Greeks have a holiday called Clean Monday. It is the start of lent, and for the duration of lent, Greeks do not eat meat. On Clean Monday, kids are out of school, stores are closed, everybody is eating at their favorite seafood restaurant and flying kites on the beach. Last Monday was Clean Monday, so my family and a few others got in the van to go to the beach to fly kites with the locals! After searching, we found a place with some wind and tried to get the kite up in the air. It didn't work out, but it wasn't for lack of trying. The effort was definitely there! Greek kites are different than the ones I'm used to...even though we couldn't figure out how to get the kite in the air and keep it there, it was still fun to laugh at ourselves!
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Guest author - my mom LorenBecause Facebook makes the world small and accessible, perhaps a year ago a distant Kopf cousin, Hannes, in Germany finds my name and "friends" me. We fill in some of the family tree, I send photos of gravestones from the family church and cemetery, and he sends a family tree dating back to 1656. We exchange emails, family documents (ship lists, copies of wills, etc.), and other information. This past Thanksgiving, my family sits around the kitchen table at my parents' house and discuss a recently received email from Germany, inviting us to visit the family village. Life is short. We are actually talking about possible dates. We reply to the invitation, grinning at each other and happily anticipating we-don't-know-what. March finds us visiting the Alsace region of France and marveling at the beautiful villages of Colmar, Eguisheim, and Ribeauville - the style of the buildings themselves nestled in the villages whose church steeples we see peeking out of the vineyards on the hillsides through which we journey. On the weekend, by way of Strasbourg, we drive north to the village of Morzheim, Germany (1,100 residents) outside of Landau (45,000 residents), a bit south of Frankfurt. This is why we're on this particular adventure. "Plans have been made," is an understatement of the time which generous families took to schedule our time and show us this special land of theirs. Distant Kopf cousins Hannes and Oliver and their families meet us at the address which they have supplied to me. They greet us with friendly faces and welcoming handshakes. We climb the staircase to the office of the Morzheim Rathaus and are introduced to the mayor of the village. Also present is a debonair gentleman who helps Hannes translate old German writing on documents that aid to complete the family tree into the modern language. We are invited to sign the Golden Book of Morzheim and take pictures together commemorating the visit. We feel honored. Hannes' sister and her family join us all in Landau for supper at Melanie's (Oliver's wife) favorite restaurant. It has modern decor, delicious food, a fun vibe. Hannes' sister's husband jokes that since he's married to a Kopf, of course they live in Morzheim. And my thoughts immediately go to Crockett, Mississippi. The Kopfs are connected to that land, so I understand his words. There's a comfort in sitting on the front porch at Crockett, sipping coffee, and gazing at the pecan trees that hoisted swings for us when we were kids. Somehow those trees seemed gigantic back then. Grandmother's daffodils and irises and roses still bloom, even though she passed when I was a girl. I can picture her making "snow" for the Christmas tree, bringing out the caramel popcorn, and telling stories with life-advice thrown in for good measure. My daddy remembers his grandfather telling stories on the porch and his great-grandfather donating the land for the church and cemetery in Crockett. Morzheim means to this set of German Kopfs what Crockett means to my Mississippi Kopfs. There's comfort in having a history with the land, knowing its hills and ponds and history. Hannes tells us that he will take us sight-seeing in Landau in the morning. And so we sleep a good rest. Hannes tells us that Landau means "our land" and has been a town since the Middle Ages. Daffodils and forsythia are the brightest decorations, and they are beautifully aplenty. We receive a German history lesson on the French and German borders and the World Wars, see the German doors/French doors, appreciate the old and modern architecture mix public library (Landau won a prize for this design), see the old city walls made of sandstone from the Palantine forrest, explore the Augustinian monastery church dated from 1404, talk with their organist who is a school friend of Hannes, see the garden walkway in the shape of a cross, walk through the marketplace "parades place" called by the French because of past troop parades, see Anne Frank's grandfather's house, and see a monument to French army. Hannes discusses the treatment of Jews regretfully as he points out golden bricks in the streets throughout the town honoring them. Yes, it was wrong, but it is important to remember and never forget. In my head, I compare the treatment of the Jews to the treatment of slaves in the southern United States. My daddy is thinking the same thing. He quietly says to me, "The Germans live with their scars, just as we Southerners live with ours." Lunch is at Oliver and Melanie's home. It's new construction, set at the edge of town, with the vines in every window's view. The boxwoods in the back border a tulip bed almost ready to burst. Bread in a huge pretzel shape contains sandwiches and is cut to share. Weisswurst, white sausage, with a sweet mustard sauce follows the sandwiches. The children are beautiful and happy. If I imagine looking at us from the outside, we are all a pretty picture in a lovely setting. Hannes picks us up for a walking tour of village Morzheim. He shows us the plot of land where Jacob Kopf lived, the church where he was baptized, and other Kopf homes (past and present) in the village. Cake and coffee are served to us by Hannes' parents in their home. Walnuts from their tree out back are given to us. Books with documents tracing "your Jacob Kopf" are pulled out and viewed. We marvel at the time and effort of Hannes and his family. Cousin Andreas' home and vineyard are where we learn about the grapes. So much knowledge and training is needed to produce grapes. We learn about their color, their temperature, the use of snails instead of pesticides for pests for organic wine in his vineyard, the pruning and training of the vines, the relatively short time harvesting takes depending on the method, and the long time the fermentation takes. Andreas and his wife Suzanna and children are kind and outgoing hosts, making us extremely comfortable. Eating German food is an experience - sausage at every turn! Supper takes place at a traditional restaurant in Morzheim. Ann-Clayton and I share bratwurst, sauerkraut, and flambé. Clay and my daddy go with the sampler platter. Celebration abounds around the table. As time passes, things slow down, except for our table, so the owner takes us to a museum room displaying farm tools, a grape backpack, and photographs from years gone by. He plops down with us, and we leave a few conversations later, droopy-eyed. What joy we've shared with these long-lost cousins who stopped their lives to be generous to us. At breakfast on the morning of our departure from Landau, we dissect every conversation and revel in the days spent here. People make life special. Places are interesting and beautiful, but it's the people with whom we share our lives that make us full. And the more connections and experiences we share, the more meaningful life becomes to us. We will discuss the love and hospitality shown to us by our distant Kopf cousins of Morzheim for years to come. Our lives are better because we are now connected to them. May we show love to others, as we've received love from them.
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I'm a girl traveling the world with my parents and have had many wonderful experiences. I'm very thankful. Archives
June 2017
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