Tag: travel
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A Bavarian Horse-Blessing Ceremony in Unterammergau, Germany
As we walked from the town of Oberammergau to the neighboring village of Unterammergau, Germany, numerous horses trotted past us. The animals’ beautifully decorated manes and tails blew in the late autumn breeze. Not to be outdone by the horses’ distinguished appearances, the owners also sported fine Bavarian attire. Men wore grey woolen jackets finished…
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Tails from a German Horse-Blessing Ceremony
During the last weekend of October, the village of Unterammergau, Germany honors St. Leonhard, the patron saint of agricultural animals. The event begins with a horse procession through this community 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 village of…
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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 surrounding…
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Perusing the Pumpkin Patch
After ten years of life abroad sans an authentic jack o’lantern, I was delighted to awaken my Halloween spirit by visiting a veritable American pumpkin patch last autumn, following a splendid long weekend in Napa Valley. The California farm’s scruffy scarecrows, colorful gourds, and pumpkins transformed into storybook characters brought to mind some of my favorite Halloween…
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The Lüftlmalerei-Adorned Windows of Oberammergau, Germany
Oberammergau, Germany is famous 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…
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A Stroll Through Paris’ Sainte-Chapelle
Shimmering like a radiant jewel box, Sainte-Chapelle is often overlooked by visitors to Paris, who only visit Notre Dame Cathedral. I’d long read how Sainte-Chapelle is a must-see and favorite among shutterbugs, yet it took me several visits to the City of Light to see this Gothic masterpiece.
