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Join one of our five 2012 tours to the Holy Land
Our clients want to walk in the places where the Bible was written to gain new understanding of their faith and the contemporary situation. We work with local tour guides to offer a safe, faith-enriching experience. Which tour will be best for you?

and the Oberammergau Passion Play

August 13-24, 2010

Wooden Shoemaker

With tour leaders John Ruth and Wilmer Martin

This 12-day European Heritage tour includes the countries of The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Beginning in Amsterdam, the tour has many highlights including the Anne Frank House, the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, a cruise on the Rhine River, the Oberammergau Passion Play that is only performed every ten years, the Glockenspiel in Munich, the city of Salzburg of Sound of Music fame, magnificent scenery from the lowlands to the Austrian and Swiss Alps and so much more. Throughout the journey, the tour will visit many significant sites of Anabaptist/Mennonite history which historian/storyteller John Ruth will bring to life. For many, it will be an opportunity to learn about your Mennonite family roots. Wilmer Martin, owner of TourMagination who has led many tours around the world, will co-lead with John Ruth and look after the administrative details.

Click here to read past blogs about Oberammergau.
Click here to read past blogs about our European Heritage Tours.


Friday & Saturday, August 13 & 14
The tour departs from Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, on an overnight flight to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It will be Saturday morning when we arrive in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport 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 in Volendam, time permitting. Lodging for two nights near Volendam.

Sunday & Monday, August 15 & 16
Today in Amsterdam, we will visit the Rijksmuseum, take a canal boat ride on Amsterdam’s canal system, visit the Singel Mennonite Church, the Anne Frank House and have some time for shopping on the famous Kalverstraat shopping street. Before leaving The Netherlands on Monday, we will visit the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. Flowers are shipped all over the world from here the same day they are sold. Then we will travel on to Cologne (Köln), Germany to see its famous cathedral and the Roman ruins that were unearthed below its streets.

One of the many castles along the Rhine
One of the many castles along the Rhine
Tuesday, August 17
On Tuesday, we will travel to Koblentz to the Deutsches Eck to view the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers. In the afternoon, we will relax and enjoy a cruise on the Rhine River. The mountain stretch along which we will travel is overlaid with legend. 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. We will make a stop in Bad Kreuznach on the way to our hotel. Wednesday &

Thursday, August 18 & 19
Today we will explore the Palatinate area of Germany. We will visit the Weierhof, a semi-communal Mennonite village, where we will meet Gary Waltner who will lead us on a walking tour through the Weierhof. We will travel on to the village of Oberammergau in the beautiful Ammer Valley of Germany where we will stay for two nights. This is the town that performs the world-famous passion play every ten years. You will enjoy this quaint town with its beautifully-painted buildings and many flowers. On Thursday morning, you will have free time to explore the village of Oberammergau. Over half of the citizens of Oberammergau will be involved in the play that you will see this afternoon and evening, with a break for dinner. This will be a day to be long-remembered in years to come as you meditate on the Good Friday and Easter stories.

Friday, August 20
We will travel to Munich this morning and have some time to explore the Marienplatz. On this square is the Old Town Hall with its stepped gables crowned by bell turrets and nearby is the New Town Hall with its Glockenspiel (carillon), the largest in Germany. Then we will continue on to Salzburg, the city of Sound of Music fame. Enjoy the beautiful scenery as we travel through the Austrian alpine way to our hotel in a town near Salzburg.

Saturday, August 21
We will have a guided walking tour of Salzburg this morning and see the house where Mozart was born and many other sites in the old part of the city. Later in Rattenberg, we will hear the story of Pilgram Marpeck, an early Anabaptist. Our destination for the night is Innsbrück where we will learn about Jakob Hutter, early leader of the Hutterites, and about his martyrdom. We will also see the famous Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof).

Beautiful Swiss Alps
Beautiful Swiss Alps
Sunday, August 22
It will be a worshipful day as we travel through scenic beauty over the Sustenpass to Switzerland and make stops in Appenzell and St. Gallen to learn more stories related to our Anabaptist/Mennonite history. We will stay for two nights in Brunnen along the beautiful Vierwaldstättersee.

Monday, August 23
John Ruth will take us on a walking tour in Zürich this morning to visit Anabaptist sites and hear stories that took place here early in our Anabaptist/Mennonite history. To top this learning experience, we will climb through the meadows up to the hidden Cave of the Anabaptists where we will have a worship service. Farewell Dinner at the hotel. Tuesday, August 24 This morning we will go to the Zürich International Airport and say our goodbyes.
 
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