St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-12-04
THE PASSION PLAY.

Henry l.. CIaDp.
Readers of the Caledonian will be
interested in the subjoined extracts
from another private letter from
Henry l.. Clapp, of New York city,
who is well known here. This letter
describes a journey to Munich and
the Passion Play at ODER Am
mergau:
MUNICH, GERMANY, Sept. %, 1890.
Before writing you of our excursion to
Oberammergau | must tell you some
thing of our trip from Nuremburg to
Munich. The morning of the 10Th we
strolled about town picking up a few
photographs, little wood carving, and
a few other souvenirs of one of the most
interesting towns III Europe. AT noon
our trio took a hasty lunch and then
started by train for Ratisbon (Regens-
burg). The three hours ride carries you
through a pleasant country and we
especially enjoyed the last half hour.
The railway energies from the hill coun-
try into the valley of the Upper Danube
and for long distance the eye could
mark the winding of the stream with
broad meadows on either side dotted
with villages, while almost at our feet
Law the historic town of RatisbOn. 1t is
a poetica1 license to talk about the blue
Danube for here in the Bavarian High
lands IT Is slate COlOred, while from
Vienna to the Black sea it is the coffee
cOlOred Danube. You know | have been
by steamer all the way from its mouth,
through the broad plains of Servia and
Hungary, through the famous Iron
Gates where it breaks through the
CarpathianS and thence on to the cap
ital of Austria and what | say my own
ewes can confirm.
1t was a little past three when we
took rooms awaiting us at the Golden
Cross Hotel and as the day was fine
and we were all ready for anything we
drove for several hours about the town.
1t is most fortunate in situation and
seven hundred years ago it was the most
flOurishing city in Southern Germany,
and at every corner you see buildings
which carry YOU back to medieval DAYS.
The hotel was formerly palace and was
built eight hundred years ago, and has
been a hotel nearly three hundred years.
More of royalty has slept under its roof
than in any other hotel in Europe, and
some very interesting bits of history are
connected with it Charles the Fifth has
lived here, and in one of the rooms of the
big tower tradition says Don Juan of
Austria was born, and III the room there
hangs an engraving of the battle of
''LepantO" where he won his spurs. An
where centuries ago, at the great feasts,
oxen were roasted whole. Under this
same roof MelancthOn had many relig
iOus controversies and here in later days
the Emperor William and Bismarck have
met to discuss matters which affected the
boundary lines of Europe. One month
before our arrival the Empress of Austria
was here occupying with her suite the
rooms assigned to Our room was
he | ia1
on our return from Italy two years ago
and he tell you that it was long
enough for small rope walk and wide
enough for church. At dinner our land
lord served one course in person, bearing
large tray of beautiful bouquets, offer
ing one to each lady guest.
The Cathedral is one of the finest we
ever have seen. 1t dates back to the
18th century and one feature of it espe-
cially attracted our attention; it was a
well sixty-six feet deep and over it a
delicately wrought marble canopy of
Gothic architecture. Near this cathedral
Is the house where kepler died and
bust of the astronomer is enclosed within
a small circular temple.
The scenes in the market, held in the
early morning iii the streets, are most
interesting and amusing, and cOmical
sights meet the eye at every turn small
geese, ducks and pigeons for companions,
all with strong lungs using their own
vernacular-
The Rathhaus is another piece of
RatisbOn which Is extremely interesting
and we spent an hour in carefully ex-
aiming the rooms open to the public;
the Imperial hall; the Electors room
with well preserved tapestries dating
from the 18th to the 9TH centuries, with
scenes from he. Rib1e and
the Model room with nearly one hundred
models of buildings III Ratisbon; the
dungeons and torture chambers. etc
We went to bed tired, but a roval
sleep found us ready on the morning of
the 18th for a visit to the "Walhalla,"
built by Ludwig first to perpetuate in
marble the memory of those who han
helped to make the glory of the Germad
Empire The day was perfect and our
carriage drive of SIX miles down the Dan
ube valley was most delightful. week
before the road was impossible owing
to the floods, but now the Danube had
retired within its proper channel, leaving
here and there in the meadows small
lakes out of which the submerged crops
of potatoes and beets were re-appearing
The road was shaded with pines and
mountain ashes the latter with crowns of
brilliant red berries. About four miles
out of Ratisbon a curve in the road
brings into full view a portion of the
Walhalla, and its white front and the
beautiful Doric columns were all the
more striking in contrast with the dark
forests which crowned the hill on which
King Ludwig's temple stands The car
rage leaves you in a beautiful grove in
the rear, and by shady walk and an