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10 Day
Switzerland & Germany
Reformation Tour
August 2-11, 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
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:
Augsburg,
Wurzburg
This morning, we travel north to the ancient city of
Augsburg, the place where the Augsburg Confession was presented. Our
morning drive will allow for time to rehearse this important document
and digest the tremendous meaning it has as the basis for much of our
doctrine today. It was also 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). Our lodging and dinner this evening in Wurzburg.
Day 9: Romantic Road, Rothenburg, Heidelberg,
Worms, Frankfurt
Early this morning we travel the panoramic "Romantic Road" and visit the
best preserved medieval town in all of Europe, Rothenburg. We see the
quaint Rathaus (town hall) with its tower, have free time for coffee and
shopping in the many delightful shops. You may choose to visit on your
own the Kriminal-museum, housing all manner of Medieval instruments of
torture. Next, 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 will return to our
lodging for dinner and the evening in Frankfurt.
Day 10: Departure
We transfer to the airport for our flight home.
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Single Supplement - $400 (limited basis at some properties)
Call for availability.
Price Includes:
Tourist class and moderate first class
accommodations,
breakfast daily, 5 dinners, Passion Play tickets (Including
play tickets, housing, breakfast, lunch & dinner, admission
ticket to the Oberammergau Museum, playbook), luggage
handling in hotels (1 piece per person), expert guide
throughout, entrances and transportation as appear on
itinerary, modern transportation.
Oberammergau Hotel Choices:
Hotels will be assigned on a space available basis. Special upgrade tickets may be available. Please contact Pilgrim Tours for details.
Hotel
Angerbrau
(or similar) , Murnau (Package Price)
www.angerbraeu.de/index.html
Dates still available: August 2
(Category
1 Seating)
Not Included:
Gratuities
($9.00 per day will be pre-collected), meals not listed, airfare, optional travel
insurance.
Special rates for airfare will be available 10-11 months
prior to departure.
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