Day 3 – Regensburg Today we were able to get a slower start to our day which was nice after our busy excursions in Nurnberg the day before. We had a seated breakfast in the restaurant with attentive table […]
Day Two – Nürnberg We woke up to sunny skies in Nürnberg on Sunday morning. Our boat had not left the port overnight which gave us an opportunity to choose our own journey into the heart of the historic […]
Day One – Arrival in Nürnberg Our first day aboard AMAwaterways’ Amasonata began with a smooth and welcoming onboarding after many long hours of travelling. Reception and cruise line staff were there to greet us hospitably in the on-board […]
I just returned from a 15-person tour to the former USSR republic of Uzbekistan. We went to retrace the steps of a group of Mennonites who lived there from 1880-1935, seeking exemption from military service and some also influenced […]
After a lunch overlooking the falls at Rhine Falls, our walking tour of Zürich began with a visit to Grossmunster where Ulrich Zwingli, the most important reformer of the Swiss Reformation movement, served as pastor. A statue outside the […]
We had an early start today, visiting the Aalsmeer Flower Auction where millions of flowers are sold by auction every day of the year. Flowers come in from many parts of the world within 24 hours of being […]
Our first day on the Anabaptist tour included a visit to Asperen, the village outside of Amsterdam where Dirk Willims lived. We took a walking tour of the village that included the street where he lived, although buildings from [...]
Go to Alaska, they said, It will be beautiful, they said, and they were right!! The Alaska cruise on the Majestic Princess from Whittier to Vancouver was everything I hoped it would be and more! I was a little […]
Tuesday, July 4 – Icy Strait Point – the ship actually sailed to the port during the evening of July 3rd and docked at the port. No rocking of the boat during the night. This was a day […]
Friday, June 30 – A day of leisure or excursions. Some went into Valdez for kayaking and two of us went to Kennicott Mines to learn about the copper mining town and the frontier town of McCarthy. Shuttle bus […]
On the final day of our Heritage tour we explored Salzburg, Austria. We had a 4 hour bus tour with our guide Roman who gave us the inside scoop on the Sound of Music which was filmed in Salzburg […]
Today we toured Dachau concentration camp. Dachau was the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany, opening in March 1933. A place with a history of blatant injustice, medical experiments, and murder, some words that attempt to describe the […]
Schleitheim, Switzerland – we walked 2 miles into the woods to witness an Anabaptist marker stone. This is where the Anabaptists hid in the Randen Hills. We took a few moments to honor those that came before us through […]
Zurich, Switzerland – we had a walking tour & increased our knowledge of the Anabaptist birthplace of 1525. In Zurich the first death sentences were given & marked the beginning of Anabaptist martyrs. 1640 marked the end of martyrs […]
We stopped in the city of Steffisburg, Switzerland & visited the Steffisburg Reformed Church. This is where the Yoder family originated. The Yoders were village people, not Mennonites. In the church, 2 Yoder family shields were located on a […]
Trachselwald Castle- we visited this sombre sight which was used as a prison from the 10th century up to the 19th century. Jacob Haslibacher lived in a nearby village & converted many Anabaptists. He was arrested & jailed in […]
We explored & lunched at Triberg, Germany located in the Black Forest. The village is known for its cuckoo clocks, and has the smallest, largest and most expensive ($25,000). There is a cuckoo clock museum. A gushing waterfall & […]
We are in the Alsace region of France. We stopped and enjoyed lunch in the beautiful village of Riquewihr. It seemed like some of the villagers might be related to the Yoder sisters. Numerous villagers had similar features of […]
In Cologne, Germany, we visited the renowned Cologne cathedral. A unique combination of Gothic & Catholic styles, it is considered an architectural masterpiece. Construction began in the 4th century and was completed in 1880. It is one of the […]
This morning, we woke up with our homestay families. Berlikum is the Dutch province of Friesland which has its own culture, language & food. This area is also known for its extensive dike system and the graceful Friesland horse […]
Today’s first stop was Edam, Netherlands where we visited our second hidden Mennonite church, built in 1702. The hidden churches had a house in the front & a church in the back. This church has an organ that was […]
Today was a full day! We started at 7:00am at the Flower Auction in Alasmeer, Netherlands, the largest flower auction in the world: a pallet of bright & diverse flowers & plants. We were mesmerized by the bustling forklifts […]
Our group of 12 Canadian and American travellers arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Our first stop was Asperen, Netherlands where we learned about the Dirk Willems story. Dirk Willems was an Anabaptist martyr, who in 1569 was arrested by […]
It’s Tuesday and I’m typing this from England where Mary and I are spending a few days before our return to Canada. This truly spectacular TourMagination trip is over. Done. Finished. How did that happen? (In our long experience […]
There are many travel companies out there and therefore lots of options to consider. But for us – and we know we’re biased – there is nothing like TourMagination for its ability to take you off the beaten track […]
It’s the start of our last full day in the Swiss Alps. Amazing! Yesterday started off rainy but it cleared by 9 a.m. and left us with some cloud cover off and all on day; and rolling mist. Put […]
After reflection and singing at the Steinsfurt cellar and after viewing the fertile fields (once farmed by Mennonites) from the Steinburg tower, we made our way through too much road construction, to Augsburg in Bavaria. Wolfgang Krauß, MJ’s former […]
We made the shift from Mürren to Grindelwald yesterday. These two villages are in adjacent valleys but to get from the other you take a train, a gondola, another train, and another train. By train I mean almost a […]
It’s our final morning in Mürren, this great Alpine cliff-perched car-free village. Speaking of car-free I had this funny sensation as I awoke and stepped out onto our balcony, looking down about 1200 feet into the valley floor below […]
Our September European Heritage travellers have had a full few days exploring history, heritage, and scenery. Here are some highlights of their journey so far:
We started out on top of the world yesterday and it went from there. After a scrumptious breakfast at the cliff-perched Hotel Alpina we caught the two-stage gondola to the top of Schilthorn. The setting is so dramatic that […]
We woke up in Zurich yesterday and went to sleep in Seventh Heaven. After a healthy Swiss buffet breakfast – coffee-infused – we set out for the train station. There are wonderful tours out there that take you door-to-door […]
We’re off and running for this Swiss Alps Tour, which might go by a few other names but is basically about this: the magnificent Swiss Alps! We gathered together in Zurich yesterday from many directions: Canada, the United States, […]
museum in Schleitheim Friday, June 10th Today we headed out to Schleitheim, where we visited a museum in town, featuring a room that chronicled the beginnings of the Swiss Reformation Movement in 1523. Lots of artifacts to view as [...]
Thursday, June 9th Today we headed out towards our final destination on this amazing Reformation Tour. Absolutely incredible journey through the mountain passes, as we made our way to Zurich. In the afternoon, we met up with Peter Dettweiler, […]
Wednesday, June 8th We travelled to Brienz to take a one-hour cog rail train ride up Rothorn Mountain to view absolutely breathtaking views of the Alps! We were blessed with beautiful, sunny skies and warm temperatures. An incredible experience. […]
Tuesday, June 7th Today was a busy day, first visiting Trachselwald Castle, a fortress once used to imprison Anabaptists. We then visited many churches and heard stories of our Anabaptist heritage. We enjoyed free time in Thun, exploring this […]
The Bethany Church group has made stops at several Anabaptist landmarks. Highlights include the Menno Simmons monument, which was erected on the site where the meetinghouse of the Witmarsum Mennonites once stood, the hidden church at Pingjum, and the […]
Thursday, June 2nd As we headed toward Germany, we shared wonderful stories of our individual experiences during our homestays with lovely hosts. Many great memories & friendships made here! We enjoyed a beautiful canal cruise through the scenic village […]
After almost two weeks of pilgrimage and learning, this TourMagination group feasted for a “last supper” in Jerusalem. We celebrated safe travel, new friendships, bonds of Christian love, and abundant new insight into the biblical world. – Nelson Kraybill
Kaub castle on the Rhine Flexibility is the operative word on any tour, but this day required more than usual. On Friday morning, we learned that our Rhine River cruise was cancelled because the crew was infected with Covid. [...]
Allen and Ginny Liechty and Robb Esh wait their turn to see an empty first-century tomb at Jerusalem—possibly where Jesus’ body lay. Our group celebrated communion, prayed, and sang in the adjacent garden. – Nelson Kraybill
Journey of Hope pilgrims Esther and Ernie Reesor cool their feet in the Jordan River at Yardenit Baptismal Site near the Sea of Galilee. From this cool start to our day, our group went on to see the ancient […]
Look closely at this picture and you’ll see that Martha and Thom Moore found a coin in the mouth of their fish by the sea of Galilee just like Peter did for paying the temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27). – […]
Our group of 23 Canadians has been warmly welcomed to the Netherlands! The past three days have been busy & full of fun & knowledge. On arrival, we visited the historic Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, enjoying the traditional […]
Elsie Martin and Roseanne Frey chose to tour the amazing ancient city of Petra by camel today. Others in our group climbed 700 steps to the top of a rocky mountain that served as a “high place” of worship […]
Talk about a mountaintop experience for your birthday! Today is Marlys Tieszen’s birthday, and she hiked with her husband Duane to the top of the mountain of Herod the Great’s Machaerus Fortress in Jordan, where (according to Josephus) John […]
Twenty-two TourMagination pilgrims have arrived safely in Jordan and are enjoying our first day of travel together. The group is in good health and great spirits despite being a bit jetlagged! We have an outstanding national guide, Elias […]
Hear messages of hope and gratitude for TourMagination travellers from some of our favourite in-country guides in Poland, The Netherlands, Tanzania, and Turkey. If you have been on tour with Roberto, Kasia, Ayold, or Gocken you know how special [...]
Walking through an “Empty Church” leads to reciprocal gifts and unique experiences. Reflection by Tour Leader ROD HOFER from October 2019. There is no remnant of the Hutterite colony in Alwinz remaining as the site was very flood-prone and […]
June 15-19, 2020 TourMagination is celebrating 50 years of helping people of faith explore, experience, and expand their worlds. The company began in 1970 to help North American Anabaptists explore their heritage in Europe. See a timeline of important […]
Forgiveness. Reconciliation. The urge to destroy and kill, and the commandment of love. One would not expect that such words would be the centerpiece of a tour, but that would be the wrong assumption in South Africa. For this [...]
Today we visited South Africa's renowned Cape winelands of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. Less than an hour from Capetown, these lands are really relatively small valleys ringed with mountain ranges. It is immensely picturesque, even if a person is a [...]
On the final days of our tour as we cruised from New Zealand back to Sydney, Australia, we enjoyed lovely food—including the delicious chocolate dessert (above). We also spent time doing various activities on board the ship. Ed joined [...]
On February 20, we took a day trip from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope to what almost feels like the bottom of Africa (even if it is not--that honour belongs to Cape Argulhas). We stopped at [...]
On February 19, we took a cable car up Table Mountain and enjoyed incredible view of the city and peninsula. Here is our group at the top. Walking around Cape Town we saw City Hall with a statue of [...]
Today, we explored in and around Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, first settled in 1840. Above, Rich B. is standing on Mount Victoria with the harbour and the city of Wellington in the background. We visited the Wellington City [...]
We all safely arrived in Port Elizabeth in South Africa after a variety of flight connections. A restful "kombi" (mini-bus) ride took us to the Kariega Game Reserve a couple of hours away along the Indian Ocean and past [...]
While visiting, Akaroa the only French-founded community in New Zealand, tour members enjoyed fish and chips. This local meal was recommended by their guide and storyteller Annette (pictured below). At dinner, our waiter surprised Rich and Gloria with a [...]
Those of us who are travelling on the 2020 New Zealand Cruise after enjoying the Australian Adventure Tour, embarked our ship in Sydney. We relaxed during the two-days of ocean travel between Australia and New Zealand. Food onboard the [...]
We visited the stunning Three Sisters Rock Formation near Echo Point in New South Wales, Australia. According to aboriginal legend the rocks were formed when three sisters from the Katoomba people, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, fell in love with [...]
It poured rain the entire day! Everyone here in Sydney is so grateful for the rain that we tourists were very reluctant to complain. However, when we returned to our hotel at the end of the day every inch [...]
Australian Adventure, Great Barrier Reef We sailed very early in the morning to Green Island. Upon arrival at Pinnacle Reef, just 1km from Green Island, we enjoyed snorkeling and relaxation. Because of Ocean Free’s exclusive mooring, our time on [...]
This morning we watched the sunrise over Uluru. On a tour of the base of Uluru, we saw ancient cave paintings and learned about Aboriginal legends and history. At end of the day, we took a short flight to [...]
Today we travelled through the Outback from Alice Springs to Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock), a site sacred to the Aboriginal people of the area. The scenery was incredible as we hiked the Olga Gorge to see Kata Tjuta (domed [...]
The next day, the group took a short flight to Alice Springs in Central Australia to learn more about the beautiful nation of Australia. In this outback town they visited the historic telegraph station, which was built in 1871. […]
Over the weekend, the group took a day trip from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road. They took a hike in the Otway Ranges National Park (photo below). Along the Shipwreck Coast, they saw the famous 12 Apostles rock [...]
Australian Adventure Tour, Melbourne Captain Cook's cottage We have all gathered in Melbourne and already animated conversation is occurring with much eagerness despite some jet lag. We spent the afternoon touring Melbourne—including Captain Cook’s cottage located in the beautiful [...]
Cienfuegos, Cuba Wednesday, January 21 Today, the group had perfect weather to travel by boat to a Taíno Indian Village. They learned about the traditional lifestyle of the Taíno people, who were once Cuba’s principal inhabitants. Later, they went […]
Day 3 in Cuba Our two stops in Soroa were excellent, especially the first one. There were quite a number of tears from our tour members as they listened to a very passionate and articulate descendant of African slaves […]
Final Days Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary Everyone loved the Birds Eye View Lodge and even the non birders were impressed by the variety of birds. The lodge had great food, rooms and service. People also enjoyed the boat ride […]
Today, we met up with Lazarus Pop who runs a youth ministry here and he took us into Springfield, a conservative group of Mennonites. Met and talked with a few locals at a plant nursery. We sang the Doxology […]
On our excursion to Spanish Lookout, we enjoyed ice cream at Western Dairy and went to the cooperative where almost anything can be purchased. We interacted with employees and enjoyed Spanish Lookout—where there is a settlement of Mennonites. To […]
Yesterday we attended a service at St. Ann’s Anglican Church in Belmopan. The two people on tour with birthdays were blessed at the front of the church. After church, we enjoyed a good lunch of baked chicken, coleslaw, fresh […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader The next phase of the tour emphasized the best of the Saxon German fortified churches, the three fortified cities of Brasov and Sighisoara, sites that had direct connections to the Carinthian Lutheran Hutterite converts […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader We began our day in Alba Iulia with a walk from our hotel to the Jewish synagogue of the oldest Jewish congregation in Romania. They were invited into Transylvania by Gabriel Bethlen, the same […]
By Marlin Hershey, Tour Leader We began our second day of the cruise in Mohacs, a quiet Danube town with a countryside ancient restored gristmill from time of St. Nicholas. We also visited a museum displaying the past practice […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader As our time in Romania draws to an end, I believe the tour went exceedingly well. Everybody was impressed with Chris, our local guide with religious and secular knowledge. Even when the established plan […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader We began our day by ascending the Deva mountain by gondola car to the fortress ruins at the top. The fortress caps the mountain and provides a panoramic view of the surrounding area. If […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader Leaving our Sibiu hotel behind, we drove through the Romanian countryside to the village of Romos (Rumes). Here the Carinthian Lutherans initially settled in 1755. It was here that a conflict with their Saxon […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader We were greeted by partly sunny weather with brisk temperatures as we began our first bus ride of the tour. On the outskirts of Hermannstadt (Sibiu) we stopped at the Maria Theresa monument in […]
By Rod Hofer, Tour Leader The Romanian Culture and Hutterite Heritage Tour began by exploring the historic city of Sibiu (Hermannstadt). Hermannstadt is an important site in the history of the Hutterites in Romania but also boasts a rich […]
Visiting the Mennonite Museum in Khiva, Central Asia Tour We have arrived in Khiva, where the Mennonite museum is now open. It was to open in 2009, but the government shut it down. We were assured by the director [...]
We have just completed our third day of this tour to Central Asia. Having thoroughly enjoyed two days in Istanbul, Turkey, we arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, early Wednesday morning. The day unfolded with numerous sites unique only to Uzbekistan. […]
Istanbul at first seemed a bit off-topic as an introduction to our Uzbekistan-focused tour of Central Asia, but in a good and useful way. It oriented us to a city and region dominated first by Christianity and then by […]
Greetings again – Another good day together! We had lovely views of the Jungfrau, Monch, and Eigger mountains last night from Interlaken and again this morning walking to the Castle Thun entrance. The castle has had a major […]
Greetings – I’m writing Monday afternoon from Kleine Scheidegg. We enjoyed two days of sunshine, today partially rainy and mountains hidden in fog but everyone is still enjoying themselves. Zurich was interesting but challenging with so much walking and […]
The restaurant manager in Jerusalem where we had our noon meal on Saturday owned a parrot, and unexpectedly perched it on Brian Zehr’s shoulder. Seems the parrot likes french fries! This light-hearted moment came in the midst of a […]
That’s no ordinary hill behind the TourMagination group. It is Tel Jezreel—ruins of the biblical city Jezreel in northern Israel. Jezreel was the winter residence of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. While at this site, our group heard the […]
Monday morning took us to the site where the Israelites were most likely to have crossed the River Jordan. That also probably is where John baptized Jesus. We contemplated these two momentous threshold events, remembering how our own lives […]
Our hotel last night was by the entrance to Petra, the ancient stone city with ruins from the first centuries BC and AD. We got an early start this morning and walked into the site through the half-mile Siq […]
An early launch from our hotel in Amman set us on course for Mt. Nebo (where Moses got a glimpse of the Promised Land), Machaerus mountaintop fortress (where John the Baptist was martyred), Madaba (where we were invited to […]
Kyla and Brian Zehr of Fort Wayne, Indiana look down into the ruins and spectacular mosaics of St. Cosmos and St. Damianus Church at the ancient Roman city of Jerash, an hour’s drive north of Amman, Jordan. Built in […]