PASSION PLAY 2010

 Departure Date:

29th August 2010 - Escorted by Alan Couser

WE ARE AT THE MERCY OF AIRLINES INCREASING THEIR FARES AND WE HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO PASS THEM ON. PLEASE BOOK EARLY.

 7 Nights

Without excursions Adult £789

Including excursions marked with *

 Adult: £889  ~ Single supp: £100

Sorry but we cannot take any more reservations for this departure - as of 25th August

In the middle of the Thirty Years War, after months of suffering and death from the plague, the Oberammergauers swore an oath that they would perform the play of the suffering, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, every ten years. It will be another ten years before it is performed again, so don't miss out.

 

Origins

The town of Oberammergau vowed that if God were to spare them from the effects of the bubonic plague ravaging the region, they would perform a play every ten years depicting the life and death of Jesus. The death rate among adults rose from one in October 1632 to twenty in the month of March 1633. The adult death rate slowly subsided to one in the month of July 1633. The villagers believed they were spared after they kept their part of the vow when the play was first performed in 1634. The most recent performances took place in 2000 and the next will be 102 performances on dates from Saturday May 15 until Sunday October 3, 2010.

The play, now performed repeatedly over the course of five months, during the last year of each decade, involves over 2,000 performers, musicians, and stage technicians, all of whom are residents of the village. The play comprises spoken dramatic text, musical and choral accompaniment and tableaux vivants. The tableaux vivants are scenes from the Old Testament depicted for the audience by motionless actors accompanied by verbal description. These scenes are the basis for the typology, the relationship between the Old and  New Testaments, of the play. They include a scene of King Ahasuerus rejecting Vashti in favor of Esther, the brothers selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt, and Moses raising up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. Each scene precedes that section of the play that is considered to be prefigured by the scene. The three tableaux mentioned are presented to the audience as prefiguring Christianity superceding Judaism, Judas selling information on the location of Jesus, and the cruxifiction.

It can be said that the evolution of the Passion Play was about the same as that of the Easter Play, originating in the ritual of the Latin Church, which prescribes, among other things, that the Gospel on Good Friday should be sung in parts divided among various persons.

 

Length and frequency

The Oberammergau play has a running time of approximately eight hours. A meal is served during the intermission of the play. Audiences come from all over the world, often on package tours, the first instituted in 1870. Admission fees were first charged in 1790. Since 1930, the number of visitors has ranged from 420,000 to 530,000. Most tickets are sold as part of a package with one or two nights' accommodation.

The play is today staged every ten years, in the final year of each decade - that is, the year whose numeral ends with a zero. Hence the next perfromances will be in 2010. However, these regular performances at ten year intervals have been punctuated with additional performances such as those of 1922, and again an entire cycle of performances in 1984 (additional to the regular performances of 1980 and 1990) in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the very first play in 1634.

 

Accommodation & Itinerary

• Return non-stop flights between Dublin & Bavaria
• One checked piece of luggage per person (Max 15 Kgs)
• One piece of hand luggage (Max 10 Kgs)
• Coach transfers throughout your stay
• 5 nights accommodation in Hotel Hofgut Kuernach, near Kempten, Bavaria
• Half-board basis to include breakfast and evening meal
• 2 nights in 3* Hotel Kirchmayer, Farchant, near Oberammergau
• Admission ticket to Oberammergau Passion Play and museum
• Proposed full-day excursion to the castles of mad King Ludwig II *
• Proposed full-day excursion to Lake Constance *
• Proposed half-day in Kempten*
• Playbook (in English) of the Passion Play
• Escorted throughout by Alan Couser
• Full ATOL protection

 * Full details of he excursions will be  avaiable approx three months before departure.

Your hotel - Hotel Hofgut Kuernach, Bavaria

Hofgut Kürnach. Situated just 15 minutes from the centre of Kempten, capital of the Allgäu region of Bavaria, this lovely hotel was formerly the hunting lodge and summer residence of the Bishop. The property dates back hundreds of years but for a large part of the last two centuries, was used solely as a farmhouse.

 Willi Sauerhering and his family have carefully restored it to its former glory. It has been updated to have many modern amenities yet, at the same time, it retains its charm and authenticity. The extended family, which includes all of the staff, are very proud of their “green” ethics, using their own water supply, recycling everything and using only materials that can also be recycled. Willi Sauerhering is a “hands-on” type of guy, who seems to be involved with every aspect of the hotel, whether it be administration, renovation or meeting and chatting with the guests. During my stay, I was made to feel most welcome.

 The hotel itself lies in the middle of a meadow in sub-alpine scenery. The hotel offers numerous facilities, such as horse-riding with their own stables, walking, swimming in the indoor pool, full spa facilities including Swedish sauna and steam room, a decent gym, coffee house and restaurant, a bar and games rooms with table tennis and “Fussball” and, of course, the warmth of typical Bavarian hospitality. The hotel may seem isolated at first but after the first evening you feel right at home and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

 What about the rooms? They are all furnished in typical Bavarian style. All are spacious, airy and well appointed.. The beds are so comfortable and the fresh mountain air and tranquillity will afford you a wonderful sleep. Some of the rooms have a small kitchenette but is “luck of the draw” as to what you get.

 Each morning you can look forward to a hearty continental breakfast. The self service buffet includes a choice of cereals, some of which I have never encountered, fresh fruit and fruit juice, hams, salamis cheeses and, of course, a selection of beautiful Bavarian breads. No sliced pans here! Coffee is, as you would expect, fresh…..and strong…and there is a selection of breakfast and dessert teas.

 The restaurant is open for lunch but our tours will take us, almost every day, away from the hotel. Those who wish to relax at the hotel for the day, though, can enjoy an extensive lunch menu.

 In the evening, dinner is included in the programme. This is a “tour menu”, which I had a chance to look at. The food is good and there is a choice but it is unlikely to include delicacies, such as rump steak or fresh fish. If you wish to have a special meal and eat “Á la Carte” on any occasion, this can be arranged at a supplement. I can recommend the Rumpsteak, cooked to your specifications and also the “Limburger” cheese dish, which is served in a way to which we may unaccustomed but, nevertheless, very tasty.

 Sunday afternoons is “Kaffee Fez” (pronounced “café fettz”). You can drink all the fresh coffee you want for €2.30 (currently Nov 09) and choose from a selection of cakes and tarts, baked and prepared by Mrs Sauerhering herself. In summer you can sit on the terrace in full sunshine. Get there early to get a seat.! You might have to wrestle me for a table!

 The hotel is in an ideal location for excursions. The beautiful waters of Lake Constance and the towns, which adorn its banks, such as the stunning Friedrichshafen with its Zeppelin museum, are just an hour or so away. Stretch your arms and you can almost touch the Alps of both Switzerland and Austria. The castles of mad King Ludwig II are within striking distance, as are the charming villages and towns of the Black Forest. You will have experienced so much culture by the time you come home, that you wont stop talking for weeks.

 Of course, the village of Oberammergau, is not far away. Just an hour or so. From there, your return trip to the airport for an afternoon flight is easy and comfortable.

Hotel Kirchmayer, Farchant....just a few miles from Oberammergau

The Hotel Kirchmayer is a friendly, family run hotel with just 17 rooms. We have the entire run of the hotel for our group. The accommodation throughouit the hotel is typically Bavarian, featuring lots of wood. The comfortable bedrooms are equipped with all the usual amenties, including hairdryer and satellite TV. A good breakfast starts each day and the evening meals are also of a high standard.

   

The Theatre

Oberammergau Theatre is like no other building you have ever been in. It's almost semi-cylindrical roof gives it such superb acoustics that microphones are not required. There are almost no "bad" seats in the auditorium and the seats we have been allocated should all be quite good. The auditorium is under a roof but, rain, hail snow or bblow, the stage is in the open air and performances continue, no matter what the elements. There are many exit doors along both sides of the building.allowing quick and easy entrance and exit. The coach-park is directly beside the theatre, so there is little walking to be worried about.

Our tickets are "Category 2" and have been allocated to us based on the grade of accommodation we have booked. The difference in cost up to the next level only appears to be €40 per person but, in actual fact, it is much more, as those tickets are attached to more expensive accommodation. The organisers expect the theatre to be 80% - 85% full on every occasion, so should you wish to upgrade your tickets, you may be able to do so....but only on the day, at the ticket kiosk. Please note, this is the only way possible to upgrade. There are absolutely no exceptions to this, according to the organisers.

The Passion Play

The play begins after lunch and the first act is for 2 hours 30 minutes. At this time there will be an interval of 3 hours and we have arranged for your evening meal in a nearby restaurant. You will be transported to and from the restaurant by coach or minibus. The second act also last 2 hours and 30 minutes, making the total experience 8 hours in duration. You will have a local expert guide to ensure that you are where you need to be, at all times. So, there is no need to worry. Just relax and enjoy the experience.

Proposed Itinerary

• 29 Aug Coach will depart Belfast at approx 11.45am. There will be pick-up points at Lisburn and Banbridge. Flight departs Dublin 4.35. Arrives Memmingen 7.50pm. Transfer by coach to the Hofgut Kürnach (approx 30 minutes).  Check-in at hotel and evening is free. Dinner will be served late.
• 30 Aug  Day free to relax or go into town.
• 31 Aug   Full day excursion to Lake Constance and Friedrichshafen
• 01 Sep  Sometime after breakfast, transfer by coach to Hotel Kirchmayer in Farchant for 2 nights stay. Afternoon free to explore Oberammergau.
• 02 Sep  Morning free. Afternoon and evening are taken up with the Passion Play. A simple snack lunch is provided. The Passion Play commences at 2.30pm and breaks at 5.00pm for dinner (included). It recommences at 8.00pm and continues to 10.30pm. You will be transported back to your hotel.
• 03 Sep  Departure from the hotel around 09.30am (time to be finalised). Full day excursion to the fairytale castles of mad King Ludwig II 29 Aug 
• 04 Sep  Day free. Optional excursion (to be advised)
• 05 Sep  Coach departs for  Memmingen airport around 4.30pm for flight at 8.15pm. Arrive Dublin 9.30pm and coach to Belfast via Banbridge and Lisburn.

 

Baggage Allowance (Pease take note)

Ryanair are very strict on their baggage allowances, so please stay within them or you will be charged excess luggage at €20 per kilo. Each passenger (excluding infants) is permitted to carry one piece of cabin baggage on board (free of charge). Strictly one item of cabin baggage is permitted per passenger (excluding infants). Your handbag, briefcase, laptops, shop purchases, camera etc must be carried within your permitted 1 piece of cabin baggage. It should weigh no more than 10kg and not exceed the maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Due to security restrictions - certain items cannot be carried in cabin baggage - click here for details. For the safety and convenience of all passengers, cabin baggage must fit underneath the seat or in the overhead compartment. We reserve the right to cancel your reservation without refund and to deny you boarding if you arrive at the boarding gate with more than one item of cabin baggage or if that item exceeds the maximum dimensions.