We didn't sail, but...: Maria!!

We have once again left Germany for sunnier skies. But before I get to that, I can report that we had some special visitors in Dresden during our last weeks there. First, Matthias' cousin and dear friend Katja drove down from Hannover to spend the weekend with us. We had a blast catching up, dining out and stopping by various beer/wine gardens along the Elbe. Was sooo great to see her!

Wackerbarth Vineyard on the Elbe

Selfie at Wackerbarth

Dinner in Dresden

We also got to see my mom again when she came to visit in September. She stayed in an AirBnB apartment down the street from our place (which wasn't big enough for the three of us) and that turned out great. We spent about a week together in Dresden where we took in the major sights of the old town, took a steamboat cruise down the Elbe, visited some regional attractions and met Matthias' parents for lunch in Leipzig. My mom was also interested in attending Friday night service at the Dresden synagogue - so we included that in our plans. We set out on Friday evening so as to arrive at the synagogue just as the service was starting. I was worried about being late but my mom - clearly more in tune with punctuality expectations for Friday services - didn't give a hoot. As for the service, I was looking forward to seeing if I could follow along with the German portion and the prayer book translation. Unfortunately, the booklet we picked up was in Hebrew and Russian. (The Jewish community in Germany - or at least in Dresden - is largely Russian.) I tried to grab another one, but the only ones left were Hebrew/Russian (because we were LATE!). But fortunately a nice lady in the row behind us recognized our confusion and handed us a Hebrew/German booklet. That helped, although we still found ourselves lost a few times. Anyway, it was an interesting experience - and of course we enjoyed a nice dinner afterward on our way home.

At the Zwinger museum in Dresden

"High Drinking" on a rooftop downtown

Overlooking the Elbe in Bad Schandau

Steamship on the Elbe

Pre-lunch walking tour in Leipzig

Lunch in Leipzig with Matthias' parents

After a week in Dresden, mom and I headed southwest by train toward Aschaffenburg (near Frankfurt), where my mom's father's family came from. On the way, we made a midday stop in Erfurt, a city in the province of Thuringen, with a beautiful old town that includes some well-preserved Jewish landmarks. After a quick lunch featuring the famous Thuringer Rostbratwurst, we headed to the old town and the Old Synagogue, which dates back to the 11th century. It was destroyed in the 13th century during a program but was re-discovered 500 years later during a 1998 renovation when workers found a significant trove of buried treasure and Jewish artifacts. It's all on display now in an impressive museum. We had three hours in Erfurt, but we actually could have used more time to go through the museums and the town, which were both lovely.

Old Synagogue in Erfurt

Old town in Erfurt

Playing RummyCub back on the train
to Aschaffenburg after the Erfurt excursion

Our time in Aschaffenburg was amazing, thanks to our new friend Oded. I had planned to spend three nights there so we could have two full days to visit the Jewish Museum and the cemetery and then wander about on our own. I also contacted my mom's cousin Werner to see if he knew of anyone we should get in touch with while we were there (Werner left Aschaffenburg as a young child with my grandparents and Uncle Lou in 1940, and had been back a few times - including once with my mom and uncle.) He recommended that I contact Oded, so I sent him an email saying we'd love to meet up and invite him for coffee or dinner. Instead, Oded planned a full two days (surprise) itinerary for us! First, he picked us up from the train station, brought us to our hotel and then we joined him and his wife for dinner at a traditional Bavarian wirtshaus. The next morning, we met Anya, the museum curator, for a beautiful breakfast at Schönbusch Park and then took a walk through the site of the former synagogue (and current memorial park) and to the Jewish Museum, which Anya opened for us. In addition to learning about Jewish life in Aschaffenburg, we got to see some of our family's artifacts on display at the museum. After that, we drove over to the small town of Goldbach, where my great-grandmother's family came from. After lunch at a local festival in Unterafferbach (an even smaller village), we visited some sites and monuments related to our family history and then headed up to the old Jewish cemetery, where we visited family graves dating back to the 1700s. Then we made another stop at the newer Jewish cemetery in Aschaffenburg to visit my great-grandfather's and other family members' graves. The next day, we visited the Aschaffenburg city archives, where we met Stephanie and Maria, who showed us various documents related to our family, including newspaper articles, photos and personal letters. Then, after lunch (coffee and cake!) at a local cafe, the whirlwind tour culminated at City Hall where we had a meeting with the Mayor! After all that, we had a bit of time to walk around town, do a little shopping, walk by the castle and stop for a beer at a local brewery. After dinner at a local restaurant located just across the street what used to be my grandfather's jewelry shop (now Claire's Accessories), we walked back to our hotel, thoroughly wowed and exhausted! The next day, we caught the train to Frankfurt and my mom flew home and I took the train back to Dresden. For more on the Aschaffenburg experience, see the photo album (Click Here), and also the online database Oded created which has info on the region's Jewish families including family tree (Stammbaum) info - ours is here.

After breakfast in Aschaffenburg with
Oded and Anja

Mom at her grandfather's grave
in Aschaffenburg

Finding our relatives at the old
cemetery outside of Aschaffenburg

In the Aschaffenburg Jewish Museum- the photo is of
my grandfather's/great-grandfather's jewelry shop

Looking at pictures of my family at the city archives. Great-uncle Ludwig
(my grandfather's brother) was member of the local soccer team and WWI hero.

Eating at an old restaurant down the street from my grandfather's
shop - we imagined he probably ate/drank here often.

Back in Dresden, Matthias and I had a few weeks left before our sublet was up at the end of October. Since it was starting to turn colder, we decided not to do another grand cycle tour, but to do day-rides around the Dresden area, which is really beautiful and has an extensive cycle route network. And then we came up with a plan to escape the German winter, deciding to return to Crete and take our chances with Matthias' newly repaired bike. Of course, I was just as excited about our journey down to Greece as I was about the destination, and the trip didn't disappoint We took a train from Dresden down to Munich where we got a cheap but very nice hotel near the train station - and not far from a great Beer Hall with yummy Bavarian treats! We stayed overnight and took a train the next morning over the beautiful Alps to Bologna, where we got a (somewhat less wonderful but still good) room and found a terrific place nearby for a wonderful Italian dinner. Then we got the local train to Ancona where we caught the ferry to Patras, Greece. A few days bike riding later we were on the ferry to Crete and shortly thereafter back to our winter home in Pitsidia. This will be our headquarters until Spring (with a trip to the US in between). We have settled in and are enjoying good weather, yummy food, beautiful hikes through breathtaking scenery and checking in with old acquaintances. Our favorite pastime is still wandering through the weekly markets (there are two local ones) and then sitting down for a drink, a snack and some serious people-watching. It's never long before I hear at least one man shout out "Maria!" presumably calling out to his wife, daughter, waitress or other woman with that ubiquitous name. I always imagine upon hearing that, half the female population of the market stops and turns to see if he's calling to her.