Saturday, June 12 - Sierakowo, Dolice

After our usual huge breakfast, we decided to go for a walk. Our hosts recommended a walk to a nearby lake, so we took their advice. We were able to walk through most of the village. It is a bit spread out, with what appears to be vacant land between houses (fields not tilled or mown). 





There are also rose and lilac bushes growing roadside, like there may have been more homes at one time.

My research indicated there were around 100 inhabitants in the early 1900s, so that would be probably 15 - 25 homes. Today there might be 20 or so, along a 3 mile stretch of road.

We walked by the "center" of the village with a welcoming shrine and small community building, then headed east toward the lake. Soon I saw a small cemetery on the right, with some old wooden crosses and a few newer graves with marble, flowers, and candles. I wanted to go check it out, but Fred was hesitant, so we walked on toward the lake.  



Fred was amazed that the area so reminded him of the UP or northern Michigan where he is from. He felt right at home and understood why his ancestors settled in the UP.

After the lake, on the return home, we decided there was a path to the cemetery, so we walked over to it and found there were in fact some very old monuments and crosses and some newer ones as well. On examination, we found the older ones inscribed in German and the newer in Polish. The Polish graves were well tended, but the German section was totally overgrown. We knew that in Germany, cemetery lots are rented for 20 years or so, then if the family does not "re-rent" the space, it is often reused.

So, if the Germans were all expelled at the end of WWII, then there would be no one around to re-rent nor to care for the graves.   We walked on, still processing all that, then met a farmer pulling a piece of farm equipment - looks a bit military to my American eyes. 

When we returned to the house, we took the car and drove to Dolice (previously Doelitz), the former home of Christian Frederick Wahl. Again, I did not expect to find Wahl ancestors remaining, but wanted to see the village and the cemetery (I had found an image of the cemetery online).  

We drove around the village, taking photos, then found the cemetery, very much like the one in Sierakowo, only much larger. Several sections were obviously Polish and were very well cared for. Then we found the German sections, stones removed, overturned, or over grown with grass, shrubs and trees.   See the bottom of this post for more Dolice photos.

My husband explained that the Catholic view on burials is also different from the Lutheran view, so we eventually boiled this down to 3 things:
1. Germans were expelled and there were no family members to pay for lots nor to provide upkeep
2. Polish Catholics would be buried in consecrated ground, not in the same spot as the non-catholics
3. There was a certain amount of animosity after the war, resulting in no real desire to provide upkeep

Keep in mind, many of the Poles who moved into this area after the war had also been expelled from their homes, many in eastern Poland or what is now Russia.

We think all of these concepts are difficult for Americans to fathom. Especially that families left their homes with just what they absolutely needed and could carry, and someone else who had also been expelled just moved in and started living in the home, using all of the property as their own. I know this happens in many countries where there are constant border wars and strife, but we just didn't "get it" before seeing this in person.

By this time, it was 2:30 in the afternoon and we felt the need for a light meal or snack, so not finding a cafe in Dolice, we went on to the next town, Choszczno. There we walked around until we found an ice cream place and sat and had a snack. On the way back to the car, I noticed a city cemetery, so still wondering if we had the right solution, we walked through this cemetery as well. Yes, it was the same, very separate and different German and Polish sections. However near the entrance was a small monument, erected in 1995, to the memory of ALL those buried there, inscribed in both German and Polish.

So it seems that some 50 years after the end of WWII, communities have begun the effort to come together again. Since we returned, I have found a website for a group of families that were expelled from  this area and have started to work on parts of the Stargard cemetery. 

After all that, back home to the B & B for some great supper and more conversation. All in all a fascinating day.

More Dolice photos:

Friday, June 11 - Szczecin, Baltic Sea, Sierakowo

We slept in today, then had breakfast at the hotel and went for a short walk before picking up the rental car and heading out of town.  As we crossed the Odra River, heading west out of Szczecin, I told  Fred that it was only about 80 kilometers to the Baltic Sea.  We agreed that it would be fun to see another body of water, so we then headed north.  By 2:30 pm we were in Miedzyzdroje, a Baltic resort town. 

By that time we were hungry so stopped at the first cafe we saw, the Pingwin Pension, for a bite to eat.  Fred had veal with breaded and sauteed mushrooms and I had Goulash soup - accompanied by Tyske beer.  The food was wonderful. 

After lunch, we walked to the beach for photos of the Baltic.

We drove along the Baltic for 20 miles or so, then headed back south.  By 5:30 pm we were in the first Teske related town, Maszewo, just north of Stargard.  One of Julius Teske's siblings was said to have been born in Maszewo.  We were a bit pressed for time, so drove on through Stargard and on to Sierakowo, formerly Alteheide, the birthplace of Julius Teske. 

I had located online (http://agritourism.pl/) and made a reservation at a B & B in Sierkowo called Bocianówka Gospodarstwo Agroturystyczne Weronika Łabun or Farm of the Stork, operated by Weronika Labun.  We drove into Sierakowo, a very small village, and found the address. 

Weronika was waiting for us and helped us get our little car into the yard and parked in front of our room, then showed us our apartment.  She had indicated online that they speak Polish and Russian, but I explained I had only English, French, or German and Weronika willingly spoke German with me.  It worked out pretty well, as her German was on a similar level to mine, so we used simple short sentences and didn't worry about grammer and did just fine.  The place was just as described on the internet, very comfortable with a living room, kitchen/dining area, bedroom and bath, all in a long brick building.  The yard was beautiful, with lots of flowers and covered picnic tables for our use. 

Weronika asked if we would like something to eat (I had not requested an evening meal with the reservation) and we said yes, so she fed us a traditional evening meal of cold cuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, and boiled egg with mayonaise and dill.  In Poland, the larger meal is eaten at noon. 

After supper, Weronika and Waldemar sat and talked with us for some time.  Waldemar had only a little German, so Weronika translated some of our conversation.  We learned that they are both Polish, but had grown up in what is now Russia.  During WWII, Weronikas family returned to Poland, but came back too soon and were sent to a German concentration camp.  She told us what a wonderful day it was when the Americans came to liberate them and she was thrilled because we were her first American guests. 

After talking with the Lubuns, we made it an early night.

Thursday, June 10 - Szczecin

So, on to Poland it is.  The train tickets from Berlin to Szczecin were incredibly cheap - we can only think that is because not many people make this trip.  It is about 100 miles, so not too far and we enjoyed seeing the countryside.  

When we got to Szczecin, we were a bit surprized - after the mega malls in the stations in Germany, the Szczecin station seemed a bit spartan.  That and without much Polish language, we were a bit lost.   We stepped off the train onto the quay and couldn't find the actual station. 

Fortunately we had planned to arrive in early afternoon, so we had time to sit with our city map and try to calmly figure out what to do.  I knew that in Poland there are actually 3 train systems, but didn't understand quite what that means.  In France there are also national, international, and regional trains, but you can buy tickets for most of the trains running in France in one area.  In Poland, there are separate little ticket offices, some not even in the actual station. 

I had researched two options: 1) rent a car in Szczecin for just a few days, then take the train to Poznan and rent another car there for the Grab trip or 2) rent a car in Szczecin and return it in Poznan 6 days later.  So we wanted to find the train schedule, determine if that was an option, and possibly purchase tickets.  Rick Steves advises to do this when you arrive in a town so you know what your schedule needs to be.

We did eventually learn the train schedule and found a kiosk where we could buy tickets, but decided to go ahead and find a hotel and check the car rental situation as well.  We started walking in the direction of the tourist office - which would also lead us generally downtown near several hotels.  Before we found the tourist office, we walked by a Novotel - a chain we are familiar with in France and in which the desk staff always speak English. 

We checked in there and found a Europecar rental office in the hotel. The car rental folks had good English as well.  It didn't take long to decide to go ahead and reserve a car for the next 6 days right there in the hotel. 

After we got settled in our room, we went out for a walk - found the tourist office and bought some driving maps.  We were surprized to find KFC restaurants to be quite common.  

We had asked the young man at the car rental office for a restaurant recommendation and he suggested a place in the area which we decided to try.  The restaurant was in the lower level and it was lovely.  The food was great, Fred had fish and I had veal, then we had ice cream for dessert.

After dinner, we walked down to the river.  The city was preparing for its annual river festival and there were boats of all kinds in the harbor.  Szczecin is on the  river, about 60 miles from the Baltic Seaport of Swinoujscie.  There are ferry routes from Swinoujscie to Sweden and Denmark. 

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 8 & 9 - Berlin

We left our little apartment in Leipzig today and after one more tour through the train station, we headed out for Berlin on the train.  The Leipzig train station is quite a sight rivaling some of our best malls here.  Lots of shops and all kinds of restaurants.  We have eaten at a fish restaurant in the station twice during our combined stays here and the food was very good. 

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof

In Berlin, we found the tourist office in the train station, and asked for help with accomodations.  They explained that there was an aviation "fair" or exhibition and most of the hotels were booked.  We said pension, not too expensive, would be good and they found us a room in a hostel near the train station, actually a guesthouse of the Berlin Stadtmission, operated by the Protestant church. 

We had a very comfortable room with wifi and great breakfasts.  We were also walking distance from a laundry, which happened to be in a camping place in mid-city.  We learned later that the camping area was actually on former "no man's land" between east and west Berlin. 

We had purchased "city-cards" that provided transportation and some admissions, so took the metro or U-Bahn to a station near the Brandenburg Gate, and then walked Unter Den Linden, the tree-lined main boulevard in  Berlin that was laid out and planted in the mid 1600's.  Most of the trees were destroyed for construction or used as firewood during WWII, but were re-planted in the 1950's, so the street is again today a vibrant and beautiful part of the city.

We walked past the Russian embassy stopping at the Einstein Cafe for late lunch.  Then on past opera houses, monuments and museums to the Catholic Berliner Dom, which sits on the river Spree.

Berliner Dom

When we learned there was a concert scheduled in the Dom the next evening, we bought tickets. 





Then we noticed tour boats on the river and we were took advantage of the ride and toured the city from a river boat.  How relaxing!

After the river tour, it was almost 7:00 pm, so we headed back toward the Brandenburg gate to hop the U-Bahn toward our hotel.  Well, we had to pass the Einstein Cafe again and I thought a place like that must have ice cream, so again we stopped to refresh ourselves.

On Wednesday, we headed out again to see one of the 5 museums on Museum Island.  We spent a couple of hours there, then went across the river for lunch at a Radison Hotel, where I had Tandoor Salad and Fred had Currywurst with french fries - YUM!

After lunch, we went back to the hotel and I did some online stuff while Fred went to the laundramat.  That is an experience as well in other countries.  Well, the clothes were not getting dry, but he knew we needed to head toward the cathedral for the concert.  I suggested we walk to the train station and get a cab there.  We told the cabbie we had concert tickets and he went all out to get us there on time, including going the wrong way on a one way street and almost getting in an altercation with a bicycle rider. 

The concert was worth it - what a beautiful place.  There was a chorus of about 120 voices, an orchestra,  and one of the numbers featured the pipe organ. 

By the time the show was over, we were hungry, so headed to the Gendarmenmarkt where we chose the Refugium Cafe, built in what was once a chapel near the Berlin Koncerthaus.  We sat outside where Fred had fish and I had veal. 




What a day!  We are tired and happy - ready to start the next leg of our adventure - we move on to Poland tomorrow!

Monday, June 7 - Leipzig

On Monday morning we had our usual huge breakfast, then packed the car to head back to Leipzig. 

We got back into town just in time to turn in the rental car, then walked to the same hotel we had been in earlier.  HOWEVER, they were totally booked because of a fair or exhibition for fire and emergency rescue departments. 

We walked to the tourist office toting our bags (luckily it was not far) and inquired there about a hotel.  We got the same story - it will be difficult because of the fair. 

Then we said a pension was OK and they ended up getting us an apartment for one night - it was cool, a one room apartment with a kitchenette in one end, and a door opening onto the owner's hallway. 

We asked the owner about a store for water and possible breakfast.  He referred us to a supermarket (Konsum) just down the street with a coffee shop/bakery in the front.  We got settled, then went for a walk around town. 

We had asked our Winkler friends in Oelschuetz for a recommendation and they said we should see the Volkerschlachtdenkmal or Monument to the Battle of the Nations. 

This monument was completed in 1913 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle of Leipzig.  It commemorates Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig and mourns the dead from all the nations involved.

After that, we headed across the street to a beer garden for a little rest, followed by a visit to a Russian Orthodox church and walk through a botanical garden. 

We made it to the Mendelson House just before it closed, then relaxed on the Augustus Platz, bordered on one side by the Leipzig Opera, opened in 1693 and the Gewandhaus Concert Hall, opened in 1981. 

Also on the square is the Alte Rathaus or old city hall which today houses a city history museum. 

We people watched for a while, then headed home on the bus, stopping at an italian restaurant near our apartment for dinner.  It was a small quiet place and we had an excellent dinner of gnocchi with pesto. 

The waiter noticed our accents as we attempted to order italian food in our not so spectacular German and asked where we were from.  When we answered Kansas, he said:  America?? and was totally thrilled to hear the answer.  He is from Kosovo, and announced that it was due to America that he has his freedom.  He went on to describe monuments to American leaders in Kosovo and at the end of the meal, brought us an after dinner drink (grappa) to express his appreciation. 

Well, it was a big day and we were glad to retire to our apartment.