Description

CENTRAL EUROPE REFORMATION – LUTHER AND CALVINO

Tour Schedule

Day 1

BERLIN
Arrive in Berlin, Germany – On arrival at the Berlin Airport, pass through customs and meet our tour escort guide Board the coach for an orientation drive, showcasing the three centers of Berlin: the west around Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard and the Memorial Church, the new center around Potsdam Square, and the eastern section around Unter Den Linden, Brandenburg Gate and AlexanderPlatz.
Continue to our hotel for check-in.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 2

BERLIN
Our tour of this once divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku-Damm, the restored Reichstag, monumental Brandenburg Gate ,the Holocaust Memorial ,  Charlotten Palace, the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park and a visit to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Visit the remains of the Berlim Wall and the check point Charlie
FREE AFTERNONN –  enjoy your time to  visit the Pergamon Museum, one of the five wonderful museums that sit on Berlin’s Museum Island. We’ll have dinner at our hotel

Day 3

BERLIN POSTDAM WITTENBERG
This morning we travel to Potsdam, the Brandenburg state capital. We’ll visit the Palace Cecilienhof, where in 1945 the Potsdam Agreement was signed among the Allied Powers. Take a walk through the beautiful garden at the Palace Sanssouci and see the impressive terraces and fountains. Here is where the Kaisers ruled. After a mid-day break for independent lunch or shopping, we’ll continue to quaint Wittenberg, where we’ll spend the next two nights. Dinner is at our hotel.

Day 4

WITTENBERG
Today’s journey in Wittenberg recalls the life and work of Martin Luther. We’ll see the gates of Schlosskirche (Castle Church) where he nailed his 95 Theses in 1517 challenging the Catholic Church; then visit the Stadtkirche, (City Church) where Luther and his associates preached the gospel to the common people.
We’ll visit the Lutherhalle, an important museum located in the Augustinian monastery in which Luther lived, first as a monk and later as owner with his wife Katharina von Bora and family. Lutherhalle’s collection of objects related to the history of the German Reformation include Luther’s own desk, the pulpit from which he preached at the Stadtkirche, his teaching robe, and first editions of his books. We’ll have dinner at our hotel .

Day 5

WITTENBERG – EISLEBEN – ERFURT
Our journey continues to Eisleben, situated in the countryside of the Harz Mountains. Luther was born, baptized, and died here. After we visit the house where he was born and the Sterbehaus Museum, the house where he died, we’ll continue to Erfurt, Luther’s spiritual home. Our visit will include the Augustinian Monastery where Luther served as a monk.
we’ll visit the Franciscan Church where Luther preached in 1529 and St. Mary’s Church, where he was ordained as a priest. Overnight in Erfurt.

Day 6

ERFURT – EISENACH – NUREMBERG-MUNICH
This morning depart for Eisenach in the Thuringian Forest, where little has changed since the Middle Ages. Visit Luther House, where Luther was educated from 1498-1501. Continue to Wartburg Castle, where Luther took shelter from the wrath of the Pope and translated the New Testament from Greek to German.
After an independent lunch (or shopping), we’ll make our way to Nürnberg to see the chilling stadium where Nazi rallies took place and the Coliseum that Hitler started but never completed. We’ll travel on to Munich via the Romantic Road, passing through the picturesque towns of Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen. Enjoy dinner tonight at our hotel.

Day 7

MUNICH
This morning we board our bus and go to historic Munich. Panoramic view of the Nymphenburg Palace, baroque residence of the Bavarian kings . We will enter through the old city with its famous buildings and squares including the Marienplatz with the town hall and its “Glockenspiel” and the “Frauenkirche” (Church of our Lady) with its distinctive onion- topped towers then visit the Olympic Park. This afternoon we will drive to Dachau and visit the site of Germany’s first Concentration Camp,a memorial site and museum. We will have a guided tour through the museum with its reconstructed barracks and crematorium. Return back to Munich for dinner and overnight.

Day 8

MUNICH ZURICH
Today is a traveling day. See quaint alpine towns and high-peaked landscapes while tracing the spine of this iconic mountain range. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Day 9

ZURICH – GENEVA
Zurich, a beautiful city filled with history and ambience and framed by the breathtaking Alps. Zurich was at the center of the Swiss Reformation in the 16th century under the leadership of Ulrich Zwingli. We’ll visit the Grossmunster Church, mother church of the Reformation in Switzerland and the place where Zwingli began teaching his Reform theologies that led to Zurich’s freedom from Rome’s control. Also see the Helferei where Zwingli lived. Visit the shore of the Limmat River where the Anabaptists were drowned. Continue to Geneva

Day 10

GENEVA
Today we will explore Geneva, the city that was the center of the Swiss Reformation movement with John Calvin as its chief theologian. Visit St. Peter’s Cathedral, where Calvin taught the Reformed doctrine. We’ll see his chair and climb 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. Calvin’s Academy is nearby and is called the Protestant Lecture Hall. John Knox also taught here for three years. Next we’ll view the reformation monument which was constructed between 1909 and 1917. This impressive structure is referred to as the “Protestant Rome.” The giant wall displays statues of four Geneva Reformation leaders: Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox. Spend the afternoon shopping or relaxing by the lake, then rejoin the group for dinner at our hotel.

Day 11

GENEVA – USA
Transfer to Geneva airport