SECURE YOUR SPACE TODAY!!! First come First served!!! PAYMENT SCHEDULE Initial deposit: $1000.00 per person ($500.00 of this deposit is non-refundable and the other $500.00 is non-refundable by Sep. 1, 2009) Optional travel insurance: plus $250.00 depending on package chosen Final payment is due: Dec. 31, 2009 or 120 days prior to departure Passengers on deposit may transfer their deposit to a new traveler or to new dates without penalty if done by Dec. 31, 2009. PILGRIMAGE PACKAGE INCLUDES: (prices based on 40 passengers, double occupancy) Roundtrip airline transportation from either Philadelphia, Washington DC, Newark or Atlanta (other gateways may be requested) Outside the 1 or 2 night Oberammergau package: Superior tourist class accommodations according to program chosen Once again, the familiar story is retold: the story of Jesus of Nazareth The villagers of Oberammergau enact the story of the Nazarene from his entry into Jerusalem to his death, from his last supper to the moment Mary Magdalene brings word of his resurrection to the disciples. LIMITED TICKETS, RESERVE EARLY!!! Inside the 1 or 2 night Oberammergau package: Specific Accommodations according to package chosen Oberammergau Passion Play tickets according to package chosen. Continental breakfasts and dinners daily Sightseeing tours as per itinerary All entrance fees per itinerary Touring by private, AC motorcoach Professional English-speaking Tour Guide/Escort Baggage handling Hotel taxes and service charges Shuttle service within Oberammergau OPP:040109
PICK, PACK & PRAY and let s watch the PASSION PLAY! Join one of these programs OR join your favorite priest! For a group of 20, we can also customize your own itinerary. MORNING GLORY (France, Italy, Austria and Germany) Starting from $3599.00 per person Day 2 Arrive Lourdes Day 3 Lourdes walking tour Day 4 Travel to Arenzano Day 5 Travel to Padua Sleep in Venice Day 6 Venice city tour Day 7 Travel to Salzburg for city tour PRECIOUS PASSION (Poland, Prague & Germany) Starting from $3699.00 per person Day 2 Arrive Berlin Day 3 Berlin city tour Poznan Day 4 Travel to Krakow via Czestochowa Day 5 Visit Lagiewniki Day 6 Wadowice-Kalwaria-Prague Day 7 Prague city tour MEMORARE (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg & Germany) Starting from $3999.00 per person Day 2 Arrive in Amsterdam Day 3 City tour; travel to Brugge Day 4 Brugge city tour Day 5 Travel to Kevelaer Aachen Cologne Day 6 Travel to Trier - Luxembourg Day 7 Travel to Munich Day 8 Travel to Oberammergau area via Altoetting & Marktl Am Inn SWEET EMBRACE (Hungary, Austria, Switzerland & Germany) Starting from $3899.00 per person Day 2 Arrive Budapest Day 3 Budapest city tour Day 4 Travel to Vienna Day 5 Travel to Salzburg Day 6 Salzburg city tour Day 7 Travel to Einsiedeln MYSTIC ITALY (Italy & Germany) Starting from $3799.00 per person Day 2 Arrive Rome Day 3 Rome full day city tour Day 4 Rome half day city tour Day 5 Travel to Assisi Day 6 Assisi walking tour Day 7 Travel to Venice & Padua Day 8 Travel to Oberammergau SUGGESTED PROGRAMS apply as follows. Below are Estimated Travel Dates & will be adjusted to your chosen itinerary Passion Play date type of ticket: May 13 May 22: May 31 June 9: June 3 June 12: July 1 July 10: July 25 Aug. 3: Aug. 16 Aug. 25: Aug. 23 Sep. 1: Aug. 30 Sep. 8: Sep. 3 Sep. 12: May 21 HK2 / Cat 1A June 8 GK1-2-3 / Cat 2 June 11 HK3 / Cat 1 July 9 HK4 / Cat 2 Aug. 2 GK1-2-3 / Cat 2 Aug. 24 GK1-2-3 / Cat 2 Aug. 31 GK1-2-3 / Cat 2 Sep. 7 GK1-2-3 / Cat 2 Sep. 10 HK 3 / Cat 1 OPTIONAL PRE-TOURS or POST-TOURS can be arranged to any destination you would like to add such as: Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Medugorje, etc. Please request in writing. Must be a minimum of 10 passengers.
Amid the turmoil of the Thirty Years War, the plague broke out in large parts of Europe, taking the lives of many more people than the war itself. Death crept into the remote mountain valley at the foot of the Kofel (southern Germany) where Oberammergau lies, in 1632. According to a chronicle of the time, the residents of the village set up a vigilant watch, and for a time they succeeded in keeping out the plague. During the annual fair held to commemorate the dedication of the village church, a man named Kaspar Schisler, who had worked outside the village during the summer, slipped over the mountains to his house in the village. Within a few days he succumbed to the plague - as did a large number of the people of Oberammergau. In those days no one knew anything about germs, or the terrible toll they have exacted on humanity through the ages. People therefore invented incredible stories to explain the outbreak. They believed that the plague was spread by a green and yellow cloud that descended at night, or that Jews had poisoned the wells. And if there were no Jews in the village, then there was little doubt that God himself was sending the plague down from heaven to punish humanity for its sins. Often the people saw only one chance of survival: to pacify God s fury. In 1633, devastated by the Black Plague, as it was known, the people of Oberammergau pledged to perform the Passion Play as a sign of the repentance and remorse over the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Such vows were common at the time in many areas of Bavaria and Austria. The chronicles relate further that from the day the people of Oberammergau gathered around the cross, and the burgomaster and notables of the community gathered in the village church, solemnly promising to present the Passion of Christ in dramatic form regularly if the people were spared, no further person died of the plague. Every 10 years since, the greatest story ever told, the Passion Play has been staged, with villagers playing all the roles. They are Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims. 17 lead actors are chosen 9 months before the dress rehearsal by the town priest, mayor and headmaster along with some of the older men who once played important roles in the earlier plays. Nearly 1/3 of the 5000 residents have a direct part in the play. There are 130 speaking parts and about 900 non-speaking parts, including 350 children, some barely potty-trained, who will play alongside people in their nineties. Another 400 or so work behind the scenes as ushers, electricians, ticket-takers, wardrobe assistants, singers and stagehands. Anyone not born in Oberammergau or who has lived there less than 20 years is automatically excluded from participation. The first Passion Play of Oberammergau was staged in 1634. In 1680 the performance was moved to the first year of each decade. Were it not for the prohibition imposed in 1770 by the church and the state on the staging of passion plays in any form, and had the date for the Passion Play of 1940 not fallen during World War II, then there would never have been any interruptions in the history of the Passion Play. The script has gone through many versions. The first year had only one performance and the village church was large enough. Currently, these musical performances run from May to October with Part 1 from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM and Part 2 from 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM with a German meal served for dinner in the intermission. The open air stage can hold 700 actors and the centurion s horse, plus a 120 person choir. The covered auditorium can seat 5000 visitors, who can enjoy meeting shopkeepers, hotel owners, restaurant waiters and other townspeople who have been identified with a particular Biblical personage because of their roles in the reenactment of the suffering and death of the Nazarene. How does a simple parish succeed in pulling off this kind of common project once every ten years? There can be no definitive answer. One thing in common is that they all love to tell stories. But too great are the differences among the players in personality, in religious orientation, in age and experience. To many of the villagers, the oath of their forefathers represents the beginning of a great theatrical tradition. To others it is a legacy, a solemn duty. In either case, a vow taken in the year 1633 is no longer binding on anyone. For many, the religious act is the driving force behind the play. As Otto Huber (Second Director of the Passion Play 2000) once wrote in 1990, we find an interpretation of the Passion of Jesus as simple as it is profound - a revelation of His love, of His absolute devotion to the Father and to Man. The passion plays can be understood as a school of love. When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts (Luke 23:48). With these words, the Gospel of Luke concludes its story of the passion. Typical Murals on the buildings
We now offer to you (as always) a selection of our very well (thought out) planned itineraries. Each pilgrimage package has either a 1 or 2 night stay in Oberammergau, at a hotel or a private home. All you have to do is Pick, Pack, Pray & watch the Passion Play! We do the rest. We ensure that it will be one of your unforgettable experiences. Only through our company and with the help of the specially chosen Chaplains of the different packages, will you realize the true message of St. Paul when he referred to another side of Jesus Passion! If you are joining by yourself, I promise to blend you with a group that will make your heart beat better! Or join one of our groups or your favorite priest and enjoy this spectacular event in Oberammergau, a quaint picturesque village where you can stroll to your heart s delight in a storybook setting. Sincerely, Mariza OBERAMMERGAU TERMS & CONDITIONS PAYMENT SCHEDULE: An initial deposit of $1000.00 per person is required to hold your space. ($500.00 of this deposit is non-refundable. The second $500.00 is non-refundable by Sep. 1, 2009.) Travel insurance is extra. Final payment is due Dec. 31, 2009 or 120 days prior to departure. PRICE GUARANTEE: All prices are per person based on double occupancy, and are calculated on currency rate exchanges in effect as of March 31, 2009. Airports used for the package prices are either from Philadelphia, Washington DC, Newark and/or Atlanta. An additional $300.00 - $400.00 will be added for departures from the West Coast such as Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco. (Our incredible relationships with the different airlines allows us, occasionally, to be given a few seats with the same price as the East Coast! In the event this happens, priority will be given by order of receipt of bookings.) Air schedule and demand of seats will be at full capacity therefore the most convenient air routing will go to early registrants. For other gateways, please request in writing. Departure taxes starting from $400.00 depending on gateway will be added to your package price. Even though it will show on your invoice, departure taxes are subject to change till ticketed. Domestic flights may be requested and will be booked as published rates which are not guaranteed till ticketed. We can only guarantee prices when the pilgrimage package is paid in full. FIAT PILGRIMAGES reserves the right to alter prices any time prior to departure and without prior notice if the economy so warrants the circumstance. We strongly suggest the purchase of the optional travel insurance (starting from $250.00 depending on the package chosen) which will cover only the amount that you have purchased through us. Total Package Price - insurance coverage premium: Up to $4000.00 - add $250.00 Up to $5000.00 - add $300.00 Up to $6000.00 - add $350.00 Up to $7000.00 - add $400.00 From all seats you have a good view to the stage. The acoustic in the whole Passion Play theatre is excellent. Altogether there are 4,720 seats in the Passion Play theatre. Ticket Categories: 1A, 1, 2 and 3 All cancellations must be made in writing. Take full note of our STRICT cancellation amounts attached to our Oberammergau packages. These penalties are in addition to our General Terms and Conditions. All other regulations remain the same which can be found in the back of our Oberammergau flyer. We are not responsible for typographical errors.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION CATEGORIES - HC: Accommodation categories are based on the size and furnishings of the rooms and not according to the stars allocated to the establishments by the German Hotel Classification. Thus rooms in one establishment may be allocated in different categories. Categories were determined after an official inspection of the rooms. HC 1 - Luxuriously furnished, spacious rooms of the highest standard in de luxe hotels with shower or bath/wc and a corner seating unit. They are equipped with: a safe, direct-dial telephone, internet access, hair-dryer, cosmetic articles, bathrobe. In combination with admission tickets in Category 1A HC 2 - Spacious, comfortably furnished rooms of high standard in superior hotels with shower or bath/wc and a corner seating unit. They are equipped with: minibar or a range of drinks, colour television, radio, direct-dial telephone, internet access, hair-dryer, cosmetic articles, bathrobe on request. In combination with admission ticket in Category 1A HC 3 - Comfortable rooms with shower or bath/wc in superior middle-class hotels. They are equipped with: direct-dial telephone, hair-dryer, cosmeticarticles. In combination with admission ticket in Category 1 PRIVATE ROOMS ACCOMMODATION CATEGORIES (GUEST HOUSES, INNS AND BOARDING HOUSES) - GC: Accommodation categories are based on the size and furnishings of the rooms and not according to the stars allocated to the establisments by the German Hotel Classification. Thus rooms in one establishment may be allocated in different categories. Categories were determined after an official inspection of the rooms. GC 1 - Large, comfortable rooms (some of them apartments) for discerning guests with shower or bath/wc and a corner seating unit. They are equipped with: direct-dial telephone, internet access, hair-dryer, cosmetic articles In combination with admission tickets in Category 2 GC 2 - Comfortably furnished, cozy rooms with shower or bath/wc. They are equipped with: minibar or a range of drinks, colour television, radio, hair-dryer, cosmetic articles GC 3 - Adequate, well-kept rooms with shower or bath/ WC. They are equipped with: colour television and radio In combination with admission tickets in Category 2 HC 4 - Well-kept rooms in middle class hotels with shower or bath/wc. They are equipped with: colour television.. GC 4 - Modestly furnished, well-kept rooms with shower or bath/wc. HC 5 - Adequately furnished rooms in tourist class hotels with shower or bath/wc. They are equipped with: colour television. Village Street Woodcarvings Village Church