In the Footsteps of Martin Luther

Standard Tour #3 (8 nights / 10 days)

Day 1 Depart from USA via scheduled air service, including full meal, beverage service and in-flight entertainment. The destination is Berlin, .

Day 2 Berlin Arrive in Berlin. Meet your MCI Tour Manager, who will assist the group to awaiting chartered motorcoach for a half-day guided tour of Berlin, including Unter den Linden, Kurfürstendamm, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Berlin Dom (Cathedral), and entrance to the Reichstag, the Imperial Parliament, a huge and elegantly proportioned Neo-Renaissance palace. Also explore Berlin's magnificent architectural treasures and experience the city's amazing transformation by a 1-hour cruise on the River Spree. Transfer to hotel for a Welcome Dinner and overnight.

Berlin, for so long a symbol of the world's division into two opposing camps, owes its economic and cultural dynamism today to the fact that both the Federal Republic and what used to be called East Germany had for thirty years been determined to use the city as a shop window for their respective ways of life. Berlin became truly important under the reign of Friedrich-Wilhelm of Brandenburg. He welcomed the influx of French Huguenot craftsmen, theologians, doctors and scholars who helped transform the city and strengthen its influence on its neighbors.

Day 3 Berlin / Wittenberg Morning at leisure in Berlin for additional sightseeing, museum visits, shopping or other planned activities. Afternoon transfer to Wittenberg.

Wittenberg is located on Elbe River. It was a medieval center, famed as birthplace of Reformation, where Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in 1517. Its importance declined after Dresden replaced it as capital of Saxony in 1547.

Day 4 Wittenberg Take a morning guided tour including visits to the Castle Church, the Luther Museum, and Melanchthon House. It was to the wooden doors of this church that Luther nailed his 95 "Theses" in October 1517. The original doors were destroyed by fire during the Seven Years War; the present bronze doors, bearing the Latin text of the Theses, were installed in 1858. In the church is the tomb of Luther, and on the columns of the nave are life-size figures of Luther, Melanchthon and other Reformers. Also visit the Luther House Museum, in which Martin Luther lived from 1508 to 1546. Built in 1504 as a house of Augustinian Hermits, it was altered in 1566; and between 1844 and 1900 it was converted into a Museum of the Reformation (Lutherhalle). In the room occupied by Luther, preserved in original condition, are displayed Luther's writings, prints, medals, Luther's university lectern, his pulpit from St Mary's Church and a number of valuable pictures. Concert in Wittenberg as part of the American Celebration of Music in Germany.

Day 5 Wittenberg / Eisleben / Halle / Leipzig Transfer to Leipzig via Eisleben to visit Luther’s Birth House and Death House and Halle to visit the birthplace of Handel. In addition to the composer's personal effects, the museum houses an exhibition of musical instruments and history of music in the region. Continue through to Leipzig for overnight.

Leipzig has musical associations with some of the greatest of all composers: Bach worked and lived here a big part of his life; Mendelssohn was born and lived here; Wagner was born here (but never lived here), and nearby Halle is the birthplace of Georg Frederick Händel.

Day 6 Leipzig A morning guided tour of Leipzig includes the Former Town Hall, St. Nicholas Church, St. Thomas Church (famous because Bach was the organist and choirmaster here, and it is the home of the St. Thomas Boys Choir, one of the most famous in the world), the Bach Museum, Augustusplatz, and the Battle of the Nations Monument. Concert in Leipzig as part of the American Celebration of Music in Germany.

Day 7 Leipzig / Eisenach / Rothenburg Transfer to Rothenburg via Eisenach where you will visit Wartburg Castle, one of the best preserved German medieval castles where Martin Luther lived in hiding after an imperial ban was imposed on him following the Diet of Worms. It was here that he translated the original Greek text of the New Testament into German. See the famous Luther room where he stayed and worked. Continue on to Rothenburg for overnight.

Officially known as Rothenburg ob der , this medieval town (one of the oldest on the ), takes every visitor right back to the middle of the 16th Century. Once behind the ancient ramparts (no cars are allowed in the center), the visitor is completely charmed by the ancient houses, street signs, fountains and narrow, cobbled lanes.

Day 8 Rothenburg Sightseeing in Rothenburg includes the Town Hall, St. Jakobskirche, the Museum of Medieval Justice (includes instruments of ), the Herrngasse and many other medieval sites. Evening concert in Rothenburg as part of the American Celebration of Music in Germany.

Day 9 Rothenburg / Worms / Heidelberg / Frankfurt Transfer to Frankfurt via Worms. Martin Luther was summoned to Worms in 1521 by Emperor Karl V in order to justify his "heretical" conduct towards the Roman Catholic Church. Sightseeing includes a visit to the Cathedral and the Luther Statue. Also visit Heidelberg. A half-day tour of Germany's oldest university town includes the Schloß (castle) offering a splendid view of the city beneath. In the castle, see the Great Barrel, the Courtyard and the Pharmaceutical Museum. Also see the old university itself, the Cathedral of the Holy Ghost, the Old Bridge and the Jesuit Church. This is an enchanting city in which to stroll! Continue through to a hotel near the Frankfurt airport for an evening Welcome Dinner.

Day 10 Depart for home Transfer to Frankfurt’s International Airport for return flight to USA. Arrive home in the evening of the same day.