| European Heritage I with John Ruth |
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and the Oberammergau Passion Play
June 1-14, 2010 
With tour leaders John Ruth and Audrey Voth Petkau TourMagination’s classic European Heritage tour in 2010 includes the world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play which is performed every ten years by the villagers of Oberammergau because of a vow made in 1634. It will feature our usual sites of Anabaptist/Mennonite heritage in Friesland, The Netherlands, the Palatinate in Germany and the Emmental region of Switzerland. There will be many other highlights including an afternoon cruise on the Rhine River, the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, a cog rail mountain experience, climbing into the foothills of the Swiss Alps to the Cave of the Anabaptists, and much more. Join John Ruth, our premier Anabaptist/Mennonite storyteller, and Audrey Voth Petkau from TourMagination, who will look after the tour logistics, for this unforgettable tour experience. Click here to read what tour participants have said about the Oberammergau experience. Click here to read past blogs about Oberammergau. Click here to read past blogs about our European Heritage Tours. Tuesday & Wednesday, June 1 & 2 The tour departs from Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, on an overnight flight to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It will be Wednesday morning when we arrive in Amsterdam and are met by our coach driver. Our first stop will be at Zaanse Schans, an unspoiled village with typical Zaan Region houses, where we will see a working windmill and a craftsman making wooden shoes. Before going to our hotel, we will make a stop at the Volendam dike. Thursday & Friday, June 3 & 4 In Amsterdam this morning, we will go to the Rijksmuseum, the Singel Mennonite Church which dates back to 1608, and take a canal boat ride on Amsterdam’s canal system. We will cross the 22-mile Afluitsdijk that has linked North Holland and Friesland since 1932, and make stops in Pingjum and Witmarsum to learn about the Menno Simons’ story in Friesland. Tonight we will be hosted by families in their homes in Berlikum. After saying goodbye to our new friends on Friday morning, we will travel on to Münster, Germany, to learn about a darker side of the Anabaptist story. Saturday & Sunday, June 5 & 6  A scene along the Rhine River Monday & Tuesday, June 7 & 8 Today we will visit Strasbourg, France, with its magnificent cathedral. We hope to have a conversation with Mennonite World Conference staff at their office in Strasbourg. We will drive through France’s wine region to Colmar. Here we will visit the museum to see the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald. Lodging in Bern, Switzerland for three nights. On Tuesday, our coach driver needs a break so we will stay in Bern for the day. In the morning, we will have an Anabaptist walking tour and you will have a free afternoon to explore, visit a museum, shop, rest, etc. Wednesday & Thursday, June 9 & 10 In the Emmental (Emme Valley), we will visit Langnau to see the oldest continuous Mennonite church and other important sites related to Anabaptist/Mennonite history. Then we will go to Erlenbach, where Jacob Amman was born. On Thursday, we will have a mountain-top experience! If the weather cooperates, you will enjoy a beautiful ride up the Brienzer-Rothorn on a cog rail train. After lunch in Meringen, we will walk through the scenic Aareschult gorge for another kind of scenic beauty. We will stay at a hotel along the picturesque Vierwaldstättersee for two nights. Friday & Saturday, June 11 & 12  The Cave of the Anabaptists Sunday, June 13 This morning you will have free time to explore the village of Oberammemrgau, home to the world-famous passion play, or worship at one of their churches. Over half the citizens of Oberammergau will be involved in the play that you will see this afternoon and evening, with a break for dinner. This will be a day to be long remembered in years to come as you think about the Good Friday and Easter stories. Monday, June 14 It’s time to return home so we will drive to Munich to get our flight back to North America. You will have many new memories and stories to take home with you, as well as new friendships made. For further information regarding the complete tour fare, please This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . We would be happy to be of assistance. |
