May 31, 2010 Oberammergau to Aschaffenburg

Today is a travel day – going from Oberammergau to Aschaffenburg along the Romantic Road. It is cold and rainy today, so we are all happy to be in the bus and not doing a lot of sight seeing. Before leaving on our travels, we made sure to celebrate Pat’s birthday.

The Romantic road is so named as it has a great many small medieval villages scattered along the road. It is really interesting – some we can see in the distance while others have the road run right through them. They all have the quaint – mostly red roofed houses clustered around a central cathedral. Many of these have been rebuilt after destruction caused by war.

We had a couple of quick WC stops and then at noon we arrived in Rothenberg. This is a lovely Medieval complete with a city wall surrounding the old city. The streets are narrow and lined with a wide array of shops and restaurants. We did some exploring, and enjoyed a delightful lunch – many of us in this little pub. We also explored and did some souvenir shopping – particularly at this Christmas Store which was to say the least exceptional.

Next stop was Aschaffenburg where we will spend just one night. This is a delightful hotel with an even more delightful host – Johanna. She told a story and offered us a glass of MET – or as we know it – a type of Mead (honey wine). Lots of fun was had by all, and Pat was presented with her dessert – decorated with candles.

Sunday May 30th 2010 - Passion Play

This morning we awoke to a cloudy sky and rain off and on – and this continued throughout the day and into the evening. This made exploring the delightful town of Oberammergau a little challenging, but everyone managed to get out of the hotel and do some exploring. It was a free morning, so the activities were varied – some sought out a church service at either the local Catholic or Protestant Church, while others explored the museum or just did some shopping.

The Museum was a big hit, as were the numerous shops of all sorts – from clothing shops to wood carving and jewelery stores. Safe to say there were a lot of souvenirs purchased. A few even went for a swim or sauna or massage in the morning.

At noon – we gathered in the restaurant for a beautiful lunch, then were off to the first half of the Passion Play. Most walked, as it is only 10 minutes down the road, but others took the opportunity to take one of the many shuttle buses.

The first part of the play covered the time up to the arrest of Jesus. Then we returned to our hotel for supper and then at 8 returned to the Theatre for the last part of the well known story. When we came out of the hotel to leave for the second half of the play we were greeted by this magnificent rainbow. We had planned to attend the Lutheran church for communion after the play, but that service seemed to have been cancelled, so we all returned to our hotel for a muchneeded rest. The editor will leave it up to each individual to describe their own experience of the play. Enough to say that it appears to have met or exceeded the expectation of each.

Saturday May 29th 2010 - Switzerland - Oberammergau

This morning we set out from our hotel at 8 AM. The weather was cloudy, but no rain was evident. We drove north and east to Liechtenstein where we took a delightful break for coffee etc. We were dropped off in the middle of town and had about an hour to explore the town centre. Being Saturday there was a farmers market in the town centre. Here we were able to sample goat cheese, breads and several types of sausages and meats. There were also a couple of stands selling handicrafts including one that specialized in succulents – mainly hen and chick plants. There was also a vegetable stand and lots of places to have a quiet cup of coffee. We had a great time and then were back in the bus headed for Germany. Again we briefly drove through Austria, and just inside Germany we made a lunch stop at Rosenberger’s. They have a great range of salads and hot meals and a lot more desserts than any of us required, but did enjoy. After lunch several enjoyed a short walk around their pond to take in the birds, frogs and wild roses.

Then – back in the bus – next stop Neuschwanstein Castle. On the way, Lidia gave us a great deal of background information on Ludwig II and Wagner. Our time in the vicinity of the castle was delightful. Some walked up to the old castle were Ludwig grew up, and from there were able to get some great pictures of Neuschwanstein Castle. Unfortunately – time did not make it possible to actually visit the castle as it is high in the hills, though two got quite close by bus. The rest made some great purchases at the shops, and several had an afternoon treat of ice cream.

Our next stop – just 30 minutes down the road was Weis Kirke. Although this is on the schedule for another day – the decision was made to take this in today. We all really admired the Rococo design and the recent restorative work that has been carried out. From there we made the short journey to Oberammergau and got all checked into the hotel – ready for tomorrow, and the Passion Play.

Adventures in Switzerland Friday May 28th 2010

Our day started out nice and early with a bright blue sky and lots of sun – a great day to head up Titlis Mountain. We gathered at the bus at 8:15 and drove all of 1 km to the Titlis Rotair – a three-stage ride up the mountain. The first was in an enclosed 6-seater Gondola, this took us up and over one mountain, across a valley and then part way up the Titlis. From there we switched to a 50 passenger gondola and from there to a little smaller gondola with a floor that rotated a full 360 degrees during its trip up to the top. All the way up the scenery was magnificent, but once we reached the top (at 3020 M or 10,000 feet) we were completely surrounded by clouds, a little disappointing, but it did begin to clear just as we were headed down. We did make the most of the time on the top of the mountain, trudging through the snow and engaging in a bit of silliness with some cut-outs, and a cow. We also really enjoyed wandering through the Glacier Cave that has been constructed – it is truly beautiful and was the perfect setting for a couple of pictures.

As we headed down the mountain on the 6-passenger gondola – we were serenaded by the sound of many cow bells in the lush green valley below.

We were all down from the mountain by 11AM, so headed into Lucerne for a day of exploring this delightful city of 80,000 people located on Lucerne Lake. We first took a tour of the Lions Monument which is dedicated to the Swiss soldiers that died defending their country.

Next we took a walking trip around the city centre starting and stopping at Swan square. We really enjoyed the wide array of buildings with ornate murals and creative artwork. We traversed the Reus Bridge, a wooden structure which was first constructed in 1408 and used to transport condemned prisoners out of the city. The artwork on the bridge depicts the torment of those who are condemned.

Then we went on to and into the Jesuit Church – built in the Baroque style around 1677 and still in use today. The building is very ornate, and the acoustics fabulous.

From there – back across the swift running Canal across the Chapel Bridge that was burn and reconstructed. The pictures on this bridge depict the history of Lucerne.

From there – we were on our own to feed ourselves and enjoy the opportunity to do a bit of shopping. We enjoyed buying everything from nighties and t-shirts to Swiss Army Knives, Chocolate and ice cream (the later only purchased to use up our Swiss Francs).

This evening we were entertained by a Swiss Folk Show. We discovered some hidden talent in the group! Jo-Anne was the first to try her hand or rather her mouth at the Alp Horn. Many others tried – most successfully. Harry and Henriette had a duet going and tried to collect tips from the audience after, and Sidney showed how his Ottawa experience has made him very good at putting a spin on money. A really fun evening for all!