Schweyen

Today we went to the village of Schweyen (population 350 and growing :) This is the village where my ancestors are from- and I still have relatives that live there- but we are related to most of the town. The village is a story book town- it is only 500 meters from the German border. During the WWI and WWII the village was occupied by the French, Germans, and American armies at different times. In WWII Schweyen was destroyed by the troops, but later rebuilt. My family gave me 2 volumes of history during our visit --in French of course-- I have vowed to take French lessons and one day read the books- I think I may have set the bar a little high- the books are quite extensive. They even have a picture of my Great great grandfather and grandmother in the book- The day was cool, but the sun came out and warmed everything up. We met everyone at Leon and Jeannine’s home for lunch- Jennifer and Thibaut joined us for the meal. It was lovely. Again, they rolled out the royal treatment for us- we have been treated like kings and queens for sure-- we had another 5 course meal (each part of the meal accompanied by it’s own special wine). Let’s just say by the end of the day not only were Patrick and I stuffed so was the rest of the family. Again, it was just like being at home during a celebration. Food, Fun, and Full of Life-- Colette and Isabelle once again translated for us, but as the day went on we were all starting to understand each other more and the girls were really starting to practice their French. They named all the fruits and vegetables in Leon’s garden :) (a little joke). We then walked to the cemetery where I was able to see all my ancestors graves- very touching and amazing to see so many Buchheit names- This is where I came from-- this very place-- and all these years later here I am to see it and experience where it all began-- it is very hard to describe. We then continued on to the church. Very beautiful and Rene and Leon gave us the history. We then walked over to Jean-Marie and Evelyne’s home for more champagne and a special cake that their mother made every Friday when they were children. The girls were in heaven -Evelyne has 7 cats-- so you all know where Devyn was. Jean-Marie we want to thank you for coming back from your Berlin business trip to see us. Thank you to all the cousins for the most amazing time- we were so honored and felt so welcomed by everyone -- They all send their love and greetings to Mom, Nancy, and MaryLavon and they can’t wait for the 3 crazy sisters to come back to visit again. I hope that some of the French cousins will be able to visit us in the USA one day and we can return the hospitality. We ended the day with a trip to the highest point in Schweyen to visit the Notre-Dame de Fatima, a beautiful monument that Leon and Jeannine care for. While looking over the French country side into Germany we said our good-byes-- it was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives- We will forever hold these two days in a special place in our hearts. To the rest of the US family- you must come to this place one day and see for yourselves how truly special it is. Tomorrow we are staying in Alsace to catch our breath and plan our next few stops on our trip -- watch out Germany here we come...I can’t imagine this trip getting any better. I will post again in a few days. Hugs and Kisses -- The Danley’s