My own roots...

And yet again a TV program prompting me to write a Blog entry! This time it's "The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook" (yes, I know ... I LOVE watching cooking programs!! ;) ). They've been in Rumania for 2 weeks now and today they have been cooking "blinis". Small pancakes with buckwheat and breadflour.

My connection to Blinis are one part of my family - my Mutsch's side is from East Germany (living in Grossraeschen and Senftenberg, both north of Dresden and very close to the Polish border). When I was a child I've been over visiting both sides of my family (East Germany and Austria) quite a lot. I have relatives in both areas, but there are no living relatives from my granddad's side (my dad's dad) - the only one actually from West Germany. I cannot remember meeting any relative from his side really and I have to admit I haven't a clue whether there are any aunts/uncles/nephews/nieces at all. Think that's something I have to discuss with my dad again.

So - we have the East Germany part - very nice area, around a lake (used to be a quarry/coal mine which they have flooded years ago). Was weird and actually scary to visit relatives over there, going through "no man's land" at the borders where the soldiers were heavily armed and you just knew that there were tons of land mines in the "no-go-zone". I remember the first time I travelled over with Doug and my Mutsch ... we couldn't even tell Doug where the border area had been!!! They'd demolished everything, specially the big watch towers.

Austria on the other hand - a "free" country like West Germany (that's memories from when I was in my teens - East Germany was ... well, East Germany back then!). My family ties are through my grandma (my dad's mum) and relatives still live in Ampflwang and surroundings. Again, close to lakes and nice towns. Loved it there.

Wonder whether I should travel there again more often... since going to the US for the first time it just doesn't hold up, does it? But I am missing it. There is so much to explore, so much to show Doug ... maybe in our current situation with IVF etc. we should concentrate on going to Europe for holidays? Maybe hiring a caravan (or maybe even get the Hymer from my grandparents (mum's side) if they're not in Morocco at that time?) or go camping?

So ... going through the grandparents I am 1/4 Austrian and 3/4 German .... as far as I know. ;)