May 25-June 8, 2007

Friday & Saturday, May 25 & 26

The tour departs on an overnight flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport with an add-on flight from Wichita available for those from Kansas. Early morning arrival in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. After collecting our luggage and meeting our coach driver, we will go to the historic village of Zaanse Schans to view the windmills still in operation and a demonstration of wooden shoe making. On our way to the hotel at Katwoude where we will stay for two nights, we will make stops at the quaint village of Volendam for a walk on the dike and at the Alida Hoeve Cheese Shop.

Sunday & Monday, May 27 & 28

We plan to worship with the Mennonite congregation at Utrecht this morning. Following the service, we will travel to Asperen to learn about the Dirk Willems story. Later, we will enjoy a canal boat ride on Amsterdam’s canal system to view the city and learn about Amsterdam and its transportation by water. Monday’s itinerary takes us across the 22-mile Afluitsdijk, which has linked North Holland and Friesland since 1932, on our way to the hidden church at Pingjum and the Menno Simons monument at Witmarsum. Tonight we will stay in the homes of families in Berlikum.

Tuesday & Wednesday, May 29 & 30

This morning we will travel on to Münster where we will take a walking tour to hear a darker side of the Anabaptist story that took place here. Then we will visit Köln with its Roman excavations and the world-famous, twin-spire cathedral, both major attractions in this city. Lodging at Köln. On Wednesday, we will stop in Koblentz at the Deutsches Eck to view the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers before taking a cruise on the Rhine River. We will enjoy this relaxing time as we travel through the most scenic part of the Rhine River--the mountain stretch with castles and ruins of castles perched on rugged mountain tops and vineyards sunning themselves on both sides of the river. We will stay at Alzey tonight.

Thursday & Friday, May 31 & June 1

We will explore the Palatinate area of Germany today. There will be interesting stops including the Primmerhof; the Weierhof, a semi-communal Mennonite village; and Worms to see the Reformers’ Monument and hear the Martin Luther story. Enjoy the little village of Bad Friedrichshall, our overnight destination. On Friday we will visit the Kraichgau area from which many Mennonites came. We will learn about the history of this area, climb the Steinsberg tower to view the Kraichgau area and stop in Steinsfurt to learn about Anabaptist meetings that were held in a cellar. At Dachau Concentration Camp, the memorials, film and visual displays will remind us of what happened in these camps. Lodging in Wasserburg.

Saturday & Sunday, June 2 & 3

This morning we will take the beautiful Achenpass into Austria. The entire Inn Valley was an important Anabaptist area. We will visit Rattenberg where Pilgram Marpeck became an Anabaptist and Landeck where we will stay for the night. We will worship together on Sunday morning as we cross the magnificent Silvretta Pass into Liechtenstein, a small principality between Austria and Switzerland. If the prince and his family are home, we will see the flag flying over the castle in Vaduz. In St. Gallen, Switzerland, we will see the statue of Vadian, Conrad Grebel’s brother-in-law. Overnight in Zürich area.

Monday & Tuesday, June 4 & 5

In Zürich on Monday, we will take a walking tour to see points of Anabaptist interest. We will then go to the hills and climb through the cow pasture to the secret cave of the Anabaptists (Täuferhöhle) where we will have a worship service. Then we will travel on to Thun, a town of interest to the Kauffman family. On Tuesday, the castle in Thun and our visit to Steffisburg are important in the history of the Kauffmans. Later, we will visit Erlenbach to learn about Jakob Amman and the beginning of the Amish Church. In Bern, where we are lodged for the night, we will have an evening walking tour of the city.

Wednesday & Thursday, June 6 & 7

On Wednesday, we will follow the Emme River into the Emmental and visit Langnau, the site of the oldest, continuous Mennonite Church dating back to the 1530s; Trachselwald Castle; Sumiswald; and the Dürsrütti. In the afternoon, we will leave the Emme Valley and go to Colmar, France. On Thursday in the wine region of France, you will enjoy Riquewihr, an old French farming town; the picturesque village of Hunspach with its half-timbered houses and beautiful flowers; and the Deutschof where the Schowalter family will be happy to invite us into their wine cellar. Our farewell dinner will be at our hotel in Alzey, Germany.

Friday, June 8

En route to the Frankfurt Airport on Friday morning, we will travel through picturesque German countryside, making stops in small villages for a few more photos. We will have an early afternoon flight to North America. You will return with many memories and new friendships.

Your Tour Leaders

John Sharp, of Hesston, Kansas, who is our storyteller on the tour, is a history professor at Hesston College who enjoys writing and has a passion for the Anabaptist story. He and his wife Michele have three children. His interests include photography, computers, traveling and reading. John also served as a pastor for fifteen years in Kansas and Pennsylvania.

Wilmer Martin, president and managing partner of TourMagination, has developed and led many tours to Europe. He was a pastor for twenty-seven years and also served as president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada for nine years. Wilmer and his wife Janet live in Waterloo, Ontario, and have two children. Wilmer will make sure that your needs are met while on tour.

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.