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Let's Go .... Travel Club

‘Let’s Go ….. to Krakow’

Henley Festival Friends visit Krakow, Poland

Henley Festival has launched ‘Let’s Go…’, an exclusive travel club for Friends of Henley Festival Trust, with their first trip to Krakow last weekend. This comprised a fabulous 5 day break in a wonderful city with every detail taken care of.

Says Mandy Beard of Henley Festival Trust, “Our Friends support the Festival each year and enjoy music, culture and good company. We wanted to take them to a world-class city and arranged a programme of sightseeing and evening entertainment in and around this beautiful place”.

As well as flights, the tour included accommodation in a gorgeous boutique hotel in the old town, all meals and a full programme of daytime and evening activities. The 20 participants enjoyed a guided tour of Krakow, with a look around the Wawel castle and the cathedral (including for the brave, a climb up the tower to touch the Zygmunt Bell to have a whispered wish granted). There was also a trip out to the astonishing salt mines and to Auschwitz.

In the evenings, the group was treated to a recital of Chopin’s piano music at Polonia House by the young pianist Pawel Kubica, and a concert at the Philharmonie, with a programme of Rachmaninov and Stravinsky played by the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.

Says Mandy again, “The Trust works hard year round to promote the arts in the community of Henley, funding artists in residence programmes in schools and colleges and supporting young artists at the start of their careers. In 2004, we expanded the Henley Festival Trust Scheme by offering different levels of participation and providing additional benefits to those choosing to become Gold and Silver members. So much for the important purpose of being a Friend of the Festival. But as well as being rewarding, being a Friend can be great fun. I think it’s fair to say we all enjoyed the trip hugely, including the little unexpected things around each street corner – the Polish wedding parties in horse drawn carriages; the fruit and flower markets in the Jewish Quarter; the cellar jazz bars and of course the bugler playing on the hour, every hour from one of the spires of St Mary’s Church on the Market Square.”

‘Let’s Go….’ is put together in association with Festival Tours and will be offering a second trip to a different cultural city next spring. To become a Friend of Henley Festival, please contact the Henley Festival office on 01491 843404.