Category Archives: 2023 Hiestand-Haston European Heritage Tour

For $10 You Can Virtually Experience Our European Heritage Tour Hiestand-Haston 2023 Heritage Tour to Switzerland and Rhineland Germany Order the Book This is an illustrated journal from the June 14-26, 2023, Heritage Tour led by Lemar and Lois Ann Mast.  Join the group of 29 persons as they walked the streets of their ancestorsContinue reading “Haston-Hiestand Heritage Tour Book”

Devil’s Bridge – Canton Schwyz, Switzerland The world our early Swiss Hiestand lived in was filled with legends of witchcraft and devilish interactions with humans.  Located a few miles from where our Hiestand ancestors lived was a bridge that they surely would have known about–the Devil’s Bridge.  Our June 2023 Hiestand-Haston tour group visited thisContinue reading “Devil’s Bridge – Einsiedeln, Canton Schwyz”

Thirty-Three Key Sites & Experiences On the June 14-27 2023 European Hiestand/Haston Heritage Tour Contact Renee Cue for more information or answers to your questions: renee@reneecue.com Contact Renee Cue for more information or answers to your questions: renee@reneecue.com More Information about the June 14-27, 2023 Hiestand-Haston European Heritage Tour Share this with Hastons or relatedContinue reading “33 Key Sites & Experiences – 2023 Hiestand-Haston European Heritage Tour”

33 – The Beautiful and Relaxing Cruise Up the Rhine River On Monday, June 26, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Heritage Tour will enjoy a relaxing cruise up a portion of the beautiful Middle Rhine River and see many of the same sights that Henrich Hiestand saw in 1727 when he was on his journey to America. Continue reading “33 – The Rhine River Cruise”

32 – Worms, Germany – Where Martin Luther Was Tried On the afternoon of (Saturday) June 22, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Heritage Tour group will arrive in the city of Worms (pronounced “Vermz”), Germany – the place where Martin Luther stood before a formal deliberative assembly (“diet”) of leaders from the Holy Roman Empire, led byContinue reading “32 – Worms, Germany – Where Martin Luther Defended His Faith Before Emperor Charles V”

31 – Mennonite Church in the Village of Ibersheim, Germany Our Hiestands’ Church Home 350 Years Ago On Sunday, June 25, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston European Heritage Tour group will worship here, where our ancestors worshiped.  Pastor Andreas Kohrn has invited us to join their congregation for the service and to enjoy their annual summer “BBQContinue reading “31 – Mennonite Church in Ibersheim – Where Our Ancestors Worshipped”

30 – Our Ancestors’ Little German Village of Refuge – Ibersheim On Sunday, June 25, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Heritage Tour group will visit this very special place.  We have been invited to join the village’s Mennonite Church for their Sunday morning service, be their special guests for an after-church “Grillfest” (BBQ), then take a walkingContinue reading “30 – Our Ancestors’ Little German Village of Refuge – Ibersheim”

29 – Swiss Emmentaler Cheese Factory Saturday, June 24, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Tour Group will visit the world-famous Cheese Factory in the Emmental region of Canton Bern, Switzerland.  There are around 2000 groups of tourists, one-third of which are foreigners from around the world, visiting this cheese factory every year. Swiss cheese is a pieceContinue reading “29 – Swiss Mennonite Cheese Factory”

28 – Trachselwald Castle – Where Anabaptists Were Imprisoned Simply Because They Wanted to Practice New Testament Christianity A Story and Some Scenes that You May/Should Never Forget By Don and Joanne Hess Siegrist Used by permission of authors, Don & Joanne Hess Siegrist Before the Reformation, all of Switzerland was catholic. After the Reformation,Continue reading “28 – Trachselwald Castle – Prison Where Anabaptists Suffered and Died”

25 – The Täuferversteck – “Anabaptist Hiding Place” Anabaptist hunters were employed in the 18th century. In 1734 two Anabaptist hunters were out and about to catch Christian Siegenthaler in the lower Hälig, Wüthrich zu Häuser, Hans Gerber, called “Stadler”, and David Baumgartner. The Anabaptist yegi were disturbed by the fact that the persecuted “were warned withContinue reading “26 – The Täuferversteck – Hiding Place for Anabaptists”

25 – The Home of Albert Einstein in Bern, Switzerland On Friday, June 23, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Tour group will visit the home where Einstein discovered the theory of relativity. Albert Einstein lived in Bern from 1903 to 1905 and developed his Theory of Relativity here. The Einstein House gives visitors a chance to seeContinue reading “25 – Swiss Home of Albert Einstein”

24 – The World Famous Zytglogge (Clock Tower) in Bern On Friday, June 23, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Heritage tour group will watch the famous clock tower turn to a new hour. Built in the early 13th century as a gate tower for the city’s western fortifications, Zytglogge has served over the years as a guardContinue reading “24 – The City of Bern, Switzerland and the Famous Clock Tower”

23 – Jakob Markt – We’ll Stop & Shop Where Locals Shop One of the favorite shopping places for locals and tourists is the Jacob Markt.  Here is the best place to buy Swiss lace curtains, Swiss-style clothes, and delicious Swiss chocolate bars.  While the women shop (maybe some of us men too!) others canContinue reading “23 – Jakob Markt – We’ll Stop and Shop Where the Swiss Shop”

27 – Swiss Alpine Music: Alphorns and Yodeling Two of the most famous features of historic Swiss culture are the Alphorns and yodeling.  Our June 2023 Hiestand-Haston Heritage tour group will enjoy a bit of both types of Alpine Music. The Swiss Alphorns Enjoy this brief video example of Swiss Alphorn music. https://youtu.be/K_qp26NHyTg With theContinue reading “27 – Swiss Alphorns and Yodeling”

22 – World’s Oldest Mennonite Church – Langnau, Switzerland On Thursday, June 22, 2023, members of the Hiestand-Haston Heritage Tour group will see the oldest continuously active Mennonite Church in the world. Langnau has a history of Anabaptism going all the way back to March 1525. Today, Langnau has the oldest Mennonite church in theContinue reading “22 – Oldest Mennonite Church in the World – Langnau, Switzerland”

21 – The Swiss Cowbells Factory On Thursday, June 27, 2023 our Hiestand-Haston Historic Tour group will stop at the famous Swiss Cowbells Factory. Did you know…? Bells are protection, happiness, and a sign of peace. This is because in times of war the Swiss bells were taken from the churches and from the pastureContinue reading “21 – The Swiss Cowbells Factory”

19 – Breakfast in the Rotating Restaurant at 9,744′ in the Alps On the morning of June 22, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Heritage Tour group will eat breakfast in the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant in the village of Murren on top of the Schilthorne summit. BEVERAGESCoffee / Tea, cold and warm milk (lactose-free and soy milkContinue reading “19 – Piz Gloria 360° Rotating Restaurant 9,744′ Altitude”

20 – World-Famous Kambly Swiss Cookie Factory On June 22, 2023, the Hiestand-Haston Tour group will stop at this world-famous cookie factory and sample (FREE!) dozens of cookies.  But I can pretty much assure you that you will buy some too!  We will also eat lunch there. Oscar Kambly started his company in 1910 withContinue reading “20 – World Famous Kambly Cookie Factory”

18 – Cable Car Ride to & Evening in the Alps Village of Mürren On June 22, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston Heritage Tour group will take a scenic cable car ride up to the mountain village of Mürren.And we will spend the night there! Mürren is a traditional Walser (inhabitants in the Alps) mountain village inContinue reading “18 – Cable Car to the Car-less Village of Mürren in the Swiss Alps”

17 – Ballenberg Open-Air Museum On Wednesday, July 21, 2023, our Hiestand-Haston heritage tour group will visit the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum. https://youtu.be/d1COwvzKYlM Ballenberg is an open-air museum in Switzerland that displays traditional buildings and architecture from all over the country. Located near Brienz in the municipality of Hofstetten bei Brienz, Canton of Bern, Ballenberg hasContinue reading “17 – Ballenberg Open-Air Museum”