in Europe: From Prague to Lutherland including Oberammergau Passion Play - September 2022 Sep 16 - Sep 23, 2022

Friday, September 16 We arrive in Prague and transfer on our own to the hotel. (check-in not possible before 3:00pm, however you will be able to store your luggage at the hotel in case your room is not ready yet). We will meet our tour guide in the afernoon. Dinner and overnight.

Saturday, September 17 Following breakfast, we tour Jewish Prague with Jewish city hall (view from outside), Altneschul - oldest existng synagogue in Europe, Maisel Synagogue (Jewish museum), and the old Jewish cemetery. In the afernoon, we tour the famous and largest ancient castle in the world, "Hradschin with St. Vitus Cathedral, cross the Charles Bridge to the Market Square with the Jan Hues Memorial. We visit Bethlehem Chapel where Jan Hus preached untl 1412. Dinner cruise on the Vtlava River.

Sunday, September 18 Early this morning, we depart and cross the Czech-German border for . A brief orientaton walking tour gives us an impression of the city of Johann Sebastan Bach but also of the Peacefull Reformaton in former GDR in 1989. We contnue on to Witenberg which was the main workplace of Martn from 1508. Check-in to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Monday, September 19 This morning we visit Luther Hall, the Augustnian monastery where Luther lived as a monk and later, in 1525, as owner with his wife and family (Luther Hall is the largest museum of Reformaton history in the world), the Market Square and Town Hall; tour All Saints Church (Schlosskirche), famous site where Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door sparking the beginning of the Reformaton (it is here that Luther is buried along side his fellow reformer, Philipp Melanchthon); tour St. Mary’s Church, where Luther did the majority of his preaching. In the afernoon we drive south to for dinner and overnight.

Tuesday, September 20 Eisenach: “Almost all of my relatves live in Eisenach, and I’m known to them there and...wellrespected; no other city knows me beter”, as Luther said. We explore his city on a walking tour and visit St. George’s Church where St. Elisabeth was married and J.S. Bach baptzed. We view the Luther House where Luther lived as a student with the Cota family from 1498-1501, and the Luther exhibiton documentng his life and theologies. We also visit the Bach Museum, the birth house of the famous composer Johann Sebastan Bach. Although he was born 200 years later than Luther he is the composer who infuenced the protestant music the most. The next stop takes us to the magnifcent Castle to tour of the Palas (Great Hall), Art exhibiton, the Elisabeth Hallway and the Luther Room where “Junker Jörg” (the Knight George) translated the New Testament into German. Afer lunch on our own we return to Erfurt, the spiritual home of Martn Luther. It was here that Luther obtained a degree in 1502 and a doctorate in the faculty of philosophy in 1505 and where he took the decisive step to turn to theology and the monastc life when he was caught in a violent thunderstorm nearby and took a vow to become a monk. Our walking tour of the historical secton begins at Cathedral Square. Merchants Bridge and some other points of interest. We tour the Augustnian Monastery with a permanent exhibit depictng Luther’s life as a monk. Dinner and overnight.

Wednesday, September 21 Today we stop in on the way south to Upper . We tour the famous Veste Coburg, the fortress where Luther took refuge and lived during the . While visitng the castle we’ll see the Luther Room, the art treasures in the various collectons and the royal building with the Luther Chapel. Then onward to Upper Bavaria for dinner and overnight.

Thursday, September 22 Following breakfast, we visit the elaborate Neuschwanstein Castle, surely the crown jewel of Bavaria Castles. Then on to Oberammergau: world-renowned, this quaint Bavarian town is the site of the extravagant Oberammergau Passion Play – performed only once every ten years. Take part in this once-in-a-lifetme experience. Beginning in the afernoon and involving almost all residents of the village, the play has a running tme of approx. fve hours with a three-hour intermission. Dinner and overnight.

Friday, September 23 We transfer to Munich airport and fy home.

Program changes possible for logistcal reasons.