8 Days/6 Nights Getaway Week in Budapest

Transcription

1 8 Days/6 Nights Getaway Week in Budapest Travel October 14-21, 2016 $1,695 per person land only Included Highlights: 6 nights First Class hotel accommodations Arrival and departure group transfers Breakfast daily, two lunches and three dinners Touring by modern air-conditioned motor coach English-speaking tour guide throughout Full Day Danube Bend Tour and Szentendre Wine Tasting in Batalon Region Luggage handling and entrance fees Local taxes and service charges Accommodations: Budapest Danubius Hotel Astoria City Center (6 nights) Room Category: Deluxe rooms at First Class hotel Exclusions: International airfare Customary tips Personal expenses Optional sightseeing Travel Insurance (available through Vassar Travel Program)

2 8 Days/6 Nights Getaway Week in Budapest Travel October 14-21, 2016 $1,695 per person land only Dear Alumni, Alumnae and Fellow Travelers, It is my distinct pleasure to invite you to join me in exploring Hungary and its beautiful capital, Budapest. I am particularly excited by this trip, since I was born in Hungary and lived there until I completed my first university degree in Budapest in I ve been living in the USA for more than twenty years now (out of which I ve been teaching at Vassar for twelve), so I much look forward to returning to Hungary with a group of Vassar alumnae/i. I recommend this trip to anyone who is fascinated by stunning art and architecture, scenic landscapes, the vestiges of tumultuous East-Central European history, and delicious food and wine. We begin in Budapest, which has seen vast changes over the past twenty-five years, and is now one of Europe s most beautiful and exciting cities, having preserved its past while also looking forward. Budapest is a UNESCO World Heritage City; its extensive attractions include the famous Buda Castle, Fisherman s Bastion, the Parliament, and the largest synagogue in Europe sights we will be visiting during our trip. The tour will further allow us to see beyond the capital: we will be visiting various places of interest around the picturesque Danube River Bend and Lake Balaton. In addition to locations of natural beauty and architectural significance, we ll be visiting sites of historical interest that cover a vast range of East-Central European history from ancient Rome through the collapse of Communism and beyond. In October, Hungary will be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1956 revolution against Communism. Those of us interested in the history and legacy of this remarkable historical event will be able to attend a special presentation offered by one of the leading Hungarian scholars on this subject. I look forward to taking part in this unique trip with you. Like most people from Central-Europe, I love café culture and cherish lively conversations about virtually any subject especially, if these discussions take place over exquisite food and wine. I hope to meet many of you in October; till then: viszontlátásra! Zoltán Márkus Associate Professor of English Vassar College Zoltán Márkus, Associate Professor of English, Vassar College Zoltán Márkus has been teaching at Vassar since He completed his first university degree in English and Hungarian at Loránd Eötvös University in Budapest, Hungary, his M.Phil. in Shakespeare Studies at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, and his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at NYU. His publications focus on the cultural appropriation of Shakespeare, foreign Shakespeare, Shakespeare in translation, Shakespeare on stage and film as well as on Shakespeare and performance studies. His main research and teaching interests further include classical and contemporary European drama (especially, UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, East-Central Europe), cultural studies, modern and postmodern cultural, literary, and performance theories. He has recently completed a book manuscript titled Shakespeares at War: Cultural Appropriations of Shakespeare in London and Berlin during World War II, which is a comparative study of Shakespeare s cultural reception in these two cities during the Second World War. He is also working on a Hungarian version of this book that discusses wartime appropriations of Shakespeare in Budapest.

3 Detailed Itinerary Day 1: Fri, Oct 14 - USA - Budapest Enjoy a relaxing overnight flight to Budapest. Day 2: Sat, Oct 15 - Budapest - Arrival Upon arrival to Budapest Airport, you are met and transferred to your hotel in the heart of Budapest. The remainder of the day is at leisure - your local host will be on-hand to assist and answer questions. Enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D) Day 3: Sun, Oct 16 - Full Day Historic Budapest & Jewish Quarter - After breakfast at your hotel, visit the Buda Castle District and enter the Fisherman s Bastion, Neo-Gothic terraces and towers providing outstanding panoramic views of Budapest. Tour Matthias Church, where the double sarcophagus of King Béla III and his wife is located. Cross the Elizabeth Bridge into Pest and pass by the Hungarian Opera House, St. Stephen s Basilica, Budapest s famous City Park and Heroes Square. Visit the Dohány Street Synagogue of Budapest, the largest synagogue in Europe. Enjoy a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, visiting the Jewish Garden, Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park and the Heroes Temple. In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D) Day 4: Mon, Oct 17 - Full Day Danube Bend Tour After breakfast at your hotel, explore the Danube Bend on a full-day adventure through Hungary s charming and historic towns. Travel to Visegrád s medieval citadel and the romantic ruins of the former royal residence. After lunch at Renaissance in Visegrad, visit Esztergom and tour the cathedral, the largest building in Hungary and seat of the Hungarian Catholic Church. Visit the Baroque artist s town of Szentendre. Walk through the historic center and the Margit Kovács Ceramics Museum. (B, L) Day 5: Tues, Oct 18 - Gödöllő Palace & Traditional Farm Visit with Horse Show After breakfast at your hotel, tour the Hungarian Parliament Building, built in Gothic Revival style. See the spectacular Main Staircase, the Hungarian Crown Jewels, the Old Upper House Hall, and learn about the operational rules and procedures of the Hungarian Parliament. Then, travel through the Hungarian countryside to arrive at Gödöllő Palace. The castle was presented as a gift to Hungarian Queen Elisabeth and her husband Franz Joseph I, the Habsburg Emperor, who visited seasonally. Tour the grounds, Grand Hall and Sissi s private suite. Next, visit an authentic Hungarian farm and enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride. Afterwards, view an impressive equestrian show, filled with fearless tricks and high-speed carriage races. Enjoy a savory lunch at Lázár Park. (B,L) Day 6: Wed, Oct 19 - Full Day Lake Balaton After breakfast at your hotel, depart for central Europe s largest lake, Balaton. Visit Tihany, one of the most beautifully sited settlements in Hungary, rich in spectacular natural landscapes. Visit Tihany Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded by King Andrew in 1055 A.D., in honor of Saint Aignan of Orleans and the Virgin Mary. Continue to the oldest holiday resort on Balaton s shore, Balatonfüred. Enjoy a walk under the shade-giving trees of Tagore promenade. Pass by Festetics Palace in Keszthely. After a wine tasting accompanied by Hungarian goulash, visit Veszprem, one of Hungary s oldest urban centers, for a walking tour. (B) Day 7: Thur, Oct 20 - Day at Leisure Enjoy a day at leisure to explore Budapest at your own pace or choose to take an optional Tokay Winery Tour or Jewish Heritage Tour. Before sunset, travel to Memento Park, an outdoor museum park focusing on the communist era, and then enjoy a farewell dinner at Spoon Restaurant, a two-level riverboat moored on the Danube with views of Buda Castle. (B,D) Day 8: Fri, Oct 21 - Budapest - Return After breakfast at your hotel, you are transferred to the airport to board your return flight home. (B) Lowest airfares available upon request Optional Tours Price Per Person Full Day 10 hour Tokaj Wine Tour $195 Half Day 4 hour Jewish Heritage Tour $75

4 RESERVATION FORM VASSAR TRAVEL PROGRAM: GETAWAY WEEK IN BUDAPEST Oct 14 21, 201 : PLEASE SUBMIT NAMES EXACTLY AS THEY APPEAR ON PASSPORTS: TSA SECURE FLIGHT REQUIREMENT Passenger 1: Date of Birth: M / F First Name Middle Name Last Name Passport #: Country of Issue: Date issued: Expiration date: Passenger 2: Date of Birth: M / F First Name Middle Name Last Name Passport #: Country of Issue: Date issued: Expiration date: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Country: Address: Phone #: Cell Phone#: I am rooming with: I am traveling with: Please reserve me in a single room at a supplement (Add US$295 for single supplement - limited availability) I/We request Business class upgrade Book my air from: Class year: Notes (Diet, special accessibility etc.): Optional Full Day Tokay Wine Tour $195/person Optional Half Day Budapest Jewish Heritage Tour: $75/person PAYMENT: Deposit: A $500 ** per person non-refundable deposit is required to reserve the space. Final payment amount to eytours Va ations address below is due 90 days prior departure. I authorize eytours Va ations to charge my credit card on the final payment day. Reservations and room availability are based on a first come, first served basis. I have read the schedule of activities and accept and abide to the general terms & conditions as outlined below. Amex Discover Visa MasterCard Credit Card #: Security Code: Expiration date: Name on the Credit Card: I authorize a payment in the amount of $: Make Checks payable to: eytours Va ations, and send to: For additional information, please contact ( ) - o or groups@keytours.com IMPORTANT INFORMATION Air arrangements: Fares and schedules are based on regular scheduled carrier service. All applicable airline rules apply and schedules are subject to change. Basic airfares do not include fuel surcharges, airport departure taxes, passenger facility charges (PFCs), customs or immigration fees, and excess baggage charges. For mileage accrual information, please contact the carrier directly for details. Air inclusive group packages are non-changeable and nonrefundable once deposit has been paid. Rules and fees for canceling and revising airfares vary depending upon the type of airfare purchased. Refundable airline tickets will be processed once the original paper tickets (if applicable) are returned to us via a traceable method of mailing. E-tickets do not need to be returned. Lost paper tickets have no refund value. Tariff, fuel surcharges and Exchange Rate Fluctuations: All prices are quoted using the prevailing rate of exchange between the Euro and the USD from the date the original offer was made. If the rate of exchange changes by more that 4%, eytours Va ations reserves the right to revise the selling rates according to the current exchange rate between the Euro and the USD. eytours Va ations reserves the right to change the price of the tour/program before it commences due to fuel surcharges, currency fluctuations, tariff increases from common carriers and suppliers, etc. If there is a surcharge to be applied such notice will be given no later than 30 days prior to the start of the tour or program. Cancelation Policies: N. owever, services which have been prepaid by eytours Va ations on behalf of individual clients may be non-refundable, non-exchangeable non-changeable and/or may be subject to a cancellation-change fee (e.g. heater Train Airline Event Tickets, Passes, Entrance fees etc.). Full cancellation: Failing to pay the contractual deposits (other than the initial deposit) constitutes a cancellation. In the event of noncompliance with the payment due dates, eytours Va ations shall have the right to demand the Customer to immediately pay the outstanding balance. Payment shall then be received by eytours Va ations within eight days as of the date of eytours Va ations written request. Should payment not be received within this time limit, the group stay shall be deemed to be canceled by the Customer. In the event of full cancellation of the agreement by the Customer, which is not justified by eytours Va ations failure to meet its obligations, cancellation penalties shall be invoiced and calculated as follows: Initial deposit: non-refundable after 120 days. From 59 to 40 days prior to departure: 25% penalty of the total cost From 39 to 22 days prior to departure: 50% penalty of the total cost From 21 to 8 days prior to departure: 70% penalty of the total cost per person. From 7 to day of departure & no show: 100% penalty of the total cost Deposit to hold the space and First deposit is non-refundable after 120 days before departure date. All subsequent deposits are nonrefundable. If a passenger cancellation creates a change in the price schedule, the tour price will be revised based on the remaining number of participants. A passenger becoming a single as a result of a partner s cancellation must pay the single supplement. NOTE: The following non-refundable fees will be added to the penalty charges listed on the cancellation (full or partial) schedule above: Travel protection premiums. Airline tickets - airline penalties, which may be up to 100% of the ticket value. Refundable airline tickets will be processed once the original paper tickets (if applicable) are returned to us via a traceable method of mailing. E-tickets do not need to be returned. Lost paper tickets have no refund value. Itinerary variation: We will make every effort to operate all tours as advertised. Situations may arise, voluntarily or involuntarily, that require changes or exceptions in the airport of departure, the itinerary, land arrangements, hotels, trains or ports of call. On these occasions, we reserve the right to make such modifications and substitute conveyances/hotels as deemed necessary. Minimum participants to Operate:Group need a minimu participant operate. Optional tours participants to operate. Tour Cancelation: We reserve the right to cancel the entire trip (or any component of the trip) for any reason and/or time. In this event, our liability, if any, shall be limited to and liquidated by refunding to each prospective participant the payments made. Hotel selection: It is the responsibility of the traveler(s) to ensure that the hotels and venues in this proposal are adequate for them. eytours Va ations will not be responsible for room sizes, room air condition, room amenities, room service which vary and differs throughout the world, countries, cultures and hotels. We strongly advise Traveler(s) to peruse hotel rating web sites such as Tripadvisor.com to get an approximate feel and judgment on each properties, to insure that selected hotels/rooms will be adequate for them. Traveler(s) understand that no refund nor legal claims regarding the selected hotels, venues, rooms and /or services will be possible once this contract has been signed and agreed upon. Hotels Check-in times: Hotel rooms are usually not ready for check-in until after 3 pm. If your flight is arriving early, especially European flights, you should plan for the day's activity until your room is available. Most hotels will store your luggage until your room is ready. Hotels Air Conditioning and other amenities: eytours Va ations is not responsible for air conditioning standards or availability, as these factors can vary greatly between properties and countries. Some hotel amenities/facilities are seasonal such as swimming pools, terraces, rooftops etc. and may not be opened or hotels may have renovations during the course of the year. eytours will not be responsible for hotel renovations, noise and/or closure of certain hotel area facilities. Travel Documents: Travel documents will be sent approximately 2 weeks prior to departure, providing full payment has been received. ey tours Va ations is not responsible for lost or stolen documents; therefore, any re-issuance of documents may be assessed their full face value and may include increase in cost. A special handling fee of $35 will be assessed to bookings that require overnight express delivery. No Saturday or Sunday deliveries. Some trip documents are sent as E-Documents by . For all trip documents, it is your responsibility to check the accuracy of your airline tickets and all other documents. You are responsible to ensure that your full, official name is provided to us at the time of booking, exactly as it appears on your valid passport. It can cost up to $350 or more per person for a name change or other ticket adjustments, plus any fare increase if applicable, due to re-ticketing. The airline will deny boarding if your airline ticket or documents do not match your passport. CST#

5 RESERVATION FORM VASSAR TRAVEL PROGRAM: GETAWAY WEEK IN BUDAPEST Oct 14 21, 2016 Responsibility Clause: Participation of the Vassar Travel Program / Vassar College (VTP) is limited to the educational sponsorship of the program described in this brochure (The Program). Keytours Vacations, VTP and their officers, trustees, agents, licensees, and/or representatives (agents) assume no responsibility or liability for any act, error or omission, or for any injury, loss, accident, delay or irregularity that may be occasioned by reason of any defect in any aircraft, ship, train, bus, or other carrier, or through neglect or default of any subcontractor or other third party which may be used wholly or in part in the performance of their duty to the participants of The Program. The passage ticket issued by the carrier is the sole contract between the participant and the carrier. Nor will VTP and/or their agents be responsible for loss, injury, damages or expenses to persons or property, due to illness, weather, strikes, local laws, hostilities, wars, terrorist acts, acts of nature or other such causes in connection with The Program or anything beyond their reasonable control. Participants understand risks and responsibilities inherent in travel described in the brochure and participate at their own risk. In the event is becomes necessary or advisable for the comfort or well-being of the participants, or for any reason whatsoever, to alter the itinerary at any time, without notice to the participants, such alterations will be made without penalty to VTP. Additional expenses if any will be borne by the participants. VTP reserves the right to accept or decline any person as a participant at any time or to require any participant to withdraw from The Program at their own expense when such an action is determined by VTP to be in the best interest of the participant's health and safety, or the general welfare of the other participants. The undersigned has read the tour itinerary and recognizes and accepts any risk inherent therein. The undersigned also understands and hereby agrees for and on behalf of his/her dependents, heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to abide by the conditions set forth in the terms and conditions listed in this brochure and to release and hold harmless Vassar College and any of their officers, trustees, agents, licensees, or representatives, from any and all liability for delays, injuries, or death or for the loss of or damage to his/her property however occurring during any portion of, or in relation to, the tour. By signing this form, participants waive any charge back rights, and in the event of dispute, request for refund must be made in writing to Keytours Vacations. Each Participant Must Sign Signature Date Signature Date