our tour in connection with nuernberg international toy fair
toy fair 1/29 - 2/3/2014 - tour dates 1/28 - 2/8/2014
SPECIAL PRICING FOR THIS TOUR!!
On special request of TCA and NMRA
members we have organized a tour to visit "THE" Toy Fair. After a few days allocated to visit Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg and exploring the cities of Berlin and Dresden. a 2+ day fair visit is planned for those interested. For others, there are alternative activities offered in Nuernberg! (O*) stands for optional Mark Boyd, editor of the TCA Quarterly, will be joining us. For comments or suggestions, please contact him at mark.boyd54@att.net Day 1, 1-28, TUE, Hamburg Part of the control room at
Miniature Wonderland
Pre arrival day - (O* ) = optional Arrive at Hamburg airport, depending on the number and time of arriving travelers, you will be met at the airport. or (O*) optional transfer by taxi to our hotel. If your jet lag allows it, an optional (O*) visit at the Hamburg Intl. Maritime Museum with 40,000 ship models, the largest collection of its kind in the world, is possible. http://www.immhh.de/?lang=de Or: (O*) The association “Modelleisenbahn Hamburg e.V." operates a historical model railway in the scale 1:32 (Track 1). It is one of Europe’s largest and oldest model rail systems. Since 1949, the trains in the museum travel on the 1,200 meter tracks between Hamburg-Harburg station, the city’s main freight station and the “Pfeilerbahn” (pillar railway). Alongside historical model steam engines, modern model trains, diesel engines and power rail cars also travel here. www.mehev.de DAY 2, 1-29, WED, HAMBURG
For those of you who did arrive yesterday, this morning we can visit one or both locations described for that day. We all meet up at Miniatur Wunderland in the afternoon. For everyone arriving today, you will be met at the airport, with transfer to the hotel for check-in. We then visit the largest and most exciting model train layout in the world together. DAY 3, 1-30, THU, BERLIN
 "Ich bin ein Berliner"
- ICE Hamburg - Berlin
- on arrival, explore the world’s largest and most modern tower station: Images for Berlin Hbf (tief) - transfer to hotel and check in - sightseeing with stops at the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Holocaust Memorial and more - Berlin Museum of Technology (extensive train exhibit + maritime and aeronautics) http://www.sdtb.de/rail-transport.1148.0.html - More sightseeing and experience LOXX, Germany’s #2 layout: http://www.loxx-berlin.com/ Or: (O*) Pergamon Museum, world’s #1 place for ancient art and architecture http://bit.ly/bQvstn - Finish sightseeing and return to hotel - Visit Berlin’s #1 toy train store http://www.turberg.de/indexen.html 
Old meets new, live stream in front of VW transparent auto plant in Dresden
DAY 4, 1-31, FRI, DRESDEN
EC Berlin - Dresden - transfer to the hotel and check in - light rail to VW and guided tour at the VW transparent auto plant http://www.glaesernemanufaktur.de/en/ - Walking sightseeing tour of historical downtown - Explore the Dresden Transport Museum http://www.verkehrsmuseum-dresden.de/en/ - (O*) optional visit at the “Green Vault”, the world’s largest and most valuable treasure collection http://www.skd.museum/en/museums-institutions/residenzschloss/gruenes-gewoelbe/ - dinner in a very original and historic place 
Dresden was 95% destroyed after WWII.
You'll see the totally rebuilt waterfront from the Elbe river.
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DAY 5, 2-1, SAT, NUERNBERG
- Check out of Dresden hotel and transfer to train station
- Regional train Dresden - Nuernberg - store luggage in lockers and take subway to Intl. Nuernberg Toy Fair http://www.toyfair.de/homepage/?L=1 - meet and transfer back to the hotel Once in Nuernberg we will use the subway between the hotel, downtown and the fairgrounds, since it is the fastest way to get around that week. This way you can also move around independently on your own if you wish. You will get a pass to go unlimited anywhere in the city. DAY 6, 2-2, SUN, NUERNBERG 
For today: On request we can arrange visits at: - (O*) Nuernberg Toy Museum http://museums.nuremberg.de/toy-museum - (O*) the German National Railroad Museum http://bit.ly/19bK5zH - (O*) the Palace of Justice, where the trails took place http://www.memorium-nuremberg.de - (O*) the Nazi Documentation Center at the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds: http://museums.nuremberg.de/documentation-centre/ Both locations have an extensive exhibit with original documents, pictures etc., the best in the world. Let us know before the tour to make arrangements. All visits will take about 7 - 8 hrs. total. - meet in lobby and transfer to the Toy Fair or participate in the activities described before DAY 7, 2-3, MON, NUERNBERG
- Meet in lobby and transfer to Toy Fair
- Transfer to hotel Or: - we meet and stop at a special antique and tin metal toy store (featured in TCA Quarterly) DAY 8, 2-4, TUE, STUTTGART - IC train Nuernberg - Stuttgart - transfer to the world’s best auto museum - explore the Mercedes Benz Museum incl. lunch http://www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/content/classic/mpc/mpc_classic_website/en/mpc_home/mbc.flash.html - depending on weather and street conditions, meet at the bus and transfer to Maerklin Museum in Goeppingen and possibly a factory tour. http://www.marklin.com 
Maerklin World is a museum, superstore and layout/exhibit outside Goeppingen (Near Stuttgart)
- drive to the town of Schramberg, the jewel of the
Black Forest - check into our very special adobe for the night;. Guests before us at this place: G. Daimler (Mercedes), R. Bosch, Count Zeppelin, F. Porsche, and now: YOU! http://www.villajunghans.de/de/Hotel+Restaurant DAY 9, 2-5, WED, SCHRAMBERG/BLACK FOREST
You have the choice to return to the USA tomorrow, or extend for 2 more days, since we are in the neighborhood of one of the world's best railroad and auto
museums, and the largest Bugatti collection in France! Minimum of 5 travelers required Please let us know at time of registration ! - Transfer to Junghans Museum Park - Explore this exciting “combination” museum park (incl. lunch) dedicated to: - very special model trains - see the world's largest collection of handmade all metal locomotives in gauge 2 These are NOT TOYS but MODELS of the absolute highest standards, count the rivets ! (min. 3,000 pieces, 3 - 5,000 hrs. per loco) - special exhibit of private collection of scale 0 pre WW1 and WW2 (running) http://bit.ly/1iXFnLB - meet Germany’s #1 renowned train restorator, see part of his collection for sale - Diesel technology - private automobile collection - clock museum (German-American Clock Co.) - transfer to the town of Alpirsbach, to visit the restorator's workshop, and see some of his recent projects, techniques and ways of doing things - tour one of Germany’s most famous abbey breweries with beer tasting (enjoy - you don’t have to drive) incl. an authentic brewery dinner. “Mr. Restorator” and the curator of the train museum will be our guests and are available for Q and A. Bring pictures of your treasures !!! http://bit.ly/1br8Nze - return to hotel and meet for a farewell drink |
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France:
...you can sleep in a little today. After breakfast we will check out and enjoy an exciting day:
- drive to family entertainment park in Hardt in the “High Black Forest” and see a nice H0 layout and a great
gauge G layout inside a farm barn.
http://bit.ly/HOVRKS
- continue to Hausach, Germany’s #3 H0 layout and Europe's largest layout, depicting the Black Forest, considered by many visitors equal to LOXX: 3,600 sq. feet, 4,000’ track, 75,000 trees and much more.
Explore the Schwarzwald-Modellbahn: http://bit.ly/1cdbzbf
- continue to Triberg, the center of cuckoo clocks for a stroll and lunch
- continue to Guetenbach and visit Faller, the largest manufacturer of model building accessories.
See step by step how the car systems are build and work: http://bit.ly/HLJz5F
- Our final destination for the next two nights is a typical Black Forest style hotel and it is located under/next to Germany's most famous viaduct, with the Black Forest railroad passing over every 20 min. max. incline for adhesion
locomotives. There is a glassblowing studio and a large cuckoo clock store on the grounds: http://bit.ly/1eBqTUe
France:
...you can sleep in a little today. After breakfast we will check out and enjoy an exciting day:
- drive to family entertainment park in Hardt in the “High Black Forest” and see a nice H0 layout and a great
gauge G layout inside a farm barn.
http://bit.ly/HOVRKS
- continue to Hausach, Germany’s #3 H0 layout and Europe's largest layout, depicting the Black Forest, considered by many visitors equal to LOXX: 3,600 sq. feet, 4,000’ track, 75,000 trees and much more.
Explore the Schwarzwald-Modellbahn: http://bit.ly/1cdbzbf
- continue to Triberg, the center of cuckoo clocks for a stroll and lunch
- continue to Guetenbach and visit Faller, the largest manufacturer of model building accessories.
See step by step how the car systems are build and work: http://bit.ly/HLJz5F
- Our final destination for the next two nights is a typical Black Forest style hotel and it is located under/next to Germany's most famous viaduct, with the Black Forest railroad passing over every 20 min. max. incline for adhesion
locomotives. There is a glassblowing studio and a large cuckoo clock store on the grounds: http://bit.ly/1eBqTUe
DAY 11, 2-7, FRI, Mulhouse/France
- departure to Mulhouse in France
- French National Railroad Museum, considered by many as the best (?): http://www.citedutrain.com/en/home - explore the museum with time for lunch (nice cafeteria)
- drive to the French National Automobile Museum with the largest Bugatti collection in the world: http://www.citedelautomobile.com/en/home
http://www.bugatti.com/en/home.html
DAY 12, 2-8, SAT, Frankfurt Airport
Return to the U.S. today, or bring your spouse, partner or girlfriend and have us arrange a Western Europe or Mediterranean cruise (fantastic pricing at this time of year) for you with seamless transfer to and from the ship!
- French National Railroad Museum, considered by many as the best (?): http://www.citedutrain.com/en/home - explore the museum with time for lunch (nice cafeteria)
- drive to the French National Automobile Museum with the largest Bugatti collection in the world: http://www.citedelautomobile.com/en/home
http://www.bugatti.com/en/home.html
DAY 12, 2-8, SAT, Frankfurt Airport
Return to the U.S. today, or bring your spouse, partner or girlfriend and have us arrange a Western Europe or Mediterranean cruise (fantastic pricing at this time of year) for you with seamless transfer to and from the ship!
