A lot has happened since cavorting in the realm of Mad King Ludwig II.
Visit to Oberammergau, the site of the famous, every-ten-years Passion Play that has been going on for a long time, the result of a promise to God made by the townspeople when they were spared the ravaging effects of the Plague. Quiet and quaint this time of year. Had dinner at a restaurant owned by a local who, some years back now, was a famous magician in Las Vegas. He was great! Walked to the restaurant in the rain. God thoroughly soaked. Walk back to the Gasthof was dry.
Cut through Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck on the way to Salzburg, the home of Mozart. Got to Salzburg, couldn't find our way around to a place to stay, but did drive by Mozart's home and birthplace. Moved on south to Kuchl, a small town with a great view of the Alps.
Got word the next morning that Jan's dad had died. Tears. What to do? After prayer, we were content to continue this journey, which was being done in honor of Jan's dad anyway. We could hear him scolding us if we came back to U.S. Memorial Mass for Pepere on June 27.
The Alps in Austria were awesome, meaning they struck awe in Jan and me throughout two days. Spent two days and nights in Austria. Alps and Alps and Alps. Saw a glacier. Took hundreds of photos. Saw a waterfall that was probably a half mile long. With a lot of water cascading down the mountainside. Spent 28 euros to drive the road. Worth every European cent!
Finally arrived in Venice, after getting that old (new) Mercedes humming and up to 100 mph on the Autobahn. Had to do it once. Jan didn't even get nervous! Smooth.
Venice is a walking-only city, unless you want to take a water taxi, water bus, or a gondola. Bridges and canals all over the place. The streets, if you can call them that, are narrow, sometimes only two people wide. Everything is brought into the city via water and handcart. Labor-intensive.
Viewed the tomb of Mark the Evangelist, the writer of the gospel of Mark, in the church of San Marco. I'm reading Mark in my devotions right now, a coincidence--or not. I was moved, to be so close to the remains of one of Jesus' eyewitnesses. Holy moment.
Mark is symbolized by a lion (looking much like Aslan in the Narnia movies!) with one paw resting on a book/Bible. You see many of those representations throughout Venice.
Visited the palace of the Doges, who were the representative rulers of Venice for hundreds of years. Ceremonial primarily. Held prisoner, in a way, in the palace, because he was not allowed to leave without permission or chaperones, and even then not very far and for not very long. Other than living in the palace, which also had all of the government rooms and a couple of prisons in the building(s)--all attached, it was a prestigious job for those who liked to stick close to home.
Off to Balzano, Italy, today, to see the Iceman, and then on north through Innsbruck and into Germany. Hope to get to Munich, but that might be a stretch.
Jan has shed her tears, as have both of us. The shock of Mr. D's death is still fresh. We will limp along through the final days of this trip, knowing that he is at rest. Thanks for prayers and kind thoughts.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
The "Mad" King
"Mad" King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an interesting guy. He is da man! Even though he was an extreme introvert, avoiding the public and crowds at all costs, which was why he avoided Munich, where the capital" of Bavaria was located, he built these fabulous retreats/castles in the south, the alps, that are remarkable.
Neuschwanstein is the "Disney/Cinderella" castle that is located in the mountains above the castle he spent time in as a child, of his parents, Maximillian and Mary, called Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein is a dream castle. Ludwig II didn't get to enjoy much time there, after 174 days he was declared mentally unfit to be king and was dethroned. He was found dead in a lake two days later. To this day, no one is sure just how he died. A mystery.
He had ruled for 23 years, it's just that he didn't have a long stay at his still-unfished castle in the south.
But he did spend quite a bit at his smaller, more private castle located near Oberammergau, the site every ten years of a town-wide Passion Play, called Linderhof. Linderhof is small and very private (for a king). But the gardens are great, as is the castle itself. Ludwig valued privacy so much that, when he ate in his private dining room, the table would be raised and lowered so that not even servants would have to be in his company! We saw the table elevator system. Mui cool!
We drove over to Oberammergau from Reutte, Austria, which is south of Fussen (which is "castle town" in Bavaria). What a ride! Alps all around, climbing into the sky, with landslides scarring the sides and lakes at the bottom. The river is a raging torrent in the spring, but now is just a dry bed of gravel and barkless trees.
We spent the night near the castles in an inn (gasthof) on the road to where the ticket booth is located. Hohenschwangau was behind us and we could see Neuschwanstein from our balcony!
The places we've stayed on our trip all include breakfast with the room. A good way to travel. We snack or catch a very light lunch during the day and then have a decent meal in the evening.
Last night in Oberammergau, the restaurant was owned by a man who used to be a magician in Las Vegas! He did magic tricks all night long. Whenever someone paid their bill, he would bring the bill to the table, take their money, and do at least a couple of magic tricks. He also did a "show" before the football game that was on last night. Football = soccer. Germany was playing Poland for the European Cup. Big deal, as you can imagine, here in Germany. The game was being played in Austria.
Here's the deal: As we were driving through the alps, after seeing these incredible castles that were the brainchildren of a king who was called "mad," I thought: "What was Jesus thinking when He created all of this?"
I mean, Ludwig was a creative genius. He put some pretty incredible stuff together, more than I've been able to share here. But compared to the Alps?
In Colossians it tells us that all of "this" is for Jesus. It finds its source of being in Him. It has been created by Him. And it is all for Him. It is His.
Sure, there is a lot of testimony to Jesus here. You see paintings of Him. Statues of Him. Coming into Oberammergau, high on a pointed escarpment a couple of thousand feet high is a crucifix so big you can make out the corpus Christi on the cross.
And there are churches everywhere. The Passion Play in Oberammergau.
It is said that Ludwig was a very religious man.
But you get the feeling that Jesus is thought of as more like a relic than as a real Lord and Savior. Quaint, but not to be differentiated from a myriad of other legends. (In fact, the legend of the Quest for the Holy Grail is depicted in the Singer's Hall at Neuschwanstein.)
But one day, when the Kingdom of Heaven and the renewed earth are one, joining hands as the result of the completed and fulfilled work of Christ, it will awesome! All that was right and good will be displayed with no defects and no doubt as to who is King.
Neuschwanstein is the "Disney/Cinderella" castle that is located in the mountains above the castle he spent time in as a child, of his parents, Maximillian and Mary, called Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein is a dream castle. Ludwig II didn't get to enjoy much time there, after 174 days he was declared mentally unfit to be king and was dethroned. He was found dead in a lake two days later. To this day, no one is sure just how he died. A mystery.
He had ruled for 23 years, it's just that he didn't have a long stay at his still-unfished castle in the south.
But he did spend quite a bit at his smaller, more private castle located near Oberammergau, the site every ten years of a town-wide Passion Play, called Linderhof. Linderhof is small and very private (for a king). But the gardens are great, as is the castle itself. Ludwig valued privacy so much that, when he ate in his private dining room, the table would be raised and lowered so that not even servants would have to be in his company! We saw the table elevator system. Mui cool!
We drove over to Oberammergau from Reutte, Austria, which is south of Fussen (which is "castle town" in Bavaria). What a ride! Alps all around, climbing into the sky, with landslides scarring the sides and lakes at the bottom. The river is a raging torrent in the spring, but now is just a dry bed of gravel and barkless trees.
We spent the night near the castles in an inn (gasthof) on the road to where the ticket booth is located. Hohenschwangau was behind us and we could see Neuschwanstein from our balcony!
The places we've stayed on our trip all include breakfast with the room. A good way to travel. We snack or catch a very light lunch during the day and then have a decent meal in the evening.
Last night in Oberammergau, the restaurant was owned by a man who used to be a magician in Las Vegas! He did magic tricks all night long. Whenever someone paid their bill, he would bring the bill to the table, take their money, and do at least a couple of magic tricks. He also did a "show" before the football game that was on last night. Football = soccer. Germany was playing Poland for the European Cup. Big deal, as you can imagine, here in Germany. The game was being played in Austria.
Here's the deal: As we were driving through the alps, after seeing these incredible castles that were the brainchildren of a king who was called "mad," I thought: "What was Jesus thinking when He created all of this?"
I mean, Ludwig was a creative genius. He put some pretty incredible stuff together, more than I've been able to share here. But compared to the Alps?
In Colossians it tells us that all of "this" is for Jesus. It finds its source of being in Him. It has been created by Him. And it is all for Him. It is His.
Sure, there is a lot of testimony to Jesus here. You see paintings of Him. Statues of Him. Coming into Oberammergau, high on a pointed escarpment a couple of thousand feet high is a crucifix so big you can make out the corpus Christi on the cross.
And there are churches everywhere. The Passion Play in Oberammergau.
It is said that Ludwig was a very religious man.
But you get the feeling that Jesus is thought of as more like a relic than as a real Lord and Savior. Quaint, but not to be differentiated from a myriad of other legends. (In fact, the legend of the Quest for the Holy Grail is depicted in the Singer's Hall at Neuschwanstein.)
But one day, when the Kingdom of Heaven and the renewed earth are one, joining hands as the result of the completed and fulfilled work of Christ, it will awesome! All that was right and good will be displayed with no defects and no doubt as to who is King.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Kloster Andechs
Opening note: if you are trying to get in touch with me, please use my new yahoo email address. I can't get onto the web site that has my church email address. My yahoo address is jimmorse52@yahoo.com I'm able to get mail from that address. Love to hear from you!
Yesterday we traveled from Rothenburg to Andechs, going through Augsburg (on the fly), heading south. Hard to find the Romantic Road much of the time--poorly signed and easy to get turned around. Finally just got on 17 south (even though you wouldn't know you are going south from the signs, because their route signs don't have north and south (S & N) on them.
Took the autobahn (with some driving in the left lane!) in Lansberg to the Amersee exit and headed south in search of Andechs. Jan said that every big church we could see was the Andechs monastery because, "It's big; you can see it from miles away." However, Andechs was about 20 km down the road and we couldn't see the monastery until we had climbed the mountain to Andechs.
Went directly to the Kloster, exploring, and found things that looked like they fit with Jan's dad's descriptions of the Kloster when he was stationed here at the end of the WW II. He stayed at an inn not far from the monastery and would bring used coffee grounds to the monastery, giving them to a woman through a portal in a door of the church, then getting some schnapps in return! This was a daily ritual.
We found a door that fit the description, but were not sure. Jan had a photo of her father standing in front of the inn he slept in while in Andechs. Once we located that inn, we would be sure we were in the right spot.
How to do that? Ask some locals.
Where find some locals? At the biergarten at the monastery!
Jan and I sat at a table that happened to be next to a table filled with older gentlemen who looked "local." After about five minutes, I took Jan's photo of her dad, approached the men and asked if they recognized the inn in the picture. Long story short--they did! It was at the bottom of the hill! Not more than 300 meters from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill.
Herman, one of the locals offered to go with us to what is now the Ehrlinger Inn, having been the Seefelder Gasthof in Jan's dad's days. We went and showed the photo to the innkeeper, and he pointed to old photos on the wall. We had definitely found the spot!
We booked a room for the next couple of nights, went back to the biergarten and had a roaring good time with Herman, Rudi (really Rudolph), and Michael. Michael speaks some English and is the nephew of Rudi. We are scheduled to meet them back at their special, reserved after 3 p.m. daily, table at 5 p.m. today, Friday, June 6.
Side note: had a pork knuckle for dinner last night at the biergarten. Great!
Another side note: Our room is a triple, which means it has a "double," which is like two twin mattresses together in one wooden frame. So it's like a kingsize bed. We also have a couch that folds out into another bed. Very spacious and comfortable. The bathroom is huge, compared to the ones in the first two inns we inhabited.
This is being posted in an internet cafe right by the Amersee (Lake Amer). Found it last night and wanted to make some posts today and check email.
Weather is overcast and in the low- to mid-70s. Comfortable. In pants and a shortsleeve shirt. Shorts would be great, but wearing them marks you as a TOURIST as if you had a neon sign blinking above your head!
More tomorrow.
Email me! I'm feeling out of touch! :)
Yesterday we traveled from Rothenburg to Andechs, going through Augsburg (on the fly), heading south. Hard to find the Romantic Road much of the time--poorly signed and easy to get turned around. Finally just got on 17 south (even though you wouldn't know you are going south from the signs, because their route signs don't have north and south (S & N) on them.
Took the autobahn (with some driving in the left lane!) in Lansberg to the Amersee exit and headed south in search of Andechs. Jan said that every big church we could see was the Andechs monastery because, "It's big; you can see it from miles away." However, Andechs was about 20 km down the road and we couldn't see the monastery until we had climbed the mountain to Andechs.
Went directly to the Kloster, exploring, and found things that looked like they fit with Jan's dad's descriptions of the Kloster when he was stationed here at the end of the WW II. He stayed at an inn not far from the monastery and would bring used coffee grounds to the monastery, giving them to a woman through a portal in a door of the church, then getting some schnapps in return! This was a daily ritual.
We found a door that fit the description, but were not sure. Jan had a photo of her father standing in front of the inn he slept in while in Andechs. Once we located that inn, we would be sure we were in the right spot.
How to do that? Ask some locals.
Where find some locals? At the biergarten at the monastery!
Jan and I sat at a table that happened to be next to a table filled with older gentlemen who looked "local." After about five minutes, I took Jan's photo of her dad, approached the men and asked if they recognized the inn in the picture. Long story short--they did! It was at the bottom of the hill! Not more than 300 meters from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill.
Herman, one of the locals offered to go with us to what is now the Ehrlinger Inn, having been the Seefelder Gasthof in Jan's dad's days. We went and showed the photo to the innkeeper, and he pointed to old photos on the wall. We had definitely found the spot!
We booked a room for the next couple of nights, went back to the biergarten and had a roaring good time with Herman, Rudi (really Rudolph), and Michael. Michael speaks some English and is the nephew of Rudi. We are scheduled to meet them back at their special, reserved after 3 p.m. daily, table at 5 p.m. today, Friday, June 6.
Side note: had a pork knuckle for dinner last night at the biergarten. Great!
Another side note: Our room is a triple, which means it has a "double," which is like two twin mattresses together in one wooden frame. So it's like a kingsize bed. We also have a couch that folds out into another bed. Very spacious and comfortable. The bathroom is huge, compared to the ones in the first two inns we inhabited.
This is being posted in an internet cafe right by the Amersee (Lake Amer). Found it last night and wanted to make some posts today and check email.
Weather is overcast and in the low- to mid-70s. Comfortable. In pants and a shortsleeve shirt. Shorts would be great, but wearing them marks you as a TOURIST as if you had a neon sign blinking above your head!
More tomorrow.
Email me! I'm feeling out of touch! :)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Germany Musings
I promised that I would post a blog as soon as I got to Germany, but it was not that easy!
First, the keyboards in Germany are not the same as in the U.S. The y is not where it usually is and the z is not in it's usual location. From here on out, I'm going to let my fingers do the walking and let zou figure out where the y and the z have gotten crossed!
We arrived in Frankfort okazs, after getting bumped up to business class because we were willing to get bumped from our flight and take the next one out. If that had happend, we would have each been $600 euros to the good (that's about about $950 US). A little extra spending monez. But business class was so sweet! More later.
Arrived and sent to Worzburg. Nice citz. Verz historic. Found our waz down the the Romantic Road the next daz, and ended up in Rothenburg for two nights. Wonderful place. Walled citz. Walked the wall, under a covered roof on a wooden walkwaz, like the one from the >Harrz Potter movies!
Traveled south to Andechs todaz, to the Kloster (abbtz) where Jan's dad was stationed in WW II. Found the inn where Jan's dad slept (we're sleeping there tonight). Verz happz. We've accomplished the two main objectives of our trip (to find where Jan's dad lived at the Babenhausen base and where he stazed while in Andechs). We'll see where we go from here. We will spend tomorrow exploring the Andechs area, and then move on from there.
We found this internet cafe in the next town down the mountain, in Hersching, so we could post on our blogs.
Let it be said, without getting anz more info, God is good! He directed our steps to the exact people who could tell us where the Seefelder Gasthof was, so we could find where Jan's dad spent his dazs in Andechs. The storz is fabulous, and it will get told here soon, when more time allows.
Just let it be said that God watches over us/you and directs your steps.
I'm tingling!
First, the keyboards in Germany are not the same as in the U.S. The y is not where it usually is and the z is not in it's usual location. From here on out, I'm going to let my fingers do the walking and let zou figure out where the y and the z have gotten crossed!
We arrived in Frankfort okazs, after getting bumped up to business class because we were willing to get bumped from our flight and take the next one out. If that had happend, we would have each been $600 euros to the good (that's about about $950 US). A little extra spending monez. But business class was so sweet! More later.
Arrived and sent to Worzburg. Nice citz. Verz historic. Found our waz down the the Romantic Road the next daz, and ended up in Rothenburg for two nights. Wonderful place. Walled citz. Walked the wall, under a covered roof on a wooden walkwaz, like the one from the >Harrz Potter movies!
Traveled south to Andechs todaz, to the Kloster (abbtz) where Jan's dad was stationed in WW II. Found the inn where Jan's dad slept (we're sleeping there tonight). Verz happz. We've accomplished the two main objectives of our trip (to find where Jan's dad lived at the Babenhausen base and where he stazed while in Andechs). We'll see where we go from here. We will spend tomorrow exploring the Andechs area, and then move on from there.
We found this internet cafe in the next town down the mountain, in Hersching, so we could post on our blogs.
Let it be said, without getting anz more info, God is good! He directed our steps to the exact people who could tell us where the Seefelder Gasthof was, so we could find where Jan's dad spent his dazs in Andechs. The storz is fabulous, and it will get told here soon, when more time allows.
Just let it be said that God watches over us/you and directs your steps.
I'm tingling!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Fear of Flying
Jan and I are leaving for Germany today.Getting ready to go is always harder than just staying home! But it is good to get out and see this world that has been created by our good God.
The photo to the right was taken this spring, when Jan and I traveled to the Dominican Republic with Steve and Amy Kiefer. That's Steve, all excited about the trip, in the terminal for American Airlines at O'Hare International in Chicago.
It's not right to publish photos like this, but I've always seen and experienced the most interesting things/people in airports. You never know what you're going to run across.
But I thought the sign and the image go together. I just wish it had been me caught napping at pre-6:00 in the morning, waiting for the terminal to open so we could check in.
Some people are nervous about flying, including Jan. Me, I figure there's not much I can do when it comes to planes and flying. My fate is in the hands of the pilots and equipment. It's a trust exercise. And if trust is a good synonym for faith, then I guess flying is also a faith exercise. I just have to sit back and have faith that a steel tube will fly, if only it has enough forward thrust!
Jan gets nervous when we fly. She says she doesn't mind flying--so long as she can drive! There's a thought! Now I'm nervous about flying.
We arrive in Frankfort, Germany, around one in the morning our time. It will be seven in the morning over there. Monday is going to be a long day. They say it takes as many days to adjust to the change in time zones as the number of times zones you've crossed. We'll be six hours different from Bremen, so it will take us six days to adjust to the change in time. Of so they say. I'll let you know.
Check back for updates. I'll be posting as often as I can.
Guten tag!
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