The European Reformation - Faith-Based Travel (TL) - 2013

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11 days from Berlin to Munich

The European Reformation - Faith-Based Travel

Vacation Overview

This is a very special trip focused on Martin Luther. Start your wonderful vacation in Berlin, where you will visit Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and take pictures of Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial. In Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived and the birthplace of the Reformation, visit the Luther House; St. Mary’s Church, where Luther got married and baptized his children; and Luther’s Tomb in the Castle Church, where Luther launched the Reformation in 1517. Continue to Leipzig and visit the Thomaskirche, where J.S. Bach worked. Also included are visits to the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt, where Luther lived as a monk; Wartburg Castle, where Luther translated the Bible; Coburg Fortress, one of the largest surviving medieval fortresses in Germany; and the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, where original copies of the Bible can be seen.

Arrive in Worms, where the Imperial Council passed judgment on Luther in 1521. Visit the cathedral where Luther presented his case, Trinity Church, and the famed Reformation Monument. Follow Luther’s footsteps to Nuremberg, the first town to accept the Reformation in 1525, and to Augsburg, where Luther and his followers proclaimed their beliefs.

Other tour highlights include a Rhine River cruise along the prettiest part of the Rhine Valley; a stop in the medieval walled town of Rothenburg, famous for its Christmas ornaments; and time in Munich, with an opportunity to see Marienplatz with its famous glockenspiel. An optional excursion to King Ludwig’s Linderhof Castle and the Passion Play town of Oberammergau is also available.

This is an educational and marvelous vacation sure to delight!

BERLIN
Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, visit Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

WITTENBERG
Guided walking tour, visit Luther House and Museum, St. Mary’s Church, Castle Church, and Martin Luther’s tomb

LEIPZIG
Walking tour, visit the Thomaskirche and the market square

ERFURT
Visit the Augustinian Monastery and the Merchants’ Bridge

EISENACH
Guided visit of Wartburg Castle; visit the Luther and Bach Memorials, the Luther House, and St. George’s Church

COBURG
Visit Coburg Fortress

WORMS
Visit the cathedral, Trinity Church, and the Reformation Monument

RHINE CRUISE

MAINZ
Visit the Gutenberg Museum

ROTHENBURG
Walking tour, visit St. Jacob’s Church

NUREMBERG
Walking tour, visit the St. Lorenz Lutheran Church

AUGSBURG
Guided sightseeing

MUNICH
Guided sightseeing, visit Marienplatz; farewell dinner

Headsets throughout the tour

DAY 1Arrive in Berlin, Germany

Welcome to Berlin! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director, then enjoy this evening’s welcome dinner with your traveling companions. (Dinner)

The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin serves as a symbol of peace and reunification of the city

Berlin is the capital of Germany and also its largest city

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DAY 2Berlin–Wittenberg

Sightseeing with a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku’damm, the restored Reichstag, Charlottenburg Castle, a picture stop at monumental Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and the 21-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park. Visit the KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH with its bomb-damaged tower, drive along Unter den Linden Boulevard, pass the State Opera House and Checkpoint Charlie. In the afternoon, continue to Wittenberg, Martin Luther’s home for 30-plus years and birthplace of the Reformation. (Breakfast, Dinner)

The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and a main symbol of Berlin

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

"During World War II, Americans soldiers in occupied Germany got a booklet called the “Pocket Guide to Germany” that explained the ins and outs of occupation. In 1944, it read: “Don’t forget that you’re ordered into Germany now partly because your fathers forgot so soon what the war was about last time.” The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district is the eternal reminder. It was an unremarkable late 19th Century church until the allies bombed it in 1943. After the war, Berliners protested plans to demolish it. Today, the ruins are a symbol of what Germany lost by letting itself be seduced by Nazism. They could have roped it off and slapped a plaque on it. Instead, they left it open, free to the city. You can walk through it, under it, look up at the shattered bell tower."

Checkpoint Charlie

"It’s just a white shed and a stack of sandbags filled with concrete, a replica of Checkpoint Charlie. Visitors to this traffic island on Friedrichstrasse pose from two directions – west and east – because they’re standing on the old symbolic border of the two Berlins. Checkpoint Charlie was for diplomats, Allied military and foreign tourists wanting to get into East Berlin, and that’s the source of its mystique. Today’s Cold War buffs have to be content with photos by the 1960s-era replica shed, a browse through the private collections of the nearby Haus am Checkpoint Charlie – and maybe a visit to the Allied Museum in Berlin’s Zehlendorf district, where the original Checkpoint Charlie building is on display. The huge portrait photographs over Checkpoint Charlie of two soldiers – one American, one Soviet – symbolize the Big Brother military presence of Cold War Berlin."

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DAY 3Wittenberg–Leipzig

Enjoy a guided walking tour of LUTHER HOUSE and MUSEUM, where Martin Luther and his family lived. This well-preserved place of Reformation relics includes Luther’s desk, his pulpit, and first editions of his books. Continue to nearby ST. MARY’S CHURCH, a twin-towered gothic church where Luther preached the Reformation, got married (1525), and baptized his six children. Finally, see LUTHER’S TOMB in the CASTLE CHURCH where Luther posted his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences—and launched the Reformation in 1517. A comfortable drive brings you to Leipzig for a visit of the THOMASKIRCHE, where J.S. Bach worked. It is the home of the St. Thomas Boys Choir and a place of musical creativity. Also visit the market square that today is a site for celebrations and festivals but that once was the scene of executions and political demonstrations. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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Bach's Leipzig

"Johann Sebastian Bach was a lucky accident for Leipzig. In 1723, when the city sought a cantor for the Thomaskirche, the late gothic church in today’s Thomaskirchhof, Bach got the job only when the city’s first choice Georg Phillip Telemann refused. Their second choice turned out to be the best – and forever changed music history. "

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DAY 4Leipzig–Erfurt

A leisurely drive to Erfurt, where the fine gothic and renaissance buildings evoke memories of the days of the Dominican Master Eckhart and Martin Luther, who spent his student days here before embarking on his journey to Wittenberg. Highlight of the day is a visit to the AUGUSTINIAN MONASTERY, where Luther lived as a monk, and the MERCHANTS’ BRIDGE. (Breakfast)

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DAY 5Erfurt. Excursion to Eisenach

This morning, enjoy a guided visit to WARTBURG CASTLE, where Luther translated the Bible. Also see the Luther and Bach Memorials as well as the LUTHER HOUSE, where he lived during grammar school. Then, visit ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH, where he sang in the church’s boy choir. Return to Erfurt. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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Luther's Erfurt and Wartburg Castle

"In Erfurt, Martin Luther was an up-and-coming academic and monk; at the Wartburg Castle, he was a man on the run. Luther’s path from loyal monk to fugitive began, as legend has it, in a storm on the road to Erfurt, a booming city in his day, rich from trade in blue dyes, renowned for its university. Fear drove Luther to make a deal with St. Anne: “let me live, and I’ll become a monk.” True to his word, he entered Erfurt’s Augustinian monastery and stayed until 1511. It’s still there on Augustinerstrasse, where it houses a Luther exhibition and a little white, oak-beamed room called the Lutherzelle, a reproduction of the cell where the monk slept and prayed. Ten years later, after the 95 Theses, heresy trials and ex-communication, Luther’s allies hid him in Wartburg Castle, a medieval fortress high on a hill over the city of Eisenach. Disguised as “Junker Jörg,” he rapidly translated the New Testament into his folksy German vernacular, while cooped up in a small wooden room that’s the highlight of a visit to the Wartburg today."

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DAY 6Erfurt–Coburg–Mainz

In Coburg, where Luther stayed in 1530 for the Imperial Diet of Augsburg, visit fascinating COBURG FORTRESS, one of the largest surviving medieval fortresses in Germany. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 7Mainz. Excursion to Worms And The Rhine Valley

In Worms, where the Imperial Council passed judgment on Luther in 1521, visit the CATHEDRAL where Luther presented his case, as well as TRINITY CHURCH and the famed REFORMATION MONUMENT. Later, enjoy a scenic RHINE CRUISE past castle-crested cliffs, terraced vineyards, and trim, half-timbered towns. Evening at leisure. (Breakfast)

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DAY 8Mainz–Rothenburg–Nuremberg

This morning, visit the GUTENBERG MUSEUM in Mainz, where original copies of the Bible can be seen. Next is the medieval walled town of Rothenburg. During your walking tour, visit ST. JACOB’S CHURCH with the renowned Blood Altar. Afterwards, there is time to shop for Christmas ornaments, for which this picturesque town is world famous. Continue to Nuremberg, the first town to accept the Reformation in 1525. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Nuremberg is a city located in the state of Bavaria, Germany

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DAY 9Nuremberg–Augsburg–Munich

Your walking tour features the famous ST. LORENZ LUTHERAN CHURCH. Continue to Augsburg, where your guided sightseeing reveals the city where Luther and his followers proclaimed their beliefs. Arrive in Munich. (Breakfast)

"Munich, Germany's Secret Capital"

"Munich is the only German metropolis that seems to have everything – wealth, beauty, prominence, fame. Some even call it Germany’s “secret capital.” Unlike Berlin, which some dub “architecturally challenged,” Munich bursts with historical buildings reconstructed after the devastation of World War II. Its grand Residenz, the former home of Bavarian kings, dominates the city center, which also boasts the flamboyant, gilded Cuvillié Theater. Nearby, the neo-gothic Neues Rathaus gives a medieval touch to the Marienplatz, the heart of Munich. "

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DAY 10Munich

Sightseeing with a Local Guide of Germany’s “Secret Capital” includes the Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, MARIENPLATZ with the Old and the New Town Halls, and the gothic Frauenkirche. An optional excursion to Linderhof Castle and the Passion Play town of Oberammergau is available. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner at your hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Oberammergau

"Promises to God are notoriously hard to keep. The townspeople of Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps have not only kept their renaissance promise, they’ve turned it into euros and cents. Flashback to 1633. Oberammergau was a stop on the market road between Augsburg and Venice. When the plague hit, the town elders swore to heaven: Protect us and we’ll do a play about Jesus’ crucifixion every ten years. The first began in 1634. Today the village of Oberammergau lives because of theater. Half of the 5,400 residents break a leg in the Passionsspiel, performed in years ending in zero from May to October."

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DAY 11Munich

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)

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BERLIN Arcotel John F (F)
WITTENBERG Luther Hotel Wittenberg (F)
LEIPZIG The Westin Leipzig (SF)
ERFURT Radisson Blu (F)
MAINZ Hilton Mainz (SF)
NUREMBERG NH Nürnberg City (F)
MUNICH Holiday Inn City Centre (F)

Full buffet breakfast; 7 three-course dinners, including a welcome dinner in Berlin and a farewell dinner in Munich

Four Ways Globus Eliminates the Hassles

VIP Access
Skip the lines and get special treatment at the must-see attractions.

Perfect Hotels
We’ve done the work to find just the right hotels in just the right locations.

Tour Directors
Take your heads out of the guidebook and let expert guides make every destination fascinating.

Transportation
Leave the navigating to us – and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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Receive a $200 per couple air credit on all 2013 Globus air-inclusive Europe vacations.*

*Book a 2013 Globus air-inclusive Europe (excluding Jordan) vacation to receive the $100 per person air credit. Must be booked, under deposit and discount applied between January 9 and May 21, 2013 for travel between January 9 and December 31, 2013. Not applicable on instant purchase air. Applies to coach class only. Air must be purchased through Globus in conjunction with a Europe tour. Air credit will apply to the per person air price and is non-transferable. Offers not valid with any other offer except Journeys Club Repeat Traveler benefit. Applies to new 2013 bookings only, and offer will not be applied to pre-existing bookings. An additional $300 non-refundable deposit is required for air booked in conjunction with a land vacation. Once airfare is confirmed and Globus has received your full air and land deposit, your air-inclusive price is guaranteed. Globus reserves the right to ticket passengers upon receipt of full land and air deposit; Any subsequent changes and/or revisions to airline reservations at your request after receipt of full land deposit are subject to revision fees and/or airline-imposed change or cancellation fees. These fees are a minimum of $300, and in some instances may be up to 100% of the ticket price. In addition, promotional discounts do not carry forward on changed air bookings. However, promotions in effect at the time of the change will apply. Total air price includes all government-imposed taxes and fees applicable at the time of booking. Air price, air tax and security fees are non-commissionable. Additional airline fees for baggage may apply. For the most current airline-imposed baggage fees, please check the following website, www.iflybags.com. Offer reliant on space availability. Full cancellation penalties will apply. Additional restrictions may apply.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen or visited on the The European Reformation - Faith-Based Travel:

Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg
Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Wartburg Castle

VACATION OVERVIEW
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DATES & PRICES
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OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS