Backstage in Oberammergau

Last month I had the privilege of visiting the town of Oberammergau in Bavaria and was delighted to have a backstage tour of the theater. We have many groups attending the Play between May and October 2010 and if you don't have your tickets yet, call us at 1-800-303-5534 or visit our website. We have space available on several tours and can also put together a custom tour.

This photo is of the main stage, which you can see is open air. This year the play will be in the afternoon and evening, so the crucifixion scene will be more atmospheric. All the seats are covered though and all the seats have a good view. Here are some more photos:


The table for the last supper.

The soldier costumes.

The choir costumes.

Happy Thanksgiving from Reformation Tours!

Although not American, I love the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy the opportunity to thank the Lord for all the blessings that He lavishes on us. Last Sunday, our Pastor told us the story of how Sarah Hale (who wrote the kindergarten song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb") was instrumental in establishing the Thanksgiving holiday. It's a tale of perseverence and I was inspired.

Whenever I'm curious about a Christian who made a difference, I turn to one of my favorite websites, the Christian History Institute. Here's a quote from one of their pages:



"Sarah's greatest achievement was to make Thanksgiving a holiday in the United States. She used her popular magazines as a forum to advocate this national day of gratitude to God. Sarah worked tirelessly towards this goal for over fifteen years before Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation in August, 1863. Not a bad track record for a girl educated at home, largely by her own efforts.

She retired when she was ninety, writing "I must bid farewell to my countrywomen, with the hope that this work of half a century may be blessed to the furtherance of their happiness and usefulness in their Divinely-appointed sphere." To read the rest of the story, click here

As you enjoy your turkey and stuffing, remember Sarah's desire that we would all express our gratitude to our Lord. We have so much to be grateful for.

The Leipzig Christmas Market opens today

There's nothing quite like a German Christmas market and today marks the opening of one of the most popular. The Leipzig Christmas market dates back to the year 1767. This year it is open from November 24th through December 22nd, 2008, with 250 stalls. The main area will be Marktplatz market square where visitors will be able to marvel at a massive Saxon spruce Christmas tree, and enjoy a wide variety of performances at the market square stage. Visitors can also see the world’s largest free-standing advent calendar (857 square meters) in the Böttchergasse alleyway, designed by Leipzig schools. Make a point to be there at 4:30pm every day from December 1-24th to watch the windows being opened.

To learn more about Leipzig, we invite you to visit our webpage and learn about Luther's connections with the city, the prayer meeting that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Wieskirche and the cows

On Day 4 of the trip with the Bavarian Tourist Office and the National Tour Association we had a morning trip up the Rauschbergaus Mountain via cable car and the views were fabulous. There's a wonderful restaurant at the top and lots of great hiking trails. I recommend it!

In the afternoon we had a stop at Wieskirche, also known as the "Church in the Meadow." The official name is the "Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Savior in the Wies." Back in 1730 Father Magnus Straub and Friar Lukas Schweiger built a figure of Jesus for the Good Friday procession, using parts from other wooden figures, which they then covered in linen and painted. It was such a realistic representation of the suffering Jesus, that the congregation found it too moving and they decided to store it in the monaster's innkeeper Jeremia Rehle's attic. On March 4, 1738, the innkeeper's godmother Maria Lory moved it to her farm, the "Wieshof." During evening prayers on June 14, 1738 she apparently noticed drops of water on Jesus' face, which she interpreted as tears. As you can imagine, many people wanted to see the statue and so it became a popular pilgrimage spot. The side chapel contains many photos, prayers and letters from pilgrims from around the world and an estimated one million visitors visit each year.

The paintings in the church were done by two brothers, Dominikus and Johann Baptist Zimmermann of Wessobrunn. It's now included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage buildings and is a fine example of rococo style.

As well as the beautiful artwork, it was lovely to hear the cows right outside the church. It must have been feeding time as they were pretty vocal!

Weiskirche is featured on many of our tours, especially those including the Oberammergau Passion Play.

From a Salt Mine to the Eagle's Nest!

On Day 3 of my tour with the Bavarian Tourist Office and the National Tour Association, we visited the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine. When you arrive, they give you a black overall to wear over your clothes. It would have been smarter to have taken my coat off, as it's really not that cold in the mine and I was too bundled up. Once you are dressed, they take you to the waiting area for the train. It was lovely to see scripture written above the door, "You are the salt of the earth" Matthew 5,13. My favorite part of the tour was when we had a ride across the underground Mirror Lake accompanied by beautiful music and a light show. This is still a working mine and you can buy the salt they produce in the gift shop. We were all given a large pack and it's delicious!

After the salt mine, we met up with David Harper from Eagle's Nest Tours and as it was a gorgeous day, he was able to take us to the summit. The so-called “Eagle’s Nest” was built as teahouse for Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday. It's perched up on a mountain summit, so to get there we had to take a train, then an elevator. In its day, it was a unique engineering feat. Hitler’s home and headquarters - the second seat of 3rd Reich power - were actually located at Obersalzberg, which is at the foot of the Eagle’s Nest mountain. David also took us to the underground bunkers, which are very extensive.

The end of the day was in Ruhpolding, which is a great place to be based in the Alps. We had a quick visit to the Woodcutter's Museum, then enjoyed a fun Bavarian meal complete with dancers!

Lake Chiemsee and Herrenchiemsee Palace

On Day 2 on my trip with the Bavarian Tourist Office and the National Tourist Association, we met up at Munich airport (I'd arrived the day before) and set off for Prien on Lake Chiemsee. This is Bavaria's largest lake and it's gorgeous! After checking into our hotel we took the boat to "Men's Island" and had a horse-drawn carriage ride to Herrenchiemsee Palace. This was one of Ludwig II's palaces and it's a great example of Rococo and Baroque art. He only partially finished it though and it's quite a surprise to go through the last finished room and see a completely bare-brick stairway!

After we toured the palace, we took a second boat ride to Fraueninsel "Ladies' Island" which has a convent and a number of little artisan shops. At Christmas this is definitely the place to go!

Neuschwanstein anyone?

I got back a week ago from a wonderful trip to Bavaria, where I was part of a group of tour operators with the National Tour Association hosted by the Bavarian Tourist Office. It was an excellent trip and I'm going to try and share some of the highlights.

Day 1: I actually flew in a day early, as my friend Gunter Meyer had invited me to visit Hohenschwangau. Not sound familiar? It's actually the name of the village at the foot of Neuschwanstein Castle. There are two castles in the village and I chose to visit Hohenschwangau Castle, where Ludwig II grew up. It's incredible inside (which I could show you photos, but you aren't allowed to take them) as the furniture is original and the walls have the most beautiful frescoes. Ludwig had a telescope in his sitting room so that he could watch Neuschwanstein being built.

I stayed in the Jagerhaus hotel, which is fabulous! the photo above is the view from my window. The Lisl Hotel is right next door and the food there is amazing. If you would like to find out about packages in Bavaria including staying in this village, just let me know. You can call 1-800-303-5534 and I'll be happy to help.