Lutherland & the Passion Play

DAY 1 – Depart

We depart the U.S. for Frankfurt via scheduled air.

DAY 2 – Erfurt, Germany

Upon morning arrival in Frankfurt we meet our driver and travel to Erfurt in the former Eastern Zone. En route we visit Wartburg, where Luther found refuge and where he translated the New Testament into German. (D)

DAY 3 – Erfurt

Today’s sightseeing includes the Augustinian Monastery, where Luther studied for the priesthood, the city center, with the famous Krämer Bridge, and St. Mary’s Cathedral, site of Luther’s ordination. We have some free time to explore this significant city. (B,D)

DAY 4 – Leipzig 

We drive first to Wittenberg, where Martin Luther served as a professor of theology. Among the sights visited will be the Castle church where Luther posted his 95 theses. We also visit the Luther Home, where Luther and Catherine raised their children, and the city church. We then continue to Leipzig. (B,D)

DAY 5 – Leipzig

In the morning we make an excursion to Eisleben, where Luther was born and also the house where he died. After lunch, we return to Leipzig, for a city tour, including the St. Thomas Church where J.S. Bach served as music director. We also see the church where the Freedom March started, that was influential in bringing down the Berlin wall. (B,D)

DAY 6 – Munich

We drive south to Munich, capital city of the state of Bavaria. En route we enjoy beautiful scenery and a lunch stop in the lovely old city of Nürnberg. In Luther’s time, this was “Germany’s eye and ear”, an early media center for the Reformation with over 20 working printing presses. (B,D)

DAY 7 – Munich

This morning a local guide leads us on a tour of Munich that includes the Olympic Stadium, the grounds of Nymphenburg Palace, and the many historical buildings in the city center. We see the Glockenspiel on the new city hall at Marienplatz. We have a little free time in the pedestrian zone before going to one of the beer gardens in Munich for dinner. (B)

DAY 8 – Oberammergau

We drive south into Upper Bavaria and Oberammergau today. En route we visit the rococo palace Linderhof, the favorite residence of the eccentric Bavarian King Ludwig II. (B,D)

DAY 9 – Oberammergau                   

We enjoy a relaxed morning in Oberammergau, admiring the bright frescoes that adorn many of the homes and businesses, perhaps shopping for a souvenir woodcarving for which the village is famous. We might choose to take the regional bus to nearby Ettal for a visit to the impressive Benedictine abbey. During WW II, the Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the Jesuit Priest, Rupert Mayer, both active in the resistance against the Nazi regime and later martyred, were given refuge here. This afternoon we attend Part One of the Passion Play, the legacy of a vow made by the Oberammergauers in 1633 to enact the Passion story. Due to the ravages of the Thirty Years War, the plague had taken its toll in lives. But many of the people were spared, and the following year, 1634, the first Passion Play was performed on a stage set up in the cemetery. After dinner we attend Part Two. (B,L,D)

Day 10 – Sarnen am Sarnersee, Switzerland

We drive through Austria today, pausing for an extended lunch stop in Liechtenstein. We then enter Switzerland, stopping in Lucerne to see the Lion Monument and the famed wooden Chapel Bridge. We overnight in the Alps near Lucerne. (B,D)

Day 11 – Sarnen am Sarnersee         

We drive to Lauterbrunnen where we board a train to the Kleine Scheidegg. In the afternoon we stop in Brienz at a wood-carving factory before returning to Sarnen. (B,D)

Day 12 – Return         

It is now time to drive to the airport in Zürich for our return flight home. Our tour has been relaxing, yet filled with memories. We have enjoyed the hospitality of Bavaria, the castle of King Ludwig, the spectacular Alps, one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world, and the spectacular Passion Play. We take home with us memories of friends on the tour and of experiences to be recounted again and again. Welcome home! (B)