If someone proposed my trip as a possible itinerary, I'd say they were biting off too much--to many ciities, too much driving.

I'm taking kind of a weird 3 week trip to places most of which I have visited at least once, some multiple times. I'm doing all the things I've wanted to do when traveling with others, but have been able to do because of logistics.

I'm landing at Heathrow, then going to Bath for a couple of days. I want to do the Bizarre Bath Walk and explore Bath a bit more than I did on my last visit. I'll then go to London, where I'll go to 10:30 Mass at Westminster Cathedral, partly because I want to hear the choir.

My other goal is to go to Bletchley Park where the code-breakers worked in WWII. I'll also wander around London again, checking out sights I haven't seen before or haven't seen enough.

It was hard to find hotels in Bath and London. I didn't want to spend $200 a night, but I didn't want to stay in a hovel, either.

After that, it's off to Berlin for three days. I'll probably go to San Soucci and maybe visit a couple of museums--not art museums. I swear I've seen every madonna and ugly baby that was ever painted. I think I've visited every major art museum in the western world and a few minor ones, too. I read about an interesting museum that tells about The Wall and has a big chunk of it still standing. That sounds interesting. Also I'd like to walk down Unter den Linden--at least if there are still some Linden trees there. I'd also like to visit things related to WWII, but I don't want to be obnoxious about it. Haus der Wannsee Konferenz perhaps. And the memorial of the book-burning.

After Berlin, then the Spreewald for a couple of days and Quedlinburg for several days, with excursions to Weimar, Erfurt, and possibly Goslar. I'll then drive to Austria, stopping overnight at Regensburg, and ending at Dürnstein. I want to visit Krems and Melk Abbey. My last stay will be in Vienna. I had an awful time finding a hotel, as there's apparently a conference of some sort during the time I'll be there. I finally got a four-day reservation at the same place we stayed at in 2006, Hotel Lucia. It's not in the center, but ít's a perfectly acceptable place.

I just want to wander around Vienna, which I love. I'd like to take "The Third Man" tour, perhaps seeing the movie in German if it's on the weekend I'm there.

Anyway, yeah, it's too much, but most likely all I will do is wander around sitting in cafes with a piece of Kuchen und eine Tasse Cafe.

Sounds wonderful! You're going where you want and doing what you want... what could be better? I'm sure it will be a very special trip.

I'd like to visit Vienna again. It's been too long since we were last there. I wouldn't mind going at Christmastime. Everything is so pretty there at Christmas, but it can be very cold as I remember. It's definitely a great place for "wandering".

Sounds like a great trip.

There are two large sections of the wall (mauer) remaining in Berlin, and only one of them has a museum attached to it. Be sure you go to the right one (or both).

The linden trees that Hitler mowed down have been replanted, and the Bebelplatz (where the bookburning memorial is) is on that street.

It is almost impossible not to visit things related to WWII in Berlin. It is startling to see how many buildings have bullet holes riddled into their facades. And it is intensely memorable to visit the inside of the Reichstag as a piece of history. One of the more startling things I saw was the areas of graffitti written by Russian soldiers who hated being in Berlin and just wanted to go home. And the new open architecture that embodies all the democratic, anti-dictatorial aspirations of the reunited Germany is an amazing piece of political art.

You might find it very worthwhile (I did) to visit the sections of the Deutsches Historiches museum (near the Bebelplatz) that deal with World Wars 1 and 2. The museum chronicles German history well before that, but you won't be fined if you skip those sections.

Sounds to me like a fun trip. If you are though with mama-with-ugly-baby museums, think of visiting Torino (Turin) in Italy sometime.

If you love Vienna (I've never been) I can't help but think you want to see Before Sunrise if you already haven't

"This romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him."

Would love to hear more about the Bizarre Bath walk and where you have ended up booking there.

Thanks
Maudie

Some great suggestions. I'll go to the Reichstag also.

Speaking of die Mauer reminds me of the time in the early 90's when I attended a Goethe Institute at Staufen. Our teacher took the class to her little hometown not far from Staufen. I decided I wanted to walk back--several miles cross country. I crested a hill and saw below me three huge sections of The Wall that the owner or occupant of a little country house had somehow managed to situate on his property. I can't imagine how that was done.

Amazing! The whole story of die Mauer is astonishing. I never ever thought it would come down. I remember driving to Berlin in about 1965 or 1966. The hoops we had to jump through, especially at Checkpoint Alpha at Braunschweig, to drive through East German territory were like something out of a spy novel.