Day 1

Depart on your overnight flight to Berlin, Germany!

Day 2

You will arrive at the airport in Berlin where you will meet your Joshua Expeditions guide and board your private coach bus. On this first day in Germany, your group will spend a little time visiting the sites of Berlin. You will see the famous Brandenburg Gate, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin Cathedral, Reichstag building, as well as the lively boulevards and remnants of the Berlin Wall. Next, you will travel back to the time of Luther with a visit to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation. Following a welcome dinner, you will spend your first night in this important city.

Day 3

After breakfast, you will travel to the very place Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church). Inside the church, you will be able to view the graves of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, and then your group will tour the Lutherhalle (Luther House) Museum. You will be able to view some of Luther's personal library, rare manuscripts, early Bibles, and some of the very pamphlets that Luther had printed up which stoked the fires of the Reformation.

Your next stop will be Stadtkirche St. Marien (St. Mary's Church) where Luther preached and where his children were baptized. This visit will be followed by the Melanchthon House Museum, a tribute to Philipp Melanchthon, who presented the Augsburg Confession.

In the afternoon you will travel to Erfurt where you will have the privilege of staying in Augustinerkloster, a St. Augustine monastery where Luther studied (subject to availability.) This special opportunity will also allow you to meet and fellowship with the Sisters of the Communität Casteller Ring before the evening closes.

Day 4

The day begins with a guided tour of Erfurt, including St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Severus Church, and then it's off to the fascinating town of Eisenach. This is the site where Luther translated the New Testament into German in just 11 weeks! In the town of Eisenach, you'll be able to see the splendid Martin Luther Statue as well as the Georgenkirche (Church of St. George).

Later in the day, your group will make a brief stop in Marburg, famous for the 1529 meeting place of Luther and Huldrych Zwingli, the Swiss Reformer from Zurich, in an attempt to unify differing doctrinal issues. You'll also see St. Elizabeth's Church, dating from 1283, and hear about Phillip I of Hesse, a local leader who greatly aided the Lutheran Reformation. If time permits, the group will also have a chance to watch the Rathaus (town hall). Your day will close with a relaxed meal in Rüdesheim, a beautiful town situated on the banks of the Rhine that dates back to before the Roman era.

Day 5

What better way to start the day than with a Rhine cruise! The group will board the boat at St. Goar and sail past magnificent castles and the famous Loreley rocks. In the afternoon you will take an excursion to Mainz, Alzey and Worms before returning to Rüdesheim for the evening meal and an overnight stay. During the day you will learn of the contribution of Johannes Gutenberg, who developed movable type, and will be amazed as you view original copies of the Bible in the Gutenberg Museum. You will also visit Mainz Cathedral, which dates back to 975, and on the way to Worms, you will stop at Rheinhessen Castle in Alzey, where 350 Anabaptists were killed in 1529. In Worms you will enjoy a brief local walking tour to see the site of the Worms Debates. In addition, you will view the Reformation monument of Luther, Cathedral of St. Peter, and Trinity Church. Next, your guide will share about another Reformer, William Tyndale, who finished his printing of the English Bible in Worms after escaping persecution in England. After this full day of history, the evening will close in Rüdesheim.

Day 6

The day begins with a trip to Heidelberg, a gorgeous town on the Neckar River. You will have a walking tour of the Old Town and the famous Stone Bridge over the Neckar River, and then tour Heidelberg Castle. Later, the group will enter France and head for Strasbourg, current home of the EU's European Parliament. You will have opportunity to see the Statue of the Reformers in the University and the historic quarter known as La Petite-France, as well as tour Saint-Thomas Church and the Strasbourg Cathedral which houses an 18-metre astronomical clock. In the evening you will enjoy some fabulous French cuisine and stay for the night.

Day 7

After a memorable and meaningful week, you will fly home from Strasbourg!