I have now finished updating the EuroTour blog and have added many photos.
I have covered the four weeks of travel in Ukraine and Germany from May 13th to June 10th. There is a story for almost every day. Entries start with the most recent, so if you want to read the travel journal in sequence, go back to the posting from about June 10th and move forward. One way to do this easily is to scroll down a bit watching the right side of the screen until you get to the archive menu. It is in chornological order, so if you want to read the entries from April (pre-trip), just click on April, or May if you want May, etc.
25 June 2008
11 June 2008
Home again
On June 10th we arrived home safe and sound from our four weeks in Europe, and what an adventure that was. Please check earlier posts - especially those from the Ukraine tour in May as I have now added more information and pictures. While in Ukraine it wasn't always possible to get easy access to the Internet or to upload pictures.
A big thank you to our friend Dave Dean who picked us up at the Toronto Airport.
Also many thanks to our four host families in Germany:Gerhard and Marita Sarunskis in Leipzig; Walter and Elvira Friesen in Alfeld; Gerhard & Liese Wiebe in Neuwied; and Gerhard and Helene Biebrich in Göppingen. We will treasure the time we had together and the wonderful experiences.
For those from our group who shared the adventure in Ukraine, I would invite you to post something about your experiences or impressions on this blog. Elfrieda and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of you a little. The atmosphere and setting were conducive to group bonding.
09 June 2008
Visit with Carina
We know Carina from when she stayed at our house many years ago to do research at the Woodland Cultural Centre for her thesis.
This evening Carina came to our hotel and we had a meal together. We caught up on news, and shared stories. She is thinking about ways to explore family history and genealogy, so we gave some suggestions on how to get started. She works for a major international consulting firm here in Frankfurt. She hopes to be able to take vacation time in the late summer to make a visit to Canada.
Tomorrow we will have breakfast, finish packing and take the shuttle bus to the airport.
BTW, yesterday evening we watched Germany play Poland on TV. Afterwards we could hear the celebrations going on in the city through our bedroom window.
This evening Carina came to our hotel and we had a meal together. We caught up on news, and shared stories. She is thinking about ways to explore family history and genealogy, so we gave some suggestions on how to get started. She works for a major international consulting firm here in Frankfurt. She hopes to be able to take vacation time in the late summer to make a visit to Canada.
Tomorrow we will have breakfast, finish packing and take the shuttle bus to the airport.
BTW, yesterday evening we watched Germany play Poland on TV. Afterwards we could hear the celebrations going on in the city through our bedroom window.
Travel to Frankfurt
In front of the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart
Going by foot in Stadt Centrum Bretten to find a restaurant
Gerhard took our picture while we waited for our order.
An old sign for Bretten was hanging in the restaurant
Is this one Geranium plant or many? Elfrieda and Helene will find out for sure.
Today (Monday) we had breakfast and then later left for Frankfurt. Gerhard drove using Erwin's (his son) car. It had a built in navigation system that helped a great deal. We decided to stop in Stuttgart to see the Mercedes museum, but when we got there we found out that it is closed on Mondays. The parking centre is right across from the Stuttgart footbal stadium sponsored by Daimler.
We decided to keep going and to find a small city or town to stop along the way for lunch. As we were reading the signs along the road, I noticed that Bretten was along the way. It's where Harry Stahl (our visitor from yesterday) lives, so we decided to find a restauant there to see a bit of his city; it's not far from Karlsruhe. We went to the city centre, parked the car, and went for a walk. We ended up being directed to part of the city centre where there is walking only pathway, with stores and restaurants. Although we saw eating places from various nationalities, we decided on one that served Schwaben (local) fare. We were all happy with the friendliness of the server and the food itself.
We then headed straight for our hotel Ibis, near the Frankfurt International Airport, arriving about 4 pm. We checked into the hotel and said our goodbyes to Gerhard and Helene. We agreed that we should meet again. They decided to head off quickly to avoid any traffic problems near Frankfurt. Gerhard and Lene are leaving for Teneiffe on Wednesday for a nine day holiday that will double as a visit to their daughter, Beate, who works there. They will pass along our greetings. Some of you may remember when the Gerhard Biebrich family were in Canada for five weeks in the summer of 1999. Beate was really big on Tim Hortons, and really like the Icecaps.
I am writing this message from the computer in the Ibis hotel, and was pleased to find out that there is no charge for this service. There is a free shuttle service from this hotel to the airport, and we will use this service tomorrow morning.
A little later this evening we will receive a visitor who lives and works in Frankfurt, Carina Meretns. Carina stayed with us for 3 months about 20 years ago when she was doing research at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford for her Masters Thesis. We have kept in touch over the years. We saw her when we were here in 1993, and she has been to the Brantford area as well.
Our flight back to Canada is early tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon, and we hope to be back in Brantford by evening (Ontario time).
Going by foot in Stadt Centrum Bretten to find a restaurant
Gerhard took our picture while we waited for our order.
An old sign for Bretten was hanging in the restaurant
Is this one Geranium plant or many? Elfrieda and Helene will find out for sure.
Today (Monday) we had breakfast and then later left for Frankfurt. Gerhard drove using Erwin's (his son) car. It had a built in navigation system that helped a great deal. We decided to stop in Stuttgart to see the Mercedes museum, but when we got there we found out that it is closed on Mondays. The parking centre is right across from the Stuttgart footbal stadium sponsored by Daimler.
We decided to keep going and to find a small city or town to stop along the way for lunch. As we were reading the signs along the road, I noticed that Bretten was along the way. It's where Harry Stahl (our visitor from yesterday) lives, so we decided to find a restauant there to see a bit of his city; it's not far from Karlsruhe. We went to the city centre, parked the car, and went for a walk. We ended up being directed to part of the city centre where there is walking only pathway, with stores and restaurants. Although we saw eating places from various nationalities, we decided on one that served Schwaben (local) fare. We were all happy with the friendliness of the server and the food itself.
We then headed straight for our hotel Ibis, near the Frankfurt International Airport, arriving about 4 pm. We checked into the hotel and said our goodbyes to Gerhard and Helene. We agreed that we should meet again. They decided to head off quickly to avoid any traffic problems near Frankfurt. Gerhard and Lene are leaving for Teneiffe on Wednesday for a nine day holiday that will double as a visit to their daughter, Beate, who works there. They will pass along our greetings. Some of you may remember when the Gerhard Biebrich family were in Canada for five weeks in the summer of 1999. Beate was really big on Tim Hortons, and really like the Icecaps.
I am writing this message from the computer in the Ibis hotel, and was pleased to find out that there is no charge for this service. There is a free shuttle service from this hotel to the airport, and we will use this service tomorrow morning.
A little later this evening we will receive a visitor who lives and works in Frankfurt, Carina Meretns. Carina stayed with us for 3 months about 20 years ago when she was doing research at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford for her Masters Thesis. We have kept in touch over the years. We saw her when we were here in 1993, and she has been to the Brantford area as well.
Our flight back to Canada is early tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon, and we hope to be back in Brantford by evening (Ontario time).
Harry Stahl visits us in Göppingen
A local artist painted the Göppingen skyline. Lena is very proud of this painting on their living room wall.
Harry Stahl drives in from Bretten (near Karlsruhe)
Harry Stahl, his wife and mother came for a visit and we learned a lot more information about Ostrowka, including where the Neumann house was. Lena's mom and dad also came for a visit. Harry had been in the area around Ostrowka twice, and once spent a week there going around to several villages asking questions, and to the State Archive in Zhitomir to see what he could find. We know that the only building left standing in Ostrowka is the former Stahl family house, now owned by Peter Kozichenko. Harry was able to get a military map that pre-dates the destruction of Ostrowka through the collectivization period; this map showed considerable detail, including the location of buildings. With the help of an older peasant woman who remembered the village, he was able to identify the family names associated with the buildings on this map, and orient these in relation to the exisiting remaining house (Stahl).
Harry locates the Neumann homestead in Ostrowka
Harry had a photocopy of that part of the map with him, and as I watched he wrote down this information on the map (numbers in red), and in so doing, identified the exact location of the Christian Neumann family house and farm. Christian Neumann was my great Grandfather. Harry then told me I could have this copy he had marked. If only I had had this information when we were in Ukraine, I might have been able to set foot on the land where our ancestors had lived, but I do know that in visiting the former Stahl house, we were very close, because Harry has the Neumann Homestead as being only a few farms north of the Stahl property, a distance of just 1.5 kilometers.
That certainly puts the 1927 marriage of Lidia Neumann (Dad's cousin) and Edward Stahl into perspective. (Their descendants now live mostly in Oxbow, Saskatchewan and Williams Lake, BC in Canada.) Before he left for home, Harry also gave us some blow-ups of photos he had taken in Ostrowka Volhynia. Here Harry is paging through an album of pictures and documents he had collected in his research.
A group photo taken in the Biebrich living room.
The women sharing pictures. From left to right: Elfrieda Neumann, Lena's mother, Harry's mother, Harry's wife and Lena.
In the evening, after the company left, the four of us went for amother short tour and walk. The scenery was beautiful. Feeling good about the hike.
We came across a very large tree.
Another beautiful day comes to an end
Gerhard and Helene in front of their house in Göppingen
Harry Stahl drives in from Bretten (near Karlsruhe)
Harry Stahl, his wife and mother came for a visit and we learned a lot more information about Ostrowka, including where the Neumann house was. Lena's mom and dad also came for a visit. Harry had been in the area around Ostrowka twice, and once spent a week there going around to several villages asking questions, and to the State Archive in Zhitomir to see what he could find. We know that the only building left standing in Ostrowka is the former Stahl family house, now owned by Peter Kozichenko. Harry was able to get a military map that pre-dates the destruction of Ostrowka through the collectivization period; this map showed considerable detail, including the location of buildings. With the help of an older peasant woman who remembered the village, he was able to identify the family names associated with the buildings on this map, and orient these in relation to the exisiting remaining house (Stahl).
Harry locates the Neumann homestead in Ostrowka
Harry had a photocopy of that part of the map with him, and as I watched he wrote down this information on the map (numbers in red), and in so doing, identified the exact location of the Christian Neumann family house and farm. Christian Neumann was my great Grandfather. Harry then told me I could have this copy he had marked. If only I had had this information when we were in Ukraine, I might have been able to set foot on the land where our ancestors had lived, but I do know that in visiting the former Stahl house, we were very close, because Harry has the Neumann Homestead as being only a few farms north of the Stahl property, a distance of just 1.5 kilometers.
That certainly puts the 1927 marriage of Lidia Neumann (Dad's cousin) and Edward Stahl into perspective. (Their descendants now live mostly in Oxbow, Saskatchewan and Williams Lake, BC in Canada.) Before he left for home, Harry also gave us some blow-ups of photos he had taken in Ostrowka Volhynia. Here Harry is paging through an album of pictures and documents he had collected in his research.
A group photo taken in the Biebrich living room.
The women sharing pictures. From left to right: Elfrieda Neumann, Lena's mother, Harry's mother, Harry's wife and Lena.
In the evening, after the company left, the four of us went for amother short tour and walk. The scenery was beautiful. Feeling good about the hike.
We came across a very large tree.
Another beautiful day comes to an end
Gerhard and Helene in front of their house in Göppingen
08 June 2008
Getting to meet everyone
After the parade we went to the carnival for some fun.
Reinhold and Emma hosted a get together at their house on Saturday evening. Several of the men helped with the outdoor 'grilling.'
Earlier in the day we found time to stop by the cemetery to pay our respects to Gerhard's parents, Gerhard and Tina Biebrich, whom we had met before.
Reinhold and Emma hosted a get together at their house on Saturday evening. Several of the men helped with the outdoor 'grilling.'
Earlier in the day we found time to stop by the cemetery to pay our respects to Gerhard's parents, Gerhard and Tina Biebrich, whom we had met before.
07 June 2008
Maien Tagen in Göppingen
The May Festival in Göppingen started after the Thirty Years War in Europe. People decided to have a festival to celebrate peace. It is not held during war times.
We just happened to be here for the festival, and set out on Saturday morning to be in place across from City Hall to hear the fanfare and the proclamation. It seems that every school in Göppingen must choose a theme for the students to present as they walk in the parade. Here are a few pictures from the festival.
We just happened to be here for the festival, and set out on Saturday morning to be in place across from City Hall to hear the fanfare and the proclamation. It seems that every school in Göppingen must choose a theme for the students to present as they walk in the parade. Here are a few pictures from the festival.
Our first full day in Göppingen
Elfrieda and Helene are laughing at something interesting they spotted on the rack at the model railway museum and shop. You will have to ask Elfrieda what it was.
Natasha and her son Daniel dropped by for a short visit.
Erwin dropped by for a visit. Here he is with his parents, Gerhard and Lena.
We had a snack at the picnic table and Erwin contributed a pineapple.
Elfrieda awoke to a breakfast of wurst and kashe. At least that's what was set at her place at the table. We had shown them some pictures from our experiences in Ukraine, and Lena wanted to make sure that Elfrieda didn't miss the hotel in Ukraine too much. :-) It was just a small trick. The breakfast was actually very good, as usual.
During the day we stopped by at the Model Raiway museum sponsored by the company Märklen. At first they couldnt find it so we used the technique we learned in Uraine - we stopped to ask an older person, and the man knew exactly where it was. The models went right back to the 19th century. It was very interesting.
Gerhard and Helene have three children. Erwin is a business strategy consultant. He works for a large consulting firm, Booz & Co. His brother, Rolf, works for Duetsche Bank. He is married to Katharina; they have 2 girls, Noemi and Lynn. Their sister, Beate, is currently working in Teneriffe, and next week Gerhard & Lena will go there for about nine days to visit her.
Our 'home' in Göppingen
Later in the day Gerhard and I took some time to review the genealogical information I had brought along about our common ancestors and relatives. He helped to fill in some missing pieces. I also heard a few stories about their life in Moldavia and Russia.
In the evening we phoned Harry Stahl and worked out how we will make contact. Because he works during the week, he will come to Göppingen on Sunday around noon. He will bring along his mother and his wife. He said his mother has a lot of information about Ostrowka and the other villages near there in Volhynia. Harry came to Germany from Kazakhstan a few years ago. He is related to our Stahls in western Canada.
In the evening we went for a short drive to Hohen Staufen, a local height of land where you get a great view of Göppingen and the surrounding area. We went for a long walk that ended in a town on the top of the hill. From there we were able to get back to the car and head home.
Three pictures from our walk
Natasha and her son Daniel dropped by for a short visit.
Erwin dropped by for a visit. Here he is with his parents, Gerhard and Lena.
We had a snack at the picnic table and Erwin contributed a pineapple.
Elfrieda awoke to a breakfast of wurst and kashe. At least that's what was set at her place at the table. We had shown them some pictures from our experiences in Ukraine, and Lena wanted to make sure that Elfrieda didn't miss the hotel in Ukraine too much. :-) It was just a small trick. The breakfast was actually very good, as usual.
During the day we stopped by at the Model Raiway museum sponsored by the company Märklen. At first they couldnt find it so we used the technique we learned in Uraine - we stopped to ask an older person, and the man knew exactly where it was. The models went right back to the 19th century. It was very interesting.
Gerhard and Helene have three children. Erwin is a business strategy consultant. He works for a large consulting firm, Booz & Co. His brother, Rolf, works for Duetsche Bank. He is married to Katharina; they have 2 girls, Noemi and Lynn. Their sister, Beate, is currently working in Teneriffe, and next week Gerhard & Lena will go there for about nine days to visit her.
Our 'home' in Göppingen
Later in the day Gerhard and I took some time to review the genealogical information I had brought along about our common ancestors and relatives. He helped to fill in some missing pieces. I also heard a few stories about their life in Moldavia and Russia.
In the evening we phoned Harry Stahl and worked out how we will make contact. Because he works during the week, he will come to Göppingen on Sunday around noon. He will bring along his mother and his wife. He said his mother has a lot of information about Ostrowka and the other villages near there in Volhynia. Harry came to Germany from Kazakhstan a few years ago. He is related to our Stahls in western Canada.
In the evening we went for a short drive to Hohen Staufen, a local height of land where you get a great view of Göppingen and the surrounding area. We went for a long walk that ended in a town on the top of the hill. From there we were able to get back to the car and head home.
Three pictures from our walk
05 June 2008
Another travel day - on to Göppingen
Gerhard & Liese in front of their house
Train station in Koblenz on the Rhein
A view of the Rhein from the train window
InterCity car
The red light above the door at the end tells you the WC is occupied.
June 5
After a good breakfast, Gerhard and Liese drove us to the train station in Neuwied for our departure to Göppimgen, just past Stuttgart. We said our goodbyes and thanks, and waved to them through the window as the train pulled away.
Our only transfer was in Koblenz where we once again marvelled at how well organized everything is. We were easily able to find the platform and the exact spot where our car would stop for our boarding (we had reserved seats).
For a good part of the journey we enjoyed the great scenery along the Rhein. We were impressed with the efficient use of land and slopes for many different crops as well as for vineyards. We arrived in Göppingen about 20 minutes late, but were not clear why that was. The announcer kept speaking about building sites as the cause but we didn't see any.
After a short wait we spotted Gerhard Biebrich who then drove us to his house where we settled into our room. After having our lunch, we spent some time visiting with their daughter-in-law, Katarina, and the two grandchildren, Noemi and Lynn. We looked at photos and exchanged stories. After the Katarina and children left their father, Rolf, came for a visit. He told us about his job at Deutsche Bank, and we shared stories about his impression of Canada from their previous visit there in 1999. We also had a short call from Erwin who will see us tomorrow.
Lena, Gerhard's wife, had prepared Vesper and we emjoyed our time catching up on family news and reflecting back on their visit to Canada in 1999. Gerhard works for Daimler and since 2004 has had a significantly elevated position there.
Train station in Koblenz on the Rhein
A view of the Rhein from the train window
InterCity car
The red light above the door at the end tells you the WC is occupied.
June 5
After a good breakfast, Gerhard and Liese drove us to the train station in Neuwied for our departure to Göppimgen, just past Stuttgart. We said our goodbyes and thanks, and waved to them through the window as the train pulled away.
Our only transfer was in Koblenz where we once again marvelled at how well organized everything is. We were easily able to find the platform and the exact spot where our car would stop for our boarding (we had reserved seats).
For a good part of the journey we enjoyed the great scenery along the Rhein. We were impressed with the efficient use of land and slopes for many different crops as well as for vineyards. We arrived in Göppingen about 20 minutes late, but were not clear why that was. The announcer kept speaking about building sites as the cause but we didn't see any.
After a short wait we spotted Gerhard Biebrich who then drove us to his house where we settled into our room. After having our lunch, we spent some time visiting with their daughter-in-law, Katarina, and the two grandchildren, Noemi and Lynn. We looked at photos and exchanged stories. After the Katarina and children left their father, Rolf, came for a visit. He told us about his job at Deutsche Bank, and we shared stories about his impression of Canada from their previous visit there in 1999. We also had a short call from Erwin who will see us tomorrow.
Lena, Gerhard's wife, had prepared Vesper and we emjoyed our time catching up on family news and reflecting back on their visit to Canada in 1999. Gerhard works for Daimler and since 2004 has had a significantly elevated position there.
04 June 2008
Neuwied visits
David and Gerhard visit Gerhard's parents' grave site. We had visited cousin Ella in 1993. She was born in Heimthal, Volhynia in 1919 - one of the places we saw during our Ukraine adventure. In 1993 I enjoyed chatting with her and hearing her stories.
Visiting cousin Irma and her husband, Jakob
Combined project of Mennonite private school (left) and church (right) completed 2006
The scenery viewed from where Gerhard and Liese live
June 4
We started the day with a visit to Irma and Jakob Schneider in their apartment in Neuwied. Gerhard W. dropped us off and we had breakfast while he went off to his appointments. We spoke about their life experiences in the former USSR, and what life is like for them now. My cousin Irma helped me correct and update some of the family information, and we looked through some of her old pictures. Irma was born in 1931; her father was August Neumann.
At 10:30 Gerhard came back and took us for a guided tour of the new school and church that had just been finished in 2006. It was very impressive, and I am sure that the students there get a very good education.
We went back to Irma's for lunch hoping to meet some mebers of her family but that was not possible. We visited for a while and then her new son-in-law Udo drove us back to Gerhard's place - with the help of his GPS.
Later we decided to go downtown to do some shopping. Elfrieda went with Liese to buy a few things, and I went with Gerhard. The only thing I bought was a usb memory stick.
In the evening we went to their daughter's house where we had dinner and visited some more. We met another set of twins who will be going to England for two weeks this summer as part of a group going there to further their English. I had fun speaking with them in English, and pretending I could not speak or understand any German.
Later we came back and had a quiet visit with Gerhard and Liese.
Visiting cousin Irma and her husband, Jakob
Combined project of Mennonite private school (left) and church (right) completed 2006
The scenery viewed from where Gerhard and Liese live
June 4
We started the day with a visit to Irma and Jakob Schneider in their apartment in Neuwied. Gerhard W. dropped us off and we had breakfast while he went off to his appointments. We spoke about their life experiences in the former USSR, and what life is like for them now. My cousin Irma helped me correct and update some of the family information, and we looked through some of her old pictures. Irma was born in 1931; her father was August Neumann.
At 10:30 Gerhard came back and took us for a guided tour of the new school and church that had just been finished in 2006. It was very impressive, and I am sure that the students there get a very good education.
We went back to Irma's for lunch hoping to meet some mebers of her family but that was not possible. We visited for a while and then her new son-in-law Udo drove us back to Gerhard's place - with the help of his GPS.
Later we decided to go downtown to do some shopping. Elfrieda went with Liese to buy a few things, and I went with Gerhard. The only thing I bought was a usb memory stick.
In the evening we went to their daughter's house where we had dinner and visited some more. We met another set of twins who will be going to England for two weeks this summer as part of a group going there to further their English. I had fun speaking with them in English, and pretending I could not speak or understand any German.
Later we came back and had a quiet visit with Gerhard and Liese.
03 June 2008
Gathering at Jakob Wiebe's house
The above picture was taken at the end of the visit at Jakob and Maria's place. Jakob and Maria also have twins. We were able to share pictures from home, and some pictures from the Volhynian tour in Ukraine, as well as exchange family history and to share stories. Most of the people there were the children of my first cousin Emma and her husband Jakob. There were also some grandchildren, and of course in-laws.
Neuwied
In the afternoon of June 2nd we arrived in Neuwied by train from Alfeld, with transfers in Hannover and Cologne.
Gerhard Wiebe picked us up from the station, and took us to his house. He lives in a small village near by, and all of his adult children live nearby or not far away. Among his 10 grandchildren are two sets of twins, the first - 2 girls - born 12 August 1995, and the 2nd - 2 boys - born on 12 May this year. Four of his children came by to visit yesterday evening. In total there are 23 people in Gerhard's family alone (children, spouses, and grandchildren.)
June 3
This morning we went to the cemetery to pay our respects to his parents whom we met in 1993. This afternoon there will be a gathering at his brother Jacob's place, and any relatives who want to come will stop by to see us. In the Neuwied area Gerhard tells me that I have 103 relatives, but we will not be able to see all of them. Most of them are descendants of Ottilia, my father's oldest sister. Actually, she was a twin with Emilia who met a tragic end in 1921. TWINS RUN IN THE FAMILY! We heard of others as well. The baby twins were here yeaterday, and we had fun seeing them and hearing all about them. Some nearby relatives are descendants of my father's brother, Onkel August.
Later today we will make a trip to Koblenz (on the Rhein) for some sightseeing.
01 June 2008
Last day in Alfeld
Herrenvolk Garden in Hannover
Our tour bus in front of the 'new' city hall
June 1st
Today we went to Hannover for a guided tour of the city. It was a great way to get introduced to Hannover. The first stop was at the new City Hall (opened in 1911). Four models of the city from the 19th century, 1939, 1945 and today, allowed for an interesting presentation of the contrasts that exist. 90% of the city's buildings were destryed or damaged by the bombing that occurred towards the end of WWII. Consequently, Hannover is very much a 20th century city. It has however worked hard to preserve the past as best it could. The final stop, a brief introduction of the Herrenfolk Park, allowed us to appreciate the Baroque style and the interesting linkages with the British monarchy. The park is huge - over 150 acres.
After our drive back to Alfeld we went right to a concert that is part of the year-long celebration of the 750th aniversary of that town. Most of Elfrieda's relatives live in the Town of Alfeld on the Leine River, south of Hannover. This town of about 25,000 inhabitants was founded in 1258. Two of Elfrieda's young cousins were part of the orchestra for today's ambitious programme. We knew we would be late, but didn't want to dissapoint them.
As it turned out we arrived during intermission, so were able to see the second half, which was the closing of Carl Orff's Opera, Carmina Burana. The final piece was a spectacular ending to a great performance. On stage was a Kinderchor, the Alfelder Vocal Ensemble, and the Kammerorchester der Musikschule Alfeld, all led by Volker Dehn. The orchestra incuded many young people - including Oriana and Demi, Elfrieda's young cousins, who wre overjoyed that we had made it. Soloists were Corina Birke (soprano) from Munich, Gerd Neumann (tenor) from Göttingen, and Werner Kraus (Baritone) from Oldenburg.
We were very impressed that a town of this size could pull off such an impressive concert. Before the Carmina Burana performance, the orchestra had presented Feuerwerkmusik by Georg Driedrich Handel to warm up the crowd.
Afterwards we had dinner at a local restaurant that offers German and Croation fare. We enjoyed this time with our host family in Alfeld: Walter and Elvira, and their children Eddy and Tanya.
Later Elvira drove us to her sister's for a short visit, and on the way back we stopped in at her cousin Lena's place.
Elfrieda visiting with two of Lena's daughters
Visiting with Elfrieda's cousin, Lena
Our tour bus in front of the 'new' city hall
June 1st
Today we went to Hannover for a guided tour of the city. It was a great way to get introduced to Hannover. The first stop was at the new City Hall (opened in 1911). Four models of the city from the 19th century, 1939, 1945 and today, allowed for an interesting presentation of the contrasts that exist. 90% of the city's buildings were destryed or damaged by the bombing that occurred towards the end of WWII. Consequently, Hannover is very much a 20th century city. It has however worked hard to preserve the past as best it could. The final stop, a brief introduction of the Herrenfolk Park, allowed us to appreciate the Baroque style and the interesting linkages with the British monarchy. The park is huge - over 150 acres.
After our drive back to Alfeld we went right to a concert that is part of the year-long celebration of the 750th aniversary of that town. Most of Elfrieda's relatives live in the Town of Alfeld on the Leine River, south of Hannover. This town of about 25,000 inhabitants was founded in 1258. Two of Elfrieda's young cousins were part of the orchestra for today's ambitious programme. We knew we would be late, but didn't want to dissapoint them.
As it turned out we arrived during intermission, so were able to see the second half, which was the closing of Carl Orff's Opera, Carmina Burana. The final piece was a spectacular ending to a great performance. On stage was a Kinderchor, the Alfelder Vocal Ensemble, and the Kammerorchester der Musikschule Alfeld, all led by Volker Dehn. The orchestra incuded many young people - including Oriana and Demi, Elfrieda's young cousins, who wre overjoyed that we had made it. Soloists were Corina Birke (soprano) from Munich, Gerd Neumann (tenor) from Göttingen, and Werner Kraus (Baritone) from Oldenburg.
We were very impressed that a town of this size could pull off such an impressive concert. Before the Carmina Burana performance, the orchestra had presented Feuerwerkmusik by Georg Driedrich Handel to warm up the crowd.
Afterwards we had dinner at a local restaurant that offers German and Croation fare. We enjoyed this time with our host family in Alfeld: Walter and Elvira, and their children Eddy and Tanya.
Later Elvira drove us to her sister's for a short visit, and on the way back we stopped in at her cousin Lena's place.
Elfrieda visiting with two of Lena's daughters
Visiting with Elfrieda's cousin, Lena
Day of visiting
May 31st
On Saturday afternoon visitors arrived at Walter and Elvira's house. From Bielefeld came Elfrieda's cousin, Katja, and her husband, Victor, along with their daughter and her husband. They are expecting a baby in early august, so the family continues to grow.
Elfrieda's cousin, Lena, also came. She has three daughters, all married, and eleven grandchildren. Not everyone could make it, but it was still a good crowd, and we were pleased that Elvira and Walter had agreed to bring so many together for this visit to Alfeld.
We ate, and took pictures, and then ate some more, did some singing, visited, looked at pictures, ate some more, took more pictures, etc.
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