June 1 – 13, 2012
We invite you to join us on this sensational educational Reformation tour of Germany and Switzerland with Erwin Lutzer. In this Christian tour of Europe, we will spend almost 2 weeks learning and sharing together. Dr. Lutzer will provide his keen insight into these historical destinations as he provides perspective into Nazi Germany and Hitler’s life.
If you can join us in Rome early, our Christian tour group will spend precious time in the eternal city visiting the sites of early Christianity. Our focus will be on the early church, the apostles and the unique history of Rome.
Call 888-771-8717 for more information.
Tour Itinerary
| Day | Description |
|---|---|
| June 1 | Depart from your home city to Berlin, Germany – Pricing includes airfare from New York or Chicago. Air add-ons or alternative flight schedules are available from all other cities. You can join the group in New York, Chicago or on arrival at the Berlin airport – coinciding with the group’s arrival. |
| June 2 | Arrive in Berlin, Germany – On arrival at the Berlin Airport, pass through customs and meet the Tour Director who will be with you for the entire tour. Board the coach for an orientation drive, showcasing the three centers of Berlin: the west around Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard and the Memorial Church, the new center around Potsdam Square, and the eastern section around Unter Den Linden, Brandenburg Gate and AlexanderPlatz. Continue to your hotel for check-in. Later, join together for a welcome drink and brief meeting before our dinner at the hotel. Pastor Lutzer will take the group for an evening walk after dinner. (D) (When B, L or D is shown it indicates meals included that particular day). |
| June 3 | Berlin – What other city in Europe has changed over the last ten years as much as Berlin? Our tour of this once divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku-Damm, the restored Reichstag, monumental Brandenburg Gate, Charlotten Palace, the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park and a visit to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. After lunch together, we’ll visit the Pergamon Museum, one of the five wonderful museums that sit on Berlin’s Museum Island. The Pergamon Museum is divided into three distinct sections: the Antiquity Collection, the Islamic Art Museum, and the Near East Museum. We’ll have dinner at our hotel. (B,L, D) |
| June 4 | Berlin – Potsdam – Wittenberg – This morning we travel to Potsdam, the Brandenburg state capital. We’ll visit the Palace Cecilienhof, where in 1945 the Potsdam Agreement was signed among the Allied Powers. Take a walk through the beautiful garden at the Palace Sanssouci and see the impressive terraces and fountains. Here is where the Kaisers ruled. Dr. Lutzer will help connect the Hitler Era with these locations and also the probable role of Europe in future Biblical prophecy. After a mid-day break for independent lunch or shopping, we’ll continue to quaint Wittenberg, where we’ll spend the next two nights. Dinner is at our hotel. (B,D) |
| June 5 | Wittenberg – Today’s journey in Wittenberg recalls the life and work of Martin Luther. We’ll see the gates of Schlosskirche (Castle Church) where he nailed his 95 Theses in 1517 challenging the Catholic Church; then visit the Stadtkirche, (City Church) where Luther and his associates preached the gospel to the common people. We’ll visit the Lutherhalle, an important museum located in the Augustinian monastery in which Luther lived, first as a monk and later as owner with his wife Katharina von Bora and family. Lutherhalle’s collection of objects related to the history of the German Reformation include Luther’s own desk, the pulpit from which he preached at the Stadtkirche, his teaching robe, and first editions of his books. We’ll have dinner at our hotel. (B,D) |
| June 6 | Wittenberg – Eisleben – Erfurt – Our journey continues to Eisleben, situated in the countryside of the Harz Mountains. Luther was born, baptized, and died here in Eisleben. After we visit the house where he was born and the Sterbehaus Museum, the house where he died, we’ll continue to Erfurt, Luther’s spiritual home. Our visit will include the Augustinian Monastery where Luther served as a monk. Enjoy our lunch at Luther’s Cellar, after which we’ll visit the Franciscan Church where Luther preached in 1529 and St. Mary’s Church, where he was ordained as a priest. Overnight in Erfurt.(B,L) |
| June 7 | Erfurt – Eisenach – Nuremberg – This morning depart for Eisenach in the Thuringian Forest, where little has changed since the Middle Ages. Visit Luther House, where Luther was educated from 1498-1501. Continue to Wartburg Castle, where Luther took shelter from the wrath of the Pope and translated the New Testament from Greek to German. After an independent lunch (or shopping), we’ll make our way to Nürnberg to see the chilling stadium where Nazi rallies took place and the Coliseum that Hitler started but never completed. We’ll travel on to Munich via the Romantic Road, passing through the picturesque towns of Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen. Enjoy dinner tonight at our hotel. (B,D) |
| June 8 | Munich – This morning, join Pastor Lutzer for a Hitler and the Third Reich Walking Tour. We’ll see the beer halls which hosted the first small gatherings of those who would one day lead the Third Reich, and the place where Hitler made his first major speeches. We’ll walk through the streets where Hitler fought his way to power to the headquarters from which he bullied the world! Pastor Lutzer will share his perspective on how events of the Hitler period affected the Christian world. Continue your conversations at dinner at our hotel. (B,D) |
| June 9 | Munich – Excursion to Berchtesgaden – Travel today through the beautiful Bavarian Alps to Berchtesgaden. En route, Pastor Lutzer will give a brief account of Hitler’s life. You’ll learn the history of Obersalzberg’s takeover by the Nazi Party and Martin Bormann’s transformation of the mountain into Hitler’s Southern Headquarters. At Obersalzberg, the tiny community below Berchtesgaden, we’ll board a mountain coach for a breathtaking drive up to Eagle’s Nest. A marble-lined tunnel leads into the heart of the mountain where you board the original brass-lined elevator for a ride up through the heart of Kehlstein mountain. Constructed as a 50th birthday gift for Adolf Hitler, the diplomat teahouse’s construction details and history will be told during our tour. Return to Munich for dinner at our hotel. (B, L, D) |
| June 10 | Munich – Montreux, Switzerland – Today is a traveling day. See quaint alpine towns and high-peaked landscapes while tracing the spine of this iconic mountain range. Dinner is included at the hotel. (B,D) |
| June 11 | Montreux – From your base in Montreux on Lake Geneva, explore Geneva, the city that was the center of the Swiss Reformation movement with John Calvin as its chief theologian. Visit St. Peter’s Cathedral, where Calvin taught the Reformed doctrine. We’ll see his chair and climb 157 steps up to the top of the North Tower, where the view is worth the effort! Under the Cathedral are the ruins of a Roman sanctuary, a 4th century basilica and a 6th century church. Calvin’s Academy is nearby and is called the Protestant Lecture Hall. John Knox also taught here for three years. Next we’ll view the reformation monument which was constructed between 1909 and 1917. This impressive structure is referred to as the “Protestant Rome.” The giant wall displays statues of four Geneva Reformation leaders: Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox. Spend the afternoon shopping or relaxing by the lake, then rejoin the group for dinner at our hotel. (B,D) |
| June 12 | Montreux – Zurich – This morning travel to Zurich, a beautiful city filled with history and ambience and framed by the breathtaking Alps. Zurich was at the center of the Swiss Reformation in the 16th century under the leadership of Ulrich Zwingli. We’ll visit the Grossmunster Church, mother church of the Reformation in Switzerland and the place where Zwingli began teaching his Reform theologies that led to Zurich’s freedom from Rome’s control. Also see the Helferei where Zwingli lived. Visit the shore of the Limmat River where the Anabaptists were drowned. Our Farewell Dinner is at our hotel. (B,D) |
| June 13 | Zurich – Transfer to the Airport Group transfer to the Zurich Airport. (B) |
| Pre-trip tour of Rome is as follows: | |
| May 29* | Flights to Rome, Italy – Pricing includes airfare from New York or Chicago. Air add-ons or alternative flight schedules are available from all other cities. You can join the group in New York, Chicago or on arrival at the Rome airport – coinciding with the group’s arrival. |
| May 30* | Arrival – Arrive in Rome this morning. On your way to the city we’ll take a brief walking tour to see Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon (originally built by Augustus Caesar in 31AD) and the lovely Piazza Navona. You have a little time to rest at the hotel before meeting at a lively pizzeria for dinner. (D) |
| May 31 | Touring in Rome – After breakfast we’ll visit an ancient area of Rome known for the early church paintings and sketches of Jesus Christ and his disciples, located underground. It is here that we will visit the Mamertime Museum, where Peter and Paul were imprisoned. We will walk around Capitoline Hill and see the Arch of Titus (from 82AD) – significant because it is adorned with depictions of the pillage of Jerusalem. We will enter the famous Coliseum to see the prison cells and lion cages, and then walk the Circus Maximus where many Christians were martyred. You’ll have time to grab a casual lunch (or shop) before we proceed to the oldest Christian catacombs of Rome, – “the Domitilla” – also known for its early Christianity. We walk a bit of the Appian Way to get a feel for how Paul, Peter, Priscilla and Aquila felt as they entered the pagan city. Even today, you can see the remains of this ancient walkway and the overhead aqueduct lined with its shattered statues and busts. Afterward, we visit the site where the Apostle Paul was beheaded and then buried. Tonight is a free evening to rest. (B) |
| June 1* | Touring in Rome – Early today, we’ll visit the Vatican, Vatican City and its Museums, ending with the spectacular painting of the “Last Judgment” on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. On our return to the Old City of Rome we view Scala Sancta – the stairs said to be the originals that Jesus walked prior to his condemnation by Pontius Pilate. The stairs are adjacent to one of the most famous Basilicas of Rome…San Giovanni Laterano – formerly pagan. We’ll learn the history that incorporates Mussolini’s Fascist era buildings, and Dr. Lutzer will share his thoughts on Moussolini’s effect on Christianity in Italy. Finally we’ll visit some of the striking piazzas that dot Rome’s corners. Today enjoy a free afternoon to shop the fashionable streets of Via Del Corso and the Condotti. We’ll dine tonight in the oldest part of Rome…Trastevere. The meandering, narrow cobbled streets are alive with late-night diners. (B,D) |
| June 2* | Travel to Berlin – Have breakfast at your leisure. We depart Rome at 11:35AM to meet our friends in Berlin. (B,D) |
| *These are part of the optional Pre-trip to Rome. |
Speaker
Erwin W. Lutzer has served as senior pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago since 1980. Dr. Lutzer is a renowned theologian and an award-winning author of more than twenty books, including the bestselling The Da Vinci Deception and The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage. The featured speaker on three national radio programs, The Moody Church Hour, Songs in the Night, and Running to Win, Dr. Lutzer speaks both nationally and internationally at Bible conferences and seminars helping to further God’s kingdom.
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888-771-8717