New rooms opening at the Reformation Museum in Geneva

Our friends at the Reformation Museum in Geneva just let us know that they have three new rooms opening. This coming November, the basement will be devoted to the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. A special window will present the nature and historical development of Protestantism in the United States. Click here for more information.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. They are closed Mondays (with an exception of being open on Easter Monday, Pentecost the first Monday of June, and Jeune Federal, the third Monday of September). They are also closed on December 24, 25 and 31 and on January 1.

Contact us today to arrange a tour to Geneva, Switzerland to visit Geneva, Switzerland to visit this wonderful museum. Our number is (800) 303-5534.

Celebrate Calvin's 500 anniversary

2009 is the 500 year anniversary of John Calvin's birth and we have a 10 day tour to celebrate. We'll begin in one of Europe's most exciting capitals, Paris and travel through France to Switzerland's Geneva. Along the way we'll visit Noyon (Calvin's birthplace - pictured left), Versailles Palace, Monet's home and garden, Chartres Cathedral, Rheims Cathedral and a Champagne cave, Strasbourg, Bern and Chillon Castle.

Along the way we'll not only have fellowship as a group, but we'll also get to meet Christians in the cities that we visit. You won't want to miss the fellowship we'll share over meals and the Sunday services in Paris and Geneva.

This tour is open for bookings until April 1, 2009 so call 1-800-303-5534 today to order your brochure or send an e-mail to info@reformationtours.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Congratulations to the Reformation Museum in Geneva

Congratulations to the Reformation Museum in Geneva for winning the prestigious 2007 Council of Europe Museum Prize! When I visited the Museum last month I was able to see the

statue and hear more about this award.

Housed on the spot where the people of Geneva voted to adopt Reformation in 1536, the museum features displays on the Bible, the work of Calvin, religious controversy with other Christian traditions, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Protestant resistance to fascism, missionary work and the role of women in the ministry.

It is now planning a special exhibition in 2009 to mark the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, a commemoration also to be celebrated by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, a grouping of 216 churches with roots in Calvin's Reformation. The alliance has brought together 50 representatives of Reformed churches for a 15-19 April meeting in Geneva to plan for the Calvin Jubilee worldwide.

"People might expect such a museum to be deadly serious, demanding and dogmatic," noted one judge, Mikhail Gnedovsky from Russia. "But this is far from being the case. In fact, the atmosphere of the museum is very relaxed and free," he said, noting touches such as cartoons of Calvinists and a picture of Calvin on a vending machine in the Geneva museum café.

If you are interested in visiting the museum, contact us about joining one of our scheduled tours or let us design a custom tour for you.

Calvin's College in Geneva

Calvin's Academy in Geneva
Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

Calvin College was founded in 1559 by John Calvin. Boys as young as seven were able to learn Latin, Greek, logic, rhetoric and Calvin's catechism. With the huge influx of French Huguenots after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Calvin's College played a vital role in their training as pastors, as well as many other young men who flocked to Geneva to receive tutelage there. At the time of the Calvin's death it boasted fifteen hundred students. It's still used for education today.

Zurich's Police Station

Zurich's Police Station
Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

You don't really expect to see flowers decorating a Police Station! While I was on a guided city tour of Zurich a week or two ago, we were able to see some of the colorful murals painted by local artists. Personally I preferred the medieval colors of the side chapel in St. Peter's Cathedral in Geneva and it's lovely to see some restoration work going on. We've still got some room on our Reformation Trails tour leaving in June and in September, so if you'd like to see Geneva and Zurich yourself, let us know!

Switzerland trip!

Yesterday whilst arranging flights for a number of clients, I was also able to arrange flights for myself and I'm excited! in May I will be going to the Swiss Travel Mart, plus visiting Zurich and Geneva and hopefully Chillon Castle(see left) as well. It's always wonderful to be in these historic cities and meet up with friends there.

We were recently involved in a project by the Swiss Tourist Office to create booklets about the religious significance of many Swiss cities and we have a stock of these if you would be interested in receiving a copy. If you are going on one of our tours to Switzerland, it will be part of your pre-travel pack. By the way, if you are looking for a tour of Switzerland this year, we have space available on the "Reformation Trails" tours in June and September and on the "Footsteps of Martin Luther" tour with Lilian Scott-Baer who is originally from Zurich. We can also arrange travel for small groups.