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Spring has sprung and we’re thinking green!
Nothing is greener than the fair hills of the British Isles - join Wilmer Martin and co-hosts David and Joyce Eshleman as they take you to visit natural and historical sites throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Interest in this tour is strong – register today for The British Isles.

European Heritage with Paul Zehr

May 2 - 15, 2013

European Heritage Tour with Paul Zehr

With tour leaders Paul Zehr and Wilmer Martin

This European Heritage tour will be led by Paul M. Zehr, a retired teacher from Eastern Mennonite Seminary and retired bishop from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He taught both Old and New Testament courses as well as theology and pastoral studies. Since 1987, he has chaired the Editorial Council for the Believers Church Bible Commentary and has written the commentary on the Pastoral Epistles for this BCBC series. He invites you to join him on this tour to Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria to explore our Anabaptist/Mennonite heritage. This tour will be of special interest to persons with Amish heritage. Wilmer Martin, owner of TourMagination, will co-lead the group as tour director.

Click here to read past blogs about this tour.


Thursday & Friday, May 2 & 3
The tour departs from Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, and Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario on overnight flights to Frankfurt, Germany. It will be Friday morning when we arrive in Frankfurt and together make our connection to Amsterdam. We will enjoy a lovely introduction to the city by taking a boat ride on Amsterdam’s canal system. If time permits, we will visit Volendam and its dike.

Saturday, May 4
This morning, we will drive through the tulip fields to the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens. Here you will have time to stroll and take in its springtime beauty in full bloom. We will then cross the 22-mile Afluitsdijk that has linked North Holland and Friesland since 1932. We will learn how the Dutch struggle with the sea. We will stop at the Menno Simons’ monument at Witmarsum to learn about our Mennonite history in this area and at the hidden church at Pingjum. Tonight we will stay with families in Berlikum.

Sunday, May 5
We will join the Mennonite congregation in Berlikum for worship this morning. After lunch we will travel to Köln, where we will visit the cathedral and see the old Roman ruins.

Köln Cathedral
Köln Cathedral
Monday, May 6
This morning we will depart for Remagen and the site of the Ludendorff Bridge which was destroyed in World War II. We will then enjoy a relaxing afternoon cruise on the beautiful Rhine River. Enjoy the views as we travel on the scenic stretch between Boppard and Bacharach. You will have some free time to explore Bacharach and perhaps do some shopping before going to our hotel for the evening.

Tuesday, May 7
Today we will learn from Paul Zehr about the Zehr family history as we travel through the Palatinate to Sarreguemines. Our lessons will continue as we visit Gros-Rederching, where several Amish-Mennonite families lived before emigrating to North America. We will also visit Bistroff and a farm in Bellegrade before settling into our hotel in Offenburg for the night.

Wednesday, May 8
We will depart for Schirmack, France this morning. Our schedule today includes a visit to the ancient Oak Tree at Salm. We will visit the area where Jakob Ammann, the founder of the Amish church, lived and served as the spiritual leader of the Amish people. We will enjoy a drive on the wine route to the quaint town of Riquewihr and then cross into Switzerland at Basel. Traveling on to Zurich, we will enjoy an Anabaptist walking tour of this city. We will spend the night in Singen, Germany.

Thursday, May 9
This morning we will visit the monument to remember the Anabaptist execution at Schleitheim. Later in the morning we will visit the Rhine waterfalls at Neuhausen and enjoy lunch. This afternoon we will hike to worship at the Anabaptist Cave at Bäretswil.

A view of the Emmental
A view of the Emmental
Friday, May 10
Today we will explore our Anabaptist roots in a variety of ways. In the Emmental, we will visit Langnau to see the oldest continuous Mennonite church. We will also visit Trachselwald Castle, Eggiwil, and Steffisburg before journeying by bus to Erlenbach, the birthplace of Jakob Ammann. We will travel on to Bern, where we will stay the night. Following dinner, we will take an Anabaptist walking tour.

Saturday, May 11
Have your camera at the ready this morning as we walk through the scenic Aareschult gorge and drive over the Sustenpass. In St. Gallen, we will remember the story of Vadian and visit the beautiful abbey. We will travel on to Austria, where we will stay for the night.

Cave of the Anabaptists
Cave of the Anabaptists
Sunday, May 12
Today we will enjoy fantastic scenery as we cross the beautiful Silvretta Pass on our way to Innsbruck. We will hear the Jakob Hutter story and observe the plaque remembering the spiritual leader of the Hutterites. We will have an opportunity to enjoy Austrian apple strudel on the famous Maria Theresa Strasse. There may be an option to enjoy an Austrian folk show this evening following dinner.

Monday, May 13
This morning we travel on to Rattenberg to hear the Pilgram Marpeck story and have an early lunch. In the afternoon, we will travel to the famous Bavarian town of Wasserburg. You will enjoy the beautiful old walled city. Tonight we will have the opportunity to enjoy a famous Bavarian dinner at a delightful family hotel.

Tuesday, May 14
This morning we will visit Dachau Concentration Camp before traveling to the Kraichgau on the east side of the Rhine River. Some of us may want to climb the Steinsberg Tower for an overview of the Kraichgau. We will enjoy a farewell dinner together at our hotel in Alzey, Germany.

Wednesday, May 15
All too soon, it will be time to return home. We will drive to Frankfurt to take our flights 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 e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We would be happy to be of assistance.
 
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