Who is invited: This is an Art Adventure, so the emphasis is on the visual! My past art adventures to Spain, Portugal and Ireland included some travelers who were not “artsy”--but love to travel with those who are. So, with that said, spouses or friends are invited. We will visit museums along with gardens and national treasures. When we pause to sketch a bit, our non-artist friends may choose to duck into a café or coffee shop. I have enjoyed traveling to 65+ countries.  Join me for a special adventure!

How many are in our group? Did you know Danes are voted as the happiest people in the world? So that we don’t disrupt their reputation, this trip is worked out for 10 FUN people. Yep, if you are not a fun person…consider staying home! Bottom line, the first 10 sending deposits are going for a great adventure! Currently our group is from Canada and the US with room for more.

What are the dates? Tuesday, 26 June-Sunday, 8 July  Our room reservations begin 26 June (which means you fly the day before on Monday the 25^th on an overnight flight).

Getting there: Please note we fly INTO Copenhagen. We fly OUT OF Berlin to return home. Do not get a round-trip ticket! It is a multi-city flight plan. You may choose to travel by my side or join me at one of my layovers. I will be flying from DFW airport in Dallas with frequent flier points. In the US or Canada you arrive home the same day you leave Germany. Let me know if you add days of your own at the beginning or end of our designated trip. My flights are at the end of the document.

Where are we staying? The size of our group determines whether we stay in a large home, apartments or in hotel rooms. I have all reserved and will cancel the options not used. I prefer staying in a very large apartment/home in the Copenhagen suburbs with a washer/dryer and a kitchen (eating meals out gets pricey).  We will use public transit back and forth daily to explore the city.  In Hamburg we have 2 nights in a hotel and in Berlin we stay in a city apartment with kitchen, etc or a suburb house. Both are reserved for our use, it simply depends on how many we have in our group. You may have a private room or share a room, but you will have your own bed!

Itinerary: Planes, trains, bus and boats!

We meet in Copenhagen. If your flight is delayed along the way, don’t worry…with text** on your phone you will know where to join us. If your plane arrives about the same time as mine, we can meet at the airport and travel together to the city—it isn’t far. Our first day is basically a matter of arrival in Copenhagen and our “home”, settling in, having a comfortable dinner together and a presentation from me.   

** I strongly suggest a text plan on your phone for communication with me and the group.

In Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin we are using the Hop On/Hop Off Bus. It’s a fun, easy way to see a large city and you can choose where you wish to leave the bus to investigate, then board another bus to continue the loop. In Hamburg it includes a boating cruise! I also plan a canal cruise for us in Copenhagen.

There are a couple of special side trips I hope to add in Copenhagen and Hamburg. While in Copenhagen I want to see at least one of the Six Forgotten Giants. A Danish artist, Thomas Dambo, has constructed 6 giants from wood and other recycled materials and hidden them in different locations of Copenhagen wilderness. I have contacted the artist and know where my favorite one is located! 

In Hamburg I hope for a side trip to Blankenese along the shore of the river where many homes have thatched roofs. It depends on how much energy we have upon arrival in Hamburg.

Lest I forget Berlin… this city is amazing. In the Alexanderplatz we can relax at the beer garden, listen to the music, have a beer (or not) and watch the locals. The hop on hop off bus takes us all over the city to see churches, the Berlin Wall remains with a wonderful sidewalk historical explanation, the best Halocaust Exhibit I’ve visited (if you are interested) and on top of it all there is an island with 6 incredible museums. I went to the Pergamon Museum and loved it (and included it in your itinerary). Fountains, sculptures, gardens and paintings await your visit. 

What to bring: We are using public transit so your suitcase must be small enough to handle yourself. We can launder at our lodging which cuts your clothing list in half! Copenhagen typically has 2.5” of rain during the month of our stay. If we don’t find rain there, we may in Berlin with 3.3” in July!  Temps: Copenhagen averages 53-66 and in Germany 59-76.

Cost: Your cost for lodging, sights and local transport, planned museums, palaces, castles, hop-on-hop-off, canal and river cruises, metro/train, bus fares to Germany are all included. The Berlin airport private shuttle transport early Sunday morning is included. If you choose to visit places not on our plan, it is at your expense. Copenhagen is expensive for food/coffee. We will eat cheaply by eating “out” once/day. If we picnic for lunch, we’ll eat out for dinner, or vice versa. The trip cost is $2300 (not including airfare and meals).

For my art trips I try to stagger the payments for those who need to budget the funds.  NOW: A $500 deposit is required upon your registration for the trip. 

No later than April 3:  $1000 

No later than May 3: the final $800 is due -- the only thing left to do is pack your bag and board your plane!

Of course, full payment makes it much easier for bookkeeping! All payments are nonrefundable as tickets will be purchased early for the various venues we visit but primarily because I have 2 reservations for our lodging in Copenhagen as well as Berlin, and one will need to be cancelled according to the final size of our group. 

If you are in the DFW area and wish to travel on my same schedule that is great, or maybe it’s convenient to join me in Miami or Heathrow. I used 60,000 American Airline frequent miles (the plane was about 1/3 full in January, so don’t delay):

Monday, 25 June: AA #160 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Miami—leave 12:25, arrive 4:13 Miami, FL

               AA #56 from Miami to Heathrow, England—leave 6pm, arrive 26 Jan, 7:40am London Heathrow

               BA #814 from Heathrow to Copenhagen—leave 9:50am, arrive Copenhagen 12:50 at CPH airport

Sunday, 8 July: BA #981 from Berlin TXL to Heathrow—leave 7:10am, arrive Heathrow 8:15 am

                BA #193 from Heathrow, London to Dallas/Fort Worth—leave 11:25am, arrive 3:25 pm

There are 4 opportunities to catch up with me as I travel to Copenhagen. If these don’t work, we can communicate and make plans to meet.