Europe Trip -Part 5

 Sunday, October 15- I was getting a little tired of charcuterie for breakfast so I opted for granola instead. Later our local guide, Ernst, told us the bread- zopf- is a Swiss Sunday tradition. It's a soft bread made with extra butter, and braided into loaves. I was sorry I missed it! Richard had tried it and said it was really good. 

We left our hotel at 8:45am and attended Langnau Mennonite Church, the oldest Mennonite church in the world, for their morning service. 

I didn't understand much of the service, but I got enough to know the sermon text was 1 Samuel 25; Richard understood a smidge more than I did. I used Google Lens to translate the songs so we could at least understand what they were singing even if we weren't familiar with the tunes. The only German song I know is Gott ist Die Liebe; my grandparents made sure their grandchildren learned it. We were fortunate enough to be sitting next to Ernst, who is a good singer; it was an experience just to listen to him. 

After the service was over and the parishioners cleared out, the pastor shared the history of the church and the village with us. He was fluent in English so that was very interesting. 

Ironically, we were there [in Europe] to find our roots, while it seemed like the majority of them couldn't have cared less about their genealogy. They have all this Anabaptist history "right under those noses" but don't have any interest in "the Mennonite game". However, there are exceptions to every rule- there was one lady that we talked to that, unknown to us, drove home to get her hand-drawn 7 generation family tree to show Richard & I. Several of our group flocked around her information. I don't think anyone shared the same surname with her, but we found many common Mennonite names in her tree. I was pleased to find some Burkholders.  

A few of us took a quick jog through the cemetery across the road from the church. It was disappointing. We discovered that because land is at a premium, the Swiss recycle their graves. About every 25 years, they remove headstones- the family is given the option to keep or recycle it, and someone new is buried in that spot. The idea is that over years of visiting and tending a gravesite, a person comes to terms with loss, until the time comes for the grave to be "aufgehoben.”  I might be a practical person, but I'm not that practical! My brother has been gone longer than 25 years -I would hate not having a grave anymore to visit. So anyway, there were no old graves there. Richard found one Stauffer but no one old enough to be a direct relative. 

Finding a restaurant that was open on a Sunday and could handle 42 people was a challenge, but Ernst knew of a place. It was a buffet in a truckstop -something we're quite comfortable with. (Of course, I had to get a picture of the row of semis.)

I did not take any pictures of our food or inside the restaurant. Richard went for the traditional fare, but I spotted an Asian counter- the sign above said shrimp, teriyaki sauce, etc. Only after I had rice in my bowl did I discover they did not have any of those things that day. There was only a spicy Thai sauce; I looked around for something else to eat with my rice but finding none, I gingerly fished out a few pieces of meat & veggies. The cashier said it was normally 15 francs but because I didn't make my bowl very full she only charged us half price. Even that minimal serving was enough to make my mouth burn and I ate most of our piece of cake afterwards to tame the fire. Black forest cake = another ✔ on my bucket list. 👏  

Next we went to Bern. It was on our schedule to do a walking tour, but we didn't even stop anywhere in the city. Apparently there was no bus parking, a lot of one-way streets, and much city traffic so our bus driver was eager to get away from there. We empathized with him but I was still disappointed. We drove by the famous bear pits, but I didn't even attempt to take a picture because I was still under the assumption we were going to park and get out. Our tour leaders said it's often a waste of time because in their experience there are usually no bears in the pit anyway. 

Bern is the capital of Switzerland. We drove by government buildings -this one is the Swiss Parliament Building. 

I was hoping to hear the famous Bern clock strike the hour- I've been told it's very impressive, but we didn't even drive by it. We did see this church steeple. Poor Ernst was trying to explain to us that when we see a cross on top of a church steeple it's a Catholic church, if there is a rooster it is a Reformed church, but he couldn't think of the English word for rooster. He asked us what the word is for a man chicken, much to the amusement of some of the men.  

Anabaptists first arrived in Bern just weeks after the first baptisms, sometime in 1525. The Anabaptists in Bern were heavily persecuted. Already in 1527, the government leaders of Bern issued a mandate that all Anabaptists in their city would face death by drowning. Through the middle of the 18th century, the Bernese authorities were diligent about ridding their land of the “Anabaptist plague". They had a group called the Tauferjager (Anabaptists constabulary), whose sole job was to root out Anabaptists. They were spies, allowed to infiltrate and do whatever was necessary to identify the Anabaptists among them. And yet many Anabaptists refused to leave behind their friends, family and jobs to flee Bern and find homes elsewhere. A mass deportation of Anabaptists from Bern in 1671 included 90 yr. old Christian Stauffer, my ancestor. 

We drove by some beautiful farmland to the east of Bern. 

Our next stop was the Haslebacher Hof near Sumiswald. They have a small room commemorating Hans Haslibacher, the last Anabaptist martyr in Bern. The 15th generation of Haslebachers live here today.

Here is the history: After Hans became a 'Taufer', he became very active in preaching/teaching and soon suffered persecutions for his faith. When he was around fifty years old he fled for his life because of his faith. No one, not even his family, knew where he went. Thirty years later, at 80 years old, he thought it might be safe to return to his home area. However, he was arrested and imprisoned. For several days Hans was harshly threatened and when he refused to recant, he was sentenced to be beheaded on October 20, 1571. On the night before his death, God revealed to him in a dream three signs that would follow his death. Hymn No. 140 in the Ausbund, thirty-two verses long, gives the story of Han's sentencing, his death, and the signs that followed: the sun shone crimson red, the water in the village well in Bern spurted blood, and his head rolled into his hat and laughed. The executioner was heard to say that he had shed innocent blood. Hans was the last Anabaptist executed by the City of Bern.

On the property was a modern farm with a robotic milking parlor. That was interesting. 

 

When we were ready to leave, one of the ladies couldn't find her phone. We searched and prayed and searched some more. We were sitting right behind her so our bags and belongings got thoroughly searched by multiple people, too. Her steps were retraced multiple times. Tried calling her phone but the volume was turned down low -nothing. Finally we didn't know what else to do but leave Duane's number with the Haslebachers in case they find it, and go on. Once the bus was running, the wifi came back on and someone tried calling her through WhatsApp. Lo and behold, the phone rang in the seatback pocket across the aisle! She had laid it down on the seat across the aisle when she got on the bus. The person sitting in that seat got on the bus and thinking it was her seatmate's phone slipped it in the seat pocket. Thank you, Jesus! We got a good laugh out of it and gave her a hard time about having her phone ever after that. She was such a good sport about it. 

Our next stop was not very far away- Trachselwald, a castle where the Anabaptists were imprisoned & tortured for their faith. This was the place I was most looking forward to experiencing after we decided to go to Europe!   

the oldest part of the castle dates back to 1313…

We gathered here in the foyer of the tower to sing "Faith of Our Fathers", which was the highlight of the trip for me. (I have a video of it, but the file size prohibits me from sharing it here.) I got a lump in my throat while we were singing. 

Faith of our fathers, living still,

In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword...

Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,

Were still in heart and conscience free...

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

We will be true to thee till death.

It's highly probable that my ancestors were imprisoned here. Because of their courage and commitment, I have the heritage of faith that I do. It's humbling. Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful! 

We're pilgrims on the journey                        Surrounded by so great
Of the narrow road,                                        A cloud of witnesses,
And those who've gone before us                 Let us run the race
Line the way.                                                 Not only for the prize,
Cheering on the faithful,                                But as those who've gone before us.
Encouraging the weary,                                Let us leave to those behind us,
Their lives a stirring testament                      The heritage of faithfulness
To God's sustaining grace.                            Passed on thru godly lives.
O may all who come behind us                    After all our hopes and dreams
Find us faithful,                                            Have come and gone,
May the fire of our devotion                         And our children sift thru all
Light their way.                                            We've left behind,
May the footprints that we leave,                May the clues that they discover,
Lead them to believe,                                  And the mem'ries they uncover,
And the lives we live                                    Become the light that leads them,
Inspire them to obey.                                   To the road we each must find.
O may all who come behind us                   O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful.                                            Find us faithful.

The only photo I have of a cell with restraints has Ron in it, pretending to be a martyr. Sorry, Ron! The history I have says Trachselwald was the equivalent of a county jail; Bern & Thun had the equivalent of a state prison. So Anabaptists in the area were imprisoned here first, then some were later transported to Bern.  

We climbed the spiral stairs to the very top of the tower. I didn't get a very good photo of the stairs, but it's definitely a steep one-way street! 

So I knew that my Burkholder ancestors lived across the valley from the castle, and the farm is visible from the tower, but I did not know which direction it was. So we proceeded to take a lot of pictures from every window. 

My mom said to compare our photos to the Burkholder book when we get home. So we did. 

Bingo! I was so excited when I figured out that we nailed it! That farm on the hill to the left side is the one. The very last photo we took from the tower. We were so close to the ancestral home!

We scrawled our names on the wall up there in the tower and took a photo to commemorate being there. 

There was another building on the grounds with a lot of relevant history, but we were running out of time by then. I had to go through it too fast and missed a lot. This was the one place I felt rushed.

We drove back to Appenberg [hotel] for dinner at 6pm. We had beet soufflé for a salad. It tasted better than I expected, but meh, half a serving was enough for me. 

The beef cubes and spinach noodles were delicious though.

2 of Ernst's friends came and they played the alp horns for us. Wow! Our own private concert! The sound was incredible in that small dining room. 😍 We also had a couple in our group do some yodeling for us. Now I know we have Swiss in our DNA. I felt a connection to that music way more than the music in Africa.  

-to be continued-

Europe Trip -Part 4

 Friday, October 13- Our day had a sad start. One of the couples in our group got word 2 days earlier that their son-in-law with cancer was not doing well. He seemed to stabilize a bit, but overnight that changed; they were looking for the first flight home. We prayed with them and our hearts ached for them as they sped back to Zurich and we went on our way to the Schilthorn. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, word reached us that the SIL had passed. 😢 (After we got home we discovered this young man was one we had been praying for, as he was the nephew of someone from our church. Small world.)  

We didn't think it looked like there was room for our whole group in the tram car, so we were holding back in order to all ride together. But a worker came and herded us like cattle into the car. They have a system for counting heads and cram people in till it's so full you can't fall if you lose your balance. Unfortunately our group got split up, some had to catch the next car up. 

We're talking a steep uphill ride, a long drop to the ground if a cable snapped... 😲

And that was just the first segment of the journey. We soon discovered there were 3 more car rides to get to the top, a 30 minute ride. From Chill to Thrill to View. 

There is actually a road going to the top- for hauling building supplies and the like up there. The cable car operator told Richard truckers have to have a special permit to drive the road. Not kidding, you wouldn't want just any rookie doing that job! 

When we got to the top, we still had to climb stairs to get to the outdoor viewing platform. Huff puff. That high elevation is no joke! Fortunately we knew to take water along and stay hydrated to fight off the altitude sickness. 

So much majesty! Where to take pictures first??

Proof that I was literally on the mountain at nearly 10,000 feet. 

Richard & I got off the viewing platform just so we could say we set foot on the Alps. 

It was perfectly clear. We could see for miles in all directions. Apparently this is rare.  We could see Titlis, Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger, and Mont Blanc, although I won't pretend to be so educated as to point out which is which in my photos. It was not as cold as we expected. With the sun shining, a jacket was sufficient. The weather up there was another hug from God because we couldn't go to Israel.

The Schilthorn became famous for the James Bond movie filmed there in 1969. The producers paid to construct the restaurant at the top in exchange for filming rights. The Bond cutouts seemed to be particularly popular with the Asian tourists, go figure.   

We rode the cable car down a level, to Birg, and went out on the Skyline Walk. The mountain breezes sweeping up through the metal grating may or may not have given some of the ladies 'hoop skirts'. 

This is where we sang "How Great Thou Art" 

 

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds thy hands have made...When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze...Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Amen and Amen. 

Check out the miniature villages down in the valley... 

We rode the cable cars back down to the parking lot. From rocky, snowy mountain peaks back down to green vegetation. It was around noon when we got back on the bus. 

As we were leaving we saw cows with huge bells on their neck. It was not clear where they were headed, possibly to a dairy show. Cool to see!  

When we got back to Interlaken, we were turned loose to explore the town on our own all afternoon. Richard & I were hungry so we set out looking for ice cream, but ended up in this restaurant for cheese fondue instead. A check on my bucket list! 

Honest Confession- I'm not a fan of sharp cheeses. This fondue was made with a sharp, tangy Swiss. I'm glad we did it -for the experience- but I wouldn't order it again. Next time I would go for the chocolate fondue. 

We browsed the shops, buying souvenirs and some amazing truffles from Swiss Chocolate Chalet. 

Then we sat on a park bench and watched paragliders landing in the park across from our hotel. Richard really wanted to try it, but by the time we arrived the day before, all the companies were booked solid for the day. The beautiful weather meant they were extremely busy.   

This has got to be THE most amazing location to paraglide!

I almost would try it. Almost. But watching a girl puke -and her unhappy instructor- scared me off. 

Interlaken is a resort town; skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer. Wouldn't that be the ski trip of a lifetime?! We felt a connection to this area because this is where Richard’s great-great-great-great-great-great-grandpa on his dad’s side, Samuel Mueller, came from. 

We had dinner at Des Alpes. We had a salad every single meal in Europe, almost always plain lettuce. But then we got a nice juicy burger & fries! They didn't tell us till later that it was lamb burger. 

And a scoop of banana ice cream for dessert.

Saturday, October 14- We had an early start this day. We had to have all our luggage in the hotel lobby by 7 and eat hurriedly so we could be leaving by 7:30. 

This hotel had the cutest mini cake cups to dispense jams into. Brilliant! If you can eat the cup, you don't have to waste a single drop of Nutella. 😍😋

We drove to Emmental. As soon as we entered the valley I recognized the distinctive style of houses as where my paternal family, Stauffer, originated from! I think I could make myself at home there. 

We Americans have a habit of calling this the Emmental Valley, which we learned is redundant. Emme is derived from the river Emme and tal is the German word for "valley."    

Our first stop of the day was a tour of the Emmentaler Schaukaserei (cheese house). A new addition to the Troyer Tours itinerary.

Cheese made in this area is Switzerland's oldest cheese and famous worldwide. It is made from fresh raw milk from cows fed exclusively on grass and hay. We were split into smaller groups; our guide showed us the 4 eras of cheesemaking- from this Herdsman's cottage (with hanging vat & open fireplace dated 1741) to modern day methods. It was very interesting! 

There was so much historic stuff in the herdsman's cottage living quarters; I could've taken so many pictures! I regret not getting a picture of the antique Bernina sewing machine.

There was a sign on the wall in German- "For centuries, the Emmental Succession Law has prohibited the division of farms. The youngest son took over his parents' farm at a reasonable price, but had to compensate his older siblings. In many cases, Bernese patricians provided loans and secured themselves with interest and carefully selected mortgages. With this inheritance regulation, many farmers' sons were given the opportunity to work as cowherds and herdsmen rented Alps with their own livestock but without land ownership."

Modern Cheesemaking in progress

Fermentation Cellar -where the famous [Swiss cheese] holes form

We sampled cheese of all ages of maturation. My favorite was the 4 month stuff. Yum! The 8 month was okay, too, but the 30 month was too sharp for our taste buds. There was the equivalent of a charcuterie board every morning for breakfast, and I joked that I've eaten my quota of sharp cheese for a couple years now. The factory store was so crowded that we skipped buying any cheese. Truthfully, I didn't want to risk it turning sharp while we schlepped it around Switzerland for 6 more days without refrigeration. 

Beautiful view of Emmental from the cheese house made my heart happy.

 I said it before, and I'll say it again -pictures don't do justice!

Next we drove to a tiny bell shop, Glockengiesserei Berger (Berger Bell Foundry). If I'm not mistaken, I believe it is where the locals shop. I was told previously that the reason Swiss farmers hang bells from the eaves of their homes or barns is to display their wealth- the larger the bells, the more wealth. But on this trip, we were told bells are traditionally given as gifts- indeed someone was at the shop while we were there to purchase an engraved bell for a farm apprentice, so a row of bells is maybe an indication of one's wealth of friends. We purchased small bells here for our grandsons. 

Next we went to the Fankhauser Farm in Trub -famous in Anabaptist circles for its Taufervershteck (literal translation = [Ana]baptist hideout).  Sadly, I failed to get a good photo of the barn.

It was built in 1608 and has been in the same family for centuries. The way I heard the story is that the farmer's wife was an Anabaptist but he was not, however he was sympathetic to them because of his wife. The barn had this hiding place for Anabaptists, with a clever trap door that allowed them to disappear into “thin air” when they were being pursued. Only when a spy hid in the barn and watched what happened, was the secret revealed. And Farmer Fankhauser was arrested for aiding Anabaptists. 

It is entirely possible my Stauffer & Burkholder relatives hid here in this very spot. I felt an inexplicable connection.

We were treated to a delightful lunch by the family in the upstairs of the barn.

Then the Mrs. shared her fascinating testimony and an oral history of the farm, which I enjoyed very much. 

All these signs were in German, English & French. 

A model of the barn...

There is a whole museum in the barn, which I believe is a more recent addition. Someone put a lot of time into research & family history!! 

It is only by peaking into these 2 rooms -one right after the other- that you can detect the smokehouse room is shorter than the other -a false wall conceals the hideout. If it wasn't for what this courageous family did, I may not be here today.  

After that, in a Troyer Tours tradition, we worked on the farm plus a neighboring property for the afternoon. It felt good to do some manual labor after several days of touring. Richard helped pick apples and pull up stakes in the gardens...

 

...I cleaned windows, and helped weed the garden. 

The Mr. was laid up due to an accident where he nearly bled to death from to a leg injury, so they were very grateful for our help. We were happy to help in exchange for the meal & tour. There was rain in the forecast, but the Lord held it off until we had finished our jobs- then it poured. We got to see them bringing the cows in for milking as we were loading up to leave. A quintessential Swiss experience! 😍

We got off too late to stop at a cookie factory that Ernst wanted us to see. We drove to our next hotel, Hotel Appenberg. 

View from our balcony. Too bad you can't hear the cow bells ringing!

We were served a delicious meal by the hotel- tender pork, scalloped potatoes & mixed veggies. 

with apple pie for dessert. They were very fastidious here about removing silverware after each course, and we could feel the internal eye roll when she had to show us unsophisticated Americans we were supposed to move our fork from above our plate to the right hand side if we cared for dessert.  

We waited in line to talk to Duane about travel arrangements going home. Our nonrefundable tickets from Chicago had a steep fee to change it, and new tickets were expensive on short notice. But it couldn't be helped. It was a relief when we had tickets booked. 

These beds are comfortable, but oh my, I miss my American sheets! These duvets are too hot & heavy for menopausal women. I actually pulled the duvet out and used the cover as a sheet at this hotel. 😁

-to be continued-