OB E R A M M E R G A U

...

1980 Photos

..

...

...

BERAMMERGAU

A Decade of Experiences

in a

Bavarian Village

Donald P. Crivellone

This is a Dobin Enterprises, Inc. Book

OBERAMMERGAU

A Decade of Experiences in a Bavarian Village

Publisher Dobin Enterprises, Inc.

235 Boca Ciega Court

Alpharetta, Georgia 30022

Printed in the U.S.A. by

Morris Publishing

37121 E. Hwy 30

Kerney, NE  68847

Copyright 1993 by Donald P. Crivellone

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means electronically or mechanically, including

photocopying, or by any information storage or retreieval system

without permission of the publisher.

First printing 1993

Second printing 2000

ISBN Number: 

Cover:

Drawing from a book about Oberammergau's Passion Play held

in the year 1900, artist unknown.

Oberammergau's coat of arms:  The villagers taking the pledge

to hold the Passion Plays every ten years. 

Dedicated To...

The villagers of Oberammergau who have maintained

a sense of history.

Herr Fritz Lang who gave my family an opportunity

to become more than tourists.

My Family Robin, Tina and Kimi

Thank You...

Franz and Anneliese Härtle for all their help,

information and hospitality.  The book simply would not be as

interesting without their help.

Anneliese Buchwieser, her input was invaluable.

Heinz Langfeld, I would have never spelled

all those German words right.

Helmut Klinner (archivist, Oberammergau)

A Special Thank You...

Marilyn Murray Willison, for reviewing the manuscript. 

She is special.

Vlado Zerebni, for being more than a friend

OBERAMMERGAU

A Decade of Experiences In A Bavarian Village

WHY OBERAMMERGAU?

            I was a young man when I joined the Army, and thanks to Uncle Sam ‑ plus an enormous amount of luck ‑ I was sent to Germany instead of Korea.  The shooting was over in Korea, but the war was still technically on.  This circumstance began a long term relationship with Europe and the region of the Alps, particularly the Alps in Bavaria.  In later years, the relationship became one that our entire family enjoyed.

            I was stationed in Berlin before "The Wall" was built, but during the height of the Cold War.  Berlin was surrounded by - 4 -Communist East Germany, was not accessible to American military personnel.  The Army believed that soldiers stationed in Berlin were under stress due to the limited geographical area of Berlin.  This was an interesting observation to a young man who had never traveled outside Oregon and came from Milwaukie, a tiny town that was only four blocks long with a population of a mere 4,000.  In Berlin you could actually travel for hours on the street car and never leave the city.  In fact, we were not allowed to leave the city ‑ otherwise we violated the East German border and were subject to arrest by the East German authorities.  Soldiers who were arrested incurred the wrath of military commanders because the red tape needed to release a soldier was an administrative nightmare.  To compensate for the stress, the soldiers in Berlin were given an additional one week leave for each six months that they were stationed in Berlin.  But they had to spend the additional leave in designated areas of Southern Germany.  Garmisch ‑ Partenkirchen, site of the 1936 Winter Olympics, was one of those areas.

            One of my favorite memories of the "free" week I spent in Garmisch in March of 1956 was the one dollar a night hotel room at the Green Arrow Inn, which was operated for military personnel.  One dollar a night bought a sparsely furnished room, but it included a truly spectacular view of the snow ‑ covered Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in the German Alps.  It was a thrill even for an young Oregonian familiar with the snow ‑ capped mountains of the Cascades.  Snow ‑ capped mountains in the Cascades were separated by 100 miles, but in the German ‑ Austrian Alps the mountain peaks were repetitive for as far as you could see.

            After returning to the United States in 1956, one of my goals was to revisit Europe and the Alps.  When my wife Robin and I were married in 1965,  it became our shared goal.

            We set aside money from each pay ‑ check, saved coins, and after four years we had accumulated enough money to take our first trip to Europe.

            We had joined a German ‑ American club in Los Angeles so we could take advantage of charter flight fares.  We flew on Capitol Airlines.  In some respects it was the most exciting flight as it was our "dream trip," but it was also the worst.  We had flown from Los Angeles to Oakland, California where the flight originated; we were scheduled to leave for Germany at 10:00 p.m., but we were delayed for seven hours.             During the long overnight wait, we met the Kurth family.  Al, Chris and their son Eric were from Santa Maria, California and we still visit to this day.  On the return flight we noticed that Al was carrying a new 16mm movie camera, which prompted a conversation about where, other than their parents' homes, they had visited.  They invited us to Santa Maria to see their movies, which we did later in the year.  Chris was employed by First Interstate Bank, and in 1976, after I left Bank of America I went to work at that bank in Los Angeles; Chris and I became associates. 

            Once onboard, we were packed like sardines and an elderly gentleman occupied the aisle seat of our row.  He proceeded to cover himself up with a blanket and go to sleep, so we were trapped.  The rest rooms seemed as inaccessible as the top of Mount Everest.  We flew for eleven hours to Frankfurt and stayed in a small nondescript hotel called The Life, which some friends who also worked for Bank of America in Frankfurt recommended to us, and it was conveniently close to their apartment.  We arrived so late that we woke the owner of the hotel from a sound sleep.  He answered the door in his pajamas and robe, and then checked us in quickly.  Once in our rooms, we slept like proverbial logs ourselves.  The next morning we had breakfast with our Bank of America friends the Orlandos, rented our car and began our adventure.

            One of the first areas we visited was Garmisch.  During the week I'd spent in Garmisch when I was in the Army, my friend Dave Pearson (also from Oregon) and I had taken an all ‑ day tour.  The itinerary included the Ettal Monastery, the castles of King Ludwig (Schloss Linderhof and Neuschwanstein), the Wies Kirche, and the Passion Play Theater in Oberammergau.  Robin and I followed this same itinerary.

            The small village of Oberammergau captivated Robin and she told me that if we ever came back to Germany she would like to stay in this village.  At the time we had no idea if we would be able to return any time soon.  Our overall itinerary, which included Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, was so fantastic that immediately upon our return to America we started saving for our next trip.  I was very fortunate to have been promoted several times in quick succession at Bank of America so we were able to set aside enough money to return to Europe in only two years. 

            Robin's desire to stay in Oberammergau became a reality and we stayed at the ABC hotel, run by a widow, Frau Mueller.  The room was small, clean and very attractive as was ‑ and still is the overall Bavarian decor of the hotel.  It is a hotel garni, and  therefore did not serve dinner.  One evening we were walking towards the center of the village in search of a restaurant and we passed the Hotel Alois Lang.  The glow of the lights from the dining room across the lush green lawn and garden and the stream that ran in the front of the hotel drew us in like a magnet.  We crossed the bridge over the stream, walked down the driveway, entered the hotel and approached the front desk of this relatively small 36 ‑ room hotel and asked if we could have dinner.  The gentleman behind the desk, dressed neatly in his Bavarian kniebundhose (knickers) with an immaculate white shirt and tie, looked at me ‑ dressed in a golf shirt ‑ and politely said in excellent English "We prefer gentlemen to wear a coat and tie."  We told him we understood, and started to leave.  He stopped us and asked if we would not mind sitting in a private alcove off the main dining room.  We assured him that would be fine and consequently dined on French onion soup, chateaubriand, duchess potatoes, freshly cooked vegetables, Mosel wine, coffee and ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  All was served in the privacy of the little alcove by a charming Italian waiter named Dario for a price of 46.75 DM, the equivalent of $11.00.  We have always joked about this inexpensive and elegant experience.  What would have happened if we had walked in and asked for a private dining room!

            As it turned out, the gentleman we met at the desk that night was the owner of the hotel, Herr Fritz Lang.  At the time, we had no idea that this meeting would grow into a warm relationship that would continue until Herr Lang's death in 1991. 

            We visited and stayed at the Hotel Lang on several occasions in 1973 and 1976 and each time we were given a corner room, number 43.  As it turned out this was a premium room, with windows on two sides, offering an excellent view of the Kofel, a prominent rock formation with a religious cross on its summit that overlooks the village.  The Kofel, which can be observed when approaching the village, is a landmark that is dear to the villagers.  In addition, room number 43 was well positioned to hear the village church bells, which, during the Christmas season, offered a special concert every evening.  During our subsequent visits we were allowed to eat in the main dining room in spite of my personal policy of not wearing a coat and tie on vacation, because the coat ‑ and ‑ tie policy at the Hotel Alois Lang was dropped, except for special holidays.

            In 1980, I was scheduled to attend a thirteen ‑ week advanced management program at Harvard University in Boston.  This program would have allowed only one weekend visit with my family during the thirteen weeks.  Robin and I wanted to share some special time together as a family following this program, which was scheduled to end just before Christmas.  Our family now included daughters Christina and Kimberly (also known as Tina and Kimi).

            Christmas has always been a meaningful experience for the four of us and we thought Oberammergau and the Hotel Alois Lang would be the perfect place for our special reunion.  The only doubt that existed in our minds was the time element.  On our earlier trips we had never stayed in one place for two whole weeks.  Despite this concern, we called Germany, spoke with Herr Lang, made the reservations, secured room 43, and, much to our surprise, we never noticed it, a connecting room, number 42.  We now had our home away from home arranged for Christmas and New Years,

OBERAMMERGAU

            The village of Oberammergau, with 5,000 inhabitants, is nestled at the east and upper end of the Ammer valley at an elevation of 800 plus meters.  The village is surrounded on three sides by mountains:  The Aufackers (Grosser and Kleiner ‑ Big and Little) to the north, the Laber to the east, and the Kofel to the south.  The mountains are part of the Ammergau Alps, which may not be as impressive as many of the majestic Alps that are only kilometers to the south, but they are impressive nonetheless. 

            The name Oberammergau?  The Ammer River meanders through the Ammer Valley and the village.  In Germany, areas (gaus) are given names and sometimes those names are associated with rivers or valleys, thus the Ammergau.  Ober in German means upper.  Oberammergau is the village that is situated on the upper end of the Ammergau.

            Oberammergau has many faces, all of which add to its charm.  The tourists who visit by bus for a few hours or come for a day to see the Passion Play, which is reenacted every ten years, will never capture the true Oberammergau.  Oberammergau is sophisticated, world renown, yet very private.  The people of Oberammergau are well read, well traveled and open minded.  They have been exposed to the important, the rich and the famous.

            People come to Oberammergau from around the world, not only to see the Passion Play performed, but to visit Schloss Linderhof, the Wies Kirche, Neuschwanstein and the Monastery in Ettal. 

            It is difficult for outsiders to get close to the locals in almost any environment, but in Oberammergau it is even perhaps more difficult since the world has focused on this village, which has made privacy a cherished commodity. 

            Walking through the village, you will often stumble upon buildings that house families on one end and barns on the other.  The barns house animals, mostly dairy cows with food stuffs, principally hay, to provide feed through the long winter months.  A product of these in‑village farm houses is a generous supply of cow manure, which my daughters Tina and Kimi laughingly referred to as Bavarian Pudding, possibly because the farmers spread this fertilizer on their fields.  Ancient Bavarian buildings, with precious fresco paintings on them, are located right next to modern buildings and farm houses.  The old, the new and the rural are generously and wonderfully mixed.   The village is surrounded with working farms, principally to the west.  At one time these farms were an important economic factor for the village in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, but today they take a back seat to the Passion Plays, woodcarving and tourism.

            Oberammergau's formal beginnings date back to the seventh and eighth centuries when it belonged to a Bavarian tribe of the Huosi.  In 1330 Emperor Ludwig IV gave it (along with three other estates; Unterammergau, Kohlgrub and Bayersoien), to the new Benedictine monastery of Ettal.

                        The Passion Play (Passionsspiel)  The Passion Play is without a doubt the most significant event in Oberammergau's history.  When transportation facilities expanded in the latter part of the 1800's, the word of the Passion Play was successfully carried throughout the world.  It increased Oberammergau's fame and also increased the number of performances to satisfy demand.

                        Swedish troops occupied Oberammergau in 1632.  They were engaged in what history now calls the Thirty Years War.  It may or may not have been a co‑incident but during that same year the Black Plague was spreading throughout Bavaria.

                        Many of the villages (including Oberammergau) surrounded their borders and approaches with large fires and guards to keep infected people out in hopes of avoiding the pestilence and its resulting deaths.  In October of 1632 Kaspar Schisler, a citizen of Oberammergau, was working in the nearby village of Eschenlohe, but he missed his family and was determined to visit them.  Knowing the mountain paths well, he slipped into Oberammergau by avoiding the guards, and, as luck would have it, he introduced the plague to the village.  After over 80 deaths, as many as one sixth of the population, the villagers gathered near the church and swore that they would re‑enact the passion of Christ every ten years if they were spared any further deaths.  No further deaths occurred in the village and citizens have kept their pledge by re‑enacting the passion of Christ every ten years (plus key anniversaries, as in 1984, which was the 350th anniversary).  Make no mistake about it, the Passion Play has become a major economic force for the village. 

                        The first Passion Play was performed in 1634.  The original and early Passion Plays where performed in the churchyard.  The fifth Passion Play was performed in 1674, the sixth in 1680 and since then it has been performed at the turn of each decade.  Eventually, the Passion Play location was moved to the current location and several buildings and stages were built during the years.  Today it is performed in the Passion Play Theater before 5,000 plus visitors each day from May to September (i.e., just under 100 performances).  Quite an increase from the single performance in 1634 before the villagers.

                        The cast is made up entirely of locals and is an integral part of the village's aura.  Since not all of the 1200 roles require the participants to be at the Passion Play house throughout the entire production, the participants often start the day at their jobs, and at the appropriate time, they dress in their costumes, dash off to the play, participate and play their role, then return to their job.  This schedule may be repeated twice a day.  The roles of Jesus and Mary are high ‑ profile roles, and those who have played the parts have become an important part of the village's history.   

                        Rochus Dedler, born in 1779 in the Dedler House on Ettalerstrasse, was a schoolmaster when he wrote the music for the 1811 Passion Play (it was forbidden in 1810 due to the politics of Europe), which is still the principal music used today.

            The text of the Passion Play has been revised many times and has been occasionally considered controversial.  The basic text today was written by Father Othmar Weis, a priest from the monastery at Ettal also for the 1811 Passion Play;  Weis's text was revised by the parish priest of Oberammergau, Father J. A. Daisenberger for the 1860 Passion Play.

            The original ground rules for participation in the Passion Play were simple:  Twenty years residency or marriage for ten years to an Oberammergauer who has lived in the village 20 years. 

            Women could participate if they were under 35 and unmarried.

            Prior to the 1990 Passion Play 16 women, most of them married, challenged this requirement.  They felt that since women of all ages, married or unmarried, were part of the original passion of Christ, why shouldn't they be in the Oberammergau Passion Play?

                        After their request was denied, the women pursued their position in the courts.  They lost their initial court case.  They appealed that decision and lost again.  They finally appealed to the second highest court in Germany and won their case; woman of all ages, married or unmarried, participated in the 1990 Passion Play.

OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS 1980

                        Getting to Oberammergau for our first Christmas visit in 1980 was not easy.  As it turned out, I never made it to Harvard.  I was given a major promotion one week before I was scheduled to leave, and did not think it wise to be away from the office for three months at that time.  Robin and I discussed our proposed Christmas trip and concluded that the trip to Europe was still on. 

                        New York  We originally had reservations on Pan American Airlines from Boston.  Rather than change airlines we stuck with Pan American, but they did not have a direct flight from Los Angeles to Germany, so we had to stop over in New York.  In fact, the stop over was overnight, which was okay with us because we wanted to visit the Plaza Hotel.  One of the girls' favorite books at the time was Eloise at the Plaza, the story of a precocious little girl who lived full time at the Plaza.  Robin and I decided that rather than stay at an airport hotel at the John F. Kennedy Airport and visit the city for the evening, we would stay at the Plaza to absorb the full ambiance of the hotel and that area of the city. According to the book, the hotel had a portrait of "Eloise" hanging in the lobby.  Much to our surprise the portrait actually did hang in the lobby, and our girls were naturally thrilled.  The Plaza Hotel is an excellent place to stay in New York.  The lobby is extremely ornate and comfortable.  The rooms we booked had fireplaces, overlooked Central Park, and because of the location (next to Central Park and just off 5th Avenue), we found it very convenient to walk to several of the tourist sights.

            We took a stroll along Fifth Avenue to look at the Christmas ‑ decorated windows, see the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center with its giant Christmas tree, visit St. Patrick's Cathedral and ride to the top of the Empire State Building.  The wind that blew down Fifth Avenue was so cold that Robin, who had always lived in Southern California, was wondering why we would want to go to Germany in the winter if this was the sort of weather we were going to encounter.

            At breakfast the next morning, we all enjoyed two pieces of french toast (for $13.00 per person), and at that point I was asking myself why we chose to spend $500.00 for a quick night in New York City, just to see a portrait of Eloise.

                        Oberammergau  The discomfort of the cold and the cost of New York City faded quickly as soon as we landed in München, rented our car, and started driving towards Oberammergau.  It was comfortably cold, but not bitter cold, and the snow blanketing the houses and trees gave us a winter wonderland feeling of Christmas.  All this snow was new to Robin and the girls ‑ and to add to the experience this was Tina's and Kimi's first visit to Europe.

            München is situated in an area of low rolling hills, but as we drove southward we could see in the crystal clear air the full glory of the Alps, which border that entire area of Germany only 80 kilometers away.  The exit for Oberammergau, at Oberau came quickly since the road was dry and there was no speed limit on the autobahn.

            As we drove up the steep, curving mountain road that led to       Oberammergau the scenery and views were spectacular.  We drove through Ettal, where the huge 200 ‑ foot dome of the monastery completely dominates this small cozy village.

            We pointed out the Kofel to the girls as we approached Oberammergau.  The beauty of Oberammergau, covered with snow, stunned all of us, and we felt as if we were driving into a picture post card. 

                        Hotel Alois Lang  As we drove up to the Alois Lang hotel, the huge evergreen tree growing near the entrance was covered with Christmas lights.  More lights were hung to form stars on the hotel, which added to the enchantment.  The greeting by the hotel staff was so warm and sincere we immediately felt at home.  The interior of the hotel was decorated for Christmas throughout with "real" evergreens, a Christmas tree and candles.  We kept pinching ourselves to make sure that we were not dreaming.  Richard, the do ‑ it ‑ all employee, took care of our luggage, making our arrival carefree, and after we were settled in our rooms, Robin and I broke open the complimentary champagne, while the girls munched on Christmas cookies, a sample of many little treats that awaited us.  We all agreed that we had made the right choice by choosing the Alois Lang as our home for the next two weeks. 

            That evening for dinner we were escorted to table three, the middle table along the windows facing out to the garden in front of the hotel.  We quickly discovered that we had a special placement at that table. 

            The Barking family, from Dinslaken near Düsseldorf, at table one (to our left) had been coming to the hotel each Christmas since 1952.  Two of their children, Hans and Monica (now in their thirties), were with them.  Hans and Monica knew of no other place for their Christmas holidays.      

            At table two (also to our left) were the Hommerichs, also from Düsseldorf, and their daughter Elke; they had been coming to the hotel for over ten years. 

            The Millers, at table four, had been coming for 25 years.  We never had an opportunity to get to know this couple as they purchased a second home in Switzerland and started spending their Christmases there. 

            All the "regular" families stayed in the same rooms, were assigned the same tables, and sat at the same places for all those years.  We became a part of this tradition for four Christmas seasons, until we moved into an apartment we bought five houses away from the hotel.

            The main dining room of the hotel is very special.  It has an intimate feeling, yet holds about 20 tables.  The ceiling is wood with carved beams, oriental carpets adorn the floors, and oil paintings hang on the walls.  Antique woodcarvings and local crafts are everywhere.  The abundant drapes on the windows are pale blue and trimmed in gold; the starched table cloths were immaculate white, and the place settings were perfect in every way.  The waiters from several countries were multilingual and looked handsome in their tuxedos.

The meal that was served that first evening was spectacular.              

Pensions‑Menü

+

Geräuchertes Forellenfillet auf Waldorfsalat mit Preiselbeersahn

Smoked Trout on Waldorf Salad with Cranberry Whipped Cream

Toast und Butter

Toast and Butter

+

Cremesuppe "Dubarry"

Cauliflower Cream Soup

+

Schweinerrückensteak nach Gutsherren Art

Pork Steak, Farmer's Style

Princessbohnen

Long String Beans

Röstkartoffeln

Roast Potatos

Salat der Saison

Salad of the Season

+

Mandarineneisbecher

Mandarin Orange Ice Cream in a Cup

Käseteller

Cheese Plate

                        Our dinner was served in the old ‑ world style.  The main course was served from a large platter that always held enough for seconds and the platter was placed on a hot plate to keep the seconds warm.  Elegance is the only description that would fit the service and gourmet is the only word to describe the quality of the food.  Every meal for the next two weeks was served just as elegantly and was as perfect as the first.

            That night we slept soundly, aided by the long flight from New York, the excitement of our arrival, and the fantastic dinner.

            The next morning we all woke up with the sunrise and, to our surprise, that night it had snowed, which added a layer of fresh snow on a previously beautiful coat of snow.  Robin, who had never seen it snow blurted out "I didn't even hear it snow."  We all laughed because only a native southern Californian would think snow made noise as it drifted to the ground.  "I didn't even hear it snow" has become a family joke.

            Breakfast at the hotel during the Christmas holidays was also special.  The breakfast room was a large, bright paneled room with huge windows that gave the guests a lovely view of the garden, the snow and the surrounding mountains, including the Kofel.  Crisp lace curtains lined the windows and beautiful lush plants lined the marble window stills.  I learned that plants really like steam heat, which is the principal method of heating in Bavaria. 

            Breakfast was buffet style with a variety of foods, which the Germans call a "rich" breakfast, I call it "sumptuous."  The choices included three kinds of juices, dry cereals such as corn flakes, creamy milk, yogurt, a variety of semmeln (rolls) fresh from the bakery each morning (excepts Sundays), jams, honey, unsalted butter, soft boiled eggs, a basket of fresh fruit, cold cuts, cheeses, sausages, and the ever ‑ present holiday Stollen cake. 

            Coffee, tea or chocolate was served in elegant silver pots by the hotel staff.  We always ordered hot milk to dilute the strong coffee while keeping the coffee hot.

                        Grüss Gott  After breakfast, wearing our ski jackets, moon boots, hats, scarves, "long johns" and gloves we walked several blocks into the heart of the village.  What a change from California!  As we strolled into our first establishment, Bierling Drogerie, which was literally in the center of the village, we were greeted with "Grüss Gott" (literally Salutation God) the traditional Bavarian greeting given by the shopkeepers when you enter their shops.  We quickly learned to respond with a warm "Grüss Gott" and since it was given sincerely, to prize this greeting.  Since there were three ladies in our family Bierling was visited often because it had a good supply of cosmetics, perfumes and other goodies which the girls prized.  The owner of Bierling, Zeno Bierling, with his handsome moustache, always seemed to be in the shop to assure that customers were given quality service.  His commute to work was easy as he lived above the store.

                        Woodcarving  One of the places that we visited immediately, as we were told it closed for Christmas, was the woodcarving school on Ludwig Lang Strasse.  Woodcarving, (Holzschnitzerei), is a specialty of Oberammergau.  Woodcarvings from Oberammergau have been and are carried all over the world by visitors particularly those attending the Passion Play, which made the woodcarvers of Oberammergau famous.  Many of the young men in the village attend the woodcarving school and eventually set up studios in their homes, join other wood‑carvers in their many shops around the village, or open shops of their own. 

            There are approximately 55 official woodcarvers who belong to the Woodcarvers Association of Oberammergau.  Each member has a stamp with his or her number that is affixed to each "original" hand ‑ carved woodcarving.  As one walks through the residential areas of the village you will see the woodcarvers working in their studios.

            There are many machine ‑ carved items in the shops throughout the village, but these are principally carved in northern Italy.  These machine carved items are reasonably priced and excellent, but they are not the fine ‑ quality woodcarvings from the Oberammergau woodcarvers.

            The early woodcarvings were principally cribs (nativity scenes) and crucifixes.  Other religious carvings were of the Madonna, Saints and the Last Supper.  In addition, the woodcarvers created other items such as jumping jacks, soldiers, doll heads, simple toys and practical household items.

            Purchasing one of the exquisite Oberammergau hand ‑ carved pieces is an "investment decision," but one that you will never regret.  We purchased a St. Nicholas woodcarving, in honor of our Christmas stay. 

                        Coffee and Cake  Walking in the crisp mountain air gave us an appetite.  We did not have lunch, not after the rich breakfast, but we certainly knew we would not make it to dinner without eating something.  Tina and Kimi tried a treat that they had never experienced before, sucking an icicle.  They loved the experience, but it didn't do much for their appetites, so we stopped at the Markmiller Cafe on Dorfplatz, the village center.  Luckily, we stumbled into what we were to learn is a traditional afternoon treat ‑ coffee and cake.  One of the employees explained to us that you pick your cake at the front counter (not an easy decision due to the mouth ‑ watering variety), and the employee at the counter gives you a slip of paper with the cake number.  Then you seat yourself in the dining area.  The waitress takes your beverage order and your cake numbers.  She immediately retrieves your cakes as well as the beverages.  We learned this system quickly and to be sure we would not forget it we practiced it almost every afternoon throughout our trips through the Alps!

                        München  The hotel had two pretty Christmas trees, one in the main dining room and the other in the breakfast room.   Despite these trees, we still felt the need to have our own family Christmas trees in our rooms.  The Blumen Haus (flower shop) offered a wonderful selection of small trees approximately three feet high, decorated with bows and real candles, which were perfect for our rooms.  We purchased two, one for each room, and we loaded the trees and the girls on the sleds the hotel has on hand for guests, and pulled them back to the hotel.

            We needed ornaments for our trees, and our planned trip to the Christkindlmarkt (Christ Child's market) in München's Marienplatz would fit that need.

            Christkindlmaerkte are common in Bavaria; the oldest and perhaps the most traditional is in Nürnberg.  The origin of the Christkindlmarkt in Nürnberg varies somewhere between legend and history, for they have been in existence since the 1600's.  It is said that the Christ Child was drawn down from heaven by the glittering lights, colors, sounds and smell of the spices from the Lebkuchen (ginger bread) to do his Christmas shopping.  From what we experienced we can truly understand how this legend got started!

                        Our waiter at the hotel, Vlado, gave us directions to a parking structure near the Christkindlmarkt and we arrived there with no problems, which is not easy in München during the holidays.  (In fact, it is not easy at any time.)

            We made our way to the Marienplatz, which is a pedestrian mall, and our eyes were wide with amazement.   Robin and I had been in this very square when we previously visited München in 1971, but this overwhelmed us.  All your senses are affected, sight, smell, sound and eventually touch and taste.  Stands were filled with multi ‑ colored ornaments (elaborate expensive glass to simple straw), beautiful angels that crown Christmas trees, nativity sets, prune people with walnut heads, toys and dolls, gloves and scarves, Nussknacker (Nutcrackers), and incense burners in a variety of presentations (such as gardeners, hunters, doctors, Santas and bakers) as well as plenty of things to eat.  The food  was staggering: gingerbread, sausages, pretzels, candy, stollen cakes, marzipan, cotton candy, hot roasted mandeln (burnt sugar almonds), and Tina's favorite, Schokoladen Küsse, which is a cookie covered with marshmallow and dipped in Chocolate.   In Germany you are never far from drinks: Glühwein, Schnaps, wine, Bier and soft drinks, were offered for sale throughout the Christkindlmarkt.

            We tried the cotton candy, the nuts, some sausage mit brot und Senf (bread and mustard), and some of us drank sodas while others drank Bier, but the highlight in the food department was when we came upon Krems Waffeln (a stand that sold only waffles).  Fresh waffles, dipped in chocolate and topped with schlagsahne... real whipped cream.  This stand became a "must" for us each Christmas that we visited München.

            A 50 foot Christmas Tree stands in front of the Rathaus (city hall).  If you are in the Marienplatz when the Glockenspiel strikes 11:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. you will be treated to several colorful mechanical treats on the facade of the Rathaus.  The upper platform re‑creates the two ‑ week long feast held in 1568 to celebrate the wedding of the Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine.  The "royal couple" are entertained by folk dancers and jousting knights.  On the lower level, Coopers (barrel makers) re‑enact a dance first performed during the plague of 1515 to cheer the spirits of their fellow citizens.

                        We purchased small red ornaments with a red velvet ‑ like surface that were shaped in the form of bells, angels, horns, shoes, stars, boxes, musical instruments, birds and animals.  The small Christmas trees in our rooms would not lack for ornaments.  These red ornaments have become part of our Christmas tradition.  They have crossed the Atlantic at least eight times and it just wouldn't be Christmas for our family without them.

                        Gift Shopping  We did not bring Christmas presents with us to Germany, so we needed to shop for our family of four in the village.  Our technique was simple: I took Tina through the village shopping for Robin and Kimi, while Robin took Kimi and simultaneously shopped for Tina and me.  We then met back at our hotel, deposited our gifts and then we switched: Kimi went with me, Tina went with Robin, and we reversed the process of purchasing.  This way we were able to buy presents for everyone and keep them secret.  The care the merchants employed wrapping each and every present regardless of cost impressed us.  I have traveled extensively and have experienced this attention to wrapping presents in some other parts of the world, but Bavaria and Oberammergau is clearly one of the very best.

                        Our family was never proficient in opening soft boiled eggs and we watched enviously as the Germans deftly cracked opened the top of a soft boiled egg with a butter knife.  Our attempts always massacred the eggs.  While shopping one day Robin spied an Eikoepfer (Egg Cutter), a scissor ‑ like instrument with a round opening that fit over the egg, and, with a gentle squeeze, cleanly cut off the top of the egg.  She gave it to me for Christmas and it has been one of the family's favorite "tools" ever since.  We carry it with us on all of our trips, one never knows when one will have soft boiled eggs!

            We learned early on that one must be careful shopping because stores in Oberammergau and the surrounding area close at 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays and are closed on Sundays.  They close at 1:00 p.m. Christmas Eve and are closed the day after Christmas.  This pattern applies to other major holidays, as well.

                        Smurfs  Robin and I have a strict rule when traveling:  Always have your own car.  This insures freedom to come and go as you please, stop when you want to, and stay as long as you want.

            We found ourselves always driving from one town to another exploring the stores, churches and historical sights.  Tina and Kimi did not always enjoy this nomadic practice, but we found a way to keep them looking forward to each village and town we wanted to visit.  The game was simple.  When we arrived at our destinations, Tina and Kimi were given permission to find the first toy shop and purchase two Smurfs each.  The blue, gnome ‑ like creatures were made in numerous versions depicting sports, professions and everyday tasks; literally hundreds of different smurfs existed. 

            Smurfs originated in the Netherlands as give aways at gas stations.  In the early 1980's smurfs were just being introduced in America, but in Germany they were already very popular.  The variety of smurfs provided us with enough bribes to happily visit a multitude of villages and towns.  The shopkeepers normally kept them in baskets, and the girls would ravage the basket looking for smurfs they did not have.  After selecting their quota of two each, they were content to walk through the new village playing with their smurfs while Robin and I enjoyed the scenery and history.

                        Anneliese Lang  It was a pleasure to watch the staff perform their duties at the hotel, whether it was the chambermaids, the staff at front desk, the kitchen staff or the waiters.  The staff saw to it that the guests were treated as close to royalty as possible.

            The person behind this efficient staff was Frau Anneliese Lang, the wife of the owner, Herr Fritz Lang.  She demanded perfection in the table settings, the quality and presentation of food, and the general ambience of the hotel.  It was a pleasure to watch her, for she indeed qualified as the proverbial "ball of fire."

                        The cost of the hotel was extremely reasonable.  Our first Christmas ‑ 1980 ‑ the price for a room, with bath, rich breakfast and a gourmet dinner was only DM 100 per person per day.   At the exchange rate of $.40 per Deutsche Mark that was only $40.00.

            Television Room  Despite the fact that our knowledge of German was almost non existent, during that first Christmas we joined other guests, predominately Germans, in the television room after dinner.  The adults had their Bier, wine or coffee, the younger guests had soft drinks.  The news, even in German, gave us some idea of what was going on around the world, but that was only a prelude to the real reason everybody gathered, which was to watch "Dallas" or "Der Denver Klan" (Dynasty).  The Germans always pointed out with joy the Mercedes Benzes used in these shows.

                        The Surrounding Area  This first trip to Oberammergau was to be one of becoming oriented to the region.  We visited Garmisch, and while walking up and down Bahnhofstrasse Tina and Kimi jumped for joy when they spied a touch of home "McDonalds."  I groaned at the thought of McDonalds on my Christmas vacation until I discovered that they served Bier. 

                        After a "grosse Mac mit pomme frits" and Bier for me, we wandered up to the Riessersee which is a five minute drive from Garmisch.  We had dessert in the Cafe ‑ Restaurant Riessersee at the end of the lake, and after dessert we walked around the lake.  We were on one of the thousands of walking trails in Bavaria, and no trail is far from food and Bier.  There may be a more beautiful view of the Zugspitze, the Alpspitze, and the Alps than the view from the Riessersee, but we have never found it.

            We visited Schloss Linderhof just twelve kilometers from Oberammergau in the neighboring Graswang Valley, where King Ludwig built the castle between 1869 and 1879.  This castle is very small and intimate, much like a private apartment.  Architecturally it is a blend of Italian Renaissance and Baroque with an interior that may, on a much smaller scale even surpass that of Versailles, (King Ludwig was a great admirer of Louis XIV of France).  The grounds are magnificent, and contain a grotto and a moorish pavilion. 

            King Ludwig built the Grotto with a lake.  When he listened to the music of his favorite composer, Richard Wagner, he would do so sitting in an elaborate golden "swan" boat; the Grotto was permeated by the spirit of Wagner's Tannhaeuser. 

            The King also used the moorish pavilion for his fantasies.  He would dress up as a potentate and smoke a water pipe while sitting on a "peacock" throne. 

                        There are many other fascinating aspects to Linderhof, such as his bedroom, but one of the unusual items is the dining room table, located on the second floor as were all the living quarters.  It is small table, the maximum seating would be two, but in almost all cases the King would dine alone.  The entire table was lowered to the kitchen, the servants set the table ‑ including the food ‑ and then the table was raised back up to the dining room.  The King obviously liked his privacy.

            The pool in front of Linderhof with its group of gilded figures and jet of water that rises 105 feet is spectacular.  Unfortunately the water jet is only turned on every hour, but worth the wait.  Wandering through the 75 acres of gardens is a pleasant way to past the time while you wait.

            The Wies Kirche (Church of the Meadows), just 25 kilometers north of Oberammergau, is the masterpiece of Dominikus Zimmerman.  Zimmerman built the church between 1746 and 1754, to replace a small rural chapel that held the Flagellated Saviour, a sculpture composed of fragments of wooden Saints' figures.  At one point in a complicated history tears could be reportedly observed on the face of the Flagellated Saviour, "the miracle of the Wies."

            The exterior is downright simple, and masks from the visitor an interior that can only be explained as dazzling.  The interior is pristine white with frescos covering the ceiling depicting the salvation of the world through Christ.  The remainder of the interior is full of statues, cherubs, angels and gold accents that complement the altar of multi ‑ colored marble columns.  There are many churches in Bavaria that are dazzling, including the church in Ottobeuren, but, in my opinion, this very small church is the most beautiful church in the world.  To me it is a combination of the location, the simple exterior, its size and the interior. 

            The Benedictine Monastery of Ettal, four kilometers from Oberammergau, was founded in 1330 by Emperor Ludwig and dominates the village of Ettal.

            King Ludwig the Bavarian in 1327 went to Rome to secure for himself the Imperial Crown and the title of the Holy Roman Emperor.  While in Rome his fortunes reversed and a monk he met told him if he would agree to build a monastery to the glory of God and Our Lady the monk would arrange to assist him financially.  The Emperor agreed, and was given a statue of the Blessed Virgin.  When the Emperor reached the Ammer Valley, in 1330, his horse knelt down three times after the climbing the steep mountain road and refused to go further.  The Emperor took this as a sign that the monastery was to be built on that spot and so it was.  The monastery originally was Gothic, but was changed to Baroque after a fire in 1744.  Today the Ettal Monastery is a huge complex that includes: the Cathedral of Our Lady of Ettal (the original Cararra marble statue can be seen); a high school for boys and girls, and a brewery ‑ the Klosterbrauerei.

            The monastery of Ettal was the highest authority in the Ammergau for several hundred years after its founding.  The monasteries of Steingaden and Rottenbuch, also in the Ammergau were under the authority of Ettal.

                        Ettal is situated between two mountain ranges, receives limited direct sunlight in the winter and one can almost always count on snow in this village.

                        St. Nicholas  December sixth is the tradition time that St. Nicholas makes his rounds to the homes of children in Bavaria.  He carries a book that contains the activities of the children during the past year, which he reads to them.  (I suspect that the parents have something to do with the information St. Nicholas has in his book.)  Accompanying St. Nicholas on his rounds is Krampus, with his dirty gray beard, ragged brown clothes, bells hanging from his belt, and his "switch" for those children who had not been good the past year.  Fortunately most children have been good so St. Nicholas leaves small gifts with the youngsters, such as nuts, apples, oranges and cookies.  The big day for Bavarian children is Christmas Eve when they receive their more important gifts from the Christ Child.

            One evening during our visit the local sports club was celebrating Christmas with their families in the breakfast room of our hotel and they were expecting a visit from St. Nicholas.  As Tina and Kimi were the only young children staying in the hotel at the time Frau Lang asked the club if they could participate.   The club was more than happy to have Tina and Kimi join in the fun.  St. Nicholas arrived, resplendent with white beard and hair, wearing a long red cassock trimmed in gold.  A mitered hat and a walking staff completed his costume.  He carried his famous book with the children's activities during the past year, which he read to each child.  St. Nicholas read to Tina and Kimi from his book, to which we had contributed a few items.  St. Nicholas had gifts for all the children; Krampus observed the gift giving, but did not get to use his switch. 

            It was another wonderful memory made possible by Frau Lang, designed to make us feel at home; it was a special treat that will never be forgotten.

                        Christmas Eve and Christmas Day   Herr Lang's revised dress code for the hotel's dining room continued.  Guests could basically wear what they liked, but because of the overall aura of the holiday season, they dressed casually, but appropriately, for dinner.  For instance, since I am the most casual member of our family, I usually wore long ‑ sleeved turtleneck shirts or a sweater with slacks;  Robin, Tina and Kimi always looked much dressier than I did.

            Herr Lang wore his ever ‑ present kniebundhose with a shirt and tie, except for the three occasions a year when he wore a tuxedo.  (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve).  Prior to these special days he or the waiters would whisper to the guests that coats and ties would be appropriate.

            These three meals were indeed worth dressing up for.  The hotel and staff went all out.  The tables were decorated with Christmas candles, Christmas cookies, nuts, and beautiful Christmas napkins.  The menus were extra special, with a colored photograph of a local work of art ‑ such as a hand ‑ carved nativity set pasted on the front.  The candles at the hotel were always pink and we thought the color might have had a connection with the Christmas season ‑ but learned that pink was simply Frau Lang's favorite color.

            The Christmas Eve's dinner menu, with guitar and zither background music, consisted of the following:

Menü am Heiligen Abend

Christmas Eve Menu

Melonenschiffchen, Parma Schinken, Pariser' Brot

Melon Wedges (boats) with Parma Ham and French Bread

Chinesische Schwalbennestersuppe

Chinese Bird's Nest Soup

Forellenfilet in Safransauce

Trout Filet in Safran Sauce

Wilder Reis aus Canada

Canadian Wild Rice

Grenadin vom Kalbsrücken

Veal Baked with a Covering of Bread Crumbs

Broccoli Bouquet

Broccoli

Herzogin Kartoffeln

Browned Swirls of Mashed Potatos

Frische Feigen in Rumschaumcreme

Fresh Figs in Rum Sauce

Hausgemachtes Weihnachtsgebäck

Homemade Christmas Cookies

            This was followed the next day by the Christmas menu:

Weihnachts‑Menü

Christmas Day Menu

Strassburger Toast

Toast with Toppings of Eggs, Cavair, Lox

Cremesuppe Anges Sorel oder Frische Kiwi

Fish Cream Soup or Fresh Kiwi

Gebratene Weihnachtsgans mit gefülltem Bratapfel

Roast Goose with Baked Stuffed Apples

Burgunderblaukraut

Red Cabbage

Kartoffelknödel

Potato Dumpling

Ananas Surprise

Pineapple Surprise

            The guests greeted each other on these special evenings with "Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein Glückliches Neues Jahr" (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year) or Glückliches Neues Jahr."

                        New Year's Eve  Silvester (New Year's Eve) is very different from Christmas in the hearts of Bavarians.  Christmas is a time to reflect on its purpose and a time to spend with family.  A quiet time.  New Year's Eve, on the other hand, is a time to have fun and enjoy.  And do the Germans love to enjoy themselves! 

            To assure ourselves that we would have good luck for the coming year we purchased marizpan pigs with pfennige (pennies) in their mouths, another charming German tradition.

            Oberammergau has a unique tradition for New Year's Eve.  In the early evening the majority of the villagers ‑ adults and children of all ages ‑ gather at the Passion Play Theater equipped with paper lanterns of every color and description, with real candles inside.  They participate in The Great Star Procession.  Led by a large brightly lit star with baby Jesus on it, and accompanied by a band, the locals parade around the village and sing in the New Year.  Many of these songs for the Great Star Procession were composed by Rochus Dedler, who composed the music for the Passion Play.  While we participated in the walk, with Smurf lanterns of course, we certainly could not sing the German songs. 

            No one is quite sure why the baby Jesus is on the star, but I suspect "the star" and "baby Jesus" are inseparable.  The star is carried by one man and another man has a battery pack that lights the star.

            Small groups of boys and girls known as The Small Star Procession carry a smaller version of the star with baby Jesus, and visit individual homes and hotels and sing in the New Year. 

            Later, we commented to ourselves, only in special places could events like this take place without commercialism.

            Upon our return to the hotel we dressed for dinner and dancing.  Dancing included the famous "chicken dance" (flap your wings (arms) and wiggle), which proves the Germans are not as conservative as some believe.  If dancing the "chicken dance" doesn't prove it then all one needs to do is observe the Germans during Fasching, the pre ‑ Lent celebration, or at the Octoberfest in München. 

            We all made it to midnight when the skies glowed with rockets and fireworks that could be seen throughout the valley.

                        Coming Home  Two weeks went by so fast that before we knew it we were back on Pan American flying to New York.  The stopover this time in New York was intended to be a short one, but, as it turned out, it was once again an overnight stay due to an extremely bad snow ‑ storm.  We arrived at 8:00 p.m. and did not resume our trip to Los Angeles until 6:00 a.m. the next morning. 

            Before we left on our trip we invested $75.00 to join Pan American's Clipper Club in case we encountered any problems.  It turned out to be a wise decision.  Rather than waiting in the cold cement terminal where the shops closed early, we retreated to the comfortable members only Clipper Club, where drinks were served along with snacks.  The Clipper Club attendant went home around 11:00 p.m., but agreed to let us stay if we promised to lock the doors when we left.  It was a very unusual act that worked to our advantage.  Robin, Tina and Kimi were able to fall asleep on the couches with Pan Am pillows and warm blankets, and they slept away the night, while I kept watch for the new departure time.

            When arrived home in Los Angeles Robin's sister Barbara picked us up at the airport, drove us home, and we were so tired we went to bed immediately without unpacking.  While we slept I am sure that we dreamed of our unusual trip.

SUMMER OF 1981 

                        Our next family trip to Oberammergau was in the summer of 1981, just six months after our first Christmas trip. 

                        This trip we flew to Frankfurt via Lufthansa.  I had met Heinz Langfeld, the regional manager of Lufthansa in Los Angeles, through a banking transaction and he convinced me to try Lufthansa.  Of all the times we have flown Lufthansa, we have never had a departure that was more than two minutes after the scheduled take ‑ off time.  This was either efficiency on their part or just good luck (we think it was the former); Our flights have been comfortable and the service excellent.  After this trip we adopted Lufthansa as our "official" family carrier.

            Flying Lufthansa has an added benefit because it begins your German experience as soon as you take off.  You can even practice your German with the flight attendants, they love it.

            We made reservations at the Sheraton Hotel at the Frankfurt airport.  What a pleasure it was ‑ after a ten plus hour flight, with all the activities associated with taking a long trip ‑ to pick up your luggage, proceed through customs, wheel your cart across a connecting bridge from the airport to the hotel, right to the registration desk, check in, and go to bed.  A smart move with young children.

            The next morning after a German-American-Sheraton breakfast, we made a beeline to Oberammergau ‑ our first stop of a planned Alps, Venice and Switzerland trip.

                        I don't think of myself as a conservative driver, but I am clearly very conservative when compared to many German drivers.  We would be driving at 150 kilometers (90 miles) per hour via the no speed limit autobahn and the Mercedes, Porches, BMWs, Audis would go by so fast that I wanted to get out and see why our car had stopped. 

                        On this visit, Tina and Kimi found a totally different Oberammergau.  Green foliage and flowers were everywhere.  In fact, colorful flower gardens were prolific throughout the village.  The front of the hotel had a flower bed that spelled out "Hotel Alois Lang" and every balcony had a profusion of red geraniums growing from boxes.  Richard, the hotel's jack of all trades and master of many, was responsible for the flower beds ‑  what a talent! We all wore shorts and sneakers, which was a far cry from the winter clothes we had worn just six months earlier. 

                        The Bavarian flag was flying prominently in front of the hotel, its white and blue diamonds in sharp contrast to the lush green landscape.  I have only observed one area that flies its flag more than Bavaria and that is Switzerland.  BMW has made the Bavarian colors known throughout the world as their circular logo is a direct reflection of the Bavarian flag.  It is my understanding that the BMW logo originally was a clever representation of a propeller utilizing the Bavarian colors for airplane engines that BMW made.

            As we walked around the village without snow Tina and Kimi noticed how clean it was, so we started playing a game ‑ who could see the first piece of trash paper.  Unfortunately we sometimes saw litter, but not very often.

            Vlado our waiter from the previous Christmas, told us that he had married a local girl named Edith Aurhammer.  We did not have an opportunity to meet her, but knew that we would in the future.

            We stayed just three days.  We revisited many of the sights that we saw in the winter snow. 

            Schloss Linderhof's beauty ‑ spectacular in the winter ‑ was equally as captivating in the summer.  The flowers in the gardens were in maximum bloom.

            We visited the city gardens (the Kur Park) in Garmisch, and they were exquisite.  We wandered into the Casino and left our D Marks in our pockets.

                        Venice and Switzerland  After enjoying the general ambience of the village and the good food, we moved on to Venice via Austria's Brenner Pass.  After passing Innsbruck we stopped on a turn ‑ out and looked back northward at a very picturesque view of Innsbruck with the Alps as a backdrop to the city.

            In Venice we stayed at the Hotel Flora.  While the rooms are reasonable in price and comfortable, the real delight of this hotel is the friendly family that owns it, the breakfast served in a quaint courtyard with an abundance of flowers and its location near St. Mark's square.

            Despite the high costs of Venice (smart shoppers for hotels and meals can, however, moderate the prices), the pollution, and the crowds, this is a magical city.

            After Venice, we drove to Lugano, the best "Italian" city in Switzerland, on the banks of Lake Lugano.  We stayed in Lugano two nights and our dining choice the first night was the "Sayonara."  It doesn't sound Italian, but it was so good it drew us back the second night.  We rented paddle boats one evening at dusk and then attended a fabulous public concert in the main square next to the lake.

                        Lucerne, Grindelwald, Interlaken were all on our itinerary.

                        The Barbieris  On our way back to Frankfurt, we visited Olten, Switzerland where my first cousin on my mother's side lives.  Robin and I had visited with Addolorato Barbieri and his wife Tindara several times before.  We told Tina and Kimi what a wonderful family they were and assured them that they would enjoy them as much as we did.

            During our initial visits in the early 1970's, Addolorato and Tindara (both Italians) spoke almost no English.  Addolorato spoke some German because he worked for the Canton government, but Tindara spoke very few words of German.  Robin and I knew a little Italian and German, but this presented only a slight handicap during earlier visits as charades worked wonders in communicating. 

                        Communication among the adults was easier this visit since we had individually expanded our knowledge of English, German or Italian.  Patrizia (Patty) one of their daughters, was now in high school and spoke five languages including "British."  Patty interpreted for all of us.  Lucrezia (Lucky), three years younger than Patty, had still not mastered English, oops, "British" yet and was a little shy. 

            During this visit we invited Patty to come and stay with us in Los Angeles anytime during the next year or so and told her parents we would stay in touch and send a ticket for her.

            Planning  Ahead  On the flight home we made a commitment to ourselves to return to Oberammergau for Christmas 1982.  18 months seemed like a long time away.

VLADO

                        Vlado was one of the interesting individuals that we met in Oberammergau.  Yugoslavian by birth, he came to Germany with his mother when he was in his early teens.  Vlado learns languages easily, and when we met him at the hotel during our first Christmas visit his "American" was excellent.  He became a fast friend and taught us a lot about the local customs as well as the area surrounding Oberammergau.

            After we returned to Los Angeles, we received a call one morning from Vlado, who always called us early in the morning, and asked if he and Edith could stay with us a few days later in the fall.  He and Edith were going to tour America.  We were pleased that they called, as we were anxious to further expand our relationship with Vlado and Oberammergau.

                        Their visit to Southern California gave us an opportunity to reciprocate Vlado's hospitality in Oberammergau.  We took them to the typical tourist places: Disneyland, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the beach.  We had not met Edith when we were in Oberammergau, but she turned out to be a lovely person and a long ‑ term friend as well.  Edith came from a large family of eleven that had been in Oberammergau for generations, which gave us further opportunities to learn more about Oberammergau.  We thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

CHRISTMAS 1982

                        We normally would not have flown to Frankfurt on a winter trip because the drive to Oberammergau was about 500 kilometers, and it was almost impossible to predict what the weather would be like from faraway Los Angeles.  On this trip we wanted to visit the Christkindlmarkt in Nürnberg, so we stayed again at the Sheraton at the airport.

                        On our first trip to Oberammergau for Christmas, we took a metal trunk, which we needed for our moon boots, ski boots, ski pants and extra clothing that simply did not fit into our suitcases.  We learned our lesson.  We were able to negotiate getting the trunk to the Pan Am counter, check it in, retrieve it in New York, store it, and re‑check it in again at the Pan Am counter for the flight to München.  We always rented a car with a ski rack so our skis were never a problem, but carrying the metal trunk in a small car with four people and four other suitcases was "nearly" impossible.  On this second winter trip we used, instead, a large strong cardboard moving box.  When we rented our car we simply emptied the box, folded it flat and laid it in the trunk.  We put our suitcases on top of the flattened box, threw the contents of the box around the empty spaces in the trunk and in the car; it worked out fine.  When we returned to the airport, we rebuilt the box, repacked the it, taped it up and checked it in with the other luggage.  Much easier.

            Nürnberg  The drive the next morning to Nürnberg was fortunately on dry roads.  The landscape was covered with beautiful white snow, which immediately put us in the Christmas spirit.

                        On the way to Nürnberg we stopped to visit Rothenburg, which is, without doubt the best preserved walled city in all of Germany.  With little adjustment this city could be returned to look like it did in the 1100's.

                        We treated ourselves to a "schneeballen" (snowball) at a local bakery.  It is made from strips of dough formed into a ball and generously covered with powdered sugar.

                        We had made reservations a the Kröll Hotel, which overlooked the Hauptmarkt (main market) that housed the Christkindlmarkt.  Even though we had visited the Christkindlmarkt in München, we found ourselves acting as if we had never seen one before.

                        The Christmas "Schmuck" (ornaments and such), as well as the food and toys again overwhelmed us.  The Nürnberg Christkindlmarkt is more intimate because it is contained in one square, whereas München's is spread out into the streets off the Marienplatz.  In our opinion, these two are, without question, the best.

                        Kimi found a favorite food, Nürnberg sausages (small sausages) on a freshly baked roll with spicy Senf (mustard).  It tasted particularly delicious in the cold weather.  We also purchased a Gingerbread heart, a common product in Bavaria, decorated with icing that spelled out Christkindlmarkt ‑ Nürnberg made so that you can hang on a wall with a ribbon threaded through the heart.

                        We left in the early afternoon for Oberammergau after our overnight stay and a second visit that morning to the Christkindlmarkt.

                        A Sad Announcement  As we drove into the driveway of the Hotel Alois Lang, Vlado came up to us and informed us that Frau Lang had drowned in November while on vacation in Florida.  He told us that Herr Lang and the staff decided that they would not inform the regular Christmas guests until they arrived.  Frau Lang's death had a serious impact on the hotel, but the staff did everything possible to keep the Christmas spirit kindled.

                        Frau Lang's sister Vevi (Genovefa), who lived in Garmisch, came to help in the hotel under difficult circumstances; Frau Lang was a tough act to follow.  Vevi stayed at the hotel until her untimely death in November 1985.

                        The Americans  The evening meals continued to be something that we all looked forward to, for dining in the hotel was always a rewarding experience.  Dressing up, the relationship with the other guests, the service, the food, the decor and "our" waiter, Vlado, were all ingredients of that experience.

                        Our family stood out among the guests.  This was our third visit, and our second Christmas, which was certainly something unique for an American family.  Even Herman the head cook must have been impressed because he asked Vlado to bring us back to the kitchen; he spoke very little English, so Vlado translated for us.  Herman asked us if there were any special items we would like on the menu for the next two weeks.  We were on the special dinner plan, which gave us two main course items to select from each night.  Tina and Kimi told him they loved the spätzle.  "You will have it daily if you wish," was his response, and the girls did order it almost every night.  Tina and Kimi also became the "hot chocolate and ice cream" girls since many of the desserts contained some form of alcohol, which they did not enjoy.  If there were anything special we wanted on the menu, we just needed to tell Herman several days in advance, but we found it difficult to top the specialties he featured each evening.

                        Some of the dinner offerings:

Appetizers:

Kräuterchampignons auf Toast überbacken

Mushrooms and Herbs Baked on Toast

Artischoke in saurer Sahne mit rohem Schinken Toast und Butter

Artichokes in Sour Cream with Raw Ham Toast and Butter

Halbe Avokado, Gefüllt mit Shrimps‑Cocktail

Half Avocado Stuffed with Shrimp Cocktail

Bündner‑Teller, Brot und Butter

Smoked Beef Plate, Bread and Butter

Norweger Räucherlachs auf Toast

Smoked Norweign Salmon on Toast

Geflügelsalat nach "Wiener Art"

Chicken Salad, Vienna Style

                        Soups:

Spargelcremesuppe

Asparagus Cream Soup

Püreesuppe "Malakoff"

Cream Soup of Chestnuts

Florentiner Suppe

Spinach Soup

Champignonscremesuppe

Mushroom Cream Soup

Kraftbrühe mit Pfannkuchenstreifen

Clear Broth with Pancake Strips

Cream of Muschel Suppe mit Saffran Schaum

Mussel Cream Soup with Saffron

Consomme mit Semolina Klössen

Consomme with Semolina Balls

Kraftbrühe mit Leberknödel

Clear Soup with Liver Dumplings

                        Main courses:

Ochsenpöckelzunge in Madeirasauce

Ox Tongue in Madeira Sauce

Kalbsleber "Berliner Art"

Veal, Berliner Style (Onions and Apples)

Putenschnitzel mit glac. Früchten

Turkey Steak with Glacéd Fruit

Lammkotelette nach "Provenzialer Art"

Lamb Cutlet, Provincial Style (Garlic)

Wiener Schnitzel

Veal Cutlet

Schweinelendchen in Pfefferrahmsauce

Pork Filet in Pepper Cream Sauce

                      Side dishes:

Kartoffel‑Bällchen

Deep Fried Potato Balls

Butterbohnen

Butter Beans

Grüne Nudeln

Green Noddles

Kreoler Reis

Creole Rice

Pomme Frittes

French Fried Potatoes

Grill Tomate

Grilled Tomatoes

Kartoffelpüree

Mashed or Whipped Potatoes

Mandelreis

Almond Rice

Spätzle

Miniature Dumplings

Wirsinggemüse

Brussel Sprouts

Zwiebelringe

Onion Rings

                        Salads:

Salat der Saison

Salad of the Season

Chinakohlsalat

Chinese Cabbage Salad

Salatteller

Salad Plate

Zigeuner‑Salat

Gypsy Salad (Corn, Meats, Greens, Pineapple)

Tomaten und Feldsalat

Tomato and Feld Greens

Radieschensalat

Radish Salad

                        Desserts:

Eis "Nürnberg Art" mit Nuss und Tangerine

Ice Cream with Nuts and Tangerine

Mokka‑Eis mit Sahne

Moca Ice Cream with Cream

Vanilleeis mit heissen Himbeeren

Vanilla Ice Cream with Warm Raspberries

Ananas mit Kirschwasser

Pineapple with Cherry Liquor

                        Our beverages for dinner became routine and we never had to order, for the staff knew exactly what we preferred.  Robin liked Appolinaris "The Queen of Table Waters." I always had a least two grosse Helles  (light) Biers from the Paulaner brewery in München, and the girls chose a lemon ‑ style soft drink also from the Paulaner.  Paulaner was a relatively new brewery ‑ only 600 years old. We were also the only guests who received a pitcher of ice water at every meal after only asking once;  Germans drink very little "tap" water.

                        Lüftlmalerei (Fresco painting)  Lüftlmalerei is the art of painting utilizing the fresco method.  How the term "air painter" came about is not clear, it may have been because the air dried the painting or because the painters worked principally in the open air outdoors.

                        These paintings can be seen throughout the village and are on buildings, apartments, private houses, shops, restaurants and even inside the village church of St. Peter and Paul.  The scenes can be religious, historical, or of local customs, and some depict fairy tales.  In many cases they are simple decorations painted around windows or doors. 

                        Armed with our camera, we decided that we would photograph as many of the paintings as possible. 

                        Two very popular buildings of no particular historical significance that are directly across from each other on Ettalerstrasse are our favorites in Oberammergau:  The Little Red Riding Hood house, a private residence that encompasses many scenes from the fairy tale, is truly exquisite, and the orphanage building owned by the city of München, with its scenes from Hänsel and Gretel is beautiful.  I particularly like the fresco of the dog tethered to his dog house next to the front door of the orphanage.

                        The most precious paintings of the Oberammergauers are those painted by a favorite son, Franz Seraph Zwinck, Der Lüftlmaler von Oberammergau, who painted in the late 1700s.

                        In fact, the outside of his house is a treasure of his paintings and is located behind the city hall in the middle of the village.  At one time the house was called the Zum Lüftl (the Airy House);  lüft in German means air.  A fresco painted sign above the door to the house simply says Der Lüftlmaler ‑ Franz Zwinck was ‑ "the" painter.

                        The recently restored Pilatus Haus (Pilate's House), has two significant frescos painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck in 1784.  On the garden side he painted Jesus being condemned by Pontius Pilate, and above the front door he painted the Resurrection of Christ. The remainder of the house is beautifully decorated with frescos that sometimes go unnoticed, so we took the time to sit back, observe and absorb the entire building and let it all sink in.  We were more than amply rewarded by this action.

                        The Pilatus Haus was originally built in 1632, it burned down in 1775 and was rebuilt within a year. In 1900 it was owned by the Burgermiester and for a while was called the Burgermiester House; in 1922 the Burgermiester's son played the part of Pontius Pilate in the Passion Play.

                        Today the Pilatus Haus contains a crafts store for local artists, archives of the village, rooms for weddings, chamber music, and woodcarving demonstrations in the basement.

                        There are many other buildings that were painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck; my personal favorites:  The Forester's House, next to the Church (he painted three sides, but not the front); the Church Farm House; and the Shoe House Wolf, next to the Markmiller Cafe.

                        The House of Merchants building in the main square was built in 1775 and renovated in 1897, but the very attractive paintings depicting historical and local customs are circa 1970.  Today the building is very impressive (perhaps it always was), but the top two floors were added to the original building.  The original owner of this building, Georg Lang, was one of the original distributors of woodcarvings.  Initially peddlers (Kraxnträger) sold woodcarving products (crucifixes, figures of saints, kitchen items, toys) from a combination wooden backpack/display rack in markets and towns throughout Europe.  Eventually these peddlers established trading houses in far away locations such as Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Cadiz.

                        There are literally hundreds of paintings in the village painted by many artists and we quickly learned that it would take a lot of film to photograph all the paintings in the village.  Subsequently the historical society of Oberammergau published a book (in German only), that describes the history of Lüftlmalerei, with superb colored photography of the principal paintings not only in the village, but in the surrounding villages and towns of Mittenwald, Garmisch, Unterammergau, Ettal, and Bayersoien as well.

                        American and German Guests  During this visit there was another family with children and Tina and Kimi lost no time in making friends with Peter and Heidi Fechtel.  The four kids took turns sliding down the hotel driveway in sleds that the hotel kept for just that purpose.  During our first winter visit, Tina and Kimi ‑ for some reason ‑ did not build a snowman, but with Peter and Heidi it seemed like a great idea so they created one on the hotel lawn.  With names like Peter and Heidi your first reaction is that they were from Germany, right?  But they were from Boca Raton, Florida.  Their father, Wolfgang (Hank) was born in Germany and their mother Carol was of German ‑ Scandinavian descent, thus the names.  We traded addresses with Hank and Carol and returned season's greetings during the next few years.  It was not until 1987, when I was recruited to be the president of a bank in Palm Beach County that we renewed our friendship in person.  Now both our families live within a short walk of each other in Atlanta, Georgia.

                        One morning while we were having breakfast, we noticed Heidi playing in the front of the hotel next to the stream.  One minute she was there, the next she had disappeared.  We didn't give it much thought, but we later learned that she had fallen into the stream, which was edged with ice.  Her parents had to buy her a new jacket and boots to replace the ones she'd ruined; at the time, it was not a humorous event, but now years later we still tease Heidi about it from time to time. 

                        Heidi's fall into the stream was a hard way to acquire knowledge, but we did learn that the stream in front of the hotel had a name.  The Grosse (big) Laine is the largest of four streams that flow through the village into the Ammer River, which flows into the Black Sea via the Danube River.

                        It takes some time to create other than a passing relationship in any environment and the Hotel Alois Lang is no exception, but we did get to know Hans and Monica Barking, from table one, quite well.  We learned that Hans worked for a coal company outside of Dusseldorf and that Monica taught English at the high school level in Dusseldorf.  We were fascinated by their father who always wore a tie.  We mentioned it to Hans one day and he told us that his father even wore a tie when he worked in the garden.  He got our vote as "one" of the most traditional, formal Germans.

                        As we walked in the village each day we recognized more and more merchants, guests, and employees from the hotel, all of whom gave us a warm feeling of belonging.

                        More of Bavaria  On his day off, Vlado wanted to drive us to München, since he had a few errands to do in the city. 

                        We visited the Hofbräu Haus, a huge Bier hall owned by the brewery, and had a hearty lunch, (yes even after our breakfast!).  Vlado and I each drank what appeared to be one the world's biggest Biers, which we shared ‑ a few sips at a time ‑ with Tina and Kimi.  Germans do not mind children drinking as long as adults are with them.  In our photos, the Biers look bigger than the girls. 

                        The Hofbräu Haus is very close to the Marienplatz, so of course we had to visit our favorite booth at the Christkindlmarkt to have the waffles dipped in chocolate and topped with whipped cream for dessert.

                        Our relationship with Vlado was growing closer, and continues even to this day.  He and Edith decided they preferred being single and were divorced, but they stayed the best of friends, which made us feel good.

                        On another day, he asked us if we wanted to drive to the Tegernsee area;  it only took us seconds to answer those kind of questions ‑ always with a yes.

                        We drove to Rottach‑Egern, a quaint village on the Tegernsee.  The area is not on the bus tours, thank God, but is well known to Germans and wealthy jet setters.  We had lunch at the Hotel Bachmair am See.  While we were eating, Robin, one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes Hollywood personalities and trivia, spied Otto Preminger, the famous movie director, eating lunch several tables away from us. 

                        On the way back to Oberammergau we stopped in Bad Tölz.  We always enjoyed strolling through these small towns.  As we strolled through Bad Tölz we remarked how we never tired of window shopping in Bavaria.  The Bavarians have a special way of decorating their windows that invite to you to come in and buy.  We each had our favorite shops: for Robin, it was the glass and porcelain shops; for me, the meat shops with their dazzling display of sausages and cold cuts; and for the girls, in the early days, toy shops.  The bribes continued, two smurfs per village or town; their collection was growing rapidly. 

                        As a fan of General Patton, I reminded the family that Bad Tölz was Patton's headquarters for the American Army in Bavaria after World War II.

                        Mittenwald is located on the border between Germany and Austria, between Garmisch and Innsbruck and its fame comes from two sources.  First, it is world renown for its violin and cello makers, and second, for its sheer beauty.  The village lies between the majestic Karwendel and Wetterstein mountains.  The village is quaint, and offers excellent opportunities to stroll and window shop.  We often visited Mittenwald both in the summer and winter.  There are no shortages of activities, winter or summer, for the active visitor.  Had we not fallen in love with Oberammergau this might have been our first choice.

                        King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein castle is familiar by sight to most people throughout the world as it is photographed often for travel posters and advertisements.  It is hard to explain the architectural form of this castle, but comparing it to the Fantasyland castles in Disneyland or Disneyworld is the best way to describe it.  It was built, starting in 1869, on a hill not far from Füssen, Germany.  The backdrop for the castle is Mt. Säuling, 6,000 feet high, with a commanding view of the Schwangau countryside.

                        This castle was built by King Ludwig II between 1869 to 1886.  The castle contains a theater, for Wagner's performances, a throne room, his personal chambers (with a bedroom of the most ornate wood carvings) and a kitchen that was futuristic by the standards of the time).  This castle, unlike the gold and glitz of Linderhof, utilizes a Medieval decor of stone, dark woods, metal and mosaics.

                        Bergbahnen (Mountain Trains and Cable Cars)  The Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany, is an interesting place to visit for many reasons.  The Hotel Schneefernerhaus is located near the top of the Zugspitze and excellent skiing is available in a "bowl" just below the hotel.  If the sun is shining, hundreds of guests and visitors will be lying on lounges absorbing the sun, trying hard to get that "skiing tan."  It is possible to walk through a tunnel from the Schneefernerhaus in Germany to the Zugspitze Hotel in Austria, but we had left our passports in the hotel and were unable to walk into Austria.  There is a cable car that runs between the Zugspitze Hotel and Obermoos-Ehrwald in Austria.

                        There are two ways to get to the top and to return, and most people utilize one method to go up and the other to go down.  We chose the Zugspitzbahn, the cable car that originates at the Eibsee rail station just west of Garmisch to reach the mountain top and the Münchner Haus, a weather station and observatory. One can view the full splendor of the Alps from this location and you certainly feel like you are on the top of the world.  A short cable car ride takes you down to the Hotel Schneefernerhaus

                        Our trip down was via the cog railway which returned us to the Eibsee rail station and to our car.

                        The snow at the Eibsee rail station is always heavier than in other areas of Garmisch because the sun does not reach this area.  We thought that this would be a great place to take a picture of the family complete with a heavy snow background, one that we could later frame and display in our home.  We found a German couple who agreed to take our picture, but when we had the film developed, we were all disappointed.  Robin forgot that she was carrying a plastic bag from the Frankfurt airport.  We were so use to her carrying a bag we did not think about it while we were having our picture taken. We framed the photo anyway, and we are still amused each time we look at it.  It actually  has more meaning to us now than if we had taken the perfect picture.

                        The Laber Bergbahn in Oberammergau is located near the Wellenberg and it carries you from 900 meters to the summit of the Laber at 1684 meters.  The view of Oberammergau alone is well worth the ride.  The Bergrestraurant auf dem Laber is a great place to have lunch or hot chocolate or Glühwein, that wonderful heated red wine with spices.  We chose to take the Bergbahn back down, but most of those who went up skied down.  There are two routes down the Laber, the back route for normal skiers and the front route for either dare devil ‑ crazy people or just darn good skiers.  As we watched the skiers leave down the front route the trail was so steep that I would have sworn they would just free fall from the top and fall all the way down to the bottom!

                        Carolers  Prior to Christmas each year, the young people of Oberammergau visit the hotels and restaurants and sing Christmas Carols for the guests; guests reward the rosy ‑ cheeked carolers with small change.  The villagers encouraged the children to sing carols and we the recipients looked forward to these visits and enjoyed them immensely.

                        Advent  We enjoy two other customs the Germans practice each year. 

                        Advent Wreaths are a custom whose origins are obscure.  The wreath of evergreens lies flat on a table or hangs from the ceiling and has four red candles placed on the wreath.  On the fourth Sunday before Christmas the family gathers around the Advent Wreath and first candle is lit.  On each Sunday thereafter another candle is lit.

                        A more recent custom is the Advent Calendar.  A cardboard calendar that has twenty four doors, numbered from one to 24.  On the first day of December the child opens the first door and is rewarded with chocolate fashioned into a Christmas theme.  On each seceding day another door is opened and another chocolate appears.  The final door is opened on Christmas Eve Day.

                        A Daily Stop  Buch Schwarz, the stationery and book store, was a daily stop for our family since it was the only place we could get the International Herald Tribune newspaper, our only source of world news in English.  If we misunderstood world news on television, it was corrected by reading the newspaper.

                        This was also a good daily stop for Tina and Kimi, because they loved the colored pencils and paper that kept them happily occupied in our rooms between excursions.  We also purchased puzzles with Bavarian scenes each Christmas.  They were a great way to pass time on stormy days and the completed puzzles now decorate our garage walls.  Buch Schwarz also carried a good supply of Lego blocks, which were fun to play with.

                        Christmas Eve Mass  Bavaria is predominately Catholic, but regardless of your religious preference, Christmas Eve Mass at a Bavarian church is something you do not want to miss.  The clear crisp bells of the churches calling the parishioners to church echo throughout the mountains and set the mood of this solemn event.  The cold brisk air and snow add to this mood.  The interior of the churches are decorated with nativity scenes, evergreens and Christmas trees. 

                        The village church of St. Peter and Paul was built between 1736 and 1742 in the early rococo style.  The interior was typical for churches in the area, basically white with gold, paintings, cherubs and statues.  The altar is absolutely magnificent.  Xaver Schmädl executed the altar and statues.  The stucco was created by Joseph Schmuzer and the frescos were principally painted by Matthäus Günther.  The painting on the dome ceiling depicts the martyrdom of the Saints Peter and Paul.  On one of the side altars we noticed a rather large glass case with some bones in it and we learned that they were the bones of Saint Amadeus.  Many of the churches in Bavaria hold similar relics and they are almost always displayed in glass cases.

                        The Christmas masses, as well as many other masses, are accompanied by music that is created by local musicians, the choir, and the ornate organ with its magnificent pipes; the music thunders through the church.  The color, music, and pageantry are truly memorable. 

                        Most of the churches in Bavaria have cemeteries adjacent to them and we were charmed to see the parishioners bring small Christmas trees to decorate the graves of their deceased ancestors.  Many of the trees have real candles,  which are lit on Christmas Eve prior to attending mass. 

                        Skiing Lessons  Since this was our second Christmas trip, we wanted to introduce the girls to Alpine skiing.  Everyone except Robin purchased Alpine skis, poles and boots.  Robin had no interest in falling down in the snow.  After outfitting ourselves we loaded up one of the hotel sleds with our equipment and walked to a local ski area called the Wank Alm, where we signed the girls up for lessons at the Skischule (ski school) Sport Müller.  Their instructor, Richard, turned out to be an excellent instructor who after only an hour, had them going up the rope tow and skiing down a modest hill.  The girls felt good about learning the basics of skiing and the environment was excellent.  The slope overlooked the village of Oberammergau to the east with the mountains surrounding the village.

                        After the lesson Robin and I spoke with Richard who related a story about how the season before when he was skiing he fell off a trail and broke both an arm and a leg.  And he had just given our daughters lessons?

                        Possible Apartment  It was during this Christmas visit that we began eyeing some apartments around Oberammergau and inquiring into prices.  We wondered if Americans could own property in Germany and, if so, what would the maintenance costs be? 

                        Robin and I discussed our interest in buying an apartment in Oberammergau with Vlado.  We looked for an apartment, but found nothing available within our price range in the village.  We asked to Vlado to keep looking and let us know if anything became available.

                        We left Germany that year thinking how nice it would be to be even more involved in the area by owning property.

SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL 1983

                        Back in California, one day in March 1983 the phone rang at four o'clock in the morning.  It was Vlado calling to say he had found an apartment that had just come on the market and it was in the price range that we had discussed.  He told us that time was of the essence, as the apartment would not stay on the market very long.  We asked if there was a quick one ‑ hour photo service in the area since we never noticed any on our trips.  Vlado said there was a one ‑ hour photo finishing shop in Garmisch and that he would take some pictures of the apartment and send them to us by overnight mail. 

                        After looking at the photos, we told Vlado to tell the seller that we were interested and we would come over to Germany as soon as possible, probably within the week.  We felt that owning property in a foreign country, particularly in Oberammergau, would be a good experience for all of us and could possibly even be a good investment.                                                  The exchange rate was favorable at the time, and owning property in Bavaria turned out to be both an excellent experience and a good investment.

                        Lufthansa had a special rate, which was timely for us, so Robin and I left for Germany on a Monday.  We flew to Frankfurt but the special sale did not include the connecting flight to München, which was very expensive.  After our overnight flight we arrived in Frankfurt on Tuesday and proceeded to the car rental counter.  We had reserved a compact car from Avis, but were told that we would have to take a Mercedes Benz for the same price.  We thought that this was strange since it was not a time when Germany was overrun with tourists, but we told the clerk we could handle the upgrade.  When we walked through the parking haus we spied compact after compact in Avis parking spots.  The Mercedes Benz was brand new, with only 15 kilometers on the odometer.  It was a treat.  The reason for our upgrade remained an unsolved mystery. 

                        We finally arrived in Oberammergau at the Hotel Alois Lang on Wednesday about noon.  It was unusually warm for March, and the crocuses were edging their way up in the flower beds. 

                        Vlado immediately took us to the apartment.  There are four units in the building, which was 20 years old, but looked in excellent condition.  The unit for sale had a combined living room/dining room, one bedroom with no closet, one bath and a very small kitchen, with no permanent appliances in the kitchen. Everything was portable, including the sink.  This was common at that time in many of the older apartments and homes.  The one redeeming feature that made the apartment feasible for us was the storage room in the basement, which is part of the apartment.  It had heat and water with shelves on one wall and would be a great place to store suitcases, skis and other bulky items.  The apartment has a nice patio and a view of the Kofel; we agreed to buy it.

                        We had no idea how real estate transactions worked in Germany, but we knew that we would have to pay in German Marks.                    International operations of the bank where I worked reported to me at the time, and they were prepared to convert dollars to German marks and wire the funds that we needed to purchase the apartment.  In fact, the wire transfer desk in Los Angeles even made a dry run with a German bank to be sure the money would arrive on time without any problems. 

                        The Purchase  The next morning, we drove with Vlado to Weilheim (north of Oberammergau) to a Notar's office.  A Notar is sort of a cross between a lawyer and an Escrow Officer.  The sellers and the real estate agent were there.  The Notar read the document, which he prepared that morning, that transferred the apartment.  Vlado translated for us.  A translation by an independent party is required by law if one of the parties to the transaction does not speak German and we certainly qualified.  We signed the document, everyone shook hands and congratulated us on acquiring the apartment.  I mentioned that my associates in Los Angeles were ready to wire the funds.  The real estate agent said, "Why? You can just write a personal check and we will deposit it in the seller's account."  I asked "At what exchange rate?"  The real estate agent took Robin and I to the local branch of the seller's bank, the Hypo Bank, which was very small, with a staff of only four.  The manager called his headquarters in München for an exchange rate and, much to my surprise, the exchange rate was better than my own bank's rate.  I wrote the check, we deposited it in the seller's account and the Notar sent the information to Garmisch for recording.  The purchase of our apartment was that simple.

                        Vlado asked if we were going to occupy the apartment soon.  Robin and I discussed it and concluded that we would wait until Christmas to shop for furniture and that we would not occupy the apartment until the following Christmas at the earliest.  Vlado asked if he could rent it for the next 18 months.  We were delighted and said, "Of course."

                        The time span from arriving in the village, to ownership, to landlord status took a mere 24 hours.  We were truly amazed.  Robin, Vlado and I had an extremely pleasant celebration lunch in Weilheim.

                        Easter Egg Trees  Our visit this year to buy the apartment was just prior to Easter and we discovered a tradition that neither Robin nor I had ever encountered before.  As we entered the hotel dining area we observed The Easter Egg Tree.  The locals hang painted eggs with ribbons on pussy willow branches, which are arranged in a large vase.  We observed these trees in restaurants, businesses and homes.  The tradition is not Bavarian, it is borrowed from Eastern European countries.  Many of the eggs we saw were old and rare family heirlooms.  Eggs are available in the shops, many are recently imported or created in the village and depending on the quality of the painting, are very expensive.

                        To Olten  With time on our hands, we decided to drive to Olten, Switzerland to visit the Barbieris.  When we woke up Friday morning to leave there was five inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing.  What a contrast from the first few days of our visit!  We thanked our lucky stars that we had a heavy Mercedes with snow tires for the five ‑ hour drive to Olten, much of it through mountains.          During our visit to Olten we learned that Lucky had lost her shyness; in the past 21 months she had grown into a very outgoing, confident young lady.  We also arranged with Addolorato and Tindara for Patty to come to America during the summer.

                        During this time frame our family had "taken on" the project of researching our family tree.  Addolorato, knowing this, asked if I would like to meet a second cousin, Antonio Crivellone, who was working for the Italian Consulate in Basel, Switzerland, just 30 kilometers away.  He called to make the arrangements and before we knew it we were driving to Basel.  Antonio and his wife Rita have two daughters, Maria Cristina and Elisa, born in the same years as our daughters.  Antonio liked to paint in his spare time and we were impressed with his oil paintings.  We were lucky that Addolorato knew they were in Basel and it was a treat to meet them as they were just starting to pack for their upcoming transfer to South Africa.

                        Patty  Patty, from Olten, came to visit with us for three weeks in the summer.  Originally we had planned for Patty to visit for one month, but poor advice from us reduced it to only three weeks.  Patty called prior to her scheduled trip and we told her that we didn't think she needed a visa to visit from Switzerland.  It was bad assumption, which we shouldn't have made.  Upon her arrival at the Zurich airport she was informed that she did need a visa.

            Patty was traveling on Bal Air, a charter airline that is a subsidiary of Swiss Air, which flew weekly to Los Angeles.  They allowed her to secure her visa and take the flight the following week, but our misinformation had cost her a wasted trip from Olten to Zurich and back.  Unfortunately, her starting date at school would not allow her to extend her visit for the full month. 

                        Patty was an extremely pretty, intelligent and polite young lady and it was a pleasure to have her as a house guest.  She told us that her English teacher had admonished her not to learn "American" while she was in California.

                        We enjoyed taking visitors around and showing them our state and our "America" way of life.  Because we had the time, we expanded our sight seeing with Patty beyond the Los Angeles area; we spent a weekend in Carmel, made weekend trips to Santa Barbara, to Solvang, to Palm Springs and to San Diego.  We included, of course, the routine local tourist stops of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Bel Air and Disneyland.

                        Because of Switzerland's limited summer and lack of hot weather, Patty particularly enjoyed sunbathing by our pool in the 90 degree heat.  All in all it was a wonderful three weeks.

                        The Martinis  One of the families that we made contact with during our family tree project was a third cousin, Phyllis Crivellone Martini, who lived in Boynton Beach, Florida.  During some of our conversations we had mentioned our visits to Bavaria for Christmas.                         Phyllis called sometime in September and told us that her family was thinking of making a skiing trip over the Christmas holidays and she was curious why we opted for Germany at Christmas time rather than the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or Utah, particularly in light of the obvious expense.  When Robin and I asked her what she planned on paying for airfare and lodging for her family of four, it turned out to be more than what we had paid for airfare, lodging, gourmet food, and a European adventure for our family of four!  We encouraged her to call the Hotel Alois Lang and Lufthansa, which she did, and after confirming that it was less expensive to travel to Bavaria than to Colorado or Utah, she made reservations on Lufthansa and at the Hotel Alois Lang for Christmas.  

                        Fritz and Anneliese  Our pleasure in having house guests worked extremely well for us in 1983.  About the middle of November, we received a phone call from a gentleman in San Francisco who introduced himself as a relative of Herr Lang from the Hotel Alois Lang in Oberammergau.  He told us that Herr Lang was attending a hotel convention in San Francisco and he had brought his niece Anneliese who was 20 years old with him.  Anneliese's mother was Vevi, Herr Lang's sister‑in‑law.

                        They were visiting Los Angeles and Herr Lang was wondering if we could possibly take Anneliese and him to Disneyland and a few other tourist attractions.

                        We said we would be happy to, and we would pick them up at the airport, but only if they agreed to stay as guests in our home.  Herr Lang's relative (we never did get his correct name) said he did not think Here Lang would want to impose on us.  We explained that we had plenty of room,  and that staying with us was a condition of us escorting them around Los Angeles;  he called us back and said Herr Lang and Anneliese would be happy to stay with us.

                        Robin and I and the girls were at the airport to greet them and drove them to our home and settled them in.

                        I knew from conversations in Germany the past three years that Herr Lang enjoyed white wine and James Bond movies.  I stocked the wine cellar with white wine, borrowed the entire James Bond series on video tapes from a friend, and we were prepared for a pleasant visit.  We knew that communicating with Herr Lang would be easy because he spoke excellent English and as it turned out Anneliese also spoke English, which made their stay very easy for us.

                        That first evening as we settled down in our family room watching James Bond and sipping white wine, Herr Lang asked if he could smoke his pipe. Our immediate answer was "yes" even though we never allowed anyone to smoke in our home.  But this was a special occasion.               Eventually, the girls sat on the floor and Herr Lang asked if he too could sit on the floor.  We said "of course, you can do whatever you like."  I eventually took my shoes off and he asked me, calling me "Mr. Crivellone," if he could also take his shoes off.  At that point, I felt we needed to get a few things straight.  I told him, "Call me Don." I understood the formal German background that he had grown up in (it reminded me of Mr. Barking wearing his tie in the garden), but I told him that I wanted him to treat our home as his home.   He said, "okay, but only if you call me Fritz."  From that point on the relationship between Herr "Fritz" Lang, Anneliese and the Crivellone family was on a warm casual basis.

                        We learned later that Fritz had never stayed in a private home other than his own, which explained his original reluctance to be our house guest.

                        The first stop on our planned agenda was Disneyland.  Anneliese was in awe, not to mention Fritz.  Of all the people we have taken to Disneyland and there have been hundreds, not one person has ever expressed the slightest disappointment.  It made us think that no one would ever be disappointed visiting Oberammergau either.  Fritz ate his first hamburger for lunch and said he enjoyed it.  I wish I had known this was going to be his first hamburger, as I can think of a lot of places that serve more memorable hamburgers other than Disneyland.

                        For Thanksgiving dinner, we took Fritz and Anneliese to Lakeside Country Club, which comprised another two "firsts" for our guests.  Thanksgiving dinner and a visit to a traditional American Country Club.  Unfortunately we did not see many of the "movie stars" that are members.

                        After the tourist sights of the Los Angeles area, making a serious "dent" in the white wine and the James Bond movies, we were sorry to see them leave for Germany.

                        We had not planned on visiting Germany that year, but we knew that my cousin Phyllis and her family were going to be at the hotel and the visit with Herr Lang and Anneliese made us anxious to visit Oberammergau again.  Within a week we called Fritz, told him how much we enjoyed having him and Anneliese as guests and asked if Rooms 32 and 33 were available.  We knew that Phyliss had reserved rooms 42 and 43 at our suggestion, but his answer was "absolutely "yes" even if he needed to make some adjustments.  He asked us to give him our flight arrival information when we made our reservations on Lufthansa.  We were not to rent a car as he would lend us his extra car and would have someone pick us up at the München airport.

                        All these visits from friends from Oberammergau and Olten, plus our visits to Europe had a very positive effect on our girls (not to mention Robin and me), they gave each of us a better understanding of other cultures and people and we couldn't help but feel blessed.

CHRISTMAS 1983

                        As promised, a hotel staff member greeted us at the München airport after we picked up our luggage and drove us to the hotel. 

                        We enjoyed seeing the familiar faces of Dario, Richard the handyman, Herman the Cook, Vevi, and her daughter Anneliese, Karen at the reception desk, and, of course, Vlado and Herr Lang.  As promised, Herr Lang gave us the keys to his second car and by now, the hotel was like a second home.    

                        We inquired to see if the Martinis had arrived, but they had not.  They were scheduled to arrive several days later so we asked the staff not to mention that we were there so we could surprise them.  They did not know we would be there and since we had only talked by phone, they would not recognize us.

                        Several days later the Martini's checked in.  We watched from the television room and after giving them time to settle in, we knocked on their door and introduced ourselves.  We always enjoyed meeting family and it made it even more enjoyable subsequent to our researching our family history.  We respected their privacy and spent limited time with them as we wanted them to experience "family" discoveries just as we had been able to do.  We, who were now quasi experts, did however, show the Martinis several of the local tourist places, went sledding with them, and took them on some walks through the village. 

                        Our family's relationship with Herr Lang, Anneliese, Vlado and Edith grew during this Christmas, which really confirmed our purchase of an apartment as a good decision.

                        We did not buy furniture this trip as we became complacent with our accommodations at the hotel, and a busier than usual schedule with the Martinis staying at the hotel.  We knew, however, that we would soon have to get serious about purchasing furniture as we had a premonition that things were going to change and we knew that we would want to move into our apartment within the next year or two.

                        A Special Relationship  In light of our hospitality in Los Angeles Herr Lang was anxious to show us some special places in the area.  One night he advised us that he was going to take our family, Anneliese, Vlado and Vlado's friend, Gabi to a special Bavarian restaurant where we would only find locals, no tourists.  He knew the owners, Familie Fraundorfer well, and made reservations for us.  The restaurant Gasthof Fraundorfer is located in Partenkirchen.  The Gasthof Fraundorfer is an extremely beautiful Bavarian building, with gorgeous paintings on the facade.  Herr Lang was embarrassed after we were seated.  It turned out that the locals were no longer the preponderance of the guests; it was loaded with tourists. 

                        Despite this slight set ‑ back in plans, it turned out to be an outstanding evening.  The "shoe dancers" were good, the food was good, the drinks were good and the company was fantastic.  We had a truly memorable evening and we went back several times over the years.

                        My relationship with "Fritz" was growing.  One day he apologized for not taking me to his "stammtisch" at the Ambronia Hotel.  A stammtisch is a table that is reserved for "regulars" at restaurants and cafes.  Normally they meet at certain times during the day and do some serious "shooting of the breeze."  He knew my many words of German got me by in many situations, but those villagers at the stammtisch only spoke "Bavarian" and he felt I would be very uncomfortable.  I often wished I spoke fluent German and, in particular, the Bavarian dialect.  Having a friend take you to his stammtisch would have been an honor and a learning experience. I was honored that he even thought about it.

                        During one of our times together having a Bier, he discussed the possibility of my buying the hotel.  He understood my affection for the village and the hotel.  He missed his wife and really did not want to deal with the management of the hotel any longer.

                        Robin and I discussed it, but we knew that the profits that we would need to make to cover all the expenses plus pay off a loan would be difficult to achieve for an American couple in a German village.  In addition, we had two young girls and there was no American school nearby.  It was a pleasant dream and we have dreamt about it many times.

                        Walks  We always seemed to focus on something new each visit to Oberammergau.  As we walked through the village for daily strolls, we started noticing the window treatments.  Many homes had crocheted curtains that depicted animals, flowers and ornate patterns.

                        As we walked through the village, we observed, a variety of hundreds of decorations owners used to enhance their homes.  Eves of houses will have crucifixes under them.  Walls of homes and shops will be painted with frescos, they may have madonnas in niches on the walls, plaques set into the wall, and some had the most interesting weather vanes.  Balconies are crafted with interesting wood patterns of animals or just interesting designs.  Bird houses come in several presentations, from a bird house on a tall pole to those under eves or on walls.  Bird feeders made from a tripod of tree limbs, a platform for the seeds, with pine boughs for a "roof" are common.  During the Christmas season some of the villagers place large colorful balls on stakes in their gardens.  These balls are similar to Christmas tree ornaments and the colors cover the colors of the rainbow.

                        Woodstacking is an art form, which is practiced by home owners.  Some of the wood is strictly for "show" to decorate the homes, while the remaining is for burning in the enclosed tile or brick stoves inside the homes.  Very few homes have open fireplaces as we know them in America.

You will never get lost walking through the village, but it is bigger than you would expect.  The streets are anything but straight. Consequently finding a specific restaurant, hotel, pension, cafe, woodcarver or public facility could be difficult for the first time visitor were it not for the directional signs.  The community has placed signposts throughout the village to help you get where you want to go.  They are subdued and classy and in no way distract from the beauty of the village.

                        From time to time around the outskirts of Oberammergau, you will see large excellently carved wooden crucifixes on poles that are protected by small roofs.  In fact, as you drive through Bavaria this will be a common site adjacent to farms.  Farmers on their way to the fields stop in front of the crucifixes and offer a prayer for good weather and plentiful crops.

                        During the past year the Cafe Neu was built near the Kaisermarkt and we found it to be an excellent alternative to the Markmiller.  Its cakes were different and it was wonderful to have choices that we enjoyed.  The cafe itself is like a large house, the interior is very light, woodcarvings are everywhere, and it has an "airy" charming atmosphere.  We occasionally had cake and coffee in other cafes  within the village, but the Markmiller and the Cafe Neu remained are our favorites.

                        Near the Passion Play Theater there is a wonderful wooden sign on a pole that directs you to the Cafe Neu.  It has an exquisitely carved cherub above a scroll with the name Cafe Neu.  The cherub points the way towards the cafe.  We are amazed that the sign remains unharmed.

                        Another incident reminded us that we were a long way from Los Angeles.  As we were walking one evening to have a drink with Vlado, I spied a key chain, with lots of keys, hanging from a shop near the Passion Play Theater.  I told Vlado that we should lock the door, take the keys and call the police so they could return them to the owners.  His response was "No need, nothing will happen."  Besides, he related to me, the police in Oberammergau are not available after 5:00 p.m.  If the villagers need the police, they must come from Garmisch twelve miles away, which includes the steep, curvy road prior to Ettal.  So we went about our business.

                        That is not how Vlado would react today.  Things have changed everywhere,  but in Oberammergau in 1993 the police still go home at 5:00 p.m.

                        Krippen (Nativity scenes)  The shops display woodcarvings in their windows, including nativity scenes or cribs, most of which are hand crafted in Oberammergau.  Many of the cribs are relatively simple, containing the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, a few angels, the wise men and some animals in a manger.  These scenes, however beautiful, are insignificant when compared to the all ‑ encompassing village scenes containing hundreds of people carrying out routine chores.  All the "people" and their clothing are handmade.  The manger is always the central focus of these tabloids, which utilize a dramatic background, such as the twisted roots of a tree.

                        Nativity scenes originated in Italy and the first recorded crib was displayed by St. Francis of Assisi, utilizing real animals.  The cribs as we know them today are from Naples and they date back to 1450.  The use of cribs traveled up the Italian peninsula to the Tirol region in Austria and in the early 1600's they appeared in Bavaria.  Cribs were, and are, an important aspect of woodcarving in Oberammergau.

                        Each church in Bavaria has at least one large impressive nativity scene, which may have been a major project for all the woodcarvers to pool their talents to complete over a period of years.  The churches display their cribs (behind glass) and for a small coin the scene can be illuminated for easy viewing. 

                        Christmas Eve  Christmas Eve continued to be special at the hotel, and we looked forward to dressing up and having a great dinner in an almost perfect atmosphere.

                        But we were not prepared for what happened to our family this Christmas Eve.  As we entered the dining room we could not believe what we saw.  Our table was literally covered with brightly wrapped gifts.  We were stunned and embarrassed as all the other guests, including the Martinis, wondered what was going on.  The presents were from Herr Lang and Anneliese as a very special thanks for our hospitality to them when they were guests in our home.  We will always treasure the gifts they gave us that evening.

                        The Martini's table at the hotel was next to ours and after dinner the hotel surprised both families with Baked Alaska, which definitely was not on our meal plan. 

                        Another Mystery Never Solved  Back in the early Seventies, Americans who had the foresight to have American currency could walk into the United States military theaters in Bavaria and see movies in English.  Sometime during the late Seventies that policy changed and military identification cards were required for admission to theaters, snack shops, as well as bookstores (books and magazines in English were a rare commodity in Germany).  Currently in Partenkirchen and in Garmisch, English ‑ speaking movies are available to citizens of English speaking countries who are required to pay in their native currency.  This is apparently a condition that is placed on the movie houses in order to show first ‑ run English ‑ speaking movies.  It was clearly stated in the advertisements and at the movie houses.  We saw Germans, however, who paid with D Marks, but despite our confusion this was an excellent, relaxing form of entertainment for us.

                        Gifts  We enjoyed buying gifts for family and friends when we traveled and it always amazed us that each year we found unique items that were reasonably priced and of high quality that we hadn't seen on previous trips.   

                        One year, we found the most beautiful candy dish, a Christmas tree with presents under it painted in the center of the dish.  Another year we found a boy on a sled, crafted by Gobel, with his scarf flowing in the breeze.  Another year we purchased small crystal boxes in the shape of hearts by Nachtmann, a well known crystal company in Germany.  Another year we found extremely colorful metal cookie dishes with St. Nicholas for only 2.60 D Marks ($1.60 at an exchange rate of 60 cents per mark).  We wished we could have carried home a hundred of them.  Always available and excellent gifts for us to give others were the pewter ornaments.  St. Nicholas, angels, soldiers, Christmas trees, men, women and children dressed in Bavarian costumes were just a few of the available varieties.

                        There is something special about the way the Germans capture the spirit of Christmas.

                        Shadow Boxes  On our first trip in 1969 Robin and I started a tradition that we continue to this day.  We collect small items on each trip and frame them in a shadow box lined with a velvet like material.  Each frame represents a specific trip and the items inside represent cities, tourist sights and countries.  They include the pins that people of the Alpine region wear on their hats, walking stick badges, coins, currency (first visit only), small patches, pewter ornaments, small wood carvings, miniature glass creations and generally anything that we enjoy that will fit in the shadow box.

                        The shadow boxes started out rather large, but as we traveled more and more wall space became a premium, so the shadow boxes became smaller and smaller and our hunt for representative items to frame became more of a challenge.

                        To München  The only downfall of visiting Oberammergau was the early morning drive to the München airport.  The non stop flights to Los Angeles departed from Frankfurt at 11:10 a. m., which meant we had to catch a 7:00 a.m. connecting flight.  We always worried about the weather.  This year Herr Lang drove us to the München airport early and the weather posed no problem.

                        As we waved good‑bye we discussed among ourselves how lucky we were to have the opportunity to visit a special village at this special time of the year, and to have such wonderful friends.

CHRISTMAS 1984

            One great advantage of traveling in Europe is its size.  Traveling to Oberammergau was easy regardless of the initial starting point within central Europe.

            This Christmas we decided to visit Switzerland for a few days before traveling to Oberammergau.  We flew to Frankfurt and opted to drive directly to Freiburg in the Black Forest rather than stay in Frankfurt the first night.  The girls were older and much better travelers, but the four hour drive to Freiburg was hardest on me as I had to drive and stay awake.  Several stops for coffee helped us to arrive safely

            During our summer trip in 1981 we discovered a quaint little hotel in the old section of Freiburg called the Bären (Bear) Hotel.  The hotel is located just inside one of the gates the old section.  Narrow cobblestone streets with small shops are the rule for this area. 

            This hotel claims to be the oldest in Germany, with continuous service since 1120.  Our rooms, as we requested, were in the new wing, circa 1979 rather than 1120.  The rooms are small, but snug, warm and comfortable with private showers.  The sheets and pillow cases, with a bear embroidered on them, were pale yellow, crisp and clean.  I can't tell you how good the bed looked after a long trip.

            The breakfast room is in the old section of the hotel.  The room was inviting and featured a rich German breakfast.  The china was elegant and fragile, the food delicious, the overall ambience and location makes this an excellent hotel.   

            Several blocks away is the Münster Cathedral whose spires can be seen for miles.  The cathedral square teems with flower and vegetable vendors each morning.  At Christmas time you can purchase wreaths, trees and freshly made table decorations with candles, pine cones, bows and fruit. 

            Olten and Lucerne  After breakfast and a visit to the cathedral square we drove to Olten to the home of Addoloratto and Tindara.  We always enjoyed visiting with these cousins, trading family news.  That night we went to an excellent restaurant in the old section of Olten.  The restaurant was the Löwenbräu, pronounced Loo‑ven‑broy in German, meaning lions brew.

            The next morning we drove to Lucerne and stayed at the Hotel Seeburg, just three kilometers south of the city.  All the rooms in this hotel overlook Lake Lucerne, with the snow capped Mt. Pilatus in the background.  Robin and I discovered the Hotel Seeburg in 1969 and have stayed there many times over the years.  We enjoy the views from the hotel and do not miss the hustle and bustle of downtown Lucerne.  You even have the option of riding the scheduled boat to the downtown area, as it stopped right in front of the hotel.  We spent several days visiting the cities of Lucerne, Interlaken and Grindelwald.

            The biggest treat of this Lucerne visit was for Kimi.  We cannot recall why we went into the train station in Lucerne, but we did and much to our surprise the toy shop in the station had loads of Cabbage Patch dolls.  Kimi was ecstatic.  The dolls were almost impossible to find in America.  We bought two of the dolls for Kimi.  Tina never really acquired a serious desire to own Cabbage Patch dolls.  After this I do not believe we bought any more smurfs.  Tina and Kimi finally figured out that they were cheap bribes.

            We drove to Oberammergau, via Appenzell, Switzerland; Bregenz, Austria and Füssen, Germany.

            The Year of Change  While the Alois Lang Hotel physically was the same, it was beginning to change.  Herr Lang did not take a serious interest in the hotel and it was starting to show.  He desperately missed Frau Lang.   Herr Barking due to health problems purchased a home in an area of Switzerland where the altitude was not as high as Oberammergau.  However, Hans and Monica Barking continued to visit the hotel.  We missed seeing Herr Barking and his ever present tie.  We never got to know him, and we always felt that it was our loss.  If only we spoke enough German to carry on a conversation.

            With these subtle changes we knew that we better get busy and furnish our apartment for the following year.  As you learn in life, nothing stays the same forever.

            Furnishing an Apartment in Germany  We visited several Möbelgeschäfte (furniture stores) in the area, but settled on Möbel Kleber in Peiting, about 30 kilometers north of Oberammergau.  In addition to having the furniture that appealed to us, Frau Mäuerle, the owner's wife was helpful and super pleasant.  It was important that we had confidence in her as we were going to have work done to the apartment in addition to furnishing it while we were not in Germany.

            Despite our failure to speak fluent German and Frau Mäuerle's few English words, we communicated amazingly well.

            The kitchen posed the biggest problem.  The kitchen as we explained contained absolutely not one item in it, including the sink.  The entire kitchen had to be furnished.  First we picked the cabinets which were in a light brown tones.  The cabinets are sold in units, therefore you were required to purchase a unit with an oven and burners, one with a refrigerator and one with a sink. 

            We felt that a brown toned linoleum floor would go well with our cabinets.  Frau Mäuerle took us up to her apartment above the store and showed us her kitchen linoleum ‑ it was perfect.   We explained to her that we needed tile on the wall above the counter tops, which would match the cabinets and linoleum.  She indicated that she understood and wrote it down.

            We were confident we understood each other, but not positive.  We had brought a scale drawing of the apartment with electrical outlets, she pointed out that they would have to install an extra outlet for the refrigerator.  An important observation that increased our confidence.

            Next we picked the carpet.  Then we picked the eckbank, a table that fits into a corner, with a bench along two sides against the walls and chairs for the remaining seating.  We selected a china hutch, two sleeping sofa's ‑ one for the bedroom and the other for the living room, as well as some stacking tables and a coffee table.  We also purchased a comfortable over ‑ stuffed chair for me ‑ however, I don't remember sitting in it much, it seems it was a favorite place for Tina and Kimi.

            Another difference between older units in Germany and modern housing is that older units do not have closets.  We found the perfect unit in the store that had shelves, drawers, a full length mirror and adequate room to hang clothes.  The only problem was that from our measurements the unit would cover the entire length of one wall in the bedroom with only one inch on either side of the unit and, would it go through the patio door?  We were told no problem, they would build it in the bedroom and we took her word for it. 

            The basics were purchased and paid in full.  They planned to install the kitchen, carpet the floors and deliver the furniture in the fall after Vlado moved out.

            We kept our fingers crossed that all would go well.  We had fun playing "house."

                        Schongau  Since we were so close to Schongau it would be a shame to not visit this city where the old section is surrounded by wonderfully maintained circular walls.  One can still walk around on the inside of the walls near the top and look out the slots that were used by soldiers to shoot arrows at invaders.  The old section, no more than 4 blocks wide from wall to wall, is quaint with narrow cobblestone streets and an abundance of shopping.   The church, with its gorgeous baroque interior, stands in the middle of the old section.

            Playing Hooky  The food in the hotel remained excellent, however, we had a desire to visit some of the local restaurants.  Vlado took Robin and I and his friend Gabi, to a Yugoslavian restaurant call Dubrovnik in Oberau, a small community between Oberammergau and Garmisch.  Vlado ordered a special grill platter.  Robin and I had never quite experienced a meal like this.  Heaped on a huge, and I mean huge, silver platter were four pork chops, four livers, four hamburger patties, four beef steaks, four sausages, with very, very generous portions of french fries, Spanish rice and vegetables.  Add to this soup and Bier.  The owner was disappointed that we did not have dessert.  I suppose we could have, but we may have exploded.  It was our first experience with Yugoslavian food and it was a delicious first. 

            While we were having dinner St. Nicholas was visiting a group in the next room.  He came by to ask if we had been good this year.  We told him yes, but he did not give us a present.  Darn!  These encounters are genuine and commonplace in Bavaria.

            Our other dining excursion this Christmas was to the Schliefmühle, a rustic restaurant on a hill above the village of Unterammergau owned by the familie Feistl.  The building originally was a mill (mühle).  The music was loud as were the patrons all having a good time.  Vlado and Gabi helped us order local dishes.  We ordered Spätzle mit Käse (Dumplings with Cheese and Sauted Onions); Wienerschnitzel mit Pommes Frites und Salat; Cordon Bleu (Veal Stuffed with Ham) mit Röstkartoffen und Gemüse (Vegetables); Pfeffersteak (Peppersteak) in Rahmsosse mit grünem Pfeffer (Green Peppercorns), Pommes Maccaiire und Kopfsalat; Hirschbraten (Venison) mit Speckbohnen (Beans and Bacon) und Röstkartoffeln.

            More of The Village  We had walked by the Wellenberg, the huge indoor ‑ outdoor swimming pool complex on the northern edge of the village, several times but we never ventured into the building.  In fact we use to ski and sled within a block of the Wellenberg. 

            On an extremely cold day we decided that we would visit the pool.  We borrowed sleds for the girls from the hotel and started walking up a path next to the Grosse Laine, which is called Laine Allee (a walking path).  The stream was 50 percent iced over and as we walked up the stream we encountered small water falls, with heavy icicles.  The walk and scenery was great, but pulling a child up the modest hill on a sled was not too great.  At least the return trip was easy.

            It was strange to walk into the Wellenberg from the cold and snow to view people on the other side of the glass walking around in their bathing suits in a tropical looking setting.  The Wellenberg's indoor pool, provided one the opportunity to swim to the outdoor pool, which we passed on.  The complex has jucuzzis, massage rooms, saunas and of course an area to eat and drink.  An excellent change of pace from the cold winter months for the residents of Oberammergau and visitors.

            A shop that always attracted us and relieved us of a fair amount of marks each year was Heigl's Geschenk Paradies.  If you could not find a gift or souvenir at this Gift Paradise, it probably did not exist.  The wide ranging inventory is truly amazing.  Anytime someone talks about opening a retail business, they are told there are three things to consider, location, location, location!  Heigl is located next to the Passion Play House.  Bus after bus, day after day, drop their tourists in front of the Passion Play House and within sight of Heigl's windows burdened with merchandise that is displayed in the typical European fashion that appeals to the shopper.  Through the years we purchased various Hummels, Gobel ornaments, dishes for wall decorations and fine Kaiser porcelain.  Each visit, at least once annually, we purchased several Swaroski crystal animals and after eleven years we have accumulated quite a collection.

            Hidden in a grove of trees, isolated from view, on the southern side of the Ammer river, is a whitish colored building styled like a castle.  Only the turrets that rise above the trees reveal its existence.  It looked interesting, so we drove up to the gate and discovered that it was a private home.  We asked Franz Härtle and learned the building is called the Ammerburg.

            The "castle" was built in 1900 and has no significant historical or artistic value externally or internally.  From 1934 to 1950 part of the Ammerburg was utilized as a coffee house.  Today is owned by the Von Jugenheim‑Molitor family and various members of the family visit occasionally. 

            Robin enjoyed shopping for crystal and glass items, and Josef Gropper's Porzellan & Hardware store in the heart of Oberammergau was a great place for us.  We purchased some of our Hummels here and we added to our collection of Natchman hand ‑ cut colored glasses made in Germany.  We had started collecting these glasses in 1969, during our first visit together.  It was difficult to find good selections of these glasses in any one store as the production is limited. 

            Heimatmuseum  Many of the villages and towns in Bavaria have a Heimatmuseum, a museum of local history and crafts.  Oberammergau is no exception.  Located in the heart of town, it is a must visit.  There are three floors of woodcarvings: cribs, crucifixes, house altars, toys, jumping jacks, doll heads, soldiers, kitchen utensils and other household items.  My favorite household items are the elaborately carved stands to hold pocket watches.  The man of the house could remove his pocket watch slip into the slot in the back of the stand and it became a mini‑clock on a mantel or table.

            There is an old saying that a camel was a horse that was designed by a committee.  Some of the camels and elephants that are in the very old cribs are strange looking as the carvers had never seen these animals or good examples  and carved them from descriptions given to them verbally.

            Framed, bright, colorful glass paintings of the Holy Father and Saints are another important craft practiced by the Oberammergauer.  The paintings are called "hinter Glas Malerei" because they are painted on the back side of the glass.  This form of painting was popular because it was a simple method to provide every villager an opportunity to have religious articles in their home.  The preponderance of paintings range in size from approximately four by four inches to twelve by twelve inches.  The museum has an outstanding collection of these glass paintings.

            Hotel Staff  The staff at the hotel may not have been unusual by German standards, however, we always enjoyed their sincerity and company.

            Vlado became a close friend and will always be a friend.  Vlado was always generous with his time acting as a tour guide and sharing his knowledge about the area.

            Dario, the senior waiter who was Italian, had been at the hotel for over eleven years.  We became better acquainted during our first Christmas stay.  He is married to an English woman and we saw their children grow up over the years as we met them often while we were walking through the village.

            In Bavaria, in the smaller villages and towns, the practice of apprenticeship is still prevalent.  In the hotel there were several staff members training to become professionals in the hotel industry.  They, as part of their training, were required to spend time in each area of the hotel, such  as, the reception desk, in the dining room as servers, in the kitchen as helpers and as chamber maids.

            Herman the chef was a prince as he always wanted to please us with his menus. 

            Monika Schmid, one of the apprentices was an Oberammergauer and her father was a wood‑carver.  His shop is across from the church.  Monika gave both Tina and Kimi deer that her father carved.  Talk about a cherished memory. 

            Karen, another apprentice who eventually left to run her father's hotel, took Tina and Kimi to a disco in Garmisch. 

            These are relationships that one never forgets.

            Each Christmas we tried to bring typical American gifts for the staff to show our appreciation for their making the Hotel Alois Lang a home away from home.

            The Hat  When the Queen of England is in residence at Buckingham Palace the British flag flies above the palace  When Herr Fritz Lang was in the hotel his Bavarian hat was always on the mail box.  He "never left" the hotel without it.

            Christkindlmarkt Again   Heinz and Gilli Langfeld, our friends from Lufthansa and their daughter Pia were in Germany this Christmas season.  Before we left Los Angeles we scheduled a day and time to meet them in the Marienplatz in München for lunch.  We had no trouble finding them, we agreed to meet directly under the famous clock tower of the Rathaus (city hall).  We walked to the Spaten Brewery's Spaten Haus, which is a Bier hall with multiple restaurants.  We ate in a "sit down" restaurant and enjoyed an excellent lunch, without desert, as we would not miss our waffle stand.  After this the girls went off to shop by themselves, the adults wandered through the Christkindlmarkt absorbing the sights, sounds and smells.  When we met the girls later they all had Cabbage Patch dolls which they purchased at a toy store on the Marienplatz.  Kimi certainly relieved her frustration of not being able to purchase but one Cabbage Patch doll in America.

            A Close Call  We also arranged prior to our trip to fly home the same day as the Langfelds, which was New Year's Eve.  The girls needed at least two days at home to recover from jet lag before returning to school.  Their school schedule always dictated the day we returned from our Christmas trips.

            The evening before our flight we paid our bill, set our alarm to wake up early the next morning for the drive to München for the connecting flight to Frankfurt. 

            Much to our surprise and dismay, the weather overnight turned awful.  It was snowing heavily and what concerned us most was the ice.  For much of our drive on the autobahn to München we followed a snow plow, but had we continued we would have missed our flight so we passed the snow plow and prayed we would stay on the road and make the flight.  We made the flight, but barely.  I ran ahead and made the attendants hold the door open until Robin, Tina and Kimi arrived, all out of breath. 

            We found the Langfelds at the Frankfurt airport.  We were upgraded to business class, a practice if the coach portion of the plane is full.  We settled down for the flight back to Los Angeles and did not discover until the next day that the Frankfurt airport was closed an hour after we left.  The airport did not reopen for almost a week, as one of the most severe storms descended upon Europe in recent history.  Residents were skiing in Rome and the Palm trees on the French Riviera were covered with snow.

            We were always concerned about the early morning drive from Oberammergau to München.  We learned our lesson and due to that experience we always stayed in a hotel with easy access to the München airport prior to our flight.

            Nicholas  Our return trip to Los Angeles this year had an added purpose.  This was the only time I recall wanting to leave Oberammergau.  Prior to our trip we acquired a new family member... Nicholas, a Yellow Labrador puppy.  The breeder insisted that Nicholas stay with her until our trip was over to avoid any confusion on his part about his new family.

            Our anticipation was justified, Nicholas became a significant part of our family.

            Vlado Visits Again  In the fall of 1985 Vlado stopped by again to visit us in Los Angeles and stayed a few days before continuing on his trip to Hawaii.  Vlado was quite the world traveler.  Each November, during the slow season he visits a different part of the world.

CHRISTMAS 1985

            This Christmas was going to be unique because we would be staying in our own apartment rather than in the hotel.  We knew that we needed additional articles for the apartment before we could really occupy it in comfort, and since the girls could not get out of school early, we decided that I would fly over a week early to do some painting and purchase some essential items for the apartment.  We even thought some adjustments might be necessary with our furniture.

            I took one blanket, some plastic eating utensils and a towel with me so I could survive my first few days alone in the apartment.

            The Apartment  When I opened the door to our apartment I was amazed at the great job Möbel Kleber did with the carpet, the kitchen and furniture.  We had been concerned as to how they would install the tile above the kitchen counter tops.  Not only was it done perfectly but they had strategically spaced decorative tiles with drawings of herbs throughout the overall tiles.

            They installed moldings, which we did not expect, when they installed the carpets, and every piece of furniture was placed "exactly" where we had indicated on the floor plan that we gave them the previous year.  For kicks, I measured the china hutch and, not surprisingly, it had been placed precisely in the center of the wall, not one centimeter to the left or right.  The "closet" unit in the bedroom was installed with one inch to spare on each side and looked like it was made for the wall.

            During the year Vlado resigned his position with the Hotel Alois Lang when an opportunity came up for him to lease a small bar from Edith's brother, Klaus Aurhammer.  Vlado opened the bar in the early evening so his days were free and he was able to drive me to München to a discount store for members only called the Metro.

            Vlado and I went crazy buying items for the apartment.  Sheets, pillow cases, cashmere blankets, pillows, towels, window curtains, shower curtain, lamps, a vacuum cleaner, a television set, a clock, a stereo, pots and pans and "a partridge in a pear tree."  We purchased far more than we'd intended, and we were concerned about what Robin and the girls would say when they arrived.  We did not buy silverware, glasses or dishes as I knew that those items clearly would be Robin's domain.  Vlado's Passat Wagon was loaded with our purchases.

            The apartment was painted between visits to Vlado's bar "McDopper."  The curtains and other items were installed or put away, and by the end of the week the apartment was ready for my family's arrival.  I even purchased fresh flowers for the apartment at the Blumen Haus.

            The Girls Arrive  I met the girls at the München airport and they were excited about seeing the apartment.  I didn't tell them what I'd bought, but hoped they would approve; Thank God, when they saw it they loved it all, from the paint job, curtains, television, stereo, and  lamps to the fresh flowers.  They couldn't believe that I'd actually bought a vacuum cleaner among the other articles, and they were shocked that I splurged on cashmere blankets.  I was relieved.

            More Shopping  The village seemed different to us now.  We really felt like we belonged and we soon were creating new experiences.  We had always visited different food shops on our trips to Europe for picnics or snacks in our rooms, but we had never "shopped" for a home so to speak, so our first family trip to the Kaiser Markt was fun.  It was by far the most complete market in Oberammergau and is part of a chain of markets throughout Germany.

            Even with our limited German, we found shopping easy, although it's different than in the States.  In the fruit and produce section you pick what  you want, place it in a clear plastic bag, then you go to a scale, and place your selection on it.  The scale has buttons with drawing of the fruits and vegetables.  You push the appropriate button and it dispenses a sticky label indicating the weight, price and total of your purchase, which you stick to the bag and off you go.  The market has a meat section, a cheese section, a bakery, frozen products, dairy, beverages including alcoholic beverages (an outstanding selection of wine, Bier and spirits) and basically everything one would want. 

            We shopped at the Kaiser Markt often, but we purchased our bread products from several local bakeries and meats from a butcher shop, as we found it more personal and enjoyable to interact with those merchants.  German markets do not provide beutel (bags) free.  While the plastic bags they sell are very reasonable, we decided to get into the swing of the locals and bring our own cloth bags whenever we shopped.

            A Bigger Christmas Tree  Now that we were occupying our apartment, we had more room for a Christmas tree.  We needed a larger tree than those offered at the Blumen Haus.  We went to our normal source of information, Vlado.  He told us of a farmer who lived near the entrance to Schloss Linderhof in the Graswang Valley who sold trees at reasonable prices.  Vlado had just purchased one for his apartment.  Vlado's directions where excellent, and we found a shed with a number of trees but no one attending the trees.  We walked across the road to a building that looked as if it housed at least three families.  We prepared ourselves to ask about "Tannenbaums."  As luck would have it, the first door we knocked on was the right one and the farmer spoke English.  He walked back across the road with us and showed us some beautiful trees.  We picked a six ‑ foot tree that reminded me of a Noble, a variety of tree that my family selected each year when I was growing up in Oregon.  Noble trees have boughs that are well spaced and horizontal to the trunk.  To our amazement, the tree only cost five DMs.  The farmer gave us a receipt, which was required in case the police stopped us (Germany frowns on cutting trees without a permit).  Trees at several locations in the village were selling for as high as 25‑30 DMs, so once again Vlado came through.

            München  Our tree was going to need more ornaments, so we forced ourselves to visit the Christkindlmarkt in München.  This time we purchased glass and straw ornaments.  Tina and Kimi were older, which influenced our purchases, and many of the colors were pink and purple, their favorite colors respectively.

            Robin took the opportunity while we were here in the heart of München to stop at the WMF store that specialized in cutlery to purchase silverware for our apartment.  She liked the quality so much that she purchased an additional set for our daily use in Los Angeles.

            After wandering throughout the Marienplatz and visiting the Kaufhof, a large department store, we ended up at our waffle stand.

            On the way back to Oberammergau we stopped in Garmisch and while we were walking I wanted to visit a hardware store to buy some additional tools for the apartment.  Most hardware stores in Germany carry dishes and other household items.  Robin spied a set of dishes that were clearly "Bavarian" that would perfectly match our apartment.  She also found some glasses, so we now had all the essentials for the apartment.

            Breakfast  We so liked the rich German breakfast that we began having our own mini buffet every morning.  It was my job to walk to the bakery early each morning to purchase fresh semmeln (rolls).  The basic roll is the Kaiser roll, five sections swirled to the center.  There were also varieties of both white  and rye rolls, rolls with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and the Weltmeister (world champion).             Even though it was cold, I enjoyed the short walk each morning.  I started the coffee brewing before I left, so it was ready by the time I returned.  With one bathroom being shared by three ladies I had plenty of independent time for my walk to the bakery as well as for several cups of coffee before breakfast. 

            Our family found the bakery fascinating.  We all enjoy bread, and the Germans, like all nationalities, have a wide variety of breads; we made it our business to try them all.  We kept a record of the breads purchased and what we thought of each, which  reminded me of how we recorded our experiences with wines.  We found it hard to find a bread that we did not like.  Everything from Weissbrot (white), Mischbrot (mixed), Vollkornbort (rough ground wheat or rye), Bauernbrot (farmers, dark) to Pumpernickel.  Since it was so reasonable, we purchased fresh bread every day; our unused bread was a feast for the birds in the yard.

            Neighbors  During the next few days we had an opportunity to meet our neighbors in the apartment.  Frau Sievering, the hausmeister, was a widow and had lived in the unit since it was built over 20 year ago.  She, as her title suggests, kept the books for the apartments, did the banking and arranged for the oil to be delivered, the flowers to be planted in the summer, and handled any problems that came up.

            Frau Frimburger lived in the unit directly across from us on the first floor.

            The Radaus, Werner and Evelyn, lived directly above us on the second floor.  They were from Berlin and worked for Siemens and planned to make Oberammergau their permanent residence when they retired.  Over the course of the next several years they became good friends.

            One morning, we opened the door to our apartment and, to our surprise, found Christmas cookies from Frau Sievering on a pretty Christmas dish wrapped in colorful paper.  The next day the Radaus did the same thing.  We quickly caught on and reciprocated with gifts for all our neighbors; this was customary during the holiday season, and we loved it.

            Anneliese and Franz  Anneliese became engaged and invited us over to her apartment to meet her fiance.  When we walked in, we immediately recognized Franz Härtle, "our" banker.  Franz worked for the local Oberammergau branch of the Hypo Bank.

            When Robin and I bought the apartment, we needed to open a checking account as most transactions are handled by signed debits and credits to your account.  For instance, at the beginning of each year we signed quarterly charges to our personal account to be placed into the apartment fund.  We gave the four post ‑ dated transfer orders to Frau Sievering for convenience, who in turn gave them to the bank quarterly.

            Franz was very kind to us when we needed to cash travelers checks or exchange other funds into Deutche Mark.  We were so pleased to see this young couple engaged.

            Eating Out More Often  During our four years of Christmases at the Alois Lang we had eaten dinner at the hotel all but two nights.  Now that we were in our own apartment, we started inquiring as to which restaurants around the area we should try; we were given some great suggestions and they turned out to be excellent.

            The Blaue Gams is located in Ettal on a hill overlooking the Ettal Monastery.  The dinning room was rustic and cozy with a ceramic oven for heat, and women's bloomers hanging over the oven to dry.  We never asked anyone why so many of the gasthauses hung bloomers over the ceramic ovens, but it is common decoration throughout Bavaria.  There were several rooms for rent on the second floor, so we peaked in to look at a few, and they were charming.  Like all the restaurants at Christmas time, a tree was decorated, wreaths were on the wall, and candles were on every table.  Waiters and waitresses throughout Bavaria always lit the candles when they came to take your order. 

            The food was excellent, and between the four of us, we tried many items on the menu.  In the late Eighties the owner started an expansion program and built quite a few more rooms and a large dining room.  We certainly appreciated the economics of such a move, particularly with the amount of tourists that visit the area and the Ettal Monastery, but the expansion was too drastic for us and we never went back.  We lost a favorite restaurant and we were sad.

            We did not expect to find an Italian restaurant in Oberammergau where the quality of the food, the variety and authenticity would be so outstanding, but the La Montanara provided all these.  The La Montanara, located on the second floor, is within a block of the Dorfplatz.  One evening when I called to make reservations the owner discovered that I was Italian and our subsequent visits were very pleasant.

            The Gasthof Zur Rose is only two blocks from our apartment near the center of Oberammergau.  The Zur Rose is a large multistory building that looks like a huge house and has a facade that is painted with a variety of colorful Bavarian scenes.  It also has rooms to rent on the upper floors, but it is the restaurant that is the gem of this establishment.  Guests have two dining areas to choose from, a room in the original building or the modern extension.  We found the food here to be excellent and we returned over and over, as it became one of our favorites.

            Blumenkhol "zur Rose"   Robin, Tina, Kimi and I all agree that we loved all the food at the Zur Rose, but we particularly enjoyed their blumenkhol (cauliflower) with ham and cheese.  We asked Peter and Roswitha Stückl, the owners, for the recipe, which they were happy to share.

·         Cook a large whole cauliflower with salt in cold water for 20 minutes.

·         Prepare your favorite hollandaise sauce or...

·         Prepare the following sauce just before the cauliflower is finished

·         In a sauce pan saute 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions with 2 Tbl  spoons of butter. 

·         After the onions are clear, add

1/3 cup of flour,              

1/2 cup of cold milk and

1/2 cup of water from cooking     cauliflower. 

·         Cool the mixture, add

2 egg yolks and

3/4 cup of cream,

·         Reheat, add a generous pinch of Nutmeg and small pinch of salt.

·         Cut the cauliflower in four pieces and place them on an oven proof dish

·         Cover each piece with a ham slice and a slice of Emmerthaler cheese. 

·         Place in oven just long enough for cheese to soften. 

·         Serve immediately with sauce on the side, which is poured over the cauliflower.

            California House  One morning Franz Härtle called and said, "Anneliese and I will see you at the California House this afternoon."  I said, "That's cute, calling our apartment the California House."

            Franz went on to explain that in Oberammergau many houses had names that were independent of the family names of the current occupants.  This tradition was established long ago when it was easier to identify eight or more families with the same name.

            Monika Schmid, the young lady who worked at the hotel (and gave Tina and Kimi the carved deer) lived with her family in the Hutmacher Haus (hat maker) and when someone, say at the bank, referred to her she was Monika of Hutmacher Haus.

            Some other examples:

            The Köpf family lives in the Kirchenbauer Haus (church builder). 

       The Kirchenbauer Haus is also referred to as the Ave Bauer Haus.  This was the result of the parish priest asking the family living in a house close to the church to ring the church bells each evening at 6:00 p.m. to remind the parishioners to say their evening Ave Maria prayers.

       The Maderspacher family lived in the Ochsenhuisler Haus (farmer who owns oxen).

       The Füher family lives in the Hinterbäurle Haus (far away, small farmer).

       The Stükel family lives in the Sattler Haus (equipment for horses‑ saddles, harnesses, etc.).

            Robin and I found this custom interesting and practical.  As the village grows, however, these old house names become a less important to the overall identification of where people live, but the custom is still used daily.  In 1905 as many as 90% of the houses had house names. 

            Fire occurred occasionally in the village and houses burned down.  Replacements were usually built on the same site, but once in a while the house was rebuilt at a different site.  When this occurred the old house number stayed with the house at the new location. 

            Our friends in the village still refer to our old apartment as the California Haus.

            Marion  During this period Vlado was dating a girl named Marion who worked at his bar.  One afternoon we invited Vlado and Marion over for coffee and cake.  As typical Americans, Robin and I made our coffee on the weak side.  Marion spoke English, as everyone in Oberammergau seems to, but she was unaware that we knew many German words.  After Marion sipped some of the coffee she said to Vlado, "Wasser Cafe," which means in German "Water Coffee."  Not thinking, I blurted out "we don't make coffee as strong in America,"; at first she was embarrassed, then we all laughed.  We made it a practice to brew much stronger coffee when we had German guests.  It was easy for us to cut the stronger coffee with hot milk.

            Romanshöhe  Tina, Kimi and I were going to go skiing one day at the Wankalm.  Robin, a non skier, was invited to go hiking by the Radaus, our upstairs neighbors.  While the trail was neither far nor steep by some standards, for non hikers it is a good workout.  When we returned, she told us about the "hike" and the reward that she found along the way, the Romanshöhe.  The Romanshöhe, she explained, is a restaurant that is accessible only by hiking.  It sat on the side of the mountain, offering a magnificent view of Oberammergau and the Ammergau Alps.  Robin raved about a dish she experienced for the first time, Kaiserschmarrn, which is a cross between an omelet and pancakes, generously sprinkled with powdered sugar.  I was anxious to try this trail after her explanation of the view and the quality of the restaurant and put it on my list of "to dos" for a later date.