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German Roots Trip 2003 - Contents

SEEKING OUR GERMAN ROOTS

Chapter III    
May 16 - 20, 2003

MECKLENBURG
Von Pressentin Family History - Wessin

Friday Evening, May 16 - Wessin & Vicinity

Friedrich-Franz and Chris were in the Prestin area this weekend to attend a Saturday meeting with others who are attempting restoration of other historical churches and related buildings in this former East German state. After guiding us to our hotel in Wessin, they drove on to Güstrow.

We were to stay at the "Landhotel" in Wessin (Landhotel Wessin, Ringstrasse 30, 19089 Wessin), about two miles from Prestin. But, when we arrived, the hotel manager said she had a large and noisy birthday party booked for Saturday night. She thought we might have trouble sleeping through the party, and so had arranged for us to stay a couple of blocks away at what had been a very nice hotel which went bankrupt and is presently being converted into this training center for Meditek corporation.

On this first evening in Wessin, we drove over to Goldenbow, a nearby village, where a beautiful old windmill has been converted into a restaurant. Karen ate there two years ago, and it sounded like a fun place for our dinner. But, a sign on the door announced that they planned to reopen in March, 2003. Apparently things aren’t working out. So, we took a few pictures of the windmill in the late afternoon light, then drove back along country lanes to Wessin.

At one stop to do a little birding, we spied what appeared to be a dog, running briskly through the adjoining field. A closer look at the "dog" through our binoculars revealed that it was a very large fox--the big bushy tail, and pointy nose seemed diagnostic. Neither of us had ever seen such a big fox, but later at our hotel the manager confirmed that yes, there were big foxes all over the place and they were frequently seen.

We finally got a late dinner at the Landhotel in Wessin. One of us ordered the "farmer’s breakfast" from the menu. Farmers in Mecklenburg must eat very hearty--out came a HUGE plate with an omelet, folded over bacon and good fried potatoes seasoned with onions. Restaurant food in general seems pricey in Germany, but this was a real bargain--only about 3.50 Euros.

Our alternate lodging at Meditek, also turned out great -- a very nice room, on the first floor, with breakfast service right onsite. I guess the folks at Meditek were happy to earn a little money while training their staff on the care and feeding of the salespeople who will start coming to the center in June. When I spied the computer room I immediately thought: "Aha! A chance to use the Internet for e-mail. And one evening, we asked and were given permission to send Glenn a short e-mail. Our stay in Wessin was one of the longest in one place for the entire trip, so we took advantage of the opportunity to do some serious wash-basin laundry and kept the bathroom filled with the portable clothes lines and dripping underwear and socks.

All was very quiet back at our hotel--I’m pretty sure we were the only ones there, except for the manager who apparently stays there during the week, going to his home on weekends. The Meditek center was diligently guarded by the manager's dog "Alki" - a beautiful and charming German German shepherd. Alki was a very polite dog, who didn't really require banishment from the breakfast room, but nevertheless, left obediently when the manager told him, "Alki, 'raus mit du!" I remember hearing that phrase from my own parents, slightly altered as "'Raus mit you!"

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German Roots Trip 2003 - Contents