ESTIMATED TOUR PRICE from Philadelphia International Airport:
$4,695 based on double occupancy
*Single Room Supplement: $275
Optional Group Insurance: $290
NOTE: This tour price is based on estimated rates
and fares for 2010 and is subject to change. All efforts
have been made to offer realistic pricing.
*Single rooms for the two nights in Oberammergau are
available on a limited basis and cannot be guaranteed. If a
single room is not available, you may be required to share a
room for these two nights or pay an additional supplement.
TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:
- Round trip air fare from Philadelphia International
Airport
- Current airline taxes and fuel surcharges (subject
to change)
- Accommodations in four-star hotels as listed in
itinerary, or similar
- Breakfast and dinner daily, indicated by B=Breakfast,
L=Lunch, D=Dinner.
- Special Luther dinner
- Farewell dinner at Ratskeller
- Services of experienced, English-speaking Tour
Director and licensed guides
- Transportation in deluxe air-conditioned motor coach
- Sightseeing and entrance fees
- Hotel service charges, local taxes and porterage
- Tips to guides, drivers and hotel staff
- Oberammergau Passion Play ticket package; including
admission ticket for the Oberammergau Museum and
English program textbook
ITINERARY:
Friday, June 18
Departure
Depart from Philadelphia on a transatlantic flight.
Saturday, June 19
Berlin – Wittenberg
Arrive at Berlin
airport this morning,
and meet your English
speaking tour
escort. Enjoy a tour
Berlin with highlights
of the capital
city, such as the
Brandenburg Gate,
Unter den Linden
Boulevard, Church, and the former
Check Point Charlie. Travel to Lutherstadt Wittenberg,
where Luther lived and worked from 1508–1546. Known
as the Cradle of the Reformation. It was here that Luther
fi rst published his German translation of the New Testament.
Strolling through the old town, stop at Castle Church
with its famous “Theses Door” and the graves of Martin
Luther and Philip Melanchthon. Also visit Luther House,
where he and his wife, Katharina von Bora, and their six
children resided. Dinner and overnight in Wittenberg at the
Luther Hotel. (D)
Sunday, June 20
Wittenberg – Leipzig
Worship at the Town and Parish Church of St. Mary
where Luther preached,
with a tour of the church
following the service.
After some free time
in Wittenberg, continue
to Leipzig. Visit St.
Nicholas Church, where
the “silent revolution”
headed by the pastor
and congregation in
September 1989 led to the St. Thomas Church, where Johann Sebastian Bach was
cantor and spent his most creative years, directing the
famous boys choir and writing some of his most profound
music. It was also here that Schiller wrote his Ode to Joy,
which is now the anthem of the European Community.
Dinner and overnight at the Nh Hotel in Leipzig. (B, D)
Monday, June 21
Leipzig – Erfurt
Depart Leipzig this morning, driving to Eisleben to see the
houses where Martin Luther was born and where he died.
Visit the Church of St. Peter and Paul, where Luther was
christened. Continue to Erfurt and visit the Mariendom
Cathedral where Luther was ordained a priest in 1507.
Also visit the
Augustinian monastery
where Luther
lived as a monk
from 1505–1507
and see the Merchants’
Church with
Luther memorial.
Erfurt has one of
the most attractive
medieval city centers in Germany with patrician townhouses
and half-timbered buildings. Enjoy a special historical
“Luther meal” at a local restaurant. Overnight in Erfurt at
the Radisson SAS Hotel. (B, D)
Tuesday, June 22
Erfurt – Eisenach – Rothenburg
Today’s touring
begins at the Wartburg
Castle, where
Luther stayed from
1521–1522 and
translated the New
Testament into
German from the
original Greek. Visit
the castle and see
the room with the
supposedly saw the
devil and threw his ink bottle at him. Enjoy a walking tour
of nearby Eisenach to see the Bach House and Luther’s
House, one of the oldest houses in the city. Travel to Rothenburg
ob der Tauber, the old Franconian city, with its well
preserved walls and towers. Founded in 5 B.C., this town
has kept a typical 16th century look through strict preservation
laws since the mid-1800’s. The remainder of the
afternoon is free to explore this beautiful town on our own.
Accompany the Night Watchman from the Middle Ages for
a walking tour of Rothenburg at night. Dinner and overnight
in Rothenburg at Hotel Reichsküchenmeister. (B, D)
Wednesday, June 23
Rothenburg – Oberammergau
Depart Rothenburg and travel
south on the Romantic Road
through the beautiful Bavarian
countryside. There will be
special photo opportunity of
Neuschwanstein fairytale castle,
well-known to Americans as
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at
Disneyland! We will also visit
nearby Linderhof Castle. Both
castles were built by King Ludwig
II. Completed in 1878, Linderhof
was the only one of Ludwig’s
three castles that was completely
finished. Continue our journey to the for dinner and overnight at the Parkhotel Sonnenhof and
Hotel Arnika. (B, D)
Thursday, June 24
Oberammergau Passion Play
The history of the Passion Play at Oberammergau
goes back to 1634, when the quaint alpine village of
Oberammergau was
threatened by the
deadly and contagious
disease known
the Black Plague
that scourged Europe,
killing two-thirds
the population of
Germany. The people of Oberammergau
pledged to perform
the Passion Play
as a sign of their
repentance and
remorse over the
suffering and death
of Jesus Christ.
The chronicles
relate that from the
day the people gathered around the cross to swear their
sacred vow, no further person died of the plague. Since
that date, the play has been performed every ten years.
Spend a leisure morning in Oberammergau. After
lunch, take seats in the theater to attend the performance
of the world-famous Passion Play. This Play is performed
by local villagers with roles often handed down from
generation to generation within families. Dinner is included
during a three-hour break in the late afternoon. The performance
lasts until 10:30. (B, L, D)
Friday, June 25
Oberammergau – Munich
Say farewell to Oberammergau and travel to Munich,
the capital of Bavaria and “City of Monks.” Enjoy a walk
through the traditional city center and see the Church of
our Lady (Frauenkirche Cathedral) and Marienplatz, to see
the famous Glockenspiel located on top of the New Town
Hall. The remainder of the day is free to enjoy Munich on
your own. Don’t miss the wonderful open-air Viktualienmarkt
with stalls that offer the
freshest fruits and vegetables
in Munich, along with traditional
Bavarian Schweinshax’n
and Speck, seafood, delicious
cheeses, various herbs, and
many other foods and crafts.
Enjoy a special farewell dinner
at the Ratskeller, a popular
traditional beer hall and restaurant
located in the basement
of the Rathaus (Town
Hall). Overnight in Munich at
the Ramada Hotel. (B, D)
Saturday, June 26
Munich – USA
After breakfast, transfer from the hotel to the Munich
Airport for departure for Philadelphia, arriving the same
day. Auf wiedersehen! (B)
Click Here for a Printable Tour Reservation Form
Click Here for an Online Reservation Form
For further information, contact:
Ken and Judy Collins
236 Plum Street
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Tel: (717) 367-6175
Email: collinsaim@juno.com
Travel Arrangements by:
124 E. Main St., 4th Fl.
Ephrata, PA 17522
Tel. (800) 418-2929 Ext. 81307
Fax: (717) 733-1009
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Responsibility
  CST 2013363-40
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