Day 4 - Wittenberg

The morning tour for today was Wittenberg -- now known as Lutherstadt-Wittenberg -- the small city in which the Reformer Martin Luther lived and worked.  Our guide led us first through the Luther House, originally an Augustinian monastery but gifted to Luther by the Prince Protector Philip the Wise.  It was in this house (now a museum) where Martin married Katrina and translated the Bible into German.  While Martin was thus engaged, Katrina raised their children, housed students and brewed beer, ultimately making more money than her husband.

From there the guide led us through the Old Town to the city church where Martin preached.  Many of the town's buildings as well as the church are undergoing renovations in anticipation of the 300th anniversary of the start of the Reformation in 2017, we could not see the main altar with its altarpiece designed by Luther Cranach the Elder.  The piece is remarkable because it includes the figure of Martin in the depiction of the Last Supper.

The obligatory stop at the town square was a good thing -- Jan found a yarn store where she was able to buy some sock yarn not available at home. We also saw the town water system set up in the 16th century, with a series of fountains offering clean water to the populace.

Our last stop was the Castle Church on which door Martin Luther posted his 95 theses that sparked the Reformation.  Like the other buildings, it too is undergoing renovation, so we were only able to see the famous door (recreated since a fire destroyed the original) at a distance.

The afternoon was spent cruising up the Elbe toward Torgau.  The area through which we passed is a broad, fertile valley with fields under cultivation and beef and dairy cattle grazing along the banks.  Especially for this former farm boy, the view was wonderful!  Also in the afternoon, the Viking pastry chef demonstrated the making of Saxonian Quarkkeulchen -- it's like a sweet potato pancake -- and we were invited to visit the ship's galley.  It's amazing to see the small space that produces such delicious meals.

After dinner we disembarked at Torgau to see the site at which the Allied army and the Russian/Ukrainian army met and joined forces, effectively beginning the end of the Second World War.

Tomorrow we travel on to Meissen to see how the priceless Meissen porcelain is made, and on to Dresden to begin exploring that city.