Day 3 • Edinburgh
Day 4 • York
Day 6 • Westminster Abbey
Day 8 • Paris
Day 10 • Lucerne
Day 1 • Departure from the USA
We begin our adventure as we board our plane for our overnight trans-Atlantic flight.
Day 2 • London/Edinburgh, Scotland
We change planes in London and continue flying on to Edinburgh. Upon arrival, we are met by our courteous Signature Tours International representatives who assist us to our hotel. Dinner and the night are in Edinburgh.
Day 3 • Edinburgh/St. Andrews/Edinburgh
Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful and sophisticated cities in Britain. We experience it first-hand visiting the world famous Edinburgh Castle and driving the Royal mile past the St. Giles’ Cathedral, John Knox’s house, the Canon gate, Tolbooth, Queen Mary’s Bath, and Holy rood Palace, the Queen’s official residence. Along Princess Street we see the site where Knox preached his famed sermon. We have an afternoon excursion to St. Andrews, where Knox was educated, preached the Reformation, and was imprisoned. It was here in St. Andrews that Scotland’s first reforming martyr, 24-year-old Patrick Hamilton, was burned at the stake. Another Reformer, George Wishart, friend of John Knox, was burned in 1546. We return to Edinburgh for the night.
Day 4 • Edinburgh/Abbotsford/York, England
It’s here that we see where he lived and died. Crossing into England, we visit Newcastle-upon-Tyne, built in 1080, and Durham, the burial place of the Venerable Bede. Our destination is York, the finest example of remaining walled cities from medieval times. As we drive through the streets, notice the upper stories of houses leaning precariously toward each other across the roadway. Nearby Halifax is the birthplace of General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. Dinner and overnight are in York.
Day 5 • Cambridge
Day 5 • York/Warwick/Cambridge/London
Departing York, we see the York Minster and Cathedral Church of St. Peter. We stop in Lincoln to remember John Newton, co-author with William Cowper, of the “Olney Hymns.” Passing through Warwick, we are reminded that English Puritan, Thomas Cartwright, died here in 1603. In Cambridge, the famous university town, we see Mathematical Bridge, King’s College with its chapel designed by Henry VI, and Trinity Hall. Cartwright was a divinity student here, as was Bible Translator, William Tyndale. Before we reach London we visit Windsor Village and see part of Windsor Castle, the country home of the Queen. Overnight is in London.
Day 6 • London
Our London tour includes Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London with the colorful Beefeater Guards, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham palace with the changing of the Guard (if held), the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the place where Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s tabernacle stood. This evening we leave London crossing the channel to France.
Day 7 • Eiffel Tower
Day 7 • Paris, France
Today, we travel through beautiful, history rich, countryside to reach Paris, the “City of Lights.” We visit Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triumphe, Champs Elysees, and the Eiffel Tower. Here, on St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572, the massacre of Huguenot leaders and Reformers touched off the effort to stem the tide of threats to the Catholic church of that century. Dinner and overnight are in Paris.
Day 8 • Paris/Strasbourg
Today we enjoy more French countryside as we travel from Paris to Strasbourg. In Nancy, the site of an 11th century castle that withstood the assaults of bishops of Metz and Treves, and the Cont of Bar, we see a triumphal arch erected in honor of Louis XV. Strasbourg, one of France’s largest cities, is home of the Gothic Cathedral with the 470 foot spire and Astronomical Clock.. Part of the crypt is dated from 1015, the apse is transitional, and the nave, completed in 1275, is pure Gothic. Dinner and the night are in Strasbourg.
Day 9 • Strasbourg/Basel/Lucerne, Switzerland
In Strasbourg, John Calvin struck up a spiritual kinship with Martin Bucer. The Swiss Reformed Church’s Confession of Faith, based on Zwinglian doctrine, was born in Basel in 1531. Our city tour includes the Tomb of Erasmus, the priest, tireless scholar, and antagonist of Martin Luther and Huldreich Zwingli. Here, in 1535, John Calvin wrote in Latin his “Institution of Christian Religion, which he later translated into French. His “Ecclesiastical ordinances” and institution of the “Consistory,” written while in Geneva, are said to have parented Presbyterianism. We have dinner and stay the night in Lucerne.
Day 10 • Lucerne
Lovely Lucerne is famous for its Alpine scenery. You have a wonderful day resting, shopping, or exploring this quaint town on your own. See the Lion Monument, enjoy a boat ride on the lake, or walk on the ancient walls, through the towers, or over the painted bridges.
Day 11 • Lucerne/Engelberg/Mt. Titlis
This morning’s excursion takes us to Engelberg, where we board the cable car to the summit of Mt. Titlis. A sweater is recommended in this high alpine region of glaciers and eternal ice. This evening we dine at a lovely restaurant and enjoy Swiss folklore entertainment.
Day 12 • Zurich
Day 12 • Zurich/Lake Constance
Zurich is Switzerland’s financial center and a city of great beauty. Astride the river Limmat, where it flows into the Zurichsee, there is a breathtaking view of the panoramic Alps. See the monument to Huldreich Zwingli, the prophet, priest, and politician of the 16th century. Then we travel on to Constance, rich in Reformation history. The Council of Constance convened here from 1414 – 1418, making it the hub of the then Christian world. Here John Huss, Precursor of Protestantism and hero of the Czech nation, was burned at the stake and we see the commemorative stone to his death. Dinner and overnight are in Constance.
Day 13 • Lake Constance/Meersburg/Zurich
Tiny, ancient Meersburg is located near Fredrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constance. It is peaceful, serene and beautiful! We enjoy visiting a castle and absorbing more of the grandeur of the Swiss Alps before returning to Zurich for the night.
Day 14 • Zurich, Hometown, U.S.A.
As we board our flight back home, we hear treasured memories of our experiences – enough to last a lifetime!