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Day 2 • Glasgow Photo Library
Day 3 • St. Andrew's Church
Day 4 • York Minster
Day 6 • Westminster
Day 8 • Strasbourg
Day 9 • Reformation Monument
Day 11 • Alps
Day 13 • Passion Play
Day 1 • Departure from the USA
We start our journey to Europe as we board a plane and fly to Glasgow, Great Britain.
Day 2 • Glasgow/Edinburgh
We arrive in Glasgow, where we are met by our friendly Signature Tours International Manager who takes us on a city sightseeing tour. We visit the Glasgow Photo Library, which is home to the Burrell Collection. This huge display includes Chinese ceramics and pottery, tapestries, stained glass, Chinese jade, Persian and Indian rugs, Egyptian statuettes, Greek and Italian pottery, and furniture. We have time at leisure to explore on our own before we travel to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, a beautiful city, open and green, set on a series of volcanic hilltops. We have dinner and stay overnight in Edinburgh.
Day 3 • Edinburg Castle
Day 3 • Edinburg
Today we take a guided city tour of Edinburgh. We tour Edinburgh Castle and St. Giles Cathedral. Edinburgh Castle sits high above the city in a prominent and strategic location and can be seen by most views in the ci ty. Standing in Parliament Square and part of the Royal mile is St Giles Cathedral. It is especially bound to John Knox, who was its minister from 1559 to 1572 and who preached an uncompromising Calvinist message, launching the Scottish Reformation. Referred to as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, St Giles has been watching over Edinburgh spiritually for over 900 years. There is free time for lunch on our own before an afternoon excursion to St. Andrews that will include a visit to St. Andrew’s Parish Church. We return to Edinburgh for dinner and the night.
Day 4 • Edinburgh/Abbotsford/York
This morning we board our motor coach for transfer to York. En route we stop in Abbotsford, a fantasy in stone. Abbotsford is a community typical of Sir Walter Scott, the man who did so much to romanticise and popularise all things Scottish. We continue our trip to York with a stop for lunch on our own before arrival. After our arrival, we tour York, including a visit to York Minster, the largest Gothic church north of the Alps. No one knows when Christianity first arrived in the city of York, but by 306 when Constantine the Great was proclaimed Emperor, it is believed that there was a small Christian community among those who declared him. York Minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York and is the most spectacular of churches in Northern England. It is the largest medieval cathedral in Northern Europe and displays some of the best examples of medieval craftsmanship in the world. We have dinner and spend the night in York.
Day 5 • St. Andrew's Church
Day 5 • York/Cambridge/London
Next on our journey is the university town of Cambridge, a collage of images: the Bridge of Sighs, spires and turrets, willows, dusty second-hand bookshops, the lilt of Elizabethan madrigals, lanes where Darwin, Newton, and Cromwell walked, the grassy "Backs" of the colleges, , and the tattered robes of hurried upperclassmen flying in the wind. There is time for lunch on our own before we travel to London where we will have dinner and spend the night.
Day 6 • London
Today we take a tour of London, the capital of Great Britain. We visit some of the most well known sights in England, including Westminster Abbey, where the Kings and Queens of England have been crowned since 1066. We have a view of the famous House of Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and lastly, the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror and home to the British Crown Jewels. There is time for lunch on our own and the afternoon is at leisure to explore London under the direction of our Tour Manager. Dinner and overnight are in London.
Day 7 • Eurostar
Day 7 • London/Brussels/Strasbourg
Our tour continues as we board the EuroStar train for Brussels, the capital of Belgium. There is time for lunch on our own during our train ride. Upon arrival in Brussels, we travel by coach to Strasbourg to have dinner and stay the night.
Day 8 • Strasbourg/Geneva
Beginning our day is a guided tour of Strasbourg, including a visit to Strasbourg Notre-Dame Cathedral, St. Thomas Church, and the Reformer’s Statue. At the heart of the historical center of Strasbourg, the superb Cathedral of Notre Dame is like 'a pinky-red angel hovering over the city' in the words of the French poet and playwrite, Paul Claudel. It is surely one of the finest of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe. Located in the old part of the city, St. Thomas Church is now a Protestant church. One of the treasures of the church is the organ, which was played by Mozart in 1778. This afternoon, we travel to Geneva, Switzerland, stopping for lunch on our own. We’ll have dinner and spend the night in Geneva.
Day 9 • Geneva
Geneva is unquestionably one of the most privileged Swiss cities due to its exceptional location. We are sure to be charmed by the opulent mansions, the harbor and its fountain, and the simmering shores of the lake, set against a backdrop of lush vegetation and wooded mountains. This morning we take a guided sightseeing tour that includes St. Pierre (St. Peter’s) Cathedral, Calvin’s Academy, and the Reformation Monument. The Cathedral of St. Peter is best known as the church where John Calvin gave his inspiring sermons during the mid-16th century. One of the most important institutions of Geneva, which strengthened the Reformed religion at home and extended it abroad, is the Academy founded by Calvin in 1541. Against the wall under the Promenade de la Treille, the Reformation Monument can be seen. In the middle are figures of Calvin, Guillaume Farel, Théodore de Bèze or Beza, and John Knox, the four individuals who were instrumental in the Reformation movement. There is time for lunch on our own and an afternoon at leisure to explore Geneva. We’ll have dinner and spend the night in Geneva.
Day 10 • Chillon Castle
Day 10 • Geneva/Montreux/Lucerne
After leaving Geneva behind, we travel to Montreux, where we will take a tour of Chillon Castle. The Chillon Castle, or Château de Chillon, is located on the shore of Lake Geneva. The Castle consists of 25 independent buildings that have been connected and now form one single building. It was made famous by Lord Byron, who wrote the poem, The Prisoner of Chillon, which was about Francois de Bonivard, a monk and politician who was imprisoned there from 1530 to 1536. We continue to Lucerne with time for lunch on our own. We have some time at leisure upon arrival and then have dinner and stay overnight in Lucerne.
Day 11 • Lucerne
Today we take a guided walking tour of Lucerne. Once a simple fishermen's village, Lucerne acquired fame by the founding in the 8th century of a small Benedictine monastery attached to the Alsatian Abbey of Murbach. The setting on a beautiful lake, with dramatic Alps behind, is one of the most stunning in Europe. After our tour, the afternoon is free for lunch on our own and to continue individual exploration. Dinner and overnight are in Lucerne.
Day 12 • Zurich
Day 12 • Lucerne/Zurich/Oberammergau
We depart Lucerne for the highlight of our trip, Oberammergau, Germany. We travel via Zurich where we will have a guided city tour, including entrance to Grossmünster, Fraumünster and Helferei, where the Reformer Uldrich Zwingli lived. Zurich is home to many historic buildings, including Grossmünster, a cathedral, once Catholic, now Protestant, dating back to the 11th century. Built between the 12th and 15th centuries, Fraumünster took the place of a former convent. We continue to Oberammergau, enjoying lunch on our own en route. We’ll have dinner and stay overnight in Oberammergau.
Day 13 • Oberammergau/PASSION PLAY
Today is the day we have all been waiting for! This small town of peasants and craftsmen, encircled by the wooded foothills of the Ammergau, owes its fame to the internationally renowned Passion Play. Performed only once every ten years, and involving 1,100 amateur actors from the local population, this play, re-enacting the final days of Christ, lasts an entire summer’s day. This is sure to be a day we will never forget. Tonight we gather for a Farewell dinner and spend the night in Oberammergau.
Day 14 • Oberammergau/Munich/Hometown U.S.A.
We transfer to Munich Airport for our return flight to the U.S., taking with us many fun memories to share!!