11 Day Reformation and Passion Play
OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY 2022
DAY 01: USA / Europe. Depart USA for Europe. Breakfast and dinner will be served aloft.
DAY 02: FRANKFURT / RHINELAND. Upon arrival at Frankfurt Airport we are met by our tour escort and European motor coach. We enjoy a panoramic tour of the old town of Frankfurt before driving swiftly to the romantic River Rhine where we will board our steamer for a cruise past charming riverside villages, terraced vineyards and the famous Lorelei Rock. We rejoin our motor coach and drive to our hotel in one of the many riverside villages for dinner and overnight.
DAY 03: RHINELAND / COLOGNE / GOSLAR. Drive this morning through Coblenz at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselie Rivers and Bonn, birthplace of Beethoven, to Cologne where we can admire the magnificent Dom Cathedral with its tall spires soaring skywards. Then on across Germany to the charming town of Goslar at the foot of the Harz Mountains for dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 04: GOSLAR / HANNOVER / BERLIN. Drive this morning to Hannover, chief town of Lower Saxony, where we will see the Leine Palace, Old Town Hall and Martkirche. We then join the autobahn system and drive swiftly to the bustling metropolis of Berlin. The balance of the day is at leisure for independent activities, dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 05: BERLIN. Our comprehensive half-day tour of Berlin will show us the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Tiergarden, Olympic Stadium, the ruins of the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, St. Hedwig's Cathedral, Soviet War Memorial, the restored Opera House and the famous 300 foot wide boulevard "Unter den Linden." The afternoon is at leisure, dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 06: BERLIN / WITTENBERG / LEIPZIG. Our journey this morning takes us to Wittenberg where the Reformation began. We will visit the Castle Church where in 1517, Luther nailed his 95 theses signaling the beginning of the Reformation. We also visit the Stadtkirche, the Luther House, which is now a Museum of the Reformation, and see the Melanchton House, home of his devoted friend and co-worker Philipp Melanchton, author of the Augsburg Confession. In the late afternoon we leave for Leipzig where, in 1519, Luther debated with Dr. Eck, defender of the Catholic faith. Our sightseeing tour of Leipzig will include St. Thomas Church were Johann Sebastian Bach was Organist and Choirmaster for 26 years and other points of interest. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 07: LEIPZIG / HALLE / EISLEBEN / ERFURT / EISENACH / FULDA. Today we travel via Halle to Eisleben where Luther was born and died. Then on to Erfurt where we will visit Erfurt Cathedral, St. Sevri Church and the Augustinian Monastery where Luther studied to become a monk and was ordained in 1507. We will visit the small cell where as a novice Luther struggled to find peace with a stern and harsh God. Continue to Eisenach for a visit to 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; Luther's room is preserved in its original condition. We then drive to the town of Fulda for dinner and overnight.
DAY 08: FULDA / ROMANTIC ROAD / AUGSBURG. This morning we join the Romantic Road at Wurzburg and continue via Rothenburg, the town of medieval ramparts and towers, where we will see the Town Hall, the Protestant Church, St. Jakobskirche and the Spitaltor which is the Hospital Gate. On to Dinkelsbuhel whose many towers, gateways, and walls are mirrored in the green waters of the towns moat, and Nordlingen with its perfectly preserved walls still encircling the whole town. Then to Augsburg, City of the Confession of 1530, for dinner and overnight.
DAY 09: AUGSBURG / MUNICH / OBERAMMERGAU. This morning we will see Augsburg's Renaissance style Town Hall, St. Anne's Church with its small Luther courtyard and the memorial Chapel of the Fugger. We then drive to the stately Bavarian capital of Munich, where our sightseeing will include the Residenz Palace, Numphenburg, the Rathaus, Frauenkirche and Pinakothek. Our journey then takes us through the Bavarian Alps to the delighted village of Oberammergau, situated at the foot of the Ammergau Mountains, for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10: PASSION PLAY. The entire day is devoted to attending a performance of the world famous Passion Play, held once every ten years in this charming village. Dinner and overnight.
DAY 11: OBERAMMERGAU / MUNICH / USA. Transfer this morning to Munich Airport for our return flight to the United States at the end of our memorable tour.