(Diane writing) The day began early for us. Gay needed to check on her mother’s twisted ankle to determine if a trip to the hospital was needed. Thankfully it was much better this morning.

We had another ample breakfast (I could eat fruit yogurt and müsli every day!) at the Ringhotel Die Krone at Hessental (near Schwäbisch Hall).

Schwäbisch Hall. We took the bus to into the heart Schwäbisch Hall, and walked to the prison where great-grandfather Jakob Friedrich died of typhus, after he was imprisoned for alleged fraud in connection with the burning of his barn. The sprawling prison building is not currently in use, but it made a great background for a group photo of our group.

As we walked several blocks up the hill to the city square, it started to rain, which has been typical of our days here. As the church bell rang in the background, Loretta pointed out the city hall, rebuilt after a fire in the 1700's, the old pillary post (where Ray Zeisset posed for us with an iron ring around his neck), and the memorial with a Star of David to mark the spot where Nazis conducted a book burning in the days before World War II.

Gay, Arnold and I walked down to the Kocher River and photographed several bridges that span the river. We walked back up the hill to the square, then up the 53 steps into St. Michael’s Church where we joined most of the rest of the group at the Sunday service. Even though we understood little of the service, we did enjoy the organ music and the baptism of four infants (including a set of twins). After the service, everyone respectfully stayed seated until the lovely postlude ended.

After the service, we walked around the perimeter of the interior to view various altars, chapels, relics and artwork. An ossuary behind the high altar was particularly interesting to me.

During a long drive later in the day, John Ruth gave us a synopsis of the sermon, since few of us speak sufficient German to have understood on our own. The New Testament scripture was from Matthew, “Let the children come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The sermon contained an admonition to live as “children of light,” and that baptism is a sign of receiving the light. John said that Schwäbisch Hall has a history of being unusually concerned with the welfare of the poor and of children. Carolyn summarized what the sermon said to her: “If we have the light of the Lord, then we will have the fruit of the light, which is truth, justice, and kindness.”

Storytime on the bus. (Gay writing) To keep us occupied on the drive toward the Black Forest, we were asked to share stories about our ancestors. Arnold Lindquist told us that he was the last grandchild to see his grandfather Jake Zeisset alive. Jake was staying with various of his children and died while staying with Arnold’s parents. Arnold was told by his mother Nellie Zeisset Lindquist to run and get his father out of the field because his grandfather was about to die. Arnold, 12 years old, ran as fast as he could, but by the time he got back, Jake had died. Arnold remembers his grandfather as a humble and neat man.

Harold Weller recalled his grandfather George Weller talking about how oxen will walk faster than any horse or mule. One of George’s jobs was to take the milk to town. After doing this one very cold day, his boots were frozen to his feet and he had to walk around inside the barn to thaw them out.

Betty Latimer recalled good things about her grandmother Bettie Zeisset Hoerman. She described her as a kind, religious woman who was the best cook she ever knew. A special memory she holds close to her heart is getting to sleep with her grandmother when she came to visit, since she was the oldest grandchild. Her grandmother always told her a long bedtime story, usually about Germany. She was 4 years old when Grandpa Hoerman died. Her grandmother always said he was the best looking man in the county. One of her favorite memories was that he made her a toy-box for doll clothes, which her brother later sat on and broke.

During the middle of our storytime, we went through a long tunnel near Stuttgart.

Carolyn Zeisset recalled stories told by her father-in-law Merton Zeisset. After coming to Kansas, his father Henry had worked for a year for Juergen Nanninga to repay his $88 passage from Germany. His next employer was a family who didn’t feed him well, and one day when he returned to the house unexpectedly, he found the family back at the table eating more. After that, Henry began to eat raw eggs he found in the barn. One day when he ate seven eggs, he gagged, and thereafter abandoned the practice.

Lloyd Swart recalled a similar experience of his mother Louise. She had often said that with one employer, “The dog ate better than she did.”

Ray Zeisset told about his grandfather Henry telling of having his ears boxed by one employer. Later Henry figured that was the cause when he became hard of hearing. Ray recalled Henry as a kind, religious and generous man.

Ray also recalled how their 1970 trip to Germany was inspired by the first Zeisset reunion in 1969. Merton and Ina, Ray and Carolyn traveled as a foursome, and sought out sites identified for them by a genealogist, for which they paid $20. The experience of the trip was the inspiration that later led Merton to write his book on the Zeisset family.

Ray also related what George Weller had told him at the 1972 reunion: that it was a brickmaker who set the Kreuzfeld barn on fire, in order to get work -- not Jakob Friedrich, who was imprisoned for it.

Rottenberg. We stopped at Rottenberg to see a large rock memorial to Michael Sattler. John Ruth told us the story of how Sattler, a Benedictine monk who embraced the Anabaptist way, was tortured and burned for his faith by Catholic authorities in 1527. His wife was drowned in the nearby Neckar River.

Black Forest Drive. Loretta and Paul had cut out two items on our itinerary for the day: the cathedral at Ulm, and the Bautopf or “Blue Pot” (a crystal clear pool) just west of there. Those omissions gave us a time for a more leisurely drive through the Black Forest.

Freudenstadt. We stopped at Freudenstadt, where many vendors were selling pottery and other items. Some of us watched children playing in the fountain in the main square. Some of the group visited the Stadtkirche (City Church). It had unusual architecture, being built in an L shape, with each side of the L being a separate nave, both facing the chancel in the angle of the L. This church had more traditional symbols than any other church we saw, with many medallions in the ceiling, each with a different symbol, as well as many sculptures along the top of the walls, each sculpture also being a different symbol.

At the Hotel Lauderbad, a few miles away, we found that there were not enough rooms available for all of the group, so some of us were sent further up the hill to the Hotel Zollernblick, under the same management. We all were brought up to the Zollernblick for dinner, and enjoyed beautiful views and delicious food.

During our earlier stop in Freudenstadt, Paul had found an announcement for an organ concert that evening, so he organized a trip back into town after dinner, and 10 of our group took advantage of the opportunity.

Paul’s notes: The organ was a magnificent Rieger instrument in a relatively new church. Since the organ was in the balcony at the back of the church, a camera had been set to allow the organist’s keyboard and pedal work to be projected onto a wall in the front of the church. The organist was a young Italian who played works by Bach, Mozart, and Schumann. When he asked the audience for ideas for an improvisation, someone suggested a Bach work in a particular style. The organist then launched into his own theme and variations based on “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” At the end of the concert we all gave the organist a richly deserved standing ovation. Afterward we walked a couple of blocks to a cab stand and had a nearby restauranteur call us two cabs. To get all ten of us in two cabs, we packed ourselves four in the back seat. That helped us appreciate the comfort of our bus.

Diane states that she always enjoys the many beautiful flowers that the cooler and damper European climate will grow. We both appreciate all the hard work and effort that Loretta and Paul have contributed to make this trip possible. We’re also enjoying making new friends among our distant relatives, and learning so much about our family. It has been a unique tour, we’ve learned so much, and had a wonderful time. Thank you.