors - The Colonel's Review.  We will be able to enjoy this timeless display of pomp and pageantry dating back to the 17th century, a cherished event in the British royal calendar and symbol of the nation's military tradition and heritage.

Following our time at Trooping the Colors we will meet our motorcoaches and transfer to Kensington Gardens, where we will enjoy some free time and our delivered box lunches. If time permits we may be able to get the first official tour photo, at the Prince Albert Memorial or in front of Kensington Palace, if we were not able to do that after the Arrival Dinner on Friday.

We will make the short walk to St. Matthew's Bayswater church where the Tennessee Ambassadors of Music Choir will present their first concert of the tour at 3:30 PM.

Following the concert, our motorcoaches will take us to Victoria Embankment where we will begin our planned London Evening activities. Dinner tonight will be at the individual's expense.

At the end of our evening's plans we will meet back at Victoria Embankment to transfer back to the hotel.

Included meals - breakfast, lunch

Following breakfast at the hotel, load motorcoaches and depart for a visit to the Tower of London, where you can see the Crown Jewels, join a tour led by a Yeoman Warder ( AKA Beefeaters), visit the White Tower, walk the Battlements, or visit the Torture at the Tower exhibit, the Medieval Palace, the Bloody Tower, plus any number of adventures that await you behind the stone walls that date back hundreds of years. 

After our time in the Tower, we will load our motoroaches to transfer once again to Victoria Embankment where will have our box lunches delivered and some free time in this lovely urban garden, after which the Tennessee Ambassadors of Music Concert Band will present their first concert of the tour in the Victoria Embankment Gardens Bandshell at 2:00 PM

Following the concert we will divide up into our groups for our planned London Evening activities. Dinner will again be at the individual's expense.

At the end of our evening's plans we will meet back at Victoria Embankment to transfer back to the hotel.

Included meals - breakfast, lunch

GOOD MORNING! It's time to take our grab 'n go breakfast and say "good-bye" to London and continue on our adventure! First stop - St. Pancras Station to board the Eurostar for Paris!

We'll be divided into two groups for the transfer to Paris. When we arrive at the Gare du Nord (the north train station) we will meet our European coaches and depart for Montmartre.  Because we will arrive at different times, each group's Montmartre experience will vary.

Montmartre is a fascinating Parisian neighborhood with a superb view of Paris. Upon our arrival, instructions will be given about where you should visit at the top of this hill, with its narrow streets full of artists. Be sure to visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where you'll have an amazing postcard-like view of Paris. Lunch today is at the individual's expense and you have many places in Montmartre to choose from - sidewalk cafes, take-aways (European for getting it to go) and creperies - don't miss the opportunity to have an authentic Parisian crepe that you watched being made! 

At the assigned time we will meet at a pre-determined location to return to our motorcoaches and head to the riverbank for our narrated cruise on the Seine River, where we can admire the splendor of the architecture and views of Paris.

Following our cruise we will transfer to our home for the next three nights:
Novotel Paris Est
1 Av. de la Republique
93170 Bagnolet

Dinner will be followed by an orientation meeting with our Parisian City Coordinators.

Included meals: Breakfast, dinner

Following breakfast at our hotel, we board our motorcoaches for an orientation tour of the city, which will end near the Eiffel Tower - perhaps the number one "must-see" of Paris! Admission to the tower is not included, but you can choose to go up at your own expense. There is a lot to see and do in the area around the tower, and lunch will be at the individual's expense during the time spent here.

At the appointed time and place we will board coaches to transfer to Jardins d'Acclimation where the TAM24 Band will perform at 3:30 PM.  

Following the concert, we will transfer to one of two restaurants for a group dinner, after which we will return to the hotel for the evening.

Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Following breakfast at our hotel, we'll meet our local guide and depart for our visit to The Louvre Museum, the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris.  Best known for being the home of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, in the Louvre you can also see two other very famous works of art that make up the Louvre's "Big Three": Winged Victory, or Nike of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo.

There's never enough time in the Louvre - you could spend months and never seen the entire collection! Lunch will be at the individual's expense during your time here.

At the appointed time we'll load our motorcoaches and depart for the 4:00 PM performance by the TAM24 Choir at Eglise de La Madeleine, the Church of the Madeleine. This prominent neoclassical church, surrounded by massive Corinthian columns, is located near the Place de la Concorde and the Palais Garnier opera house. The church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and is known for its impressive architecture and rich history. 

Following the concert, we will enjoy a group dinner - the same restaurants as on Tuesday, but the groups will exchange dining experiences.

After dinner we will load the coaches and return to our hotel for our last night in Paris.

Following breakfast at the hotel it is time for a major change in scenery - we load the coaches and are off to Switzerland! 

Along the way we will make several stops during which you can have lunch (individual expense), stretch your legs, use the restroom, etc.

We will head east through France, then cross the Swiss border and climb up to the beautiful mountain resort of Crans Montana.

We will check in to our assigned hotels where we will have our group dinner, after which we will have time to explore this beautiful area before returning to our hotel for the night.

Red Coach : Hotel Eldorado  Route de Fleurs des Champs 15, Crans-Montana 3963, Switzerland
Orange Coach: Hotel Splendide   Route de Fleurs des Champs 23, Crans-Montana 3963, Switzerland
Yellow, Teal & Purple Coaches: Grand Hotel Du Parc   Rue du Parc 5, Crans-Montana 3963, Switzerland
Green Coach: Bella Lui   Route du Zotzet 8, Crans-Montana 3963, Switzerland
Blue Coach: Alaia Lodge, Route du Rawyl 10, Crans-Montana 3963, Switzerland
Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Breakfast at the hotel, then we load the motorcoaches and begin the day's journey to see the Matterhorn!

Our coaches take us to Tasch, where we board a train to take us up the mountainside to the famous Swiss ski resort Zermatt.   After a short orientation tour, we'll take a ten-minute underground funicular ride from Zermatt to Sunnegga station. The Sunnegga is a starting point for many walks and the picturesque hamlet of Findeln is home to some of the best mountain restaurants in the region.  Here you can take walks, or simply take in the spectacle that offers the view of these splendid mountains and the iconic Matterhorn.  We will return to Zermatt via the Matterhorn and can enjoy the shopping in Zermatt.  Lunch is at the individual's expense.

We will take the train back to Tasch, and our coaches will return us to Crans-Montana, where we'll have a wonderful Swiss dinner party with local entertainment.

Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Breakfast in the hotel.  This morning we'll have time to explore the beautiful village of Crans-Montana - visit the shops, walk along one of the five lakes that dot the landscape, or take the tram up for a wonderful scenic overlook.

Lunch is  at the individual's expense, before we load the coaches to depart for Chillon Castle. We will enjoy a guided tour of this water castle situated on a rock on the shore of Lake Geneva. It's the most visited historical buuilding in Switzerland, but for nearly four centuries was the residence and custom station of the Counts of Savoy. Plus, it is the setting for a very famous narrative poem by Lord Byron: The Prisoner of Chillon, renowned for its imagery, emotional depth, and lyrical beauty. It is considered one of Byron's masterpieces and remains a celebrated work of English literature. Read it here.

Less than a two mile walk from the castle along a beautiful lakeside promenade is Montreux - visit for some shopping and maybe a snack.

Our motorcoaches will return us to our Crans Montana hotels for a group dinner, followed by a joint concert by the TAM24 Choir and Band in the Orangerie.

Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Breakfast at the hotel, then load the motercoaches and depart for Rothenburg.

As we travel from Switzerland to Germany, we will make several stops during which you can have lunch (individual expense), stretch your legs, use the restroom, etc.

We will check into our hotels in Rothenburg where we will enjoy a group dinner, followed by a brief orientation about Rothenberg, then return to our hotels for the evening.

Red & Blue Coaches: Hotel Schranne, Schranenplatz 6, 91541 Rothenburg, Bavaria, Germany
Orange & Yellow Coaches: Hotel Rothenburger Hof, Bahnhofstr. 11-13, 91541 Rothenburg, Bavaria, Germany
Green Coach: Hotel-Gasthof Post, Familie Dreyer, Ansbacher Strasse 27, 91541 Rothenburg, Bavaria, Germany
Teal & Purple Coaches: Hotel Rappen, Vorm Würzburger Tor 10, 91541 Rothenburg, Bavaria, Germany 

Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Breakfast at the hotel, followed by free time in this fairy-tale village that looks like it was pulled from a Disney film.  Visit the shiops for souvenirs, sample some of the delicious German sweet shoppes, walk along the wall that surrounds the old town, and at least at the top of an hour, stand and watch the show at the Ratstrinkstube Clock Tower. The two doors on either side of the clock face open for a reenactment of the legendary story of the brave mayor who drank nearly a gallon of wine in one go to save his town from Count Tilly, who was going to destroy the town and execute many of the residents.

You will also have time for lunch, at the individual's expense, before meeting for the first of our two concerts today.

1:00 PM meet at the Fanziskanerkirche Rothenburg to setup/warmup 

2:00 TAM24 Choir Concert

3:00 Following the choir concert, setup/warmup in the Marktplatz Rothenburg

4:00 TAM24 Band Concert

5:30 Return to hotel for a group dinner, then free time in town. Be sure to check out the Night Watchman tour at 8:00 PM (individual expense)

Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Breakfast at the hotel, load the the coaches and depart for Austria, but before we leave Germany, we will visit the Dachau Concentration Camp. In a suburb of Munich, this was one of the first Nazi concentration camps. Liberated by US Armed Forces in 1945, it reopened 20 years later as a memorial site to honor the victims adn give visitors a chance to learn from the past.

With a visit to Dachau you will get a comprehensive overview of the former concentration camp. See the cells, barracks and gas chamber and listen to moving stories of ex-prisoners. Original photographs and exhibits in the museum illustrate the inhumane reality of life in the concentration camp.

Visiting Dachau is a very moving experience, but it is certainly a piece of history that must be told and known, despite all of its cruelty.

A group lunch is included after we leave Dachau at Die Neuen Bürgerstuben

There will be rest stops as usual along the way to Bad Hofgastein, Austria where we will stay for the last three nights of the trip.

Upon arrival we will check in to assigned hotels where we will enjoy a group dinner, followed by a welcome meeeting in the Alpenarena with our city coordinators.

Red & Purple Coaches: Hotel Germania Gastein, Kurpromenade 14, 5630  Bad Hofgastein, Austria
Orange & Yellow Coaches: Hotel Rauscher, Kurpromenade 20, 5630  Bad Hofgastein, Austria
Green, Blue & Teal Coaches: Hotel Das Gastein, Alexander-Moser-Allee 21, 5630 Bad Hofgastein, Austria 

Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Breakfast at the hotel.

Load coaches and depart for Salzburg, where we'll meet our local expert guide that will bring us to visit the city center.  Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace as well as the shooting location for the film version of "The Sound of Music." Narrow lands and broad squares of this baroque city have a well-deserved place on the UNESCO World Heritage list. 

Lunch is at the individual's expense during our Salzburg visit, perhaps in one of the traditional Austrian restaurants like the famous Stieglkeller; explore the city center, experience the beauty of the Salzburg Dom (cathedral), visit Mozart's house, or visit the Salzburg Fortress - you can either walk up or take the funicular railway which departs from the Festungsgasse near the city center. Admission tickets include access to the fortress grounds, museums, and panoramic viewpoints. Visitors can climb to the top of the towers for stunning vistas of the cityscape, the Salzach River, and the majestic mountains beyond. 

Following our Salzburg time our motocoaches will return us to Bad Hofgastein for group dinner at the hotel and free time in town.

Included meals: breakfast and dinner

Breakfast at your hotel, then load motorcoaches meet our guide for the Sound of Music tour at Hellbrunn Castle.  See the famous Gazebo from "Sixteen, Going on Seventeen" and other sites from the film, ending the tour in the village of Mondsee, where we will have some free time and the opportunity to get lunch, at the individual's expense.

When we return to Bad Hofgastein we will prepare for our final performance - a joint TAM24 Choir and Band Concert in Bad Hofgastein's Alpenarena.

Following the concerts, we'll enjoy a special farewell dinner in the famous great hall of the Gastein Alm, where a group of local musicians will entertain as we enjoy our auf Wiedersehen to Bad Hofgastein and the adventure of our wonderful TAM24 Europe tour! 

One final night in our hotels in Bad Hofgastein, then early wake-ups to hed to the airport.

Included meals: Breakfast and Dinner

TIME TO GO HOME!

Breakfast will be another grab 'n go before leaving for the airport.  Departure times will vary based on flight departure times. There will be a meal inflight. Meals at layover airports are at the individual's expense.