Kabel Magazine - (USO) - Europe

USO TOURS, CLASSES & ORIENTATIONSwww.uso.org/kaiserslauternD E C E M B E RIf this is your first pre-Christmas advent season inGermany, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Evenif you have been here for a while, you may wantto visit or revisit some of Germany’s most charmingmarkets with the USO. During the “12 Daysof Christmas by Rail Program,” from December7-18, we’ll offer a different train tour each day totowns know for their charm and Christmas spirit.We’ll also be offering incentives (tour vouchers)for those who sign up for five or more of the traintrips during the 12 Days of Christmas program.See pages 12-14 for details and schedule of tours.Learn to Ride the German Train—DB Orientation and Trip to HeidelbergCastle Tour and Christmas MarketSunday, December 1Note: This tour is not part of the “12 Days OfChristmas” Program.Learn all about how the German train system workson this USO train orientation and tour. Tour theKaiserslautern train station, receive a briefing on thetrain system, and take a trip to the beautiful and romanticcity of Heidelberg and return. You’ll be accompaniedby a USO escort, but you can gain first handexperience purchasing tickets and riding the trains.Learn about the many specials the German Train (DB)offers, for example: weekend tickets, family tickets,city specials and much more. In Heidelberg, we’llbegin with a city tour through the old section of townand see the historic buildings and market areas. Thenwe’ll walk up to the castle with its splendid gardensand wine cellar, which claims to have the largest winecask in the world. After a castle tour, we’ll break forlunch (not included) and have free time to exploreHeidelberg and its charming Christmas marketsbefore catching our train back home. This weekendthere will also be a special Christmas market on thecastle grounds in addition to the Christmas marketsthroughout the city. Note: The walk and tram rideto the castle are not stroller friendly. Tour priceincludes transportation, German train orientation, cityand castle tour, and a USO tour guide.Transportation: German railDepart: Meet at Kaiserslautern HBF main lobby 0700Return: Approximately 1830Cost: $49 Adults, $39 ChildrenAn Evening at the Theater—Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”Monday, December 2Looking for a change from all those Christmasvideos you’ve lined up for the season? Make a newChristmas memory with the USO and this specialevening in Saarbrücken. We’ll travel by deluxe motorcoach to Saarbrücken for an English language performanceof Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,”the renowned story of Scrooge who is pursued in hisdreams by the spirits of Christmas Past, ChristmasPresent, and Christmas Future. He witnesses thetouching Christmas celebration by his employeeBob Crachit and Bob’s family before the spirit ofChristmas Future forces Scrooge to preview his ownimminent death—an event which changes his wholeoutlook on life. We arrive prior to the show and havetime to visit the central market square “St. JohannerMarkt” that is decorated for Christmas. Numerouslittle huts selling all sorts of Christmas items, rangingfrom original Christmas decorations throughtasty cakes and cookies to mulled wine, put you in ajovial mood. The winding streets and cozy pubs andrestaurants clustering around the “St. Johanner Markt”will enhance the festive atmosphere and invite youto eat prior to the performance. Tour price includestransportation, tickets, and USO escort.Transportation: German busDepart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 1600Return: Approximately 2330Cost: $69 Adults, $59 ChildrenGerman Baking ClassHands-On Christmas CookiesTuesday, December 3Ever wondered how those wonderful German Christmascookies are made? Well, now is your chance tolearn. During a three-hour hands-on session, youwill learn how to prepare a variety of popular GermanChristmas cookies. We’ll taste what we create,but please bring small containers to take home anyleftovers, a coffee cup, and your appetite. The USOwill supply all the ingredients. Recipes are planned inadvance and can be viewed on the Facebook group,KMC USO German Cooking and Baking. Participationis limited so sign up now for this special USOclass. This class is for adults only; please no childrenunder 12. Each Christmas cookie class in Novemberand December will feature different recipes.Time: 0900-1200Place: Vogelweh Chapel KitchenCost: $25Bamberg—City of Bishops and BeerBamberger Krippenweg (NativityScene Trail) and Medieval ChristmasMarketSaturday, December 7This Christmas, the USO has arranged a special tourfor you: a tour to Bamberg, the city of bishops andbeer. Every year during advent, Bamberg features a“Krippenweg”—a trail leading from nativity scene tonativity scene in more than 30 locations throughoutthe city. The magnificent Imperial Cathedral, neighborhoodparish churches, as well as museums opentheir doors for visitors to see this beautiful and uniquecollection of crèches. The trail, which leads you overthe city’s seven hills, has been a city tradition for over20 years, but has historical roots dating back 400years, when the Jesuits set up the first nativity scenein Bamberg. Experience this wonderful Christmastradition, and see the nativity scenes displayed in thesame churches that house some of the world’s mostimpressive works of art by medieval, renaissance,and baroque artists and sculptors. A special additionthis weekend is a medieval Christmas market inthe courtyard of the old palace. Bamberg’s historyreaches back as far as 902, but it was raised to thestatus of a Bishopric in 1007 under Emperor HeinrichII. For a short time, Bamberg was even the capitalof the Holy Roman Empire. In the 17th century, themost renowned architects of their day made theirlasting impression on Bamberg, changing it intoan unmistakably baroque city. Escaping substantialdamage during the wars, Bamberg is blessed withthe largest intact Old Town in Germany, which since1993 has been a UNESCO World Cultural HeritageSite. Bamberg’s old town hall, perched on an islandin the middle of the Regnitz River, is surrounded bythe tanners’ houses along the old canal, the millers’quarter, and the fishermen’s settlement known as LittleVenice, and are all guaranteed to provide exceptionalphoto opportunities. During your free time, you canexplore Bamberg’s old town with its interesting pubsand stores, which include over 20 antique dealers.Beer brewing in Bamberg began over 900 hundredyears ago in the monasteries, and by the 12th centuryBamberg was producing beer to send off to far-offcountries as a valuable export. Try some of Bamberg’sworld renowned “Rauch Bier” or smoked beer brewedat one of Bamberg’s nine remaining breweries (therewere still 65 breweries in 1818), or try some Glühwein(mulled wine) at the local Christmas market. Afterfree time for lunch and shopping, we will visit moreof the sites along the Nativity Trail, before returningto Kaiserslautern. Tour includes transportation, citytour, and a USO tour guide.Transportation: German busDepart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0600Return: Approximately 2300Cost: $69 Adults, $59 ChildrenBrussels, Belgium, City TourSaturday, December 7Brussels—one of Europe’s capitals and an internationalcity with flair. A city bustling with activity,beautiful shops, and a myriad of museums. That’s theBrussels you’ll see as we start our day with a city tour,during which you’ll see the beautiful main square, LaGrand’Place, the famous statue Manneken-Pis, andmuch more. Next, you’ll have plenty of free time tohave lunch (try a famous Belgian waffle for dessert),shop, explore the sights, or visit one of Brussels’ manymuseums. Be sure to bring euro for lunch and shopping.We recommend U.S. (blue), EC, or Canadianpassports. Travel documents are the responsibility ofthe customer. Comfortable shoes are recommendedfor our walk through the cobblestone streets. Tourprice includes transportation, city tour, and a USO tourguide. Due to strenuous walking on cobblestonestreets in crowded areas, this tour is not recommendedfor children under 6.Transportation: German busDepart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0400Return: Approximately midnightCost: $79 Adults, $69 ChildrenCentrO. Mall Christmas MarketSaturday, December 7Shop till you drop on this tour to CentrO. Mall, thelargest mall in Europe, located in Oberhausen, north ofDüsseldorf. CentrO. Mall houses more than 200 storesand boutiques and more than 20 restaurants, snackbars, and pubs, with authentic Irish, Louisiana-style,and Mexican foods. CentrO. Mall also has one of themost magnificent Christmas markets of the Ruhr area.More than 3,000,000 lights; 65,000 new Christmas8 Kaiserslautern Kabel