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 DAY
01: NORTH AMERICA / BERLIN. Evening
departure from North America. Dinner and breakfast will be served
on-board our trans-Atlantic flight to Berlin.
DAY 02: BERLIN.
Upon arrival in Berlin, we are met by our guide and transferred by motor
coach to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 03: BERLIN.
This morning we will have a sightseeing tour of Berlin. This will
include the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Tiergarden and the Olympic
Stadium, the ruins of the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate. This
afternoon's sightseeing includes visits to St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the
Soviet War Memorial, St. Mary's Church, the restored Opera House, the
famous 300 foot wide boulevard "Unter Den Linden," Mirienkirche and the
Pergamon Museum containing the spectacular Pergamon Alter and the Ishtar
Gate of Ancient Babylon. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 04: BERLIN / WITTENBERG / LEIPZIG.
Drive this morning to Whittenberg, where the Reformation began. Here we
will see the Castle Church doors where in 1517 Luther nailed 95 thesis's
signaling the beginning of the Reformation. Luther lived in Wittenberg
until his death in 1546. The places of interest we will visit include
the Castle Church containing his tomb, the City Church where he
regularly preached, the Luther House, home of his devoted friend and
co-worker Phillip Melanchton, author of the Augsburg Confession. We
will also be able to see the various rooms and quarters which Luther
used when he was a faculty member. The original manuscript of "A Mighty
Fortress is Our God" is still at Wittenberg University and also the
table on which it was written. In the late afternoon we depart for
Liepzig, where in 1519 Luther debated with Dr. Eck, defender of the
Catholic Faith. Our sightseeing in Leipzig will include St. Thomas
Church where Johannes Sebastian Bach was choirmaster and organist for 26
years and other places of interest. Dinner and overnight in Leipzig.
 DAY 05: LEIPZIG / HALLE / EISLEBEN /
ERFURT / EISENACH / FULDA. Today we travel
via Halle to Eisleben, where Luther was born and died. We then continue
to Erfurt, where we will visit Erfurt Cathedral, St. Servi Church and
the Augustinian Monastery where Luther studied to become a monk and was
ordained in 1507. We will also visit the small cell where as a novice,
Luther struggled to find peace with a stern and harsh God. Then onto
Eisenach, where we will visit Wartburg Castle set high in the Thuringian
Mountains. It was here in 1521 that Luther was put into protective
custody for ten months, after the emperor condemned him as an outlaw and
heretic. During this time Luther completed his translation of the New
Testament into German, a tremendous linguistic task which served as the
basis for the New High German. Luther's room is preserved in its
original condition. This afternoon we leave Berlin for Fulda for dinner
and overnight.
DAY 06: FULDA / ROMANTIC ROAD /
AUGSBURG. This morning we travel from Fulda
to join the Romantic Road at Wurzburg and continue via Rothenburg
delightfully situated on the River Tauber, Dinkelsbuhl and Nordlingen
with its well preserved medieval walls, towers and ramparts. Then onto
Augsburg, where the Confession was signed, for dinner and overnight.
DAY 07: AUGSBURG / MUNICH / SALZBURG /
VIENNA. Drive to Munich, stately capital of
Bavaria, for morning sightseeing which will include Residenz Palace, the
Ratheus, Frauenkirche and Pinakoteque. Drive through the Bavarian Alps
into Austria to Salzburg and Vienna for dinner and overnight.
 DAY 08: VIENNA / ROTHENBURG /
HEIDELBERG. Morning departure from Vienna.
Continue to the picturesque medieval town of Rothenburg on the Tauber
with its well-preserved ramparts, towers and gateways dating from the
14th century. Then to Heidelberg, delightfully situated on the banks of
the River Neckar, for a visit to the University which is one of the
oldest in Germany. We will also see the old stone bridge and the ruined
castle, as well as the church where almost a century before Luther,
Jerome nailed his thesis for church reform. The Red Ox Inn, site of the
famous "Student Prince" still stands. Dinner and overnight in nearby
Viernham.
DAY 09: HEIDELBERG / FRANKFURT.
We will drive this morning to Worms, city of the 1521 Edict, where we
admire the magnificent monument to Luther and the Reformation, and also
the splendid cathedral where Luther, standing before the Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V, uttered his faith affirming death defying
proclamation..."Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me." Leaving
Worms, we drive north to the River Rhine and onto Frankfurt for dinner
and overnight.
DAY 10: FRANKFURT / NORTH AMERICA.
We will depart Frankfurt for Rhein Main Airport for our flight to North
America. This completes one of the greatest and most memorable
experiences we will ever have in life. |
