Day 1: Monday, April 16
Depart U.S. for Berlin

Day 2: Tuesday, April 17 — Berlin
Arrive in Berlin. After everything is settled, transfer to the Maritim proArte Hotel for check-in. This afternoon, an optional visit to Museum Island is planned. In the evening, meet your program planners for dinner and a welcome and orientation meeting.

Day 3: Wednesday, April 18 — Berlin-Wittenberg
After breakfast, enjoy a guided tour of several of Berlin's historical sites with an emphasis on church history. We'll visit the Berlin Cathedral, the Church of the Reconciliation, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Afterwards, travel to Wittenberg where we will check into our hotel, eat dinner, and meet with a representative of the ELCA Wittenberg Center for a welcome and introduction to the ministry of the Center. (Wittenberg, 3 nights)

Day 4: Thursday, April 19 — Wittenberg
Castle ChurchExplore the city where Martin Luther lived and taught for 36 years. The first part of the tour this morning includes the City Church, where Luther preached thousands of times, and the Castle Church, where he hung his "95 Theses," thus sparking the Reformation. Afterwards, you will have the chance to spend some time at either a German social service organization or a German vocational school. This afternoon we will resume our city tour with a visit to the Luther House, which was Luther's wedding gift from his prince in 1525 and now houses one of the world's largest Reformation archives. After dinner, a local Reformation scholar will give a presentation titled "Katharina von Bora: Morning Star of the Reformation." Overnight in Wittenberg.

Day 5: Friday, April 20 — Torgau day trip
We'll start our morning with a communion service at the Castle Church. Afterwards, our bus brings us to Torgau, where we will have lunch and tour a beautiful Renaissance castle, an early, prototypical Protestant church, and the Katharina von Bora museum. We also visit and share devotions at the nearby St. Mary's Church, where Luther's lively wife, "Katie," is buried. Afterwards, we will return to Wittenberg for a presentation titled ""Subversive Princesses of the Reformation."

Day 6: Saturday, April 21 — Wittenberg and Leipzig
Wittenberg womenThis morning we will enjoy a unique Reformation-era theater piece staged by local Wittenberg women, "Klatsch und Tratsch." This "gossip round" seeks to bring alive the lifestyle within women's circles in Wittenberg in the middle ages. Afterwards we head to Leipzig, where we will enjoy a walking tour of the city, including the St. Thomas Church, where Johann Sebastian Bach served as music director, and the St. Nikolas Church, which spearheaded the "Peaceful Revolution" of 1989. Then we will meet with a local pastor to hear his eyewitness account of the Monday demonstrations that sparked the Peaceful Revolution. (Overnight Leipzig, 3 nights)

Day 7: Sunday, April 22 — Nimbschen and Leipzig
"Katie" von Bora Luther statueThis morning we have the opportunity to worship at the St. Thomas Church, where the famous Boys Choir often provides musical accompaniment. Then we will head to a nearby historical site, the ruins of Kloster Nimbschen, the convent where Katharina von Bora was a nun and from which she fled before she married Martin Luther. Back in Leipzig this afternoon we will meet with some members of a local congregation to share our experiences in contemporary church life in our respective countries.

Day 8: Monday, April 23 — Dresden
On our agenda today is a daytrip to Dresden, "the Florence of the Elbe." There we will spend time with the Diaconal Community of Dresden and learn more about the foundation of Lutheran diaconal work and the various ministries that these women oversee and carry out. We will also have the chance to visit the spectacularly rebuilt Frauenkirche, which was heavily damaged by WWII bombing. Back to hotel in Leipzig.

Day 9: Tuesday, April 24 — Eisleben
This morning we travel to Eisleben. Here we meet with a local pastor who will share her own experiences and talk to us about the role of women in the German church. We will stay in nearby Kloster Helfta, a Cistercian Monastery, where we are invited to share in the daily prayers of the sisters. A tour of the convent this evening will get us oriented. (Overnight Eisleben, 2 nights)

Day 10: Wednesday, April 25 — Eisleben and Helfta
This morning we explore Eisleben in a walking tour of the city. We will see the homes where Luther was born and where he died, the Church of St. Peter and Paul, where he was baptized, and St. Andrew's, where Luther preached his last four sermons. This afternoon we return to the convent to hear an introduction to the three great medieval women mystics who made their homes at the convent in Helfta: Mechthild of Magdeburg, Mechthild of Hackeborn, and Gertrude of Helfta.

Day 11: Thursday, April 26 — Halle and the Francke Foundations
This morning our coach will take us to Halle, where we will tour the "Francke Foundations," a center of Lutheran pietism that included an orphanage, a school, and a Bible society. Missionaries from Halle, including Henry Melchior Muhlenburg, were largely responsible for spreading Lutheranism to India and North America. Francke's foundations were also among the most influential diaconal institutions of their time. We travel on to Erfurt this afternoon, where we will stay at the Augustinian Monastery. (Overnight Erfurt, 2 nights)

Day 12: Friday, April 27  — Erfurt
Our city tour this morning will take us to the University in Erfurt and to St. Mary's Cathedral, where Luther was ordained. We will also tour the Augustinian Monastery where Martin Luther took his monastic vows and lived as a monk. We will celebrate noon prayer with the Lutheran Sisters of the Community of the Casteller Ring at the Augustinian Monastery and have lunch at the monastery. This afternoon, we will meet again for a conversation with a sister on "Contemporary Lutheran Monastic Vocation." Enjoy free time in the evening to explore the city.

Day 13: Saturday, April 28 — to Eisenach
WartburgThis morning we travel to Eisenach, where we will enjoy a tour of the Wartburg Castle where Luther lived under protective custody and took advantage of the seclusion to create one of the most important works of his life, the German translation of the New Testament. After lunch we will visit the Bach house, an early-18th century home, including a demonstration of musical instruments from Bach's time. This afternoon, we will continue to the Frankfurt area and check into our hotel. Evening activities include dinner, a Eucharist celebration, and evaluation of the program.

Day 14: Sunday, April 29 — Fly back to U.S.  Auf wiedersehen!
It's time to say goodbye. Your coach will transfer you to the Frankfurt Rhein Main Airport for your homebound flight.