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| Highlights
of Germany Tour Summary |
| Discover the “Highlights” of Germany on this delightful 14 day tour. Visit the lively German cities of Berlin, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Munich, Heidelberg and Frankfurt as well as the smaller cities and towns along the way. Visit the Schlosskirche where Luther nailed the 95 Theses and visit other important sites where Bach and Luther worked and lived during their lifetimes. We will have the opportunity to attend concerts given by the Bethany College Choir of Lindsborg, Kansas during the first part of our tour. Driving on to Munich we will experience this lively city and have a chance to see the Glockenspiel as well as sightseeing in the surrounding mountain scenery. Experience the beautiful Black Forest and the University city of Heidelberg. Take an incredible cruise on the Rhine River and explore the streets and back alleys of German villages. Please join us for this inspirational, historical and scenic tour to the country of Germany. Your tour host will be Pastor Robert Dotzel, 1976 graduate of Bethany College and currently Lutheran Campus Pastor at the University of Iowa. |
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| Tour Host:
Pastor Robert Dotzel |
| Your tour escort, The Rev. Robert Dotzel is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He graduated from Bethany College in 1976 with a degree in Religion, Philosophy, and German. After graduation he spent six months in Germany as an intern at the Evangelical Academy in Tutzing and the Youth Work Center in Josephstal. In 1982 Dotzel graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. Since that time he has served congregations in Junction City, KS, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, IA. Since 1997 he has been Campus Pastor at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Dotzel also serves as adjunct faculty in religion at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa City. As Campus Pastor he has organized frequent service/learning and mission trips to various locations around the U.S. and Mexico. In recent years, he and his family have traveled in Ireland, Scotland, and England to learn more about Celtic culture and spiritual traditions.
In 1978 Pastor Dotzel married Stephanie Block of Salina, KS. Stephanie is a former Bethany student with a degree in music education from Capitol University in Columbus, OH. Stephanie directs the orchestra at N.W. Junior High School in Coralville, IA and plays violin in several eastern Iowa symphonies, including Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo. They have two daughters, Krista, an anthropology major at the University of Iowa, and Rebekah, a student at Iowa City High. Both girls take after their mother musically and play viola and cello, respectively.
When not preaching or teaching young adults on campus, Dotzel enjoys the following activities; guitar, bodhran (Celtic drum), learning Scots Gaelic, fly fishing for trout in Iowa's coldwater streams, and bicycling around town. |
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| Highlights
of Germany Tour Day-to-Day Itinerary |
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| DAY 1: Tuesday, May 27 (D on flight) |
| Departure from U.S.A. |
| Depart USA from the city of your choice to join Bethany College Choir departing for Berlin, Germany. Add-on fares from other cities besides Wichita, Kansas will apply. Please contact us for options. |
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| DAY 2: Wednesday, May 28 - (B-On Board Flight; D) |
| Berlin |
| Arrival in Berlin - “Berlin” - Sightseeing with Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku-Damm, the restored Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, monumental Brandenburg Gate, and the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park. Visit the KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH with its bomb-damaged tower, drive along Unter den Linden Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, and, of course, stop for pictures at Checkpoint Charlie.. Free time later in the evening after dinner. Tonight is your chance to sample Berlin’s night life! Dinner and overnight in Berlin. |
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| DAY 3: Thursday, May 29 -
(B,D) |
| Berlin - Lutherstadt-Wittenberg - Leipzig |
| Depart Berlin to head south to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg where the Reformation officially began on October 31, 1517. Visit the Schlosskirche where Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the front doors. See the Martin Luther Grave and Lutherhalle Museum. Also visit the Stadtkirche St. Marien where Luther preached and where his children were baptized. We continue on to Leipzig, an important center since the Middle Ages, and where Bach worked from 1723 - 1750. We will see today the St. Thomas Church and the Market Square with its fine Renaissance buildings, as well as take a look at the University. We will also learn of some of the Nazi past here concerning the infamous Kristallnacht. Dinner and overnight in Leipzig. |
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| DAY 4: Friday, May 30 -
(B,D) |
| Leipzig - Eisleben |
| Time in Leipzig in the morning to fit in sites not seen on Day 3. Bethany Choir Lunch concert in Leipzig. Then on to Eisleben to visit Luther’s birthplace. Luther was born here in 1483 and spent the last three weeks of his life here before he died in 1546. Dinner and overnight in Eisleben. |
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| DAY 5: Saturday, May 31 -
(B,D) |
| Eisleben - Arnstadt - Erfurt |
| Depart Eisleben for the Arnstadt and Erfurt areas, passing through Weimar on the way. We continue on to Arnstadt where Bach lived from (1703-1707): Its center is a pearl with old half-timbered houses and, cool brooks streaming between the houses here and there. The Bach Kirche, where Bach was organist in his youth, is situated on a hill in the middle of it all with the Bach statue at the market square. In Medieval Erfurt we will visit St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Augustinian Monastery and the Old University and follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther where he lived and studied in the University Quarter. Evening concert at the Monastery Church in Erfurt. In nearby Ohrdruf (1695-1700, is where Johan Sebastian lived with his older brother after his parents died.). Also nearby is the romantic little village of Dornheim (1707) with its little village church with red flowers at the wooden balcony. Bach was married to Maria Barbara here. Dinner and overnight in Erfurt. |
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| DAY 6: Sunday, June 1 -
(B,D) |
| Erfurt - Eisenach |
| Depart Erfurt to travel to Eisenach and Wartburg Castle. Here visit the Bach Museum and St. George’s Church where Luther sang in the boys’ Choir. An interesting tour of Wartburg Castle is on hand where Luther took refuge after being excommunicated by the Pope. See the room where Luther translated the Bible into German. Lunch concert or church service in the Hall in the Castle. Dinner and overnight in Eisenach. |
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| DAY 7: Monday, June 2 -
(B,D) |
| Eisenach - Würzburg - Nuremberg |
| Depart Eisenach to continue to stately Würzburg, beautifully situated on the vine-clad shores of the River Main. Enjoy a pleasant stroll through the lavish GARDENS of the Residenz. Continue to Nuremberg, the town of children’’s toys and gingerbread. It is also the birthplace of painter Albrecht Dürer and poet and meistersinger Hans Sachs. This was one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Germany before it was almost totally destroyed in World War II. However you will see the surviving historical highlights. Dinner and overnight in Nuremberg. |
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| DAY 8: Tuesday, June 3 -
(B,D) |
| Nuremberg - Rothenburg - Munich |
| Admire Nuremberg’s impressive medieval ramparts and walk through the pedestrian area of the charming Old Town. Visit the St. Sebald Church, reconstructed as a monument to peace from the rubble of wartime destruction. Travel along Germany’’s Romantic Road, which leads from the flatlands towards the Alps. A special stop is medieval Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th-century houses. See the famous altar woodcarving in the Jakobskirche by Tilmann Riemenschneider on your walking tour. Continue on south to the Danube Valley and to the lively Bavarian capital, Munich for dinner and
overnight. |
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| DAY 9: Wednesday, June 4 - (B,D) |
| Munich |
Munich Orientation and Free time(Optional excursion to Dachau and Augsburg).
After breakfast, we enjoy an orientation tour which highlights the Olympic Stadium from 1972, Ludwigstrasse and Marienplatz with its famous Glockenspiel Carillon. Free time afterwards. You might want to visit some of the city's fine museums or take an optional excursion to Dachau, one of the infamous Nazi Concentration Camps from World War II. Also included on the excursion will be Augsburg and St. Anna Church. This evening, we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight again in Munich. |
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| DAY 10: Thursday, June 5 - (B) |
| Munich - Oberammergau - Neuschwanstein - Munich |
| Today we travel through some of the most beautiful scenery of the German Alps, and visit Oberammergau with its distinctive chalets, home since 1634 to the Passion Play which is performed every 10 years. Many of the homes are adorned with mural paintings. We continue along part of the German Alpine Road to the Wieskirche, a masterpiece of Bavarian rococo, We’ll visit the 'fairytale' castle Neuschwanstein, perched on an Alpine mountainside. This was Ludwig II's favorite castle, though he spent little time here before his death. Then back to Munich where you might want to join the locals for a lively dinner and foaming beer at one of Munich's world-famous 'Bier Kellers'. Overnight again in Munich. |
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| DAY 7: Friday, June 6 -
(B,D) |
| Munich - Lindau - Black Forest |
| A scenic day in the mountains driving along the panoramic German Alpine Road to the sunny northern shore of Lake Constance, Europe’’s largest freshwater reservoir. Visit charming Lindau, then continue north. Enter the Schwarzwald, the Black forest, with its dark evergreens, quaint half-timbered farmhouses and locals with traditional costumes. We’ll seek out the cuckoo clocks and nutcrackers in Titisee, deep in the heart of the forest. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in the heart of the Schwarzwald. |
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| DAY 8: Saturday, June 7 -
(B,D) |
| Black Forest - Heidelberg |
| We drive on north to the elegant city of Baden-Baden, famous for its spa and casino. Then on to the 'Student Prince' city of Heidelberg with its imposing Heidelberg Castle for a walking tour through the Castle courtyards. This castle was erected by Elector Ruprecht III in the 14th century as a royal residence. Visit the GREAT VAT, a 49,000-gallon 18th century wine cask which is a large attention-getter. Time to stroll around in the Old Town. Dinner and overnight in Heidelberg. |
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| DAY 9: Sunday, June 8 -
(B,D) |
| Heidelberg - Rhine River Cruise - Frankfurt |
| Depart Heidelberg for Rudesheim for a riverboat cruise on the Rhine River. You'll pass by hilltop fortresses, villages, terraced vineyards and the legendary Lorelie Rock. Disembark in lively St. Goar for some free time, then on to Frankfurt. Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening with your fellow companions. Overnight in Frankfurt. |
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| DAY 10: Monday, June 9 -
(B,L- On board flight) |
| Depart from Frankfurt |
| Depart from Frankfurt to fly back to USA and your local destination. Your tour of Germany ends at Frankfurt airport. Danke Schön!! |
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