Rhine River Reformation Cruise July 9 23, 2018
Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, with president Dr. Joel R. Beeke, invites you to travel through Europe by deluxe motorcoach and luxurious river cruise ship. We ll be stopping for day visits at various old cities, many of which house famous sites of pre- Reformation, Reformation, and post-reformation history. Our tour also features Dordrecht, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the famous Synod of Dordrecht (Dort). Dr. Beeke, together with Reformation lecturers Dr. Ian Hamilton and David Woollin, will provide fascinating historical and theological addresses and insights along the way, together with highly qualified local guides. Don t miss this very special occasion! Dr. Joel R. Beeke is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, editor of Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, and editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books. He has written and coauthored ninety books, edited one hundred books, and contributed 2,500 articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His PhD is in Reformation and Post-Reformation theology from Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia). He is frequently called upon to lecture at seminaries and to speak at Reformed conferences around the world. He and his wife Mary have been blessed with three children and two grandchildren. Dr. Joel R. Beeke 616-432-3403 joel.beeke@prts.edu Dr. Ian Hamilton was the minister of Cambridge Presbyterian Church, England, until July 2016. For twenty years prior, he was the minister of Loudoun Church of Scotland, Newmilns, Ayrshire. Currently, he teaches at Edinburgh Theological Seminary and at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is married to Joan, and together they have four children and four granddaughters. Dr. Hamilton has written a number of books, including, The Erosion of Calvinist Orthodoxy, The Letters of John, and The Faith Shaped Life. Amsterdam Kralingseveer Dordrecht Amersfoort Woudenberg Rhine Koblenz Cochem Strasbourg Cologne Mainz Worms Speyer Rhine Rüdesheim Marburg Herborn Mannheim Heidelberg Bretten Danube David Woollin is from Yorkshire in northern England and is a graduate of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has been married to Sarah for eighteen years, and together they have three children: Benjamin, Samuel, and Amy. Alongside being the Sales and Marketing Director for Reformation Heritage Books, he is also an assistant to Dr. Joel R. Beeke. He is a regular preacher and teacher in both the United States and United Kingdom. Geneva Lake Geneva Grindelwald Lauterbrunnen Montreux Zermatt Basel Matterhorn Zürich Konstanz Lake Constance Rhine River Reformation Cruise July 2018
your cruise tour includes: Round-trip airfare from Chicago, Grand Rapids, or Toronto including all taxes and fees (other departure cities upon request) Land transportation by deluxe, air-conditioned motorcoach and river cruise ship Pre-cruise and post-cruise accommodations for six nights in centrally located first-class hotels Comfortable and elegant stateroom accommodations for seven nights on the MS Amadeus Silver II Daily breakfast, 5 lunches, and 13 dinners including regional specialties Experienced tour managers and local guides throughout Services of an experienced cruise director during the cruise All shore excursions as noted in the itinerary State-of-the-art audio headsets for all shore excursions Gratuities for all tour personnel July, 2018 09, Monday Departure from the U.S. The day of departure has arrived! We ll check for our flights to Switzerland. (D-in flight) 10, Tuesday Arrive Geneva Welcome to Switzerland! We ll touch down in Geneva by late morning, meet our European tour managers, and transfer to the city center. An orientation tour will take us past Geneva s most important sites, and we ll have some time to freshen up before a welcome dinner at the hotel. (B-in flight, D) 11, Wednesday Geneva After a good night s sleep, we re ready to do some exploring. Our guided tour of Geneva includes the Cathédrale St.- Pierre, where Calvin preached on Sundays and weekdays; the International Museum of the Reformation, which traces the history of the Reformation movement initiated by John Calvin; and a walk past City Hall to the Reformation Monument. This memorial, erected in 1917, contains statues of the four great reformers associated with Geneva Calvin, Farel, Beza, and Knox. If it can be arranged, we ll also visit l Auditoire, where John Knox preached to the English exiles on Sunday and Calvin lectured on the Holy Scriptures on weekdays. The Church of Scotland now worships here. Afterward, we ll have time to explore the city independently. Our day concludes with dinner and a cruise on the beautiful Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), an arcshaped lake that has long been a favorite vacation destination. (B, D) 12, Thursday Montreux, Zermatt/Klein Matterhorn A scenic drive along Lake Geneva takes us to the resort town of Montreux. With its exceptionally mild climate and Mediterranean plant life, Montreux is known as the Vaud Riviera. We ll have a chance to walk along the promenade and make a photo stop at the famous 12th-century Chillon Castle. Then we ll travel to Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn Switzerland s national symbol and the most photographed mountain in the world. We ll take a cable car up the Klein (small) Matterhorn, and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in Zermatt. During the evening, David Woollin will provide a lecture on Peter Waldo and the Waldensians. (B, D) Reformation Wall, Geneva, Switzerland Cover Image: MS Amadeus Silver II on the Rhine River near Cologne, Germany July 2018 Rhine River Reformation Cruise
13, Friday Lauterbrunnen/ Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald, Zurich Another day of incomparable Swiss scenery awaits us as we head to Lauterbrunnen, where we ll board a train to reach the top of the Jungfraujoch, Europe s highest mountain resort. The panorama at 11,401 feet defies description! We ll have time to take pictures and walk around before heading to the glacier village of Grindelwald, a picturesque scene with fields of fruit trees and charming buildings set against a rocky barrier. We ll then travel to Zurich, considered Switzerland s most important financial, industrial, and commercial center. Our day concludes at the hotel, where we ll check in and have dinner. David Woollin will provide a lecture on John Huss and the Hussites this evening. (B, D) 14, Saturday Zürich, Konstanz, Basel Our day begins with a guided tour of Zürich including the Grossmünster, from whose pulpit Ulrich Zwingli established the Reformation in the Germanspeaking part of Switzerland. We ll also visit the Fraumünster, which is famous for its stainedglass windows by Marc Chagall, and St. Peter s Church. After time for lunch we ll take an excursion into Germany to Konstanz, where Czech priest, philosopher, and early reformer Jan Huss was burned at the stake. We plan to visit the Hus Museum. Then we ll end the day in the Swiss city of Basel, a wealthy and influential city at the time of the Reformation. Theologian and reformer Johann Oecolampadius was from Basel, and John Calvin s Institutes of the Christian Religion were first published here. (B, D) 15, Sunday Basel We ll spend most of our day in Basel, with a morning worship service led by Dr. Beeke. In the late afternoon, we ll board the MS Amadeus Silver II to get acquainted with the ship and settle into our cabins. After an elegant dinner on board, Dr. Hamilton will lead an evening worship service on the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. (B, L, D) Lauterbrunnen Valley with Swiss Alps Cathedral in Strasbourg, France Train in Lauterbrunnen Valley Luther Monument, Worms Basel, Switzerland Heidelberg, Germany Rhine River Reformation Cruise July 2018
16, Monday Strasbourg, Alsace Region This morning we ll arrive in Strasbourg, the French city that figured prominently in the Reformation. Calvin was exiled here from 1538 to 1541, during which time he was the pastor of a congregation of French refugees. In addition, reformers Martin Bucer and Johannes Sturm lived and worked here. A walking tour will introduce us to Strasbourg s Cathedral Quarter and Petite France, the city s well-preserved historic core. We ll also see the European Parliament and other European institutions headquartered in Strasbourg. We ll return to the ship for lunch and then take an afternoon excursion to the lovely Alsace region. Back on board, we ll have dinner and Dr. Beeke will provide a lecture on Practical Lessons from the Life of John Calvin. (B, L, D) 17, Tuesday Speyer, Bretten, Heidelberg, Worms, Mannheim We ll dock in Speyer this morning, a former Roman settlement and one of the oldest towns in Germany. After breakfast, we ll disembark and travel to Bretten to visit the Melanchthon House, located on the site of the birthplace of reformer Philipp Melanchthon who was born in Bretten in 1497. This is now a museum with an extensive library. We ll then travel to the delightful city of Heidelberg on the Neckar River. Martin Luther was called to defend his 95 Theses here, and it was later home to Zacharius Ursinus, author of the Heidelberg Catechism. We ll visit the romantic Heidelberg Castle and walk through the historic city center to visit the University Library and the Protestant Holy Ghost Church (where one of the Hedielberg Catechism s major authors, Caspar Oleivanus, ministered), followed by time for an independent lunch. This afternoon we ll travel to Worms (where Luther defended himself before Roman Catholic authorities at the Diet of Worms in 1521) to see the 19th-century Luther monument, the largest Reformation monument in the world. We ll rejoin the Amadeus Silver II in Mannheim and have dinner on board. Dr. Beeke will provide a lecture on the History and Legacy of the Heidelberg Cathechism this evening. (B, D) July 2018 Rhine River Reformation Cruise
18, Wednesday Rüdesheim, Mainz, Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Koblenz We ll arrive in Rüdesheim am Rhein this morning, at the southern end of the Rhine Gorge. We ll board the waiting motorcoach for an excursion to Mainz, where we ll visit the Gutenberg Museum, home to two original editions of the worldfamous Gutenberg Bible. Back in Rüdesheim, we ll re-board the cruise ship and have lunch as we cruise along the most beautiful part of the river the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. This section boasts some 40 castles and it has been the subject of songs and legends, including the famous Lorelei. We ll arrive in Koblenz at 3:30 p.m. and take a walking tour of the city that includes the Church of Our Lady, the Basilica of St. Castor, and the Schnägelbrunnen, a fountain by the Town Hall. We ll also stop at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial, at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. After dinner on board, the evening will be at leisure, with the ship remaining docked in Koblenz for the night. B, L, D) 19, Thursday Marburg, Herborn, Cochem This morning we ll take an excursion by motorcoach to Marburg, where Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli debated during the Marburg Colloquy in 1529. Following a walking tour of Marburg and time for an independent lunch, we ll travel to Herborn, where the Calvinist-Reformed Herborn Academy was located from 1584 to 1817. Caspar Olevianus was a rector and Johannes Piscator was a professor here. We ll then continue to the little town of Cochem on the Moselle River. If time allows, we ll take a walking tour of Cochem s historic center with its lovely half-timbered houses. Relax over dinner on board as we cruise towards Cologne. Dr. Hamilton will provide a lecture on the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation this evening. (B, D) 20, Friday Cologne We ll dock in Cologne (Köln in German) this morning. This is Germany s fourth largest city and a former Roman colony. Our guided tour of the city includes the world-famous Cologne Cathedral, which is Germany s most visited attraction, as well as the Romano-Germanic Museum to see the Dionysus mosaic. We ll also walk through the historic Old Town and see the Jewish Quarter, Neumarkt, and St. Maria im Kapitol. Returning to the cruise ship, we ll have a late lunch and spend the afternoon and evening on board with lectures by Dr. Hamilton on the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. (B, L, D) Rhine River Reformation Cruise July 2018
21, Saturday Dordrecht, Amsterdam Early this morning, we ll arrive in the great city of Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. After breakfast on board, we ll disembark and visit the renowned Augustinijnenkerk (Augustinian Church), and then walk a half mile through the harbor section of the old city to the Great Church, where there will be displays in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the famous Synod of Dordrecht (Dort) that was held here 1618-1619. In rejecting Arminianism, the Synod of Dort composed the well-known Canons of Dort, which summarized what later became known as The Five Points of Calvinism. After time for an independent lunch, we ll have the rest of the afternoon to explore Dordrecht before heading to Amsterdam. We ll rejoin the MS Amadeus Silver II, now docked in Amsterdam, for a final dinner and overnight on board. (B, D) 22, Sunday Kralingseveer, Amersfoort, Woudenberg, Amersfoort We ll have breakfast on board and bid farewell to the MS Amadeus Silver II as we go by motorcoach to Kralingseveer. Dr. Beeke will preach a sermon in English, with a Dutch translator, at the Laankerk at 10:00 a.m. (which belongs to the Hersteld Hervormde [Restored Reformed] denomination). After lunch, we ll continue to Amersfoort, where we ll check into our hotel, have some time to rest, and enjoy an early farewell dinner. Dr. Beeke will lead and preach at an all-english service for the Hertseld Hervormde church in Woudenberg at 6:30 p.m. We ll return to Amersfoort for the night. (B, L, D) 23, Monday Return to the U.S. We ll transfer to Amsterdam s Schiphol Airport this morning to check in for the flights home. Our Rhine River Reformation Cruise has certainly been beautiful, educational, and richly rewarding! (B, L-in flight) Gutenberg Museum, Mainz, Germany Ariel view of the Great Church, Dordrecht, the Netherlands Castle in Marburg, Germany Detail of Cologne Cathedral Monument of Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany July 2018 Rhine River Reformation Cruise
STATEROOM AMENITIES Suites (26,4 m2 / 284 sq.ft.) with comfortable corner sofa, luxurious bathroom and walkout exterior balcony Staterooms (17,5 m2 /188 sq.ft.) on Strauss and Mozart Deck with drop-down panoramic windows Staterooms (16 m2 /172 sq.ft.) on Haydn Deck with smaller panoramic windows (cannot be opened) Mini-Bar (all staterooms except on Haydn Deck) Walk-in wardrobe Choice of bed configuration: double or twin bed Flat-screen television Individual climate control En-suite bathrooms with shower/wc Bathrobe in Suites Hair dryer Direct dial telephone In-room safe Suite, Mozart Deck ONBOARD FACILITIES Panorama-Restaurant Panorama-Bar and Lounge Amadeus-Club Café Vienna with Viennese coffee specialities Outdoor glass-shielded River Terrace Sun Deck with Lido-Bar, lounge chairs, shade awnings, giant Chess Board and Shuffleboard Fitness Room Hair Salon, Massage Room Gift Shop Laundry Service Complimentary bicycles onboard Wi-Fi available Elevator Stateroom, Strauss and Mozart Deck Stateroom, Haydn Deck Panorama-Bar and Lounge Rhine River Reformation Cruise July 2018 Register online now at bookings.wittetravel.com use booking code 070918BEEK or complete and return the printed registration form.
AMADEUS Amadeus SILVER Silver II II Tour Cost from chicago or grand rapids Based on double occupancy $5,899 per person on the Haydn Deck $6,199 per person on the Strauss Deck $6,499 per person on the Mozart Deck $6,999 per person for suites on the Mozart Deck Departure from Toronto available with a $250 pp credit Amadeus Club Other departure cities available upon request. July 2018 Rhine River Reformation Cruise
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