LUTHER LAND HERITAGE
TOUR

July 9-22, 1996

My first sojourn to the European Continent began
on Tuesday, July 9, 1996, 10:15 a.m., when I picked up Alice Forster and Beth Juntilla,
my travelling companions, in Cranford and drove to Brookhaven, Pa. My
son-in-law, Chuck Worrell, drove us to the Philadelphia Airport where we met
Reverend Christine Regan and her group from St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in
Woodbury, NJ.  We boarded United Airlines
Flight #1209 at 3:35 p.m. to Washington, DC. We left Washington at 6:00 p.m. on
KLM Flight #8036 for Amsterdam. At 9:35 a.m. (7/10/96) we boarded KLM Flight
#143 for Berlin, Germany and arrived at 10:55 a.m.

It was misty and cloudy
upon our arrival in this city. Apparently I fell asleep on the flight from
Washington, DC to Amsterdam, and when I awoke, a woman clothed in a black
caftan and white headdress

was sleeping on the three empty seats next to me!! She awoke and

engaged me in conversation. She told me that she had lived in Astoria,

Queens for thirteen years before moving to Henrendon, Va. to raise her two
boys. She was taking them to Cairo, Egypt to spend the summer

with her mother. She seemed a very pleasant and gentle woman.

Our first "home away
from home" was the Hotel Palace, Room #521, a

beautiful room. After a delicious dinner at "Alt Nürnberg" (Old
Nürnberg), we met the other half of our tour group (28 Missouri Synod

Lutherans from Texas), and had evening devotions. There were five

ministers on our combined tour, The Revs. Ken and Christine Regan, and Marcia
Bell from our group; and Rev. Dr. Norbert Mueller and Rev. Dr. Gerald
Kieschnick from the Texas group. They took turns leading daily morning and
evening devotions.

Our hotel was located
opposite Berlin's famous Tiergarten,
but there was not enough time for a visit. Some of my observations on my first
day in Germany: learning to tell time European style, 0100-2400; a bowl of
apples for guests was placed on a table in the hotel lobby; a two-piece group
played for evening music in the hotel lobby; young people were dressed neatly
(no over-sized clothes) the weather was sunny and bright, temperature of 680
the second day; no ice cubes

available anywhere in the hotel; we were cautioned not to drink tap

water in Germany or the Czech Republic. Water in Austria and Switzerland was
all right to drink; special bicycle paths in the cities; everyone lives in
apartment buildings, many with beautiful flowers in the window boxes.

THURSDAY, JULY
11:  The weather was cold and chilly as we set out on our bus tour of the
newly reunified city of Berlin. Our guide was

Tatiana, German-born in the former Eastern sector. We began our tour

at the Brandenburg Gate at the end of beautiful Unter Den Linden

Boulevard, on to the Berlin Cathedral, St. Hedwig's Church, Schoenberg Town
Hall, Bellenue Castle, the Hansa Quarter, Kürfürstendamm (famous shopping
area), Checkpoint Charlie, Templehof Airport and the Berlin Wall.

We also drove past the
site of the Olympic Stadium. Although Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse,
the erstwhile crossing between the American and Soviet sectors, does not exist
anymore, many of its grim accoutrements--a watchtower, segments of the Wall,
pillboxes, barbed wire--have been preserved, and are under monument protection.
This entire Eastern sector (Communist before reunification) was in very poor
condition: buildings are very dark and depressing, streets

are paved with large cobblestones, as well as sidewalks. There is an immense
building program underway, but renewal will only take place as long as finances
hold out. Many buildings have bullet holes

and pockmarks from the fighting during WWII.

FRIDAY, JULY 12: The weather was cloudy but turned sunny early
on.

Today we met our tour guide for the remainder of the trip, Dorothy

Kennedy, German-born who "acquired her American name" in the States.

On her arrival in Berlin, she learned her luggage was lost on the

Lufthansa flight; she hoped we liked her outfit because we would be

seeing it for a while. We soon learned when Dorothy told us we would

have to walk "just a few steps", it could be a very long haul. So

Dorothy's mile came into existence.

Our new bus driver was
Oswald, a resident of Frankfurt, and the father

of a 15-year
old son; he would be with us for
the approximately 2,000-mile trip ahead of us.

We departed for Wittenberg, the city where Luther's
activities reached a high point. As a professor of philosophy and theology at
Wittenberg University, he made his public appearance in 1517 by nailing his 95
Theses against the misuse of the indulgence system to the door of the Castle
Church, sparking the Reformation movement. Luther is buried under the pulpit in
the church. We also visited Luther's dwelling in the Augusteum, and the Luther
monument in the marketplace. We observed a wedding party coming out of the Town
Hall.  Here in Wittenberg I made an
exchange in a local bank--Citicorp Travelers' checks for Deutschmark. We also
had a delightful luncheon of creamed chicken, toast and iced tea. The waitress
spoke no English,

somehow we were able to order!!

On to Eisleben, the birthplace of Luther, and
where he died in 1546;

visited the 15th century church where he was baptized. Then on to

Leipzig to the Dorint Hotel (7:45 p.m.) for dinner of mushroom soup,

fish, mixed vegetables and potatoes, chocolate pudding and iced tea.

It rained overnight!

SATURDAY, JULY 13: The weather was sunny and in the low 70's
when we toured the 13th century Thomas Church, immortalized by Bach and where
he served as cantor and choir director. It was here in 1519 that Luther debated
Johan Eck, and denied the divine origin of papal

supremacy.

On to Eisenach, a refuge for Luther during
the stormy days before the Reformation. On our bus ride through the formerly
Communist controlled sector, I was continually reminded of the depressing
houses, many with the traditional flower boxes, red roof, lace curtains, and,
at one point, a rusty, dirty old train that served as transportation, and of
course, more bullet holes and destruction from WWII battles which are still
visible fifty years later!! This impressed me totally as so many of my fellow
High School students fought in this European theater of war.

In Eisenach we also visited Wartburg Castle, set on a mountain top

overlooking the city and located 600 feet above the town, which is

reached only after a rigorous climb. It is one of the best preserved

German medieval fortresses. Here Luther worked on a translation of

the New Testament and, Richard Wagner inspired by the Thuringian scenery, wrote
the opera, "Tannhäuser". We saw Luther's study, the

Reformation room and the lovely paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder.

We viewed the house where Sebastian Bach was born and which contains

a collection of valuable musical instruments, and the Rothhalle (Town Hall).

Drove on to Erfurt, located in the heart of Thuringia and called by

Luther, "a new Bethlehem". Spent the night at another Dorint Hotel

where dinner was served at 8:30 p.m. and consisted of clear broth

with ravioli, meat cake with mushroom sauce and a fruit and custard

pudding. I might add here that beverages were always "extra"; no
bread was served with any dinners.

SUNDAY, JULY 14: Weather was sunny and warm. Still in Erfurt, we drove to the Augustinian Cloister where Luther was struck down by
lightning on July 2, 1505, and made his vow to become a monk and then entered
the Cloister. We visited the beautiful St. Severi Church and the Cathedral
where Luther was ordained.

Drove on to Dresden, renowned center for fine art and china. We visited the Semper Opera
House, the Dresden Palace, and the Brühl Walk along the Elbe River with its
"White Fleet" of restaurants anchored there. Ate lunch at an outdoor
cafe (inside) consisting of potato pancakes, applesauce and Pepsi. Then on to
the Czech Republic, crossing the check point at the German-Czech border
(Bohemia), to the capital city of Prague, once home of the martyred reformer,
John

Huss. Ten centuries of European history can be traced in this proud

capital, and almost all European architectural styles are found within its
walls.

The Hotel Don Giovanni in
Prague was the most beautiful one on our

tour. Here we were surprised to find a "welcome" message on the TV!!

Alice, Beth and I had a small suite for our room. Several Tour friends came for
a first-hand view, including Pastor Chris! My buffet dinner consisted of
chicken soup, beef rouladen, red cabbage, potato dumpling and several delicious
pastries for dessert!!

Several observations
before I proceed on tour: only Deutschmark (Germany) and Krona (Czech Republic)
were accepted, no American cash,

travelers check or credit cards were accepted here in the Eastern

sector. As we left the larger cities, we observed small garden plots in the
country, colony gardens. People living in apartment houses

in the city obtained a small piece of land in the country on which

to plant vegetables and flowers. Often the plot was large enough for a small
house or shed which served as a "weekend getaway". Another

observation was that every hotel bathroom was supplied with a hair

dryer, making the necessity of packing one and an adapter unnecessary. Also,
some rooms contained small refrigerators.

We often travelled the
infamous Autobahn where I saw a round sign,

circled in red with the figure 80 inside.
While speaking with Oswald, the bus driver, he informed me that equaled
50 mph speed limit, and was strictly enforced by radar. I also learned that
mail boxes were painted yellow; that there were innumerable BP gas stations;
others noted were Aral, Esso and Minol. Trolleys ran in every city, and I would
have liked to have ridden on one, but there was no time!!

MONDAY, JULY 15: Weather was sunny and warm, and after a
sumptuous

buffet breakfast, choice of four juices, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, meats,
cheeses, omelets, eggs, bacon or sausage, rolls, danish, butter, jelly, coffee,
we were off on our "20-mile" tour or Bataan death march as I heard it
referred to.

We experienced the
1,000-year old history of Prague with a visit to

Hradcany Castle, the seat of power for several Czech princes and kings. On to
the Gothic St. Vitus's Cathedral, the picturesque Golden Lane, the Romanesque
Basilica of St. George, and the Lesser Town, full of winding streets lined with
little taverns and old houses.

We continued on to the Old Town to see the ancient Town Hall with its animated
astronomical clock. The rest of the afternoon was left for shopping, so after a
ham and cheese sandwich and a coke, I sat on a bench in the square "people
watching" as I was too tired to shop!!

Everyone met in the square at 5:00 p.m., and we crossed the bridge over the
Moldau River to board our bus for the return trip to the hotel and buffet-style
dinner. That evening I was fascinated by a

German singer on TV, Rolf Buchholz, and plan to look for his tapes or records.

TUESDAY, JULY 16: Weather was sunny and cool as we boarded our
bus and crossed the border into Austria. The trip from Prague to Vienna

was 294 km or 184 miles. Once into Austria I was pleasantly surprised

at the beautiful and pristine fields of corn, hops, wheat, rye, grape

arbors and sun flowers. Also, there were many wayside flowers, red and white
poppies and fields of blue flowers which looked like bluebells. At the border a
guard boarded the bus (Czech-Austrian border) for passport check. While waiting
for the bus papers to be processed, we observed a car search. Only one carton
of cigarettes per person is permitted to be carried over the border. This car
had five cartons, which were confiscated by the border guards!

We arrived in the capital
city of Vienna, once the center of the

mighty Hapsburg Empire, at the Ananas Hotel where dinner consisted

of cream of carrot soup, salad, chicken and rice and apple strudel.

Here at the Ananas I discovered they did not provide the usual white

hotel sheets (as they seemed to do even in the United States), but was
pleasantly surprised to find our beds made up in pale blue sheets!

Also, it was here in Vienna that we were able to find an English- speaking news
person on CNN.  Here we also were treated
to our first truly Continental breakfast: juice, rolls, butter and jelly, and
coffee. These breakfasts became known in the group as "extended
breakfast"!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17: Weather was sunny and cool for our city
tour.  We started at the Schönbrunn
Palace and gardens, and toured twenty of the 1,400 rooms. Then drove along the
famous Ringstrasse past Hofburg Palace, the Burg Theater, the State Opera, and
on to Prince Eugene's Belvidere Palace and gardens. We lunched at the famous
Rosenberger's which was cafeteria style, on Dorothy's advice. This place was
mass confusion! After a hectic lunch we went to see the midday parade of
historic figures at the Anker Clock.

Here in Vienna we were
able to do some shopping after which we met

two of our tour friends and had ice cream, Sacher torte and coffee at a
delightful outside cafe, being served by a handsome young waiter

named Stephen.

As a special treat,
Dorothy offered to obtain tickets for the 6:30 p.m. Schlosskonzerte (concert)
at Schönbrunn Palace. Everyone got into their best "duds" and Oswald
drove us back to the Palace. The six musicians (3 boys and 3 girls) were
winners in the International Music Festival. It was a delightful
experience:  the first half consisted of
classical music by Mozart and arias from the "Magic Flute"; the
second half consisted of melodies of Johann Strauss. The "Schönbrunn Soloists"
consisted of two singers and two ballet dancers. We then returned to our hotel
for an 8:45 p.m. dinner.

THURSDAY, JULY 18: Weather was sunny and cool as we departed for

Salzburg. Sights observed on the Autobahn to Salzburg were the Melk

Abbey, Mondsee, and the church where Baron Von Trapp and Maria were

married. We had a walking tour of the city, Mozart's hometown, and

ate lunch at St. Peter Stiftskeller, on Dorothy's suggestion. Lunch

consisted of Monastery Soup (a creamed ham and vegetable soup served

in loaf of hollowed-out pumpernickel bread), and apricot crepes, very

delicious!!

Then on to Munich, the capital of Bavaria,
crossing the Isar River.

Upon arrival in Munich, at 6:30 p.m., a very modern city rebuilt due to 80%
destruction during WWII, there was a message from Cousin Karoline to call her.
I returned the call, using my acquired German. Since we had only one evening in
Munich, I asked if we could meet then. She however offered to come to Munich
(she lives approximately one hour away in Strasskirchen) the following
afternoon. This suggestion was not possible for me since the tour was leaving
that morning for Switzerland, therefore, I still have never seen her!

Here in Munich we were
housed in the Regent Hotel which was unique in that the two elevators held only
four persons each, including hand

luggage, really made for "togetherness". Dinner that evening was

vegetable soup, turkey, peas, rice and chocolate mousse.

FRIDAY, JULY 19: Weather was sunny and cool. We left Munich
after a city tour via Karolinenplatz to Koenigsplatz passing the former

Royal Residence, Odeon Square with its beautiful theatiner Church and the Hall
of Generals. Munich is also the headquarters of BMW motor cars.
We crossed one of the smaller borders into the charming state

of Lichtenstein and after a short route through another
border crossing into Switzerland
and drove along the shores
of the Wallensee and Lake Zürich with many sailboats to charming Lucerne. Here
we had some free time to visit the famous shops for gifts. Today we had
traveled through four countries, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and finally, Switzerland.
Our hotel for the following
two nights, the Astoria, was opposite the Bahnhof or railroad station and had a
very unusual elevator arrangement. In order to get to our room on the third
floor, we first took the lobby elevator to the first floor, walked down the
hall to another elevator which took us to our room in the new part of the
hotel. The dining room was located on the eighth floor which was reached by
taking an express elevator from the lobby! Dinner this evening at the Astoria
Hotel was vegetable soup, chicken, noodles and broiled tomato, and apricot
sherbet. It was during our assembling for dinner that we first heard about the
TWA 800 crash. There was little TV coverage of the crash so we were really not
aware of the tragic circumstances until we arrived at the Marriott in
Philadelphia and tuned into the TV news.

SATURDAY, JULY 20: Weather was sunny and cool. First order of business was a money
exchange for Swiss francs. Dorothy surprised us with another "special
trip". We opted for a boat ride across Lake Lucerne early in the morning.
The captain pointed out many interesting spots, the Casino and homes of
celebrities (Audrey Hepburn's was one) on the mountain tops surrounding the
lake. Oswald, with the bus, was waiting at the other side of the lake and then
we went on to Mt. Stanser Horn, 6,300 ft. high. We took a railway tram halfway
up the mountain and then changed over to an aerial cable car. It was a clear
day and you "could see forever", some mountain peaks were green, some
cold grey stone and some snow-covered. There was a delightful outside

cafe on the mountain top where refreshments, including hot chocolate,

were served.

After descending the
mountain, we drove through the lovely Obwalden

Valley, observed the castle used in filming "Snow White", with the

Lakes Sarnen and Ludgern on the Bruenig Pass road to Interlaken, a popular summer resort noted for its
attractive flower gardens. On all our drives through Switzerland, the beautiful green hillsides with their
grazing cows and little chalets, were so pristine, the grass looked like green
velvet to me.

On our return trip from Interlaken to Lucerne, our driver stopped
the bus at the side of the road. A passing bus going toward Interlaken also pulled over. Suddenly we saw Dorothy running toward the other bus.
Unknown to us her husband was the driver, and they had not seen each other in
three months. After hugs and kisses on their part, she returned to our bus, and
we continued on our journey back to Lucerne. In the
distance we observed fifteen hang gliders; and several men were doing repelling
practice off the roof of a hotel in Interlaken.

Dinner that night was
awful--vegetable noodle broth, sweet/sour pork

and rice, coconut mousse. The waiter commented on the half empty dishes, and
admitted he too did not like the entree!!

SUNDAY, JULY 21: Weather was sunny and cool. Our first stop
was in

the old town of Lucerne to view the Lion Sculpture, a rock monument

modeled by Thorwaldsen. The Lion of Lucerne, famous masterpiece of

early 19th century, is dedicated to the memory of the heroic fight

and final defeat of the Swiss Guards 1792 in Paris. The lion, always

considered a symbol of courage and strength, served the artist to

demonstrate a tragic event, a fight to the death. The heart pierced

by a lance, the lion still holds its protecting paw over the shield

with the lily coat of arms, emblem of the Bourbon kings. The monument was hewn
into the rock in 1820-21. The lion measures 30 feet, the entire niche in the
rock wall measures 43 feet.

We continued our drive
via Zürich to Lufthausen. Zürich is well-known

for its many banks and as an important insurance center. I noticed

during our tour that no windows had shades, but on the outside of the windows
there was a metal-type venetian blind which was pulled down to ward off the
sun.

Our journey continued to Schaffhausen-Neuhausen am Rhine, a village

near the thunderous Rhine
Falls, a 70-foot cataract of
the Rhine River. It was at this point where we were all
searching for a 50-pfennig coin in order to use the WC or toilletin. A little
German boy standing nearby was observing with a grin our difficulties. It was
also at this location that I remember the steep macadam climb and series of
steps to the parking lot. I confess I stopped several times to catch my breath!

On the bus again, we
crossed the Swiss-German border and drove into the Black Forest region enjoying
the breathtaking views to Hofgut
Sterne in Hell's Valley, and
stopped there for lunch. Here I enjoyed an open-face Black Forest Ham sandwich
and Coca Cola. There were several interesting shops where I purchased several
souvenirs and a delightful wooden music box for my collection.

We decided to hold Sunday
Services at the St. Oswald Kappelle (chapel)

at this location; it was built in the 13th Century. Alice noted that

it was 2:30 p.m. German time, or 8:30 a.m. in Cranford, the same time

as Calvary's early service!!

Leaving the Black Forest
we continued on to Worms, site of the 1521

Diet of Worms, where Luther refused to recant his writings. We saw

the Cathedral and the exact spot where Luther said, “Here I Stand”.

Also saw the huge monument
of Luther and others in the square.

Dinner that evening in
the Europa Hotel in Ludwigshafen
consisted of corn soup,
beef, string beans, potatoes and vanilla pudding. Ludwigshafen is home to the BASF plant which employs over
5,000 people. At this point, Oswald left for his return to Frankfurt and home.

MONDAY, JULY 22: We had an early call at 5:30 a.m. to enable
us to

leave for the Frankfurt
Airport, an hour away from Ludwigshafen.
The breakfast today,
Continental-style, was roll, jelly and coffee, the worst ever!!

The New Jersey group was
leaving on a 1:50 p.m. flight, Northwest #53, but the Texas group had a 10:25
a.m. flight, so everyone was transported at one time on the bus. Dorothy stayed
with us until we arrived at our respective passenger check-in areas.

Throughout the entire
tour, fluids were of great importance, so after

everyone checked in, we headed for McDonald's and a LARGE glass of

orange juice.

Our flight left on time
and arrived in Detroit,
Michigan at 4:35 p.m.

After locating our luggage and passing through customs, we checked

our bags for the next flight, and boarded the Northwest shuttle bus

for the domestic flight area. We now had a chance to rest and partake of some
refreshments before boarding Flight #1786 Northwest for Philadelphia.

We arrived in Philadelphia at 10:25 p.m., picked up our luggage,

hunted for a porter with a motorized cart to take us to the Airport

Marriott. (My daughter,
Diane, had made reservations for Beth, Alice

and me previously.) After a good night's sleep and leisurely breakfast, my
son-in-law, Chuck, picked us up. After dropping him off in Brookhaven, we
headed for home; I arrived at 601 Fairway Road at 1:15 p.m., July 23rd!! End of
my "Luther Land Heritage" tour --