Spent Saturday in Gergeschdorf - My Family Village!

Saturday morning Jim and I drove to Gergeschdorf (Ungurei) and met with Hans "Robert" Schuster. He is the most gracious man I have ever met and cares so much about the people of the village, it's history and it's future. In particular the children of the village. In fact every year he gathers donations from Germans and Saxon families to purchase gifts for the children including the Roma (Gypsy) children of the village. He continually teaches the children about the importance of treating animals well and about taking care of the earth, whether it is through starting a village recycling campaign to educating the local village children about the importance of education. He is a great man and I admire him so much.

Corn fields ready for harvest time near Gergeschdorf!

 

 

 

 

I spoke to Mrs. Lutsch again. It was a pleasure to see her again. Hopefully I will see her husband Johann this next weekend too! Unfotunately he has been ill with the inluenza and has been in the hospital for the last few days. Prayers for him and Mrs. Lutsch. Johann is a fossil collector like me and gave me ancient fossilized shells from Transylvania on my last visit.

Speaking of animals I cannot forget Robert's beautiful 1 year old dog named Susie! She is a cutie and definately a lucky dog to have all the space to run that she has. She is in paradise just like the people that are lucky enough to visit the village of Gergeschdorf, it is a paradise!

Susie!

 

 

 

 

Robert and his frumos (beautiful) wife Gabriela just had their first child just three weeks ago; his name is Kevin. Jim and I were able to meet their new child and also Robert's mother was there as well. We met Gabriela's Brother-in-law and I again saw his daughter who last time had drawn the colorful picture of me with crayons that is on the blog from a 2011 post. At that time she liked "Hannah Montana"...but now of course she has moved on to "One Direction" like most girls her age.

We spent the night in Robert's cabana house and we enjoyed a fantastic lunch of a Romanian stew that Gabriela made along with fire-baked bread that Robert baked in his new outdoor oven he built. We enjoyed fresh garden vegetables and of course one of my favorite things...Tuica or Polinka(homemade plum brandy)!!!

Roberts Cabana House, Garden and Yard

 

Oxen wagon used by the Saxon's in the past.

Back of the Johann and Maria Lutsch Saxon home

Grape vines used for producing homeade wine and tuica/polinka

 

The first freeze in the last two days in Transylvania has started to wilt the plants

The large blue barrels in the back garden are used to ferment plums, grapes and cherries in order to make wine, tuica and polinka

 



 

For dinner we had fresh sheep cheese made in a village nearby and a sausage his mother made that was foarte frumos (fantastic)!!There was also eggs mixed with fresh peppers. Robert treated us to a great breakfast Sunday morning before we took off for Petersdorf (Petresti)!

Romanian Stew that Gabriela made. Foarte Buna!!! (Very Good)!!!



Robert gave us the keys to the Gergeschdorf church and cemetery and Jim and I explored both. This time I rang the large church bells which was awesome. To think of how many of my family members for over 300 years came to this church to worship and be part of a larger family within the village is just fantastic. I feel very connected each time I visit this place and very much at home! It is as though they are still there walking beside me. In the Cemetery I photographed all the gravestones and discovered some more information about my family and related family members.

 

 

View from the church bell tower!

 

Roof gables of the Gergeschdorf church

 

I have known Jim for two years, however I never knew he was afraid of heights until after we had climbed the four stories of the church bell tower and than he tells me before we have to make our way down :-)

 

Family wall hangings from the Gergeschdorf church

The boys in the village would sit in the upper half of the church and some of the more mischievious ones may have carved their initials into the wooden pews back in the 1800's

 

The church banner in memorial of one of my family members Maria Stefani born Fising

 

 

The large skeleton key for the main church doors!

Church collection box

 

 

Hand carved church pews

Seating in the front of the church for church deacons and village elders

 

The carved church icon is over 300 years old!

 

Church hand-woven rugs!

 

Hand-painted memorial wall hanging!

Baptismal bath covering memorial



 

Memorial plaque listing church members that served in WWI includes my Great-Grandfather Stefan Fising and his brother Michael Fising

Robert surprised me with an organ music church book signed by my family member Johann Fising who was the churches organ player for many years. Also documents that Johann had signed related to his occupation at the church. He discovered all of the items while completing repair work on the organ. They documents and books were inside the actual organ!!!

 

Also Robert presented me with a traditional Saxon Tie!! Such beautiful embroidery and colors! Also here is a hand-painted clock featuring the most beautiful church in the world! The Gergeschdorf Church!

 

Jim was admiring the antique Transylvania clothing irons that the Saxon's used to use and Robert gave one to Jim to bring back home. It is very cool! They would put hot coals into the body and could iron many clothes for some time.

The Fising house that my grandfather lived in with his family and 2 generations before lived in was recently renovated as a vacation home for a German man and I was able to see inside. Wow! It is tiny, and it is hard to believe that 5 to 10 people may have been in this house at some times. A very nice Romanian family that was gardening in the back acreage showed me around the property and retrieved the key to allow us entry.

 

Rear of the house used for animal shelter

 

House water well

Gardening area in the rear of the house

 

The other Fising house where my 3rd Great-Grandfather lived (Butcher House) was recently purchased and renovated by a Roma family, unfortunately the removed the cool cows head with axes that was on the front :-( and painted it an outlandish color. The Roma like their colors though and sometimes their homes will come in a multitude of colors. I suppose it brightens the gloomiest day?

 

 

The house before renovation with the "butcher" symbol of a cows head and two axes. I miss that, it was very,very cool!

 

 

 

Back buildings at the Fising "butcher" house

 

Water well at the rear of the house

Jim and I will make another trip out next Sunday and possibly before to find the other Fising houses if they still exist and document and photograph more of the village architecture.

The multitude of sheep herds, horse-drawn wagons and boys taking care of their individual cattle made for some great shots during our stay.

 

Romanian boy who was watching over his cow named Florina. he is standing in front of the Gergeschdorf War memorial near the school

 

My favorite video of yesterday!!!