Tricia's Travel Blog

Rainer and Andrea invited us to their house for a traditional German breakfast at 9 AM. When we arrive there is a great spread of food on the table, and Andrea makes some medium boiled eggs that are the perfect set for me. They have a really cool spring-powered egg cracker that just cuts a ring on the top. They also bring out some homemade garlic salt that they give also us to take home. To use the egg cracker you hold it on the egg, pull up on the top and let it smack back down. This cuts a perfect ring in the top of the egg. The top part flips open and holds salt. All the food is very similar to what we've been eating all over Germany: sliced meats and cheeses, breads with jam, and so on. I try some rosehip jam on bread which was a unique and good taste.  After breakfast Rainer shows me on his computer the program he uses for his family tree, as well as how I am related to some people I had met the day before. We then get into our car and he navigates for Nate to show us the town...

Today we are going to have a unique experience. We are heading back to the town of my ancestors and meeting up with family that are 5th-8th cousin range. Our common ancestor goes back to the 1700s. I made contact with this relative about 8 months prior and we have been emailing back and forth ever since. I had told him we were coming to Germany and asked if he would like to meet up for lunch or something. Instead he suggested we stay in the area for a few days so he can show us around. We get up nice and early and pack our bags out to the car just before breakfast opens up. We have around a 90 minutes drive this morning to get to our Ankenbauer family's home, so we need to eat quickly and get on the road. This breakfast is not a buffet, instead they serve each table the same thing; yoghurt, orange juice, one hard-boiled egg per person, a platter of sliced meats and cheeses to share, bread bowl, and croissant bowl with butter and jam. I also buy a Schneeball from the bakery which me...