We’re back! Knitting Daughter and I had a great time visiting Claudia and her family in Germany. What a treat! It is taking me a bit of time to get my head out of the jetlag clouds and back into work, so I figured I had better write this post this morning while it might still make sense.
We left on Tuesday and arrived on Wednesday morning. Claudia picked us up at the airport and took us home to catch breakfast and a few hours of sleep, before heading out to explore. Germany is GREEN all over the place. It is absolutely beautiful. Lots of rain and cool weather while we were there (which you know I like). We saw lots of fields of hops growing in Claudia’s town. Hops are 
used in the making of beer and you don’t see hops around here. They grow up the lines attached to the poles, and are harvested later in the summer. It’s a good industry for their town. The other thing that we saw growing all over was Spargle – which translates to Asparagus. Did you know that when the asparagus turns green, it is over-ripe and bitter? I’ve always liked asparagus, but the white asparagus that you get in Germany (before it turns over-ripe green) is so much better.
We spent the week being shuttled to and fro through the beautiful countryside by Claudia and/or Andreas. They are awesome hosts. We went to Munich a couple of days, to tour the famous Neuschwanstein Castle another day (see the photo? And to think the King lived in that castle for less than 150 days before his death). We also spent an afternoon tracking down my roots in a small village a few hours away. (Zipped down the Autobahn to get there. Not sure I’m a big fan of those fast speeds and crazy highways, but we had good drivers in Claudia and Andreas, and we 
lived to tell about it!) My grandparents came to the U.S. from Germany when they were in their 20’s, and it was fun to be in their town of Schnaitheim (near Heidenheim), see their old stomping grounds, and have coffee in a shop around the corner from their neighborhood. This is the photo of the schoolhouse that they attended. We found my grandpa’s house – or rather, land. The original house has been torn down and a four-family flat built in its place. It’s always sad to see that happen.
Now for the Mini Contest – where do your grandparents come from? I have a set of grandparents from Germany and a set of grandparents from here in the U.S. How about you? Leave a comment and I’ll randomly draw one winner in a week. (That’s what makes it a mini contest – just one winner. You know we usually draw a prize for every 250 or so comments in our regular monthly blog contests, but this time I have just one big skein of Wollmeise Lace to give as a prize!)
On Monday I’ll share photos of our time at the Wollmeise brick and mortar shop, as well as a photo of Claudia’s beautiful garden-filled backyard. It almost made me want to garden! (But not quite. I kept thinking of the heat and humidity that always arrives in St. Louis in July and August….)
Sheri hopingyouhaveagreatweekendandhavetimetoknit
I’m actually not sure where mine come from: I’ve only gotten as far as Tennessee for one set, and the others are even more of a mystery. However, I THINK one set is German and Native American, while the other is probably Scottish and English. My husband’s are German via Russia.
I’ve got grandparents born in Canada and the US š
All my grandparents were born in the States. Going back one more generation I have relatives from Poland, Scotland, Wales, Ukraine and maybe a couple other random European countries and more for every generation you go back. We have some war records from the Revolutionary War so one branch of my family has been in the US since before…well…it was the US.
All of my grandparents were “Crafted With Pride in the U.S.”
(Hehehe. We sell a garment that features that sticker. A surprising number of people choose NOT to remove it before putting on the garment.)
Both of my grandparents were born in the US. One generation before my grandparents though, several were born overseas, germany and scandanavia.
One of my grandmothers came from England, and the others were all born in the US.
My grandparents were all born in the US…my great grandparents, on the other hand, came from The Netherlands, Germany, Norway & France
Mine are from Danmark and my gentleman’s are Scottish.
My paternal grandfather is from Germany, my paternal grandmother from scotland, my maternal grandfather from Ireland and my maternal grandmother from Scotland.
so I am 1/2 Scot, with Irish looks and a German maiden name, but a proud american!
My grandparents came from Naples, Italy in the 1920’S. i’m the 2nd generation born in the good ol’ U.S.A.
My paternal grandparents are from/live in Japan, and my maternal grandparents are both first generation Irish-Americans; my maternal grandmother is from Boston, and my maternal grandfather is New York.
my grandparents were all born in America but their parents came to the US from Italy and Denmark.
Both sets of my grandparents are from the US….have to go back a little further than that to be non-American born.
Lived in Munich for awhile when I was a little little girl. Wish I had been a bit older so that I could remember more of that time!
My mother’s parents were born and lived in Tennessee for their whole lives. My father’s parents were born and lived in Montana their whole lives.
Ny grandparents are all from the US. I believe that 3 of them were born in Kansas and the other in Ohio. I have a desk that she brought with her on a covered wagon from Ohio.
Both sets are from the US.
I have one set of grandparents from the US, and one set from Finland. I’d love to go to Finland to visit my roots, in the future!
Both sets of my grandparents were born in the US, but their parents were all from different areas of Germany.
I was in Bavaria a few years ago when my daughter was in the Army, and got to Visit Rothenburg and Neuschwanstein. I love the castles, the first time I was there, I was in 8th grade and went to visit my brother (who was also in the Army) 30 years later, I was back at the castles, and they were just as beautiful as before!
THE Claudia?!?? wow.
My grandpa is Icelandic – my grandmother is Norwegian. My dad’s side came over a long time ago – Scotland and Germany.
Both sets of my grandparents are from SW Virginia where I live. Though one of my great uncles traced our family tree back to a fellow who came to the US in the 1700’s from Edinburgh, Scotland.
My grandparents are from Chicago and California. But my dad’s paternal grandparents were from what is now most likely Poland and/or the Czech Republic. When I visited Prauge, everyone looked like me. It was kind of bizarre.
Both sets of my grandparents are from Japan!
glad you had such a good trip! My grandparents on both sides were from Canada, the Quebec area. On mom and dad’s family sides I am 3rd generation born. I remember my grandmother never speaking english, even though she lived on a small VT farm for almost 60 years at that point. I didn’t speak french but we always understood eachother. Sadly we have just recently lost the last of our grandparents.
Japan
Italy, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.
My maternal grandparents were born in Massachusetts, as was my fraternal grandfather. My father’s mother was born in Ireland. We are still in touch with her family over there! Good luck to all…
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Sadly, I don’t know much about my mother’s side of the family aside from the fact that there is some mixed heritage there from Europe & some of it was German. My mother’s sister was the knitter & crocheter and taught me at an early age. I just loved making anything with her & she was so talented. On my father’s side there’s a bit more. They all came from Sweden. My great grandmother took all the girls & left the country for a better life in America. I believe there were5 girls. She left her husband and 2 sons in Sweden where my great uncle joined the Swedish military & when he completed his tour, he took his younger brother and came to America to find the rest of his family. He became a citizen, joined the Marines to fight for his new country-he was Semper Fi all the way, did amazing things for other Swedish immigrants that eventually earned him a knighthood from the King of Sweden.
I’m really loving learning more about my family history and would love to go to Germany for Claudia’s yarn as well as to learn more about that side of the family. I’m glad you had such a rewarding trip!
I was adopted. I have no idea. š .It has always been a sore spot since I was in school whe Roots came out and everyone was tracing their family tree. I could put dowm my adoptive parents who came from Germany but it’s not the same in some way.
my maternal grandparents came from Eastman GA – home of the original Stuckey Candy factory. My paternal grandparents were from Jacksonville Florida where I was born and raised.
Loved hearing about your trip to Germany Sheri – can’t wait to hear more – thanks for entering me – I am a Wolm. virgin and would love to have a skein.
thanks Melody
Welcome back!!! Your pictures are great, looks like you had a wonderful time. I bet you did not want to come back home.
My Grandparents on my Dad’s side were from Germany and my Grandparents on my Mom’s side were from Hungry. Both my parents were born in Chicago, Il.
Can I join too? I’m in Norway, but my mum is born and raised in New York, by Norwegian parents- her mum was born in the US, but moved to Norway when she was two, and came back to the US when she was 18. My grandfather also immigrated at about the same time (around 1920-25) My mum wanted to see what their homecountry looked like, so she got a job with friends of theirs, met my dad, and stayed. Still a US citizen though! I have two aunts and several cousins living mainly in Virginia. My dad has never been out of Norway at all. But my husband also has family that emigrated to the US or Canada. It was very common.
Great photos from Germany!
My Grandfather on my Mother’s side where born in the US. Portuguese decent.
My Dad’s parents where born in Portugal. Grandmother in Saint Michaels Azores and Grandfather in Portugal.
My paternal grandparents are both German heritage, but American for many generations. My father’s surname has been traced back to a Hessian soldier who fought in the Revolution.
My maternal grandparents have also been American for many generations, and claim mostly English and Irish background (but mostly a mix). My mother’s mother said she could trace back to the Mayflower, but that it wasn’t much to brag about because they were all convicts and rejects. š
Happy Knitting,
Lisa kay
Oh, what an interesting contest! My grandparents all lived in Indiana when I was born, though my maternal grandmother was originally from Alabama. Our ancestry is British on the one side, and Welsh & Lakota/Navajo on the other. It’s quite interesting to me to think that my family (or at least part of it) has been American for nearly 10,000 years. š
Welcome home, Sheri!
Germany IS beautiful. I was fortunate enough to be a People-to-People Student Ambassador when I was 17. We visited The Netherlands, Poland, France, Germany, Denmark and England and had home-stays in The Netherlands, Denmark and England.
My paternal grandparents were both born in the US – grandfather was born in Gadsden County, Alabama (1898) and grandmother born in Gonzales County, Texas (1902). In my grandmother’s father’s family (Davis) we go back 10 generations to get to the first one born in the U.S. (in jamestown). That ancestor’s father came from England. That Englishman was part of an early settlement called the Popham Colony in what is now Maine. They built a ship and returned to England in 1608. That ship, the Virginia of Sagadahoc, and my ancestor was part of the Third Supply Mission to Jamestown in 1609.
My maternal grandparents are a little more sketchy because my grandmother died when my mother was 6 years old and she lived with a foster family. I believe my grandfather was born in Springfield, Missouri (1895). I’ve been able to find out more about my grandmother’s family – she was born in Bristow, Oklahoma (1904). The grandparents I KNEW (Mom’s foster parents) were both from Kansas.
Well, that’s probably TMI…..but it’s something I’ve been working on in the last year.
Back to knitting! š
Bonnie
Both my grandparents were from Pakistan. My maternal grandmother moved to NA in the mid 70’s. The other 3 died in Pakistan and I never really knew them.
Clare
My grandparents on my mother’s side came from Poland. On my husband’s side, all four grandparents came from the same town in the south of Italy. We visited there two years ago, so my husband could walk the same streats as his grandparents did. It was wonderful.
My maternal grandparents originally came from a part of Korea that is now North Korea (or, as a politically incorrect former coworker called it “bad Korea”). It’s just over the border, and one of my grandfather’s sisters never made it out. We have no idea whatever happened to her.
My paternal grandparents are from South Korea. My dad’s ancestors left China many generations ago. I have documentation to show this as I am the 30th generation member of my family to be Korean and not Chinese.
Both sets came from Finland. Mom’s parents settled in Minnesota; dad’s settled in Massachusetts (later relocated to California). Mom and Dad met at church in California.
Two of my grandparents were born here in Canada, one was born in Finland, and one was born in England.
Hi! My grandparents on my father’s side came from County Cork Ireland, moved to San Franciso and were there during the 1906 earhtquake, and my paternal grandfather from an area that is now Switzerland. My grandmother’s family on my mother’s side is from Norway, and my maternal grandfather from Romania. Germany is very beautiful, is it not? Though i must admit Austria is even prettier!
All of my family came from Finland. And they all came to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin because it looks just like Finland!
ireland and lithuwania
My grandparents on both sides (and my parents) were from Lithuania. My father’s father died when he was a young lad and his mother emigrated to the US during WW II. My mother’s father died of TB in Germany – we was not permitted to emigrate to the US. My mom’s mom came here after the war. Both parents spent some time in DP camps in Germany.
shoulda spell checked that first!
My maternal great great grandparents were from Czechoslovakia (which no longer exists…now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) and my paternal great grandparents were from Poland.
My paternal grandfather was born in NYC just after his family, including six older siblings, arrived in the US from Poland. My paternal grandmother came to the US from Russia when she was 8. My maternal grandparents were descended from ancestors in Germany, Scotland and possibly France.
My Paternal Grandparents came from Nova Scotia and the family history is documented in St. Francis Xavier College. My Paternal Grandmother was a direct blood descendent of Mary Stewart, first Queen of Scotland. It is a very interesting history. My grandmother was one of 17 children.
Maternal Grandparents were born here, but great grandparents both from Germany, grandmother from Carlshrew and grandfather from Baden Baden. When my grandfather was a child his asthma was critical and doctors told his parents the only thing that would save him was an ocean voyage so fathe and son returned to Germany and stayed 3 years until my grandfather was older and stronger and then came back to Massachusetts.
I love my family heritage
First-gardening in St. Louis. I came here from the Chicago area 19 years ago and STILL can’t get the hang of gardening here. This is all I have figured out: pull weeds in Feb, put in lettuce, radishes early March. Finish all planting by Memorial Day weekend. Start again after Labor Day. Stop weeding when the ground freezes.
My paternal grandparents are from Bratislava, Slovakia. They came to Whiting Indiana where Grandpa was a railroad worker and Grandma ran a tavern. My dad played pro baseball and is a local celebrity in Whiting.
My maternal grandparents came from outside of Krakow, Poland. They were farmers and had to escape Poland when the army tried to conscript Grandpa. My Busia was 16 when he married her (an arranged marriage) and hid from her husband on her wedding day in haystacks. They witnessed the Titanic sinking from another ship.
Curously, my DH’s grandma was raised a fine lady just outside of Vienna, Austria-in a town just 90 miles from my grandma’s. My husband’s paternal family was lost in the Holocaust (Austrians) and his maternal family is Daughter of the American Revolution-very, very old American family.
So glad you had a great trip!
Mine are from the “hills of Tennessee” on my dad’s side and from a Mohawk Indian reservation on my mom’s side š