We had visited relatives in Oberammergau, Germany in the past but always avoided the Passion Play years as the small village gets too crowded and the relatives too busy to visit. However, in 2005, after a backstage tour of the Passion Play house by one of our relatives, we made the commitment to return in 2010 to experience the Passion Play. To share this experience, we created a customized tour and opened it up to anyone that was interested. We ended up with 32 people. Below are some links to just some of the many photos we wish to share. Please enjoy.
Day 1 - We
arrived in Geneva, Switzerland and took a tour through the
city. We enjoyed lunch in the shopping district and struggled
to acclimate to the time difference. After dinner we turned in
for much needed sleep.
Day 3 - We
departed Zermatt on the Glacier Express for an 8-hour odyssey
through the Swiss Alps while sipping Swiss Wine,
sampling Grappa, and enjoying our gourmet lunch. We arrived in
St. Moritz, Switzerland and hurried to the other side of the
lake to a local restaurant that was highly recommended. We
were not disappointed.
Day 4 - We
left
St. Moritz and Switzerland behind us and made our way through
Austria to arrive at the base of the Zugspitze. We took the
cable car to the summit and enjoyed lunch, beer, and the
breathtaking views. We descended and headed to our hotel in
Murnau, Germany to get a good night sleep before the
Oberammergau Passion Play.
Day 5 – The
entire trip was planned around the Oberammergau Passion
Play. The Passion Play cannot be seen, it can only be
experienced. Between meals and performances, we flitted
throughout Oberammergau visiting as many of the relatives as
we could and paying our respects to those that have gone
before us. It was good to be back.
Day 6 – The
itinerary called for a much needed relaxing day. We took a
short trip to Ludwig’s castle, Linderhof, and hiked the
grounds before enjoying a light lunch. We then toured the
Ettal Monastery and headed to Salzburg, Austria for dinner
and a show.
Day 7 – We took a walking tour
through old Salzburg, paying particular attention to the
familiar scenes from the film Sound of Music. After the
walking tour we headed to the summit of Eagles Nest in
Berchtesgaden. Later, some of us went shopping in
Berchtesgaden while others took a boat tour of Konigsee. We
finished the day with a relaxing walk along the Salzach
River in Salzburg.
Day 8 - We departed Salzburg
and arrived in Munich where we enjoyed a walking tour of the
city. We ate lunch at the Hofbrauhaus and then headed to
Nymphenburg Palace to tour the grounds, and then on to the
Olympic Park. However we enjoyed the air conditioning at the
BMW showroom more as we sampled their wares. We then went to
the hotel to enjoy our farewell dinner.
Day 9 - We woke early for our
last good breakfast in Germany and meandered our way to
Munich Airport. We said our goodbyes to Ken, our tour guide,
and to Steve and Kay who were staying in Germany a little
longer. Before we knew it, we were home.