On our first day in Germany, we will enjoy our traditional 'Hafen Rundfahrt' which means a Round Trip Harbor Tour. We ride a beautiful tour boat through the harbor of Hamburg, seeing the sites of this wonderful old city and getting to know each other. Naturally, there is an honors bar aboard and we may take a beer, wine or soft drink for a couple German Marks. The Hafen Rundfahrt lasts two hours in the afternoon, then we are back to the hotel to relax for a few hours.

We can take only 40 people. There are already more than 20 signed aboard. Don't be left out!

After our Hafen Rundfahrt we refresh in our rooms until time for our Welcome Dinner where we will meet a great many Skippers and veterans. We expect no less than two dozen Skippers & veterans -- will you be with us?

Day 2 - Sunday. We are on our own for this day, but many of us will go to the famous Fischmarkt. That is Fish Market in English, but it is a lot more than that. It is a very large flea market as well, with hundreds of local craftsmen selling their wares. There will be U-boat veterans with us during this day as well. This is a good place to get souvenirs or just get yourself acclimated into the German life.

Some romantics will enjoy a stroll along the river walk on the shore of the Elbe River. It is very nice, and there are restaurants, cafes and many places to buy souvenirs. Great for taking photos too. There is also the Hamburg Museum, and a U-boat Skipper has volunteered to guide us through this very nice museum, for those who wish to go there.

Then there is the world-famous Rheperbahn, and it is within walking distance of our hotel. During the daytime, it is a large and busy shopping area. When the sun goes down, it becomes one of the largest red-light districts in the world. However, there is a really great Chinese restaurant right at the NW corner of this area.

On Monday, we visit the Navy Memorial and naturally, we visit aboard U-995, the only Type VII-C left in the world. It is superb!

Then we enjoy lunch at a beautiful little seaside restaurant, and there is a special event planned at this time. We are not allowed to disclose it for security reasons, but it will be great. Join us.

On the afternoon of Monday, we are at the beautiful U-Boat Memorial on the shores of the Baltic. This beautiful place, kept up by the old veterans and the many widows, is a tribute to the many thousands of U-bootfahrer who did not return. It is here that we have our Memorial Moment to remember the fallen young men.

On the Tuesday, we are treated to a most special event – we visit the magnificent Naval Museum of PETER TAMM (5649-1998), which is unlike any other in the world. Make sure to bring lots of film, as there are new things to see with every step not only inside the Museum, but on the grounds as well. There is no other Naval Museum like this in the world, and it is not open to the general public -- it is only open on invitation. We are indeed fortunate that we receive an invitation to this great museum.

Then we board our deluxe motorcoach for the one hour (or so) ride to our next hotel, tucked away in a lovely park in Bremen. This is the hotel we always use - it is neat, the rooms are big and the breakfast is huge! They even have American style scrambled eggs with bacon in the morning.

This aircraft, this very `Tanta Ju', was one of a dozen that landed on a frozen lake in Norway to support the German ground troops there. The ice melted with the spring thaws, and the planes went to the bottom. This one was recovered and beautifully restored a few years ago. We will visit this very plane on the Wednesday of our Patrol. We also visit Steinhuder Meer and an ancient castle, and we are at Bordenau, the ancestral home of General Scharnhorst.

On the Thursday, we take a walking tour of the majestic old city of Hannover - through the royal gardens, at the old palace area and so much more of this beautiful city. We have an English-speaking guide the entire tour.

Then we visit the excellent Luftwaffe Museum where you'll find a Bf 109 & many other warplanes. We enjoy this time by ourselves as the museum is set aside for us that afternoon. We also have a great buffet lunch with veterans who will join us there.

On the Friday, we tour a 205 class submarine of the German Navy in operation in the 1980's and other ships at a new museum. The high point of the day will be our visit for lunch with many vets of the U-Bootwaffe. Our friend GERD THATER (194-LIFE-1986) always arranges a great meeting with his fellow U-bootfahrer and us.

On Saturday morning, we visit the remarkable U-Boat Archive and its many rooms filled with research material. Then we enjoy a leisurely ride to Bremerhaven where we are free to have lunch at one of the nice restaurants there, walk in the park - or visit the Deutsches Schffahrts Museum and all her boats, including the only Type XXI U-boat left in the world! This is U-2540, on patrol in this photo, before she was scuttled at the surrender and later raised and put back into service with the Bundsmarine in the 1950's.

There are many other boats there including a late model S-Boot. You are free to walk on them and through them, taking all the videos and photos you wish. There is nowhere else in the world where you can go through one of these Type XXI 'Electro-boots'.