Frankenstein: Switzerland

October 15th - 20th, 2025

Join Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers for Common Ground’s debut Swiss pilgrimage, treating the ineffable Mary Shelley and her most famous novel, Frankenstein as sacred. This autumnal travel opportunity to the historic region of Fribourg, Switzerland will offer pilgrims the chance to immerse themselves in the serene imagery that informed Shelley’s characterization of her story’s protagonist, Victor Frankenstein.

Together, pilgrims will read the book through the themes of creation and connection. Pilgrims will contemplate the poignant contrast of the natural world surrounding them, a world which seems so at odds with Victor’s unnatural monster creation. Guided by Sarah and Beth’s experience in facilitating thoughtful political discourse, pilgrims will reflect and discuss: How does connection, or the lack thereof, inform our creative instincts? How do we create and embrace all we can do without letting our egos destroy us? At what point do the dreams we wish for most become a horror for ourselves or our community? How do we balance the imagined personal freedom we long for with the societal structure we instinctually crave? When is it time to grapple with the notion that we might be wrong about ourselves?

What’s Included:

• Five nights in a shared or private room at the Hotel Bad Murtensee in Muntelier, Switzerland

• All meals from afternoon tea on October 15th to breakfast on October 20th

• Transportation within Switzerland from the afternoon of October 15th to midday on October 20th

• One-on-one chaplaincy sessions 

• Scenic walking tours, satisfying meals, and museum visits

• Customized journal

Pricing/Logistics:

• We will meet at the hotel on the afternoon of October 15th and end programming at the hotel on the morning of October 20th. Specific meeting time and location will be privately offered to pilgrims upon registration and payment. Note: Additional transportation support to the hotel may be available closer to the pilgrimage date, and our team will be in touch with pilgrims via email regarding these updates.

• Each pilgrim is responsible for handling their own travel expenses and arrangements prior to our meeting on October 15th and after we say goodbye on October 20th.

• The full tuition of the trip is as follows:

• $5,950 USD for a Shared Room

• $7,950 USD for a Private Room

Our home base throughout will be the Hotel Bad Murtensee , a stunning lakeside accommodation in the town of Muntelier, Switzerland. The main building of Bad Murtensee was originally constructed between 1745 and 1754 as a farmhouse. Not long after its construction, it was transformed into a tavern and guest house, later becoming one of two pubs to survive a sweeping city council closure of local taverns in 1825. Nearly 100 years of hospitality is attributed to the Fasnacht family, who were proprietors of the hotel for four generations. Its gorgeous lake views and excellent service makes it the perfect place for our pilgrims to enjoy a comfortable, meaningful experience.

ACTIVITY LEVEL (LEISURELY, MODERATE, OR CHALLENGING)

• We rate this trip’s activity level as moderate: We will be walking up to 8 miles each day, sometimes on hilly terrain and sometimes along cobblestone streets. The weather in the this region is notoriously variable. It might be mild and sunny, or wet and windy, sometimes all in the same day. We won’t rush our walks, but we expect to be tired at the end of each day, so appropriate footwear and rain gear is encouraged.

Registration Process

We offer a three-installment payment plan for this trip (more details below).

• People who have attended another Common Ground pilgrimage will receive a 5% discount on the cost of the trip (even with a payment plan!).

• Once you register, spots are offered on a first come, first served basis.

• Within three business days of your registration, we will send you a link to complete your payment for the trip. You will then have 48 hours to fulfill payment and officially reserve your spot.

• If you cannot fulfill payment or if we do not hear back from you within 48 hours, we will offer the spot to the next registrant on the list until all the spots are full.

• At that point, we will notify any remaining registrants that they are now on our waitlist for this trip: if a spot opens up, we will offer it in order, from the earliest to most recent registrant, until it is claimed.

• If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team at commonground@notsorryproductions.com.

PAYMENT PLAN DETAILS

Common Ground now offers payment plans that split the full tuition cost into three parts. However, pilgrims who register after March 1, 2025 will have the opportunity to make a larger deposit up front (combining the deposit with the second payment), with a final installment on May 1, 2025.

If you’re interested in a payment plan, you will make this request in your registration form.

Within three business days, the Common Ground team will email you at the address you have provided with all the information needed to activate your payment plan and reserve your spot.

PAYMENT PLAN PRICING

Shared Room:

$1,950 Deposit Upon Registration

March 1, 2025: $2,000 Automatic Withdrawal

May 1, 2025: $2,000 Automatic Withdrawal

Total Cost of Pilgrimage: $5,950 USD

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Private Room:

$3,950 Deposit Upon Registration

March 1, 2025: $2,000 Automatic Withdrawal

May 1, 2025: $2,000 Automatic Withdrawal

Total Cost of Pilgrimage: $7,950 USD

Trip Faculty

Refund Policy:

Please be sure you can attend the event before booking. If an unforeseen circumstance does occur, we will do our best to find a replacement for you. If we are able to secure a replacement, we will refund 90% of your full tuition payment (accounting for a 10% service charge). Payment Plan deposits cannot be refunded.

For cancellations within eight weeks of the beginning of the trip, we are not able to find replacements. We strongly urge you to purchase travel insurance in the event of a personal conflict, health issue, or unexpected circumstance.