Sept 19, 2022
Hello From Oberammergau:
We arrived here this evening, and got an orientation tour of the stage, so we would know what entry to go to and where we will be sitting for the passion play. The play is presented in two parts - part one at 1:30pm, and part two at 7pm. The evening performance could be a little chilly, but we can by a blanket for 10 Euros to keep us warm. One member of our group said - we’ll, that’s our Oberammergau souvenir.
The play is tomorrow. We left Salzburg this morning and enjoyed a beautiful drive through the backroads of Austria. The alps are amazing to behold. The caps are already covered with snow, and you can clearly see on each mountain the line where it goes below freezing. The rich, towering evergreens take over, and The guide tells us they are not anxious to remove many trees from the Mountain side, because their presence diminishes avalanches. Ever notice how many avalanches occur at ski resorts? Now you know why. In Austria they also put up rows of metal fencing near the tips of their mountains, which also curbs avalanches. I wonder if we do that. If not, we should.
Anyway, rolling along the backroads with the alps on both sides to view, with some Mozart being piped through the bus sound system, is a very Holy experience in and of itself. The Hebrews always believed that God lived on Mount Horeb, before they decided to carry The Divine One around in a Tabernacle, and later build a temple. Looking at the alps, how majestic they are, with the mist and clouds occasionally covering up the peaks, I can understand how the Chosen people believed God dwelled on these glorious heights.
We eventually arrived in Innsbruck - I spelled it right tonight - where we underwent a two hour walking tour. Our local tour guide, an 80 year old woman, who walked so fast she had to stop frequently to wait for the group to catch up, and she was the best part of this tour. She talked a great deal about their history, the emperor Maximilian, and the rule of the Hapsburgs in Innsbruck and Austria, and it was very informative, but her passion for and love of Innsbruck made you want to listen. deeply to everything she said.
Both guides in Austria, our Local Salzburg, and our Local Innsbruck guides had nothing but loving and positive things to say about their cities. I must confess that I often think of the things that are wrong with our city, like the LRT, the potholes I constantly drive over, the way the tenor of protests have changed these days. These women would be appalled with that kind of criticism of one’s home. They would implore us to lift up all that is good about being an citizen of Ottawa, and to show pride in the place that is our home.
Well, tomorrow is the reason Kim And I began our excellent spiritual adventure. I look forward to telling you all about the passion play.
Until then, Take care and God bless.
Ed