Neiderhaslach

We visited the Loire Valley and saw lots of castles - the weather was rainy the day we went to Amboise and we went early. There was no one there! We were in the council chamber room and Ryan said "at last a "real" ballroom" and we danced down the middle in a sort of waltz.

We went to Vouvray and there was a wine fest at the Bonne Dame Cave - We tasted wines and bought 8 bottles and some pate to take home. I had to spit, since I was driving. Sacrilegiously - the wines in this region are WONDERFUL!

But the best event was going to a tiny village in Alsace called Neiderhaslach. This is the village my grandfather Lucien Abelhauser came from. The Abelhauser family still owns a hotel/restaurant there -- The Pomme d'Or. I had been told that they had sold it; so I went to the bakery and found the post lady there - I told them my maiden name and they told me to go to the hotel.

After a quick stop at the City Hall - I found Lucien's birth record there, I went to the hotel and in the Restaurant found my cousin Pierre and his wonderful wife.

They gave me copies of family documents - including a great photo of the hotel being added on to in 1936 - with my great grandfather Theodore and the work crew.

They also fed Ryan and I a wonderful lunch. And although my French is rusty, they told me some family stories. Lucien was apparently an expansive personality. When he was young he climbed up the outside of the Eglise to the parapet and then took bows to the applause of the villagers.

Later in life he ecame fond of wine, women, and song and he was indulged by his father Theodore - until his older brother put a stop to it. Apparently, he helped himself to some of the hotel money and was then in disgrace. Later he decided to emigrate to the US and his brother, worried that the money (substantial, for those days) might not make it to the ticket office, escorted him to the boat and saw him aboard. According to the documents from the boat, he also had $140 on him - a rather princely sum for those days.

They also told me that someone from the village went to the US for work and found Lucien and brought back the news that he had a new son (my father) which made them happy.

The most surprising thing was that they had pictures of my younger sister, Barb - from her meeting with our cousin Charles in Canada. She is famous!

We really had a wonderful time and the food in the restaurant was great!!