This next morning we had our wake-up call at 6am, had a buffet breakfast and departed Frankfurt at 8am for a scenic drive to the Black Forest on our way to Oberammergau. The German countryside along the way was dotted with many beautiful tiny villages.Sheryl told us about German life, the history and pointed out important sights along the way. She and our driver, Roberto, kept us laughing with their friendly banter.
We were thankful for the many "comfort stops" along the way. The coach usually stopped every two hours so that we could stretch our legs, buy snacks and empty 42 anxious bladders!
The Black Forest region ('Schwarzwald') is essentially known for three distinctive features: its scenery and woods, the traditional Cuckoo Clock and the typical Black Forest Cake ('Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte') whose success is based on tasty cherry schnapps. The name black forest was quite accurate in earlier times, when the forest was impenetrable. When the wood trade began to falter, clock-making stepped in and has been a successful industry for the Black Forest ever since the 17th century.
One of our stops this morning was at the "House of Black Forest Clocks". Many people bought Cuckoo Clocks; we all had a typical Bavarian Lunch and then wandered through the village before returning to the bus.
Our next comfort stop was on Lake Constance at Marien Wallfahrtskirche in Birnau. This beautiful jewel of a church sits above the lake with vineyards running down to the lake. Completed in 1749, this church is decorated in the South German Rococo style. Once we entered the church we saw that it rivals even some of the most beautiful churches in Rome with its intricate frescos covering the walls and ceilings.
We continued our drive through the lovely forest and arrived in Oberammergau in the early evening for our stay at the Böld Hotel.
Oberammergau is quaint village with houses with colourful painted facades on many of its houses and shops. "Lüftlmalerei" is a handicraft method of wall-painting originally applied to decorate the baroque facades in Italy and Southern Germany. It was only in the 18th
century that this method became popular in the foothill region of the Alps, where wealthy traders, peasants and craftsmen displayed their wealth by means of opulently painted facades. The subjects of the paintings are mostly of a religious character, particularly involving figures of saints as well as manifold scenes all around the Passion Play theme in Oberammergau.Today there are about 120 wood sculptors in Oberammergau, actively carving and selling a large variety of wooden artifacts, from figures of saints to household goods. Furthermore, a Carvers School in town offers courses providing specialist training for wood carvers. We browsed through many shops that were filled to overflowing with beautiful carvings. What Oberammergau may be most well known for is the Passion Play. In the middle of the Thirty Years War, after months of suffering and death from the plague, the
Oberammergauers swore an oath that they would perform the "Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years. At Pentecost 1634, they fulfilled their pledge for the first time on a stage they put up in the cemetery above the fresh graves of the plague victims. Now, more than 2,000 Oberammergauers bring to the stage those events Christianity regards as its central source of life and hope in approximately six hours of playing time. The 41st Passion Play will take place between May and October of 2010. Globus has several tours which will include performances of the play.
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