We leave the USA with an overnight flight to Germany.  We call the mind the prayers we carry with us. Meals & beverages will be served in flight.

Here we stand!  What a joy to arrive in Berlin and meet our Emmaus Center tour manager. Our journey begins with a panoramic tour of Berlin including the Reichstag parliament, the modernized city center, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and Check Point Charlie. Next, we view Alexanderplatz, the famous boulevard “Unter den Linden,” and the Berlin Cathedral. We end a scenic drive to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg and check-in to our hotel.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

This is the day the Lord has made!  This morning, we worship at All Saints’ Church. (Other churches are available) After lunch, we tour Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It was here in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church (Schlosskirche). Although the original doors were destroyed in the Seven Years War, we can note Luther’s texts cast in the bronze doors. Next,web visit St. Mary’s Church, where Luther regularly preached, and see the Old Latin School nearby. Luther’s home, the Lutherhalle, is a Reformation Museum, and we will view where he lived. How special it is to encounter Luther’s personal library and collection of priceless books and Bibles.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

Today we will drive to Eisleben, where Luther was born and also where he died. It is sometimes referred to as his “Bethlehem and Jerusalem”. We will visit both homes, as well as St. Anne’s, an old miner’s church known for the Biblical Scenes hewn in stone. St. Peter and St. Paul Church is where Luther was baptized.  St. Andrews is the place he preached his last sermon. In the afternoon, we will continue to Gotha (via Stottenheim) for diner and shared reflection.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

We will begin our day visiting the Augustinian Monastery in Gotha, where Luther stayed in 1515 and 1516. He preached here on his way to the Diet of Worms. The onsite café employs people with disabilities, ready to serve you. We journey to Erfurt for a walking tour, including St. Mary’s Cathedral, Church of St. Severus, and the renown Merchant’s Bridge. Next, we tour the Augustinian Monastery.  Here, Luther became a monk on July 17, 1505. We encounter the monastic quarters, including one cell furnished in the original style. Tonight we fellowship in the Augustiner Restaurant before returning to Gotha.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

Fleeing the Pope in 1521, Luther took refuge at Wartburg Castle under name Knight George. We will tour the Wartburg and see where Luther finished translating the New Testament into German in just eleven weeks. We complete our day in with visits to the Bach House, Luther House, and St. George’s Church.  We will return to Gotha in the late afternoon.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

This morning we drive to Rothenburgthe, a picturesque village on the “Romantic Road.” It is one of Germany’s renown medieval cities from 1400. Our tour of the town will include St. Jacob’s Church and the City walls. After an early dinner, we have a unique encounter with the Night Watchman Tour on his evening rounds.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

Today we will visit Heidelberg.  The Heidelberg Confession, drafted by Zacharius Ursinus (age 28) and Caspar Olevianus (age 26) guides our discussion. After free time for lunch, we will visit Heidelberg Castle with the world’s largest wine barrel, and marvelous vista. After dinner we share preaching and teaching hints.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

In Worms, we tour the Cathedral and site of Luther’s Worms Debates (Diet of Worms), the park holds a plaque commemorating Luther’s inspired stand for faith and reform in 1521. Next, we encounter the Reformation Monument and pray in the Church of the Holy Trinity. At Mainz, we will visit the Gutenberg Museum exhibits in the Natural History Museum. We will honor the labor of Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press.  We will recall this communication revolution and the spread of Reformation teaching. We will have dinner with local wines this evening.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

As our Emmaus Center tour ends, we attend Sunday morning service at Trinity Lutheran in Frankfurt, an English-speaking congregation. Following lunch, we savor a relaxing Rhine Cruise before returning to our hotel and a Farewell Dinner.

• Breakfast and Dinner included!

We will transfer to Frankfurt Airport for our flights back to the USA.  This has been a week that will last a lifetime.  The rich history and beauty of this region and the inspiring roots of the Reformation, open our hearts to a deeper walk with the Lord.  Our preaching and teaching will be informed with renewed confidence as return to our local faith communities.

• Breakfast included!