“Herbs and Wine on the Rhine”

September 1-9, 2001

Traditions on Pharmacy & Medicine
Overview and Purpose

Healthcare information and the world of medical and healthcare practice are changing more rapidly than most professionals can keep up with easily.  Research has demonstrated that professionals who are able to reflect on their practice are more likely to be the most effective practitioners.  The Perspectives in Medicine & Healthcare Series is designed to provide physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals with opportunities to take brief periods of time away from their practice to reflect on their needs for updating in diagnostic and therapeutic areas as well as in the delivery of quality care.  This unique series also offers health professionals opportunities to compare the practice of medicine in the United States over time in discussions of the history and future of medicine as well as to compare it with that of developing countries where medical resources are scarce. 

Series Objectives
Participants in the Perspectives in Medicine Series will be able to:

v     Identify areas for changes within their practice of medicine to improve patient outcomes

v     Reflect on recent changes in U.S. practice environments and their impact on patient outcomes

v     Correlate available medical resources with patient health outcomes in developed and developing countries

v     Contrast traditional and modern approaches to healing
Faculty

Faculty for the Perspectives in Medicine & Healthcare Series are experts in their topical areas and are chosen from U.S. Schools of Pharmacy, Medicine and Nursing.  In-country faculty representing various local medical and healthcare perspectives are added to each program to present comparative medical and pharmacy models.
<-top

ACCREDITATION

The University of Alabama School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.  The University of Alabama School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 10 hours in Category 1 credit toward the AMA Physicians Recognition Award.
GERMANY

9-DAY GERMANY Land Program $2298 *

September 1-9, 2001

* Including Roundtrip International Air from Minneapolis or Detroit to Frankfurt $2998

4-DAY OPTIONAL Extension to Munich & Bavarian Alps $998

September 9-12, 2001

 

GERMANY

“Herbs & Wine on the Rhine”

This exceptional journey encompasses two of Germany’s most magical places – the Rhine and the Mosel wine valley regions.  Magnificent castles and vine-terraced hills crown the banks of “Father Rhine” – Germany’s powerful and bold lifeline.  Its sister river – the Mosel – takes a gentler course, nonetheless striking in its beauty and visual pageantry.  Steep vineyards and tiny villages line her banks, while castles stand guard from the hilltops above.  Steeped in myth and legend, the Rhineland holds the country’s spiritual heart.  Combining the best of the Rhineland’s rivers, history, culture and wine cultivation, we experience the enchantment and rediscover traditions of pharmacy and medicine that enrich both health and heart. 
<-top

Rhineland Highlights

v     Rhine & Mosel River Cruises

v     Vineyards, Wineries & Wine Tasting

v     Rhineland Castles: Burg Eltz on the Mosel & Schloss @ Heidelberg

v     Pharmaceutical Facility @ Cologne: Behind-the-Scenes Visit

v     German Apothecary Museum: Phytomedicinal History

v     Goethe House & Museum

v     Museum for the History of Chocolate & Chocolate Factory

o       Historical Perspectives of Cocoa

v     Special “Dinner With the Romans” in the Famous Ruins of Saalburg

 
Bavarian Highlights *

The Romantic Road to Munich

v     Residenz Palace @ Wurzburg

v     Medieval Walled City of Rothenberg

v     Nymphenburg Palace in Munich

v     Bavarian Alps Excursion to Famous Castles:

o       Neuschwanstein & Lindenhof

v     Farewell Dinner @ Munich’s Renowned Hofbrauhaus

* Extension program
<-top
GERMANY

Traditions in Pharmacy & Medicine

September 1-9, 2001
FACULTY

VARRO E. TYLER, Ph.D.Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pharmacognosy Purdue University

Dr. Varro E. Tyler received his B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska, attended Yale University and went on to get his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Connecticut.  His distinguished teaching career includes serving as professor and director of the Drug Plant Garden at the University of Washington.  Subsequently, he became Dean of the School of Pharmacy and, later, Executive Vice President of Purdue University.  He also served as a visiting professor at the Institut fur Biochemie der Pflanzen, Halle/Salle, and at the University of Gottingen in Germany.  Tyler is the author/coauthor of more than 20 books, including two very popular volumes in phytomedicine – Tyler’s Honest Herbal, 4th edition and Tyler’s Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals.  He is a popular speaker and prolific writer of articles and reviews dealing with phytomedicinals and their therapeutic applications.  Tyler’s writings have appeared in a large number of journals and publications, including HerbalGram, Economic Botany, the Journal of Natural Products, and Prevention Magazine.  He is an honorary member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, the Gesellschaft fur Arzneipflanzenforschung, and in 1995 was named Economic Botanist of the Year by Economic Botany.

 

MARK BLUMENTHAL, B.S.

Executive Director, American Botanical Council

Editor/Publisher, HerbalGram

Mark Blumenthal serves as executive director of the American Botanical Council, editor/publisher of the acclaimed journal HerbalGram, and co-sponsor of the Pharmacy from the Rainforest expedition.  He holds the position of Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Texas and serves on the Board of Directors for Useful Wild Plants of Texas, Inc.  Since December of 1989, Mark has hosted an educational news program, with appearances on over 200 radio talk shows, that focuses on issues and questions dealing with medicinal herbs and plants.  A popular lecturer and writer, he has participated in many symposiums, meetings and panel discussions on phytomedicinals and natural product development in today’s healthcare market.  He has also traveled to Belize, Costa Rica, Peru and Kenya and South Africa as a workshop leader, addressing these issues with healthcare professionals.  One of the many educational projects Mark has spearheaded is the American Botanical Council’s sponsorship of the English translation of Germany’s Commission E Monographs: Medicinal Plants for Human Use.  Mark has served as a consultant to the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institute of Health and to the World Health Organization.  He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the ACEER Foundation.
<-top

GERMANY

“Herbs & Wine on the Rhine”

Traditions in Pharmacy & Medicine
Day 1 – Saturday, September 1 – US / FRANKFURT / BOPPARD
We begin our journey in the Detroit Airport where sponsors meet the group before boarding the flight to Frankfurt.  Others in the group may join us from additional US gateway cities.  We relax and enjoy the meals and in-flight movies on our way to Germany’s Rhineland.  L*, D*

Day 2 – Sunday, September 2 – FRANKFURT / BOPPARD

Rhine River We arrive at the Frankfurt Airport this morning and meet our local guide for the transfer to Boppard.  After leaving the city, our drive traces the banks of the Rhine.  As we pass gently sloping, vineyard-covered hillsides, we begin to fall under the spell of this magical region.  Arriving in Boppard, some of this elegant town’s distinctive hallmarks come into view.  In addition to its luxurious spa facilities, wine cellars and taverns of every caliber, the town is also noted for its historical sites.  Substantial ruins from a 4th century Roman fort can be seen.  The Old Quarter provides an opportunity for a self-guided walking tour marked by signs starting from a 14th century Karmeliterkirche (Carmelite Church).  You can also take a chairlift from town up Gedeonseck to view the Rhine from on high.  Here we check into the Rheinhotel Bellevue Boppard.  This first-class hotel is the oldest and most renowned establishment along the Rhine River in Germany.  It boasts a rich cultural history and classic German atmosphere.  We relax and enjoy the beautiful riverside setting before our welcome dinner tonight at the Rheinhotel.  This excellent location in the wine valley serves as our “home away from home” for the next six days of exploration, enchantment and “Wine on the Rhine”.  B,L,D
<-top

Day 3 – Monday, September 3 – RHINE RIVER CRUISE / RUDESHEIM

Castle above the Rhine RiverAfter a breakfast buffet at the hotel, we depart for our Rhine River Cruise from Boppard to the most famous wine-producing town in the Rhine Valley – Rudesheim.  Although not the longest river in Europe (the Danube is more than twice its length), the Rhine has been the main river-trade artery between the heart of the European continent and the North Sea throughout recorded history.  It runs 840 miles from Lake Constance west to Basel, then north through Germany, and finally west through the Netherlands via Rotterdam to the North Sea.  For part of its length, it forms a natural frontier between Germany and France.  The dramatic and romantic scenery along the Rhine serve as a magnet for many of Germany’s famous poets and artists as well as international literary giants.  Its banks are crowned by magnificent castles and breathtaking vine-terraced hills, which provide the livelihood for many of the villages hugging the shores.  In the words of French poet Victor Hugo, “The Rhine combines everything.  The Rhine is swift as the Rhone, wide as the Loire, winding as the Seine…royal as the Danube and covered with fables and phantoms like a river in Asia…”  Upon arrival in Rudesheim, we take a guided ride through the beautiful vineyards above the city.  The Romans planted the first Rhineland vineyards 2,000 years ago.  By the Middle Ages, viticulture was flourishing at the hands of the Church and State, and a bustling wine trade had developed.  The world’s best Rieslings are produced between here and Wiesbaden.  Rudesheim is the Rhine Valley’s most popular wine town.  Set along the river’s edge, it is truly a picturesque place of half-timbered and gabled medieval houses where everything is somehow related to wine.  Angling up from the river toward the romantic Old Town is the region’s most famous Weingasse (wine alley), the extraordinary Drosselgasse (Thrush Lane).  This narrow, 200-yard-long cobblestone lane is lined with cozy wine taverns and eateries.  We come back into this quaint setting for lunch in a traditional Rudesheim restaurant.  We discover the many health benefits of flavanoids as we bring our visit to a fitting close with a wine tasting at a local winery.  We return to Boppard in time for sunset on the Rhine followed by dinner and an evening at leisure.  B,L,D
<-top

Day 4 – Tuesday, September 4 – KOBLENTZ / ELTZ CASTLE

After a morning session at the Rheinhotel, we board our private deluxe motor coach for a trip to Koblentz.  The Romans founded this ancient city in AD 9.  It became a powerful city in the Middle Ages, when it controlled trade on both the Rhine and the Mosel.  Koblentz is at a geographic nexus known as the Deutsches Eck (corner of Germany) in the heart of the Middle Rhine region.  Rivers and mountains converge here: The Mosel flows into the Rhine on one side; the Lahn flows in on the other; and three mountain ridges intersect here.  Air raids during World War II destroyed 85% of the city, but extensive restoration has done much to re-create its former atmosphere.  Today it serves as one of the Rhineland’s most important cultural, administrative and business centers.  After lunch en route, we enjoy a city sightseeing tour followed by a visit to the famous Eltz Castle, over looking the Mosel River.  Located above the village of Moselkern, many consider this the most impressive castle in all of Germany.  Perched on the spine of an isolated rocky outcrop bristling with towers and pinnacles, it looks like a dream at first sight.  This 800 year-old medieval castle is magical both inside and out.  Germany even pictures this castle on its DM 500 banknote.  We return to Boppard for dinner and overnight.  B,L,D

Day 5 – Wednesday, September 5 – MOSEL RIVER VALLEY & CRUISE / TRIER

Click to enlargeFollowing breakfast and an early morning session, we depart for the Mosel River Valley and Germany’s oldest town, Trier.  The Mosel is one of the most hauntingly beautiful river valleys on earth: turreted castles look down from its lofty perches; its hilltops are crowned with bell towers; and throughout its expanse, skinny church spires stand against the sky.  For more than 100 miles, the silvery Mosel River meanders past a string of storybook medieval wine villages.  The city of Trier, at the western end of the Mosel, could easily qualify as Germany’s best-kept secret.  More than three thousand years old, this ancient city dates from 2000 BC, when Prince Trebeta, son of an Assyrian queen, set up residence on the bank of the Mosel.  In 16 BC the Romans arrived in this strategic location and the city eventually evolved into one of the empire’s leading cities, second only to Rome itself.  As a major Roman capital, there is evidence here of ancient ruins including Imperial Roman Baths, palaces, an amphitheater, and temples.  Surviving the collapse of Rome, Trier thrived throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods, taking full advantage of its location at the meeting point of major east-west and north-south trade routes.  It also became one of Germany’s major wine-exporting centers.  A later claim to fame is the city’s status as the birthplace of Karl Marx.  At Trier we board a cruiser to gain an interpretive view of this town from a unique vantage point, the Mosel River.  We end the afternoon with a wine “taste and toast” to this beautiful valley.  B,L,D
<-top

Day 6 – Thursday, September 6 – COLOGNE / Pharmaceutical Facility & Cologne Cathedral OR Museum for the History of Chocolate

This morning we travel to the largest city on the Rhine and one of its most interesting – Cologne.  Known throughout the world for its scented toilet water, eau de cologne, the city is also a major commercial, intellectual and ecclesiastical center.  Here we have the special opportunity to visit one of Germany’s pharmaceutical facilities.  As a world leader in pharmaceutical and herbal manufacturing, this field session serves as a focal point for our discovery of the role Germany and the German Commission E has played in the evolution of drug therapy worldwide.  After lunch in a traditional beer hall, we enjoy a city highlight coach tour including the most famous Gothic cathedral in Germany, the Cologne Dom.  The cathedral is one of the purest expressions of the Gothic spirit in Europe.  The desire to pay homage to God took the form of building as lavish and large a church as possible.  Built to house what were believed to be the relics of the Magi, building was started in 1248 and not completed until 1880.  At 515 feet high, the two landmark west towers were the tallest structures in the world when finished.  During World War II, when bombing destroyed 90% of Cologne, only the cathedral remained relatively unscathed.  After visiting God’s cathedral, we indulge ourselves in a visit to a cathedral to the food for the gods.  We are treated to an exploration of the historical and medicinal value of cocoa at the Inhoff-Stollwerck - Museum for the History of Chocolate.  Located on the Rhine River, this museum explores three thousand years of civilization’s production and delectation of chocolate.  The historical overview includes the ancient Maya who revered chocolate as a food from the gods, as well as Europeans who have utilized chocolate from the times of colonizing through to industrialization.  The museum is also a real factory with lava flows of chocolate, chocolate bars stacked to the ceiling, and a conveyor belt jostling thousands of truffles.  Dinner and overnight in Boppard.  B,L,D

Day 7 – Friday, September 7 – HEIDELBERG / SCHLOSS Castle & Deutsches Apotheken Museum (German Apothecary Museum)

Today we travel to the picturesque University City of Heidelberg located in the Neckar River Valley.  The natural beauty of Heidelberg is created by the embrace of mountains, forests, vineyards, and the Neckar River, and crowned by its ruined castle – the Schloss.  The old heart of the city is a baroque town built on Gothic foundations with narrow twisting streets and alleyways, exuding the spirit of romantic Germany.  Upon arrival, we visit the famous Schloss (castle) – one of Germany’s most memorable sights.  It was already in ruins when 19th century Romantics fell under its spell, drawn by the mystery of its Gothic turrets, Renaissance walls, and abandoned gardens.  Here, we tour the fascinating Deutsches Apotheken Museum, located within the castle walls.  The museum is filled with ancient carboys and other flagons and receptacles (each with a carefully painted enamel label), beautifully made scales, little drawers, shelves, a marvelous reconstruction of an 18th century apothecary shop, dried beetles and toads, and a mummy with a full head of hair.  We make a point of seeing the Heidelberger Fass (Heidelberg Wine Barrel), an enormous wine barrel in the cellar, made from 130 oak trees and capable of holding 49,000 gallons of wine.  It was used to hold wines paid as taxes by winegrowers.  After lunch in Heidelberg, we return later this afternoon to Boppard and our final night along the Rhine.  B,L,D
<-top

Day 8 – Saturday, September 8 – BOPPARD / FRANKFURT “Dinner with the Romans” @ Restored Fortress of SAALBURG

After breakfast we bid farewell to our home on the Rhine and travel back to Frankfurt.   A highlight tour of Frankfurt this morning reveals a city in contrast to the Old World towns and villages we have seen in the Rhine Valley.  After World War II, Frankfurt emerged as a city of skyscrapers – powerful, sophisticated and cosmopolitan.  Today it is the premier financial and business center of Germany.  Frankfurt also has a rich history, spanning more than 1200 years.  Part of the architectural monuments of its long history still stands in the Old Town section.  It was one of the joint capitals of Charlemagne’s empire, the city where the Holy Roman emperors were elected and crowned, the site of Gutenberg’s print shop, the birthplace of Goethe, Germany’s greatest poet, and the city where the first German Parliament met.  We tour Goethe’s House and Museum this morning.  Goethe wrote the first version of his masterpiece, Faust, in Frankfurt.  We have lunch in a local apple-wine cider restaurant.  After lunch we check into the historical Frankfurter Hof Hotel, a five-star establishment located conveniently in the center of town.  This evening, we are treated to a very special event for our Farewell Celebration – “Dinner with the Romans”.  This “off the beaten track” experience will not be soon forgotten!  We depart in our private transfer this evening from the hotel to an ancient Roman site outside of Frankfurt.  This restored Roman Fortress, Saalburg, is located in the Limes Wall – a fortification built at the border of the Roman Empire in Germany as a defense from the barbarians to the North.  Upon arrival we are given torches to light our walk through the forest surrounding the fortress.  Arriving at the illuminated Column of the God Jupiter, we are greeted by Roman legendaries in original costumes.  Roman soldiers accompany us to a special worshipping place where we are served an original Roman spiced wine recipe called Mullstrum.  After the tasting and historical interpretation, we are treated to a traditional “Roman Feast” in the fortress.  After dinner, we return to our hotel in Frankfurt, carrying the memories of this unforgettable evening!  B,L,D

      Day 9 – Sunday, September 9 – FRANKFURT / U.S. **

After a breakfast buffet in the hotel, we depart to the airport for our return flight to the U.S.  B,L*

 

* Indicates in-flight meal

 

** NOTE: Those taking the MUNICH Extension go with the group to the airport and then follow the extension itinerary.
<-top

The Romantic Road to MUNICH &
The Bavarian Alps
September 9-12, 2001

Picturesque beyond words, the Romantic Road presents the epitome of the German pastoral countryside complete with castles and walled medieval villages, half-timbered houses and imposing churches.  The art and architecture found along the way span centuries, and the Rivres Tauber, Lech, Main, and Danube are never distant.  This southward route includes Wurzburg, home to a glorious and unrivaled Baroque Palace, the medieval town of Rothenburg-ob-de-tauber, and Ludwig II’s captivating castle – Neuschwanstein.  It is truly a wondrous and fanciful journey culminating in Munich, the fun-loving capital of Bavaria.  The sights add up to a pageant of marvels of history, art and architecture, providing an essence of Germany at its most picturesque and romantic.
Day 1 – Sunday, September 9 – FRANKFURT / WURZBURG
After bidding farewell at the Frankfurt airport to those in the group returning to the U.S., we begin our trip to Wurzburg, the pearl of the Romantic Road and its northern gateway.  At the juncture of the two age-old trade routes, the city is in a calm valley backed by vineyard-covered hills.  It is an exquisite example of the combination of great genius and great wealth.  Beginning in the 10th century, Wurzburg was ruled by powerful and wealthy price-bishops, who created the city with all the remarkable attributes you can see today.  The culmination of this duo of riches and vision is seen in one of the most scintillating rococo palaces in Europe – the Residenz.  A long line of Wurzburg’s price-bishops lived in this splendid palace.  The man whose spirit infused the Residenz was the pleasure-loving price-bishop Johann Phillip Franz von Schonorn.  He financed the extravagant venture but did not live to see its completion.  This afternoon we visit this completed masterpiece of Baroque opulence.  This evening we have a special dinner in a wine cellar in the old town area of Wurzburg.  We overnight in the first-class Hotel Maritim in Wurzburg.  B,L,D

Day 2 – Monday, September 10 – WURZBURG / MUNICH
After breakfast at the hotel, we begin our journey on the Romantische Strasse to Munich.  The route is memorable because of the pastoral villages, castles and churches we pass, many tucked away beyond low hills, their spires and towers poking up through the greenery.  We stop en route at Rothenberg-ob-der-Tauber (“Red castle on the Tauber”), renowned as the finest example of an authentic medieval town in all of Germany.  The old Town Square is adorned with fountains and flowers, and watchtowers built to keep a lookout for marauding enemies punctuate formidable walls.  Half-timbered houses lean against one another along narrow cobbled lanes.  We continue on to Munich – the undisputed capital of Bavaria.  Endowed with vast, green tracts of parks, gardens, and forests; grand boulevards lined with remarkable architecture; fountains and statuary; and a river spanned by graceful bridges, Munich is easily Germany’s most beautiful and interesting city.  We check into our conveniently located hotel in the center of the city, the Hotel Maritim.  After lunch we enjoy a Munich City Tour that includes a visit to the beautiful Nymphenburg Palace, the largest palace of its kind in Germany.  The palace stretches more than a half-mile from one wing to the other, growing in size and scope for a period of over 200 years.  Five generations of Bavarian royalty spent their summers in this glorious Baroque and rococo palace.  This evening we have dinner in a typical German Beer Hall, one of the more than 100 located in the city of Munich.  Overnight in Munich.  B,L,D
<-top

Day 3 – Tuesday, September 11 – BAVARIAN ALPS & FAIRYTALE CASTLES

We travel outside of the city today through a fairytale region of spectacular fir-clad Alpine Mountains, where the creations of “Mad King Ludwig II” rise up among the snow clad peaks.  The famous castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein are our ultimate destinations.  For a proper appreciation of these unique creations, it helps to understand the troubled man for whom they were created.  King Ludwig II was one of a long line of dukes, electors and kings of the Witelsbach dynasty, which ruled Bavaria from 1180 to 1918.  Ludwig II carried the family’s traditional love of art and music to the extreme.  He had a great affection for and was a main patron of the famous composer, Richard Wagner.  Ludwig commissioned elaborate paintings depicting his favorite Wagner operas for his castles.  He concentrated on constructing monumental edifices for himself rather than for the people, and spent an inordinate percentage of the royal budget on his endeavors.  The grandest of his extravagant projects is Neuschwanstein.  It serves as visible proof of the king’s eccentricity.  Through fear that he would bankrupt the royal purse, he was eventually confined to the small castle Schloss Berg on the shore of his beloved Starnbergersee.  He died while in confinement there with some mystery still surrounding the circumstance of his death.  Today we view two of the most elaborate creations out of the mind of Ludwig II.  We return to Munich this afternoon, and tonight enjoy a farewell celebration in a favorite Munich landmark, the world famous Hofbrauhaus.  B,L,D

Day 4 – Wednesday, September 12 – MUNICH / U.S.

After breakfast in the hotel, we depart for the Munich International Airport and our return flight to the U.S.  B,L*

 * In-flight meal
B-Breakfast; L-Lunch; D-Dinner; *In-flight Meal
Please Note: Order of itinerary is subject to change.
<-top


FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER FOR THIS COURSE, PLEASE CONTACT:

INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS, INC.
One Environs Park
Helena, Alabama 35080

Phone: 205-428-1700 / 1-800-633-4734 EXT:172
Fax: 205-428-1714

This page has been accessed times since August 17, 2000