“Faith
keeps the person who keeps the faith”
Newsletter 86 | December 2008
P.O. Box 13600, NOORDSTAD, 9302 E-mail:
info@etniquetravel.co.za
Tel: (051) 406 2500
Fax: (051) 436 3793
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER:
083 461 2561
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The real joys of Christmas |
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We were asking
ourselves what it is that we personally expect from Christmas and
the so-called festive season, and what it is that we would like to
convey as Christmas greetings to all our clients. It is so easy to
be consumed by the glitz and glitter everywhere you turn this time
of year: Christmas jingles in the shops, the spending frenzy,
Christmas lights being turned on … Phrases like “the jolliest time
of the year”, the time “to have fun”, “a merry time” crops up
regularly.
What do we
really expect for this time of the year; what is it that we
deep-in crave for, underlying the merriment on the surface? From the
answers to our soul-searching question, the following seems to be at
the core, the essence that echoes from our hearts:
“The most
important thing for me is the religious aspect” … “ … that I really
can experience the joy and peace that Christ has bestowed upon us”…
“… that Someone has been born in order to give to me the most
precious present: that someday I will be sitting at His feet. That
is why we give presents to one another” … “ There is nothing better
than knowing HE is there for us … and He was born … and He died for
US!”
But the following
Golden Thread can also be found: “Being able to spend precious time
with family and loved ones” … “ … the time I get to spend with my
family … and the merry ‘togetherness’ that Christmas brings to our
family’”… “Being together with the most important persons in your
life – family, friends”… “Knowing that I am with people that care
for me” … Christmas is not Christmas without children – I just love
the magic that it brings!” … “Eating my mom’s cooking whole day!”
Some of us see
Christmas in a broader context: “This time of year means recapping
our new year’s resolutions that so often tarnish during the first
week of January. Maybe we should rather linger a moment and
appreciate our many gifts of joy, fellowship and health.” … “At this
time of the year, and more so with the Blessing of Our Lord’s Birth,
I hope for some change to come about in the world, that is good for
all mankind … that this Christmas will make a real difference to
all.
Therefore: the
real joys of Christmas lies in its religious and spiritual
significance, the chance to spend time with family, the time to
relax, the pleasure of giving gifts. The great composer, Richard
Wagner, aptly said: “Joy is not in things, it is in us.” And
that is what we hope that our clients will also experience this
festive season.
- From
all the staff of Sure Etnique Travel
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BERCHTESGADENERLAND
Between Mountains
and lakes |
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Germany possesses only a small
section of the Alps; a relatively narrow strip running the 300
kilometers from the Allgäuer Alpen in Bavarian
Schwabia, with the popular Schloss Neuschwanstein,
and the Zugspitze
as highest peak in Europe, near Garmisch-Partenkirche, to
Berchtesgadener Land,
forming the eastern border with Austria.
This scenic route is called the
Deutsche Alpen Strasse, and includes some of the most
beautiful views of lush green slopes and valleys, with crystal
clear reflections in mirror-like lakes. The reward for any keen
photographer is the unexpected views that await when driving on
the narrow, off the beaten track roads, which meanders past many
secluded villages to the likes of Ramsau on the Hintersee. |
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The village of
Berchtesgaden
is ideally positioned to explore the many scenic areas of the
region. It is surrounded by the mountains like the Watzmann and
Hochkalter, with peaks covered by snow for most of the year.
We stayed at the
VierjahresZeiten hunting lodge, run for generations
by the Millers Family. This hunting lodge/pension in the old
town, serves venison dishes with a regional flavour, in its well
known restaurant, St Hubertus. From our balcony we experienced
the ever-changing moods of the environment’s weather: arrived in
a heavy downpour, crystal-clear last sunrays on the Hoher
Göll mountain peaks, full moon on the Königssee, and
low clouds in the morning. |
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Some 5 kilometers south of the
town, is the deep and narrow emerald-green lake, Königssee.
On the lake, stretching some 10 kilometers in length, electric
operated boats depart regularly in season from the lively
tourist-village, Seelände;
Enroute the ship’s captain blows
the trumpet at the well known echo face of the Watzmann. With
its trio of red shingled cupolas, the 12 th century iconic
pilgrimage chapel of St Bartholomä, is the first
of a few stops on the lake and extremely popular to be
photographed.
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For enthusiastic hikers, two
specific scenic routes exist. The first is a two hour’s walk
from the chapel to the Eiskapelle (Ice chapel).
Moving west and away from the lake, the path weaves gently
through multi-coloured maple and beech woodlands during the
fall, where ferns, clover and purple cornflowers carpet the
forest floor. Through the trees, you are rewarded with fleeting
glimpses of the chiseled east face of the Watzmann.
The valley is wildly beautiful and
feels light years away from the holiday crowds down at the lake.
Eventually you will reach the huge opening, dug by the water of
melting snow, in the solid ice: as the snow gathers in the
corner of the rocks, a dome emerges that reaches heights of over
200 meters. |
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At the furthest cruise stop of
Königssee, once you have reached Salet, a short walk will
bring you to the wonderful view at the end of the valley: the
lake Obersee,
reflecting the mountains in its pristine waters and the
Röthbach waterfall (the highest in Germany) which plunges
400 meters down.
Another enjoyable stroll is by
ascending the JennerBahn gondola, a five minutes’
walk from Seelände, where the boat cruise starts. At the
top station, a short walk will lead you to the incredible 360
degree viewpoint: far down below, the Königssee glitters
emerald-green at the foot of the mighty Watzmann to the
west, while the craggy summit of Hoher Göll rises to the
east. Shimmering to the south is the Übergossene Alm
glacier. No wonder that Alexander von Humboldt, the famous
German explorer, described this as one of the most beautiful
places in the world! And it is certainly difficult to drag
yourself away from the breathtaking panorama of God’s creation. |
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South east of Berchtesgaden is the
Obersalzberg, with a park-like landscape and superb views. In
1999 an excellent information centre, the Dokumentation
Obersalzberg was opened here; it relates events in and around
Berchtesgaden to the wider history of Hitler and his Third Reich.
In summer, once the snow has cleared,
you can take a special bus from the parking lot, and drive along
Germany’s highest alpine road, the spectacular Kehlsteinstrasse,
a curving private mountain road built by Hitler to give access to
his Eagle’s Nest (today a tea house) atop the
Kehlstein.
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The final stage of the trip is a
walk via a tunnel and brass-lined elevator to the house. People
might remember Alastair MacLean’s book and movie Where Eagles
Dare, which was filmed on location.
The second highest alpine road in
Germany is the panoramic 20 kilometers’ drive along the
Rossfeldt-Höhenringstrasse, brainchild of Martin
Bornmann in 1930 and eventually completed only after the Second
World War. This scenic toll road ascends to 1600 meters,
beginning at either Oberau or Obersalzberg, two of the numerous
mountain villages in the Rossfeldt-ridge which separates Bavaria
from Austria.
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Many other beautiful and typical
Bavarian villages abound in this almost secluded south-eastern
corner of Berchtesgadener
Land. Nestled in an
enchanting location in the Ramsau Valley is Ramsau.
It is a popular base to explore the
spectacular views of the mountains, the Wimbachklamm, (a kind
of slot canyon) on a well secured path to see cascading streams and
quite a few waterfalls plunging into gorges.
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Within an hour’s drive from
Berchtesgaden is the Chiemsee, also known as the
Bavarian See. Two very interesting islands are located in this
lake: the Herreninsel and Fraueninsel. Herreninsel
is the largest island, and is home to Schloss Herrenchiemsee,
King Ludwig 2nd’s legacy, based on the well-known Palace of
Versailles near Paris. Although it was never finished, it is
still a major tourist attraction today. Ludwig spent a mere nine
days in the twenty completed lavish rooms, before his austere
death in the lake.
It is not difficult to understand
why some of his ministers thought he was mad. After bankrupting
the state to build the castles of Linderhof and
Neuschwanstein, Ludwig 2 spent the Wittelsbach family
fortune erecting a palace at least equal in size and
magnificence to the French original.
The 20 minute ferry from Prien-Stock
takes you to the island. You can either walk or take a
horse-drawn carriage across sloping meadows and through a stand
of woods, eventually reaching the formal garden and seemingly
endless façade of the Schloss.
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This Berchtesgaden Land region is an
ideal extended itinerary to the 2010 Passsionsspiele in Oberammergau.
- Johann
and Monique
It all started at
an informal discussion with OFM during June this year: a
radio interview between Tessa at SURE ETNIQUE TRAVEL and
Oom Bêrend of Drinkwater (Pieter Möller) with all the
necessary humour and a tour was born. Add to this the presence of
legendary Os Du Randt and you have 30 almost normal rugby freaks
flying as Virgins to London!
The Fourie’s and
Edward of Bultfontein were the first to enroll; Ruan still had to
complete his last matric exam, before joining with his brother,
Wessel; Sepp, Callie and Oeloff were the 3 musketeers on tour.
The group left
ORTIA on Wednesday 19 November on flight VS 601 to London Heathrow,
and consisted of both first-comers and streetwise Londonites. After
checking in at the Imperial Hotel on Russell Square everybody took
off to explore London by Underground. Late afternoon we all met at
The Nags, a typical English Pub in Covent Garden, with Os and Johan
Steyger. Many a rugby story was shared by experts and novices, and
after two hours we all felt like family while Gerhard assisted as
co-barman.
Gary and Erika
played excellent hosts to their OFM guests, including Darius, Peter,
Leon, Michael, Glynn, and Mia. Leon and Dina attended the show
Wicked to nurture their culture, while George and Liana took
stock with Os of London’s pubs and restaurants. And PJ took his wife
Erica to celebrate their anniversary. Father and son(s) combinations
were Michael and Wayne, Kobus and Greeff and Kobus.
Some of the award
winners for this trip were:
Bacchus award: Kobus
The Blond-moment award: CJ
Joker award: who else than Pieter?
With a conflict of
emotions, we arrived at Twickenham quite early, leaving enough time
to explore the numerous beer tents. Kick-off time in a packed
stadium with 82 000 spectators was 14h30 and the rest is history!
Wonderful memories
of 4 great days in London in November will surely be taken home by
all; but the one thing that will certainly be remembered by all 31,
other than the record win was when the group of victorious
Springboks stopped at our block in Twickenham, to give a special
salute to their World Cup mate, Os! Next time you too can share in
yet another great experience organised by OFM/Sure Etnique Travel.
The
Victorious Boks (42–6) saluting OS @ twick!
And some
feedback:
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Hi Tessa,
Thanks again for all your arrangements - it was a fantastic trip -
everything went off very smoothly indeed.
I thought the book you prepared was fantastic. I thought maybe a
slightly better map of London would have helped (most of the maps
just do the central London bit, which can make it harder to
navigate, but most people were just in the centre anyway.)
The rugby was great - all the arrangements worked great.
Gary
Stroebel
CEO:OFM
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Hi Tessa,
What a well organised trip, you guys are really amazing. Thank you
for making everything seem so easy.
We all enjoyed it thoroughly.
Kind regards
Erika Myburgh
Sales Manager: OFM
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Hi Tessa,
Hope you can relax now after the most successful organising of
OsTwick. Will you forward the following message to Johann, please?
Beste Johann,
Ek wil Sure Etnique Travel net weereens bedank vir 'n puik toer na
Twickenham. Die hele span verantwoordelik vir die totale reëlings,
verdien 'n pluimpie vir die professionele wyse waarop dit
aangebied is.
Die "Toerboekie" was 'n absolute wenner en almal het van die begin
af geweet hoe laat om waar te wees! Daar was oorgenoeg tyd vir eie
ontspanning en inkopies en om London te verken. Verder was die
hotelverblyf uitstekend, met heerlike ontbyte en boonop baie
sentraal gelee naby "tubes".
Jul vriendelikheid en hulpvaardigheid deurgaans word hoog op prys
gestel. Dit was net 'n plesier gewees om te kon saamtoer.
Mag dit die eerste van vele wees!
Groete
Pieter Möller
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Letters from our Customers: |
We’re listening to what YOU have
to say
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“Dear Nerina, my
good Prof has thankfully arrived safely (with his daughter) in
Israel. He has asked me to convey his sincere thanks for all the
trouble you went to (at such short notice) for his daughter to
accompany him! I know that you had cancellations and
reservations, etc. at the last minute, and once again you pulled
out all the stops! He is really impressed and thankful that you
could seat him next to his daughter all the way to Tel Aviv! Thank
you so much!”
Vanessa White - UFS,
Bloemfontein
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“Hallo Tessa, it
was a great trip. Hard work but nevertheless GREAT. Thanks for all
your help as it sure worked in exact detail as you intended. Never
a mishap or missed flight. Had a few problems with the Ryan Air
you organised but nothing that couldn’t be solved. Started with
the Edinburgh Festival and ended with a medieval festival in
Gualdo Tadina in Umbria. Lake Maggiore has to many tourists. Lake
Orta on the other hand was much easier to handle. But all in all
good. Thanks so much again.”
Edmund Hattingh - Bloemfontein
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“Dear Lizelle,
thank you very much for your time. I appreciate your feedback and
will convey it to my parents. I wish you and your Company a Merry
Christmas and a Happy 2009. Keep up the good work. Greetings from
Brisbane, Australia.”
Charles Jewaskewitz -
Brisbane, Australia
We all are
in such a hurry to grow up,
and then yearn for our lost childhood.
We make ourselves ill earning money,
and then spend it all
on getting well again.
We all want to have friends around us,
but do so little in building
caring relationships to last.
We think so much about the future
that we neglect the present,
and thus experience
neither the present nor the future.
We live as if we were never going to die -
and yet die as if we had never lived
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