Onkel Emil

Last week, I got a phone call from my cousin Johannes from my hometown of Freiburg telling me that his father just passed. Patricia and I were in shock, as we had seen him doing well only two month ago. Last summer, we spent some time in Freiburg, as I had not been there for over 17 years, and Patricia had never seen where I grew up nor met anyone of my immediate family.
While there, we stayed with Johannes, Heidi and Lara, and visited uncle Emil. On one of our visits, I asked Emil for a favor: would he be willing to take us upstairs to his organ in our local church and play a tune for us. I guess I just wanted to impress Patricia.  He agreed.
As a sidebar, the organ had just been fully renovated under Emil's supervision, but now it was hard for Emil to climb the stairs at age 84, so the church put a piano near the alter so he did not have to climb stairs when he played during mass on weekdays. On Sunday, they now had a young man playing the organ.
Spending time watching Emil play, Patricia and I took some pictures which you can see clicking on the link.

I spent a lot of time in this church as I child. I was an alter boy up to the age of 14 and sat next to Emil on the organ bench, as did many of the kids in the village, changing the display of the page numbers for the upcoming songs.
I am indebted to Emil and his late wife, Resi, for taking care of my and my brothers' and sister's affairs after our parents passed in 1967. For years, Emil sorted through all of my father's papers - my father kept everything - so there were a lot of them.
Many years later, they took care of Resi's parents (my mother's parents) in there small two bedroom apartment until the passing of my grandmother.
Emil in his professional life was the HR person for the city of Freiburg, and was very much liked and respected by everyone because of his kindness and humanity toward people.
This is a lot of writing, but I needed to get all of this off my chest. I loved my Onkel Emil very much and will miss not being able to call him on Skype now and then.
May he rest in peace.

Non stop

Today is the first day we are taking it a bit easy. We arrived last Wednesday, and since then, we have done what we came to do, visit the Christmas Markets.

Beautiful ornaments

The first day, we spent just getting familiar with the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt (that is, not photographing or buying).  Our friend Bernd took us on a 'tour' and to visit Meriam, who has a market stall and sells beautiful ornaments. We also had our first taste of Gluehwein, hot sweet red wine with spices - warms the cockles of your heart, necessary since it was freezing out.

Gluehwein and sausage on a roll

That same evening, Bernd took us to an Indian restaurant where me met some of his friends, Barbara, her husband and sister Ruth - great food in pleasant company. Unfortunately, Patricia was falling asleep at the table, so we left a bit earlier than they did.
During the day on Thursday and into the evening, we went back to the market to photograph, buy ornaments and other gifts and drink Gluehwein; then Berrnd talked us into eating at a favorite Spanish restaurant. At this point, we are still pretty knocked around from the flight, but holding out.
Friday, since Bernd was leaving for South Africa, we took off early heading toward Nuremberg to see the oldest Christmas Market, or so they say.  We stayed with Detlef and Gaby just outside the city and were again treated like royalty, as we are everywhere.
We took the train into Nuremberg and spent the afternoon and into the evening scouting around the market, eating sausages and sauerkraut on a bun and drinking Gleuhwein. On the way back to Detlef's this evening, we got a special treat: snow fell; it was very romantic and cold.

We don't get to do this very often, if ever, at home.

As usual, Patricia is in great shape taking a ton of pictures to provide great memories for when we get home.

Saturday morning, we are on the road again, heading toward Gerda and Albert's in Kirchheim unter Teck, but first we had to see Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medievel town, with the citywalls still intact and some impressive motifs for Patricia. Did I mention Gluehwein and sausage sandwich?

We walked through cobblestone streets, churches and shops until dark and then drove the rest of the way to our stay for the night.

Sunday, I started my morning routine early, like every morning, heading to a bakery to get my breadrolls, a must. Patricia went out to photograph in the town while I talked about old times and friends and helped prepare lunch for friends I have not seen for many years.

Rathaus (City Hall) in Kirchheim

Gerda cooked up a storm and also made me a Linzertorte, my favorite cake.  Friends arrived at noon.

Albert, Michael & Gerda

We all had too much to eat, so in typical German style, we went for a long walk, so we could return and have our second round of desserts.  I am sad to say that we did not use more than 10% of the calories we ate.

Later we sat around and Martin and Thomas played instruments, and we sang Christmas songs, sort of.

Michael, Inge & Martina singing

On the road again on Monday, we headed for Freiburg, the hometown of my childhood. It had warmed to about 40 degrees, very comfortable after the freezing temperatures.  Since it was such a clear nice day, we took the Schwarzwald Hochstrasse and stopped for lunch in Tuebingen, a very picturesque, intimate University city.  Then, on the road again toward Freiburg, a mysterious shape appeared on a mountain in front of us.  It was a fairytale castle.

Burg Hohenzollern

Arriving at night in Freiburg, I got hopelessly lost and had to stop and let my cousin Johannes pick us up, as there was no way I could find my way out, and Heidie and Lara were waiting with dinner ready for us.
This first day back in Freiburg, we are taking it easy, which gives me time to blog and have Patricia correct my writing.
Tonight we go to the market here, and did I mention Gluehwein.

Having a Relative good time

Just arrived back in Stuttgart for our final leg back to the US and looking back on visiting my relatives in Freiburg.
Every day was a great day with so much family to visit, and Patricia saw me filling them in on all my life back home in Southern California with my family there. I am happy to report that Patricia approves of them and likewise, they approve of her; mind you, I had no doubt about that.
So here are some pictures Patricia took over the last few days. I think I will dole them out over the next few weeks, since Patricia has taken more than 2000 so far and is trying to whittle them down to a few hundred.

My brother Martin and his wife Rosa

Patricia and Michael, my cousin Rosemarie's husband

My cousin Rosemarie

Cousin Johannes

Onkel Emil, Johannes's father

My brother Hubert and his wife Frederike 

Hubert talking to my mother's sister Hildegard

Frederike with her son Karsten and his girlfriend Angelica 

Cousin Rebekka

Coousin Felizitzas

Rebekka and Felizitas's mother Brigitte

Johannes, his wife Heidi and my brother Hubert.

Heidi and Johannes were so gracious in hosting us while in Freiburg. We had such a great time staying with them and appreciate their generosity. 

Back in the old Country

Heidi, Johannes (my cousin) and daughter Lara invited us to stay at their house for the time we are here in Freiburg, so we got settled in.  After talking late into the night, we made it into bed and had a good sleep. It was still very hot, but in the evening, it started to rain and cool down a bit.
After Heidi spoiled us with a great breakfast, like everything you can think of eating, she took Lara to the train to go to summer camp.
Now it was time to start visiting other relatives.  Emil, Johannes' father and husband to my mother's sister, Resi, was the first victim.
Emil still lives in the village where I grew up and where, for 70 years since age 15, he played the organ at the church and still plays on occasion. Emil invited us for lunch at the local restaurant, Weinberg, which serves the local fare - very good. We were joined by Johannes's daughter, Simone and her infant son Moritz.

To walk off the lunch, we strolled leisurely up the hill to the place where I grew up, just at the edge of the forest.

Johannes & Michael

Although our house is no longer there, old memories were awakened, especially when we visited the memorial site for my father, then the local ranger in the Black Forest.

Rupert Fischer Spring

A spring with my fathers name on it.

When we returned to Emil's place, he had coffee ready,

Ready for afternoon tea

and after a while, we talked him into taking us up to the church organ to play a bit for us.  Have you ever stood just below the pipes of the organ playing full blast?  An experience not soon forgotten.

Emil, 85, at his organ

Even though it had started to rain more heavily, Johannes was kind enough to drive us up into the forest to St. Otillien where my mother grew up with her parents who ran the restaurant.

Having a glass of wine with Heidi and Johannes

I have so many childhood memories and stories of 'working' at that restaurant and playing in the forest. We enjoyed a glass of wine and called it a very good day.

Tomorrow, Monday, Hildegard, my mother's other sister, invited us for lunch, and then in the afternoon, we will visit with my younger brother Hubert.
So many family to see, so we will have a BBQ on Saturday at Heidi and Johannes's place.

Now it's finally back to Germany and Freiburg

It was a rather early start this morning, up at 5:30a for another day of traveling. Selina, who has been so sweet to take us everywhere, took us at 6:15am from Vinsobres to Avignon, about 40 miles passed and through little towns. Unfortunately, we caught only a quick glimpse of 'le Pont D'Avignon' and only drove by the outer city walls of Avignon.  We would have loved to spend time there to see and experience the city, but not this time. Now we have to come back another time and discover what's inside.

Arriving at the Avignon station in Selina's little car Tallulah

After un petit cafe et un croissant, it's time to say good by and take our seats in the TGV bullet train and head north to Paris Gare de Lyon (2 hr 45 min) through the rural countryside and fields of sunflowers... 

Fieeeeelds of sunflowers whizzing by on the train

then east from Paris Est to Strasbourg (2 hr and a half). We discovered from a very nice Chilean man on our trip to Provence that instead of taking the underground Metro between train stations in Paris, we could take the 65 bus for 2 Euro, 20 min and see some street sites and the Bastille Monument - an especially fun trip for us on such a special day - our 16^th wedding anniversary. It seems like no time at all; who would have thought, and we are more in love than ever.

Waiting in the Gare Strasbourg (still in France)

and finally via a local train to Freiburg. This was a completely different experience than the bullet train.  With 95 degrees and humidity out, this one had little A/C, at least that we could feel as the train became packed with people at every stop.  

Arriving in Freiburg in the evening after an hour on a slow train, we walked a bit and ended up at the Muenster (historic church in the plaza) where we indulged in a refreshing Radler (Beer with Lemonade).

Enjoying a Radler in the Muenster plaza