Dean Dalton Tours

11/20/2024

Ligurian Coast, Piedmont, and Milan - https://mailchi.mp/284c0d6f5e03/ligurian-coast-piedmont-and-milan

11/15/2024

We were saddened yesterday to learn of the death of Anita Jochewed Werch a week ago. She and her husband Angel traveled with us many times over the 25 years since joining our first Italy tour in 1998. They were great travelers, lovers of music, art, and good food; always fun to be with. Anita will be missed. Our hearts go out to Angel and the rest of her extended family.

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10/19/2024

Join us for a relaxing two weeks of music and sightseeing in July 2025! https://mailchi.mp/a2b40443748a/july-2025-music-festivals-on-the-jutland-peninsula

08/06/2024

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07/25/2024

Chocolate mousse Bavarian style - a dessert out of this world!

07/23/2024

An added surprise at the Herrenchiemsee Festival: alpenhorn music set against a magnificent sunset, during the intermission of yesterday's Baroque concert!

07/23/2024

We attended a diverse program of Baroque music in the Hall of Mirrors of the Herrenchiemsee Palace. The extra added attraction at intermission was alpenhorn music, set against a magnificent sunset. Several concertgoers were wearing traditional Bavarian dresses.

07/22/2024

A ferry took us to Herrenchiemsee to visit King Ludwig II's last project, modeled on Versailles: a showcase of his adoration of French absolutist monarchs. What was fascinating for us to see was not only the opulent interiors of the palace and the gardens but the bare bricks: the structural skeleton of the grand building, which remained incomplete at the monarch's premature death. Alas, pix were not allowed inside.

07/21/2024

On our way to Lake Chiemsee (known as the "Bavarian Sea"), we passed by picturesque alpine villages and farms. We stopped at Linderhof Palace, the only one of King Ludwig II's buildings finished in his lifetime: an intimate rococo interior with beautiful surroundings. Lunch was at a traditional Bavarian inn, off the tourist track.

07/20/2024

Backstage tour of the Seebühne, the floating stage of the Bregenz Festival. What an experience to walk on the stage and see up and close what goes into building complex sets!

07/20/2024

Backstage tour of the Seebühne - the floating stage on Lake Constance, all set for the production of "Der Freischütz."

07/19/2024

Rossini's early serious opera Tancredi, together with l'Italiana in Algeri, made the composer's reputation. The production that opened on Thursday evening in the indoor Festspielhaus adapted the tragic Ferrara version (the original for Venice had a happy ending) to create a commentary on the evils of patriarchal traditions, intolerance, and authoritarianism which worked very effectively . . . and, as the production team doubtless intended, made some in the audience more than a little uncomfortable. Rossini aided and abetted in the effort, by casting the title character for a female mezzo (not countertenor), which gave the producers a perfect vehicle for turning Tancredi into a woman and the forbidden relationship into a le***an one. While none of the principals was a "star" singer, all acquitted themselves well and the conductor, Yi-Chen Lin kept the proceedings moving along and "on the tracks," despite a chorus that tended to want to set their own tempi.

07/19/2024

Liechtenstein, sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, is the "good stuff" between two slices of bread. Its current prosperity, on one hand, is due to its smallness and insignificance on the world map; on the other, locals' ingenuity turned the poor farming country into a world leader in high-tech products in the fields of machine building, construction, and food industry. We had an excellent guide dressed in the colors of the national flag, which we also displayed in our group pictures! Vaduz, its capital, is full of exciting, quirky modern sculptures, as the pictures will show. Lunch was exquisite!

07/18/2024

A visit to the northeastern side of Lake Constance, including the most beautiful baroque church on the shore, Meersburg, and Lindau. Both towns are resplendent with medieval charm, lively squares, and picturesque alleyways, offering magnificent lake views.

07/18/2024

A lovely day on the south side of Lake Constance took us to Konstanz, famous for its council that ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the resignation of the papal claimants and by electing Pope Martin V, and to Mainau Island, owned by the Bernadotte family from Sweden (who still reside in the castle complex today). A vibrant botanical oasis, the Flower Island is home to a stunning array of flowers and trees, plant sculptures, a floral water cascade, and a floral relief of Bodensee (Lake Constance).

07/18/2024

Hoch lebe Liechtenstein!