On Friday, June 13th, after breakfast, we departed for Siegen, the county seat and home to Haeger, Holtzclaw/Holdsclaw and Rector/Richter families. Siegen is built on many hills and rivals the Seven Hills of Rome. We went first to the Kreishaus, a modern high-rise building, which houses the county administration and other offices for Siegen/Wittgenstein. Our cousin Katja was our interpreter this morning and we were again warmly welcomed with a reception on the top floor that afforded a wonderful view of Siegen. Again, many gifts from Siegen were presented and we were asked to join our Siegen hosts on the roof garden for a group picture. Later our Trustee/German Ambassador and host, Heinz Prinz, gave all of us a picture and article that appeared in the Siegen newspaper. After our welcome and picture-taking session, we were escorted into the dining hall where we were served another version of the Siegerlander specialty, this time a huge piece of beef smothered in fried onions and gravy, and topped with a fried egg.
Katja Brumbach Bunse and Herr Jergen Althaus, County Administrator for Siegen/Wittgenstein, welcome us to the Siegerland. The whole group posed in the rooftop garden of the Kreisshaus overlooking the beautiful Sieg Valley. Below Right is the Sieg River.
The group walks through the Upper Castle Gate in Siegen Guide Alida Mathey greets us before we enter the Castle Museum.
Approaching the Nicolaikirche from the Upper Castle. The steps and entrance to the NicolaiKirche.
As Siegen is built on many hills, our bus driver drove us to the Upper Castle, which houses the Siegen Museum and owns many Peter Paul Reubens paintings. After touring the castle, we walked down the winding cobblestone roadway to the Nicolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church). Almost without fail the many reformed churches of our ancestors have been very simple, unadorned churches, only one thus far with stained glass windows and almost always with the "flying pulpit." The churches have been of varying sizes, and always quite handsome. The very high bell tower at the Nicolai has a beautiful gold coronet at the top given long ago as a gift by the Prince of Nassau John Moritz to the church. The old, gold coronet, which had adorned the bell tower, was too damaged to renovate. The bell tower was the only part of the church not destroyed during bombing during WWII. The old coronet was formed with Siegen iron (pronounced by our German friends as "i - run" and coated with gold. The new coronet was made from stainless steel covered with gold. The old coronet and other parts from this bell tower now hang in the Narthex to the church. Since our groups' first church visit this trip, we wished for someone to play the beautiful pipe organ with Spanish horns. As we were to proceed next to the Evangelische Martinikirche Siegen, we were told that the organist was practicing and perhaps we could listen to a couple of selections. On our walk down the winding cobblestone street toward St. Martins, Katja and our other guide, Alida, were attempting to present their travel talk to our group. Suddenly they had no listeners. The shops nearby had swallowed them!! We were then standing by the iron statues of cows representing the days of our ancestors when they brought their cows to town. Actually, in those days, and even a few remaining today, the townsfolk had their livestock and chickens living on the main floor of their home, while the family lived on the second, third, or more, floors. Most of the time the farmers' homes were in the village and they went to their fields to work in the daytime, returning to the village in the evening. Each house would have a kitchen garden and herb garden, plus many, many flowers. There often was one neighborhood or village bake house. The ladies would prepare the breads and other items to be baked, walk to the bake house with a long board filled with their products, and bake them at a predetermined time. As we walked towards the Martinikirche the carillon of the Lower Castle began chiming a beautiful tune, which again stopped our guides narration as we all listened in silence to the heavenly sound. Upon entering St. Martin's Church, we met the organist who offered to play for us. We were given pamphlets about this church and organ. The organist played first a selection from Bach (we have Bach/Back descendants with us), a selection from Schubert, an old Lutheran hymn, and a concert selection by Dietrich Buxtehude. He performed an impromptu concert just for us!! We then proceeded to our bus where Marise and I reclaimed our bags, and Katja drove us to her home to meet her young son and husband, who prepared a fine dinner for us. Our fellow travelers returned to the Hotel Zur Altstadt and had dinner on the patio, where we rejoined them after Katja drove us back to the hotel. Our visit with Katja, Volker, and young son Mathis was very enjoyable though short. We exchanged some family data and determined that we would enjoy a longer visit at another time. We're hoping that they can come visit us in Memphis some day. After our visit back at the hotel, we packed for our departure for southern Germany on Saturday morning.
The spire and coronet atop the Nicolaikirche. The Coronet is the Symbol of Siegen. Above, the Iron Doors of the Nicolaikirche.
Below, The Kemper Pipe Organ in the Nicolaikirche. The Silver Baptismal Font, from Peru given by Prince John Moritz.
It was hard to decide if it was the shops or the statues of the oxen on the Kaiser Platz that captured our attention. Or it could have been the beautiful statue in the courtyard of the Nicolaikirche or the music of the Carillon in the Wide Tower of the Lower Castle.
Nestled by the old city wall below the Lower Castle is the Martinikirchi (St. Martin's Church) the oldest church in Siegen. The Bell of the Martinikirche is about 600 years old and is now preserved in the apse of the church. Below, detail of the ceiling in the nave and the magnificent Kemper Pipe Organ we enjoyed.
On Saturday, June 14th, we are up early to finish packing and breakfast before departing for southern Germany. As our bus pulled away from the front of the hotel, the entire staff gathered on the patio to wave goodbye. They took fresh, white, starched tablecloths and waved goodbye. Many of us had tears in our eyes as we felt as if we were leaving family!! (Editor’s Note: Some of us were indeed leaving family, as the Otterbach family owns the hotel.) This has been a wonderful visit in the Siegerland and we were touched by their graciousness and genuine hospitality, while thankful also that we had this opportunity for a trip of a lifetime!!
Our drive to southern Germany provided an opportunity for "cat naps" except that I did not want to miss a thing!! It was originally thought that we would stop in Wertheim, a small city on the Tauber River in the northern part of the state of Baden Württemberg, the state we will be in for the remainder of the trip. We stopped instead in Ladenburg, which is 60 K from Eppingen. Ladenburg is on the Tauber River and is a quaint little village with narrow cobblestone streets and sidewalks. Ladenburg is a pre-Roman village and we saw several "roman ruins" dating from 93 B.C. to 3 B.C. We had a short stay in Ladenburg, just enough time to get a snack before returning to our bus. We found that restaurants and shops are very relaxed and do not hurry to take an order, to serve the food, or bring a bill. It soon became apparent that we could not be served in the hour allotted. Although many of our group missed their lunch, Marise and I were served a wonderful dish of apple strudel with ice cream!!!
The main street of Ladenburg juxtaposes modern cars with ancient houses. A side street barely wide enough for a cart to travel is typical of this pre-roman era town.
Below, sections of the old city wall adjoining the old Catholic Church.
These ancient Christian symbols are just two of many religious stones in the old city wall adjoining the early Catholic Church.
Below, detail of the capitol of the Roman Column that dates from 93 B.C. The Column sets beside the Bishop's Palace. Left, detail of a statue to Jupiter directly in front of the column.
The monument to Jupiter dates from 260 B.C. Around its base are stele to Minerva, Juno, and Jupiter. Right, detail of the mounted Jupiter atop the monument. This monument was discovered in a well nearby and re-erected between the Bishop's Palace and the old Catholic Church.
Below, detail of the Trompe l'oile facade of the Bishop's Palace The Cathedral at Ladenburg is in the center of town.
Some of the most elaborate Half Timber homes were found in Ladenburg. The intricate detail of the half timbering make these buildings look like a fantasy land.
On to Eppingen and our hotel Villa Waldeck. The Krepp family has run this forest hotel with a chalet appearance for three generations. An addition has just been completed and our room was one of the new ones, again spotless with puffy down comforters on the beds. The woods behind the hotel have hiking trails. There are fields that appear to be lavender, mustard, wheat and other crops between the village and our hotel. After we settled into our new quarters, many gathered to be driven back into town to shop and walk around. I opted for a nap while Marise went with the group and had a fine time, except that the shops were closed on Saturday afternoon. They took refuge in the church as an afternoon thunderstorm struck the town. Our dinner this evening was a buffet prepared by the hotel with an assortment of wonderful food including white asparagus, a specialty of the region. This white asparagus is larger than the green variety of our area, is very tender and flavorful. We especially enjoyed the white asparagus soup.
This was a very enjoyable day!!
The Church Tower of Schwaigern Church. A view of the Nave of the Lutheran Church of Schwaigern. The Main Altar, a gift of the Graf Nipperg.
On Sunday, June 15th, the day dawned warm and beautifully sunny. After our breakfast provided by the hotel, we departed for Schwaigern, home town of the Wilhoits/Wilheits, Weavers. We attended church services at Schwaigern Evangelische Lutheran Church, my first time at Lutheran services. Although the services were in German, we could recognize that we were being welcomed as family searching for their forefathers. After services, we were given a tour of this exceptionally fine Gothic-Romanesque church with beautiful medieval carved and painted altars and other art. Herr Werner Clement, parish historian, retired school administrator, and local historian, led the tour. Our time was again running short, as we were scheduled to have a walking tour of historic Schwaigern, a town with lovely timber frame houses, a castle, and that is a wine-producing center. We had lunch at a restaurant near the church, and then departed for Wagenbach Hof and Hueffenhardt, Utz family spots. On the way we drove through more quaint little villages. The farmland is the most beautiful I've ever seen. We saw the fields of white asparagus with plastic tents to keep it tender, quilt-block fields of various grains, corn, other crops such as fields of strawberries, nurseries of trees, plants and flowers, and the many deep green forests with plenty of evergreens. We notice that this gently rolling countryside is very similar to Virginia. Again, these farms were meticulously clean and were green and lush after much rain. Before arriving in Hueffenhardt, we saw the quaint village of Wagenbach Hof, and a cluster of farmhouses on a narrow, winding road west of Hueffenhardt. The countryside is magnificent here. In addition to white asparagus, there are cornfields that appear to be about the same size as our cornfields in western Tennessee. I was told that most of this corn, or maize, is grown as animal food, and not eaten by the people, although I'll bet some is grown for the table.
The group on the steps of the Schwaigern Church after service. Life size statue of Christ in the Wall. The Grand Organ in the Church at Schwaigern.
Below, The minister at the Huffenhardt Old Catholic (Episcopal) Church shows us the sanctuary of the home church of the Utz family. Center, War Memorial in the church yard at Huffenhardt. Left, the ornate baroque organ in the rear of the Huffenhardt Church.
Three views of the Nekkar valley from the ancient walled city of Bad Wimpfen. Bad Wimpfen was the home of the Hohenstaufen kings who later ruled from Heidelberg.
Below, ancient city gate to Bad Wimpfen. The walled fortress and mote that surrounds the town. The Red Tower of Bad Wimpfen.
We soon arrived in Hueffenhardt, which is a small village with a beautiful protestant church built a few years after the 1717 Utz family left. Roses, wildflowers, tall blue and purple flowers and many others bordered the walkway to the Protestant Lutheran Reformed Church. The inside of the small church had approximately 24" x 24" paintings on the perimeter of the balcony, artist unknown. The altar was exceptionally beautiful with a multi-colored vase of fresh flowers and large lighted candles. The book of records dating from the year the church was built lay opened on a table on the altar. About eight of our group descends from the Utz family, one couple with the Utz surname. Many pictures were taken of the descendants with the present young pastor, who gave us a warm welcome, told of the history of the church and community, and offered refreshments to our group. This very large, old and yellowed book of records was, of course, not indexed, so there was no quick way to determine other ancestor names, nor was the recorded names and information easy to read. "A's" and "N's" are particularly difficult to distinguish in German thus causing some confusion as to family names. After the Utz family had discovered their ancestor's names, I randomly opened the old and yellowed pages, and there on the left-hand side was our Vogt!! The rest of the entry, including first name was indistinguishable, but it was VERY exciting to find one of our Vogt's (Vogt/Folg/Vaught)!! When our German-speaking hosts pronounced Vogt, it sounds very much like F -- OCH -- T, with a hard "T." Thus it is easy to understand how the name came to be Faught in America, our mother's maiden name, original emigrant Johann Paulus Vogt. When we left Hueffenhardt, we drove back the direction we had taken earlier. Again we drove the narrow, winding road past the charming, quaint villages. We then drove to the medieval walled town of Bad Wimpfen on the Neckar River. The village of Bad Wimpfen had the old town walls and an old arched fortification with carved arches, where we stood to look down at the Neckar River. We took a brief walking tour of the old city, which was a center for the Hohenstaufen ruling family from the 12th century. There is an attractive protestant church here. We ate dinner as a group at an old town restaurant. We were told that very little damage was done here during WWII. This area is mostly farmland and the bombs were intended for the larger cities where strategic targets were hit, i.e. munitions, utility companies, factories, etc. We then returned to our hotel Villa Waldeck in Eppingen.
The group gathers outside the Church at Gemmingen where the pastor gives us the history of the church. The beautiful tower dominates the plaza, while the austere interior is uncharacteristic of a Lutheran Church.
Below, the view of the Gemmingen pipe organ from the pulpit. The Flying Pulpit hangs high on the South Wall giving the pastor a birds eye view of his congregation.
The Palace of the Graf Gemmingen undergoes restoration. The graveyard of the Gemmingen Family on the grounds of the palace. Carol Cloer admires house art.
Below, the walking tour of Gemmingen shows a different style of architecture than the Siegerland. Center, The Maypole. Right the old Rathaus (city hall) in Gemmingen.
On Monday, June 16th, we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at our hotel and afterward the bus took us to Gemmingen, home of the Clore/Klaar, Weaver/Weber and Wilhoit/Willheit families for a walking tour. There is a small castle here, private and not open to visitors, with a castle garden. Here are good examples of farmhouses with barns and yards in town. The church is not old, built around 1840 to replace the earlier one where Germanna families were baptized and married. Gemmingen dates from 769 and in 1521 was the introduction of the Reformation. The records remain one mile from Gemmingen in another town. Here a school was established in the early days. We then depart for Schloss Bruchsal, where a magnificent 18th century castle is located. Schloss Bruchsal is located between Heidelberg and Karlsruhe. Lunch today is at the Golden Bear Cafe near the castle. Marise and I had the delicious creamy white asparagus soup with bread and butter. This restaurant was very elegant with a beautiful centerpiece of roses and other spring flowers. After lunch, we toured the castle, which is normally closed on Monday, but the staff opened especially for us and provided a tour in English. This castle is reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles, but much smaller in scale. Much of this castle was destroyed by bombs during WWII but has been magnificently restored. One room was left much as it was after the bombing to show the extent of the damage. The castle was magnificent with trompe l’oeil paintings, frescoes, statuettes on the walls and ceilings. The trompe l’oeil (fools the eye) made it difficult to imagine that they were truly not statuettes and the works of art appeared three-dimensional. An imitation marble was used in columns and walls as it was originally constructed. Imitation marble was the "concept of the times" and was more expensive to purchase and install than real marble would have been. Real marble was, however, used in many places. After our castle tour we again boarded our bus for a drive back through the rolling green countryside to Eppingen, where hotel Villa Waldeck is located. After a brief refreshing break our bus took those of us that wanted to go back the short distance to the village. We have approximately an hour and a half to shop in the village before we met for dinner at the Wirtskeller Sankt Georg (St. George Cellar) in the Wild Rose Hotel, located in one of the most handsome Renaissance-era timber frame houses in Germany. Our dinner consisted of a drink of our choice, a large salad, and an entree of pork tenderloin medallions in gravy with thinly sliced scalloped potatoes. After returning to our hotel, our group soon gathered on the large outdoor patio shaded by giant chestnut trees. The Germanna Foundation treated us to an ice cream social with delicious Ice Cream Sundaes of our choice.
The Cardinal Prince's Palace at Bruchsal was built to rival that of The Sun King Louie XIV at Versailles. Left, Presentation Wing. Right, State and Court Office Wing. Below, The Prince's Apartment Wing over looks the central plaza. At right is the Guard House to the Palace grounds.
The Grand Entrance Hall with its allegorical statues, ornate vaulted ceilings, trompe l'oile, and gold leaf.
The dome of the Main Presentation Hall in the Palace. The ceiling is painted in Trompe l'oile, fresco, and Gold Leaf.
Fresco and Gold Leaf adorn the top of a Faux Marble Column. Ornate Faux Marble, Gold Leaf and Fresco fireplace in the State Dining Room.
Below, The Royal Reception Room with it's Gold and Marble Columns and massive paintings of Emperor Franz I and Empress Marie Therese.
Though the Palace was nearly completely destroyed by Allied bombers toward the end of WWII, thanks to a complete inventory and detailed drawings and photographs, the entire palace has been lovingly restored to its original splendor by the German People.
On Tuesday, June 17 we gathered for breakfast at our hotel, then departed for the village of Oetisheim (Otisheim), home of the Breyhel/Broyles family. This village is northeast of Pforzheim, east of Karlsruhe. When we arrived at Oetisheim, we were escorted to the third floor of the village town hall, a renovated old building. The additions and renovations to this very old building are very attractive. There are beautiful stained glass windows depicting the village of Otisheim using vivid reds and yellows. In this room it is easy to see just how these huge oak beams are secured and attached. This is another example of the "Fiddler on the Roof" villages with very large half-timbered houses. Otisheim dates from the 700's and is a beautiful old, old town!! The mayor and the pastor of the church welcome us. We have arrived two days late for a festival held in the town. This village has a French/German history. The mayor explained that the Germans love their "groups." These groups are similar to the Heimatverein in villages we toured in the Siegerland. These groups sponsor music, sports, and history, drink beer and socialize. There are sixty different foundations and they make money in various ways for their groups. They endeavor to teach and lead their youth. There are different types of government throughout Germany. We observe that almost all German-speaking people sound a "W" in place of a 'V' in English, i.e. "wery nice," "willages" for villages, etc. The mayor performs marriages. In Germany, couples marry twice, one time by the government, then in the church. Their groups and people WORK, WORK, WORK!!!! The Germans often appear aloof at first, but if you become a friend of a German, you have a friend for life. This has been evident in Chad's relationships as our ambassador between America and Germany, and in our trip as well. Agriculture is about 3% of the economy here, a great percentage work in the automobile industry. They also build machines, tools, and utilities. The villages determine the taxes. There are "special" taxes. Parents pay tuition for the kindergarten while the government pays the rest of the schooling, including college. Schools are nationally controlled, the town responsible for buildings, upkeep, etc. Average salary here might be about $2,500 per month income, of which about 20% tax is paid, a social tax, 10% for the church. Singles are taxed about 50% of their income. They have a good social system, which provides medical insurance for everyone. The town, where formerly the church provided them, provides cemeteries. People "rent" their plot for a fixed number of years. They don't embalm. Old graves are removed and replaced with other graves; consequently there are often no gravestones for our ancestors. After our meeting in the city hall, the pastor led us on a tour of the very old church. Again beautiful flowers are everywhere. The pastor called the organist and woke him up to ask him to come and play the organ for us, which he did.
Broyles descendants pose on the steps of the Rathaus (City Hall). The Rathaus has been completely restored and is the government center for Otisheim.
The beautiful St. Mary's Church at Otisheim is where the Broyles worshiped. It sits at the highest point in the town. The chancel has been lovingly preserved for more than 600 years.
Walking the steep hills of Otisheim we were back to the beautiful half timbered buildings. On the right is the Tax Collectors Office.
Below, the community Weinhaus where the grapes were pressed. Christ's Ascension Stained Glass. The old city wall and the wall of the Church in the city center.
In this village, the same as in the other villages we have visited, we need more much more time, but we travel on to Maulbron where we enjoy a guided tour in English of Kloster Maulbron, Maulbron Cloister or Monastery. This site was named a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site at its 850th anniversary in 1993. This famous Cistercian monastery spanned from 1178 to 1537, and since then has been a protestant church and school. Author Herman Hesse was educated here. This Cistercian monastery has four woodcarvings done under the influence of the Parlur family. Parlur is the ancestor of the Parler/Barlow families of Germanna, thought to be the progenitors of our Barlow relatives. Parler (Barlow) was an artist and sculptor. Restoration of this monastery was going on at the time and we were unable to visit all areas. Their very strict doctrines were explained. This cloister was founded in 1147, the church in 1178, by the monks of the 12th century Gothic period. There are examples, elements of very early Gothic architecture. This large monastery was totally complete, a working abbey. We had lunch in the Kloster Maulbron restaurant just inside the monastery gate. We then departed for Schwaigern, the village where we attended church on Sunday. The Winery of Count Neipperg is in the castle beside the church in Schwaigern. (Editor’s Note: this is the winery where our Wilhoit and Weaver ancestors would have brought their grapes for pressing.) Upon entering the wine cellar, we walked down the steep, dark stairs and notice the drastic drop in temperature. Sitting on about five long tables were many bottles of wine, baskets of bread, and a number of wine glasses. Our host gave us an explanation of the winemaking process, and we were invited to taste. The bottles of wine start with the very dry wine and get progressively sweeter. None are very sweet. The bread is to be eaten between each wine introduction. We are given our wine glass for a souvenir and many of our group bought bottles of wine. After a brief rest in the shade of some very old trees, we again board the bus for a ride to a beer garden, the Gasthof zur Linde nearby in Schwaigern. The Wolff family that runs this home-cooking local restaurant also has its own butchery and cans sausage for sale. Any that does not contain beef may be brought into the United States. We return to the Villa Waldeck for our final night here and pack for an early departure tomorrow, our last full day.
The Cloister Maulbron personifies Gothic architecture. The tower of the cathedral is being restored. The nave of the church looking from the lay section.
Below, the organ in the Cathedral of Maulbron. This 11th century crucifix stands over the lay Altar. A carving by Parlur behind the Monks Altar in the Cathedral.
In the Weinkellar of the Graf Nipperg Winery at Schwaigern. Beautifully carved vats line the cellar walls. Everyone enjoyed the wines.
On Wednesday, June 18th, we are all up early this morn and ready to leave for Mariental and Falkenstein. We encountered a delay this morn, so were late arriving in Marienthal. This day dawned very cloudy and cool enough that many donned sweaters and jackets. The drive to these small villages was gorgeous, through twisting, curvy, narrow roads. When we pulled into the small village of Marienthal, which is in the state Rheinland-Pfalz/Rhineland-Palatinate, west of the Rhine, near the Donnersberg Mountain, and the town of Rockenhausen. Our bus driver maneuvers carefully on these narrow streets. This morning we crossed the Rhine River and saw many signs that we are near Koblenz, a small village stop on the European River Cruise taken by Jim and I last year. We stopped for lunch at a mountainside beer garden, a very un-touristy place where the locals eat. It was cloudy and cool out, the restaurant dark and cozy, and our lunch was brought to us in record time. I finally got my sauerkraut and bratwurst. Marienthal is the village where the Yagers came from. (Editor’s Note: Yagers are still here. The minister took us to the Yager house that is still occupied by Ewe Jager, the Director of the local Spaarkasse (savings and loan association)). In the church we also saw the 900-year-old baptismal font where our Yager/Yeager ancestors were baptized.) There is a modest protestant church here very much like some of the others we have seen. The organ is not as large as ones we've previously seen, and we did not have a chance to hear it. This church also has an unimposing flying pulpit. All boarded the bus again for the short drive along mountain roads to the very remote village of Falkenstein. This village literally hangs on the mountainside. There are ruins of a mountainside castle, fortress of the Duke of Falkenstein where we were met by the Burgermeister and the press. Burgermeister Fischer presented The Germanna Foundation with a beautiful framed photomontage of the Village. The quarter mile walk down the narrow road to some houses on the edge of the village was easy enough, BUT another story entirely when walking back up!! The streets were too narrow for the bus to negotiate. Some of us walked through a short tunnel into the interior of the castle ruins. At times the remaining walls are 15’ thick or more and there were holes carved where weapons could be placed. This village, and others in the vicinity were begun in Roman times. The castle was built circa 1,000 A.D. The scenery in this area is almost impossible to describe. There are lush green mountains, beautiful trees of evergreen and hardwood and again, many, many flowers. This area looks like the pictures in German fairy tale books of my childhood. Of all the beautiful, quaint villages we've visited, this one by far is the most unusual. After our slow climb back to the bus, we proceeded to Heidelberg, arriving at rush hour, our first rush hour and big city we've seen in a while, and it is bustling. The University of Heidelberg (the oldest University in Europe) is here and there are many young folks. Our bus took us along the Neckar River, which flows into the Rhine. The hills on both sides of the river are covered with splendid homes, some quite old. The most beautiful of all castles in Germany rises majestically above the city. When we left the bus, we proceeded to the old part of this historic city. Our dinner at the Renaissance Hotel Zum Ritter St. Georg, Knight St. George Hotel, was indeed elegant. It rivaled the lavish displays of food on any cruise ship. First we were served a Mimosa with sugar rimming the glass. There were soups, salad materials and prepared salads of all kinds, cold meat and fruit selections, hot meats and vegetables, and several choices of desserts including apple strudel. There was one and a half hour left for shopping before dinner and plenty of shops to choose from, of course the typical beer steins, dolls, exquisite lace and fabric items, cuckoo clocks, Hummel figurines plus most anything else. When we came out of the hotel after dinner, there were dark clouds, even a sprinkle or two, but the sun was shining on the magnificent castle on the hill overlooking Heidelberg. What a beautiful sight!! We boarded our bus and drove the short distance to Hirschberg, which is a little north of Heidelberg, for our final night in Germany. Except for our journey to Frankfurt and the airport on Thursday morning, June 19th, our adventure is over. It has been a wonderful trip of a lifetime and one that we will not soon forget.
---- Written by Patricia L. Bledsoe for our Germanna
Cousins and friends, our friends and cousins
in Germany, and ESPECIALLY for my own
dear sister, Marise.