The idea today was to take the cable car up to the top of
Germany’s highest mountain, Zugspize, and then go on to Oberammergau. It is
probably the best day of the week weather wise (and that’s saying something!)
but nobody wants to go up the mountain! It is expensive, especially by Austrian
standards, at €35.50 each with a guest card or €37.50 without the card. If we
had 15 or more the price would drop to €31.50 each!
I don’t mind too much as it makes for a more relaxing day
as we drive into Germany and the town famous for its Passion Play,
Oberammergau. The journey has taken us a different way again today and it is a
lovely ride. Driving through one of the biggest ski resorts in Germany,
Garmisch – Partenkirchen is very pretty.
We arrive in Oberammergau at 10:20 and I park in the
coach park next to the very impressive looking Passion Play Theatre and very
close to the centre of the town. It is possible to have tours of the theatre and
I walk over to enquire the cost and time. There is an English tour at 11:00 and
the cost for the group is €5 per person as opposed to the usual €6. A bargain.
Everyone is keen to visit so we all buy our tickets (well I don’t mine is
free!) and then wait for 11:00. I grab a quick coffee with Barry while we wait while
some others have gone for a walk or are sitting in the shade of the garden
opposite while the rest have a drink.
The same lady who issued our tickets is also our guide
and she is excellent. I really enjoyed the tour and at one point we all sat
down to watch a short film of stills from the previous Passion Play in 2010 put
to music from the show and it was very moving. I was here in 2010 with a top
price ticket in my hands but decided not to go as I didn’t think it was for me
but now wish I had gone. I think a few people thought the same.
The Passion Play is performed every 10 years with last
one in 2010 and the next one in 2020. I only took ten people last time and lost
a lot of money but having paid out for the tickets two years in advance I lost
less by running the tour than cancelling! We did have a great tour though
combining the play with a week in the Austrian Tyrol.
After the tour I have a walk around this delightful town
buying some presents and returning to the cafe by the theatre for a cheese baguette
and a coffee.
Oberammergau is also renowned for the decorative
paintings on its many fine buildings known as Luftmalerei, its woodcarving and
the NATO school.
Again it is too hot to sit on the coach so plonk myself
down on a seat opposite to soak up some sun and await my flock!
We are away from here at 13:50 and ten minutes later I
stop again at the village of Ettal. I have driven past here before and seen
coaches parked and have always wanted to investigate so today is the day!
The is a Basilica that is free to enter and also a
monestary with its own brewery that you can pay to go and see. We are just
stopping for the Basilica and maybe the
chance to buy some local beer!
The Basilica is stunning inside with wonderful paintings
on the walls and especially the ceiling.
The hour we stop here has been well worth it.
We leave at 15:00 and forty minutes later I’m dropping
some off at the Spar supermarket (supplies for the journey home!) and then the
rest back to the hotel. Once everyone is off I go and top the fuel up so I will
not need to do it again until I’m home.
Back at the hotel I pack my main case and put it on the
bus before going back for a much needed shower. If I stop I will sleep so
feeling refreshed I go and sit outside to do some work before dinner.
Didn’t sleep too well tonight, the one night I wanted a
good nights sleep!
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