Travels with Timmy

Feuersteins in Leshara, Nebraska

2005-09-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

Spent the weekend at a car rally in Colorado, bought a cheap car in Denver (a Saab, of course), and drove it home. Monday night I stayed in Wahoo, Nebraska, north of Lincoln and west of Omaha, at a mom-and-pop motel that reeked of stale smoke, must and cleaning fluids. But the price was only $25 a night.

My goal was to visit Leshara, where John Nicholas and Anna Feuerstein settled and raised their family. They and their son, Gus, are buried in the St. Therese Cemetery near Leshara. The church is long gone, having burned down many years ago, though there is a statue of Our Lady to mark the site.

I arrived at sunrise on Tuesday, even had to wait a few minutes for the sunlight to bathe the grave markers. Fortunately the markers all face east. In addition to the Feuersteins, John N. Feuerstein's sister Mary and her husband, George A. Feist, are buried at the site.

There are no more than a few dozen markers in the small cemetery, located among rolling hills near the Platte River. Look for photos of the cemetery and Leshara at Winker.net.

Journey's End... for now

2005-08-15T23:45:00.000-05:00

My final day in Germany was dedicated mainly to travel. Caught the ICE in Karlsruhe with plans to arrive in Dusseldorf a couple of hours before my flight was scheduled to depart. This time the display at the front of the rail car showed 300 kph for part of the trip!

All flights were pretty much on time, though there was quite a bit of security getting on to the NWA flight in Amsterdam, and again getting off at MSP. Seemed overkill to get interviewed at both ends of the flight.

About 20 hours from the time I left Liz's place in Karlsruhe, I was pulling into my own driveway in Industrial Twp, Minnesota. A similar trip for Johann Winker in the early 1850s took months, possibly years, before he settled in Royalton Twp, Wisconsin.

But there are bound to be more travels for me in search of family history. Check back occasionally for the latest adventure.

Desperately Seeking Winkers

2005-08-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

Winker businesses in Spaichingen

Sunday dawned with diminished hopes for locating any substantial information on the Winkers. We decided to check out a few of the businesses in the area that had the name Winker attached. There was “Winker Bauträger”, a construction and real estate office; “Metallwarefabrik Hermann Winker GmbH & Co. KG”, a metal fabrication company; and “Peter Winker Metalltechnik”, which creates metal sculptures for home and garden use.

Liz tried to call a few Winkers in the telephone book. She did speak briefly with Anni Winker, the woman whose daughter Liz was said to resemble, but Anni was suspicious about getting a phone call on a Sunday morning from someone who claimed to maybe be related many generations back. Others simply were not at home.

Rain was threatening so we hit the road for a side trip through the Black Forest. Had one more great German lunch in Hornberg, then arrived at the tourist trap known as Triberg. Triberg thrives on German Kitsch, with dozens of shops providing beer steins, nutcrackers, liqueurs, wines, schnapps, and clocks. Grandfather clocks, desk clocks, wall clocks, and cuckoo clocks. We even visited the World’s largest Cuckoo Clock! I bought a few typical German souvenirs, and then we hit the road for Liz’s home in Karlsruhe.

Despite the rain, it was a great drive through some beautiful country, with picture postcard farms and small towns at every turn.

Liz's church was hosting a group of young people from Italy on their way to World Youth Day in Cologne, so we went over there for dinner and the prayer service, and to meet some of her friends. It was quite interesting to try the German version of a "church basement supper", with the variety of salads and pork for the main dish.

Got back to Liz's place where I tried to pack my bags with all of the days purchases. It wasn't that difficult, but several books added to the weight and I decided the Schwarzwald felt hat was going to be a carry-on item.

Halfway between Rottweil and Tuttlingen

2005-08-13T21:59:00.000-05:00

13 Aug 2005

After a few updates to the blog, I head again to the cemetery to find more Winker graves. By the time I am done, I have probably photographed 50 grave stones. There are quite a few Winkers buried there, but the earliest birth is about 1865, so I have not found anyone who might be a sibling of Johan Winker.

Liz arrives shortly after noon in her BMW and we head to Denkingen, only a few kilometers away. The Family History Centers have church records of a Johan Winker, born 10 April 1923, who was the son of Georg Winker and Agatha Streicher. I am about 90 percent sure that he is our ancestor who emigrated to America, but I don’t have that link to be certain. I am hoping we can find something there.

Unfortunately, we don’t. The church was built in the 1920s, and the oldest burial in the local cemetery is maybe 30 years ago. Liz asks a local resident if there is an older cemetery; the answer is no. And there are no Winkers buried here. It is a puzzlement. Maybe there is an earlier cemetery, maybe graves were not so well marked in the 1800s.

Sailplanes at Klippeneck

From there we drive up the hill (Klippeneck) to a sailplane base and watch them launch gliders for awhile. The site is perfect for such activity, with a long grassy runway atop the ridge. There are a pair of cable trucks and a motor driven plane working almost constantly to put gliders into the air. It is quite a sight!

This is also a great place to view the valley where Spaichingen and Denkingen are located. There is a restaurant up there as well, so we have lunch.

So far our efforts at locating the Winkers have had little success. But there is a church on the same ridge above Spaichingen that seems to hold a few answers. Liz takes me to a chapel on the way up the hill, one of the Stations of the Cross that end with the Wallfahrtiskirche Dreifaltigkeitsberg (something like Pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity Church) atop the hill. The chapel is called the Amerikaner-Kapelle, and it lists the names of local residents who apparently moved to America and later contributed to the building of this chapel. Among the names is Johan Winker. We don’t know if it is our Johan Winker, and there are several other Winkers on the list.

After walking through the beautiful Wallfahrtiskirche Dreifaltigkeitsberg, we stop at the gift store. Liz asks the woman behind the counter if she knows anything about the Amerikaner-Kapelle. She does not, but does know someone who does, so makes a phone call. Liz gets a few details, but nothing on who the Johan Winker on that list may have been. The pastor of the church is summoned as well, but cannot offer any further insight. He is quite encouraging in our search, however. There are, after all, quite a few Winkers in his parish.

Another woman who overhears the conversations comes up to Liz and says, “You looked familiar when I first saw you but I could not place the name. Now I realize it is because you look just like a friend that I grew up with here in Spaichingen. Her name was Inge Winker.”

We leave with some recommendations of local Winkers to contact. We still have not found the connection, but at least we have some leads.

Euro, my Hero

2005-08-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

I like the Euro. I like that the bills come in different colors and increase slightly in size as the denomination increases. Same with the coins, except for the 0,05 which is a little larger than the 0,10 but made of copper instead of brass. The 0,01 piece is smaller than our penny, but seldom used.

I like the train system in Germany. It is amazingly efficient, so much so that owning a car seems unnecessary. For the journey to Spaichingen I took the regional railroad to Immendingen, not far from Tuttlingen. That trip lasted about two and a half hours; I took a nap when I wasn’t watching the “Heidi” scenery. From there it was a local train, more like a bus on rails, for the half hour ride to the Spaichingen Bahnhof (train station). The seats are generally comfortable, though my tall-in-the-torso build does not always fit well.

I like that the beer is served in special glasses – every beer is served in a glass with the name of that brewery and the particular style of beer. In addition, each glass has a “Full” mark, usually 0,3l or 0,5l (0,5 liter is approximately a pint) so you know you are getting the full amount.

I like that the innkeepers are very trusting. On more than one occasion I have merely been handed the key to a room, without giving my name or credit card. When checking out the bill is added up and you pay them.

I like that dogs are welcome in many places including restaurants. The dogs are generally well behaved and obedient, but I imaging that is because they have good breeding and training. There are plenty of smaller dogs like Yorkies, but I have seen some larger working breeds as well.

I like Schnitzel with noodles.

These are a few of my favorite things.

Desperately Seeking Spaichingen

2005-08-12T18:30:00.000-05:00

Cousin Liz dropped me off at the train station early this morning so I could hit the rails again. After a three hour train ride (two trains) I arrived in Spaichingen. I made my way first to the Rathaus to see if they had any records on Johan Winker, my great-great-grandfather, who was born about 1823 and settled in Wisconsin about 1855. Took a while to find the place as it is a newer building that is part of the Marktplatz (think small shopping mall). It took a few minutes to locate someone who understood English. Once in the records office, we located several Johan Winkers, but all born too late to be my ancestor. The town records began in 1876, long after g-g-gdfthr left the area. That means I will have to rely on church records. I called Sts. Peter and Paul church in Spaichingen, but no one there spoke English, and a call to St. Michael’s church in Denkingen went unanswered.

I checked in to the Hotel Kreuz on the main road through town (35 euro for a single room with toilet and shower), and had a lunch of schnitzel with noodles.

There are maps of the town about every block, which makes navigation pretty easy when you’re on foot, and noticed a cemetery about two blocks south of my hotel. With camera in hand I found my way there. Grave sites are generally by family, with a double-wide plot showing several names. The grave sites are tended by family members and most have flowers or shrubs growing on them. I spent an hour or more walking through part of the cemetery and found quite a few Winkers, though none that I have in my database. The oldest was born in 1865. They are probably related to me, but I have no idea how far back.

At the friedhof (cemetery)

About the time I was preparing to leave because the skies threatened rain, I noticed a 70-ish woman tending the grave of Hermann Winker (1917-1998) and Stefanie Winker (1910-2000). I tried to make conversation but she did not understand English. We did finally locate someone else in the cemetery that understood a little English (the cemetery was rather busy by our standards as there were quite a few folks tending to their family grave sites) and I was able to let her know that I was also a Winker. Though I took her photo, I neglected to get her name.

I probably searched only half of the cemetery so will go back in the morning to look some more.

There is a strong wireless link to the Internet here, but it is still a pay-for-time site maintained by t-com/t-mobile. I have learned to do my composing off line rather than have the clock running while I type.

Spaichingen has Wireless Internet!

2005-08-12T16:30:00.000-05:00

Arrived in Spaichingen late this morning to visit the Rathaus (local courthouse) before they closed at 1300. Did not find much as the civil records begin in 1876, but they did direct me to the local Catholic churches.

Checked into the Hotel Kreuz on the main drag, single room for 35 euro, this time with toilet and shower as part of the room. Plugged in the computer and the wireless antenna found a signal! Unfortunately it is a pay as you go signal from T-Mobile, so I must type fast or do most of my work off-line first.

I will be posting my earlier stories by the date I wrote them so that this journal will appear to be consecutive. Scroll down to read those that have just been posted but written earlier.

Vizitin' Cuzzin Liz

2005-08-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

11 Aug 2005

The next stop on my tour of Germany is Karlsruhe, about 70 km west of Stuttgart. My second cousin Elizabeth Winker lives there and works for SAP. She has kindly offered to put me up for the night and will join me in Spaichingen on the search for the Winker family. For those who may not know, our grandmothers were sisters (Martha and Cecilia Feuerstein) and our grandfathers were brothers (John and Lewis E. Winker). Her father, Charles Winker, and my father, Lew Winker, are first cousins and the families have maintained pretty close contact.

Another train and another taxi ride to her door in Karlsruhe, but she will not be home for awhile so I go in search of beer. Fortunately I am able to find one within a few blocks. A couple of beers later and I head back to her place and she meets me there.

For dinner she takes me to a brew pub in a nearby town, where we have wonderful beer brewed on the premises, and another German dinner that can’t be beat. We also meet with one of her colleagues from SAP (who speaks pretty darn good English), so we have good conversation as well. Another memorable evening.

Auto museums in Stuttgart

2005-08-11T03:30:00.000-05:00

Spent today at the museums of two major auto manufacturers, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz (a.k.a. DaimlerChrylser) in Stuttgart. Both are easily accessible by S-Bahn and both are free to the public.

The Porsche museum is to the northwest of downtown Stuttgart in Zuffenhausen. It is not very large, housing about 15 cars. There are some significant cars there, however, including the Sunoco CanAm car driven by Mark Donahue, LeMans winners, and the McLaren Formula 1 car powered by the T.A.G. engine designed by Porsche.

The Mercedes Museum is considerably larger, with a timeline of cars beginning with what is considered the first successful automobile in 1885. At that time Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz were rivals, so examples of cars from both factories are on display. The exhibit includes famous competition cars including the Silver Arrows machines from the 1930s. Some of the exhibits are not available at the moment, undergoing restoration or on display elsewhere. In addition, Mercedes is building a new museum that should open next summer.

ICE is so Cool!

2005-08-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

Went to the Stadthaus first thing this morning to see if they had found anything on the Schurmann or Borgmann families. Nope. No luck. Seems they have the records only for the city of Recklinghausen. Recklinghaussen is also a “District”, and apparently each town holds its own records. It would take a long time to contact all of them. As a result, the past 24 hours have been kind of a waste of time. Not totally as I drank some very good beer, ate some pretty good food, and did some photo editing on the computer. After leaving the Stadthaus, I took a few photos of the Farmers’ Market in front of the Rathaus, then packed my bags to catch the train to Stuttgart.

Took a moment to mail a package home, with some brochures from the Saab Meet, a couple of souvenirs, and some dirty underwear to fill the spaces. It cost 32 euro to mail it home!!! At least I won’t have to carry that extra weight around the rest of the week. The heaviest item was the Power Converter. As suspected, the computer power supply and the battery charger for the camera battery will both operate at 240V/50Hz, so I have located a simple connector to plug the US plug into a German outlet.

The trip to Stuttgart took two trains, the local into Essen and then the streamlined ICE (Inter City Express) the rest of the way. The fare was 94 euro ($120), not exactly cheap, but pretty relaxing. The ICE stops only at major stations, so the trip is less than four hours. As the ICE was traveling at its fastest, the speed was displayed on the info screen – 297 kph (185 mph)! That was only for a short burst, but it was while we were parallel to an autobahn, and the train was quite a bit faster than traffic in our direction.

The train had to stop for several minutes for some unknown reason, and was about 15 minutes late arriving at Stuttgart. I made my way to the Tourist Information center where they found a room for me near to the city center. By the time I had settled into the room it was 1530 (3:30pm) and a little late to make my way to the museums that close at 1700. The primary reason to visit Stuttgart is to see the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums. They will still be there tomorrow morning.

Tonight I am staying at another small hotel, the “Hotel Museum Stube”. The price for “Einzelzimmer, Etagendusche und –toilette*” is 35 euro (“Mit hund 5 euro Aufschlag”), plus 5 euro for breakfast and 3 euro to the Tourist Information center to make the reservation. Rather than walk the 12 blocks with my bags, I took a taxi for 6 euro. My budget is to find lodging for less than 50 euro a night, so I am just barely within that figure. The room is only about 7’ by 10’ with a simple bed and a sink, sort of like a prison cell but without the bars.

Had dinner tonight at Ochs'n Willi. I chose BBQ ribs with a tangy "Mexican style" sauce. A good choice! The waitress, Sara, helped me to make a dessert selection of various berries in sauce with vanilla liqueur poured over the top. She also directed me to a nearby Internet Cafe, the Level One Cyber Bar. Still have not found a place to use my wireless card, so the other notes that I have written and the photos will have to wait.

* Single room, shower and toilet on the same floor. With dog, 5 euro extra charge.

Recklinghausen

2005-08-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

I have been in Recklinghausen for a day, looking for info on the Schurmann and Borgmann families. Not much luck so far, though I have a woman at the Rathaus who is looking through old microfilms for me. There are a few Borgmanns in the local phone book, but have not found any Schurmanns.

Staying at the Hotel Albers. It has been here since 1766, and the 7th generation of the Albers family is now working there.

Beer is cheap, cheaper than Coca Cola! And it is GOOD beer.

Will write more later as I am on a terminal at an Internet cafe and running out of time. Have not found a place to use my wireless network connection yet. Once I do I will post what I have written over the past several days.

Finding pieces of the puzzle

2005-08-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

After a late night on Sunday, I slept late on Monday then caught up on my journal. I still have not been able to get a signal on my wireless network card, so have not been able to send messages. The Formule 1 motel does have a computer terminal available in the lobby, for a fee of 3 euro per 15 minutes. In a half hour I am able to catch up on my e-mail and post a quick note on the blog to let everyone know that I am alive. This is my first experience with a German keyboard and it is a little different. The Y and Z keys are reversed since Z is used much more in Germany. So if mz tzping looks a little fuyyz, that is whz.

It is nearly noon when I walk out the door of the motel, and down two blocks to the subway. That takes me to Herne Hautbahnhof (train station) and from there I catch the train to Recklinghausen. An English-speaking cab driver takes me to the Hotel Albers Gasthof (www.gasthof-albers.de), a small hotel with a restaurant on the main floor. It is located on the central Marktplatz and has a halfway reasonable rate of 55 euro (about $70) per night. My room is on the third floor, the top floor. It has its own toilet and shower, with sheets and towels provided, a luxury after several days of shared facilities. There is a date of 1766 on the front of the building, but it quite comfortable and modern inside having been remodeled about 10 years ago.

I have settled in to my room by 2pm (1400 hr in Euro time) and go to the hotel’s restaurant for lunch. A very good meal of battered fish filet and potato salad, with a beer, is only about 8,50 euro, a little over $10. Then I take a walk to locate the Rathaus, the city hall. A couple of young ladies there who speak some English are able to get me pointed in the right direction on my research, which will have to take place tomorrow morning as it is getting late in the business day.

According to the Borgmann family history, Recklinghausen was the home of the Schurmann family. Antonette Schurmann was the wife of Ferdinand Borgmann; they are my great-great-grandparents on my mother’s side of the family. It is possible that Ferdinand Borgmann is from this area as well, in the nearby town of Waltrop, though I do not have a confirmation of that. A look in the local phone book finds several Borgmanns but no Schurmanns. It is possible that those people are my fourth cousins.

After several excellent beers in the evening, I end up dining again at the Gasthof Albers, this time on peppers stuffed with ground pork over rice with a tomato sauce bath. Again quite good and rather inexpensive.

An early bedtime tonight as I want to get to the Registrar’s office when they open at 0830.

To the Meeting Platz at Zollverein

2005-08-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

With a little help, I found my way to Zollverein, the former coal mine that is now a museum and convention center. The mine itself is open to tours, provided you meet the criteria of small stature and age. I spoke with someone about my size who tried to take the tour and gave it up because the tunnels were small and the temperature was quite hot, about 30C. The buildings are now used for museums, galleries, and restaurants.

But of course, I am here to hang with my Saab buddies from around Yurp. Right off the bat I run into a familiar group from Austria. As I approach the parking area to look at the cars as they arrive, an older gentleman walks up and says “Hi.” I am taken aback because I did not expect to see any other Americans, much less one from Barnes, Wisconsin. Ingemar Ekstrom is familiar to me because he owns a semi-restored Saab Sonett V4. He purchased the car from Bob Adams, the dealer in Albert Lea, MN, about 10 years back. He played host to a German couple at the 1999 U.S. Saab Owners National Convention, so they are returning the favor. Throughout the day the Saab faithful arrive and get signed in, then most head off to their motels or campgrounds. At the Welcoming Dinner, all gather in the dining hall for … pancakes? Yes, pancakes, though they are not like the fluffy buttermilk variety we are used to at diners all over the Hew-Hess-Hay, but more like crepes. The fillings are also odd to Americans; a choice of bacon and onion or sausage and sauerkraut, with apple or cherry filling for dessert.

I was fortunate to catch a ride back to the Jungendenberge with a British family that was camping nearby. Mark and Trudi Hodges are among several dozen Sabbists who choose to travel on the cheap by tenting along the way. There are also several “caravans”, camping trailers pulled by all manner of Saabs. I chatted with a Dutch couple who pull a tent-style trailer behind their Saab 96-V4. It has been modified for hauling the additional load by punching the engine out to 1800cc (from the standard 1700cc) and installing a Weber carburetor for more power. Those with newer Saabs trail house trailer style caravans up to 20 feet in length without a problem.

A "bullnose" Saab 95

Saturday is the Grand Display, with hundreds of Saabs from all over Europe. Though it is billed as the “International” Saab Clubs Meeting, it is better described as the European Saab Clubs Meet. Other than that, it is much like the SONC, though without the dozens of tech sessions that consume so much time at the U.S. meets. There is a “Farmers’ Market” of Saab parts and accessories, with the emphasis on peripheral goodies like miniatures and posters. I have brought several posters that have been gathering dust in my basement and manage to bring in about 200 euro. Of course I have to spend a little of it on some items that I just must have for my shelves.

Intermittent rain puts a damper on activities throughout the weekend, but the rains are generally short and the sun dominates most of the time. Those who take a test drive in one of the new 9-3 convertibles usually get to drive with the top down.

A German brass band entertains the Saab visitors for awhile in the afternoon, though I found their first musical choice to be rather odd… Anchors Aweigh.

There is a Saturday afternoon meeting for representatives of all the European clubs and I am invited to observe as the U.S. rep. Since I am no longer active in the SCNA, I can’t really speak for the club, but can at least listen in. They have scheduled their annual events through 2008, while the U.S. clubs can’t seem to plan more than a year ahead for their conventions.

The grand dinner and awards are on Saturday evening, with a two-piece combo called “Piano Cocktail” plays light jazz for your dancing pleasure. The evening ends with presentation of gifts to the chairman of this year’s meet by representatives of the other clubs.

Sunday is reserved for tours of the Essen area, with several routes available, each with a different theme. Since I am without car, I visit the Red Dot Design Awards museum on the Zollverein grounds. It is full of remarkable design and engineering items that make everyday living a little easier. Among the items on display are kitchen appliances and utensils, computers and associated devices, cell phones, furniture, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, power tools, and machines for particular industries.

One more lunch of a hearty German soup, and we must say our good-bys. There are plenty of the usual “until next year” and “you must come visit”.

I have been invited to an evening at the home of Klaus and Anna Weissbauer, and Klaus has asked me to drive his Saab 96-V4 to his home as he will be driving his Sonett-V4. I am apprehensive, after all the car is not familiar to me, nor are the local rules-of-the-road. We get there without incident, thankfully. Several couples have been invited for a light dinner and socializing, and we have a lovely time. Late in the evening, Klaus drops me at a nearby motel called “Formule 1”, a no-frills place with a room rate of 28 euro (about $35). It is owned by the same company that owns the Motel 6 chain in the U.S.

My Saab adventures are over for this trip. Now it’s off to Recklinghausen to see if I can locate any references to the Borgmann and Schurman families.

(posted 12 Aug 2005)

I came, I saw, I was Jet Lagged

2005-08-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

4 Aug 2005

Arrived in Werden this morning right on schedule, in fact a little ahead of schedule. The flights were all on time. The first leg, from Duluth to Detroit, was not much fun. I had the bulkhead seat, meaning no seat in front of me under which to tuck my size 12s. I dozed a little, just enough to miss the beverage service. In addition, the lav was out of order (not important to me since I planned ahead), the A/C was weak, and the plane rolled past its mark when parking and had to be pushed back a few inches so the gangway would reach the door.

Leg 2 was uneventful, other than I did not get any sleep. Steerage was packed, so there was no room to stretch even a little. And there are so many things to do on a plane these days. There is a LCD screen in front of each seat where you can watch one of a dozen or so movies, play video games, and for a fee you can even send that important email message that can't wait until you reach the next airport.

The final leg took me from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf ("...and that is why they call me Rolf.") on a KLM Cityhopper -- a 50 passenger Fokker with the wing above the fuselage. The flight attendants (who pronounce it "Kay-lem") had just shy of a dozen passengers to entertain on the 30 minute flight. Saw my first castle of the day as we neared the Dusseldorf aerodrome.

Thank goodness some kindly souls from the German Saab Club had sent me instructions on which trains to take to get to my destination, the Essen-Werden Youth Hostel. There were a couple of false starts because the tickets are issued by machine, not a living person, and the instructions are in German, no English. I would have been completely lost. Made it to the Essen-Werden station without further incident and took a taxi to the YH instead of the bus. The bus costs 2 euro and drops off about a block away; the taxi took me to the door for 5 euro, including tip, of course. I was all checked in and ready for a nap before 10am.

Took a sort of nap for a couple of hours, then walked down the hill into the village of Werden for lunch. It was on that walk past lush green forest that I took my first photo of the trip… a banana slug. (It did not become part of lunch.) There were a few places open, but I chose the Café Werden, right near city center and close by the Ruhr River. The proprietress did not know enough English to explain the menu offerings, so – sensing my adventurous spirit -- finally said, “If I make a choice, will you eat it?”

“Sure!” said I.

I don’t know what it was exactly. It was thinly-sliced marinated pork in a roll with a rich brown gravy and fried baby potatoes, with red cabbage on the side. Accompanied by a Diebels Altbier, it was the perfect meal to start my German tour. I told her this must be heaven and that she was certainly an angel. That much English she understood.

I walked around the downtown shopping district for a couple of hours, had some fresh-made ice cream in the perfect after dinner small size for only 50 cents, watched several children splashing in the town fountain, and wandered in to the Katholisch Kirche of St. Ludgerus to marvel at the architecture and the statues.

Caught the bus back up the hill and took a nap for another hour or so. Cleaned up and went in search of supper, settling on the strangely named “Funghi Pizza.” Strange to me, at least, as I imagined the menu would feature all manner of mushroom choices. I was wrong. If not for the earlier meal, this would certainly have been the highlight of my day. It was chicken, salami, ham and mushrooms with half a hard boiled egg perched in the center.

Accompanied by another glass of Diebels Altbier, of course.

It is now past 23,00 local time (4:00pm in Minnesota) and I have only had a few hours of nap time, so am hoping for a good night’s rest. For those who may not know, Youth Hostels are generally dormitory style living, with several bunks to a room and the showers and toilet across the hall. Fortunately there are few people staying here, so I have a room to myself. One thing I do not have is a towel. This YH does provide clean sheets, but towels are 3 euro extra. I meant to pack one, but somehow it did not make it into the suitcase.

(posted 12 Aug 2005)

Packing

2005-08-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today is packing day. The suitcase is open and filling up. The problem is how much... or how little... to carry.

The physical packing may be taking place today, but it has been going on in my mind and on paper for several weeks. While I would like to pack an assortment of everything, experience tells me to carry no more than I need. I'm not as young as I used to be, so heavy loads are undesireable. I expect I will be doing quite a bit of walking as well, and walking with a load is even less desireable. Weather forecasts for Germany next week indicate moderate temperatures, so I can leave the heavy clothes home.

I am hoping to locate a laundromat mid-week, which means I can get by with fewer clothes. A trick that I have used in the past is to take old t-shirts, socks and undies on their final trip and leave them behind each day. Then mid-week I would buy new socks and undies for the remainder of the trip. I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting shirts to take home, but I will probably skip the leiderhosen.

I am still debating whether to rent a car. An economy model can be had for about $200 a week, unlimited mileage, plus the cost of gas and parking. That has to be weighed against the price and inconvenience of taking trains and busses. It would be fun to drive a smaller German auto that we don't get in the U.S. for a few days.

As I work at the computer today, I am listening to German polkas, schottische's, waltz's by the Six Fat Dutchmen, Whoopee John (One of Mom's favorite jokes: "Whoopee John Wilfahrt, and the band will play."), Frankie Yankovic, Walter Groller and the Polka Padre, and sipping a glass of riesling. I am really getting into the mood.

"Im Himmel Gibt's Kein Bier."

Wi-Fi? Wi not?

2005-07-31T21:30:00.000-05:00

With this message, I enter the world of wireless connection to the Internet. Yeah, I know, some of you are saying "Big deal, what took you so long?", but there are plenty more who are still learning the basics of computering. Heck, Mom and Dad Winker will have to read this in a printout from one of my siblings as they don't do the Internet.

The advantage, of course, is that I will be able to sit in a cafe or motel room no matter where I am and have a connection to the Internet... as long as there is a wireless receiver nearby. No more telephone connection, no more trying to find the right telephone numbers, no more long distance fees, no more $2.00/minute charges on my motel bills.

It is not completely wireless, however, as I must have some place to plug in the power supply. The battery on my aging Dell 166 died a long time ago and I'm too cheap to buy a new one... if one can even be had for a machine this old. Finding electricity may be a bit more difficult, especially since I will have to use a German to U.S. power converter.

To give you technophobes an idea of how this works, I am sitting at Gordy's Warming House, a coffee and ice cream shop in Cloquet, MN, about 10 miles south of home. (Just had a Turtle Sundae and may order a cup of coffee to-go once I wrap this up.) A window pops up on the screen to let me know there is a receiver nearby and it is communicating with my computer. A few keystrokes, and I am connected to the Internet. It is not as fast as I had hoped, slightly slower than the telephone dial-up at home (which is re-e-eally slow), but it works!

I'm excited! This is so Jetsons!

My New Passport has Arrived!

2005-07-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

I have held a U.S. Passport since 1987, when I took my first overseas trip to Sweden for the 50th Anniversary of SAAB. I carried it to Finland and Norway also on that trip, and it was with me on journeys to France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and another trip to Sweden. I was disappointed that they seldom stamp the country in the blank pages any longer. In fact there were many times when there was no Passport control at a border crossing; it was just like traveling between states.

[A quick history of SAAB, for those who may not know. The name stands for Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolag, the Swedish Aircraft Company. It was created in 1937 to build planes for the Swedish Air Force, which it continues to do today. After WWII, the directors realized they needed to diversify if the company was going to survive, so they began building cars. The first SAAB car, the Model 92, rolled off the assembly line in Trollhattan in December 1949.]

I renewed my Passport in 1997, prior to another trip to Sweden for the 50th Anniversary of SAAB Cars. (SAAB made the decision to build cars in 1947, therefore 1997 was considered the 50th Anniversary.) With that renewal, my current Passport was good until 2007. Renewal was uneventful, with the booklet arriving in plenty of time. But the four people traveling with me were not quite so lucky. They sent in the paperwork with months to spare, but there were a lot of people applying for new Passports in 1997, so all were delayed. With only a few weeks to go, they started making phone calls. As the day of departure grew closer, the calls became more frequent. On the day before we were to leave, there were many phone calls, letting the gang know where their package of Passports was on its route to Duluth. The package arrived at the Duluth P.O. in the evening, after normal hours, with only about 12 hours before our flight was to leave MSP.

The last time I carried that Passport was on a trip to Canada for the Targa Newfoundland. Then I put it someplace really safe... so safe that I have been unable to locate it. Despite several months of searching, and intense searching over the past few weeks, in all of the known really safe places, it has continued to elude me.

With my departure to Germany approaching rapidly, I gave in to my fate. I picked up all of the necessary forms and instructions at the Duluth Post Office, had my photo taken at Walgreen's, and returned it all for a 5-day turnaround. All in all, nearly $200 including the RUSH fees. At least it is good for another 10 years and not just the time remaining on the previous one.

Now to put it someplace safe, really safe.

Learning German

2005-07-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

I never took German class in high school. I took Latin, figuring it would be an introduction to the "Romance" languages of Italian, French and Spanish. Never quite figured out Latin, other than a few weak phrases, and how far are you going to get on "Omnia Gaulia in partes tres divisa est" in the 21st Century?

So I have been getting some assistance from well meaning friends.

Lester E., a dentist in Louisiana who I know from Saab Club, offered the following important phrases:
"Ausweiss bitte?"
"hast du Broetchen?"
"Wo sind die American Embassy??"
"Wie alt bist du?!?!!"
and my favorite..
"Sie hat gesagt 18 yahre !!!"

A few that I am sure I will need to know:
"Was Art des Bieres haben Sie? "
"Ein anderes Bier bitte."
... and eventually ...
"Wo ist die WC?"

Some of the best instruction on contemporary European culture comes from my cousin Mick Winker, who has been living in Antwerp, Belgium, for the past year. He maintains a blog on this same web site as "EuroFrank". See: http://eurofrank.blogspot.com. He doesn't just hang out in the Benelux neighborhood; he gets to visit lots of cool places Over There. Oh, to be in my 30s and hanging out in exotic places....

Previous visits to Germany

2005-07-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

Several of you have asked if I have ever been to Germany. The answer is YES! Twice, just briefly.

I was there for a couple of days in 1991 when Saab introduced the 9000 Turbo with the 2.3 litre engine. Saab USA took us to the Paris Auto Show for a few days, then let us loose on the Autobahn for a couple of days with the new cars. It was the same week that East and West Germany were officially reunited, so there were lots of Trabants and Wartburgs on the highways. Also got to visit the Wartburg auto museum in Eisenach in the former Eastern sector. I did get the new 9000 up to 150 mph (250 kph) for a short distance on the autobahn, but kept it generally under 100 mph due to the possibility of catching an oblivious Trabant driver at its top speed of about 60 mph.

The other visit was in conjunction with a Saab Clubs meet in Matsee, near Salzburg, Austria, in 1992. I flew into Munich and spent a couple of days touring there following the Saab Clubs meeting. While there I got to see the BMW museum, the marvelous toy museum in downtown Munich, and the former concentration camp at Dachau. I spent my 41st birthday at the famous Hofbrau Haus.

Message the First

2005-07-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome aboard!

So that all may follow my travels in search of our ancestry, I have chosen the popular BLOG format. Check in on a regular basis over the next few weeks... and beyond.

My rough intinerary for the trip to Germany is as follows:
Aug 3 - Leave Minnesota for Essen.
Aug 4 - Arrive in Dusseldorf, Germany. Take train to Essen.
Aug 5-7 - Int'l Saab Clubs Meeting in Essen.
Aug 8 - Explore Westphalia, seeking information on the Borgmann and Schurmann families.
Aug 10 - Visit Stuttgart. Tour Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums.
Aug 12 - Explore Spaichingen, ancestral home of the Winker family.
Aug 15 - Return to Minn.

I plan to squeeze one more trip out of my aging Dell Pentium 133 notebook computer. Though it has not yet been tested, I have purchased a wireless card so that I may sit in Internet cafes to make the updates (hopefully drinking really strong coffee or really good beer!).