July 30 - August 14, 2007

Monday & Tuesday, July 30 & 31

Our tour departs from New York City on an overnight flight to Zürich, Switzerland. It will be Tuesday morning when we arrive in Zürich and are met by our coach driver. After an orientation city tour from the bus, John Ruth will lead us on an Anabaptist walking tour. We will walk the streets where Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz walked, and visit the Grossmünster Church where Ulrich Zwingli was the Bible teacher/preacher. We will stand by the Limmat River and remember that Felix Manz’ mother stood here and watched her son being drowned for his faith.

Wednesday & Thursday, August 1 & 2

This morning, we will climb through the cow pasture to the secret cave of the Anabaptists (Tauferhöhle). In the cave, we will recall times when more urgent meetings were held here and have a worship service. Leaving the cave, we will travel to Einseideln to visit the cathedral and monastery. Depending on the time of day, we may hear the monks singing and observe the tremendous contrast in religious experiences of this day. We will be lodged for two nights in the beautiful Swiss town of Brunnen, along the Vierwaldstättersee. Thursday morning we will visit Lucerne and its famous wooden chapel bridge. Weather permitting, we plan to take the cog railroad up Mt. Pilatus, which dominates the western basin of Lake Lucerne, standing at 6,985 feet. The local people use Mt. Pilatus as a barometer with the proverb, “When Pilatus hides his head, sunshine below will spread; when Pilatus’ head is bare, of rain beware.” Conrad Grebel walked over this mountain which has become one of the popular attractions of the Swiss Alps.

Friday & Saturday, August 3 & 4

Leaving Brunnen, we cross the Brünnigpass to Brienz where we will visit the Jobin Woodcarving Centre where you can find beautiful hand-carved wooden souvenirs. As we continue our journey across the Swiss Alps through the Grimselpass on our way to Visp where we will stay for the night, outstanding views of the mountains will bring spontaneous singing of “How Great Thou Art”. Saturday will be a day to remember as we take the Glacier Express train from Brig to Chur. You will enjoy magnificent scenery including mountain peaks and waterfalls, and marvel at the ability of the Swiss railroad to build and operate the Glacier Express. The train will travel through many villages. You will also see the headwaters of the Rhone and the Rhine rivers. Even at this height, cattle are grazing and beekeepers are busy checking their hives. Lodging in the region of Davos.

Sunday & Monday, August 5 & 6

We will cross the Flüelapass on our way to Innsbrück, Austria, where we will walk on the famous Maria Theresienstrasse and see the plaque in memory of Jakob Hutter who was martyred here, and also the Goldenes Dach’l. Here is a good place to buy apple strudel! Lodging in Innsbrück tonight. Monday we will travel on to Rattenberg to hear the story of Pilgram Marpeck, a mining engineer, who became an Anabaptist in Rattenberg. You will enjoy visiting this town along the Inn River with its shops where glass-blowing and crystaletching are demonstrated. We will travel on to Germany for the night.

Tuesday & Wednesday, August 7 & 8

We will explore the Kraichgau area on Tuesday including Sinsheim and the Immerhauserhof, the oldest Mennonite hof in Germany still farmed by a Mennonite family. In the afternoon, we will have a guided tour of the Heidelberg Castle. Lodging for two nights in Alzey. Wednesday morning we will visit Schriesheim where we will consider the beginning of the Brethren Church. Glen Landes will share stories of historical significance that took place in this region. We will explore the Palatinate area in the afternoon. Interesting stops will include the Weierhof, a semi-communal Mennonite village, and Worms to see the Reformers’ Monument. From this region of Germany during the 17th century, many Mennonites emigrated to North America.

Thursday & Friday, August 9 & 10

Today’s highlight will be a cruise on the Rhine River as we travel through the mountain stretch which is overlaid with legend. Castles and ruins of castles are perched on rugged mountaintops with vineyards sunning themselves on both sides of the river. Later we will visit the castle in Marburg where we want to particularly note the 15th century tapestry depicting the story of the prodigal son. Lodging in the Marburg area. Friday we will visit Schwarzenau, on the Eder River, the location of the first Brethren baptism. (Lunch will be included at a local restaurant on the Alexander Mack Strasse.) We will visit the Alexander Mack Museum and from the museum, observe a beautiful view of Schwarzenau and the Eder River. From here, we travel on to Münster. We will take a walking tour of Münster and hear a darker side of the Anabaptist story.

Saturday-Monday, August 11-13

This morning we will enter Friesland in The Netherlands. In Surhuisterveen, we will be met by Pieter Bolhuis who will take us to a farm and cheese shop and on a countryside tour. Tonight we will stay in Drachten. We will worship on Sunday morning with the Mennonite congregation in Surhuisterveen before visiting Pingjum and Witmarsum to learn about the Menno Simons story. Then we will travel south to Katwoude near Volendam where we will stay for two nights. Early Monday morning, we will visit the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. Flowers are shipped from here to places all over the world the same day they are sold. The rest of the day will be spent in Amsterdam visiting the Anne Frank House Museum and taking a canal boat ride through Amsterdam’s canals to hear an interpretation of the canal system and a history of Amsterdam and see the sights along the way. We will return to Hotel Volendam.

Tuesday, August 14

En route to Schiphol Airport, we will drive by many greenhouses, reminding us of the Dutch people’s fascination with flowers. We have a morning flight from Amsterdam with an early afternoon arrival in New York City. You will take home many beautiful pictures and memories of awesome sights and beauty, as well as new friendships formed while on the tour.

Your Tour Leaders

John Ruth from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, is a minister, author and filmmaker and enjoys sharing Anabaptist/Mennonite history through storytelling. He has led many TourMagination tours to Europe, including several tours with Glen Landes of West Milton, Ohio.

Glen is a member of the Old German Baptist Brethren and has studied Brethren history for many years. His insights into the beginnings of the Brethren Church in Germany will be of special interest.

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.