"Mary Ann has two speeds: Go full force and stop!" --jeff laun

Tonight I stopped. Today was a full day since the Pope was in town and I had a play to see at 2pm. I left the hotel about 8:00 since I heard the Pope was saying mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th avenue. Last night, after seeing the Tony award winning musical "Spring awakening," we went to Charlie O's for our post play discussion. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, me included! On the way home, I suggested that we take the long way via Rockefeller Plaza. Jan, Pat, Mane and Rosemary joined me.

The Plaza was beautiful with blue white lights. We then walked back to our hotel via 5th Avenue to check out the preparations for the Pope's visit tomorrow. It was unusally quiet, and unlike the Rose Parade, the police sent everyone home. No one was allowed to camp out.
This morning, I had planned to go down there with the purpose of checking out the activity. I really had a priority of getting to the Guggenheim Museum by 10 to see the Cai Guo-Wong exhibit "I want to believe." Lissa has told me that is was wonderful...

When I arrived at 48th and 5th, a few blocks from St. Patrick's there was a police barracade. I had to backtrack around the corner to 6th and then travel down about a half a mile until I saw a barracade that was letting people in. The crowd control was amazing...each street was blocked off and on one side of one block I counted 12 NYPD officers. This was serious security...

I grabbed coffee and headed out into the crowd. It was just amazing. Many groups had brought guitars, drums, amd tambourines and were singing Christian songs in their native languages. The rhythm was mermerizing, like meditation and prayer. I lingered for awhile and before long, the motorcade made its way down 5th avenue. Atleast twenty police in motorcyles led the way, then secret service, and the fleet of limosines, one which had the Holy Father. It was something to experience as the crowds of thousands cheered to welcome him to New York. To me, it was such a spiritual moment, as the crowd cheered in unison, flags waving, and signs in the air.

Then off to the subway to be at the Guggenheim when it opened at 10am. I visited this Museum years ago and I wanted to see it again. It is a spiral building and you ascend up around the spiral as the exhibit unfolds. I provided the link for this exhibit so that you also can experience it. It was amazing...

I then left the Guggenheim and walked down to the Neue Gallery (pronounced Noyay) which is a museum of German and Austrian arts, especially focusing on the turn of the century arts and crafts secession movement as well as 20th century arts. I had seen a Sunday morning segment on the Gudtave Klimt exhibit and since I had seen a major exhibit on this same period in Viennese art when I last visited New York twenty-five years ago, I was interested in seeing this one also. It too was beautiful and I was able to hang around a "private tour" when I wasn't listening to the recorded tour. Enlightening as well...

As I was heading back to the theatre area, my feet were so sore since I managed to hurt my toes last night as I navigated to the bathroom. Ouch! and since my feet were so sore from all the miles we have walked already, I took a cab back into the downtown area. The traffic was horrendous because of the Pope's visit so I asked to get out at 58th and Park Avenue. I could see the helicopters so it seemed the Pope was almost ready for the popemobile parade down 5th avenue. The timing was critical for me since I had to walk (hobble?) another mile to get to the theatre by 2. I happened to be at a place where they set up another baracade so I could see fairly well, near Bergdorf Goodman's windows. By this time the crowds were just tremendous, all ages, all races and religions, here to welcome him. And then, the crescendo rose and he travelled down 5th avenue. Another moment (of many this week) to remember...

To the play, a political comedy called November with Nathan Lane, but alas, I could barely keep my eyes open. I hate that when you have to struggle to stay awake and you can imagine it was bad, because this was a very funny play and Nathan Lane was fabulous... Needless to say, I bailed after the first two acts and headed home to Jeff, weaving my way through the people and the street fairs...everyone was partying in the city...Spring was here and they were all so happy to have warm weather. Tonight I am in stop mode...and Jeff went down to say we would notbe joined the group on the harbor cruise. I am done...tomorrow we pack and leave about 2 for the airport. What a trip this has been and what a marvelous city, filled with diversity, creativity and a value for the arts! New York, New York!

More of Jeff's thoughts on NY

Generally New Yorkers seem to be very friendly. They always say "Excuse me" or "Sorry". A lady tripped on the sidewalk and no less than 5 people rushed to see that she was okay. But if one yells at a New Yorker, they always yell back. Even on the subway when everyone is jammed together like sardines, people will say "excuse me".

The signage on the Subway could be improved. Some subway lines are very clear, but others can be confusing.

Middle school kids in Central park were betting on a Math problem and ended up calling the teacher on the phone to settle the bet. I know the correct answer, but just listened to the fun argument. Sorry that the 3 girls were worng and the guy had the right answer.

Surprising how few street performers there are. Almost none on the street and a few in the subway hallways.

New York is also pretty clean and graffiti free.

The trash system is odd. Just in front of our hotel there were 40 trash bags piled up for 4 days before getting picked up.

If you go to Ellis Island, go early. We waited for 2 hours in line. We weren't moving at all, but just 5 minutes after we decided NOT to leave the line started moving forward and we gone on the ferry soon afterward.

Ellis Island was a interesting and emotional experience. There is a wall with 500,000 names on it. It was quite impressive, then I realized that 24 times that many people came through Ellis Island.

Security screeners at the Statue of Liberty don't have a sense of humor.

It was interesting at Ellis island to read about some of the attitude towards immigrants. Some very similar things that we see today, like immigrants taking American jobs, not learning English or not assimilating.

Even though we all have seen the Statue of Liberty many times, seeing her in person is worth it.

On the ferry ride there was a whole class of kids eating blue Statue of Liberty suckers. All their tongues, lips were really really blue. That was funny, but it was also funny that they were dipping the sticky suckers into popcorn and eating the popcorn off the suckers. I love to watch kids interacting.

Seeing ground zero of the World Trade Center was so emotional. I looked out at an empty block of land, then suddenly the whole emotion of that day overcame me.

I have now found geocaches in New York and New Jersey.

I got to go Orienteering in New Jersey today.

If you want to see the ethnic mix of NY, don't go to the United Nations, go to the OTB parlor (off track horse betting). I went and heard so many different languages yelling for their horse to come in.

Funny listening to Yankees yelling at Red Socks fans. Getting off the subway a Boston guy and girl with Boston hats walking. A Yankee fan shouts "Ahhh, look at the cute Red and Blue hats, ahhh, you must be in love"

At the Yankke game I met the lady that brought back Cracker Jacks to Yankee stadium. In 2004, the Yankees stopped selling Cracker Jacks. She has newspaper friends and started a newspaper campain that really took off. For a month all the NY papers were talking about the missing snack. Afterall, it is in the song, how can you not have it. Reportedly, George Steinbrenner was told "The fans aren't happy" and he brought it back.

New Yorkers accents are more pronounced when shouting and when shouting at a ball game they have a really strong accent.

The Yankee fans eat a lot. I asked people around me how the food lines were and from pregame to the 7th inning the line was 40 people deep. Not to mention the amount of beer that was consumed.

We went to a park in Brooklyn and watched a class of way way out of control kids. It was quite a sight as 5 or so of the kids were hiding behind statues. Mary Ann and I kept pointing to the hiding kids, so the teachers would know where their missing kids were.

The jaywalking procedure is really weird here. Basically you just cross the street whenever you feel like it. You don't worry too much if cars are coming. If one person jaywalks, stopping cars then everyone does the same causing cars to be often stuck in crosswalks. I really can't figure out the mindset of people causing such traffic problems.

Jeff's thoughts on NY

Generally New Yorker's seem to be very friendly. They always say "Excuse me" or "Sorry". A lady tripped on the sidewalk and no less than 5 people rushed to see that she was okay. But if one yells at a New Yorker, they always yell back. Even on the subway when everyone is jammed together like sardines, people will say "excuse me".

The signage on the Subway could be improved. Some subway lines are very clear, but others can be confusing.

Middle school kids in Central park were betting on a Math problem and ended up calling the teacher on the phone to settle the bet. I know the correct answer, but just listened to the fun argument. Sorry that the 3 girls were worng and the guy had the right answer.

Surprising how few street performers there are. Almost none on the street and a few in the subway hallways.

New York is also pretty clean and graffiti free.

The trash system is odd. Just in front of our hotel there were 40 trash bags piled up for 4 days before getting picked up.

If you go to Ellis Island, go early. We waited for 2 hours in line. We weren't moving at all, but just 5 minutes after we decided NOT to leave the line started moving forward and we gone on the ferry soon afterward.

Ellis Island was a interesting and emotional experience. There is a wall with 500,000 names on it. It was quite impressive, then I realized that 24 times that many people came through Ellis Island.

Security screeners at the Statue of Liberty don't have a sense of humor.

It was interesting at Ellis island to read about some of the attitude towards immigrants. Some very similar things that we see today, like immigrants taking American jobs, not learning English or not assimilating.

Even though we all have seen the Statue of Liberty many times, seeing her in person is worth it.

On the ferry ride there was a whole class of kids eating blue Statue of Liberty suckers. All their tongues, lips were really really blue. That was funny, but it was also funny that they were dipping the sticky suckers into popcorn and eating the popcorn off the suckers. I love to watch kids interacting.

Seeing ground zero of the World Trade Center was so emotional. I looked out at an empty block of land, then suddenly the whole emotion of that day overcame me.

I have now found geocaches in New York and New Jersey.

I got to go Orienteering in New Jersey today.

If you want to see the ethnic mix of NY, don't go to the United Nations, go to the OTB parlor (off track horse betting). I went and heard so many different languages yelling for their horse to come in.

Funny listening to Yankees yelling at Red Socks fans. Getting off the subway a Boston guy and girl with Boston hats walking. A Yankee fan shouts "Ahhh, look at the cute Red and Blue hats, ahhh, you must be in love"

At the Yankke game I met the lady that brought back Cracker Jacks to Yankee stadium. In 2004, the Yankees stopped selling Cracker Jacks. She has newspaper friends and started a newspaper campain that really took off. For a month all the NY papers were talking about the missing snack. Afterall, it is in the song, how can you not have it. Reportedly, George Steinbrenner was told "The fans aren't happy" and he brought it back.

New Yorkers accents are more pronounced when shouting and when shouting at a ball game they have a really strong accent.

We went to a park in Brooklyn and watched a class of way way out of control kids. It was quite a sight as 5 or so of the kids were hiding behind statues. Mary Ann and I kept pointing to the hiding kids, so the teachers would know where their missing kids were.

The jaywalking procedure is really weird here. Basically you just cross the street whenever you feel like it. You don't worry too much if cars are coming. If one person jaywalks, stopping cars then everyone does the same causing cars to be often stuck in crosswalks. I really can't figure out the mindset of people causing such traffic problems.

Totally exhausted in NY...but who's stopping?

Today, we took the subway into Brooklyn's Prospect park where Jeff had heard there is a frisbee golf course. Unfortunately, the frisbee course is based on landmarks instead of baskets. Hit the hydrant on the left side of the road....

Oh well, we enjoyed exploring this park that was designed by the people who designed Central Park. We geocached along the way and unfortunately the Audubon Center was also closed until noon. We were too early. After 2 1/2 hours of walking, we landed at the Brooklyn Public Library (the central library) which is quite formidable in its presence. In the borough of Brooklyn though, there are 60 branches of the library system. It is centered in a large quad area with an "arc de triomph" type memorial. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe called Cheryl's soul food and then while we were eating lunch, I looked at the map and realized that we were very close to where Jon Levenson (Lissa's buddy) lives. Unfortunately he was working...






We navigated ourselves on the subway back to the Financial district and called our Parisian (now very American) cousin who suggested we meet at the Seaport village near the Brooklyn bridge. We sat and visited for an hour and a half, and really enjoyed our time with her. She is an art student at Parson's School of Design. We walked away and only then realized that we forgot to get a picture...that is quite unlike us!

We ae now back recovering...Jeff just left for the part of Central Park where the Pope is not, and I am now signing off to get ready to go see Spring Awakening. I am tired...but from what I hear, this play will keep me awake! More later...
Later...here are some pictures of our group...

The Pope is in NY...and it is Friday in NY City

Last night, Jeff headed to the Yankee game and I went with the theatre group to see Crimes of the Heart. I really enjoyed it especially because of the relationships of the sisters. After the theatre we went to Rosie O'Grady's to talk about the play...it was amazing to me how many people could not relate to the play and how disfunctional so many people's family experiences are. I feel so lucky to have a close-knit family...on my side as well as Jeff's. All three of these plays have been family-issue related...but by far, the best play was Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Tonight, we see Spring Awakening...it won the Tony award and apparantly is a wild rock musical...I heard some of the leaders preparing the group for something wildly different...should be fun!

Today Jeff and I were going to get up and go to the Today Show which is just 5 blocks away. When the alarm went off, I got up, made the coffee, took my shower and then thought "what a stupid idea" and then we went back to sleep for an hour! ;-)

Today we are heading to Prospect Park in Brooklyn where we plan to go frisbee golfing...and the Brooklyn Botanical gardens and the Brooklyn Public Library are close by...we'll see where life takes us today. This afternoon we hope to connect with Penelope Pochez from Paris (who goes to Parson's School of Design). She has a hectic schedule this week but we hope to see her.

Here are some more pictures from Central Park

Thursdays destination: Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

Beautiful day...but long lines...now we know to make a reservation! Still we got on the boat and saw Lady Liberty in all her glory. Ellis Island was such a wonderful experience and the exhibits were so moving. It is hard to believe that this was an immigration entrance *only* from the late 1880s to the 1920s. We loved being there and reflecting on the diversity that makes us great!
tonight...off to Crimes of the Heart...I am meeting Rosemary in 10...Jeff is off to the Yankee game...

If it's Wednesday, it must be August: Osage County

Jeff and I were tired so we slept in a bit and then headed to 5th Avenue and Rockefeller Center. We had planned to meet Chris's Mom, Louise who is a window designer/dresser for Faccionable, which is in the heart of the upscale trendy area. Jeff and I wandered around Rockefeller Center and I loved seeing where the Today is filmed. You know all those groupies that hang out there during the Today show? I might just be there Friday morning! or maybe not...we are going with the wind these days.

The Rockefeller Center buildings are just beautiful. We wandered inside so that Jeff could check the directory. He just cannot fathom how many businesses are occupying these skyscrapers. When we went inside, we were amazed about the beauty of the buildings. Gold and black, art deco or art nouveau styles, rich and elegant, timeless...

We wandered about...exploring...This city is filled with tulips, daffofills, hyacinths, and other spring flowers. We then met Louise Lund for a nice lunch. Although I have met her before, she had not met Jeff and so they enjoyed their time together.

We then walked about a mile down 5th Avenue checking out the shops as well as the fantastic buildings...St. Patrick's cathedral is almost shadowed by the large skyscrapers yet its Gothic arches stand tall and stately. Beautiful!. We walked through Trump towers and found a few geocaches in these "pocket parks" sandwiched between skyscrapers.

One of these parks had a large section of the Berlin Wall, which is interesting since we just saw a section at the Reagan Presidential Library a few weeks ago.


We crossed the street to check out the great windows at Bergdorf Goodwin at the same time that a motorcade with all the flashing lights, machine guns, and security agents went screaming around the corner...we still don't know who is was though. Maybe Nelson Mandela????


Central part was lovely...the trees are all in bloom and glorious...and we managed to find a few caches there as well. We only covered the lower quarter of the part but did see Strawberry Fields as well as the momument to John Lennon near the area where he was killed. There were flowers strewn everywhere and many people were gathering there. It is one of the most visited places in Central Park.

Then tonight Jeff headed to the Mets game and Mane and I went to dinner and then to 45th street to see the Pulitzer prize winning play August: Osage County. After last night's performance, this one paled in comparison and I felt so tired afterward, so Mane and I skipped thepost production discussion and headed home.

Tomorrow...destination Ellis Island.

Jeff's New York sightings, Wednesday

Lots of men are wearing ties around here, today I saw a seemingly homeless man in a nice suit and tie.

I am noticing a lot of jewish people wearing yamicas

I was near a kids playground today and heard the kids talking, but they didn't seem to have the stereo-typical NY accent, I was wondering if they don't get that accent until they are older.

I went to the Mets game today. A hotdog vendor was carrying "bucket" of dogs on his head. A foul ball came flying our way and squarely hit the center of the bucket. It got the biggest standing ovation of the night.

Generally there seems to be no converstaions done on the subway, but I had the nicest talk with a 3rd grader and his dad going to the game. The boy kept asking me questions even as we walked from the subway to the stadium in the midst of huge crowds. He really enjoyed talking to me as I did with him.

I walked all around the stadium and couldn't figure out why there were no scalpers. Finally I saw a sign that said you can't scalp within 1500 feet of the stadium. So I finally walked 1500 feet from the stadium, found a scalper, then walked back just in time for the game.

It's funny to listen to New Yorkers yelling. There was a guy behind us yelling at Carlos Beltran, at one point he yelled "Come on Beltran you remember me". It made me crackup, since number 1 Carlos couldn't possibly hear him and secondly, he wouldn't possibly remember him.

Jeff

Jeff's New York Tuesday night report

New York Report:
Heard a crazy person sreaming at himself (wondered what he was like in elementry school and what point his life became what it is)

Propositioned by a guy in front of a "Gentlemans Club" to come inside

Saw 2 New Yorkers yelling at each other over a parking space vs walking in the street

Seems like not that many people smoke in NY.

Everyone is wearing black. People seem to wear very little color in clothing.

Saw bike riders delivering takeout

Lots of taxis all over the place, but people seem to be waving their arms for a long time without getting picked up.

Can't figure who is living or working in all these giant buildings.

Quite a bit of honking, but not as much as one would expect.

Found 1 geocache in Central Park

Saw a transvestite. I thought it was an ugly man until I heard him/her talking.

Surprisingly few Aisians. Saw a several in the pharmacy then realized I haven't been seeing them around town.

Time Square has a Hersey store, but they don't carry the mint Herseys kisses (How can that be, it's their best product, but they only make it for Christmas)

It's Tuesday and it is Spring in New York City...

Wow....it is hard to remember all we did today. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express at 45th and 5th Avenue, right in the heart of the city, 3 blocks from Times Square and the theatre district and 3 blocks from the public library or St. Patrick's cathedral. Our hotel includes breakfast so we all met there as a group and the guide had arranged a 2.5 tour for us. It was really great because we got a great overview of lower east and west side of Manhattan, traveling to our destination of Battery Park and Ground Zero.

Our first stop was Grand Central station and we walked around the station which is just beautiful...then we trekked on through the Garment District, Meatpacking District, Chelsea, West village, Greenwich Village, Soho and into the Financial District.


We stopped at Battery Park and then went into the World Financial Center to get a bird's eye view of the Twin Towers site. Unbelievable, especially when you consider that the skyscrapers there now are only half the height of the Twin Towers.

We then walked to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the little church across the street from Ground Zero...this little church as you may remember survived the disaster and it became a shelter for all the volunteers and firefighters who worked relentlessly during that time. Beautiful, moving, experience...

We then returned to our hotel and Jeff and I headed for New York Public Library....I loved the grand reading rooms and the ceremonious spaces. Beautiful architecture and rotundas...and so many special collections rooms. And the lions Patience and Fortitude! Someone got those lions/bookends as a wedding gift (hmmm...Shelly?)


We then went to Bryant Park, a beautiful park that is often featured on Good Morning America...we sauntered around and Jeff could not get a good reading on his GPS (because of the skyscrapers...?) We then called Louise Lund, Chris's Mom (Mindy's boyfriend's mother...) and we made arrangements to meet her for lunch tomorrow. She is an artist who does the windows for Faccionable, a Nordstrom division. Apparantly she works right across the street from St. Patrick's cathedral. She had just returned from the fabric mart.

Then a nap...and since my feet were killing me, Jeff googled "Naturalizers" and off we went to find a store to buy me another pair of shoes. Acckk! I forgot to add an extra pair and a pair of sandals for the theatre. Jeff has the subways almost mastered so we were able to travel there where I tried on about 15 pairs and finally found one that felt good. Ahhh...relief. I made it back to the theatre just in time for the opening of Tennyson Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad (from Cosby fame), and a young actress Anike Noni Rose. I saw this play years ago...but this interpretation seemed so contemporary. It was excellent...but I can't wait to read it since it was published in the 50s.

Then about 12 of us we went across the street to Sardi's, for a nightcap and post-theatre dicsussion....Jane Hallinger, one of our English professors is so good at leading these discussions and we all enjoyed the discussion as well as the coffee, drinks and desserts.

Now home...and I feel wired by the stimulation of the evening. What a great trip this is!

Monday in New York...day 1

We picked up Mane on the street near her home at Holliston and Orange Grove and there she was, with the smallest bag you could imagine. I opted for a big bag because I didn'thave enough time to play my "evening play attire" as well as my "run around the city" attire. We had to take a picture....it was quite funny!

We arrived at the airport, and other than missing Kathleen Rodarte, everything went smoothly. We found out later that you *must* be at the airport one hour before the flight or the flight is closed to you. She was stuck...and we had no way of knowing.

The flight was smooth (mostly) and we cruised and snoozed...all the way across country. We arrived in NY and met Mike Torres, our Bostonian tour guide. He led us to a bus and gave us a little information as we approached Manhattan.

After a brief rest, we met in the lobby and Mike took us to the subway. it was a really beautiful evening and the Crysler building and NYPL beckoned us to return. We took this intricate configuration of subways to Chinatown where we walked the streets, meandering from Chinese restaurants to Italian. Our restaurant was El Mela, 167 Mulberry Street. Low key Italian, tasty food and good company! We were all happy to be here in New York. After we returned to the hotel, Jeff and I wanted to walk a bit more so we headed to Times Square. It was brimming with lights and people...everywhere. We took about an hour walking around the area...and now my feat hurt! I guess I didn't realize how far we walked today.

Tomorrow, a tour of the city and then in the evening, we are going to see Cat on a Hot Tin roof. http://broadway.yahoo.com/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof/show/94?loc=1

It's the middle of the night...

Ah...3:30am...and I just rolled out of bed to make the coffee...
We are ready! We leave on American Flight 118 at 6:30. We will arrive in NY at 2:50 pm and then go directly to our hotel...a few hours to acclimmate and then a walking tour of midtown Manhattan. then we go to Little Italy for a dinner together with the group.

New York, New York

Sunday, April 13th, 2008
Today Jeff and I are getting the suitcases down from the attic and packing for our trip to New York with the PCC Theatre in New York trip for Spring break. Jeff has prepared much more than I have with his GPS downloads, Google maps aerial take on the city and the subways and trains, orienteering events, Frisbee golf courses, and other interests. As for me, it has been a hectic few work weeks, so I'll pack, grab my guidebook and a few other books, and land in the plane before I can really think about New York. On my list though are the Klimt exhibit at the Neue gallery, seeing my cousin Penelope Pochez at Parson's NY, (her gallery is at this site: http://penelopepochez.deviantart.com/gallery/)and (ok...this is complicated) my daughter Mindy's boyfriend's mother Louise Lund, who designs windows for Faccionable, a Nordstrom's division. Ah, and then there is Jon Levenson, Lissa's longtime friend. I definitely want to see him...

Ok, back to packing....

Laun Finds and Laun Mines - Last Days in Germany

24 August 2006

We arrived in Crailsheim (not far from Rottenberg and one hour from Stuttgart, due north of Konstanz…) around 6 pm after a very ambitious day. The hardest thing was convincing Amy to get up by 8:30 so we could get on the road by 9 am. ;-) I knew that we wanted to take some time along our way to visit some historical Laun sites. We took the ferry across a beautiful Bodensee (known to non-locals as Lake Constance) and headed north through some beautiful areas…farmlands, countryside with castles and churches in the distance….and, after a gentle rain, everything was so green.

Our first destination was Konigsbronn (with an umlat over the O!) where we looked for a place to have a little lunch. It seems like Germany is very much like France…no one was around and everything looked locked up. We stopped at a place near to the center where, like the continental divide, waters flow south, or north towards the Danube. It was beautiful pond and grotto and we met a nice German family from the Black Forest area. They suggested we check for family information at the city hall or they thought they had seen a museum. We found the museum but unfortunately it was only open on Mondays and Fridays.

We drove out of the town where many of Jeff’s relatives were born and lived their lives in the 1700s and 1800s…and I quickly glanced at Gabi’s notes to find that this was the town where we would find the gravesite of Christian Friedrich Laun , who died in 1896. We had rather general directions on how to get there so we found a “Penny Market” and showed some people Gabi’s pictures with the gravestone and the lake. Although they spoke limited English, we got a clear idea of where to go…It is just a half mile from the entrance to the town, near a large Maier factory on the left.

As it was when Jeff’s parents visited, the rain was falling as we approached the cemetery. It was beautiful, just across from a lake. We quickly found the headstone and paid our respects, took some pictures for posterity and then headed for the car as the thunder was approaching. We sat in our car eating a quick lunch …and before we knew it, the rain stopped and we went out to see the lake. Jeff had warned me the day before that it would be raining at the cemetery….he was right!

We then went on to a town called Wasseralfingen where to the east, above the town of Rothert were the old mines. It was a little difficult to find but we arrived in time to get one of the last tours of the day. It was fascinating…and we road on the miners cars deep into the mine for an hour and a half tour where many of the Laun family members worked, many years ago.

The iron from this mine kept the ironwerke facory busy for many centuries. Jeff’s gggrandfather (Johann Christof Laun d. 1784) was secretary at the Iron-werkes and his son Friedrich Christian Laun (1823-1896) was bookkeeper and secretary at the same place. It was a fabulous tour and insight into the life of these miners.

Then on to Wasseralfingen, the neighboring town where we saw where the current site of the SHW ironworks…and the old site of Jeff’s ancestor’s employment. With all we did, it took about 8 hours (including lunch, the mines tour, backtracking and exploring a bit as we went along.) What a day!

Then a beautiful 40 minute ride through the green countryside to visit Ruth and Romi, Lucas and Elena once more in Crailsheim. Ruth had heard in Munich that Jeff loved spaetzle so she and Romi prepared this special dish for us. Then, tomorrow, a 6- 8 hour trek to Paris for the trip home on Saturday. It seems, at the end of a journey, there is no regret to go home. We have traveled so many roads and seen so many places, but we are eager to see our own home and families. We are ready to head to California!

Last day in Konstanz and we leave for Crailsheim

24 August 2006

The final two days of our vacation begin today as we leave the loving home of the Kenkels and travel north to visit the Royal Ironworks of Wasseralfingen where the great grandfather Christian Friedrich Laun and his father worked. We will also visit the gravesite of Christian Friedrich Laun 1720-1806 and his wife Barbara Maierin Laun 1718-1797. then we will stay in Crailsheim and have s little supper with Ruth and Romi, Lucas and Elena.

Yesterday was a beautiful day…the sky had cleared and we woke to the silvery waters of the Bodensee. We met the Kenkel family at the ferry and rode to Meersburg. We walked in the town and had lunch at the winery that overlooks the water. Then as Ursula, Peter and Josef took the children home for a nap, Gabi, Jeff, Amy and I toured the ruins of the old castle. Parts of this castle date back to the 600s and we enjoyed Gabi’s guided tour. We also visited the place where Annette von Droste-Hulshuff, a Westfalian poet, wrote many of her poems.

We returned on the ferry for a little nap and then went to Gabi’s at 6 for our final visit. Ah, we will really miss them all, but there is no question that Ramona will miss her Amy. Ursula explained to her that we must leave to go home and that Amy lives far away, farther than from Vechta to Konstantz. Her little eyes widened as she tried to understand…it broke our hearts…she is a little precious child and it will be hard to wait 5-6 years before we see her again. We hope that they will come to see us when the children are a little older.

Jeff prepared a little slide show of our trip and we enjoyed looking at Gabi’s album of all the cards from the Laun family to the Kenkel family. Then they presented some kindereggs for us to take home as well as several gifts...books on Konstanz, a keychain for Amy that Gabi picked out with a memorial beer stein ;-) and a wonderful keepsake from the old iron werkes. Gabi is so pleased that we want to visit and connect with this part of the Laun family history. The bronze statue she gave us was from the fairy tale of the Frog Prince. Peter reminded us of the story. It is a treasure that we will keep and give to Amy to pass down to the next generation. Big hugs and kisses…and near midnight we left for our pension. We will miss them all so much!

Wednesday in Konstanz

Yesterday it was raining so we decided to stay in the town and do some indoor shopping. We went to Lagos, a new shopping area...4 floors and many shops and restaurants...Amy bought a few things for school and we had lunch with Gabi, Josef, Ursula, Peter and the kids. Ramona is very attached to Amy and us as well. Thomas is so cute...in H and M, I looked over at Jeff and he was holding Thomas and Thomas had a driver's cap on...he looked like a little man...

Since Ursula and Peter just came from the Black Forest, we will stay here and go to Meersburg to visit the old castle. Tomorrow we leave for the mines where members of the Laun family worked many years ago...as well as visit the old gravesites. Romi will join us with her boyfriend...and Ruth wants to prepare dinner. Then Friday, we rise early and drive back to Paris 8 hours to prepare for our trip home on Saturday. We arrive Saturday night...

Gutentag!

Tuesday in konstanz

22 August 2006

Today is Tuesday and it is raining and gloomy. It does not look like the sun will break through but who knows? Throughout our trip, we have only had rain on our traveling days. This may be a day for sightseeing in the car or perhaps shopping with Amy.

Last night I fell into bed exhausted. We spent the day walking all over Konstanz with Christian, Gabi and Josef. There is so much history in this little town that was spared from destruction during the war due to its close proximity to the Swiss border. In fact, Christian warned us that it is very easy to cross over to the Swiss side so we should carry our passports with us.

So many homes in Konstanz are historical landmarks and have the dates either painted or inscribed in stone with the family name. This city is rich in history, both historical and ecumenical. They are so proud that the Ecumenical council of 1414-1418 which was the only time a pope was elected in Germany…and it happened here. This is the land of Baroque art and we enjoyed visiting many historical sites and churches of Konstantz. My favorite is the church where Gabi made her first communion…It is a cathedral church with so many historical styles: Gothic spires, Baroque altars, Rococo ornamentation, a Renaissance entrance…but my favorite part was the areas under the altar where the original church from 900-1000 remains…pure, simple, awesome….St. Conrad was the first bishop of Konstanz and there is a beautiful shrine in his memory.

Jeff, Amy and Christian climbed the 240 steps up to the narrow observation area where they took pictures of the city. It was a beautiful day…

We had a late lunch and then headed to the Mainau Island (also called the flower island) where we walked around the 125 acres…the flowers and plants were beautiful in the late afternoon light. We tried hard to keep up the pace with Christian…he was so funny as our tour guide always on the lookout for a biergarten….He is very knowledegable about Konstanz history as well as European history….We loved his stories and his way of speaking…When Josef dropped us off in Konstanz and was driving away, Christian said: ”Ah father, it is not so wise to follow a policeman down a pedestrian walkway…” You had to be here to hear his droll, deep voice…Tomorrow, he said that we could look at just the ugly churches!

In the evening, Gabi insisted we return to have a little supper of bread and ham…and her little face indicated to Jeff “You do not want to come to us now?” I was ready to go home since I had trekked all over Konstanz in my sandals and my feet hurt…but we could not resist her sweet plea and we went back to their home. Ursula and Peter had arrived and we could visit with the kids a little before they went to bed. Ramona instantly bonded with Amy and she insisted that Amy take her to bed, change her nappie and put her to bed. She is adorable. Thomas had already been put to bed…

We sat around the table and while Gabi, Jeff and I had tea, Amy joined Christian, Peter and Ursula in a beer. They had fun laughing with Amy and teasing her with more beer. Amy loved it! We returned home and fell into bed, exhausted…but happy! Today we plan to go to Merrsburg….but who knows what today will bring, since the rain has moved in… http://www.gaestehaus-holzer.de/

Konstanz...or Amy...do you want to see another church?

21 August 2006

Today is Monday and we are in Konstanz. It is now ten am and the bells are signaling that hour for all the residents of this town. We are staying at a pension called Gastenhaus Holzer…and it is clear that Gabi and Josepf personally picked out this room. It looks to the east and the morning sun on the lake was so beautiful…it took me by surprise when I arose at 7…

We were a little late arriving in Konstanz since the traffic was bad…but once we made our way to the ferry, it was easy…Gabi told us how Heidi had taken Wil and Marcia to the ferry and then because of the fireworks celebration, Heidi could not cross…so she called Gabi and Ursula and Peter were waiting on the other side to pick them up.

It has been unseasonably cool here so many people have left this resort…which is fine with us! I love the cooler weather after so many hot days on our trip. When we arrived, Gabi’s table was set with her beautiful blue and white Meissen china and she served us tea with a traditional summer cake with whole cherries. Josef also gave us the biggest hugs to welcome us. When we were eating our cake, Christian arrived and told us of his adventures with his college buddies in the west side of Constance. We got the maps out and he took us through his trip and then we showed them how close we were to them last Thursday night…as well as how off track we got. Josef was a geography professor so he loved the discussion as well…

Josef told us of his travels…this year, he and Gabi went to Ireland and Croatia…they have been all over the world. It is so interesting to me how much people travel here and how extensively. We in the United States are so insular….although it is true that generally they have many more vacation days that we earn…

We then left to check in at our hotel…there was some confusion when I was emailing Peter…so I regret that we did not pay for our own place ahead of time….normally you reserve it and leave no deposit….you just pay at the end… It probably would not have made any difference since we were told that although we made reservations for Crailsheim for this Thursday, that Ruth has already been there to “confirm it…” Ruth’s daughter’s and grandchildren laughed…and I anticipate that this will be a struggle to pay there as well....

Nevertheless, I spoke to Gabi about it and she made it very clear that there was no discussion and that we are her guests. When we went down for the breakfast here at the Pensione, the young woman laughed and said, it is all taken care of…there are not two bills…only one and it is done!

We have the best view in the Gastenhaus Holzer pensione, of course, as I am sure Gabi and Josef hand picked it. We think also that Josef called before we came and arranged for a personal priority parking space…we are not sure, but after we parked they pulled this little chain around our car….We feel a little like crown prince and princesses returned to the homeland after a long exile in the United States…

Last night we had a dinner of sausages and potato salad, “mouth pockets” (somewhat similar a firm ravioli) that Gabi remembered we loved last visit, and somehow I cannot remember what a low carb diet is…somehow it will come back to me…We then took a long walk along the seashore and saw the fishermen pretending to catch fish, while a rainbow graced the sky. I thanked Gabi for arranging that as well and she thought it was so funny ;-) !

Christian gave us a little history lesson while we walked and then we stopped at a biergarten where Amy and I shared a dark beer, while Gabi and Christan enjoyed theirs. Jeff had sparkling water…Everyone thinks it funny that Jeff does not drink beer…and of course, it does not phase him in the least….

As I sit here looking out at the Bodensee (only English call it Lake Constance, since it is not Konstanz’s lake alone but also shares it with the Swiss and Austrians). I feel the cool breeze…and the warmth that family connections bring. All is good…

Visit to Dachau

August 20th...Visit to Dachau…

On our way out of Munich, we saw the sign for Dachau and decided to visit this camp. Amy had read Elie Weisel’s Night a few years ago and we were interested in seeing this historical site. We found it easily and traveled along the perimeter until we entered the gated area…it is a powerful reminder of this horrible time in not only German history but alo in world history. People were filled with reverence as they walked along the paths of so many who died here and in other camps like this. We visited the religious memorials which are clustered at one end of the camp. The Jewish memorial is striking as is the Catholic Mortal Agony of Christ chapel. I slipped into the Carmelite chapel just as the Italian mass was beginning and stayed through the offertory. There was also a Protestant Church of Reconciliation as well as a Russian Orthodox chapel. The rain was starting to fall as Amy and I toured the crematorium area… We all found it so hard to believe that 200,000 people were here and that 43,000 died in this camp alone. We will never forget this….

Zorneding visit with Ruth and her family... Germany...

20th Aout 2006

It is a rather gloomy day as we leave Zorderling (just outside of Munich, in the farmlands) and the wonderful home of Heidi and Rainer. We are now traveling to see the Kenkel family on the Bodensee (Lake Constance). Like so many legs of our journey, this was another incredible one. We arrived on Friday, two hours late for the birthday brunch of Ruth. We got lost along the way and what we thought was a short backtrack back to the highway 1, was actually an hour’s journey out of our way. We thought we were on one highway n1, but it turns out, we were on highway 1. We took this “shortcut” through the beautiful farmland and rich countryside of northern Switzerland. It was so beautiful…verdant rich pastures with cows and sheep greeting us along the way. Finally near the beautiful town of Wil, we found the highway, called the Strack family and told Bernd that we would be late and not to wait for us. He told us that everyone was so excited for our visit. ;-)

When we arrived all of these wonderful faces came out to greet us and since I had been “testing” Jeff and Amy on the family history (who was who, and who their children were…) we easily knew the connections. Marcia had told me over the phone about the family…Heidi was the oldest and she was the mother of Bernd and Gabriele (also called Sam), Kurt Peter (whose daughters and granddaughters were not there), Tina who is married to Paulo. Tina is an actress and Paulo was a classical ballet dancer…he now is a choreographer). Romi is a teacher and her son Lucas was also there (he is Amy’s age). Gabriela, Bernd’s wife and their beautiful son Tristan also greeted us with joy!

But Ruth’s face as we arrived was glowing…with brightness and lightness. I will never forget it. We ate lunch together and Garbriela told us that Heidi had prepared traditional German foods for this celebration…and her beautiful Villeroy and Bock china called Summerday graced the lovely table.

Amy and I had a beer with the family and we all sat around the table talking and listening to German, English and Czech. We learned that Rainer was in the hospital after a triple bypass and would be in the hospital for three more weeks. Heidi did not speak too much English but we found that with what she alled “hand and foot” gestures, we could communicate fairly well. I wish I had studied more German. Tina, Gabriela, Bernd, and Gabriele spoke English well. Ruth’s English was very good as well! She told us how her grandmother Annella raised her since her mother died a few days after her birth. (Melinda, am I right about this? I may have to update ths information later…) Heidi brought out a picture of the grandmother, who would have been Amy’s great, great grandmother and Jeff took a picture of the picture. It will be nice for Annela to have a picture of her as well.

After our meal and much conversation, we took a long walk through the town of Zorneding with Tina, Paulo, Romi and Kurt. Tina told me the story of how she met Paulo and Kurt told me of his children Claudia and Pina and Claudia’s daughter, Leah. Zorneding was almost exclusively a potato farming town until 50 years ago when the farmers started selling their lands for home development. In the evening we went to a German beer garden where we celebrated Ruth’s birthday. At one point in the evening, Ruth looked at me and said “I feel like I am dreaming…” There was no mistaking her pleasure of having her children around her as well as representatives from the Laun family of Marcia and Wil.

We returned to Heidi’s home and after a little nightcap of French brandy, we went downstairs to our room where the blankets were so warm and heavy. When we turned out the lights, it was so very dark and quiet and we quickly feel asleep, happy that we had connected with this wonderful family.

In the morning, Jeff and I rose to a beautiful breakfast of coffee and juice and beautiful German breads. Jeff opted for his favorite croissants and we discussed the “making of the plans for the day." Bernd, Gabriela, and Gabriele (Sam) had a party the night before and did not sleep until 4…so we let Amy sleep till noon while we took off for a little chapel that Heidi had told us about. Heidi said it was a little similar to Lourdes…..

We traveled along the bike route that Heidi takes in the mornings through the forest and to the farmlands. We walked the path of the stations of the cross to a beautiful little chapel set in the forest, Maria of Altaman. Heidi and Romi told us that each station is maintained by a family in the village. We then returned to Heidi’s to get Amy up because we were going to take the obanhof (light rail) into Munich to meet the two Gabrielas as well as Tristan. Tina took us to the train and helped us buy an all day pass and off we went with her carefully written instructions and her handy (cellphone) in our pocket. We easily connected at Bernd and Gabriela’s apartment and we decided to skip the castle and do a walking tour through Munich.

We loved Munich…it is a large city with many beautiful sites and historical places but it is fairly quiet and civilized. We wandered the streets with Tristan in his pram while Gabriela told us of some of the landmarks. We met Garbriel’s mother who took Tristam for awhile since he was finished sightseeing… Sam also took off on her bicycle to meet her friends who had just come back from the US… We wandered some more through the English garden and downtown city area….there were many police since their had been a NeoNazi demonstration as well as an anti-Nazi counter demonstration. Gabriela talked of the dark shadow of the Nazi reign and how Neo-Nazi demonstrations are hated by her German people. Heidi had told us of the news of this demonstration in the morning and we had rearranged our plans to avoid it…

At the end of the day, Gabriela took us up to a high point in the city (about 300 steps) to look out… I stayed by the door…unwilling to go out on the catwalk while they walked all around. It was a wonderful day in the city with Gabriela, Gabriele and Tristan. We returned to Heidi’s and Tina and Paulo prepared a wonderful meal of eggplant, tomatoes, Czech cheeses and garlic. It was delicious! While we were eating, a thunder and lightning storm moved in and chased us indoors!
Tomorrow we leave for Lake Constance…the Bodensee…