Great memories linger, and will continue to, of our family’s travels with the WESTconsin Travel Club to the Passion Play in late July.
As a young man, my father visited Europe specifically to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. When I heard the trip was available through the Travel Club, I had to go and was very glad that I did. The village of Oberammergau, and I mean nearly all of the villagers, have told this story every ten years since 1633 in appreciation to God for having the Plague pass their village. Our guide said this would be a world class performance and he was right. You can’t help be moved when you see and hear several hundred people waving palms and shouting “Hosanna!” as Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem or when they later shout “Crucify Him!” No pictures or video are allowed during the performance, so I can’t show you anything here. But if you’d like to know more: http://www.oberammergau-passion.com/en-us/home/home.html. Our daughter asked shortly after the performance if we were coming again in 2020. Hmmmm….
As I mentioned earlier, it was a pleasure to travel with members who we knew and those we got to know on this tour. Many had traveled with the group before and said this tour was the best. Wonderful sights, a friendly, knowledgeable guide who arranged excellent hotels and meals. I really enjoyed sampling Czech and Bavarian food and beverages.
Some highlights worth mentioning, in addition to the Passion Play:
- Medieval town of Cesky Krumlov in southern Bavaria and its impressive castle.
- Obersalzberg – Hitler’s former retreat and headquarters including a vast underground bunker system and the Eagle’s Nest, a mountain-top tea house built as a birthday present whre you can see Austria on one side and Germany on the other. It’s another of those places from history books that gives you the most impact actually standing there.
- Cruised across Lake Konigssee in the Berchtesgaden National Park stopping at St. Bartholomew with its 12th Century church and hunting lodge.
- Salzburg – Mozart’s birthplace and home and Sound of Music movie sights including the gazebo and a few spots where it was filmed including the steps at Mirabell Gardens where the VonTrapp children danced to Do, Re, Me.
- Innsbruck – Svarovski crystal museum and showroom and strudel!
- Linderhof Castle – the only one of three castles that King Ludwig II of Bavaria actually lived in, including the Venus Grotto, a private man-made cave where the king would stage performances of Wagner operas.
American-born David Harper was our guide. He and his family live in Berchtesgaden, Germany where we stayed the second set of nights on our tour. He imparted a vast knowledge and love for the area. I would definitely take another opportunity to tour with him. Sharrie Buss of the Travel Club and Mary Lemke of Higgins Travel also did a great job of organizing us and keeping us on track.
Sorry for the delay in finishing up these posts. I had access to a public computer for three nights. Left my laptop at home. Borrowed one the last night with a European keyboard and decided to save the frustration. In fact, I had to look up my work PC password when I returned. I truly vacationed and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Already thinking about when we might travel again with the WESTconsin Travel Club.
Jay
