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Riverbend Church
Invites You To:
Switzerland & Germany
with Passion Play • 10 Day Tour
June 16-25, 2010
Day 1: Depart USA
Overnight flight to Europe.
Day 2: Arrive Switzerland
Transfer to your hotel in Zurich with the remainder of the day free.
Day 3: Zwingli's Zurich,
Lake Lucerne
Zurich is definitely a combination of the old and the new. It is divided
(as are many European cities) into the modern cosmopolitan district and
the Auld Stadt (old city). Most of the time during your stay will be
spent seeing the sights connected with Ulrich Zwingli. It was in Zurich
where the Reformed branch of the Reformation got its start under his
leadership beginning in 1520. Today you will see his monument, the
church where he was pastor (the Grossmunster), and the Guild Hall and
Museum in which you will find artifacts and works of art associated with
the Reformation. Zurich is also the origin of the Swiss Brethren
Anabaptist Movement. It had its start in the home of Felix Manz in 1525.
Its location is a few blocks from Zwingli's church. This afternoon you
are free for some independent shopping before dinner.
Day 4: Day Trip to Lucerne
This morning we travel to lovely Lucerne for a fjord-like lake cruise
and free time in the historic cobblestone shopping district to shop for
watches. We also enjoy a brief walking tour of historic Lucerne
displaying medieval heritage every step of the way. See the impressive
city walls, the famous covered wooden bridge, ornate patrician houses
lining cobbled streets, and Thorwaldsen's masterful Lion Monument. We
have the remainder of the afternoon free to explore the main streets of
Lucerne before our drive back to Zurich. En-route we take a leisure
drive through picturesque landscapes before arriving for our final
overnight.
Day 5: Rhine Falls,
Constance, Innsbruck
This morning we will stop near Schaffhausen to view the Rhine Falls, the
most powerful waterfalls in Germany. This is definitely a "Kodak
moment". From here we travel eastward bringing us to a resort town on
the border of Germany and Switzerland, Constance. Some historians
suggest that it is here that the Reformation actually got its start in
1415, with the execution of Bohemian reformer John Huss. You will see
the house in which he faced his accusers and the place just outside the
main town where he was burned at the stake. We arrive in Innsbruck,
capital of Austrian Tyrol. The remainder of the day is free for shopping
through the quaint medieval lanes and enjoying dinner at our hotel.
Day 6: Innsbruck Walking
Tour, Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau
A walking tour today will include the Triumphal Arch commemorating the
wedding of the Duke of Tuscany, Saint Anna’s Column and Swarovski
Kristallwelten, a wonderland of crystal works of art by artists past and
present. This afternoon we stop at the Rococo-style chapel in the Meadow
and Ludwig II’s most luxurious former residence, the Neuschwanstein
Castle. We continue to the charming town of Oberammergau, site of our
Passion Play tomorrow.
Day 7: Oberammergau
Performance
Your morning is free to enjoy the delightful village of Oberammergau
with outstanding opportunities for photos and shopping. Lunch is
provided by the Oberammergau Committee. This afternoon and evening we
enjoy the Passion Play production. The play depicts the story of
Christ's Passion, beginning with the entry into Jerusalem and ending
with the resurrection and transfiguration, a moving and spectacular
experience. Each performance starts at 2:30 pm and ends approximately
10:30 pm, with a three-hour dinner break/intermission from 5:00 to 8:00
pm.
Day 8: Dachau, Augsburg,
Romantic Road, Rothenburg, Wurzsburg
This
morning, we travel north to the memorial site at the concentration camp
at Dachau. Learn about the atrocities that took place here during the
rule of the Nazis. Next visit the ancient city of Augsburg. It was here
in 1518 at St. Anne's Church that Luther met the papal legate, Cardinal
Cajetan, who demanded that Luther submit to the pope. Augsburg was also
the site of another Imperial Diet (1530).
Early this afternoon we stop along the panoramic "Romantic
Road" and visit the best preserved medieval town in all of Europe,
Rothenburg. We include the quaint Rathaus (town hall) with its tower,
the Kriminal-museum, housing all manner of Medieval instruments of
torture. Trek north through the fertile countryside brings us to
Wurzburg, for dinner and overnight
Day 9: Heidelberg, Worms,
Frankfurt
This morning we travel on to one of the most charming cities in all of
the world - Heidelberg, ancient capital of the Palatinate and home of
Germany's oldest university. But most importantly, it was a stronghold
of German Reformed Protestants beginning in 1560. One of the great
confessional statements of the Reformation, the Heidelberg Catechism was
produced here in 1563. Heidelberg Castle, a most impressive historic
landmark of Germany, stands majestically overlooking the Neckar River.
The structure, now largely in ruins, preserves numerous examples of
Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque German architecture. Our next stop is
in Worms. It was here, during the
Imperial Diet in 1521,
that Martin Luther challenged the entire Roman Catholic establishment by
his refusal to recant the great doctrines of Protestantism. It was also
here that
William Tyndale
completed the printing of his English version of the New Testament in
1525 which he had begun in Cologne. After seeing St. Peter's Church and
the symbolic Luther memorial near the town square, we transfer to our
lodging and dinner in nearby Frankfurt.
Day 10: Departure
We transfer to the airport for our flight home.
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Departure Date |
Price Per Person (double occupancy)
(Pricing is based
on the Euro currently at 1.40) |
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June 16-25, 2010 |
$4,499.00 |
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Single Supplement - $399.00 (limited basis at some
properties)
Call for availability.
Limited Space - Reserve Today:
Dean Busboom • dbusboom@riverbend.com •
512-659-0705
Reservation Form
Pilgrim Policies
Insurance Info
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Single Supplement - $399.00 (limited basis at some
properties).
Call for availability.
Price Includes:
Roundtrip Air from Austin, Air Taxes (currently estimated at $400.00 – subject to change),
8 nights lodging at tourist and first class hotels, Breakfast and dinner daily, 1 lunch, English speaking tour escort, Services of air conditioned deluxe motor coach,
Tips to driver, guides, and hotel staff ($72.00),
All guides, entrances, touring and transportation as appears on itinerary, Category 1 tickets to Passion Play, Baggage handling at hotels (one piece).
Not Included:
7 lunches, Optional travel insurance, Optional credit card
payments (additional 3% of the total bill).
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