It's almost time to go!

Wow, the time has gone so fast! I can't believe I'll be leaving for Germany in 8 hours. I started this blog to journal the events leading up to this trip, and I'm going to try and update it while I'm gone (as long as I'm able to access the internet!) If this is your first visit, I recommend that you go back and read all of the previous posts so you understand the amazing turn of events since I started planning this trip. You can read them by clicking on the links over on the right hand side of the page under the "Blog Archive". Click on "2010" and then on "November". Start at the bottom where it says "Back to the Beginning" and work your way up to this post. 

So much has happened the  past few months.  In January I signed up for an 8 week German Language course and learned a little but not nearly enough. I was able to correspond with my new-found cousins in Germany so I am anxious to finally get to meet them.  My "genealogist-cousin" Willi has been busy planning our Heritage Tour and in the process, he discovered that we are related on two different branches of our family tree. He is actually a descendant of the oldest documented Braun ancestor in our family tree, dating back to the mid 1500's. 

We are going to visit the castle and a museum in the town of Bernstadt, the home of the first documented Braun ancestor, my 9th Great Grandfather Leonhard Braun, born about 1565; and the church in Lonsee where Leonhard's children lived. This Leonhard Braun had at least two sons; Willi is a descendant of the older son Hanns Braun and I am a descendant of of his younger son, Georg Braun.

Unfortunately, one of the ladies on the cruise had some medical issues so they had to cancel their trip. But there will be at least one other couple on the cruise that I have gotten to know, as well as my friend Nomi from Toronto. 

I can't wait to get started on my adventure! Hopefully you'll next hear from me from the town of Aufhausen where my immigrant ancestor lived in the early 1800's!