Tag: Oberammergau

Into the Forest: Watching a Wild Deer Feeding in the German Alps

Every winter, officials in the German state of Bavaria organize feedings for wild deer — much to the delight of the animals and the spectators.

Tricia A. Mitchell39 Comments

Sitting on the wooden benches of a rustic shelter, our group waited patiently. We shivered quietly and watched for signs of life in the frosted forest before us. It was twilight, and we had come to watch a feeding of wild deer in the Graswang Valley in the German state of Bavaria. These feeding sessions, called Wildtierfütterung in German, are a popular local tradition, and just one example of Germany’s penchant for respecting the environment

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A Valley Ablaze: The König-Ludwig-Feuer in Oberammergau, Germany

Tricia A. Mitchell32 Comments

For more than 125 years, residents in the tiny German town of Oberammergau have commemorated the eve of the birth of the fairy-tale Bavarian King Ludwig II with a dramatic and fiery bonfire display, called the König-Ludwig-Feuer.

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A man rides an alpine coaster on a green slope overlooking the village of Oberammergau, Germany.

Curvy Exhilaration: Riding the Alpine Coaster in Oberammergau, Germany

Tricia A. Mitchell46 Comments

Zipping down the foothills of the German Alps in an alpine coaster, I screamed out of fear and fun. And Shawn quickly learned a new German word: Bremsen (brakes)!

Seeking an Alpine adrenaline rush in Oberammergau, a tiny town situated in Upper Bavaria, we’d come to the right place – the Kolbensattel Alpine Coaster, a summer luge course of sorts.

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A Peek at Germany’s Ettal Monastery

Tricia A. Mitchell40 Comments

Spying the elaborate dome of the Ettal Monastery for the first time, I was surprised to see such ornate architecture dramatically rising out of the countryside, juxtaposed with the area’s modest Bavarian homes. The monastery, located in the village of Ettal, is not far from the mountain village of Oberammergau, which is well-known for its Passion Play, held every ten years.

Founded in the 1300s, but completely rebuilt in the 1700s following a devastating fire, the complex features Baroque and Rococo architecture. Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian had it constructed so that it could house knights and monks. For many years, the monastery’s monks have brewed their own beer and made their own straw-colored liqueur using mountain herbs, and today it’s still possible to purchase both.

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Slap Happy: Dancing the Schuhplattler in Bavaria

Tricia A. Mitchell49 Comments

One of the joys of exploring Germany’s Bavaria region is witnessing the people’s penchant for preserving tradition. In the village of Oberammergau, where we’ve spent much time visiting my parents, it’s not uncommon to spot an older gentleman wearing a loden green, woolen hat, with feather, during a grocery-shopping trip. On holidays, ladies often don vibrant Dirndls (dresses with poofy sleeves and aprons finished off with a pretty bow). And, during festivals, dancers of all ages take to the stage to show off their dancing skills, looked on by revelers with mugs of beer, a lively brass band, and an occasional yodeler.

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A man rides a horse with an elaborately-decorated mane, in a German village.

A Bavarian Horse-Blessing Ceremony

Tricia A. Mitchell35 Comments

As we sauntered closer to the steeple-skylined village of Unterammergau, Germany, horses trotted past us, their highly decorated manes and tails blowing in the late autumn breeze. Not to be outdone by the animals’ distinguished appearances, the horse owners also sported fine Bavarian attire: the men wore grey woolen jackets finished with deer-horn buttons, and dark green or brown Lederhosen, while the ladies sported Dirndls with colorful flowing skirts, and button-down sweaters to protect them from the chilly air. As someone who adored coiffing her My Little Pony figurines’ hair as a child, I was instantly in shutterbug heaven.

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Mount Kofel Dressed in Snow – Oberammergau, Germany

Tricia A. Mitchell14 Comments

“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 (nothing to shovel, but confectioners’ sugar-like dustings on the surrounding mountaintops). Here, Mount Kofel, which we successfully climbed  this past summer, shows off her winter apparel, while ephemeral, downy clouds drift overhead.

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The Lüftlmalerei-Adorned Windows of Oberammergau, Germany

Tricia A. Mitchell39 Comments

Windows of Oberammergau, Germany 1

The village of Oberammergau, Germany is well known for the colorful frescoes that adorn the exteriors of its homes and businesses. This painting technique is known as Lüftlmalerei. (Luft means ‘air’ in German. It’s believed that the term illustrates how fresco artists must work quickly to apply watercolor paint to the wet plaster before it dries in the open air.)

During spring, summer and autumn, Oberammergau’s colorful façades are enhanced by overflowing boxes of trailing flowers. And during the most grey of winter months, I find that the Lüftlmalerei inject a much-needed cheerful ambience to this chilly Alpine village.

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