We were in the midst of driving from Nürnberg to Jachenau, a north to south journey. The first of these names may be familiar to you but very few of you will have heard of the second, Jachenau. When you stand in the right spot there, you can see Austria. Looking through the mountains with tunnel vision, you can see Innsbruck. Northern Bavarian is relatively flat with gently rolling hills. Southern Bavarian is ski country and this is a favorite activity of the Gudelius family whom we were going to see. To them, the only thing better than skiing down a hill is climbing it first.
The father, Jost, and I may be related. At least we both have ancestors who lived in the Siegen area. We became acquainted through the Internet because of our common interest in the Siegen families. We visited the family two years ago and this time we were amazed how much the four children have grown. The oldest is Sara, now 18, a very grown-up age that permits her to drive now. Josti is only a year behind her and he will be learning to drive soon. Till is 15, and Axel is 13. Axel very proudly showed us the German dances he is learning (and all in full dress also). Josti is developing his skills with the whip.
The father, Jost, just celebrated his sixtieth birthday by climbing, with the two oldest boys, the highest mountain in Austria. The mother, Claudia, is an M.D. who still practices some medicine, but chiefly she is a writer of novels.
When we visit the Gudelius family, we stay next door to them on a farm which has guest rooms. It is a new facility with two rooms including a kitchenette, dining table, and generous bedroom. The cost is only forty Euro and a generous breakfast for two is included. It was the best lodging we had and, Euro for Euro, it was one of the lowest prices. Since an Euro exchanges for about 92 cents, you can see we were paying about $36 dollars per night.
Jost helped me with two small problems that I had. He called the archivist in the Lutheran Archives in Regensburg and made an appointment for the next Tuesday morning. Then I told him of my problem of finding Kolmbach, a farm in extreme southeastern Bavaria. It was no problem for him. He pulled out a CD which has more detailed information than you would want and printed a series of maps which showed the exact road and house location.
Because of my Gaar and Utz ancestors, I tell Jost that I have more ancestors in Bavaria than he does. He agrees, saying he has none. However, southern Bavaria has become his choice for an adopted home. He has spent some forty years living there and I have never heard him speak of moving away.
We spent Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday with them, and left on Thursday morning for Kolmbach.
(07 Jun 02)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.