Romantic Road’s 60th
From May to October the Romantic Road in Germany will celebrate its 60th birthday. About 28 towns lining the almost-250-mile route between Würzburg in Franconia and Füssen in the Allgäu are planning events to mark the occasion.
The official party opens May 7 and 8 in Rothenburg ob der Tauber with a nostalgia festival recalling 1950, the year the road was founded. Other events include a monthly run of historic trains and steam locomotives between Nördlingen and Feuchtwangen, a July 4 choral festival in Feuchtwangen, a July 4 rally of German and Italian classic vehicles from Augsburg to Füssen and a Oct. 10 wine festival, the celebration’s finale, in Bad Mergentheim.
Several self-driving itineraries and arrangements along the road are on offer from www.romantischestrasse.de. The four-night Classic Self-Drive package, for example, travels from Würzburg along the Tauber Valley to Rothenburg, the Schillingsfürst castle, Feuchtwangen and Dinkelsbühl. From Dinkelsbühl, the route continues to Nördlingen and Augsburg and then on to Wies and Hohenschwangau.
The cost begins at 329 euros per person, double occupancy, and includes four nights in three- and four-star hotels; guided tours of Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl and Augsburg; and admission to Neuschwanstein castle.
A three-day King Ludwig II Summer Excursion begins at 227.50 euros per person, double occupancy. It includes two nights’ accommodations with breakfast, a tour of Hohenschwangau Castle, a trip in a "King Ludwig" horse-drawn coach with a schnapps stop, a four-course dinner based on royal kitchen recipes, a candle-lit dinner, transfer by minibus to Mary’s Bridge and guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle.
Chelsea Flower Show
The annual Chelsea Flower Show in London is the most famous in the gardening and flower world. Leading designers create show gardens, and the Grand Pavilion contains thousands of flowers and plants. There are also demonstrations and exhibitions.
This year’s show is open May 25-29 for Royal Horticultural Society members and May 27-29 for non-members. The show is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Online ticket sales began in September, with all-day tickets for non-members costing 45 pounds (about $75). On May 27-28, public admission tickets for entry beginning at 3:30 p.m. cost 25 pounds, and at 5:30 p.m., 19 pounds.
For tickets, go to www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/chelsea.
