Presbytery of Scioto Valley

Mission Tour to Southern France, Geneva, and Prague

Dates of Travel: May 1-14, 2005

Leaders:

Purpose:

Itinerary

Sunday, May 1
Leave Columbus on a mid-afternoon flight
Monday, May 2
Arrive in Nice, France. Rest of the day at Leisure. Accommodation: First Class hotel
Tuesday, May 3
Travel by coach to Sete. Lunch enroute at Carry-le-Rouet near harbor le Vieux Port. 3 nights lodging at Le Lazaret, a welcome center run by the French Reformed Church. Within walking distance of the Mediterranean Sea. Visit web site at http://www.lazaret-sete.com/lazaret.html. Visit Aigues Mortes-La Tour de Constance, a beautiful walled Medieval town from which St. Louis, King of France departed on the Crusades and where Protestant women were imprisoned for decades.
Wednesday, May 4
Travel by coach to visit the Museum of the Desert in St. Jean du Garde which houses remembrances of the French Protestants and their persecutions, and also Pont du Gard, one of the world’s most beautifully preserved Roman ruins. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the walk to the Mediterranean. Evening lecture on the church today in France by Pastor Pierre Daniel Martin
Thursday, May 5
Travel by coach to Montpellier, the primary Protestant city during the Reformation struggles. Visit L’Esplanade - a public park where Protestants were put to death. Visit a Protestant "temple" and the Cathedral. Visit the Faculte de Theologie Protestante for a lecture on the history of the Reformation in France by Pastor Michel Freychet or a member of the faculty. Continue by coach into the Cevennes - a region rich in rock formations. Visit "La Grotte des Dernoisells,"a magnificent cave.
Friday, May 6
Travel by coach North to Geneva, Switzerland, visiting the ancient church of Pontaix - an early Reformation site on the way Dinner in Annecy - a beautiful city by a lake, surrounded by Alps. Accommodation for two nights: First class hotel. For a wonderful preview of Geneva, visit this website http://www.fookes.com/gallery/geneva.php
Saturday, May 7
City tour including the Reformation Wall, Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, World Council of Churches, Palais des Nations, International Red Cross. Tour guide: Charlotte Gonzenbach of Geneva
Sunday, May 8
Travel by coach to Lake Konstanz, site of execution of martyr Jan Hus. Accommodation: First class hotel
Monday, May 9
Travel by coach to Prague, Czech Republic. 5 nights lodging in the Protestant Theological Faculty rooms. http://www.etf.cuni.cz/international/ in English
Tuesday, May 10
Morning lectures at the Faculty on Early Reformation History and Church Culture during the Communism era and at the present time. Afternoon tour of Old and New Towns led by Glen Schmidt. Concerts available in the evenings
Wednesday, May 11
Visit to Evangelical Church of Czech Brethern Offices to meet with church and Diaconia leaders. Afternoon visit to a new city church and near-by Shelter for homeless mothers with children and families. http://www.srcce.cz [note: in Czech]
Thursday, May 12
Day trip to Litomysl, hosted by Angela Safrakonova-Radiven, exchange student student at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 1998-1999. Tour Historical buildings and sites in this beautiful small town.
Friday, May 13
Morning visit to St. Vitus Cathedral, Government Buildings and Joseph Town. Afternoon free
Saturday, May 14
Return to Columbus from Prague

The tour is designed to allow pastors to use study leave time, missing only one Sunday service.

The tour includes coach travel in Europe, and metro passes in Prague. Moderate walking throughout the tour.

Lodgings are comfortable in the French welcome center and the Protestant Faculty in Prague. There may be some shared bathrooms. All breakfasts are included as well as at least 8 dinners or lunches. It will be important to travel light as participants will need to manage their own luggage.