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Oberammergau 2010 Passion Play Tour: Lutherland and Bavaria

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Detailed Trip Description

Join company president Frank Drinkhouse for a leisurely 11 day tour combining the 2010 Oberammergau Passion Play and the main sites associated with Martin Luther. The tour includes Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Eisleben, Erfurt, Eisenach, two nights by the Rhine in Rudesheim, Mainz, Worms, a night in medieval Rothenburg and a drive down the "Romantic Road" to Bavaria. Experience the culture, learn about your Christian heritage, meet the locals and be inspired in your faith!

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Trip Itinerary

Day 1 - On the Plane

 
Overnight Flight to Berlin, Germany.
Commercial Flight

Our journey back in time begins with an overnight flight from the US. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight! Please note that flights are not included in the price, but can be added in 2009. Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more flying from the same departure point.(In flight meals).


Day 2 - Berlin

 
Arrival in Berlin- Wittenberg.
Bus

We’ll be greeted at the Berlin Airport by our expert guide and luxury tour bus for a Berlin orientation tour.

Berlin Bus picture
Sightseeing

We’ll see the famous Brandenburg Gate, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Cathedral, the Reichstag building and the lively boulevards.

Sightseeing

We'll then go back to the time of Luther as we visit Wittenberg the birthplace of the Reformation.

Food and Dining

This evening we'll enjoy a welcome dinner.

Hotel

Spend our first night in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg. (IF/D)


Day 3 - Germany

 
Sightseeing

After breakfast, we'll go to the very place Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church). The original door was destroyed in the Seven Years War. Luther’s texts of the 95 Theses are cast in bronze on the door. Next we'll tour the Lutherhalle (Luther House) Museum. In 1508, when Martin Luther came to Wittenberg, he lived here with other Augustinian monks. Later, Luther and his wife, Katharina von Bora, raised six children here. We’ll walk to the very site where Luther burned Rome’s Papal Bull condemning him as a heretic.

Germany Sightseeing picture
Sightseeing

Next we’ll visit Stadtkirche St. Marien (St. Mary's church) where Luther preached and where his children were baptized.

Relaxation

The afternoon will be free to enjoy Wittenberg or relax.

Optional
Bicycling

We can optionally cycle along the Elbe River.

Food and Dining

We’ll meet up again for a shared meal with a guest speaker from the Wittenberg English Ministry Center, or the local ELCA ministry.

Hotel

We’ll spend a second overnight in Wittenberg. (B/D)


Day 4 - Erfurt

 
Eisleben- Erfurt.
Sightseeing

This morning we’ll take an excursion to Eisleben, one of Luther’s favorite towns and a charming town still today. We’ll tour the house where Luther was born and the house where he died. We also visit the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, where Luther was baptized and St. Andrew's Church with the Luther pulpit from where Luther preached his last sermon. We’ll tour St. Anne’s, an old miner's church famous for the Biblical Scenes hewn in stone, see the Luther Memorial and other interesting sites.

Erfurt Sightseeing picture
Sightseeing

Next, we’ll drive through the Thuringian countryside to Erfurt for a guided walking tour of Erfurt’s top Christian sites. We tour the Augustinian Monastery and in which Luther lived six years as a monk and tour the St Augustus Church there and see where Luther dedicated himself on the floor. We will have time to stroll through the narrow streets of the old town, seeing where Letters of Indulgence were printed and walk across the famous Krämer Bridge.

Sightseeing

We’ll also tour the impressive St. Mary's Cathedral and see St. Severin's Church. (B/D)


Day 5 - Rudesheim

 
Eisenach- Rudesheim.
Bus

This morning we will head for fascinating Eisenach. In 1521, while fleeing from the wrath of the Pope, Luther took refuge in the Wartburg Castle after a fake kidnapping staged by his friend and protector, Frederick the Wise.

Rudesheim Bus picture Rudesheim Bus picture
Sightseeing

We’ll tour the castle and stand in the very room where Luther translated Jerome’s Vulgate into the German New Testament. This will be an amazing moment as we stand where church history was forged by grace and Martin Luther’s determined passion to share the Word with the nation of Germany.

Museums

We will then tour the Luther House Museum with it’s fascinating displays about the time & culture of Luther. Close by is the Bach House Museum, which is a must-see.

Performing Arts

We'll hear period musical instruments played by the curator and hear more about the fascinating Christian musician, J.S. Bach.

Sightseeing

If time permits, we’ll tour medieval St George's (Georgenkirche) Church connected with both Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach. Martin Luther was a choir boy here and then preached in 1521 on his journey to and from the imperial parliament in Worms. On the north wall is a large painting commissioned to commemorate the century of the Reformation, depicting Luther and Huss as well as the Augsburg Confession. This is the place where Bach was baptized in 1685. Several members of the Bach family were organist at this church.

Hotel

Now we are off for the alluring Rhine River, and to check into our comfortable hotel in Rudesheim for two nights.

Food and Dining

This evening we are free to sample cuisine at numerous excellent restaurants. Some may like to go tour the still-functioning Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard, perched high above town in the vineyards. Or, take a cable car ride over the vineyards to the Count Von Bismark Memorial, and enjoy a picnic dinner with the incredible view of the mighty Rhine and castles. (B/D)


Day 6 - Worms

 
Rhine Cruise- Mainz- Worms.
River, Barge or Yacht Cruise

What better way to start the day than with a Rhine cruise! We’ll board the boat and sail past magnificent castles and the famous Loreley rock to St. Goar. This will be the highlight for many of us, every bend in the river brings more stunning scenery, ships pass left & right, and numerous trains roar up and down the Rhine River valley.

Worms River, Barge or Yacht Cruise picture Worms River, Barge or Yacht Cruise picture
River, Barge or Yacht Cruise

Next we will go to Mainz where we'll focus on Bible printing history & the contribution of Johann Gutenberg, who developed moveable type. We'll be amazed as we view original copies of the Bible in the Gutenberg Museum. We'll also view Mainz Cathedral, dating back to 975.

Sightseeing

In Worms we’ll have a brief local walking tour to see the site of the Worms Debates (Diet of Worms), now a park, with a plaque commemorating the Diet of Worms, the Reformation Monument, St. Peters, and the Church of the Holy Trinity. Our guide will also share about another Reformer, William Tyndale, who finished his printing of the English Bible in Worms, escaping persecution in England. In 1525 his New Testament was printed and smuggled back into England.

Hotel

We'll return to Rudesheim for a second overnight. (B/D)


Day 7 - Rottenburg

 
Heidelberg- Rothenburg.
Sightseeing

Heidelberg is a gorgeous town on the Neckar River. We’ll have a walking tour of the old town, stroll on the famous Stone Bridge over the Neckar River. We'll tour Heidelberg Castle which boasts the world’s largest wine barrel, a fascinating history and a stunning view. Here we’ll hear about the Heidelberg Confession, written in 1562, by 28 year old professor Zacharias Ursinus, and a 26 year old preacher named Caspar Olevianus. This is one of the most important Calvinistic statements of faith and our guide tells us why.

Rottenburg Sightseeing picture
Sightseeing

We will continue to Rothenburg ob der Tauber one of the most picturesque and well-preserved of the towns along the famous "Romantic Road". It's one of Germany’s very best walled medieval cities, most of the buildings were built by 1400. This town is particularly noted for the Christmas shop and museum which are open year round.

Hotel

We’ll check into our hotel and we have leisure time to stroll and explore the views atop the city ramparts.

Shopping

Incredible shopping opportunities await us at every storefront. (B/D)


Day 8 - Oberammergau

 
“The Romantic Road”- Augsburg- Wieskirche- Oberammergau.
Sightseeing

This morning we will travel the fabled “Romantic Road.” This is Germany's most famous and popular tourist route, displaying a rich and varied cultural landscape through the Franconian wine country to Bavaria. We’ll pass small historic villages full of their original charm, on our way to Augsburg, another Germany Reformation city. We’ll learn from our expert guide about the Augsburg Confession, the 1555 Peace of Augsburg, while we tour St. Anne’s Church. After a walking tour of key sites, we’ll journey on to Bavaria, to tour the Wieskirche, an UNESCO World Heritage site with incredible Rococo art. We'll finish our exciting day with our arrival in Oberammergau, home to the world famous Passion Play, depicting the story of Christ, acted out for hundreds of years by the villagers.

Oberammergau Sightseeing picture
Food and Dining

We’ll check into our hotel and have a delicious dinner, followed by a stroll through the village. (B/D)


Day 9 - Oberammergau

 
Performing Arts

Today is the highlight of the tour, the world famous Passion Play, which has been regularly performed since Whitsun 1633. In the middle of the Thirty Years War, after months of dying and suffering from the plague, the people of Oberammergau took a vow to perform the "Play of the Suffering, Dying and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years. In the afternoon and evening we will be watching the performance of the play, with excellent, pre-reserved seats. Almost half of the inhabitants of the town perform in the play on the large open-air stage. (B/L/D)

Oberammergau Performing Arts picture

Day 10 - Munich

 
Sightseeing

Departing beautiful Oberammergau, we'll travel to marvelous Munich. We’ll have a drive-by orientation tour of Munich’s highlights, including the Old Pinakothek Museum, Olympic Tower and Stadium, BMW Tower, Nymphenburg Palace, Deutsches Museum, the Marienplatz, the Rathaus and its famous Glockenspiel.

Munich Sightseeing picture
Shopping

We’ll then enjoy a pleasant walking tour of the old town sites and then have afternoon shopping or independent sightseeing, or just relax at our hotel.

Food and Dining

This evening we finish our fun tour with a farewell dinner with classic Bavarian cuisine & a live Bavarian folk show. We will overnight in Munich’s city center. (B/D)


Day 11 - Munich

 
Airport Transfer

After yet another delicious breakfast we transfer from our hotel to the airport for our morning flight back to home, and so concludes a grand time in Europe. (B/IF).


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