Time for a return visit to Germany Oberammergau in the picturesque region of Bavaria
Hotel Wolf http://www.hotel-wolf.de is a superb venue for all things doggy! They hold seminars all year round in many dog
sports; they welcome all dogs with open arms into every area of the hotel and
have amazing training facilities.
Hotel Wolf Appartments in Oberammergau
This year was slightly different as Kath and Karen
were accommodated in one of the hotel’s apartments close to the training halls
just a 2 minute walk from the hotel.
Here they had great facilities including 2 bedrooms, a living room and
kitchen. The pair were very happy with
the extra space and it was also useful to be so close to the training halls.
Looking at the list of attendees they were delighted
to see an 85% return from the previous year and an increase in the number of
handlers booked too. Working with a group
of people for a whole week is especially satisfying as there is time to really
get to know the dogs and handlers, to work on individual concerns and to
consolidate new skills.
The week consisted of a combination of attention,
motivation, heelwork and musical interpretation along with other requested subjects
in an assortment of theory and practical sessions. This all culminated with a Training Show which
was held on the final day.
Of course the week was happily interspersed with
lots of time for socialisation and for some sightseeing around the local area. The food at Hotel Wolf is second to none,
sadly their delicious breakfasts, mouth watering lunches and scrumptious
dinners took their toll on the waist line.
Of course Bavaria
One of the days is always a half day and on their
free afternoon Kath and Karen took a trip with Barbara and Kurt to see another
of King Ludwig’s amazing buildings. The
previous year they visited Neuschwanstein
Castle
You could safely say that King Ludwig was not a
minimalist! The ornate decoration in
each of the rooms takes your breath away as does the amount of Meissen
The position of the bed in the bedchamber is on
steps in an alcove that is closed off by a gilded balustrade which gives it the
appearance of an altar glorifying King Ludwig II.
The dining room is famous for its disappearing
dumb-waiter called ‘Tischlein deck dich’. The table literally sinks into the
floor to be laden with food and returned vertically to the dining room so that
Ludwig could dine alone. Yet the staff had to lay the table for at least four
persons because it is said that the king used to talk to imaginary people
like Louis XV, Mme de Pompadouror Marie
Antoinette while he was eating.
The Venus Grotto set in the grounds is wholly
artificial and was built for the king as an illustration of the First Act of
Wagner’s “Tannhäuser”.
The grotto was made using explosives to blast a hole into the rock which
was then ‘decorated’ using chicken wire and plaster to give the appearance of
stalagmites and stalactites with an amazing subterranean pool. Ludwig liked to be rowed over the lake in his
golden swan-boat but at the same time he wanted his own blue grotto of Capri. Therefore 24 dynamos were
installed and so already in the time of Ludwig II it was possible to illuminate
the grotto in changing colours.
The Venus Grotto
All too soon their time was over at Hotel Wolf but
Kath and Karen were delighted to be invited back again in 2015 for a further
week.
Time to move on for a final training day in Germany
Following a final night at the hotel and a
delicious breakfast at Mica’s house it was time to set off home.
Kath and Karen would like to thank Mica, the staff
at Hotel Wolf and all the handlers for making them so welcome once again and
they look forward to seeing them all again next year
Some of Barbara Feldbauer’s
beautifully behaved dogs
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