Tour Leader’s Blog

What a glorious spectacle of faith the Passion Play in Oberammergau was, set in the midst of the beautiful Bavarian alps. Today we bid “auf wiedersehen” to our group, with the heartfelt hope that we will indeed see each other again, and before too long. We are bound for Munich, safe, sound, and deeply grateful for an amazing travel experience.

~ Mary and Len Friesen

On our way to Salzburg, we visited Oberndorf and sat in the lovely chapel that marks the site where “Silent Night” was first sung in 1811. We actually sang the song - in German and English - as we sat in the chapel. An elderly German couple walking by was moved to tears by our singing. They thanked us and wished us Godspeed as we journeyed on our way. Our next stop was in Mondsee, the Austrian resort town where the wedding in the Sound of Music was filmed.

Today we are in Salzburg. This city is such a treasure. We visited the great Fortress that overlooks the city and the Mirabell gardens. Everywhere there are hints from The Sound of Music and Mozart connections. This city can easily be walked end to end at a nice, leisurely pace, past fruit and vegetable vendors, cafes, churches, squares, and shops.

We also considered points of contact with our own Mennonite heritage. There are many, including the fact that the great Salzburg fortress was expanded to its present size at the time of Anabaptist beginnings around 1525. Or the fact that Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, who constructed the stunning Mirabell palace and gardens, was equally responsible for a wave of persecution that finally wiped out the early Anabaptist congregations here.

Group members went their own ways in the afternoon, with some journeying to Bavaria and the “Eagles’ Nest” alpine lookout, others touring the Hellbrunn palace and grounds, and others just happy to spend more time in Salzburg. All that and coffee, tea, and Mozartkugeln!

We leave tomorrow for Nordlingen via Dachau, with Oberammergau around the corner.

~ Mary and Len Friesen

Greetings from Anif! We had lunch in Innsbruck today - what a lovely place!
Everywhere we’ve been has been amazing. Today was very moving as we
considered Blaurock at Gufidaun. We have a wonderful group. Like the rest of
Europe, we are all feeling the heat wave, but we are managing well.

~ Len Friesen

Greetings from Florence, Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance! In some ways it’s been a typical TourMagination trip so far in that it has been a rich time of fellowship, singing, discovery, sharing and laughter. As leaders of several previous tours for TourMagination, we continue to be amazed at how quickly a sense of community develops.

What may be a bit more unusual, however, has been the rich assortment of sights we’ve already taken in. We started in Rome on July 8th with a tour of the remarkable Coliseum, followed by St. Peter’s in the Vatican, and a tour of the splendid Sistine Chapel. Then it was off to beautiful Assisi, where we pondered the life and importance of Francis of Assisi. He may have lived three centuries before the Anabaptist beginnings, but he anticipates their sense of calling and discipleship in so many ways.

We then travelled to medieval Siena with its renowned main square (the Campo) and yesterday we arrived in Florence. We toured the Accademia today, and saw Michelangelo’s David, before an afternoon where tour members made up their own schedules (with suggestions from us, of course!).

We’re about to gather for an evening meal where we’ll hear what the others have been up to. The many friends of TourMagination will be interested to know that Luxembourg’s own Jean-Paul is our driver once again. We are safe, well, and surrounded on this day by God’s splendour - past and present.

Mary and Len Friesen

Our group has come together as a friendly family, which is a blessing. We are enjoying a cooler day today after several days of intense heat. On Saturday, we visited Cologne Cathedral. The architecture was amazing. John, Art, Harlan and Gerd climbed the tower’s 533 steps. Harlan visited
the Roman Museum and enjoyed a walk along the Rhine River. The temperature (37 degrees Celsius) was a record for this day in Germany.

We were delighted to take a cruise on the Rhine River. Some people described it as the best part of our trip so far. John Sharp shared history of the Mennonites along the way. In the evening, some of our tour walked downtown to see Reisenberg Scloss where 28 Anabaptists were beheaded and drowned. The castle is now used as a modern office building. We have only limited internet access but we will write as we can.

~ Gerd Bartel