Bielefeld – A Visit With Family!

This past weekend was a truly special time as I traveld to Bielefeld, Germany to visit some distant relatives. In 1996 (or 1997, can not remember exactly) Luise Take, and her daughter Elisabeth, traveled to America to visit their Graper relatives, and this is when we first met. Upon my arrival in Germany, I was able to use some information from my grandmother to get ahold of Elisabeth and we planned a mini reunion!

Elisabeth and her son, Alesandro, picked me up from the train station at 6:30 on Friday and we started our weekend adventure. Unfortunately, her husband was gone for the weekend on a business trip. Their house was very cozy with a modern European design in a house that was about 50 years old. Although I have not been in many houses hear, I would say it was comparable in many ways to my friend, Elisabeth’s house (in temrs of interior style). I especially loved the modern kitched with its light blue and yellow coloration mixed with glass and stainles steel. A warm fireoven was in the living room and a large table and piano in the dining room (among other pieces). Alesandro qickly jumped on the piano and started playing his favorite piece after we got home. We enjoyed many ‘mini’ concerts throughout the rest of the weekend by Alesandro!

They also had a very nice backyard with many snowdrops and corcus blooming, and other bulbs emerging. It was also exciting to see a plethora of bulbs blooming in Elisabeth’s dinning room window, including Narcissus, Muscari, Amarylis, and Hyacinth, among other plants like Bromeliads and Orchids! I got pictures of the yard and kitchen, and we also have family pics from in the dinning room! For dinner Friday evening we had spagehtti with homemade sauce and dried wild oregano from Italy, and also wine from Italy. Elisabeth’s husband is orginially from Italy, so they appreciate and embrace many things Italian and he operates his on wine import business.

On Saturday, we started the day with breakfast and going to the local market. It was a grey day with a little drizzle, but there were still several vendors and customers at the market. Elisabeth picked up some bread and cheese while I picked up many picks of the vendors. There were many vendors for all foods and even flowers and some clothes. Elisabeth said there were many more flower vendors in summer.

Since the weather was a bit dreary, Elisabeth suggested we travel to a local garden center. These are garden centers are very common in Germany and they are about the size of a Home Depot or Lowes…HUGE! And all plants or plant related items….bulbs, seeds, house plants, outdoor plants, fresh cut flowers, outdoor containers, indoor décor, fertilizer…EVERYTHNG!!!! I felt like I was back at the IPM conference in Essen. We walked around, looking at the different flowers and finding things to purchase. Elisabeth and Alesandro picked up some seeds and flowers (more Hyacinth, Muscari, and Narcissus) and I picked up several seed packets! This place was absolutely amazing, and I really wish it was in America…or something like it. I was also the typical ‘touist’ taking many photos…it would be funny to hear what the ‘natives’ where thinking while I took pictures of the center…I don’t see many people in America running around Home and Garden Centers taking pictures…but now I will know why they are!

Many seed packets later, we decided it was time to head home as more family were arriving at Elisabeth’s house around 2:00. When we got there, we were greeted by Luise (Elisabeth’s mother who traveled to america), Elfriede (Luise’s sister), Uwe (Elisabeth’s brother), and Tabea and Loretta (Uwe’s daughters). It was so good to see Luise again and meet the others for the first time. Uwe, Tabea and Loretta spoke English very well, but Luise and Elfriede spoke very little. I was able to use my broken English to communicate a little bit with Luise and Elfriede, and the others filled in the gaps. It was especially interesting explaining to Elfriede, when we were allone in the dinning room, what I studied in school and what I would do in America after my study abroad. It seemed she was able to understand me as she asked questions related to the topics we talked about.

We all enjoyed coffee, tea and Luise’s homemade apple cake and a chocolate nut cake. It was so cool to listen to everyone talk and to be included in the conversation. Fortunately I was seated by Tabea, who could easily translate things I said in English, or confusing things I tried to say in German! The atmospere was so much fun, and for a little while it felt like I was back in America having lunch at my gradnparent’s on Sunday (something I miss very much)…surrounded by family…that made me know that we really MUST be related! :)

After coffee and tea, Elfriede, Luise, Tabea and I looked through many, many, many, and then some more old photos. We started with pictures from Elisabeth and Luise’s trip to America and I saw many familiar faces. It was aso fun to hear Luise’s stories about what they did. Then, I showed them photos of my Graper family on facebook…specifically a few of my Christmas albums. One of my cousins, Sabrina, was newly born during their visit, so it was exciting for them to see how much she, and all the others had grown…and to also see the many new aditions! They remember my cousin Blake and his ‘fire’ red hair, and were so excited to see his younger brother had the same! They loved seeing the photos and and my mission upon getting home is to get these photos to them. Then we started looking at very old photos and charting the path of our exact relation. Here is a very rough family tree to show our connection…it does not include all information, just what connects our families.

Johann Rölf Gräper married Ilse M Schröder (my great great great great grandparents)

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Johann Heinrich Graper married Sophie W. Säger (my great great great grandparents)

These are the common relatives of ours. Johann and Sophie had 7 kids total and this is where the family tree splits, with the two siblings named Wilhelm H. and Katharine.

Wilhelm H. Graper is my great great grandfather who moved to America (along with some of his brothers, August and Hermann) I can not remember all names at this time from my branch…and they were not on the family tree here in Germany.

Wilhelm H Graper married ?????

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George Graper married Viola Kuester

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Donald Graper married Evelyn Schuessler

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Donna Graper married Douglas Potts

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ME!

Katharine Graper married August Wischman

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Wilhelmine Wiscmann married Heinrich Bultmann

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Luise Bultmann married ???? Take

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Elisabeth married ???? Sciurba

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Alesandro Sciurba

It was so cool to go back in time and see photos of my relatives. I got a photo copy of a picture of Sophie Säger…my great great great grandmother, and that is just too cool for me! To finish the afternoon, we took several pictures, and then everyone had to leave. It was such a short visit, and we could have probably talked for many more hours, but time was not on our side. It was sad to see them leave, but hopefully it will be easier to keep in touch now.

That evening, Elisabeth took me on a ‘night tour’ of Bielefeld. We saw some of the cool historic buildings and churches lit at night and she also showed me three interesting restaurants. We enjoyed a glass of wine at the first one which was located in the oldest house in Bielefeld. The second restaurant was on the 6 floor of a building and looked down over the main intersection in the town…it was loud and crowded so we did not stay long. Our last stop was a restaurant that was once a church. The church had closed down and the building sat empty for many years. Eventually the town decided to convert it into a modern restaurant…and modern it was! It was interesting to drink a beer while looking up at some stained glass windows! The whole night was great, and we got pictures to remember!

Sunday was my last day in Bielefeld. After breakfast and making copies of pictures and documents, we headed into town to have lunch at a historic castle. We had a delicious beef goulash and enjoyed a relaxing walk around the grounds. So much history! Then, as time was running short, Elisabeth drove me around Bielefeld University, where she did some schooling. After that, her and Alesandro saw me off at the train station.

It was terribly sad to leave as the weekend was so much fun, but all good things must come to an end. Again, hopefully we can keep in touch easily after this experience and see each other again in the future! It is so interesting to think when that time might be or what the circumstances might be…maybe a future trip back to Europe or maybe Alesandro will do a study abroad in America…whatever the case, I’m sure it will be a great reunion then as it was now!

Market Pics: http://www.pikiwiki.com/ews/editor.jsp?29rRy5KdDjj8UhA2qjNfY4w

Garden Center Pics: http://www.pikiwiki.com/ews/editor.jsp?2zA6JDWC0GGTHmwfIcJSX2g

Family Pics: http://www.pikiwiki.com/ews/editor.jsp?29rRy5KdDjj-lmZj4CXFKKQ

More pictures to come....need to wait on a CD as my camera was giving me troubles that weekend.