Some observations about Germany and Belgium

In Germany, the main food seems to be pork, pork & more pork! Not much in the way of veggies (other than really good salads) in restaurants.

Outdoor tables with umbrellas were found everywhere. We had to walk by to see the food on the tables since we couldn't read the German menus. However, some menus did have English translations.

Cafes with large outside TVs were VERY popular during the soccer matches. After Germany won one of its matches, the partying, horn-blowing, cheering and flag waving continued throughout the day and a lot of the night. While in Wittenberg the celebrating continued until almost 3:00 a.m.

No tap water was served automatically in restaurants. When asked for tap water, the servers would seem confused. Apparently, they want customers to pay for everything they drink. So, we would often have to buy "gas" water (water infused with CO2). One of our taxi drivers explained that the servers are afraid that if water is free, no one will buy drinks and they lose money.

In both Germany and Belgium, the beds at the hotels are called "French beds." The mattresses were foam and covered with a cloth sheet. And my, they were comfortable! Folded on the beds were duvets with a comforter inside. If you got too hot you could remove the comforter. Then the duvet (like a body-sized pillow) would serve as a cover.

Continental breakfasts at our hotels were fantastic, but the contents of which proved to be a little strange for some of us Americans:

Cheeses, lunch meats, cucumbers, sometimes pickles, tomatoes, eggs (orangish yolks in Germany--probably due to type of food the chickens were fed), sausages, bacon, rolls, breads, French toast, pancakes, crepes (no Belgium Waffles), mueslix, cereals, many kinds of yogurts in large bowls, fresh fruits, wonderful jams (fruitier taste and not as sweet as in the States) & many types of juice. And, of course, we were offered coffee and tea.

Fabulous coffee could also be purchased in restaurants; however, there are NO free refills. Food, in general, was pricey but very good.

Graffiti could be found everywhere, sometimes even on cathedrals and historic monuments. Some homelessness was observed, but nothing like we see in San Diego.

Construction/renovation was also prevalent. We saw lots and lots of cranes, and some of these seemed to be used in the construction of private homes.

Homes in Etall (only about 4 km from Oberammergau) have beautiful religious/historical murals painted on their walls. Many homes throughout Germany & Belgium have lace curtains and artistic shutters.

At 10:30 p.m. it was still light outside. We discovered there is evidently a 2-hour daylight savings change, according to one young man. He called it “artificial time” and didn’t really like it!

We visited Eisleben, Martin Luther's place of birth and death. Here he also stayed under protective custody for 11 months. We stayed there only part of one day.

The pastors, Andy, Laurie & Larry, were allowed to climb the steps to stand in the altar where Luther preached at one cathedral.

Autobahns seem to be great roads, although a fair amount of construction was going on in some areas. The fastest car we saw was a fancy Audi.

Green, green fields and trees are visible from the roads and from the airliners in which we travelled.

We learned that asparagus is a popular crop. It is served seasonally at many restaurants.

We visited a couple castles in Bavaria. King Ludwig II of Bavaria lived in Schloss Linderhof and then began work on another castle, Schloss Neuschwandstein. He was a bit of a recluse. He never married…& no girlfriends. He lived alone with 9+ servants at Linderhof. He had an amazing grotto created on the property (and what a hike it was to observe this!). He had intended to present Wagnerian operas in it, but that never happened. King Ludwig idolized Louis the XIV & XV of France and copied a lot of the opulence from those French kings’ courts. Schloss Linderhof is dazzling with gold inlay everywhere and opulent colors. Meissen porcelain figures abound. Mirrors and paintings can be found on the walls and ceilings. Expensive fabrics line the bed, the throne and windows. In the Hall of Mirrors we could look at one mirror and the reflections of others continued to infinity…very ethereal!

One of the German castles we visited was the "fairy castle" that is Schloss Neuschwandstein which translates roughly to “new swan stone castle.” It was much admired by Walt Disney and this masterpiece of architecture inspired the famous Magic Kingdom. Though never completely finished, it is probably the most well-known castle in Europe. Ludwig was declared insane (but he most likely really wasn't) and died (in his 40s), along with his physician, in a lake under mysterious circumstances. King Ludwig lived in this castle for only five months preceding his death.

In Belgium the Belgian (sometimes called Brussels) Waffles are small and served as hand-held snacks in stands or shops (no syrup). One ad showed a stack of these small waffles with various fillings and topped with whipped cream. In both Germany and Belgium ice cream and yogurt stands abound and are very popular.

Flemish Stew was somewhat disappointing in that it's only meat - no veggies. However, it was very tasty--of course it was cooked with beer!

Many food entrees were served with large bowls of frites. Belgium is noted for its French fries. They are double-fried; very crisp outside and soft inside, and they don’t look greasy at all.

Houses from the 1600s line the canals in Ghent, Belgium. Boat rides are available.

The canals were built for merchant transportation. Our hotel in Ghent, the Ghent River Hotel, was a renovation of a very old building and had, at one time, been a home and had housed several manufacturing ventures. It is the only hotel in the city that can be reached by boat.

Hops and barley (for malt) is a big commodity in Belgium. This is understandable since Belgium is noted for some very fine beers.

In Bruges, Belgium, some of us visited a small pub, named De Garre, while others enjoyed a "High Tea." At De Garre we traipsed upstairs and forthwith tried several beers. After having consumed the phenomenal “De Garre Tripel en vat,” Pastor Andy and Scott tried the “Judas” and “Satan” brews.

The following day we visited three renowned breweries, one of which

produces perhaps the best beer in the world, according to many, many worldwide connoisseurs. It is brewed at the Westvleteren Brewery, part of a Trappist monastery near Bruges, Belgium. The monks only want to make enough money to cover their expenses and are not interested in a full-scale world-wide production and distribution of their beer. They have requested that anyone who buys their beer not resell it.

Westvleteren 12 (11.8% alcohol) is difficult to get since it's brewed in limited amounts and is only sold through the monastery in the restaurant where we had lunch, the Westvleteren’s Café "In de Vrede," next to the monastery. It is interesting to note that this beer is sold with NO labels. PARTY ON!

Darlene & Scott

(Photos will be posted soon)

The Passion Play was amazing, but words cannot describe such an event. An event that is the work of the town's people-actors, chorus, musicians, stage, costume. We were given a booklet of the script, which one could read along. I opted not to read, but focus my attention on the stage to see what I've read come to life.

As I toured around Oberammergau taking in all the sights and sounds, I came across a Catholic Chruch. In the chruch they had posted photos showing activies that the Sunday school had been working on. In that display I found translations of the Lord's Prayer--French, Italian, Croatian.

An experience one will never forget.

Kim 'ster'

Last official day of the tour

Our day started out kinda crazy. After our bus-driver showed up an hour late, we were all very sleepy, hot, and cranky. We enjoyed a 2 hour drive to the Neuschwanstein Castle. Some took a shuttle buss up the hill to the castle and others walked. The castle was beautiful. The rumor is that this castle is what the Disneyland Castle is mirrored from. But who knows for sure...besides Walt Disney. Anyway...
After a brief guided tour of the inside of the castle (Sir, put the camera away.), we got back on the bus and drove to Munich for a farewell beer at the legendary Hofbrauhaus. Niiiiiiiice.
Some will go home tomorrow morning, while others will continue to Belgium.

Many thanks to our fearless leaders: Pastor Larry Koger of Hope Temecule, Pastor Andy Taylor of St. Andrew's San Diego, and (Uncle) Bill of Ciao Travel. They worked very hard making this trip come together. Without them, it would not have happened. Thank you to everyone who has kept us in your prayers for safe travels. Keep it up! We're traveling again!!

Guten Nicht!
-Rachel. and mom number 2 (Stephanie Alexander) and Erica, too

Thursday, July 1, 2010

We attended the Passion Play today, a six hour production, beginning at 2:30, breaking at 5:30 for dinner, then continuing from 8 - 11 pm. The play covers the last week of Jesus' life, from Palm Sunday through Easter, and includes many of the teachings from throughout the gospel of John and the Sermon on the Mount. By adding these parts to the story of the Passion, people unfamiliar with the gospels understand more of Jesus' teachings, in addition to learning about the events of Holy Week.

Pr. Andy is asking a variety of people to blog about their impressions and experiences of the Passion Play. Below are the first few.

Having just come back from the Passion Play, I have to say that it was VERY moving. The chorus that opened the play was a lineup of 48 singers that produced a sound that is difficult to describe. This was a world class production of an age old story of Jesus. The music alone will move you to tears. This was a once in my life time experience that I am grateful to have been able to experience with my friends at St. Andrews Lutheran Church. --Jan Paulsen

The Passion Play was overwhelming – much better than expected! The Passion Sunday scene with Jesus riding in on the donkey with the crowds shouting, “Hosanna!” and then later when an even larger crowd was shouting, “Crucify him!” were two very emotional scenes for me. When Jesus was praying to God in the Garden (before he was arrested) was also very moving. A lot of time was devoted to the torment that Judas went through and the acting brought out a lot of Kleenex time in the audience. The entire production with the choral singing, music and acting made the Passion very real – very spiritual. Try to attend the next one. I highly recommend it! --Darlene Elwin

The Oberammergau Passionsspiele 2010 certainly succeeded in transporting me back to a different place and time—the last few days of Jesus. “Living Images,” along the lines of the “Pageant of the Masters,” were placed throughout the play and provided contrast to the stirring drama of the various acts and scenes. The crowd scenes were particularly moving as were the portrayals of Thomas, Peter and especially Judas and Jesus. I also thought the part of Pilate was played masterfully, even if a bit frighteningly. The excellent orchestra, chorus and narrator helped make this play very compelling. --Scott Skinner

How amazing that this play has been going on for so long! Beginning as the village's plea for God to stop the plague which took so many lives. The performers have to been born in Oberamergau or been living there for 20 years. There were little babies who were part of the crowd and older folks who have probably lived there their whole lives. Can you imagine if the city of Santee tried to put something like this together? And there were about 4800 people from all over the world there! Wowzers! --Rachel Leeanne Line

The Passion play far exceeded my expectations. The production was AMAZING! The actors did a really good job. They made it seem like you were actually there witnessing everything. It was extremely emotional and very moving. I cried when Jesus was crucified. I think everyone needs to see it!!--Erica Alexander

I like Germany. Wow what an AMAZING experience!! The Passion Play was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! I felt transported to that time. I was moved by the feeling of the people. I had never felt much sympathy for Judas but now I can understand how deceived he felt. My favorite line spoken by the narrator was "Voluntary as well, Jesus carires -
stumbling, falling - the burden of the cross,
that for us becomes a symbol of hope,
a promise of eternal life.
I have never been more happy for Easter morning than I was when the play ended.
--Stephanie Alexander

The following photos were taken from the sides of the ticket building...

In Oberammergau

I have 5 minutes to post this before lunch. We are in Oberammergau, which has a lot of shops in which to buy wooden crosses, wooden carvings and other items. The Passion Play begins this afternoon.

We spent yesterday traveling from the North, in Leipzig, to the South, to Etal, near Oberammergau. On the way, we saw the Lindenhof castle, built by Ludwig, a Bavarian monarch enamored with King Louis XIV of France. The castle was ornate, complete with a cave or grotto he built to watch operas in - only about 10 people could watch the opera, but the cave had an up to date (for that time) lighting system, and included a stage, a lagoon, a place for the orchestra, and a balcony. He was one strange dude.

Most interesting in our travels have been the stories of those who lived in the former East Germany. One woman told us she had been spied on by her best friend - discovered this when she opened her security file and found the information. Also of interest to me - the info about the 3rd reich - the rise of Hitler and what happened to the people. Our bus driver, a West German, pointed out the documents building in Nuremburg, said that it contained information on what happened during WWII and that it was "very difficult to look at." I think that was an understatement.

Gotta run to get to lunch on time. More later. - Pastor Andy