When:
September 5-19, 2009
Led
by: Richard
Schmidt
Featuring:
- Castles,
Palaces, Historic sites, and Museums!
- Meet
with local folk dance groups!
-
Breathtaking scenery from mountains to sea!
Price includes:
- Round
trip air fare from New York
-
Transfers
- Hotels
- Two
meals daily
- Guide
- A
private deluxe motorcoach
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Price:
Land only:
$3395
Land and air: $4295
About
Richard Schmidt
Richard Schmidt received the "Lifetime Achievement Award"
from the Polish government for his dedication in promoting Polish
culture abroad. He became Artistic Director of the Podhale Folk
Dance Company of Montreal in 1991.
His folk
dance teaching and choreography has been complimented by trips
to Poland and studies under many specialists. He has choreographed
and taught for folk ensembles in Canada, United States, and
international dance camps.
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Day
1:
Depart on Lot Polish Airlines from JFK airport in New York City.
Day
2-4:
Arrive
in Kraków. Transfer to our hotel.
Welcome dinner. Religious holiday. Walking tour of Kraków. Excursion to
the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a 3-mile underground walk through chambers, caves, and
chapels adorned with statues sculptured from salt. Evening folk dancing! Overnights
at Novotel Bronowice.
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Day
5-6:
Drive to Zakopane with its special architecture and storks.
Many fine shops. Raft ride along a winding river with a local
mountaineer raftsman dressed in full regalia! Meet and dance
with the local folk dance group Podhale. Overnights: Hotel Mercure-Kasprowy.
Day
7:
Depart Zakopane and head for Łodź. Stop at Auschwitz.
Then visit the pilgrimage site of Czestochowa to see the Black
Madonna, Poland's holiest icon. Overnights: Grand Lodz.
Day
8:
Łodź: Great place for folk shopping, festivals, folklore,
and folk groups. We'll join the festival, see a show, and have
our own folk dance session.
Day
9:
Depart Łodź for Toruń, the charming medieval town,
home of the great astronomer Copernicus. City sightseeing of
Toruń. Overnight: Mercure Hellos.
Day
10-11:
Depart Toruń for Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot. Ports,
Ships, Beaches, Boardwalk. Relax at the seaside. The seaport
of Gdynia; Sopot with Old World grand hotels, and beaches; Gdańsk,
a former Hanseatic port city with Gothic churches, romantic cobblestone
alleys and harbor promenades. Hear the world-famous organ in
Oliwa Cathedral. Folk dancing. Overnights: Hotel Marina.
Day
12:
Day trip to the famous Malbork Castle, former seat of the once-powerful
Teutonic Knights. Drive to Olsztyn (Warmia and Mazury), Lake
District of Poland. A vacation spot for many Poles with beautiful
lakes and campgrounds. Meet with local folklore group. Overnight:
Novotel in Olsztyn.
Day
13:
Drive from Olsztyn to Warsaw: City tour includes Old Town, the
Ghetto memorial site, Lazienki Park, Monument of the 1944 Warsaw
Uprising and the Chopin monument. Evening folk dancing. Overnights:
Novotel Centrum.
Day
14: Friday, September 14:
Visit Želazowa Wola, home of Fryderyk Chopin. Free afternoon
to stroll Warsaw boulevards and parks, visit shops and boutiques.
Farewell dinner.
Day
15: Saturday, September 15:
Transfer to airport: Flight home to JFK Airport in New York. |
