January 21 

The day began with our now ritualistic early rise to obtain good seats on the bus. It is interesting that a group of college students is willing to get up earlier than they have too, but then again, this isn’t really class. It has gotten so extreme that if you come just ten minutes early, you may be among the last to arrive, and at five minutes early, you may be the last. We left Leipzig and drove to WittenBurg, the site of many activities crucial to the start of the Reformation.  In WittenBurg we took a tour of Martin Luther’s house.  It was interesting to see the rooms where Martin Luther and his wife spent most of their time and to see where some of the first discussions about the reformation occurred.  It was also exciting to see a replica of the original ninety-five theses.  After the visit to Luther’s house, we walked to the Castle Church, and saw where Luther nailed the ninety-five theses.  It was an awe inspiring experience to be at the exact spot where the reformation began.  During our visit at the WittenBurg church we saw Luther’s grave, where Rev. Broekhuizen led us in the singing of Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”  It was inspirational to sing this hymn in the very place where the lyrics were inspired.  Following lunch in WittenBurg we drove to Berlin where we took a brief driving tour and stopped at the Berliner Dome.  Some of us climbed to the top of the dome for a beautiful view of Berlin at night. There is so much history in this beautiful church built over a large crypt.  Following this visit we drove to the hotel, where most of us relaxed for the night. TO, DV