In the beginning of September 2009 I visited the village of Oberammergau high up in the Bavarian Alps in the South of Germany.   This was a 12 hour round train journey in the pouring rain.  The purpose was to find out about the possibility of organizing a trip there for the parish and other interested people.  It had been my firm intention ever since I missed out on the last play in 2000 to organize a parish trip.  I was also keen to go and see for myself the real cost of a tour given the high prices of organized tours advertised.  The minimum price I had seen was £800 and a neighbouring parish is going at a cost of £1200.  I intended to cut the price by half, and believing that I could do this.

When I arrived in Oberammergau I was shocked to hear first, that the play was very nearly sold out, secondly that the ticket office were no longer prepared to sell the few tickets left to non Germans and thirdly, that the only possibility for a non-German was to buy a ‘package’ coupled with the tickets involving staying at a hotel or guest house in Oberammergau or one of the surrounding villages, and these were extraordinarily expensive.  One night in a hotel with food could cost £400!  “It’s like the Olympics”, said the lady in the tourist information bureau where I first started my quest.  There was also a catch if you decided to go for a cheaper option (and they weren’t that cheap) you would receive tickets which were right at the back of the auditorium, far away from the stage.  It seemed counterproductive to go all that way and with all that expense, and then sit too far away to appreciate what was going on.  What is more, you were not allowed to book particular tickets, but had to ‘request’ them, which were duly allocated by the ticket office as they saw fit.  The tickets for the show varied in price from about £60 to £170 inclusive of booking fee.  The former were not good seats, and the latter were awfully dear added to the cost of hotel or guest house plus travel. 

My heart sank.   I had come all this way and now it seemed that to organize even a modest trip to Oberammergau would put the cost in the realm of £1000 or more, even much more.  This was what I had seen quoted by various organizations.    However I decided to be bold.  I went to the council office which was responsible for processing and allocating tickets and even though it was shut (my train had a two hour delay which added to the frustration), I banged on the door and very fortunately somebody actually answered.

In I went and asked what might be possible, what I might be able to get by negotiation.  What I had been told as above was repeated.   I told them I was a minister of religion, I wanted to bring my parish and that I would not be able to persuade people to come at these prices.  I had fortunately opened this conversation outside the boss’s office.  In fact there were two bosses, one who was standing down and one who was taking over.  Both came out as I bethered away in German.    Somehow the combination of speaking their own language and that I was a priest seemed to have an effect, perhaps also the image of a rain drenched Englishman who had evidently travelled a long way to be turned away like Lazarus went against their better instincts.  One of the bosses said that there was another means – an opening!  There were some tickets that were not released on the general system for precisely situations like this and coupled with a much cheaper accommodation arrangement.  Perhaps this possibility could provide something that would work.  But first I had to see the seats.  It was no good going for the cheapest option and not being able to get the full experience.  I needed to see, but I had already been told that the auditorium was shut.  No matter, the boss said, somebody is always there. Just bang on the door like you did this one here.

So off I went and did bang on the door much like Oliver Twist before Mr. Beagle and did get access.  The seats were pretty good, better than many others in the auditorium.    I returned to the office.  I wanted thirty tickets with the accommodation.  Time was short and I was prepared to do that without viewing the accommodation.  But now came another blocked door!  Unless I was a tour company I would have to pay immediately, and we are talking of many thousands of pounds.  This I simply could not do.  I then introduced my ‘Luther Tour’ which I had run for two years to Germany.  They were doubtful.  I produced a card, with ‘Luther Tour’ on it.  They relented.  I was allowed to buy the tickets on a deposit basis paying the rest in two tranches in October and January.

I next visited the accommodation and although it was simple and not a hotel, it was clean, good and within easy walking distance of the auditorium, which is certainly not a guarantee even for those in expensive hotels, many of which will be miles away with a shuttle service to get you in and out of Oberammergau.  Rooms would have to be shared, but the saving was considerable.  The people there were also extremely helpful. I took some photos and made my way through the village, back to the auditorium where I took more photos and then to the station for a six hour journey back to where I was staying.  Phew!  What a day.