Our train pulled into the small station at Oberammergau, Germany. It had been a short night and a long day. We had flown from Cincinnati to Chicago to Munich. From there we took the DB south into the Alps. Given that five hundred thousand tourists are expected to attend the Passionsspiele Oberammergau this year, I thought this last segment of the train ride would be more crowded.* As it was, we nearly had the car to ourselves.
Riding the German trains.
Vicki had been dozing, but she pulled out of it as we arrived at the station. It was the end of the line in more ways than one. Positivity is hard to grip when you are hungry and tired.
“Now what do we do?”
We had come as guests of the good folks at Educational Opportunities. Our timing wasn’t right to do the Passionsspiele, but we hoped to catch up with a group that was doing it, then tag along with them afterwards for a bit of sightseeing in Germany and to do a riverboat cruise down the Danube.
Unfortunately, we didn’t know exactly who the group was or where they were staying.
“It doesn’t look like that big of a place,” I replied. “We ought to be able to find them.”
The clouds gathered for some extra drama near Oberammergau. The storm to come was fierce.
Of course, this kind of reckoning doesn’t always work out the way one wishes, especially in far away places where English may or may not be spoken, but here we were. It was late afternoon in the village country with clouds dark and roiling overhead and about to let loose a tree-cracking thunderstorm and we had been up all night and all day traveling and were a little hungry and seeking a group of Americans whom we didn’t know. It could have been worse. We could have been seeking the French.
We walked into town dragging our rollybags. Across the river we found the village of Oberammergau rimmed by mountains as full of boutique hotels, galeries, and kitschy shops. I fingered my phone hoping to find an open wifi signal and a message with further instructions.
It came, suddenly. A bus would pick us up in the train station in 15 minutes. “Marcus is the guide.”
I shot back. “What kind of bus?” but the message failed. I did not have a international plan on my phone.
There can’t be that many busses or Marcuses in a train station in Germany can there?
We raced back, rollybags bouncing in the gravel. Raindrops began to fall. Our quick experience of Oberammergau village was over. We ran by the place where you can buy Passion Play tickets.
The Oberammergau train station is at the end of the line. Image from https://www.catholicpilgrimoffice.com/oberammergau2020 (accessed 6/19/2020).
When we arrived back at the station, there was one bus in the lot. The driver was getting out. “Stay put,” I told Vicki and trotted across the lot.
“Hay-low! Are you Marcus?” I asked the driver as he locked the bus door.
“No,” he replied, puzzled.
I turned to walk back to where Vicki was standing. A second bus pulled up. I ran. The wind was rising and rain was really coming now.
A lean fellow leaned out the door. “Hi,” he chirped. “I’m Marcus. Hop in.”
Who he was, how he got there, or how he knew we were us, I’ll never know. Vicki also beat me up the stair.
Marcus explained. Apparently the five hour presentation of the Passionsspiele had already begun and the groups were already inside and it had been quite a mix up involving several busses but it was all getting sorted out. Since there were no taxis, Marcus brought the bus.
I didn’t exactly understand any of this but that was ok. All I knew is that the windshield wipers were swishing the falling gob drops from the glass and we were not standing in them but sitting in a empty but dry bus with two strangers somewhere near the Austrian-German border. There was even a chance of a hotel room in our future.
Marcus grinned: “Yah, it’s all screwed up.” His eyebrows arched.
I know, I thought. It often is. But that’s ok. This is what makes foreign travel exciting!
Vicki was just giving me one of those sideways looks that she does.
The villages of Ettal and Oberammergau. Image from https://www.catholicpilgrimoffice.com/oberammergau2020 (accessed 6/19/2020).
*The Passion Play of Oberammergau is a presentation of the ministry of Jesus performed by the residents of a small German village once every ten years. The excellence of the presentation has captured worldwide attention. Unfortunately, because of the covid pandemic, the 2020 presentation was pushed forward to 2022.
We did not see it. That’s ok. 2030 is coming.
Should we pull out of this current situation we hope to return to the Mediterranean in September of 2023. From the port of Athens, we will depart for Ephesus and Patmos, then sail for the Holy Land. There, we disembark for day trips to Jerusalem and the Galilee. Following these experiences, we return to Greece, via ports in Cyprus—Limmasol and Paphos—and the spectacular volcanic island of Santorini. Onboard lectures give focus to life in the biblical world. English-speaking guides will meet us at each port. We partner with Norwegian Cruise Line for a “mid-sized ship” with a “bigger experience.” For more details click the link here.