The Wanderings of Bonnie and John: There's No Place Like Home

We spent this weekend visiting John's German cousins Gunther and Gert and their families. We all enjoyed a great dinner of Schwabisch food at Gunther and Esther's home and also were surprised to have cousins Karin and Regina join us. As always the welcoming was warm and inviting.

This is like home for John in Germany as he has spent many days over the years visiting here. The first was in 1976, while on a trip after college to Europe. He made the first recent contact between the German and American Kopp families. Since then the family has had reunions in both countries every two or three years with up to 150 people attending.

The next day we went into the city of Pforzheim, and then on to Monsheim - where the original family home still stands - and attended the fireman's festival. After a visit to the Gunther and Esther's wonderful garden, we spent the evening with Gert and Andrea.

On Sunday we visited a monestary in Maulbronn where the buildings still stand just as they did over 500 years ago. The monestary is also famous for its wine - which is called Elffingen (literally meaning eleven fingers). As the legend goes, the monks were allowed to test the wine by dipping their fingertips into the wine. One of the monks said the wine was so good that he wished had eleven fingers!

Our farewell dinner on Sunday was at a golf club out in the rolling hills just north of the Black Forest where we said not good bye, but instead, auf wiedersehen - meaning - until we see you again.. Hopefully it will be next year at the family reunion in Monsheim!