Wittenberg Day 1

Our day started out with a leisurely breakfast buffet at our hotel here in Wittenberg.  Our daily parking costs €3.  Off to Luther House Wittenberg @ 10 am. We know about the religious side of Martin Luther as theologian, philosopher, and professor, but now we get to learn about him as an ordinary man, husband, and father. As appropriate for digging deeper into Luther's life, we began our visit in the cellar.  

Unlike many figures in history, Luther died prosperous rather than poor.  We found out that his wife, who he referred to as "the boss" ran the household like a business.  It didn't free him from worldly concerns, but enabled him to delve into more spiritual matters.  We then proceeded upstairs.  Luther House exhibits display not only artifacts from Luther's life itself, but also from the period in which he lived.

Lunch was at a local restaurant across from Luther House. The chef suggested the goulash for our group, as it was ready to be served right away. Dr. Susan chose the spargel and schweineschnitzel instead on her quest for the perfect preparation of that local delicacy. At this point, Dr. Susan is "spargeled" out. 

We then visited the home of Philipp Melanchthon, a friend and colleague of Martin Luther.  While presenting historically important facts, the displays were more hands-on than most museum-type settings.  There were costumes to try on, puzzles to solve, and other interactive displays.

We then had a very moving and meaningful communion service in the nearby Corpus Cristi chapel. 

We then were on our own for dinner, meeting up afterwards with a group of locals who get together each Thursday evening to practice their English.  Some of us ordered the same juice we had been served at lunch--again a local favorite.  It turned out to be Quince juice.  We shared a very pleasant evening under beautiful skies, just visiting.  One topic that came up was the flooding along the Elbe River, and we understand about flooding because of our experiences back home.  One of the people we visited with was an American working with the Lutheran church here, and she had spent time in Israel. She had spent time at Augustana Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem, and knew Pastor Mark Brown, who we had met on our visit there.

The local Luther festival scheduled to begin tomorrow has been cancelled due to the flooding.  The manpower required to put it on is being used elsewhere in the floodfight. (Written by Matt and Susan Degner)