We are sitting on a train at the Garmisch-Partenkirche station on our way to Saltzburg in Austria. I've throughly enjoy the two days that we have in Garmisch.
Garmisch and Partenkirche are two towns which were joined together by Hitler to host the 1936 winter olympics. The towns are divided by a 1m wide river and sounds like it could be the setting to a Romeo and Juliet type village feud. It is situated on the border of Switzerland and Germany and to get there we traveled through Switzerland, Austria and Germany having to cross each border several times.
We spent the first night wandering through Garmisch town exploring the shops and the Christmas Markets which have everything from Christmas decorations to mulled wine and curry wurst.
Yesterday we were picked up by Thomas our German taxi driver/guide who showed us around this part of Bavaria for the day. Thomas was very knowledgable and most patient with us. The highlights of his tour were:
Schloss Neuschwanstein -
The castle of King Ludwig II or better known to those Disney fans out there as the castle which you see on the blue background at the the beginning of Disney movies. We approached the castle on horse and carriage winding up the hill as the snow was falling. The design of the castle is incredible, the inside is full of beautiful wall and ceiling paintings inspired by the operas of Wagner. Due to the King's death only 1/3 of the castle was ever finished and was opened to paying visitors within weeks of Ludwigs death.
Oberammergau -
Is the home of the Passion play which is a telling of the story of Jesus' life and death. This is performed every ten years by the people of Oberammergau due to a commitment to God made over 300 years ago. They vowed that they would perform the Passion play every ten years if God would end the plague. This he did and every the years since 1634 they have performed this play. The next one is in 2020. I'm not sure if the key message here is to be careful of what we promise God or the faithfulness with which they have carried out their vow. They also have a large woodcarving industry which dates back 500 years. The workmanship is unbelievable with shop after shop filled with woodcarvings with the most intricate detailing.
Ettal (Benedict Monastery) -
This is the home of a ornate old church, a boys boarding school, a university for boys and a brewery which produces Ettal beers and spirits.
On arrival I discovered the one of my heroes Dietrich Bonhoeffer had spend time here near the end of WWII and had involved members of Ettal in his plot to assassin Hitler (Vykarie). This lead to his death days before the war ended. In lighting a prayer candle here you can only thank God for the strength of Bonhoeffer's character and belief to knowingly sacrifice his life for a cause greater than himself and a lifetime of work that has played a part in creating the world we live in today. And that we would have half his strength in the way we live our lives.
What just blew me away was the natural environment. There is snow as far as the eye can see broken up by leafless trees and giant mountains with shear drop offs along their faces. Rooves with 2-3 feet of snow on them and houses painted with Bavarian artwork and designs on the outside. This palace is awesome... I've decided that if i ever have a winter home this is where it would be in a rugged natural environment steeped in history and culture.
BT
No comments:
Post a Comment