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 Alpine Explorer
May 21 - 31, 2010
11 Days • 16 Meals: 9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 6 Dinners
Escorted by Peggy & Dennis Crull
View the Alpine Explorer Tour Brochure
An Important Message From Dennis and Peggy Crull
About The Oberammergau Passion Play
Dear Friend,
A major event that you have asked about is on the horizon – OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY 2010.
It began with a promise made in 1633. In the midst of the horror of the 30 years’ war, the dreaded plague was sweeping across Europe. Having lost 84 of their own within three weeks time, the villagers of Oberammergau made a promise to God that if He spared them of any more deaths from the plague, the villagers themselves would perform – out of gratitude and forever more – a play depicting the life and suffering of Christ. The deaths stopped. The performances began. The curtain rises again in May 2010.
Every ten years, about half a million people from around the world descend on the tiny Bavarian village of Oberammergau between May and October to witness the spectacle that is the Passion Play. I was there in 2000 leading our exclusive Cruise & Tour group. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. During the intermission, I phoned Dennis, who was at home to attend an important event of our son’s, to tell him that we must return to Oberammergau in 2010.
That time has nearly come. Our departure date is May 21, 2010.
We’ll begin with flights from Chicago* and Boston** to Milan, Italy and then our drive to Stresa on picturesque Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. There, on an island surrounded by beautiful scenery, we will join together for our welcome dinner.
From Stresa, we’ll travel through Italy’s scenic lake district and across the Swiss border to the lakeside resort of Lugano. We’ll drive into the Alps to the spectacular Alpine village of Zermatt. There, images of the Matterhorn ingrained in our minds will pale in comparison to the real sight of this majestic peak.
At Zermatt, we’ll board the famous Glacier Express for an unforgettable train ride on the world’s most exciting narrow-gauge railway. Our destination is St. Moritz, playground of the rich and famous.
From Switzerland, we’ll travel into neighboring Austria, visiting Innsburck of Winter Olympics fame and then Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace and the location where famous scenes from “The Sound of Music” were filmed.
From Austria, we cross the German border into Bavaria and visit the Bavarian capital, Munich. (Beer lovers in the group may even have time to hoist a stein of the local brew at Munich’s famous Hofbräuhaus.)
But we are on a mission – Oberammergau and their world-famous Passion Play, and it is there that we will spend our last two nights. By virtue of the “Hair Decree”, the villagers will have grown the hair on their heads and faces for more than a year now, in hopes of being one of the more than 2,000 citizens chosen to bring this nearly 6-hour spectacle to life. During the extended intermission, we will have our farewell dinner, offering an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what we have seen and done during our Alpine Explorer tour.
Your complete 11-day tour is priced at $5,799 per person, double occupancy or $6,589 single and includes:
- Roundtrip economy class airfare from Chicago as arranged by Collette Vacations
- Air taxes, fees and surcharges of $401 per person (subject to change until paid in full)
- Transfers from and back to the airport
- Fine hotels carefully selected for comfort and location
- 16 meals: 9 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 6 dinners
- Travel by luxury touring coach
- English-speaking city guides
- Admission to all listed attractions including the Passion Play
- Services of a Collette Vacations professional Tour Manager
- Services of your Cruise & Tour hosts
WHY COLLETTE VACATIONS?
Collette Vacations has earned our trust and respect by delivering superior value and service to our travelers for many years. In our nearly 33 years in business, we have found that Collette consistently outperforms the competition by including more sightseeing, more meals, and hotels in great locations that are clean, comfortable and well run. Collette’s itineraries are well designed, providing you with multi-night hotel stays whenever possible (four times on this tour), versus a series of 1-night stays so common with other tour operators. Finally, unlike other companies who hire free-lance local tour managers to oversee the countless details that make a tour work properly, all of Collette’s tour managers are full-time, trained, highly skilled and personable Collette Vacations employees.
PEACE OF MIND
COLLETTE’S CANCELLATION FEE WAIVER AND TRAVEL INSURANCE PLAN
Knowing that there can be bumps in the road of life, for a one-time fee of $350 per person, regardless of your age or medical history, Collette Vacations offers their combination CANCELLATION FEE WAIVER and TRAVEL INSURANCE plan. If you purchase this plan – which is only offered at time of initial tour deposit – you may cancel your tour FOR ANY REASON up to the DAY OF DEPARTURE and receive a 100% REFUND of your trip cost (except for the $350). In addition, you will have a full range of travel insurance benefits available to help you with emergencies and other unexpected needs while your trip is in progress. Please see the enclosed Summary of Coverages for details.
RESERVING YOUR PLACE
Reserving your Alpine Explorer tour and ticket to the Passion Play is as easy as 1-2-3.
- CALL US at 1 (800) 383-3131 to hold the number of places needed.
- COMPLETE AND RETURN the enclosed reservation form with your first deposit of $500 per person. Please make your check payable to Cruise & Tour.
- FOR CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS, please complete and return the enclosed credit card authorization form along with your reservation.
We hope you will join us for this extraordinary once-a-decade event. The next opportunity will not be until…2020!
Warm regards,
Peggy R. Crull
President
P.S. In the Patricia Schultz book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, the Passion Play of Oberammergau is said to “escape commercialism: the ancient vow is still the most important thing in these people’s lives.” In 2000, every single performance sold out, nearly all well more than a year in advance. If you would like to witness this centuries-old “labor of love”, CALL NOW to hold your place.
*Dennis and Peggy Crull will either depart from Chicago or meet the Chicago group upon arrival in Italy. They will travel with Cruise & Tour coach #1.
**Charles Crull will depart from Boston and will accompany Cruise & Tour coach #2. Each coach will also have a Collette Vacations Tour manager.
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