Bemidji, July 15 2007

We’re home! It is very good to be back to be with our Minnesota family and friends!

Our trip home was longer and more challenging than planned. Our departure from Paris, the flight to Minneapolis via Newark, New Jersey, was delayed by six hours; bad thunderstorms caused back-ups and delays in Newark, diverting our flight to Boston for refueling and a three hour wait on the tarmac (could not get off the plane!), resulting in a 10 hour late arrival in Newark. Bad logistical planning by Continental Airlines in Newark meant we did not get to our hotel until about 3:45 AM and we had to leave the hotel again by 5:30 AM to catch the flight on which we had been re-booked to get to Minneapolis! It was a nightmare finish to an otherwise absolutely perfect trip!

The welcome in Minnapolis/Minnetrista was great! Joined by Lisa’s parents and the Haines family, Martin's parents hosted a beautiful lunch before we took off on our drive to Bemidji. The cousins were happy to be reunited! A stop at Mr. Ed’s in Motley afforded us our first truly American meal at a diner in many months. The house at 3014 Rynders Ct. NW awaited us with running water (that’s good, since our water line had frozen last winter and we did not know the extent of the damage when we left) and food for dinner and breakfast, courtesy of our Bemidji friends, the Dehler-Seters! We had mountains of mail to sort through and we are happy to say that all of our house plants survived thanks to our wonderful neighbors, the Yosts! It is good to be back!

Within an hour of being home all three boys and Lisa had arrangements to meet friends the next day and Martin had an appointment for a hair cut! In the last couple of days Lisa has cleaned all the laundry and ventured out several times to start stocking up on food. Martin has freshened up the yard by pulling weeds and planting some annuals. Andrew has planted his first herb garden (based on the teachings of Ingrid in Schönwalde!) and played with three different friends. Carl spent time with friends practicing songs with his band and watching the new Harry Potter movie. Christian also stayed overnight with some friends, saw Harry Potter, and is now packing for his four-week session at the Norwegian Language Village. The Graefes are finding their way back to their ‘normal’ life! Bemidji is home!

Paris, July 11, 2007

Flying to and from Paris without spending some time to do the town would have been sinful. So, we cranked it up a notch one more time to take in the Seine, the Metro, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur, the pigeons (even one missing a foot!), Place des Vosges, a stop by Jardin du Luxemburg, the Louvre and the Orsay museums (unfortunately both closed at the time we were there), the Conciergerie and Arc de Triomphe. A definite highlight for all of us was seeing and being on the Eiffel Tower during the early nighttime hours, truly a most impressive sight and experience. This was by far the biggest city of our three-month odyssey, allowing Martin to apply his French ‘skills’ one more time, and he did negotiate most transactions purely in French. It also offered all of us grand lasting impressions, not an easy thing to accomplish after all the sights, sounds, family and friends, castles, churches and museums, landscapes and cityscapes, hospitality and generosity we have experienced since mid-April. 93 days and 14768 kilometers (about 9600 miles) later, we’re now ready to go home, all enriched from what we have accomplished, cherishing many incredible memories. It is impossible to fully know and express how this once in a lifetime adventure has and will continue to shape each of us and our family as a whole. This was a wonderful time. We’re so fortunate and ever so thankful to have had this incredible opportunity!

Leonberg – July 8, 2007

It is fun to be back in Southern Germany for one last stop before heading west! We used this opportunity for our last shopping extravaganza, allowing Carl some extra rest to cure a bout with light fever, and a relaxed. fun visit with Martin’s oldest cousin Katrin and her boyfriend Konstantin. They hosted us for one last scrumptious Kaffee und Kuchen event, also celebrating Martin’s mom’s birthday. In the evening Katrin, Andrew, Christian, Martin and Konstantin joined thousands of others at the Lichterfest in Stuttgart, which ended with an amazing fifteen minute firework display synchronized to music – it reminded us all of a grand big July 4th celebration. What a beautiful celebration to cap off our stay in Germany!

Bückeburg/Detmold – July 6, 2007

While our days in Germany are numbered, the adventures continue with new and memorable experiences every day; there are yet more chapters to be lived and told. Our 2-night stay with Martin’s youngest uncle, Andreas, is combined with a day trip to Detmold and its surrounding area. Detmold is where Martin spent many vacation weeks year after year while growing up, visiting his grandparents. The boys got a snapshot glimpse of papa’s Detmold. He had many stories from visits with his grandparents. We traced the old daily walk from the grandparent’s apartment into town for errands at the market, into the shoe store with the indoor slide (for kids, while parents (= moms or grandmas) shop for shoes), through the Schlosspark, along the canals (where Martin used to feed the ducks… now verboten, as the ducks were getting too fat), and back ‘home’ via the Palaisgarten with the big stone table. Even Christian remembered the stone table from his last visit there about eight years ago. A visit to the Detmold area and the surrounding Teutoburger Wald is not complete without a visit to the Hermannsdenkmal – the original Herman the German (whose cousin watches over New Ulm, Minnesota). The historical Herman is recognized as the Cherusker tribal chief, who, in 9 AD lead the forces that pushed back and defeated the Romans in that region now just about 2000 years ago.

Uncle Andreas took us on a casual evening stroll and showed us a very unique arrangement of waterways in Minden, where the Mittellandkanal aqueduct crosses over the Wesel river assuring barges and other ships access from central Germany to the North Sea. No matter where we go, there are still unique and cool places to visit and learn about. We are thankful again for great hospitality, great conversations, and a great visit with Andreas.

Münster – July 3, 2007

We are fortunate that we can feel at home in so many places in Germany! After experiencing the more rural Roxel, we moved into the city of Münster to visit Sabine (sister of Martin’s mom) and Alf. Being in town, we focused more on the city itself, including a visit to the cathedral where Andrew, as he has done in all churches, lit a candle in silent reflection, this time beneath a statue of St. Barbara. Other highlights in the city were various sculptures (or non-sculptures… what really is a sculpture anyway?) that are part of an internationally acclaimed art event that takes place in Münster every ten years. Martin’s favorite, and he was sooooo excited to actually ‘find’ it, is the 5 kilometer long invisible string (like fishing line) that is strung around town, 30 centimeters to 15 meters above the ground, over streets, through buildings, through parks and over waterways. Its exact route has not been disclosed, so looking for it is a part of its appeal. And, we discovered it as we approached the castle, on our way to visiting some of the spots where Martin’s dad hung out while a student in Münster some years ago. Other highlights with Sabine and Alf included playing games of Blink and Mensch Ärgere Dich Nicht (Parcheesi), and eating Meterwurst (Andrew’s favorite), and a visit to the Rüschhaus, where famous writer and poet Annette von Droste-Hülshof wrote some of her most famous works. We earlier had visited the castle where she was born with Ulrich and had been in the city where she died, Meersburg, way back in April, the first weekend we were in Germany.

As during earlier parts of our visit, the boys keep remarking how much people are going out of their way, giving of themselves, to greet and welcome us! We are indeed fortunate to be able to experience this and only hope we can come close to being as hospitable to others some day.

Münster – June 30, 2007

Even before we got out of the car in Münster, both Christian and Carl announced that this was one of their favorite cities and places to visit in Germany. They each started remembering various details from earlier visits here. And for all of us these next days mean that we are with family. With all of Martin’s aunts and uncles visiting Minnesota last year, we’ve all gotten to know each other better and feel very comfortable around each other.

Our first days in the Münster area were actually spent in Roxel with Ingrid and Ulrich (brother of Martin’s mom). We all have been amazed and humbled again and again by the welcome and generosity bestowed upon us as we are hosted in people’s homes. Ingrid and Ulrich both took lots of time - Ulrich even took time off from work - to show us Münster and the surrounding area. Many of our adventures involved riding our bike; Münster, after all is Germany’s bicycle capital and bikes literally rule the streets and people’s way of life. So, do as the Münsteraner do, Ulrich guided us along streets, through the woods and along fields, over and under the Autobahn, past horses and horse-drawn carriages to the famous zoo and on special tours along the Aasee, along the promenade that circles the entire old town, and into the city. One morning Ulrich awoke Andrew with a tune on his concertina and the two of them took out their bikes for a run to get fresh breakfast treats from the bakery. We also enjoyed a hat-trick day of seeing and touring Wasserschlösser, castles around the Münsterland surrounded by big wide moats filled with water. The rest of our time was filled with great food, lots of ice cream, having fun with Sparky (Ingrid and Ulrich’s friendly bull terrier), and lots of laughs.

Hamburg – June 27, 2007

On our way from Schönwalde to Münster today we enjoyed a wonderful visit with Martin’s cousin, Tina Graefe, and her son, Demba, in Hamburg. We had not seen each other since the big 90th birthday celebration of our grandfather in 1995, so there was much to catch up on and we were able to reconnect while strolling to the harbor. We then walked through a tunnel under the river Elbe that was built in just after 1900. At that time horse drawn carriages would be lowered via elevators to the tunnel and then back up on the other side… today cars still enter and exit the tunnel the same way as can pedestrians like us. It was wonderful to meet Demba, a fun-loving energetic boy who quickly warmed up to his 2nd cousins from across the big pond. It was great to see them together. Congratulations also to Tina, who just very recently finished her Diplomarbeit (like a Masters thesis) in Geography! She hopes to combine this with her earlier training as a surveyor to land a job with a city planning office in or near Hamburg. Before departing we all enjoyed a wonderful treat in a Portuguese café. While a short visit, it was very nice to reconnect, to be together and to meet Demba.

Schönwalde - June 26, 2007

We are back in Germany! We loved our excursion to Scandinavia. We have spent a lot of time in our Renault Scenic driving from Innsbruck to Schönwalde to Rättvik to Hamar and Jotunheimen to Oslo to Langeland and back to Schönwalde. We were very glad to have our longest drive (from Innsbruck to Schönwalde) broken up by a visit to Edwin Dehler-Seter’s mother, Elisabeth Dehler, in Fulda. We were able to stop by her house and enjoy an amazing zweites Frühstück, complete with her famous Ottilienkuchen. It was a wonder to behold. Above left is a picture of us at the table with Frau Dehler, her daughter and granddaughter.
Now we are enjoying another round of hospitality at the home of our dear friends. This has become like a second home to us. Especially to Christian, Carl, Andrew and me, because we were here during the time Martin spent in Avignon. Andrew has been learning lots about herbs and gardening from Ingrid, and Christian and Carl enjoyed going to school with Marit, Solveig and Olav. We love the time we have spent here and are so thankful to Ingrid and Peter for their help and friendship. We borrowed their camping equipment for our trip to Scandinavia and can only express gratitude for everything that they have done for us. You guys are the greatest! On the left is a picture of the kids playing yet another board game on the grass.

Nyköping, Denmark – June 23, 2007 - The Summer Solstice

We woke up late in our cozy camper cabin and had to hurry to drive through Lindelse one more time before catching the ferry off the island. We met Pete, Ingrid and family at the medieval center in Nyköping for a day spent celebrating Sankt Hans Dag – Midsommar.
This interpretive center was great fun with trebuchet firings, jousting festivals, and exhibits of how life was lived using the technology of the middle ages. At dusk a witch was burned in effigy, as is befitting any medieval midsummer feast. The boys also loved the final flaming launch of the giant trebuchet. After all of the castles and old buildings we have seen, it was cool to observe the way people lived over 500 years ago, along with experiencing the superstitions and joys that existed then. On our late drive through Denmark back to Germany we saw many large midsummer bonfires. The longest day of the year is still celebrated by the people of the North in grand fashion.

Lindelse, Langeland Island, Denmark – June 22, 2007

After a very early ferry from Norway to Sweden and a long, rainy drive down the Swedish coast, we arrived in Denmark and drove to Langeland Island. Langeland is a small, neat island where my great grandfather, Christian Christensen, was born. We found the little town of Lindelse and the church where he was baptized and confirmed. It was fun to think about what it might have looked like in the late 1800’s when Christian left Denmark. We wish we had more time to spend on Langeland. Above is a picture of our Christian in the Lindelse church, where another young man, also named Christian, once stood.

Larvik/Stavern - June 21, 2007

As luck would have it, one of the schools Martin wants to visit for his project is in the small town of Stavern, which is very close to Larvik where my mother’s cousin lives. We found a wonderful campground with a beautiful beach and lovely camper cabins. This was truly a vacation day. We all visited the Fredtun Folkhøgskole with Martin, and the boys are now inspired to consider a year of education in Norway or Sweden. We spent the afternoon swimming and playing and then were invited to our relatives for dinner. Sven and Elisabeth Klefstad graciously prepared a Norwegian dinner for us even though they had only just finished with their school year. Both Sven and Elisabeth are teachers and had spent the week with all the final grading and work that this time of year brings. We are so happy that they were able to find a little time to see us. Sven is retiring this year and we wish him the best for his retirement.

Oslo/ Vormsund – June 19, 2007

We visited the capital city of Norway: Oslo. It is very interesting to be is such an exciting urban place. There is so much to see and do in Oslo that we didn’t have nearly enough time. Our first night was spent in a camper cabin. It was raining when we arrived and so we were glad not to have to pitch our tents. All day yesterday we walked around the city. Martin was able to fit in a meeting with Odd Haddal, the educational director for the Norwegian Folkhøgskole programs. While he was busy working, Christian, Carl, Andrew and I visited the royal palace and walked along Karl Johanns Gate, Norway’s most famous street. After meeting up with Martin, we all went to the Nobel Peace Prize museum. The museum was a fascinating place with very inspirational stories of peacemakers and peacemaking.
We then drove up to Vormsund to visit my cousin Reed Waldo and his wife, Cecilie. They were fantastic hosts. We saw some of the area around their home and enjoyed a grilled feast (including grilled fish burgers). Cecilie’s mother, Brita, was also there, so it was fun to get to know her. The boys enjoyed playing Kubb with Reed and we heard about Cecilie’s work at Norwegian church aide, a philanthropic organization that is similar to Lutheran World Relief in the U.S. We are thankful to Reed and Cecilie for opening their lovely home to us.
On Wednesday, after a delicious breakfast, we headed into Oslo to see Frogner Park and the art of Gustav Vigeland. The weather was beautiful and we had lots of fun walking through the sculptures. We also went to the Viking Ship museum, which was truly amazing. We were fascinated by the glimpse of life during Viking times.

Jotunheimen – June 17, 2007

Today was probably one of my favorite days of the whole trip – I just get all happy and happier when I get to be around mountains and making it into Jotunheimen National Park, while a long day trip from where we were staying, is a definite highlight! The weather wasn’t great, but that didn’t matter. After the morning drive through Gudbrandsdalen, we got a chance to actually go into a stavkirke, the amazingly well maintained and beautifully decorated Lom church. Then the road took us up into the mountains within just a few minutes of leaving Lom. As the driver I didn’t get a chance to turn around and see ALL the gorgeous views and sights, but it was a joy ride with breathtaking scenery, with new ooooohhhs and aaaahhhs around each corner. the mountain ranges are not as ‘peaky’ as in the Alps, more rolling, gentle, snowcovered peaks, topping out at about 2500 m, with the tree line already at about 1000 m. We took a 90 minute time-out from driving and actually did part of a hiking trail up one steep slope – even on a cloudy day it was a fantastic adventure. Later, we drove along with sheets of snow on either side of the road higher than our car, at about 1350 m. I threw snow balls, Carl did his first June snow angel ever in Norway. The drive back ‘home’ through the Valdres valleys rounded off a beautiful day, leaving us with many memories of incredible scenery.

Lillehammer - June 16, 2007 By Christian

Today we went to Lillehammer. This city hosted the winter Olympics in 1994. There is a museum about the history of the Olympics in Norway and the rest of the world. We got there two hours before it closed, but that still wasn’t enough time to see everything. We had to hurry through the last few exhibits so we would be able to catch the movie at the end. This museum was one of my favorite things that we have seen to this point. Each holding of the Olympic games had its own section. It was very interesting to see how the games have evolved over the years. After the museum, we went to the top of the ski jumps that were made for the ’94 Olympics. We went about halfway down, then went back up and drove to the bottom. There they had a downhill skiing/bobsledding simulator and Carl, Andrew, and I decided to go on it. It was fun; Andrew couldn’t stop laughing. After this we drove back to our little cabin (without taking any major wrong turns, for once) and had a relaxing evening before going to bed.

Valdres - June 15, 2007 By Carl

Our day today was very spontaneous (we just kept seeing different points of interest on our map). The first stop was the Valdres Folk Museum, which is an open air collection of old Norwegian houses and farms. It was very interesting to see how the people back in the 16th and 17th century lived. One thing that I found funny was the people would build the upper floors of their houses bigger than the ground floor; this was because the property taxes were based on the size of the foundation. In one of the cabins we got to hear some traditional music. After the Folk museum we drove to the Hegge Stavkyrke (stave church). This was unfortunately closed. But not to worry, mom soon spotted another stavkyrke in the area. So after another short drive and miniscule hike we arrived at the beautifully carved Lomen Stavkyrke, which was of course also closed. But I still managed to take the picture you see. In the Lomen Stavkyrke parking lot mom, while looking at a map of the area found the Einangstein which is the oldest rune stone in Scandanavia still in it’s original setting. This was probably my favorite part of the day. The rune stone marks a grave yard that was used when Vikings still ruled Norway. On our way home we took a slight detour and looked at some of the kinds of farms my ancestors decided to leave behind and head for America. Then we went back to our hytter (cabin) and had a quick dinner of Smørbrød (open faced sandwiches). Then after a long day we hit the hay.

Crossing the border – Sweden to Norway – June 14, 2007

After a truly wonderful, restful and peaceful time in Rättvik, where it was easy to understand why Lisa so treasures her time spent there, we encountered some of our most exciting adventures on drive to the Hamar/Lillehammer area. No Autobahn/highways, just two-lane country and mountain roads guiding us through beautiful forests (much like MN!) and vast areas of nothing but true nature. It’s easy to see and understand how Sweden must be one of the top wood producing countries in the world. The adventure that day really started when suddenly traffic stopped in the middle of a straight stretch of road during a fairly strong rain storm. We had passed the last signs of civilization about 10 miles earlier. Several big, mature pine trees had fallen and were blocking the two-lane highway; with deep ditches on both sides of the road. Now what? How would Swedes and others respond? Some turned around and drove away, others just turned off their cars (like us) and watched the rain beat on the road, waiting for someone to do something. We were thinking maybe we should just go out there and try and drag, with the help of others, the trees at least far enough out of the way to open up a one lane. Then, from behind us, an ambulance appeared and drove right up to the tree. The driver got out, recruited the help from another person who happened to have had a chainsaw in his trunk and started cutting into the trees. It was still raining pretty hard. Soon three police motorcycles appeared, then another ambulance that actually was on an emergency call, and a fire truck. Within about 20 minutes the trees had been cleared out of the way and the road had been swept, safe for passing. For the rest of our drive that day, we kept watching the outdoor temperature drop to -1 degree C, and rain turn into snow. Suddenly, without much fanfare the road sign said: Velkommen til Norge!

Rättvik, Sweden – June 13, 2007

In 1989 I spent part of the summer volunteering at Stiftsgården, a retreat center operated by the Swedish national church. It is a beautiful location on Lake Siljan. It was fun to show my family all of the cool things in and around Rättvik. We walked around town and shopped. Then we took a hike to Gammelgården, which is an open-air museum, where Midsommar is celebrated. They were getting ready to decorate the maypole for the festivities.
We hiked up to St. Davidsgården, where there is a famous religious book store and meditation center. Then we went to a local Dalahäst artist’s studio. We could see Dala–horses in production from the hand carving to the painting and detailing. We bought some of the artist’s creations and learned about this family business now in its second generation.
We enjoyed the peace and beauty of Stiftsgården, as well as the atmosphere of fun and spirituality. Swedish confirmands come here and enjoy weeks of programming similar to Bible Camp in the U.S. The Rättvik church is central to the community and right across the way from Stiftsgården. While we were there, two different schools used the medieval church for their graduations and end of the school year celebrations.
On our way out of the area, we stopped in Nittsjö at the pottery works. Nittsjö pottery is famous and we couldn’t resist bringing a little home with us. We bid the Lake Siljan area a fond good-bye. I hope that someday I will return. The memories I have from 1989 and now 2007 will always be special to me.

Gränna, Sweden – June 12, 2007

In Andrew’s words: It is really fun in Sweden. I am glad I am able to use my Swedish. Before going on to Rättvik, we spent the morning on Visingsö, an island across from Gränna in Lake Vättern. On the island we visited the ruins of the first royal castle of Sweden. it was built in the 1200’s. Carl and I had fun imagining what the castle really looked like before part of it fell into the sea. My mom was most impressed with the still intact King’s latrine chute. Here’s a picture of Christian, Carl, and I patrolling the overgrown castle walls. There also are other ruins on the island from a castle that burned down in 1700’s, a couple of decades after Sweden held Russian prisoner’s of war there.
Gränna is also really well known for its handcrafted peppermint sticks. We were able to watch them make some in a couple of small shops and guess what… now we have enough in our bags to last us for the rest of our trip.

Gränna, Sweden – June 11, 2007

After a whirlwind trip from Innsbruck to Fulda (on Thursday) and from Fulda to Schönwalde (on Friday), then laundry/repacking and on through Denmark to Sweden (today), we are now in a campground on a beautiful lake. We will write more about our travels later. Suffice it to say, we are happy, healthy and have started our Scandinavian adventure in good spirits. Here is a picture of Christian, Carl and Andrew on the ferry between Germany and Denmark. We are ready for some nordic fun!

Innsbruck – June 7, 2007

Wow, my baby brother turned 40! Happy Birthday (May 31!) David!! On the subject of birthdays, we can report that Christian celebrated his 16th birthday in style! Yesterday, after a delightful birthday breakfast, we toured Innsbruck. It is a lovely city surrounded by the most beautiful mountains. In the afternoon we had Walnußtorte und Kaffee and then went to a lecture on “Braukunst und Baukunst” (Brewing and Architecture.) During the reception afterwards, Christian was surprised to hear the little local band play “Happy Birthday” in his honor.

Here in Innsbruck we have so enjoyed visiting Martin’s uncle, Rainer and his aunt, Erika. They have generously opened their home to us and have made us feel most welcome. Rainer and Erika live in a beautiful old country house near a farm. We really appreciate the mountain view and the quiet surroundings.

While visiting we have had many wonderful Tyrolean experiences. It started off with the European Alpine Logging Championship. We watched teams of horses drag logs through an obstacle course. No Paul Bunyans, but very interesting to us Bemidjians! Other Tyrolean experiences included watching the rain fall on the mountains while enjoying our lunch at a Wanderhütte, hiking to an altitude of over 2000 meters and getting (a little) lost, shopping at the Geiger outlet store, and to top it off Andrew met a guinea pig at the neighboring farm/Gasthaus that he wants to take home with us. We have had a wonderful time!!

Riesa – June 2, 2007

We have been having a fantastic time in Riesa and so, here are a couple of last minute pictures. On the left are the boys – Fritzi, Richard, Andrew and Christian. On the right are the Stenzels and Graefes (except for Gunter. He’s taking the picture!) at the Volkswagen Gläserne Manufaktur.

Riesa/Dresden – June 2, 2007

We are now in Riesa, where we’ve been generously hosted by Heike and Gunter Stenzel and family. Richard Stenzel is the Rotary exchange student who stayed with us for six months last year. It’s been great for all of us to see where Richard grew up and lives now, spend more time with his parents and brother, and meet his grandparents. He is doing very well; it was a treat to see the four boys, along with Fritzi (Richard’s younger brother), connect again. We couldn’t help but reminisce about ‘old’ times! It really reinforces the richness of people-to-people exchanges between people from around the world.
This area is so rich in things to see and do, with many cultural gems of Germany are in this region; we really only scratched the surface. Besides sightseeing some of the traditional spots in Meissen and Dresden, we also toured the Riesa noodle factory as well as the fully glass-enclosed, high tech final assembly factory of VW’s high-end Phaeton in Dresden. The noodles were famous to us from packages Richard received from his parents/grandparents while at our house. Other highlights included a visit to the office of Saxony’s prime minister’s office, an exhibit of 16th century armaments in the Zwinger. It is amazing to realize how much work has been done to rebuild Dresden in recent years. The Frauenkirche, truly a pile of rubble for forty years, with only two small sections surviving the bombing in February of 1945, now stands again proud and tall, restored outside and inside to its original state. Finally, we squeezed in Kaffee und Kuchen with Urte Haertwig, a cousin of Martin’s mom in Dresden, who has been doing all the family genealogy research. Carl walked away with a photograph of a namesake, great-great-great-great-greatuncle, Carl Heinrich Poppe!

Leipzig – May 29, 2007

First we want to wish our cousin Kaia a happy belated birthday!! She turned 3 on May 25th! We have been having a wonderful weekend of making family connections in Leipzig. Cornelius Schröder, Martin’s second cousin, has been our host. The boys stayed at his apartment while Lisa + Martin stayed in a hotel. We ended up being here Pentecost weekend, which for many Graefe relatives includes an annual get-together to celebrate the music of the Leipzig area, centered for the family each year around concerts of medieval church music. The final concert took place on Sunday afternoon in an old church in Wechselburg; it was packed to standing room only which included about forty people, relatives and friends, connected to the Graefes. In the Biergarten afterwards, with everybody sitting at one looooong table, Andrew said it best: “I always had thought our Graefe family was small!” It was truly amazing to all of a sudden be in the middle of so many relatives; the boys met three third cousins; Martin met two descendants from his great-grandfather’s brother! To top it all off, we ended up going to one more concert, on Monday and heard a concert on Saxony’s oldest organ, recently restored last fall, accompanied by a violin. Christian even talked with the violinist and got to play a few notes on her 400 year-old violin. It was all around quite impressive and a great way to top off a weekend with family and truly exceptional music. Before we left Leipzig, Cornelius showed us the highlights of the city itself, including the Thomaskirche, where JS Bach is laid to rest; the Nikolaikirche, credited with facilitating the peaceful revolution that led to Germany’s unification in ’89; and the Coffe Baum, Leipzig’s oldest café, which was in the family for about 100 years, starting in 1798.

Avignon, 25, 2007

Au revoir – Auf Wiedersehen – see you later, Avignon! As excited as I am to Lisa and boys again, I am also a bit sad to leave Avignon. This second week brought with it a cohort of new students that was very agréable, a group that seemed more open and connected. My last day here was fabulous: class in the morning, then a group field trip to Villeneuve des Avignon (same place where I went to the ‘empty attic’ (direct translation from ‘vide grenier’) sale last weekend) where we had a quick orientation to the farmers market and then were told to buy whatever we wanted to eat for our pique nique lunch… we each went in different directions and came back with what amounted to be an amazing collection of treats: goat cheese (at three different levels of aging), caviar pâté, funky little bit-sized sausages, other dips and cheeses, fresh cherries and strawberries, as well as … baguette. Together with a couple of bottles of vin rouge. Not a bad assortment for what people here call an apéritif! There is a great public bathroom experience that caps this first part of the outing, something to be told in person… suffice it to say, the toilet did not flush (by itself) until after one leaves the bathroom unit… The rest of the afternoon was spent doing the sights of the town, with another extraordinary event: Martin ate for the first time ever an almond directly freshly picked off an almond tree! Otherwise this week’s highlights:
ü around 90 degrees F every day this week, in Avignon – no air-conditioning
ü one of the new participants this week works for a think tank on environmental policy issues in Berlin (advising EU and German policy makers) – she knew all about the Waldsee BioHaus (at CLV), which, by the way, earned an Minnesota Environmental Issues award this past week and has been nominated (one of 21 projects) for a World Clean Energy Award to be awarded to seven organizations in Basel/Switzerland June 15
ü cultural highlights: went to two concerts this week, an open air concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a (MPR-like) regional radio station, featuring what one can easily classify as French chanson singers, and a truly magnificient concert in the Avignon’s Notre Dame cathedral on my last night here, a concert for organs (2) and trumpets (16!), featuring classics from Händel and Purcell – truly an amazing sound! Since no French composers were on the program, they added in a ‘surprise’ at the end: the Marseillaise! Vive la France!
ü Christian’s been battling a bit of a stomach flu this week in Schönwalde, coming home early from school on Monday and going back and forth into feverishness… today he apparently was better again. So far no similar reports (that I am aware of) from others, Graefes, Imsdahls, or Hainses. Hopefully he’ll feel alright by Saturday, when we start a 2-week stretch that leads us to Leipzig, Riesa/Dresden, and Innsbruck, fortunately all places with good personal.

Avignon – May 20, 2007

Flea market Extraordinaire. Twice last week the instructor of the advanced class, somehow the real beginners needed real help and they decided I should be in the advanced class…, referenced this ‘event’ of sorts that he thought we students should be aware of. So, today, I walked across the Rhône River, found my way to centre ville in this town called Villeneuve (the new city). I wandered about a bit, trying to find this festival, this event, and finally asked someone. Over the hill and spread throughout the town was this massive flea market, all outside, in the narrow little side streets, on little squares, in the court yard of a medieval monastery… and thousands of people in this sleepy little neighbor town of Avignon. Mixed in with all the clothes, old boots, books (101 Dalmatians, in French of course, among them), was street food, yummy French pastries as well as Vietnamese and African treats. Street cafes here and there. Beer, coffee wine. Red elephant shaped toilet training potty; lots of used toys; various parts of rusty equipment; LP’s and video games; lots of sets of little espresso cups; ashtrays (maybe the French are also starting to smoke less); souvenirs from travels abroad. My favorite, and I went back to visit them twice, was this set of three garden gnomes, French garden gnomes… awfully cute! They had had their tongues sticking out. But, as much as I wanted them, it was just too unpractical – I had no room in my luggage. On my first visit back I took a picture. On my second visit back, to say au revoir mes amis, there were only two! One, the one riding the frog had been separated from his buddies; someone had the heart to just by one of them – and they were selling at half price; encroyable - unbelievable! Just think, this picture is very likely the very last picture ever taken of this very handsome French garden gnome threesome!

Talked with Lisa tonight. Everyone was doing homework. Christian and Carl will be going back to school with the Imsdahl kids tomorrow and the rest of this week. How lucky they are! We had a great call; all is going well and everyone sounded happy; they all had a blast with the Haines visiting there as well (they even extended their stay by a day, so much fun they were having) – 9 kids, five adults! Thermal bath visit, including sauna and water slides. Jazz fest in Eutin for the adults one evening. Another trip to the beach on the Baltic Sea today. The boys are curious about my breakfast conversations with Madame (today I asked her about the tadpoles she’s raising to turn into frogs to eat the snails in the yard), what my favorite new French word is (can’t tell quite yet!), and whether I speak German with the other participants (no – while all speak German, we have all stuck with French, or silence, as a mode of communication, even though we didn’t sign any sort of oath – guess we’re all just so motivated – ha!).

Avignon – May 17 (Ascension Day)

Sorry that I have not posted on the blog all week… I’ve been pre-occupied with covering the basic needs and getting acclimated. I did find an internet café where I can use my laptop, but then could not get access to the blog somehow – Lisa’s been doing the posting up til now!
Today is a holiday, so no classes. Yesterday was a big day in France, with the transition of power from Jacques Chirac to Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s new president. So, in class that was the main topic of discussion and conversation; we also watched the actual change-over ceremonies live on TV. After a mid-day snack of baguette, cheese and some wine in the park-like garden of the school, we went on an excursion to a little town called Boulbon, to visit the ruins of an old Roman castle and an active, restored medieval moulin – wind mill. As we walked to the mill, we passed orange and olive trees and François, the school’s founder/director, pointed to various herbs (de Provence) along the way… I picked some thyme, rosemary, lavender and juniper berries along the way.
Today I think I’ll do some of the traditional touristy things around Avignon… sur le pond d’Avignon, ont y danse tous en rond… - à la prochaine!

Avignon – May 15

After a great flight with Ryanair (currently offering the best deals (often for $29.99 Euro or less, one way, some extra charges apply) for flying within Europe, however only to selected smaller airports) from Lübeck to Marseille, and after navigating – all in French! - a shuttle bus, a train (TGV- France’s high speed train) and a cab, Martin arrived chez the ‘townhome’ of Mme Danielle Eboly in Avignon. The room is small (about the size of four queen size beds, even though there only is one…), but comfortable, with my own mini fridge, ¾ size bathroom (separated by curtain from the rest of the room), a wardrobe and a small desk. I have my own entrance and so also quite a bit of privacy. In the mornings I go down the very narrow, spiral steps, through the yard, past my favorite fig tree, and into Madame’s kitchen for breakfast. She, retired and living alone (besides the various foreign students she hosts), joins me and entertains me with her thoughts for the day, about the world, languages, French politics and current issues – all in French.
The first day of classes was a bit overwhelming . I am wondering why I am doing this; our little family has had such a great trip and time together; it’s very strange to all of a sudden be alone here in Avignon. Language wise, I understand a lot, most of what is being talked about, even if not all, but my speaking skills are truly minimal. I have the basics down for being a tourist, but beyond that I seem to have lost whatever vocabulary and grammar I once might have had, since my last efforts at studying French were 23 years ago. The staff at the school (CEILA) is very nice; the atmosphere is informal and family-like; the other students (mostly in their 20s) are mostly personable. All the students – there are only about six right now - are focused only on speaking French, even during breaks and after class. So, I am mostly quiet, taking in the conversations of others, smiling and nodding, making various facial expressions of surprise, agreement or disagreement, and often sharing a puzzled look. What surprised me, even as I started looking up some words in the dictionary in the days before my voyage to France, was that I automatically shift into thinking in English when figuring out how to express/translate something in French. For the first five weeks of our European stay, I processed everything in German and it’s confusing to all of a sudden have English popping up as the dominant language. At night, it takes me some time to process random French words or expressions before going to sleep.
I talked to Lisa on the phone – all seems well with the clan. Christian and Carl are going to school with Solveig/Marit and Olaf respectively the first couple of days of this week. The Haines family arrived in Schönwalde this evening after their visit in Münster.

Schönwalde … Avignon/France - May 13, 2007

Today Martin leaves for his French immersion experience in Avignon. The day – and we do celebrate the mothers in our midst today and every day – started with going to a small church (a rural church with services every other Sunday, where Ingrid and Pete used to be caretakers and grave diggers) with Solveig playing the organ. Attendance was strong due to a baptism. While special chairs (mini-thrones, one could say) are always reserved for the local duke’s family at the back of the church, they did not make an appearance that day. Back at home, and after a group effort changing a flat on the Imsdahl van, it was time for cinnamon rolls and brunch, served outside on the porch. Later Ingrid and Lisa dropped Martin off at the Lübeck airport and then treated themselves for Kaffee und Kuchen in Travemünde before picking up Pete at the train station – he spent the weekend teaching a couple of GMAT preparation courses in Frankfurt.

Eutin/Schönwalde – May 12, 2007

Our arrival in Schönwalde offers us another opportunity to become part of life in Germany. Lisa, Christian, Carl and Andrew will be here a full two weeks, joining our friends in the daily routine of things. Lisa spent the first days catching up with Ingrid, while doing laundry, drying the clothes by turning them frequently on the hot tiles of the Kachelofen (wood-fired stove with ceramic tiles that retain the heat for hours-the furnace for the house, and Ingrid fires it just in the mornings once to take the edge of the cooling down overnight). Everyone helps, doing dishes, setting the table, etc. We even listened in on a practice/rehearsal session of our friend's musical trio (Solveig on piano, Marit on violin, and Olaf on cello) at the music school in Luebeck, as they prepare for their national competition in Erlangen (near Nürnberg) on 5/25 – they are truly amazing, talented musicians and will represent the state of Schleswig Holstein proudly!
The kids all get along really well and play games well into the evening hours. Without TV and computer access, the focus is on each other, spending time outdoors and reading books. It’s a nice balance to other parts of the European adventure so far where the focus has been more on seeing stuff and meeting lots of people, etc. Of course, Lisa and boys will also enjoy sightseeing in the area, especially in Lübeck and various must-see hot spots along the Baltic Sea.

Eisenach – May 10, 2007

Happy Birthday, Jon Erik! He is fifteen years old today and we are having a great time celebrating together. We have been in Eisenach since Monday. Eisenach is a city we really liked when we traveled through this area in 2005 and vowed to return to one day.

When we drove here on Monday afternoon, we wound up driving through the countryside because of a detour. I am glad we could get off the Autobahn and see a little bit of East Germany. Twenty years ago this area was in the German Democratic Republic, and a member of the Warsaw pact alliance. It is very interesting to be somewhere that would not have been open to us during the Cold War.

In Eisenach we visited many very memorable sites. On Tuesday we walked through the town and went to the Bach house. We saw St. George’s Church, where J. S. Bach was baptized and where members of his family were organists. On Wednesday we went to the Wartburg castle. The Wartburg is famous to Lutherans and linguists alike, because it is there that Martin Luther lived in hiding and translated the New Testament into German. This served to make the Bible accessible to the common people and to standardize written German. Luther lived in Eisenach as a youth while attending school, so we were able to see the house he lived in. It is now an interactive museum – very well done and informative.

Today we are parting with the Haines clan. We are driving up to Lübeck to stay with the Imsdahl family. The Haines’ are driving to Münster. They will be staying with Martin’s uncle and aunt. After a few days Heidi, Jeff and family will visit the Imsdahls too. They will be on their way to Scandinavia. We will see them then.

Cantate Gottesdienst & Maulbronn – May 7, 2007

Our incredible weekend continued. Yesterday was Sunday morning, but not just any Sunday morning. This Sunday is a special day, because at church the service was full of music. Anneliese sang with the church choir and Jo played his trombone from the top of the church tower with his brass ensemble. We were invited to come along, so of course we did. Heidi and I listened from the street, while Jeff, Martin and the kids went up. It was beautiful – a very meaningful church service, and then a walking tour of the city that Anneliese arranged for us.

In the afternoon, Philipp Dohse (Jo’s son) and Cora Koch (Philipp’s girlfriend) took us to see Maulbronn. This monastery and town are a great example of medieval life. Jo is a member of the Maulbronner Kammerchor (chamber choir), so it was fun to see a place that means a lot to him. We have been staying with Jo and Philipp. They are great hosts and we have enjoyed chatting and drinking Jo’s excellent homemade Most (hard cider). This whole weekend has been terrific. It is truly amazing to see friendships that span years, continents and generations. What a blessing it is to be human and to be able to offer and receive hospitality. One day we hope to welcome Jo and Philipp and Cora or any combination of Dohses to Minnesota. We are most certainly blessed.

Today our time together had a very sweet ending with a visit to a candy factory and museum right here in Vaihingen/Enz. We had lots of fun and purchased lots of treats for the car trip to Eisenach. The above picture shows us with our purchases. Anneliese, Philipp and his brother, Jakob, helped us make our choices and are pictured with us.

Vaihingen/Enz – May 6, 2007

We are having a very special weekend. Thirty-six years ago (1970-71) my family lived for the school year in a small town in southern Germany. I attended 4th grade at the town elementary school, while my little sister was a 2nd grader. My little brother, David, was only 3 years old. During that year my parents made some very dear friends, Reinhardt and Anneliese Dohse. Reinhardt passed away in 1992, but we were able to visit Anneliese, along with her children and grandchildren, at her home in Vaihingen this weekend. It has been a lovely reunion. Both Heidi and I have fond memories of our time here, and it is so sweet to have contact with such dear people after all this time. Over the years, our parents and the Dohses have written and visited. Friendships such as these are true blessings.

Friday was a big event with a grill evening at Jo Dohse’s (Anneliese’s son). It was so fun to see everyone. Anneliese’s children, Christoph, Beate and Jo were there along with Christoph’s and Jo’s families. We missed Cornelia (Anneliese’s youngest daughter), who is an artist living in Buffalo, New York.

On Saturday, we went to our old town Geisingen (now called Freiberg) and visited our school and found our house. Beate (Anneliese’s daughter and our favorite babysitter) came with us. We could even go into the school, because a very kind teacher, Petra Moldt, happened to be working. Frau Moldt had the keys to our old classrooms, so it was a wonderful opportunity to reminisce and show the kids where we went to school. The picture on the left is taken in my 4th grade classroom with Beate (on the left) and Frau Moldt (next to Beate), then it's me and Heidi.

After our walk down memory lane in Geisingen, we all went to Ludwigsburg to see one of our favorite childhood places – the Märchengarten! This is a truly magical place where fairy tales are told and mechanically displayed. You can see a picture of Solveig at the Hansel and Gretel Witch's house above. Right next to this amazing place is the Ludwigsburger Schloss, a real palace. It was all so cool, we had to tour both! What an incredible time we’ve had.