Day-to-day Itinerary - Titan Hot 7 German/Austrian Tour

September 21 – October 5, 2010

Visit Crisp Tours & Titan Hot Seven and various websites on this document by simply CTRL + Click on the highlighted link. Many websites also have an English translation. Try searching the web using Google. Also visit the members on line: Jeff Barnhard – piano, Bob Draga - clarinet, Danny Coots - drums, Jim Fryer – trombone, Flip Oaks– trumpet, Ike Harris – base, Jerry Krahn – guitar.

Itinerary will be posted daily and is subject to change due to weather, scheduling, etc.

Day 1: Tue, 21 Sep - Depart on an overnight flight to Munich. This is a long flight and we appreciate everyone’s patience.

Day 2: Wed, 22 Sep – Upon arrival to the Munich airport, we will gather everyone together and meet our busses from Kreuz-Reisen tours. After an approximate two hour drive, we’ll arrive at our new home of Grassau. We will be staying in the Hotel Sperrer & Hotel Hansbaeck, both first class accommodations. Upon arrival, welcome drink awaits you at Hotel Sperrer where there will be personal introductions. After dinner, there will be a short evening of jazz before retiring after a very long day.

Day 3: Thu, 23 Sep – Morning free to explore the Grassau area http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassau for shopping or just relaxing. Grassau has two banks, a post office, several places to get fresh bakery goods, coffee shops, several eateries & restaurants to include pizza and oriental and Bavarian specialties, pharmacies, groceries, souvenirs, clothing stores, a tourist office, bus service, newspaper stands, medical services 24-7 and much more. This afternoon we’ll take a short bus ride to the Amerang Farmers’ Museum. You’ll see farm house build centuries ago and how people lived back then.

Day 4: Fri, 24 Sep – Morning free. This afternoon will take short bus ride for a cruise on Lake Chiemsee, “click on map”. We’ll bring along some musical instruments so we can dance and party on the boat ride over to Herrenchiemsee, the larger of two islands. Once on the island, it’s about a ¾ mile flat walk to King Ludwig's Chiemsee Castle. There are optional horse and buggy rides available to take you to the castle. The castle, really a palace, was designed after the French Sun King, Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles near Paris. The tour takes us through only a portion of the inside which was completed. There is also a small museum which is included with your tour ticket. After dinner, we head for the town hall for a local Heimatabend, a Bavarian Traditional Schuhplattlers Show in the village. You will see the locals in their traditional outfits and dance their traditional dances. No jazz, ‘cause there’ll be live Oomph music tonight.

Day 5: Sat, 25 Sep – Today is Michaelimarkt, Grassau’s annual street market day. Here’s where our village transforms itself into a huge market place. All the streets are blocked off and booths are set up through the main street. There will be a variety of things to buy, from tee shirts to socks, kitchen items to linens, Bavarian hats to CDs and souvenirs. You’ll find all kinds of specialized food, beer gardens and local bands. There are also new farm machinery displays, animal auctions and rides for the children. This is a wonderful time to really get close and observe the locals. In keeping with the festivities, our band has been invited to play in the village, time and place TBA for the public enjoyment. BTW - There’s a basement discotheque to the right of the Hotel Hansbaeck open on Friday and Saturday evenings. Dinner on your own.

Day 6: Sun, 26 Sep – This morning we take about a 45 minute drive to Berchtesgaden, one of most the breath taking alpine regions in the Bavarian Alps. We’ll visit the Obersalzberg Salt Mines. You’ll dress in the traditional miner’s outfits, straddle the open train cars and ride deep into the salt mountain. The tour includes several interesting displays of how the miners worked the mines years back. The fun part is experiencing the slides the miners took to get from one level to the next. If the weather permits, we offer an optional tour to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Note: This is one tour which is not included because we can never guarantee the weather. This trip would be useless if the mountain is clouded over or raining. On our return trip home, again, weather and time permitting, we will take the scenic route through Ramsau and the Magic Forest. This is one of the most beautiful drives in all of Europe.

Day 7: Mon, 27 Sep – Salzburg, the city of Mozart. Late this morning we’ll travel a short drive to Salzburg, Austria. Our guide will meet us for a city walking tour. If you don’t want to do the 1 ½ mile foot tour, you can stop off at the horse and buggies where you can do your own tour by coach or stroll the old part of the city. You will see Mozart’s birthplace house in the center of the old town. You’ll find open markets, several cathedrals and music halls and lots of coffee sidewalk cafés. You can also take the funicular inclined railway (optional fee) to the impenetrable Hohensalzburg Fortress for a fantastic view of the city. There you will find a free museum, gift shop, a restaurant and medieval village and court yard. This is the largest fully-preserved fortress in Europe. The fortress was constructed in 1077 during a dispute with the Pope over who should be allowed to appoint the bishop. This evening is what everyone is waiting for, the Mozart Dinner Concert, held in the atmospheric, baroque vaults of St Peter's Abbey, known as the Peterskeller. Visitors can savor a fine three-course meal accompanied by the Mozart Ensemble, which performs works composed by Salzburg's most famous son. The musicians are clad in historical costumes and the whole atmosphere transports you back to Mozart's times. While no doubt extremely touristy, the Mozart Dinner is a must for any visitor to Salzburg. This elegant restaurant and concert banquet hall is one of the oldest and renowned dinner concerts in all of Europe. Formal attire is not required. No jazz tonight, it’s classical. Late return.

Day 8: Tue, 28 Sep – Today is the furthest bus excursion we take. It’s about a 2 ½ hour bus ride to our first stop to the pilgrim Wies Church. This elaborate chapel sits by it’s self in a field. Built in 1754, it is the most beautiful baroque church in Bavaria and probably in the world. Later, not far from here we will visit King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle, the most famous of all medieval castles. It’s a fairy-tale fantasy come true. On our return, we’ll stop at the famous woodcarving village of Oberammergau. It’s a perfect place to send back home that cuckoo clock. Jazzin’ tonight

Day 9: Wed, 29 Sep – Today we travel through the alpine valleys to the beautiful little village of Reit im Winkl, & the Reit im Winkl Area. The Bavarian houses, flowers on the balconies, the village fountain coupled with mountains and waterfalls make this a painter’s and photographer’s paradise. For the shoppers, the prices are most reasonable compared to other cities. And for the guys, don’t miss the Schnapps Museum where you can sample a variety of German schnapps. Jazz tonight.

Day 10: Thu, 30 Sep – This morning we head back to Munich to take a closer look at the Bavarian capital. We’ll meet our local guide for a guided city tour where we will see the medieval Glockenspiel in Marienplatz and visit the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus. After the city tour we will end up at the original Munich Oktoberfest. We suggest you make it first to the Ferris wheel for a good view of the city and over 14 huge beer tents, most over the size of a football field. You’ll have time to see the sights, enjoy the Bavarian costumes and hear the songs and sounds of the biggest beer festival in the world. This evening, we’ll head downtown to Wirtshaus zum Isartal Bavarian Gasthaus. Dinner is included. After dinner, the Titan Hot Seven Jazz Band will share the stage with the Munich Veterinary Street Jazz Band, for a joint jazz concert. Late return.

Day 11: Fri, 1 Oct – German Unification Day - Today we head south into Austria for the Tyrol City of Innsbruck. We’ll have both a bus and walking tour of the city. You’ll see the Olympic Stadium from the mountain side and walk the old medieval down town pedestrian center and see the famous Golden Roof. Upon our return, we’ll stop in the medieval town of Rattenberg am Inn, the smallest city on the Inn river and famous for Swarovski Crystal.

Day 12: Sat, 2 Oct – Farmer’s Market (Bauernmarkkt) – Shop until you drop. After dinner, there will be a joint concert with Grassau’s Big Band Teachers’ Grove and the Titan Hot Seven Jazz Band. This will be a big hit for the town’s people of Bernau. There will be VIP’s in attendance along with the village Buergermeister. Dinner on your own.

Day 13: Sun, 3 Oct – After church, there will be a morning gospel jazz concert from 8:30 – 10:30 am. Later we will take the local two-seater alpine ski lift to the Hochplatte, also know as the Grassauer Almen Wanderung Alpine ski lift. If it’s a nice day, will see hang-gliders and/or parachute jumpers taking off from a favorite launching site. There’s a small restaurant which serves the finest German dishes and pastries. Dinner on your own. Here’s also a chance to try the open menu at the Gasthof Sperrer or experience anyone of the village fine eateries you may have missed. Tonight it’s Dinner on your own. There are lots of places to dine with your friends in Grassau. There’s the Hotel Hansbaeck, Gasthof zur Post, a pizza place and many others. We might suggest the Hotel Weßnerhof, about 1.5 miles from Grassau. Their menu (also in English) is famous for Bavarian specialties. It is here where there will be a free optional Schnapps tasting tour – not just for those wanting to try a variety of schnapps and liquors, but for anyone interested in learning how the German schnapps is produced. It’s the band’s night off – they played in the morning, remember?

Day 14: Mon, 4 Oct – This is your last full day and a free day for last minute shopping and time to pack. There will be a midday request concert with the Titan Hot Seven from 11 am to 1 pm. Here is your last chance to make a request, play or sing with the band. Please have your checked baggage in front of your door or in the hotel lobby no later than 5 pm to be loaded onto the busses for the early morning departure tomorrow. Our Special Farewell Banquet will be at 5:30 pm. Everyone will have a chance to tell their story about their experiences they had on the trip. No music after banquet – early to bed or party in the Gasthaus until the wee morning hours.

Day 15: Tue, 5 Oct – Early morning departure for the Munich airport for flights back to the USA. As of 11/10/2008