During the last weekend of every October, the village of Unterammergau, Germany honors St. Leonhard, the patron saint of agricultural animals. The event begins with a horse procession through this village of 1,500 people. It culminates in an open-air church service, during which more than one hundred horses are blessed. Unterammergau is the neighboring villageContinue reading “Tails from a German Horse-Blessing Ceremony”
Tag Archives: Bavaria
Mount Kofel Dressed in Snow – Oberammergau, Germany
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck The experience of awakening to the first snowfall of winter is magical, especially when Mother Nature delivers as she did today in Oberammergau, Germany. (There was nothing to shovel, but confectioners’ sugar-like dustings on the surroundingContinue reading “Mount Kofel Dressed in Snow – Oberammergau, Germany”
An Autumn Afternoon at the Neuschwanstein Castle
As we inched closer to the Neuschwanstein Castle, I couldn’t help but think it looked even more fairy tale’esque thanks to the autumnal hues Mother Nature had dressed it in. Rich yellow, copper and crimson leaves framed the world-famous castle on the craggy rocks, contrasting sharply with the lime-green fields below it.
Hiking to the Kofel, Oberammergau’s Signature Mountain
Towering over the village of Oberammergau is the Kofel, a Matterhorn-shaped mountain with an elevation of 1,342 meters (4,400 feet). The name Kofel means “cone-shaped mountain” in Celtic, and so hints at the different peoples who once passed through this mountainous part of Germany. The Bavarians we’ve met in this picturesque town are well-versed in the artContinue reading “Hiking to the Kofel, Oberammergau’s Signature Mountain”
A Peek at Linderhof Palace
Schloss Linderhof is the smallest of three castles built by King Ludwig II in Germany’s state of Bavaria in the mid to late 1800s. Simultaneously referred to as the ‘Fairy Tale King’ and ‘Mad King Ludwig,’ eccentric Ludwig is perhaps best known for having commissioned Neuschwanstein Castle, the so-called ‘Cinderella’ or ‘Disney Castle.’ He isContinue reading “A Peek at Linderhof Palace”
The Last Days of Summer – Oberammergau, Germany
“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James As we welcome autumn to Oberammergau – with its bounty of festivals and harvests – here’s a peek at the scenes we glimpsed during our end-of-summer strolls. Here’s to beautiful fall foliage, and Bavaria’s winterContinue reading “The Last Days of Summer – Oberammergau, Germany”
Celebrating Mariä Himmelfahrt Day in Oberammergau, Germany
As the clock edged toward nine thirty in the morning, the stream of villagers dressed in traditional German folk costume passing by our window in Oberammergau, Germany grew. Ladies in elaborate Dirndls and men in Lederhosen pedaled by on their bikes. Some navigated their bikes’ handlebars with one hand, with elaborate wildflower bouquets in theContinue reading “Celebrating Mariä Himmelfahrt Day in Oberammergau, Germany”
Angels, Busts, and Saints Dressed in Snow: A Wintry Visit to Oberammergau’s Cemetery
Perhaps it is a bit macabre, but I find cemeteries – particularly those in foreign locales – to be fascinating and fitting spots to reflect upon a place’s culture and history, and upon life itself. When my husband and I last visited Paris, we spent several hours strolling through the city’s famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, passing headstones ofContinue reading “Angels, Busts, and Saints Dressed in Snow: A Wintry Visit to Oberammergau’s Cemetery”
Travels With Tricia 