Southern Chile

2000 Passion Play Oberammergau Germany

It's not too early to start thinking about attending the Passion Play in 2010. Tickets will be on sale soon.


This is an epic undertaking for a village in southern Germany (Bavaria). To do it once is inspiring; to do it every ten years for hundreds of years is beyond belief.

The men are already growing their hair and beards. The town is gearing up for the four-month celebration in the summer of 2010.

Citizens open their homes to strangers. Convenient rooms must be found for thousands of visitors.

Everyone in the region is committed to an inspiring experience for thousands of people. Not just for a weekend, but for an entire summer.

People die, babies are born, no matter...the play goes on. In 2000, the donkey got pregnant. Union rules state mothers and babies can't be separated from it's momma. The baby became part of the play following his momma on and off the stage.

The play itself is an all-day event, starting with breakfast in town with the actors roaming the streets of this small village. The play starts at 9:30am and runs until 6:00pm or later. There is a long lunch hour when you are free to wander the streets of this charming town, eat lunch, walk through the Stations of the Cross, before taking your seats for the afternoon.

The theater is open-air. The stage has no roof; the audience has a roof but limited walls. If it rains, the actors get wet. If it's cold your host will provide a blanket so you stay toasty warm.

Worried that you won't understand it? Think about it, you know the story. Who needs words?

In case you need the story, everyone is provided with a book (a few pages seen on this blog) that is in two parts; one-half German, one-half English, Spanish, French or whatever language you need.



Leaving the theater at the end of the play, we were exhausted. Dinner and a stein of beer enervated our bodies and we attended the German Lutheran church service that night to enervate our souls. The Catholic church also has a service every night.

Walking back to our zimmer frei (room) the four of us vowed we'd be back in 2010, with children and grandchildren in tow.













































The Haus Gstaiger owned by Amanda Burkle. This is where we stayed while in Oberammergau. She was a lovely hostess and made sure we all felt at home.















Other things to see in the area.

Who can resist Disney World's castle. Within an hour of Oberammergau you can see two of Mad King Ludwig's "over-the-top" creations. This is Neuschwanstein,
built in 1869. Near Fussen, the castle is about an hour's drive from Oberammergau.








The second is the even more opulent Linderhof. Mad King Ludwig II knew how to spend money. The castle, grotto, summer house and lush grounds with fountains and gold statues are about six miles from Oberammergau.













In the summer house.

The grotto where guests sat in boats and watched plays and operas.

Oktobrefest in Munich the last two weeks
of September.




The glockenspiel from atop St Peters Church.















Heidelberg, touristy and fun. Good place to get souvenirs.














The castle on the hill overlooking
Heidelberg. Still used for weddings
and other activities.

San Rafael Glacier, Chile

A travel "lemon" surprised us about three days before we were to embark on a cruise through the Patagonian channels and fjords from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales. The ship blew an engine and would be out of commission for at least two weeks. This is when travel agents really earn their commission.

Paola Furniss, Comapa Turismo, www.comapa.com had arranged our tour from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, and side trips to Lago Grey and the Moreno Glacier. She contacted us via an SOS e-mail that I fortunately read the following day. She had an alternative trip tentatively scheduled for us, just needed our approval.

How fortunate we were; four people in our party, four spaces left on the plane. The cost was $180/pp more than the cruise down the Patagonian channels, but we were so glad we made lemonade and took this trip. It was one of the highlights of our five weeks in Argentina and Chile.

We flew LAN Chile from Puerto Montt to Balmaceda, then onto a mini-bus for one hour on a good, but winding road, to Cohiaique where we changed to a larger bus for the one-and-a-half hour ride to the Skorpios that was docked at Puerto Chacabuco. The scenery was beautiful, Andes on both sides, cows, some desert, very small farm houses.


























We got onto a small boat and took a ride around a small lagoon, stopping on an island for lunch.

























































The most amazing thing on the island was the giant rhubarb. We've
seen rhubarb in many countries, but never like this! Three feet across, eight feet high, stalks three inches thick and three feet long. One stalk would make a lot of pies. We had several rhubarb desserts, but none as good as an old-fashioned rhubarb, custard pie.

















Salmon hatcheries along the way.




























We were disappointed when the day dawned foggy and drizzling rain. We brightened up when our captain told us that this was the perfect weather for seeing the glaciers and icebergs. The color would be more spectacular. He was right on. Feast your eyes on these pictures. We were surrounded by icebergs, each one more beautiful than the last. The dining room and only area outside the sleeping cabins. We spent time here reading and playing cards. Meals were at 9am, 1pm and 9pm. Entertainment and dancing started at 10:30pm. We had red and white wine at both lunch and dinner. Other liquor available at all times. Every meal, including breakfast, had at least ten cakes. All looked and tasted the same; one-layer, round desserts that tasted like whipped desserts. Only thing different was the frosting and decorations. The last night we had an "American" dinner. It consisted of two hot plates-roast turkey and octopus. The food was excellent.




































































































































Vodka on glacier ice at the San Rafael Glacier.












































This was an unbelievable day, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful acts of nature we have ever seen.

A boat ride back to Cohiaique where we stayed at a very nice hotel. The next day a return bus trip to Balmaceda and a flight to Punta Arenas.

Next up, penquins and a zodiac ride to Lago Grey Glacier in the Torres del Paine (Piney) National Park.