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DAY 01: NORTH AMERICA / FRANKFURT.
Tour members will gather at the ticket counter at the airport two hours
prior to the departure to Europe. Dinner and breakfast will be served
in flight.
DAY 02: FRANKFURT / MARBURG / FULDA.
Morning arrival at Frankfurt Airport where we are met by our tour escort
and motor coach and commence our touring program. We drive northward to
the old university town of Marburg where we can see St. Elizabeth's
Church and the Landgrave's Castle, before continuing on our way to the
historic town of Fulda. Fulda was a center of religion and scholarship
in the Franconian Empire and was designated as a town in 1114 and, in
the 18th century during the Baroque Age, it reached it's most important
period. It was the residence of the Price Abbotts and the Price Bishops
and a university was founded. We will see the Town Castle, St.
Michael's Church and of course the Cathedral. Dinner and overnight at
our hotel.
DAY 03: FULDA / WARTBURG / EISENACH /
ERFURT / THURINGEN. This
morning we travel eastward for a visit to the formidable Wartburg Castle
where Luther found refuge during the Imperial Ban. The castle was built
in the 11th century and is where Luther translated the New Testament in
the years 1521-1522 - we will see the "Luther Stube". A short drive
brings us to Eisenach, birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach, where we
will visit and listen to some of his marvelous music played on historic
instruments. We will also visit the Luther House museum before
continuing to the historic town of Erfurt, where Luther studied at the
university, and where our tour in Luther's Footsteps will include a
visit to the Cathedral and Church of St. Severi's, a view of the Kramer
Bridge lined on each side with timber-framed houses restored to their
original condition, and then pay a highlight visit to the important
Augustinian Monastery, built in 1277 and now beautifully restored. The
Monastery contains an exhibition on Martin Luther who was a monk here
from 1505 to 1511. We then drive to our hotel in the Thurigen area for
dinner and overnight.
DAY 04: THURINGEN / HALLE / EISLEBEN /
THURINGEN. Our first visit this
morning will be to Halle, where Luther stayed in 1510 for the granting
of an appeal to the Pope (Dispute of the Order of St. Augustin.) We
will see the Market Church of our Dear Lady and also visit the special
exhibition which is hoped to be staged showing Luther's death mask and
hands, documents about him, and a Holy Bible with his handwritten
notes. Then to Eisleben which ranks amongst the most significant of all
places having a connection with him, although he only spent a little
time here - he was born here on November 10th, 1483 and died here on
February 18th, 1546; old manuscripts indicate that he felt a special
affinity towards Eisleben. We will visit the house of his birth and see
the house where he died, St. Andrew's Church where he preached his last
sermon and where his body was laid out, the Church of St. Peter and St.
Paul where he was christened, and the Luther Monument. Some time at
leisure to see the market place and other points of leisure such as St.
Anne's Church with the famous biblical scenes hewn in stone and the
buildings of former St. Augustine's Monastery before returning to our
hotel in Thuringen area for dinner and overnight.
DAY 05: THURINGEN / LEIPZIG / WITTENBERG
/ DESSAU / THURINGEN. Drive
this morning to the beautiful city of Leipzig, Bach's city, where our
sightseeing will include St. Thomas Church where Bach was organist and
choirmaster; we will also view the Renaissance Town Hall before driving
northward to Wittenberg, Birthplace of the Reformation, city of
Frederick the Wise who was patron and protector of Luther. Luther lived
here from 1508 until his death. We will visit All Saints Castle Church
where Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door and which contains the
graves of Luther and Melanchton, see the University where Luther taught,
and visit Melanchton's House as well as the Luther House which is the
largest and greatest museum of Reformation history in the world. We
will also visit the Stadkirche of St. Marien where Luther used to
preach, and see the Luther monument and the renaissance Town Hall.
Drive then to Dessau, where, on April 2nd, 1534, the Dessau Princes
(George, Johann and Joachim) professed the Reformation and where Martin
Luther preached before them and the citizens of Dessau. We will see the
main points of interest including St. John's Church before returning to
our hotel in the Thuringen area for dinner and overnight.
DAY 06: THURINGEN / BAYREUTH / NURNBERG /
AUGSBURG. Drive through the
southern part of the old East Germany and continue to Bayreuth, known
world-wide for its Wagner music festival. We then continue through many
lovely towns and villages on the way to Nurnberg, the city of Durer and
the Meistersingers, a city surrounded by thick walls and overlooked by
it's landmark castle. Nurnberg City's long and historic past; we will
see its old fortifications and time permitting, we may be able to see
craftsmen at their work in the Craftsmen's Courtyard in the City Center,
or stop outside the Castle to enjoy the fine view across the housetops
with their pointed gables and the tall church spires. Drive further
south by ways of Ingoldtadt on the Danube to Augsburg, City of the
Confession and one of the most important Germany cities associated with
Luther. He stayed in Augsburg on his way from Rome in March 1511 and it
was here most significantly that he defended his 95 Theses in the debate
with the representative of the Church of Rome in 1518, and during his
stay in Augsberg from 7/20 October the foundations were laid for the
decisive development for the Reformation and thus the Christian Church.
We will see the Renaissance style Town Hall, visit St. Anne's Church
with its small Luther courtyard and the memorial Chapel of the Fugger,
see the Church of the Holy Cross (Luther's lodgings after his journey to
Rome in 1511), and the impressive Augustus fountain. Dinner and
overnight at our hotel.
DAY 07: AUGSBURG / ROMANTIC ROAD /
HEIDELBERG / HEIDELBERG AREA.
Our journey today continues along the scenic Romantic Road through the
medieval villages of Donauworth and Dinkelsbuhl to Rothenburg ob der
Tauber, one of Europe's finest preserved medieval towns. We will see
the main points of interest including town walls and cobblestone streets
as well as the Renaissance style Town Hall and the Ratsrinkstube
featuring the Meistertrunk clock. We then continue to the romantic
medieval city of Heidelburg, delightfully situated at the confluence of
the Rhine and Neckar Rivers, where we will visit the castle ruins, see
the University and also the famous Stone Bridge, said by many to the
Germany's most beautiful bridge; we also see the Red Ox Inn of "Student
Prince" fame, before driving the short distance to nearby Ludwigshafen
for dinner and overnight.
DAY 08: HEIDELBERG
AREA / WORMS / FRANKFURT / NORTH AMERICA. This morning we drive to Worms,
city of the 1521 Edict, where we will see the impressive Monument to the
Reformation and visit the Cathedral in this important center of the
Reformation. Worms was the site of Luther's trail for heresy and it was
in the Cathedral, standing before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, that
he uttered his faith affirming, death defying proclamation..."Here I
stand, I can do no other. God help me". We then drive swiftly to
Frankfurt Airport for our return flight to the United States at the end
of our enjoyable tour. |
