Huberhof

We arrived home safe and sound on Friday evening. We had a good flight but were very glad to get back into familiar territory. We could read the signs, know the territory, went in and ordered food that   we knew and could read the menu!!!  We are still getting back to "reality".

I will continue to post, because the story isn't finished yet. So continue on the journey with me and I'll tell you more of our stories!

Mennonite Church

Friday, the 28th of Sept. found us meeting with another guy that was recommended to us. His name is Hans Peter Reidiger. He pastors a Mennonite church of about 125 people. We met him at the church and were able to get on the internet in his office to let people know that we were OK, just didn't have internet access until then.

Hans Peter showed us around the church and the community. We went to have lunch at a Globus store. We got lunch and he helped Mearl get another phone so we would at least have access to people again. A very comforting feeling for us, it's extremely hard to be in a foreign country with no way to contact anyone! But also had to think, we were fortunate, we live in a time that we have all these conveniences! We were in business again!!!

Inside of the church

Hans Peter then led the way to the Huberhof farm. It's kind of a village and has it's own sign. We thought that some of the Krehbiel's might have lived in this area but the folks there did not know of any Krehbiel's that were living or had lived there. We were glad to see this area, although, it might not have much to do with our history. I thought it was probably pretty typical of a farm that the family might have lived at. 

A few of the approximately 400 sheep

A burro ??

They had a lot of sheep. They told us that they kept the new lambs and ewes in the barn until the lambs were about 2 weeks old and then they moved them out in the field.

I believe that they got some of their bucks from New Zealand. This was a big sheep farm.

The owners, Hans Peter and Mearl

The front of the house faced away from the road

This burro (?) was in the barn but there was another one that I saw out in the pen beside the barn.

We could see the big, wrapped, round bales out in the field. The man was bringing them in with a tractor.

Saw tractors in the barn as well.

This was the side that faced the road

The dogs are caged in front of this building. Look at the
 vines/flowers on the building.

The flowers here were beautiful!!!

The owners told us that they were getting ready to retire and one of their sons was going to take over the farm. One of their sons and his wife and two little ones came while we were talking with them. The wife could speak a little English. These folks also had some dogs that were trained to work with the sheep. I asked Hans Peter to tell the wife that I grew up on a farm that also had sheep. We could have shared together but I couldn't speak her language. 

The flowers at Huberhof were beautiful. This was typical of the homes that we saw all over. They put flowers anywhere and everywhere. We think this saved them from mowing their lawns!!!  

If you look real close, you'll see the wind turbines in this photo.
I was standing in the drive of Huberhof and turned and looked
across the field. We saw a lot of turbines in Germany. A little
of the old and some of the new.

This is one of our adventures, meeting another family and Hans Peter. Hans Peter left us and we went on to look at other areas.  More to come!

Thanks for journeying with us.

Sharon (Grabill) McMillan

Krehbiel Family Farm, Zaziwil, Switzerland

Krehbiel Family Homestead

I was excited to get my first view of the Krehbiel family farm. Let me give you a little background here. We were recommended a hotel in Bern. We find the hotel and settle in. One of the first people we met in Bern was the hotel clerk, Erika Ruegsegger. She was a nice gal and we had several conversations with her. On Wednesday, the 3rd, we were with Paul Hostettler in the morning. Mearl wanted someone to go with us in the afternoon that could speak German and interpret for us. Checked a couple of possibilities, but it didn't happen. We knew that Erika spoke both languages and Mearl asked her if she would travel with us. She wasn't working that day (her only day off that week.) She agreed to go along. She asked where we were going and we told her to the Emmental region, which is the region around and along the Emme River. She also told us she was from Zaziwil. On the way, Mearl asked her if she knew of the Krehbiel farm and if she knew where it was. Erika said she knew where it was, as it was next door to the farm where she grew up. We were very surprised and very pleased. She took us to her parents' home first. Her parents do not speak English. We all got along very well. We toured their farm and then went to the Krehbiel farm.

Another view 

This is the first view we had as we were driving up the road.

This continues to be a working farm. The people that live there now are renting it. The same people are also farming Erika's parents' farm. Erika's father, Hans, helps out there at the farm and also they have some calves that Hans takes care of at his place. Plus other chores. Hans is 80 and Gertrud (her mother) is 72. They both are still very active and do a lot of things around the farm. Gertrud told us that a housewife's work is never done. Erika is the youngest of 5 children, all boys but her.

This is the side of the house, Notice the flowers.

Hans is talking with the farmer's wife that lives there now.

This is around the back of the house.

In Switzerland, the houses and barns are connected. This one is no different. Where the white car is, the house continues and the barn is connected. I can't imagine that as this is different than what I grew up with.

I also can imagine that it would help heat the house, I would also think you'd be able to hear the cows at night. The cows in Switzerland wear cowbells around their necks. The milk cows do not have the bells on. It would be too loud in the barn, and since they keep them in the barn overnight, they wouldn't be able to eat very well either. Let me show you a couple more pics then I'll explain a little more.

The cows on their way in the barn to be milked.

In the barn, waiting their turn.

The milk flows into a small tank. They do not have big bulk tanks like we know, because the milk trucks couldn't get up the roads/lanes. They take the tanks to the dairy each day. The name on the barn and equipment said "DeLaval", which is the same name as the equipment that Dad used on our farm. Isn't that something?

They tie up the cow tails after they wash their tails off.  You'll notice the straw on the floor, they keep their cows in the barn overnight and milk them in the morning and then they are let out. Notice the man here putting on the milker. He has a stool that has one leg on it, the stool is strapped to himself so he can sit down on it to put the milkers on. I have been trying to think what my Dad used but I don't remember, and maybe he just squatted down.

Small tank that they use to haul milk to the dairy.

Mearl & I in front of the barn. 

Angie & Mearl in front of the barn.

I told Erika that the sights and smells of the farm are the same anywhere. I asked her to tell her Dad, Hans, that I grew up on a farm and certainly remembered the smells. Again, as I've written before, just walking these grounds where are ancestors walked and seeing the way they lived as been a very special time. Meeting Erika and her family was very special, although, we couldn't communicate very well. Mearl & I both felt a kindred spirit here and we were graciously invited into their home. Gertrud fed us a very delicious dessert the first time we were there. Today, Mearl was right, they had soup ready for us when we got there and we sat down and ate with them. It was delicious also and we had a great time. They have asked us to come back anytime. Erika's brother, Martin, whom we met the last time, said to us, "Our home is yours, please come back."

Neighbors down the hill. 

Another view down the hill.

Neighbors as you look from the front of the house.

One other side note, then we'll leave the farm! Angie (Mearl's daughter) is traveling with us for these last few days. Gertrud rode her bike part of the way up to the Krehbiel farm. Angie and Mearl went back and convinced Gertrud to ride in the car and Angie rode her bike. We didn't think Gertrud would accept it, but she did. Gertrud also accepted the ride back to her house and Angie rode the bike. I'll put a picture of Angie riding the bike.

Angie riding up the hill!!!

And she zooms on by me!!! Isn't the countryside beautiful?

I hope you've enjoyed the time at the Krehbiel homestead as much as we did!!!

Thanks for journeying with us!!

Sharon (Grabill) McMillan

Bern from the TOP!!

A View from the Top, and since the pic doesn't cooperate, I'll leave it here! 

I want to continue on the journey from the last post. On Wednesday (the 3rd), Paul Hostettler, met us at our hotel and we are off!

First, though, here's a link that Mearl sent me and it is very interesting. In the first part/Bern, we've seen a lot of the places that are in this link. We've seen some of the Zurich ones but not as many. The link explains what has happened to the Anabaptists. I hope you find it interesting.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.pibworth/anabaptists/


Paul, as you've probably noticed, is physically fit. He's 78, his wife is 81. He rides his bike, and walks a lot. Mearl and I kept up with him fairly good!!!! ha! ha! We took the tram up to the Top of the World!!!

First Tram ride for us.

We started walking down and continued down until we got to our hotel, aren't you proud of us? It only took 2 1/2 hours. There is a rose garden at the top and then we took the path down.

Overlooking Bern from the Top

We started down the path. Paul sure knew the way and knew the spots, he's been doing it for several years now. The history is really mind-boggling at times.

Walking to towards oldest bridge

Oldest Bridge

Notice the stroller (and man) coming up the path. Look at the brick work also. 

Since my pics haven't cooperated, but you get the idea. We cross the bridge and look around at the old buildings. There are a lot of statues in the streets and along the sides. They depict all kinds of things.

Soon after we cross the bridge, Paul takes us to an area close to the river.

This is where they brought the people to be deported.

Here also is where some were drowned.

This is part of a drawing on the wall depicting the happenings here by the river.

This was probably the most thought provoking place for me. Knowing some lost their lives for what they believed in. Some of those that were deported made their way back into Switzerland and did it for what they believed in. The Anabaptist story is quite interesting. I hope we've given you something to think about.

Notice the lighter center section.

Paul explained that the lighter section of this building was what used to be the size of housing that families had. This one had 3 floors plus the bottom business section. Some families had less, I would imagine. This is in the old section of Bern. 

The mode of transportation here varied. The public tram is available. Cars were seen coming and going, although, not as many as we have. There was garbage trucks here (of course), I add this for my friend's son, Keegan!

The most interesting was the bicycles. The bikes were seen everywhere. In this picture, it looks pretty level, but not so. The street had come uphill and continued uphill. I wasn't quick enough with the camera here. One gal was riding a bike in office attire, dressed nicely, pedaling away and I could see no evidence of huffing and puffing. I was impressed. All types of people rode bikes. Young, old, and anyone in between. 

If I remember correctly this is the church where Paul went as a young boy. Remember, Paul doesn't speak much English, so we are trying to understand as much as we can and he is doing the same for us. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

Paul's a great sport about it and usually gets his point across.

One of the oldest Cathedrals

The city surrounding this Cathedral.

Paul takes us to the center of town (approximately) and shows us this Cathedral. It is being renovated at the steeple area. The rest of it is beautiful. A lot of carvings done in and around the windows/doors.  He told us that the land around this Cathedral had to be built up a lot to hold this massive building. It is close to the river also and has a lovely park around it. There's so many old buildings and so much beautiful architecture in this city. It's a beautiful city but holds lots of torture, heartache, and grief in these surroundings.

Just a few more photos and stories to tell you of this journey.

Thanks for journeying with us.

Sharon (Grabill) McMillan

Moving On!!

I left you on a kind of boring note with the library, books and lists! We went on Tuesday morning and moved on to the musuem in Langnau, Germany. A very old house (500 years old), you can see where the timbers were hewn with axes to make it smooth.

Notice the walls here.

Pottery

Dear to my Heart and my current sewing machine was made here in Switzerland, a Bernina!

Clothing & Accessories

  The house had several rooms and they represented the different trades of that time. Most of our family were probably farmers but we aren't sure. Some of the trades represented were linen, cheese making, pottery, sewing (clothier), glass makers, to name a few. They made barber bowls out of glass. The bowls had a cutout for the neck so the barber wouldn't get the man all wet! Sugar bowls were made. Sugar was expensive and so they tended to make bowls that held the sugar very pretty.  Also, a kitchen and bedroom were in the museum. In the bedroom, the bed was not very long. It was thought that the people sat up to sleep, better breathing!! The cradle was right next to the bed for the young one. It had a rope that the parent could reach over and pull the rope and rock the cradle!!!

Barber Bowls

The cookstove, it was always hot, and coffee was
 always on the burner.

 The stove was always warm or hot, coffee was always on (of course, it usually had something added to it!). They had their own coffee plants and ground their own coffee. A built-in waffle maker (at least it looked like one) was on the stove.

  A Bible was in a prominent place in the home. BUT some of the pages might be torn out, if the enemy came they took the pages out so that the names wouldn't be obvious. The torn out pages were placed back in the Bible. It was a big Bible and they recorded marriages, births, and deaths in it. The bed also had the names of the couple inscribed on the headboard. The wife (at this time) kept her maiden name.

  There was another room with a famous surgeon honored. A small town but had a famous medical person there and people came from all around to see him.

   There was a piano in the home also. Of course, the garden was beautiful. These people seemed to take great pride in their gardens. They were beautiful.

  We went to a Mennonite Center and here we saw places (a display) where the people were in different places, meeting in homes.  Martin (the guy we met there) says that they try to put "new life in old buildings." True in the building we were in and other places they minister to. They have meetings for babies/toddlers, Sunday School for older children, youth also meet Sunday evenings (they have several teens from the community also). Martin described the teen service as very LOUD and BIG speakers. The teens set it all up and tear it all down when they are done. They have a "fellowship hall" where they eat together and have a coffee house. And the worship service for adults.

Mearl and I in a covered bridge on our journey.

Now for our exercise, we move on!!! Our host for the day, Paul Hostettler, took us on a driving tour and then we parked the car and walked. We walked for about an hour. This was the place where he feels our ancestors came from. We couldn't get into the buildings (they are closed for 2012, maybe 2013.) Mearl, Paul, and I walked up hill and down.

Mearl and Paul walking up the lane. Can you imagine a car going up this direction? We did see some cars, a cement truck and motorcycles. But we didn't drive.

  We had an enjoyable time, even though Paul couldn't speak much English. I was reminded of the chorus "We walk and talk as good men should and do, we clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter, My God and I go in the fields together." We laughed and had a great time. It, again, was very moving to think of our ancestors making a living and walking those same lands. We were up in the hills and it was beautiful. There were homes there and animals also. If the video works right (first time I've tried this), it is cow bells, couldn't see the cows but we could hear them. Mearl and I both have grown to love the sound of the bells.

  We found our car and finished the day with Paul showing us where he had pastored from 1961 - 1976. It was a beautiful church also, both inside and out. He and his wife, Lucie, lived in the village also. The village was Lauperswil, Germany.



  Most of the churches we were in had the pulpit on one side and up pretty high. I think every church had a steeple and all the steeples had a clock on them. Some were beautiful, others were simple, BUT all the clocks were correct. We thought that was very interesting. The steeples had bells in them and they rang every 15 minutes usually. Again, they were beautiful.

















   Keep on the journey with us.

Sharon (Grabill) McMillan