September 24 & 25, 2022

Exhausted from our amazing, but long, yesterday at the Oberammergau Passion Play, we were delighted to have a couple of days to reflect and refresh. A leisurely day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was provided, a wonderful mountain city with the Zugspitze, Germany’s tallest mountain, in clear view. Kathy and I have ascended twice to this mountain vista, with clear views of the snow-capped Alps. We could not convince anyone to go up–I think I scared them over the glass gondola that takes a long ascent from a short mountain top to the top of the Zugspitze on one wire, no supports, with a drop of a mile and a half below. The gondola swings in the air, stops, and then makes a vertical ascent to the top station, which is a metal walkway bolted to the side of the mountain until you reach solid ground. It was built for the 1938 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Olympics. I said I would never ride it again, and I kept my word! Eating amazing pastries and drinking hot tea and walking the charming streets while gazing on mountain vistas was just fine this time around, thank you. The Standly’s and Dee and Sheila took a tour of the magical Neuschwanstein Castle, built by King Ludwig in the mountains. This is the castle Walt Disney copied for his scaled down castles in the Disney parks. Randy & Melisa, Dee, and Sheila stood on the Marianbrukke, the swinging bridge over a valley from which the iconic photos of the castle are taken for their photo op.

Later in the day, the Steele’s and we took a cab to Fussen, Germany. It was a sight-filled drive through the mountains. The trees are turning into fall colors. We crisscrossed back and forth between Austria and Germany as we sped along. The Standly’s, Dee, & Sheila joined us later at our comfortable hotel in the heart of quaint Fussen. This cobblestoned village/city set in the mountains with winding streets and passageways is a picture postcard, pure and simple! Melisa sent me a note and said she wished we could stay a week. Our room looked out on an absolutely charming street with painted buildings and red tiled roofs as far as the eye could see. We all slept very well that night.

Waking refreshed after a lengthy sleep, we arrived at the hotel breakfast before it closed. Everyone went on their own walking tours of Fussen for the day. We went to Catholic mass at St. Magnus, a beautiful baroque church. Most of us visited the historic castle above the city and also the Bavarian State Museum. It was awesome! A former monastery, room after room held beautiful surprises. The architecture was wonderful with painted ceilings and domes and decorative moldings in abundance. Dating from the 800s, it was a work of art, filled with art and displays of area crafts. The “Dance of Death” is a famous work of art depicting death visiting the rich and poor, some resisting and some welcoming its embrace. The inscription of the huge art piece says: “Whether we say ‘no’ or ‘yes’, each and everyone of us must dance.” How true! The tiered library is a beauty. Decoratively painted and sculpted from top to bottom, it was a delight to discover. Fussen was the master stringed instrument craft center back in the day–its lutes were particularly valued. We enjoyed seeing the craftsmanship of the old lutes on display with their beautiful painted cases. We loved this day!