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Norm, Pat, and
Jeff Hellmers left Chicago on Sunday, 26 March 2006 (Day 1) and arrived
in Frankfurt, Germany, on Tuesday, 27 March, after two flights on
Northwest Airlines. We picked up a rental car and drove to Gonsenheim (near Mainz) to
visit Trudl Mohr. Pat and Norm stand by the Fiat near Trudl’s house.
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We had a delightful visit with Trudl. (She is
the widow of a cousin of Norm’s.) Trudl took us to lunch at the
wonderful Greek restaurant Zum
Gutenberg, near her home.
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From Gonsenheim,
we drove to the tiny village of Dusenbach (near the somewhat larger
town
of Höchst im Odenwald).
In Dusenbach we visited with Hanna Mohr (widow of a cousin of Norm’s).
Here we are in front of Hanna’s house. In back: Hanna’s niece Corinne
Orth, Hanna, and Norm. In front: Lilly Orth (holding her doll) and Pat.
Hanna fed us and gave us a wonderful walking tour of old Dusenbach,
birthplace of one of Norm’s ancestors, Philipp Neff, who emigrated to
New Orleans in 1853.
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This Lutheran
church in Höchst im Odenwald was the church home of many of Norm’s
Neff ancestors for generations, at least back to the 1700s. Prior to
the Reformation, the buildings around the church were once a part of a
cloister for Augustinian nuns. Today it is a Lutheran conference center.
The church is in the heart of Höchst, just a few yards
from the hotel at which we stayed. Höchst is in the present-day
German
state of Hessen.
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The Lutheran
church in Höchst im Odenwald retains much of its historical
appearance. The ancient Taufstein (stone baptismal font) is in the
lower right of the photograph. Norm’s ancestor Philipp Neff was
baptized here (as were many other Neff
family ancestors).
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On Day 3 (28
March), we visited several small communities near Höchst, and then
stopped
for lunch and a walking tour of Heidelberg,
one of Germany’s famous university towns. Above the Kornmarkt in the
old city loom the ruins of the castle, destroyed in 1693 and never
rebuilt.
The Virgin Mary and the Christ Child are portrayed in the fountain
statue
at the left, known as the “Madonna of the Kornmarkt.”
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The streets of old
Heidelberg were alive with students, shoppers, and visitors. The
steeple of the Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) can be
seen at the
far end of the main pedestrian thoroughfare, the Hauptstrasse.
Heidelberg
is one of Germany’s major university cities, along with Tübingen
and
Freiburg, which we also visited.
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We stayed
overnight in the town of Rudersberg.
On the morning of Day 4, we made a brief tour of the little village of
Oberndorf, ancestral home of Norm’s Haerer family, set in the rolling
wine country
of Württemberg.
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Day 4 (Wednesday,
29 March) was our longest driving day. We drove from Rudersberg through
the
vineyards in the Württemberg hills, visited Tübingen and
Reutlingen, through the Swäbische Alb (Swabian Alps) to the shores
of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). Once we got the hang of a few
peculiarities, the rental car worked perfectly.
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Tübingen is
a lively university town and commercial center. Our first stop was the
Marktplatz (Market Place), with flower and vegetable stalls. The
15th-century Rathaus (City Hall) is in the upper right of the picture.
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Norm and Pat enjoy
the sights, sounds, and smells of the country market in Tübingen.
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Jeff on the stone
streets of the Tübingen
Altstadt (old city). The city was an early convert to Luther’s
protestant church.
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Tübingen
retains much of its Medieval character, including many half-timbered
buildings.
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A classic view of
the Neckar River in old Tübingen. To the left is the Platanenallee
(Plane tree Allee). Above the old city on the right stands the central
landmark of Tübingen's Altstadt, the Stiftskirche (Collegiate
Church).
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After a short
drive, we arrived in the city of Reutlingen,
often referred to as the gateway to the Schwäbische Alb. The
Marktbrunnen (market place well), dating from 1570, lies at the heart
of the old city in Reutlingen. The Spitalhof (to the right) was a
hospital in the Middle Ages and today hosts cultural events.
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From Reutlingen,
we drove south through the hilly countryside of the Swäbische Alb
to the shores of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). We stayed at the resort
town of Meersburg.
The Stadttor (city tower) is at the far end of the main street in the
lower town. We had supper at the Weinstube
Zum Lieben Augustin (halfway down on the right hand side of the
Unterstadtstraße).
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Norm looks out at
the Bodensee, with a Gasthof (inn) in the background.
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We climbed from
our lakeside hotel to the old city at the top of the hill.
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Looking
across the Bodensee,
we could see the Swiss Alps in the distance.
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On the morning of
Day 5 (Thursday, 30 March), Pat looks from the balcony of our room to
the sunrise brightening the southeast.
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Before leaving
Meersburg, we had time for a bit of walking around at the waterfront.
Our hotel, the Hotel Seehof,
is in the background.
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Meersburg is the
departure point for the ferry to
the German city of Konstanz and nearby Switzerland. The ferry we took
was named the Konstanz.
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After leaving the
ferry, we entered the city of Konstanz.
For all of our many kilometers in the car, Norm did the driving and
Jeff
the navigating.
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The historic
city of Konstanz was spared bombing during World War II owing to its
proximity to Switzerland. Much of the old city is preserved, including
the Schnetztor, built in the 14th century to mark the city's southern
boundary.
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