Day 1 – Sep. 15

Evening departure from Toronto to Paris.

Day 2 – Sep. 16

Morning arrival in Paris. Transfer by motor coach to Caen. En route we visit Juno Beach, commemorating Canadians taking part in D-Day landing in Normandy. Upon arrival in hotel some time for rest, dinner and overnight.

Day 3 – Sep. 17

Today we travel to the spectacular Mont St. Michel with its picturesque streets and the Abbey. Some free time for leisure. Return to Caen for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Sep. 18

After breakfast we travel to Lisieux, city of St. Thérèse, “The Little Flower” where we visit the Basilica dedicated to her and celebrate Mass. Continue to picturesque town of Hofleur where we visit 15th-century St. Catherine’s Church. Dinner and overnight in Rouen, its skyline dominated by the spires of magnificent Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Day 5 – Sep. 19

Today we travel to Reims. En route we stop in Giverny and visit Claude Monet’s home and garden. Continue to Reims, the capital of the Champagne wine-growing region. We tour the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals and where French kings were crowned. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6 – Sep. 20

This morning we leave for Mosel Valley in Germany. En route we stop in Luxemburg, a little princedom located between France and Germany. After visiting its cathedral we continue to Trier, founded by the Romans, to see several well-preserved Roman and newer structures like the Porta Nigra gate, the ruins of Roman baths, Cathedral and Constantine Basilica. Dinner in Cochem area.

Day 7 – Sep. 21

Full day in Mosel and Rhine valleys. We visit some picturesque towns and villages in the area: Cochem, Zell and more. A chance for optional wine tasting. After lunch we are transferred to St. Goar where (14.20) we embark on a cruise down the scenic River Rhine past medieval castles and terraced vineyards to Rudesheim. Continue to Eibingen Abbey, founded by St. Hildegarde von Bingen, a centre of active monastic life. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 – Sep. 22

This morning we travel to Rothenburg, a picturesque town on famous German Romantic Road. En route we stop in Walldurn, a site of Eucharistic miracle in 1330. The relic of the corporal with the Blood is preserved today and is placed in the basilica of of Saint George in Walldürn. Upon arrival in Rothenburg ob der Tauber some free time to explore this walled medieval town, one of the only ones left in Germany. Dinner and overnight.

Day 9 – Sep. 23

Today we travel to Nuremberg. Our tour takes us to view of the fortifications and stone towers of its Altstadt, Kaiserburg Castle, The Hauptmarkt, Schöner Brunnen, and Frauenkirche, a 14th-century Gothic church. Dinner and overnight.

Day 10 – Sep. 24

After breakfast we depart to Augsburg, one of Germany’s oldest cities. We revel in the beauty of its center: medieval guild houses, the 11th-century St. Mary’s cathedral and the onion-domed Sankt Ulrich und Afra abbey. Dinner and overnight.

Day 11 – Sep. 25

This morning we visit Benedictine monastery in Andechs, oldest pilgrimage destination in Bavaria, known today for its brewery. Continue to Munich. Our tour of the city will take us to the Altstadt, central Marienplatz and Neues Rathaus with a popular glockenspiel show that chimes and reenacts stories from the 16th century. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 12 – Sep. 26

This morning we travel to Oberammergau to participate in the Passion Play performed every 10 years in this small town. This wonderful spectacle of pageantry takes place outdoors where the sky and mountains are the backdrop. It’s world renown for the costumes and music presentation, performed by more than 2,000 citizens. Dinner and overnight in special accommodation in Oberammergau or its surroundings

Day 13 – Sep. 27

After breakfast we are transferred to the airport in Munich for a flight back to Toronto. Afternoon arrival.