Munich and Augsburg

Here is our group having dinner at Hofbräuhaus, one of Munich ’s oldest breweries.

Güten Tag!

Tiny Luther here and what a pleasure it is to be writing to you from Munich Germany!

We had an all day bus ride today through the Alps which was very beautiful. We had a pit stop for food and gas and toilet in Austria, because you can't get to Germany today directly from Italy. Austria, by the way, is said to have the cleanest air in the world!  I shared some Wiener schnitzel with Pastor Aaron. It was wünderbar!

We later arrived at our hotel. Now, air conditioning is not a usual convenience in German buildings and homes. So the only way to cool off from the hot weather is to open your window and turn on fans.

Something else that is interesting is a bottle of soda pop costs more than a bottle of beer!

After an interesting night's sleep for many in our group, we heading off for a guided bus tour of Münich (or München as Germans call it, meaning "monk), including a stop at the Nymphenburg Palace and a tour of the BMW showroom. 

Rain was falling in Münich so we regrouped at the hotel so some of us could get some rain gear and set off for Augsburg. 

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What a delight of good fortune that we just happened to visit Augsburg on the same day back in 1530 when Philipp Melanchthon presented (read aloud), in public, the confession of the faith of the reformers...all 28 articles. You can read more about the history and a very quick overview of the Augsburg Confession by clicking on http://lutheranreformation.org/history/presentation-augsburg-confession/. 

We took time to stand and pray outside the bell tower of the once chapel and hall where it was presented. We prayed in thanksgiving to God for the opportunity for us search the scriptures and our souls for faith and truth, and also for the opportunity for us to articulate, confess, and practice our living faith.  

Now for most Lutherans when we think of Augsburg we think "Lutheran" probably because of Augsburg Fortress Publishing. Interestingly the city itself is still mostly Roman Catholic. In fact, while we were in Augsburg, just outside the city hall, there was a bit of a Luther protest. This basically states how in Hitler's Mein Kampf, Hitler referred to Martin Luther as a great warrior and a true statesmen. It is true, Luther did write some anti-Semitic things, which was regretted by him later. This protest wanted to expose Luther for who they believed him to be. 

At the same time of this protest, in true German fashion, there was not far away (about 50 yards) a counter-demonstration put on by a local Lutheran church that was full of doors that variously demonstrated how Luther's theology helped to break down doors (referring of course to the Wittenberg door) rather than build walls. It was all quite interesting. 

We visited St. Ann's Church, the place where Luther and Cardinal Cajetan met. With direction from the Pope, Cajetan was directed to get Luther to REVOCA! Recant!  Of course, Luther could not do so. 

In the room where this meeting actually took place, we had a bit of an impromptu  readers theatre with Courtney (as Luther) and Erica and Annabelle splitting the parts of Cajetan. They really did a wonderful job and were quite impassioned! 

From there we headed back to Munich from some Bravarian fun. When Bravarians have fun, rest assured there will be dancing and bier!

We made our way to the Hofbräuhaus (right across from the Hard Rock Cafe) where dinner was a choice of chicken/German potato salad, sausage platter with sauerkraut, and pig knuckle (knee) with potatoes. And your first drink was included! Pop, water, white wine, dark/light/wheat (smaller) bier. 

Rick, Jon, and Beth were the only three to finish their dark/light bier drinks. It was a delightful evening and fun for all. (Enjoy the whip cranking to music below!)