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July 2-15, 2013
With tour leaders Gareth Brandt and Wilmer Martin
Friends and alumni of Columbia Bible College are invited to join Gareth Brandt and Wilmer Martin for our Anabaptist Heritage tour. Together we will trace the steps of early leaders in the Anabaptist church as we visit 16th century sites that were significant in changing the course of history and the church. This variation on TourMagination's classic European Heritage tour has been designed specifically for friends of Columbia Bible College and is certain to be a faith-enhancing tour.
Click here to read past blogs about this tour.
Our tour departs from Vancouver International Airport on an overnight flight to Frankfurt, Germany, before connecting to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It will be Thursday morning when we arrive in Amsterdam and are met by our coach driver. Our first stop will be 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 a cheese shop in Volendam. We will spend the night near Volendam.
 Making wooden shoes
After a good night’s sleep, we will start our morning with a visit to Amsterdam’s Singel Mennonite Church before taking a canal boat ride on Amsterdam’s famous canal system. Then we will cross the 22-mile Afluitsdijk that has linked North Holland and Friesland since 1932. We will learn about the Menno Simons’ story in Friesland as we visit Pingjum and the Menno Simons monument at Witmarsum. Tonight we will enjoy the hospitality of families at Berlikum.
After saying farewell to our new friends at Berlikum, we will travel to Münster, Germany. We will take a walking tour of Münster and will hear a darker side of the Anabaptist story. We will visit the famous Köln Cathedral and see the beautiful mosaic tile floor at the Roman Museum.
 Enjoy the scenery on the Rhine River
This morning we will travel to the Deutsches Eck at Koblentz. A highlight of the day will be our cruise on the Rhine River between Boppard and Bacharach. The mountain stretch along which we will travel is overlaid with legends – and we will discuss some of them as we go. Castles and ruins of castles are perched on rugged mountain tops with vineyards sunning themselves on both sides of the river. We will disembark in Bacharach, a medieval walled town, only meters from the river’s banks. On our way to the hotel, we will have a sobering visit to the castle in Alzey where Anabaptists were held in prison and drowned, according to the Hutterite Chronicle.
 Reformers' Monument in Worms
Today we will explore the Palatinate area of Germany. We will enjoy worship with the congregation at the Weierhof, a semi-communal Mennonite village. In Worms, we will see the Reformers’ Monument and hear the Martin Luther story. We will travel on to Offenburg through the Black Forest.
Our travels today take us into France to visit Strasbourg with its magnificent red sandstone cathedral. Strasbourg has a strong Anabaptist heritage – we will learn about the history of Anabaptists in this city and will remember the Amish heritage in the Alsace. We will enjoy lunch in the ancient walled town of Riquewihr, which is located in the wine-growing area of France, before we cross into Switzerland at Basel. We will enjoy a scenic drive through the Juras in Switzerland to the town of Bern where we will stay for two nights.
Today our coach driver needs a break so we will take the opportunity to explore Bern. This morning we will have an Anabaptist walking tour to find out about the history of the place. You will enjoy a free afternoon to explore on your own, to visit museums or to shop.
 Travel through the beautiful Emmental region
On Wednesday, we will visit the Emmental (Emme Valley). In Langnau we will see the oldest continuous Mennonite church in the world and other important sites related to Anabaptist history including the Trachselwald Castle, Sumiswald, and Eggiwil. We will climb the lookout tower above Röthenbach and visit the Frutittal and Simmental, the source of several Amish families.
 Hike to the Cave of the Anabaptists
Today we will visit the museum at Schleitheim. We will travel in a farmer’s wagon to visit a monument erected to remember the Anabaptists executed in this area. In the afternoon, we will hike to the Cave of the Anabaptists and have a meaningful worship service.
We will begin our day with a walking tour in Zurich to visit Anabaptist sites and hear the stories that took place there. We will stop at Zollikon and remember the baptism that took place here. Late this morning, we will depart for Austria, crossing the beautiful Silvrettapass on our way to Innsbrück.
Before travelling to Rattenburg, we will hear the Jacob Hutter story in Innsbrück. In Rattenburg, we will hear the Pilgram Marpeck story and have lunch. This afternoon we will travel to the beautiful Bavarian town of Oberammergau, famous for its wood carvings and Passion Play, performed every ten years.
You may wish to take an early morning stroll and enjoy the village of Oberammergau. Later this morning we will visit the Dachau Concentration Camp. The memorials, film and visual displays will remind us of what happened in these camps. As we drive by Augsburg this afternoon, we will remember the Martyrs’ Synod. Tonight we will reflect on our tour as we enjoy a farewell dinner together.
All too soon we have reached the end of our journey, but we will return home with a richer appreciation and deeper understanding of the Anabaptists whose lives and deaths have shaped our faith.
For further information regarding the complete tour fare, please
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