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Adventure Artist’s Tour, Stellar Arts Foundation
TOUR OF PRAGUE AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC
with STELLA CANFIELD
AUGUST 16 - 29th, 2008

PO Box 1676, Coupeville, WA 98239
360.678.0838 – director@stellararts.org
www.stellararts.org

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

TRAVEL INFORMATION
We would require a copy of your flight itinerary at the time you book your flights.

FOOTWEAR

Please note that most of the streets in Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Hungary are cobblestones. Bring comfortable walking shoes.

INSTRUCTION
This class will focus on “on-location” painting skills, but also is tailored to help you develop your own personal expression. You can simply paint in your style and enjoy the camaraderie of other like-minded participants. The best part of the day is the pre-dinner critique, accompanied by wine and treats when we share our successes and adventures. This daily dialogue with each other is the real heart of the experience. Stella will be available throughout the day on location for personal instruction.

MEALS
All breakfasts, lunches, and six group dinners are provided in the cost of this trip. Breakfasts will be served in our hotel, buffet style. Our lunches each day will either be a bagged one, provided each morning before you set out, or a group lunch if we are traveling.
Some of our group dinners will be accompanied by local entertainment.
Plan on enjoying traditional Czech offerings: delicious soups, meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, salad, and dessert. Of course, famous Czech beer will be on the menu, as well as wine, and special herb liquor, Becherovka. Note: B (breakfast) L (lunch) and D (dinner) at the end of each day.

Sat August 16 - Day 1
Since you will be traveling on your own to Prague our group will gather at 4:00 pm at the Rott Hotel. We will get to know each other over a group dinner and we will have lots of information for you. You will meet your instructors, Stella Canfield as well as Michaela, our Czech tour guide. Czech born, Michaela (Misha) will give you an in-depth view of life in this beautiful country throughout our time here.
Hotel Rott - D

Sun Aug 17 – Day 2
After breakfast we shall start to explore this magnificent city. There are 3 main parts of Old Prague we have to discover: Staro Mesto (Old Town), Mala Strana (“Small World” at the foot of the Castle Hill) and Prazsky Hrad (Prague Castle). Michaela will guide us by bus through part of the tour, with the rest being on foot.
The tour includes visiting Prague Castle and stunning St. Vitus’ Cathedral. Prague Castle is the most popular sight visited in Prague and is the largest ancient castle in the world. Throughout its three courtyards you will see guards at the service of the official residents.

After getting an overview of the city and its offerings, you will be free to explore and find just the right painting inspiration you desire.
Just outside the doors of our Hotel Rott is the Old Town. There is stunning architecture everywhere ranging from Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, and Cubist to Art Nouveau. Don’t miss the Astronomical Clock “performance” every hour on the hour. The clock adorns the Medieval Town Hall. Across the plaza is the beautiful Gothic Tyn Cathedral.
The Charles Bridge (14th century) connecting the Old Town with Lesser Quarter is “not to be missed.” This pedestrian only bridge spans the Vltava River is noted for its statuary on both sides. Artisans and musicians are there to delight you. Down the stairs near the end of the bridge you can explore the Lesser Quarter on Kampa Island, known as the Prague Venice.

We will go as a group to the Mucha Museum. This museum offers you a unique view into the world of Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), one of the most celebrated artists of the Art Nouveau period.

We will let you know in advance of our trip the schedule for the ballet, opera, and symphony. It will be your option to attend one or more of these events in elegant performance halls. There are a number of churches in our “neighborhood” that offer nightly symphony performances.

A choice for one of our “free” nights will be a boat cruise. After a welcome aperitif, we will have a wide choice of dishes from a hot and cold buffet. Accompanied by pleasant music, we will be taken on a two hour cruise along the Vltava, lined with well-lit historic monuments and through the locks. You will be asked in advance of our trip if you would like to participate.

Other areas of the city to be explored on your own are the old Jewish Quarter with Medieval Synagogues and a cemetery. One admission will allow you into many buildings, one of which hosts children’s art work done while being held in concentration camps.
A trip by funicular railway up the hill to the Eiffel Tower” (1/5th the size of the one in Paris) affords a spectacular view of the city, castle, and river below.
Another view site is from the Old Town Bridge Tower at entrance of the Charles Bridge.
Wenceslas Square is the heart of modern Prague and the place where Czechs have been gathering during the key moments of their modern history, such as the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
Museums of every kind and description will heighten your understanding of the Czech Republic.

For those non-painters, getting around Prague by public transportation is a relatively easy endeavor. And there are plenty of sights to see in easy walking distance from our hotel. English is a common language.
Hotel Rott – B L D

Mon Aug 18 – Day 3
A full day to paint and explore.
Hotel Rott – B L (dinner on your own)

Tues Aug 19 – Day 4
A full day to paint and explore.
Hotel Rott – B L D

Wed Aug 20 – Day 5
A full day to paint and explore.
Hotel Rott – B L (dinner on your own)

Thu Aug 21 – Day 6
We will travel by a comfortable bus to Karlovy Vary today. Michaela will be with us to tell us more about the Czech Republic.
Karlovy Vary is known as “the spa town.” Situated in a narrow valley of the River Tepla, the colonnade or walkway from one end of this busy shopping street to the other will take no more than 2 hours of leisurely walking.
Along the way you will see many of the famous spa houses and public thermal fountains with people from all over the world drinking the doctor ordered “waters” for healing. It will be hard to resist having your own “spa cup” as a reminder of this special town.
You might want to take in an evening concert in one of the ancient churches.
Our hotel is just across the street from the Elisabeth Spa and park. The spa provides baths, massages, mud baths, facial, foot treatments, electrotherapy and a swimming pool. We will provide information before our trip in order for you to make a selection of the spa treatment of your choice in order to assure an appointment at your cost.
Also near our hotel is the factory that has produced Becher liqueur since 1807. A tour is followed by a tasting of their products. Waffles (very thin round cookie style), available throughout the town, are well known in the Czech Republic.
The Grand Hotel Pupp (featured in “The Last Holiday” is well worth a visit. Karlovy Vary is also world renowned for its annual film festival.
We will spend our days here exploring the varied and plentiful opportunities for painting.
We will be staying at the very comfortable Hotel Derby whose hosts are extremely accommodating.
Hotel Derby – B L D

Fri Aug 22 – Day 7
A full day to paint and explore.
Karlovy Vary in the Hotel Derby - B L (dinner on your own)

Sat Aug 23 – Day 8
A full day to paint and explore.
Karlovy Vary in the Hotel Derby - B L (dinner on your own)

Sun Aug 24 – Day 9
Travel to Cesky Krumlov today will take approximately 2 hours by bus. Cesky Krumlov is considered one of the great jewels of Europe and is an unusually well-preserved historical center. Its stone-built town houses radiate the original feeling of medieval of Renaissance lifestyle.

After lunch and checking into our hotel, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Cesky Krumlov as you browse through the town courtyard, gardens, parks, cafes, taverns, breweries, churches and historical halls.

The River Vltava meanders through this peaceful and mysteriously captivating little town with picturesque buildings and sights at every turn. Wooden and stone bridges form archways over the rushing river, and towering above it all is the castle supported by rock with its thin church spires.

This, the second largest castle complex after Prague castle, will offer artists and non-painters endless interest and entertainment. For those of you who want to learn more about the history of the town and castle you can sign up for a variety of tours. Views from the top of the hill and tower are spectacular. The formal “English style” castle gardens are dominated by a cascading fountain and statues.

The authenticity of Cesky Krumlov offers the best possible opportunity to understand the essence of the spirit of Central Europe.
It was entered on the UNESCO list of World Natural and Cultural Heritage in 1992.

You can choose to visit the Egon Schiele Art Centrum, a prestigious and internationally recognized art gallery, which includes collections of the artist’s unique originals on paper. A world famous painter, Schiele, was greatly attracted by the town where his mother was born.
For the adventuress, the Vltava River is a joy for paddlers. Journeying down the river on rafts and canoes is one of the most popular attractions of this region.
Our stay for three nights will be in the very comfortable Hotel Gold, located just across the river from the center of town.
Hotel Gold – B L D

Mon Aug 25 – Day 10
A full day to paint and explore.
Cesky Krumlov in Hotel Gold - B L (dinner on your own)

Tues Aug 26 – Day 11
A full day to paint and explore.
Cesky Krumlov in Hotel Gold - B L (dinner on your own)

Wed Aug 27 – Day 12
A full day to paint and explore.
Cesky Krumlov in Hotel Gold - B L D Goodbuy diner tonight

Thu Aug 28 – Day 13
We return for our final night in Prague. We will return in time for you to paint or seek out those last minute sites or purchases.
Hotel Rott – B L (dinner on your own)

Fri Aug 29 – Day 14
After breakfast we will say our final good-byes before heading to the airport. (Unless you have made plans to stay, of course!)

This itinerary is subject to change, and does not include those inevitable and magical “you just had to have been there” experiences.

Again, thank you so much for the wonderful experience in Praha and the Czech Republic – truly the best trip I have ever experienced.” Patty Murdock