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This 'n That
Ten minutes after five on May 14th
Five couples, each from a different country. We had been a close group during an assignment to Brussels in the 80s but we hadn't seen one another in 20 years. Last month we all returned to the charming Gasthof in Oberammergau, Germany where we first met when the men attended a NATO training school. There wasn't even a moment of awkwardness at the reunion, only laughter, hugs and tearful toasts.
Everything we did for four days was story-book perfect; a breath-taking cable car ride to the top of a mountain peak, a horse-drawn wagon ride to Linderhof Castle, a tour and briefing at that same NATO school, wandering together through the streets of that enchanting town, a private tour of the Passion Play theater, kaffee and kuchen in the afternoon and hearty German fare in the evenings.
And then the delightful evening when Rose and Peter, the now retired owners of the Gasthof, hosted a dinner for us in their lovely home. They are special people and their presence and participation in the reunion events as the 6th couple made everything even nicer.
Peter's family has been involved in the Passion Play since its inception in the 1600s when the Black Plague hit the village. Within a year it had claimed nearly a quarter of Oberammergau's inhabitants and the townspeople people vowed to perform a Passion Play every ten years if no more lives were lost. Their prayers were answered and the play has been faithfully presented every ten years since then. To be in the play you must be a resident and since the town is small and participation is vast, virtually everyone gets involved, all the men growing beards. Peter still plays a major role and their son is now the director so our theater tour was an unparalleled experience.
While we were all sitting in their garden that evening I asked Rose how she had met Peter and this is the wonderful story we heard:
Rose was from northern Germany, had never been to Bavaria and knew nothing about the Passion Play which was to be performed that year. Circumstances found her alone in the world at 18, needing employment. A friend had once told her that Oberammergau was a beautiful place and that people came there from all over the world. When Rose saw an advertisement for a position as a chambermaid at a Gasthof she sent a letter of application and received a reply telling her to come.
A nervous young woman got off the train on the afternoon of May 14th and started walking down the street. She had expected to see vast crowds of people from all over the world, as her friend had described, but there were only a handful of people around and the few men all had very long beards. “How strange,” she thought. At the Gasthof everyone was busy and she was told to wait on a bench in the hall until someone could talk to her. At ten minutes after five the door opened and a tall young man in a beard came in, singing hymns. This seemed even stranger.
Peter was 17, the son of the owner who wanted Peter to follow in his footsteps. Peter had grand dreams of his own which did not even involve staying in Oberammergau, much less at the Gasthof. But for now, like everyone else in town, he was involved in the Passion Play. He was a member of the chorus and had just come from rehearsal, sporting a beard and practicing his singing.
Is there really such a thing as love at first sight? According to Peter, he took one look at Rose and his life changed forever. Overcome with shyness, he begged his cousin, who was also a chambermaid, to ask Rose to go for walk that evening and he waited outside for four hours until they came out.
That quickly became a pattern for Rose; long hours of hard work during the day, evening walks with Peter. A year later they married and had the first of their four children. Peter took a course in “cookery” and then moved into the kitchen with his father for years of hands-on training. Rose was now the daughter-in-law of the owners but still worked as a chambermaid while Peter perfected his culinary skills. It wasn't easy; Peter's mother, not happy with any of this, was cold and forbidding and refused to allow them to even have a wedding celebration.
Both Peter and Rose worked without pay, living in the Gasthof while Peter learned his trade. There were a lot of difficult years and challenging in-law relationships but their love sustained them. By the time we first met them they had long been the sole proprietors of the Gasthof, their reputation for warm hospitality and wonderful food ensuring it was always full. Everyone who stayed there became a friend and everyone returned.
Today Rose and Peter are happily and busily enjoying time to do as they please. They know everyone in the area and have many friends. Rose is more beautiful than ever; Peter is handsome, imposing and full of charm. The love they have for each other radiates, not to be missed. They just celebrated 48 years together.
And every one of those years, at ten minutes after five on May 14th, Peter gives Rose a gift to honor and celebrate the moment he first saw her.
Anne Vargas vargasanne@hotmail.com