|
DAY 01: USA / GERMANY.
Evening departure from the U.S.A.
Dinner and breakfast will be served on board our trans-Atlantic flight
to Berlin.
DAY 02: BERLIN / WITTENBURG. We'll be greeted
at the Berlin Airport by our guide and board our deluxe motor coach for
our orientation tour of Berlin. We’ll see the famous Brandenburg Gate,
the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Cathedral, the Reichstag
building and the lively boulevards. This city has undergone tremendous
change in the 15 years since reunification. Then visit the birthplace of
the reformation, Lutherstadt-Wittenberg. Dinner and overnight at our
hotel.
DAY 03: WITTENBURG / ERFURT. After a breakfast, we'll go to
the very place Martin Luther
nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Schlosskirche (Castle
Church). The original door was destroyed in the Seven Years War.
Luther’s texts of the 95 Theses are cast in bronze on the door. Inside
the church, we can see Martin Luther's and Phillip Melanchthon’s
graves. Next we'll tour the Lutherhalle (Luther House) Museum. In 1508,
when Martin Luther came to Wittenberg, he lived here with other
Augustinian monks. We'll be able to view some of Luther's very own
personal library, rare manuscripts, early Bibles, and some of the very
pamphlets that Luther had printed up that stoked the fires of the
Reformation. Next we’ll visit Stadtkirche St. Marien (St. Mary's
church) where Luther preached and where his children were baptized. Then
visit the Melanchthon House Museum, a tribute to Philipp Melanchthon,
who presented the Augsburg Confession of Peace. Melanchthon was second
only to Luther as the key person in the Reformation in Germany. This
afternoon we drive to Erfurt. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
 DAY 04: ERFURT / EISENACH. After breakfast we begin our tour of
Erfurt: including St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Severin's Church. We will then head for fascinating
Eisenach. In 1521, while fleeing from the wrath of the Pope, Luther took
refuge in the Wartburg Castle after a fake kidnapping staged by his
friend and protector, Frederick the Wise. This is where Luther
translated the New Testament into German in just 11 weeks. In the town
of Eisenach, we'll see the splendid Martin Luther Statue in town and St.
George's Church. Martin Luther preached here on his journey back and
forth from the imperial parliament in Worms (The Diet of Worms).
Continue to Marburg, famous for the meeting place of Zwingli. This was
a major event in the Reformation. We'll see St. Elizabeth’s Church,
dating from 1283 and hear about Phillip of Hesse, a local leader who
greatly aided the Lutheran Reformation, and see 14th century frescoes.
If time permits, we'll watch the Rathaus (town hall) "ancient mechanical
clock, which delights onlookers every hour as various animated figures
spring to life." Continue to the beautiful town of Rudesheim, on the
banks of the Rhine, for dinner and overnight.
DAY 05: RHINE CRUISE / MAINZ / WORMS.
We begin today with a Rhine cruise. We’ll board the boat at St. Goar and
sail past magnificent castles and the famous Loreley rock. This
afternoon we will take an excursion to Mainz, known for the Gutenberg
Museum. We'll also visit Mainz Cathedral, dating back to 975. On the
way to Worms, we'll stop at Rheinhessen Castle in Alzey, where 350
Anabaptists were killed in 1529. We will also see the nearby Mennonite
village at Weierhof. In Worms we’ll have a walking tour to see the
site of the Worms Debates. Our guide will also share about another
Reformer, William Tyndale, who finished his printing of the English
Bible in Worms, escaping persecution in England. It was the first
translation of the Bible from the original Greek into English -- also
the first translation of a Greek book into English. Return to Rudesheim
for the evening meal and overnight stay.
DAY 06: HEIDELBERG / STRASBOURG.
Heidelberg is a
picturesque town on the Neckar River. First a walking tour of the Old
Town, the famous Stone Bridge over the Neckar River, then tour
Heidelberg Castle. This is where the Heidelberg Confession was written
in 1653. Continue to the edge of France where we drive to Strasbourg,
home of the E.U.'s European Parliament, the “City of Hope,” or “Refuge
of the Righteous” as the Anabaptists refer to it. This is where John
Calvin wrote his famous books on systematic theology. Martin Bucer,
another Reformation leader was from Strasbourg and is buried in St.
Thomas's Church, the principle Protestant Church since 1549. Also
related to Strasbourg was Peter Waldo, whose followers were known as
"Waldensians", "Poor in Spirit” or "Poor Men of Lyons." Due to growing
persecution in Paris, Calvin settled in Strasbourg to live the life of a
quiet Christian scholar and author. His first draft of the Institutes in
1536 was instantly popular as it presented Reformed doctrine in an easy
to read, systematic manner. Tour the Cathedral of Strasbourg, St.
Thomas's Church, and also see the Statue of the Reformers in the
University, the Astronomical clock and the historic “La Petite
Strasbourg” quarter. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
 DAY 07: BLACK FOREST / ZURICH.
This morning, we will pass through the
Black Forest region of Germany to Switzerland. At Lake Constance, we'll
have a wonderful view of the Schaffhausen Waterfalls where the mighty
Rhine River roars at Europe's highest waterfall. From there, we will
learn the story of Czech Reformer John Hus in Constance. The Constance
Cathedral, site of the Council of Constance in 1415, is where Hus was
sentenced to death for his so-called heresy. We'll see the Hussenstein,
the stone which marks the very spot where Hus was burned at the stake. Continue to Zurich to learn more about Zwingli on a tour of the key
Reformation sites in Zurich. We’ll tour Zwingli’s church, the Grossmünster, where we'll hear excerpts from his old sermons and admire
the world famous Chagall stained glass windows. Outside, we'll see the
Zwingli Statue. Then walk through the historic Auld Stadt (old city) and
enjoy the Swiss heritage. We’ll also see the Helferei where Zwingli
lived. We’ll tour the Guild Hall and Museum, which has some interesting
displays and art from the Swiss Reformation. We'll view the Fraumunster,
Zurich’s famous Catholic Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in the Zurich
area.
DAY 8: LUCERNE / GENEVA. This morning we'll visit the
charming Swiss town of Lucerne, beginning with a brief walking tour to
view the City Walls and famous covered wooden bridges. The Kapellbrucke
(Chapel Bridge) is a symbol of Lucerne. It originally dates back to the
14th century. Close by is the Spreurerbrucke (Spreuer Bridge), dating
from 1408. View the ornate patrician houses along the cobbled streets.
In the afternoon we'll take a leisurely drive through spectacular
scenery to Geneva before settling into our hotel for dinner and
overnight.
 DAY 9: GENEVA. It was here
in Geneva that John Calvin and John Knox brought Christ's teachings to
eager listeners. Our full-day tour will start at the waterfront, famous
for its Flower Clock and English Gardens, and continue to the old town
area, where we'll tour St. Peter’s Cathedral. This is where John Calvin
preached and stoked the fires of the Reformation in Geneva. You can see
Calvin's chair. It's only 157 steps up to the top of the North Tower,
where the view is worth the effort. Under the Cathedral are the ruins of
a Roman sanctuary, a 4th century basilica, and a 6th century church.
Close by is the Auditoire de Calvin (also known as The Protestant
Lecture Hall), where the inspired theologian himself taught. John Knox
also taught here for three years. Next we go to the impressive
Reformation Monument. Four statues of four Reformation leaders stand as
sentinels. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY
10: GENEVA / NORTH AMERICA. After
breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight home – the end of a
most memorable journey. |
