Etal, Oberammergau and Ulm

Wednesday, November 14

Ulm, Germany

Yesterday was a rest day so I’m just going to pass it by. Maybe later on I’ll fill it in with a segment about the various hotel rooms we’ve had, and the important things I found out about travel in this part of the world.

For now, it’s Wednesday, with the first bad weather forecast that we’ve had this whole trip. Not really bad, just not conducive to sightseeing. Fog, low clouds and cooler weather were the guess the weather people made.

We had planned to go to Ulm today to see the church with the highest spire in the world, Ulm Minster. At 163.1 meters (535 feet) it was started in 1419 and completed in about 1890 or so. Originally built as a cathedral it is now a Lutheran church and, therefore, technically, no longer a cathedral (that being the seat of the diocesan bishop.) Aren’t you glad you signed up just to learn such trivia?

At any rate, with the weather forecast being what it was we decided not to go, but just to make a loop around the area northwest of Garmish.

When we went to Linderhof (ludwig II’s final palace, remember?) we went through a little town called Etal. A charming little town it is home to a large convent with beautiful architecture. It’s also home to a number of woodcarvers, whose output ranges from rinky-dink souvenirs like fake pine trees all the way to beautiful art pieces. Remembering one place that had some interesting very large pieces in front of it I asked Frank to stop since I wanted to see the carver's work. As we walked up their kitchen window opened and the lady of the house welcomed us. The shop was a tiny side hall with a little bench where the carver worked.

In addition to the large pieces out front, he also carved the tree branches that have faces in them. Bingo! Another memorabilia piece! (I don’t buy souvenirs like other ordinary tourists, don’t cha know?) As I was saying, two pieces now had to find a way to fit in my luggage to find their way to America.

Leaving there we went to a little town you may have heard of...Oberammergau. Yes, the place where they hold the Passion Play every ten years. The next presentation is in 2020 and Frank is urging me to come back with him to see it. That decision will have to wait for a later day, but it’s a great thought. We couldn’t see the location of the play, but we drove through the village. It is truly the place of over-the-top hand-carved and painted religious statuary. Four stores in a row! Business must be slow because they were only open from 11:00-12:00 four day a week. If you want to buy one of those pieces, even the smaller ones, you’d better come loaded with plenty of euros.

From there we just made an arc through an number of little towns, enjoying the countryside. The day had started with patches of fog-especially in the valleys- but contrary to the weather forecast, the day turned out to be sunny and clear. So when we reached the little town at the crossroads of the autobahn we made a last minute decision to go to Ulm after all.

Things were great until a few miles (still have trouble thinking in kilometers) outside of Ulm when the fog set back in with a vengeance. Having come this far we decided to push on and at least have a good meal at the restaurant across the street from the church.

Sure enough, the fog shrouded the top of the minster concealing the top from sight, but just as we pulled past, the fog thinned for an instant and I was about to get my picture.

While Frank parked the car I went into the Rathskeller, where I had my favorite meal...wienerschnitzel.

After eating we crossed the square and entered the side door of the cathedral. Once inside, the cathedral is splendid, matching its beautiful architecture on the outside. It is the subdued style of the protestant church rather than the flamboyant rococo style of so many cathedrals. This is the style I prefer. The vaulted ceilings arched high overhead giving that sense of connection with the heavens that cathedrals/churches desire to impart.

As we entered, Frank said he had walked in on an organ concert on one visit and could understand the average villager’s awe. Except for a few visitors like ourselves the church was empty. There were at least four side chapels used for worship, and the central nave had no chairs. The side chapels were interesting. Two had high pulpits that towered above the altar and chairs below. I wondered if they ever held services from the high altar, which was screened off from the nave with an ornate wrought iron fence.

Exiting through the main doors, we found ourselves in the church square where a farmers market was underway and construction was beginning in preparation for the upcoming Christmas market.

Leaving town we decided to take the back roads to Garmish even though the GPS was bound and determined to take us by autobahn. Forcing her (the GPS has a German female voice) apparently made her mad because after passing one city with a beautiful palace we suddenly found ourselves on a narrow alpine road. It was a fortuitous “lost” because the scenery was absolutely stunning. For miles we passed a beautiful lake and at one point the quaint “Trout Restaurant” invited us in. Declining the invitation we continued on, crossing over into Austria, before arriving back at our hotel.

All in all another incredible day!

Pictures: Etal and the woodcarver, Oberammergau and the religious statues, Ulm and the trip back to Garmish. I’m using Lightroom CC and haven’t figured out a way to make sub-folders, so each of these are separate links.

Reflections: I couldn’t help contrasting Ulm and other cathedrals with Wies. I can understand why the iconoclasts wanted to destroy any religious objects. Viewed from one perspective the opulence obscures the simplicity of the gospel. Viewed from another (thank goodness the iconoclasts didn’t prevail) they are icons reflecting the glory of the Godhead.

But with the exception of Wies, the cathedrals haven’t really inspired me. When you entered the village church I could feel the multitude of prayers that have been offered. Even as large as it was, (about the size of most Episcopal cathedrals) there was a sense of intimacy. With the cathedrals I could appreciate the offering to God and the sacrifice that went into their construction, but there was an emptiness about them. I tried to recall if I had felt the same in England, but couldn’t.

I’m impressed that this trip has had more spiritual experiences than I had expected, and, somewhat surprisingly, most were not in a religious setting.