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
My grandparents were all US citizens. One set – the families went out West with the Wagon Trains (so they had been there for multiple generations).
My grandmother on the other side’s parents (i.e. my great grandparents) immigrated from Slovakia through Ellis Island. My grandfather’s family on this side had been in the US for a while and it was difficult to trace back the roots, but based on the last name (Hager) it is clearly of Germanic origins.
Both sets of my grandparents were from Minnesota – 1 pair from Duluth and 1 pair from Aitken. Good Finnish stock on both sides, but you’d have to go several generations further back to find the immigrants.
Taiwan. Though my kid will have a more interesting answer
England, Scotland and New Brunswick (French Cdn.)
Ohio and South Carolina
Nothing terribly exotic here; Virginia and Kansas.
German and Scottish. Very useful when it came to learning German at school!
I have one set that comes from Europe – one was Swedish and one German, and the other set has one that is Native American (so really from here before the U.S. was the U.S.), and one from Scotland. I am so Heinz 57.
Both sets of grandparents were from the US. My mom’s folks were German/English and lived in Montana and my dad’s folks were Dutch/French and lived in Wyoming and then Arizona.
Both sets were born in the US, but my mom’s mom was only 2 generation american. Her family came from Poland and polish was the home language.
Both sets of my grandparents were born in the US, but my great-grandparents are from Germany
Both sets of *MY* grandparents are from the USA (Deep South on my mom’s side, and Mid-Atlantic on my dad’s).
Not so interesting, I guess… but my husband’s paternal grandparents are from Bermuda. Someday, we’ll cruise on over (literally!) so that I can meet the extended family!
Without rambling too much, my Dad’s parents were both from England, my Mom’s Dad was from Scotland, and my Mom’s Mom was Swedish. Can you say “Heinz 57”?
Glad you had such a wonderful time!
Wow, Germany looks beautiful 🙂 Someday I will have to go see it myself!
As for my grandparents… one side is still in Taiwan, the other side is here in the States, where they pretty much have been since the 13 colonies got started (although there’s some Italian and Greek immigration in the American grandmother’s line).
My grandparents were all from the US.
My paternal grandparents lived in the Ozarks of north-central Arkansas. My maternal grandparents moved from Indiana to Florida when my Mom was a small child.
My daughter recently traveled for business to the small Indiana town where my mom was born. She asked me whether the house where my mom lived as a child was still there. I think I need to ask my mom.
My grandparents were all from the US, too. One set from upstate NY and one set that I think of as being from southern Ohio, because they retired to the little town where my grandmother was born, but they were really from all over the place because my grandfather worked large construction, and they were in Canada, New Hampshire, Bogata, Columbia, and California during my childhood.
My grandparents on both sides came from El Salvador (back before people from that country were unheard of here in the US)
My Mom’s parents lived in England and Dad’s came from Ireland in the 1600’s.
all my grandparents were born in the US, but on my mother’s side they were the first generation – my maternal great-grands came from Germany, Poland, and Greece! I’m quite a mix!
My paternal gram was born in Ireland, and married my grandpa who was born in Jersey City. My maternal grandma was from Baltimore, and my grandpa from Trappe, MD. One generation prior put everyone back in Europe – I’m a relative “newbie”!
My maternal grandpa was from Holland and my maternal grandma was from Racine, WI. My paternal grandparents were both from Des Moines, IA. My maternal grandma is a mix of English and French Canadian. My paternal grandma’s parents came from Sweden. My paternal grandpa was a mix of Native American and German.
Sweden on my dad’s side and German and a mix of things she can’t remember on my mother’s.
My Dad’s parents were from Quebec, Canada, my Mom’s from Manhattan, NYC.
Welcome back, Sheri! Glad to hear that you and Knitting Daughter had such a great time!
My grandparents on my mother’s side were born in Italy; those on my dad’s side were both born in the States but their parents hailed from Ireland and Germany.
Loved the photos of your trip!
Both sets of grandparents came from Ireland.
Germany.
Bremen, Germany!
My mother’s parents came from the Isle of Ischia, Italy. My grandfather arrived in the US in 1908, and my grandmother arrived in 1910. My father’s parents were from Maryalnd, and my grandfather’s side can be traced all the way back to Wales – they came over in the early 1600’s – so they must have been on the boat following Columbus!
One set of my grandparents were born in Oklahoma and one set in Illinois.
What an amazing-looking trip! =)
Mother’s side = US
Father’s side = Germany. =) Not sure where in Germany, though!
Both sets of my grandparents were born in the US and can trace their ancestors in America to before the Revolutionary war.
Love the trip photos, Sheri!
One set of grandparents were both covered wagon pioneers – my maternal grandad was born on the tailgate of a covered wagon in Colorado.
The other set of grandparents are from California – my paternal grandad’s roots go back to Salem, MA in the 1730s.
Both sets of grandparents were Texan; but my maternal ancestors came from Scotland and my fraternal ancestors from Wales.
Both sets of grandparents were born here. My great-grandparents are from Ireland and Holland.
Love the photos!
All of my grandparents came from the USA
All of grandparents are from the USA
My adopted grandparents were from Montana & Missouri
All of my grandparents were born in and lived in Korea.
My dad’s folks came from England and my mom’s folks came from Oregon and Ohio.
All my grandparents were born in the United States, but not so for all their parents. My grandfather on mom’s side’s family have been long time U.S. ciitizens (to Revolutionary war days), but my grandmother’s family came from the Isle of Man in the UK. On Dad’s side, my grandfather’s family is from Portugall and my grandmother’s family from Germany and France.
My paternal grandfather came from England in 1904 and was mayor of Hamburg, NY. My other grandparents were all born in the U.S.
Welcome home, Sheri! I’m glad you had a nice trip.
All of my grandparents were born in the US: two in Ohio, one in IL, and one in TX. Prior to that, we trace our roots back to Sweden and England (my dad’s side) and Germany and Switzerland (my mom’s side). One of my prized possessions is a spinning wheel that my great-great-grandparents brought to the US from Switzerland around the time of the Civil War.
I am so jealous! Most of my grandparents are from German ancestry. I have one great grandfather who was from Norway and another that I have not been able to trace. I think he wanted it that way.
My maternal grandparents are from Russia and paternal ones are from Ukraine.
My paternal grandfather immigrated from Germany via Russia as a little boy in 1902 (I found him in the records at Ellis Island!), and my other three grandparents were all born in the U.S (Kansas and Illinois). Their parents were from Germany and Ireland, though.
My heritage is German and Polish. My paternal grandparents were born and raised in the US. My maternal grandmother was born in Poland. Not sure about my maternal grandfather. Reminds me that I should ask my grandma about that!
My paternal grandparents were both from Ireland – Sligo City and The Gap of Dunloe, near Killarney. My maternal grandparents were both from the States, one from New Hampshire and one from Connecticut. Eventually all roads led to Connecticut for everyone.
Both sets of my grandparents were born here in the US. My maternal grandparents come from families that arrived just after the Mayflower, but my paternal grandparents’ families came over much more recently, from the Netherlands and elsewhere.
My maternal grandfather was from Scotland and grandmother Ireland. Both paternal grandparents came to the US from Germany. My German grandmother taught me to knit a long time ago.
My grandparents on one side were born in Australia, from parents who’d come over from the UK (how, erm, exotic?). On the other side, they were Welsh and Polish – interesting accents abounded!