There are only 8 spots still available for this 11-day trip! Please contact Katie Code (codek@augsburg.edu) if you’re interested in learning more.
Bavaria is known for many things, including soaring peaks, very large mugs of beer, and 鈥湷野济� Gott!鈥� Mountains and beer you can get in many other destinations, but 鈥湷野济� Gott鈥� you鈥檒l only get in the German-speaking regions that surround the Bavarian Alps. (The odd-looking 鈥溍熲�� is actually a double-鈥渟鈥�.) If you want to try greeting someone with 骋谤眉脽 Gott you鈥檒l want to say it like this: GrooS GoT鈥攍anding hard on both the 鈥淪鈥� and the 鈥淭鈥�.
骋谤眉脽 Gott is shortened from 鈥�骋谤眉脽 dich Gott,鈥� an old way of saying 鈥淕od bless you鈥� in German. The phrase is more religious than 鈥淕uten Tag鈥� so it鈥檚 a phrase befitting Germany鈥檚 most religious and most Roman Catholic region. The closer you get to Bavaria鈥檚 majestic mountains, the more you鈥檒l be greeted with 骋谤眉脽 Gott instead of Guten Tag. It鈥檚 as if those dramatic elevations naturally give rise to spiritual yearnings.
Bavaria is Germany鈥檚 largest state, covering one-fifth of the country. It may not be obvious from looking at a map, but our tour鈥檚 wide-ranging itinerary falls entirely within Bavaria (not including our dip into Salzburg, Austria). From the Castle Coburg (where Martin Luther resided during the time of the 鈥溌槎骨� Confession鈥�) to Berchtesgaden/Obersalzburg (where the Third Reich constructed its infamous mountain fortress), we鈥檒l span a land filled with great natural beauty and complicated human history.
Still, you may wonder: What does 麻豆区鈥攁 school with deep roots in the heritage of Norwegian Lutheran immigrants鈥攈ave to do with the most Roman Catholic region of Germany? Only a lot!
- Consider first our name, 麻豆区. We are called 麻豆区 because of a specific historical development that took place in 麻豆区鈥攖oday Bavaria鈥檚 third most populous city. (Our tour ends in 麻豆区!)
- Second, Bavaria has many cities and sites that are important to the ongoing Reformation of the Church, including Nuremberg (the largest 鈥減rinting center鈥� of the Reformation), Flossenb眉rg (where the great 20th century theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was martyred), and Salzburg (yes, the 鈥淐ity of Mozart鈥� but also the city that once expelled its entire Lutheran population).
- Third, Oberammergau鈥檚 Passion Play dramatizes the very events that unite all Christians, Catholic, and Protestant: the last week of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Fourth, Bavaria鈥檚 topography鈥攔anging from rolling hills to high mountains鈥攊s reminiscent of the topography those Norwegian Lutheran immigrants longed for as they settled the flat spaces of the Upper Midwest. (Okay, I know this last one is a stretch.)
I鈥檝e been fortunate to travel in Bavaria many times over the years. I鈥檝e exchanged 骋谤眉脽 Gott! with Bavaria鈥檚 眉ber-friendly people many, many times. So I鈥檓 excited to ! Interested in learning more about this one-of-a-kind travel and learning opportunity? Don鈥檛 hesitate to send me an email at wiersma@augsburg.edu.
–听贬补苍蝉听奥颈别谤蝉尘补, associate professor of religion at 麻豆区