49 Days til Germany!

My son has been accepted to a study abroad program in conjunction with his university and will be spending about 8 weeks in Germany this summer.  Of course, that means I really *need* to go with him!!!  Well, okay, just for a few days (10 days) ... I haven't been back to Germany since March of 2012 when my son and I went for Spring Break.  I am way past due for some time in the Old Country!  AND I am taking my oldest daughter with us as well ... she has never been to Germany.  We can't wait!

As a child, I spent every summer in Germany with my grandparents ... and I guess I took for granted that I'd marry an American and make my life in the USofA - and no longer enjoy those yearly trips.  Granted, my husband and I were stationed in Germany for 3 years with the Army, but even that was a long time ago.  Over 20 years ago ... we are old!  

I feel like air travel and international travel in particular has changed a lot in recent years -- and especially since 9/11 (2001).  I used to be a pro at packing suitcases and picking out my carry on items to take on the plane ... but now I am attempting to read the tips on the internet to figure out what to take with me.  My goal is MINIMAL and DUAL-PURPOSE!

Back in the day, I was allowed 2 suitcases on my international flights - at NO EXTRA CHARGE (imagine that!).  There were weight limits, but otherwise, I always took the biggest, sturdiest suitcases with me on my summer trips.  Now-a-days, you can only have 1 bag (at least on the airline we are using) - and our domestic flight (a different airline) will charge $60 for a checked bag.

I get it that I'll have to pack travel-size shampoos and such like if I carry them on ... and I realize there are a few other things I will have to consider post-9/11 security guidelines.   The last time I flew just within the United States, my carry on was selected on both my to and home TSA checks.  I had peanut M&Ms in the one incident that they were very "suspicious" about ... and the other one, I'd forgotten that I had a full-size beauty product with me ... and I felt like a reprimanded child.  My palms were swabbed for some reason ... and some sort of magic powder was put into my bag by the agent to check for some unknown substance ... I sure don't want to go through all that again!

So far, I'm thinking I want a backpack for my carry-on (leaving me hands-free), and I will take a small, cross-body purse that I will use while we are in Germany ... but otherwise, what else do I need??

So far, on the list for my carry-on:
ear plugs (or noise-canceling headphones)
a good book
maybe an eye mask (for sleeping)
I always take a toothbrush and travel-size tooth paste tube to freshen up before landing
along with some touch-up make up
Snacks - but what kind??
tissue
and I always fold up a Walmart/plastic bag and stuff it into my purse - weird but I have found it useful

We are staying with relatives for most of the time (and have an Airbnb for 2 days) so I have access to laundry facilities.....clothes won't be an issue.

WHAT ELSE???  What must I take?
Electricity converter (I have a travel one)
Battery charger (for cell phones & devices)??

I need your best recommendations for what to pack ....
ALSO, what should I bring the relatives as a little Mitbringsel (memento or keepsake as a gift)?

HELP! 

Happy Birthday: My Opa's Story

My Opa (my mother's father) was born on this day, April 23 in 1911.  I wish I could talk to him now - as the middle-aged adult that I am - and ask him about all the details that I want to know that never occurred to me as a child, when I spent over 2 months with him each summer.

I am thankful I have memories, and I am glad my mother can still share many things she knows and remembers about her father ... but I am still curious about him as a young man.  I know a few basics:  he was born near Frankfurt, Germany, the oldest of 7 children.

The earliest picture I have of my Opa is from his confirmation, which happened at age 13 or 14 in German Lutheran churches.  So I am guessing this photo is from 1924 or 25:

I don't know much about my Opa's formal schooling or any training.  From pictures of him and knowing the history of Germany from the time, I assume he joined the German National Work Service called Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD).  Starting in 1935, it was mandatory for men ages 18 to 25 to serve at least 6 months in the RAD.  It was intended to instill an appreciation for hard work into the youth and to combat unemployment.  My Opa was stationed in Poland in 1936 because that is the date on the back of this picture of him (on the right) with a comrade.  

Here is where I don't know all the details ... I am assuming my Opa remained in the RAD because he always said he was on a labor force during the war - and I have this picture of him on his horse (Hansi) that is dated 1939/Poland:

The RAD played an important role in Hitler's plan to invade Poland.  These construction troops built roads, cleared obstacles, dug ditches, and created fortifications; they also kept the supplies running smoothly to the front lines.  They were not combat troops ... at least not until the very end months of the war in 1945 when some RAD units were trained for the infantry and as anti-tank units.  For most of the war, the RAD remained an independent, support force.  My Opa spent a short time as a prisoner of war, but again, all the details are somewhat uncertain as to the time line.

The female version of the RAD was called the RADwJ (Reichsarbeitsdienst weiblichen Jugend / National Work Service for Young Women).  I am assuming that is what my Oma was a part of in her home of East Prussia, and how she met my Opa.   The RADwJ provided support for farming communities with domestic help or teaching school initially before World War II.  After September 1939, it also became mandatory for young women between the ages 20-25 to service for at least 6 months; girls who served longer were then honored and paid as employees.  Eventually, these young ladies also began to fill the jobs the men had left behind at factories and ammunition plants as well as serving in hospitals, postal services, being conductresses on trains and public transport, and many other now-vacant positions.

Back to my Opa:  after the war, the family first had to find each other again - my Oma having fled her home in East Prussia from the Russians with her little boy (my uncle) in tow.  Finding jobs, housing, and making a life in war-ravaged Frankfurt was the next step.  Thankfully by the late 1950's, times were easier:

My Opa with my mother, ca Summer 1959

By the time I was born in the earliest of the 1970s, my Opa had retired medically due to a bad heart, but was still so very full of life and fun:

My Opa and grandmother from my father's side admiring me as a baby, Christmas 1970

As my often babysitter and later who I spent my summers with, my grandparents became a huge part of my childhood.  My Opa in particular enjoyed being outdoors and had a little "garden," which we could escape to, not far from their apartment.  We took long walks, rode bicycles, wandered through the near-by Taunus Mountains.  My Opa told me stories, read to me, and sang his favorite marching songs (probably military cadences).  

My Opa loved to travel, and most summers, he planned for us to go by train to at least one city or sight or relatives' home further away.  Occasionally, he'd come to the States and spend a few weeks with us as well.  

In the Summer of 1986, early July to be exact, my Oma, Opa, and I traveled to the city of Köln (Cologne) for a little getaway; we also had a friend to visit there.  After going to the famous cathedral in Köln, we headed to the train station to catch our train back to Frankfurt.  We ended up on the wrong train platform and had to hurry across the station to another to get the correct train.  On that platform, my Opa reached over to touch my Oma's arm and collapsed.  He had his third (and fatal) heart attack there on that train platform.  Medical personnel came to help immediately, of course, but he was never revived.  Sadly, my Opa passed away that day ... but I like to think he died while doing what he loved with people around him that he loved (and we loved him so very much).  I will never forget that day, and though that was almost 33 years ago, I still miss my Opa often and am thankful that I had 15 years to spend with him.  

Happy 108th Birthday, Opa!

PS You can read my Oma's Story by clicking HERE:  My Oma's Story

Get Ready for Easter, German-style:

I have memories of my mother blowing out eggs to make beautiful hollow shells to hang on some pussy-willow branches in a vase to make a Easter-tree.  I have a cake form from when we lived in Germany to make a little lamb-shaped cake.  And the flowers of Spring ... I would LOVE to visit a German flower shop right now!

Easter's on its way!

Here are some ways to celebrate Germany-style:

source:  https://www.thekitchn.com/german-easter-traditions-229655

source:  https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easter-kugelhopf

source:  https://sincerelysaturday.com/decoupage-easter-eggs/

Vintage German Easter eggs were made of paper-mache' ... the blogger cited above shares her version - inspired by her German mother.  

source

The Lindt gold bunny!

source:  https://www.quick-german-recipes.com/easter-in-germany.html

Easter meal & dessert - from "Just Like Oma" - Quick German Recipes

Traditional German decorations

can be found at Käthe Wohlfahrt shop online:

https://kaethe-wohlfahrt.com/en/World-of-Gifts/Easter-decoration/

The Easter - Ostern Connection

If you study the origins of the English word Easter and the German word Oster(n), you will find that the roots are the same.  I have an interest in linguistics, so this concept fascinates me, and I have found that there are several theories of the origin of these words:

source

In 7th-Century England, a monk named Bede (the Venerable) was a scholar who studied and wrote about many subjects to include science, literature and astrology; he also wrote about the topic of celebrating Easter.  He suggested that an Anglo-Saxon goddess named Eostre, who represented spring and fertility, was who Easter represented.  Her celebrated month was Eosturmonath, which corresponds to what we now call April.

Another theory is that the word Easter derives from an older German word meaning east, which comes from an older Latin word meaning dawn.

As Merriam-Webster Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski sums it up..., “The basic logic seems to have been: ‘Spring > sun > dawn > east.'”
(source)

There is no doubt that Ester and oster, the early English and German words, both have their root in aus, which means east, shine, and dawn in various forms, according to An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., s.v. “Easter.” (Walter W. Skeat, 1893).  So, East - sun rising, brighter days, longer days, earlier dawns ... Ester, oster, Spring-time!  Makes sense.

And lastly, some suggest that Easter has its roots in the German word for resurrection Auferstehung.  The older Teutonic version of the German word is a combination of 2 words:  Ester (which meant first) and stehen, the verb that means to stand.  These words combined into erstehen, which in modern German is now auferstehen = to resurrect.

source

When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in 1522, he chose to use the word Oster to refer to the Passover as it was celebrated before and after Jesus' resurrection.    English Bible translator William Tyndale used the word ester to refer to the Passover in 1525.  The "a" was added to ester later to make it Easter.

In translations of I Corinthians 5:7, Luther & Tyndale refer to Jesus as the "Easter Lamb":

Luther— . . . Denn wir haben auch ein Osterlamm, das ist Christus, für uns geopfert.

Tyndale— . . . For Christ oure esterlambe is offered up for us

(source)

And that, my friends, is a short (?) study of the connection between Easter & Ostern... You're welcome!  :)