Museums of Four Cities Tour: Berlin, Paris, London and Cambridge

Arrive Berlin.  After a light lunch, enjoy a city tour.  The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, and the Berlin Wall Memorial Museum contains a small piece of the barricade along with displays on the history of Germany’s division. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most famous landmark, was an emblem of Berlin and German division during the Cold War. Today, it is a national symbol of peace and unity. We will travel by small ferry across the Havel River to Peacock Island, a nature conservation area since 1924. From the deck of the vessel we will observe landscaped gardens and the striking white palace that was built by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1794-97.  Peacock Island Palace, or Pfaueninsel, is our destination.  Created as a half-timbered artificial ruin, that interior reflects the 18th century’s intellectual and cultural world. Together with other palaces in Potsdam and Berlin the island and the palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Overnights for two nights at the Radisson Blu Berlin Hotel, located in the city center within walking distance of all main attractions. (L)

Five world-renowned museums make up Berlin’s Museum Island in the Spree River. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the buildings were constructed between 1824 and 1930 by the most renowned Prussian architects. Our morning will be spent in the Neues Museum, home to selected objects from the Egyptian Museum and the Papyrus Collection. The celebrated masterpiece here is the bust of Nefertiti, the 3,300-year-old painted stucco-coated limestone statue of the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Lunch and the afternoon is on our own to explore Berlin. While on Museum Island, a visit to the Pergamon Museum is highly recommended. This museum houses an incredible collection of exquisite classical treasures such as the striking reconstructions of archaeological buildings – the Pergamon Altar of Zeus, Roman market gate of Milet, Ishtar Gate with the Processional Way of Babylon, and the Mshatta façade. Gather for dinner tonight in one of Berlin’s excellent restaurants. (B/D)

Transfer to the airport for our morning flight to Paris. After a light lunch in a local restaurant, walk to the Paris Obelisk (read about it in Dr. Brier’s latest book, Cleopatra’s Needles:  The Lost Obelisks of Egypt), and then board the Bateaux Mouches vessel to travel up the Seine River towards Notre Dame de Paris, passing by the Louvre Museum, the Town Hall and the Conciergerie. Dinner is on our own this evening. Overnight for two nights at Hôtel Le Bellechasse, a charming boutique hotel located just steps away from the Musée d’Orsay on the Left Bank. (B/L)

The Louvre Museum houses one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities after the Cairo Museum comprising over 50,000 artifacts, includes those from the Nile civilizations which date from 4,000 BC to the 4th century. Dr. Brier will spend the morning taking us through the collection. The afternoon, including lunch, is free to allow time on our own in the museum. Gather this evening for a very special dinner party at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant with views over the Trocadéro.  (B/D)

The Institut du Monde Arabe was founded in 1980 in collaboration with the countries of the Arab League and the French government. Beautifully located on the left bank of the Seine, the stunning building includes a museum and library. We will spend the morning in the museum which offers a view of the Arab world from a cultural, religious, social and anthropological perspective, from its origins to the present day. We then drive to the Pere LaChaise, first opened in 1804 and the largest cemetery in the city of Paris. There are more than 70,000 ornate tombs and Mausoleums of the rich and famous, and many are covered with Egyptian motifs. After a late lunch in a local restaurant, board the Chunnel to travel to London. Dinner is on our own. Overnight at the Radisson Edwardian Blu Bloomsbury, located next to the British Museum, for three nights.  (B/L)

Today we explore the world-renowned British Museum. The Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum houses the largest collection of Egyptian objects outside Egypt, objects that illustrate the cultures of the Nile Valley, from the Neolithic period (about 10,000 BC) until the present day. The Department also houses an important archive relating to Egyptology and Nubian Studies, and one of the leading research libraries in this subject area. The morning will be spent with Dr. Brier discussing the artifacts on display. After lunch in a nearby pub, We will meet privately with Dr. Derek Welsby, the Honorary Secretary of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society and Assistant keeper in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum, who will take us into the stores in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan to privately view material that has been found in Sudanese excavations. The rest of the afternoon will be on our own to spend more time with the Egyptian collection or to view other sections of the museum.   (B/L/D)

Founded in 1209, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s fourth-oldest surviving university.  Our all day exploration of Cambridge will include the King’s College Chapel, containing the largest fan vault in the world and some of the finest medieval stained glass. Then it’s on to the Fitzwilliam Museum containing over 16,000 Egyptian artifacts including a notable collection of coffins. Highlights are the granite sarcophagus lid of Ramesses III and the vividly painted coffin of Nespawershefyt (also known as Nes-Amun) that is covered from head to toe in bright hieroglyphs and images in reds, greens and blues. This was one of the very first gifts to the Fitzwilliam collection, given in 1822. Upon return to London, meet for our gala final dinner together in a nearby restaurant. (B/L/D)

Return to the USA.