The Passion Play at Oberammergau

I first heard about the Oberammergau Passion Play in the year 2000 and ever since I have wanted to attend it. Not an easy task as it is held every 10 years! Anyway this year, I decided that by hook or by crook, I was going to attend. And as I truly believe, if it is meant to be, the universe will conspire to make it happen.


As it so happened, I was invited to an Airbus seminar in Munich in June and it is from Munich that one goes to Oberammergau. The next step was to get tickets for the play. Unfortunately one cannot just buy them off the net. Instead one has to go through a travel agent or register on the website stating preferred dates. Once again, the universe conspired and sent me an angel in the form of Christina (my friend from Munich). She not only arranged for the tickets but also showed me the surrounding area of Bavaria over the weekend.

 The theatre in which the play is performed.

So what is so special about this play?

• The Oberammergau Passion Play is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region.
• They vowed to perform the play every ten years.
• It was first performed in 1634.
• It involves over 2000 actors, singers, instrumentalists and technicians who are all residents of the village.
• It is an extraordinary community exercise.

The play opens by focusing on humankind’s desire to find salvation and the hope offered through Jesus Christ. I loved the way they depicted the life of Jesus and interspersed it with vignettes from the Old Testatment.

Tableau - Jesus' entry into Jerusalem

Tableau - In front of the Temple

Tableau - The feast of the Passover before the Exodus from Egypt

Tableau - Scene from the Last Supper

Tableau - The violent attack at the High Place of Gibeon

Tableau - God calls Moses from the burning bush

Tableau - The betrayal of Jesus

Tableau - The Prophet Daniel in the Lion's Den

Tableau - The Crucifixion

The sets were colourful and beautiful, the singing inspirational and spine-tingling and the actors were brilliant. It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life even though the entire play was in German.

Oberammergau is a quaint village where the most dominant activity is the Passion play. The play ofcourse is held in 2 parts with a 3 hour break in between during which dinner is served. Everything is so beautifully organised in the true German style of perfection. One has enough time to have dinner, walk around town, shop a bit, visit the museum and take lots of pictures.

A quaint setting

Typical Bavarian

Bronze sculptures everywhere

There was an exhibition of pictures of previous plays held. I found the sets and costumes quite fascinating.

The village is also famous for its woodcarving. The streets of central Oberammergau are home to dozens of woodcarver shops, with pieces ranging from religious subjects to toys to humorous portraits.

Oberammergau is also famous for its "Lüftlmalerei," or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, or religious scenes found on many homes and buildings.

Getting there:


Nearest Airport - It is 95 kms from Munich or 75 kms from Innsbruck.

By train - There are hourly trains to Oberammergau Bahnhof from Münich, with a change in Murnau. The journey takes about 2 hours each way. All other major cities in Germany can be reached from Murnau, including Frankfurt in 7 hours.

By bus - There are about four buses per day from Füssen to Oberammergau (fewer in winter). The journey takes 1 hour 30 minutes. An unnumbered shuttle bus connects Oberammergau with the regional train station (RVO Regionalverkehr Oberbayern) at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, from which you can connect to other nearby towns.

By car - The easiest way to reach Oberammergau is by car, which takes about an hour on the autobahn from Münich. Take the A95 Munich-Garmisch-Partenkirchen Autobahn and exit at Eschenlohe. Road 23 connects the autobahn with Oberammergau.

Buying the tickets: Tickets to the play are usually included as part of a larger package comprising of accommodation and sightseeing in some cases.

Oberammergau und DER Reisebüro OHG
Geschäftsstelle Passion 2010
Eugen-Papst-Straße 9a
D - 82487 Oberammergau
Tel. ++49(0)8822-9231 -64
Fax ++49(0)8822-9231 -52
http://www.passionsspiele2010.de/

Leh - a surreal experience

Leh was the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh and is now in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Honestly, in my opinion this area should be a separate state or union territory. Leh is at an altitude of 3524 meters and has one of the highest civilian airports in the world.

Views from the aircraft on the way to Leh and on landing. I was so excited as it was on my bucket list and having flown to the airport so often, I was curious to get out and explore.

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The terrain as depicted on the IFE

The dominant religion is Buddhism and one finds quite a few gompas and stupas dotting the countryside. The gompas have many beautiful frescos and I do wish they would preserve it better.

The famous Thiksey monastry

 

Prayer wheels need to be rotated clockwise

Colourful prayer flags

 The beautiful views from the monastry. Very peaceful and calming.

The countryside is quite dramatic with the majestic Himalayan range, sacred rivers, green patches, snow capped peaks, brown deserts and vivid blue skies with white clouds.

Our first view of Pangong Lake

 Pangong Lake is 5 hours away from Leh. To get there, one has to drive across treacherous mountain terrain and the third highest motorable pass, Changla Pass, at 5300 meters. The mountain road passes over Solang valley and the road is narrow and steep. Any mistake on the part of the driver and we would have been hurtling down the side of the mountain! Frightening, yet thrilling. However the Border Signs posted by the BRO kept our minds occupied and the scenic views took our breath away. At that altitude, we were lucky to have any breath left.  :) The weather was awesome and we drove through snow capped mountains.

Smita and I at Pangong Lake

2/3rds of the Lake lies in China. In winter it freezes over even though it is saline.

The treacherous road to get to Pangong.

This reminds me of Peru and the Incas' terraced rice fields.

We passed a volcanic mountain that had magnetic properties..........................

This really works!

One of the most dramatic sights is the Sangam, confluence of the rivers Indus and Zanskar. Pity we did not have time to river raft on the Zanskar. Must do it the next time........................

We also visited the Shanti Stupa which was built by the Japanese and the Leh Palace which was built in the same style and at the same time as the Potala Palace in Tibet.

Ladakh is one of the most beautiful places on earth and a "must visit". The nest time I intend driving to Leh and spending a longer time there.