Bremen: A Sachtjen Pilgrimage

What kind of name is that?  

This is a question I have received countless times growing up with the last name of Sachtjen.  I always knew the Sachtjen family was from northern Germany, more specifically from the Bremen area and for many years that represented the full extent of my family knowledge.  Our trip provided a rare opportunity to dig deeper and learn more about specifically where I come from, to see if I could find any distant relatives, and to hopefully connect to the place the Sachtjen family embarked from over 150 years ago. 

Our pilgrimage starts in the oft-overlooked German town of Bremen. 

A quick side-note: what made this exploration even more enjoyable is Jamie’s mutual connection to Bremen.  As a high school exchange student Jamie’s Dad (Bob) lived in Bremen and developed a lifelong admiration of the German language, culture and people.  We were both pretty excited about the next couple days. 

Immediately we realized that Bremen is a real German town.  While they certainly do have tourists throughout the city during the summer you quickly realize that this is a city with its own identity first and tourist destination second.  Jamie and I both recognized how much we appreciated walking through areas where normal, everyday Germans were just carrying on their lives, much different than the fishbowl phenomenon that happens in many tourist centric cities.  It provided a unique opportunity to be immersed in real German culture. We both understood why Jamie’s Dad was such a fan.  It also doesn’t hurt that it’s a pretty city, on the river, with a tremendous amount of history throughout. 

Jamie's showing Bremen Town Square first position.

Bremen's version of Lake Shore Path.  Football stadium in the background - Go SV Werder Bremen!

St. Petri Dom Bremen Cathedral 

 If you do visit Bremen one place you must check out is an area called the Schnoor.  Named after “snoor”, which is the Low German word for string.  This is the oldest district in town and boasts a maze of charming streets and shops, all of which are lined up as if a line of string was placed in the middle ages to ensure perfect construction.  In the Schnoor we quickly realized Germans affinity for ice cream, it’s totally insane how much ice cream they eat.  Two people sitting at a restaurant? Yep, eating ice cream.  Two people at a café? Yep, eating ice cream.  A family walking down the street? You guessed it, crushing a huge ice cream sundae.  I’m also sorry to report but it’s really not that good.  Don't pass up the Schnoor. 

Are you Schnoor you want to go this way?

After a full day and a half touring Bremen we kicked off the Sachtjen pilgrimage.  I was able to gather some information from the stateside Sachtjen’s (thanks Steve, Brendan & Barry) and learned that our family had emigrated from Bremerhaven in 1846.  I also learned that Bremerhaven recently completed an Emigration Museum that, among other things, includes a family database section with open access to the public.  Finally, I determined from an online search that there appeared to be one active Sachtjen address, which was in the small farming village of Horsten, Germany.  Once we completed a quick mapping session and a Hertz rental car pick up, off we went, north on the Autobahn. First stop, the sea coast village of Bremerhaven (as we learned pronounced Bremer-HA-ven, yep get down there in the back of your throat, haaaaven). 

Bremerhaven Harbor.  Proud sponsor, Team "have fun run and fart"

More Bremerhaven Harbor, less running and farting

Bremerhaven’s Emigration Museum was really well done.  Instead of the traditional museum structure the intent here is to recreate the experience that our ancestors would have had many years ago.  You are given a boarding card that gives you an identity that guides you throughout the experience.  Jamie, of course is a first class passenger, eligible for the fine dining areas and smoking cars, nothing but the best.  I, not surprisingly, was subject to an unknown, likely third class voyage.  I hope the view is nice up there! At the end we spent some time in the archive database room and were able to have them print off some cool family tree information, which showed Tietje Sachtjen, who left Bremerhaven October 15^th, 1846.  Unfortunately the original ship manifest from 1846 had been destroyed many years prior, a small downside to an otherwise great experience. 

Ryan about to nerd it up at the Emigration Museum

Port marker (BH) that would have kicked of the Sachtjen Family journey in 1846

After a stroll along the waterfront we said goodbye to Bremerhaven, we were off to find some real life German Sachtjens.  Hortsen here we come…

At this point all we really knew was that we found an address for two different Sachtjen family members, both living at the same address, and presumably a husband and a wife.  No phone, no email, just an address. Bernd and Johann Sachtjen, Kirchstr 28, Freideberg, Horsten.  Since we all know that everything on the inter web is always one hundred percent accurate we had no idea what we were walking into as we planned to just knock on some doors.  

Find Horsten, check.

We make it into Hortsen without much trouble and turned down what we believe to be their street.  It's a lovely cobblestone road, lined with trees and brick homes on either side.  The houses are set relatively close together, with each of their respective farming lands stretched out far behind each house.  This gives the area a neighborhood feel even though each house has a lot of property as well.  We pull up to #28, laughing a bit as we have no idea what to expect, and walk up to ring the doorbell.  The bell has "Sachtjen" written next to it, we have at least found the right spot.  Unfortunately there is no answer.  A neighbor across the street, who is looking at us curiously, motions around to the back of the house.  Off we head to the pasture area of their property, swing around another barn and come to an entire family sitting underneath the trees enjoying a German style picnic.  It's about to go down.

For the record I speak literally no German.  I can say please and thank you and that is it.  Jamie is blessed with double the skills as she can say about four different words in German that her Dad taught her while growing up.  Clearly we were well suited for this conversation.  I mention this because the German Sachtjen's literally speak no English.  The exchange was insane and hilarious, I quickly resorted to pulling out my Illinois Drivers License so that I could point at the last name and then myself.  I also learned (and Jamie is quick to point out) that I am terrible at gesturing or speaking slowly in this situation, I just ramble on in English at the same speed as normal, hoping that my distant relatives will just all of a sudden understand what I am saying.  Well, they didn't.  Props to Jamie at this point who jumped in and made a circular gesture around the table, speaking slowly and clearly, "Sachtjen's?".  Nods ensued, which prompted her to put her arms around me and say "Sachtjen."  Undoubtably the most successful exchange of our visit.  

We spent the next 20 minutes or so gesturing, smiling and pointing at things.  Jamie and I quickly resorted to showing pictures of Banjo after we pet their dogs for a few minutes.  We shared the family tree that we acquired in Bremerhaven, they studied with great interest.  We ended the visit with an exchange of information and a new Facebook friend in my distant cousin Annika.  Ok, Jamie is Facebook friends with her, I still don't think this Facebook thing is going to catch on.  Even though we couldn't really communicate it was a great visit, topped off with a hilarious family picture.  

Mission Accomplished.  

Smile! Ok, Ryan smile.  The Horsten Sachtjen family

 Fun Fact:  Driving on the Autobahn is amazing. :) 

Amsterdam : The Social Experiment

What if we built a city and let everyone, within reason, do as they choose?  What would happen?  The answer, in a word, is Amsterdam.  Normally,  if we presented such a scenario of wide personal freedoms in a city, one would think that anarchy would reign supreme.  The display of sex and drugs would inevitably overwhelm any amount of charm or history the city could offer, right?  In the case of Amsterdam however you would be dead wrong.  This city has, in a miraculous way, organized the chaos of the many colorful influences that paint the landscape of the city that we see today.  It has quickly become one of our favorite newest, oldest cities.

We arrived into Amsterdam the evening of July 4th, to drop our bags, and take in the city.  We made our way down to a Lange Lidsedwarsstraat, an area of town that I can best explain as the Wrigleyville of Amsterdam, the streets are lined with outside bars, restaurants and cafes.  As we dined, we enjoyed  a tremendous display of people watching.  The city was buzzing.  As our friend Richard best stated (about a hundred times), "everything is happening."

This is the point in the blog where we give a massive shout out and thank you to our friends Kirk and Bre, who graciously allowed for the four of us to crash in their apartment during our time in Amsterdam.  Their place is wonderful, perfectly located and a much appreciated reprieve from our run of B&B's.

Over the next couple days we absorbed as much Amsterdam as possible.  We walked the streets (which for the record are really easy to get lost in as all of the streets curve into one giant circle), we ate, we drank and then walked the streets some more.

Take that Summer Shandy

Obviously we can't be in Amsterdam without renting bikes, which allowed for us to circle the city a number of times in an afternoon.  It's worth stating at this point that the traffic in the city follows the organized chaos I spoke of earlier.  There are seemingly 20 different lanes of traffic (cars, trams, mopeds, bikes, walking, stoned people walking), but yet we didn't see a single accident occur during our ride.  Just make sure to look both ways, about ten times over.

Jamie biking it up, in front of the Royal Palace

Is this how I do it?

Before heading out on vacation, Kirk and Bre connected us to their friend Paap for a private canal tour.   It was perfect.  We cruised thru the canals for an hour and a half (he cut us a deal for an extra free 30 min), taking in all the beauty of the city while Pap shared historical factoids of the city.  Paap, of course, lives on a houseboat in one of the canals.  He is substantially cooler than any of us.

Lunch and Prosecco on the canal? Yes please. 

My boy Paap.

Because just two pictures of the canals isn't enough.

I wouldn't also be doing this post true justice without making mention of our brief stop off at the red light district, which for the record was suggested by Jamie.  It was much more of a tourist trap than we expected but still a pretty hilarious place to experience.  I'll let the following speak for itself:

Literal marketing at its finest. 

In total we have loved Amsterdam.  Multiple times the comment has been made of how livable this city feels, it's truly a special place.

A couple last photos for your blog reading enjoyment.

There also happened to be this little soccer tournament going on, maybe you have heard of it.

She didn't forget to stop.

Fun Fact: You can buy green stuff at a Coffee Shop, not to be confused with a Coffee House or a Cafe, which serves actual coffee. Confusing.

Along the Coast of Ireland

We loved Ireland. It is lush (probably because it rains so much...), scenic, makes a darn good seafood chowder and has a lazy way about it that makes you want to curl up with a good book, drink some afternoon tea and gaze out at the breathtaking scenery. 

After reluctantly leaving the Campbell's, we headed southwest to Galway, a sleepy fishing village with bohemian charm. We strolled the cobblestone, pedestrian only streets, walked along Galway Bay and settled into a cozy pub for fresh lobster and chowder. Our night cap was open mic night at a local pub, which served to be quite entertaining. "Jonah/Isaac/Isaiah" from Virginia did a mean one man a-capella performance, proving it difficult to be both the bass line and melody. Needing a good night sleep, we hoofed it back to our spacious room, I will let this picture tell the story:

Charming town of Galway

Galway harbor

A stroll by the sea

After consuming yet another Irish breakfast, we set out for a drive along the western coast. We had all day to drive the 80 or so miles to Doolin, so we promised each other we would stop everywhere and anywhere along the way. Here are a few of the highlights:

Dunguaire Castle 

Ryan and I outside of Dunguaire Castle

Ryan, Richard and Julie outside of a little chocolate shop we spotted. Bellies full of PB&J truffles, they were inspired to recreate "Jonah/Isaac/Isaiah's" performance from the previous night.

Sitting outside of Corcomroe Abbey, an early 13th century Cistercian monestary

Richard and I taunting the cows

The Cliffs of Moher

Ryan at the Cliffs of Moher, stunningly beautiful (both of them...)

Pouring one out for my dad, he would have loved to ride his bike through Ireland

We had hoped to catch a boat tour along the Cliffs of Moher before departing Doolin, however because of fierce winds and choppy seas they cancelled the trip. Wah wah. Instead, we hit the road and headed to the Dingle Peninsula by way of more country road and a brief ferry. It rained the majority of our two night stay, however we sported ponchos and umbrellas and entertained ourselves with more chowder and traditional Irish music. We were a little bummed we weren't able to see the beauty of the Dingle Peninsula and Conor Pass due to weather, but now we have an excuse to go back!

Ferry on the way to Dingle

Blown away by the scenery...yep...I did that...

On our last day in Ireland we attempted one last time to take in the Conor Pass vistas. It was still pretty socked in, but Google images gave us an idea of what we were missing. 

Conor Pass is behind me, I am sure it is beautiful. TripAdvisor gives it 5 stars

Thanks, Google

We had a 3+ hour drive to Cork and decided we should cram in as many tourist activities as possible before we turned in our rental car and checked in for our flight to Amsterdam. We paid too many euro to sprint to the Blarney Stone and grab a 99 (ice-cream cone), but it was well worth the laughs and race against the clock.

Enjoying a 99 outside the Blarney Stone cafe

Blarney in all his glory

Farewell, Ireland. Until next time. Slan.

Fun Fact: This has become the theme song of our trip. 

It takes a village

From Dublin, we set out to visit the Campbell Clan in Aughnacliffe, Co Longford. John Campbell is a great friend of ours and must have told a couple white lies as his family agreed to host us for a night in their home.  At this point in the trip, all we knew was their address did not register on the GPS (or Sat Nav - thanks Clare) that came with our rental Passat.  We headed in the general direction of Longford and after we realized there would not be a sign for Aughnacliffe, rang the Campbell abode for navigational assistance. The head of the household, Sean Campbell, answered the phone and immediately told us to pull over in the nearest town and he would come meet us. We were giddy with excitement, he had the most charming Irish accent! He must have been just as excited as we were, because as he pulled up he immediately jumped out of the car and forgot to put it in park. Our hearts melted a little as we watched him jump back into his moving car, his daughter Michelle rolling her eyes and laughing. We were going to fit right in. 

He taunted Ryan's manhood as he sped along the country roads, expecting us to stay right behind him as we twisted and turned around blind corners. A little white knuckled (probably just me) we arrived at the Campbell Compound and Margot, Clare, and Mairead spilled outside to great us. 

The fake out Campbell Abode

The actual Campbell Abode

We had no idea we were getting all of the Campbell sisters! It didn't end there, Pakie, their 100 year old grandpa (101 in September) greeted us in the sitting room with an extremely firm handshake and a smile.  As we strained to keep up with the chatter (Irish english is not American english :)), we munched on biscuits and brown bread (their neighbor is celiac and made gluten free options) and drank tea and coffee.  With full stomachs (running theme here), we piled into two cars and were shown the sites of Aughnacliffe village, part of Colmcille parish in county Longford. How cool is that? They use words like village and parish and all of the farm land and friendly neighbors felt like a dream. They showed us the Aughnacliffe Dolmen, views from Molly Hill and turf plots (rotted trees from the bog that are cut and dried to be used as firewood in the cold months).

View of the lake and the land

The Dolmen

Sean teaching Ryan about turf in the bog

After our tour of the area we spent some time in and around the Campbell shop and learned about their trade as butchers (many generations). Sean, essentially single handedly, runs the shop and both raises and butchers his lamb and sheep. He works 10-12 hour days and I never saw him without a smile on his face. 

The Campbell's shop, just down the street from their home

Training to bring in the cattle

We sat down to a dinner of lamb (butchered about two weeks prior to our arrival), bacon wrapped chicken, roasted and mashed potatoes, carrots, Yorkshire pudding, and cabbage. The wine, beer and cider runneth over as well. Thanksgiving dinner was officially put to shame. They called us Yanks and allowed us to butcher common Irish phrases, we then tested their American accents (Clare won) before heading out for a pint at the local pub.

I could go on and on describing our stay with the Campbells. We had such a wonderful time and would have stayed on for weeks if not for our strict itinerary. They are warm, loving, hilarious and one of the most tightly knit families I have ever witnessed. They might not realize it, but while they all have very distinct personalities, they move a lot as a unit and are constantly helping and taking care of one another. It was extremely charming. Campbells, we can't thank you enough for your hospitality. 

Fun Fact: I am now Facebook friends with all of the sisters and fully expect a visit to repay their kindness in the very near future. !!

Dublin Pride

Dublin 6/27-6/29:

After catching a late flight out of Edinburgh we found ourselves standing at the gate of our next destination, just outside the Dublin city centre. Our cab driver scared us with tales of Romanian thieves and heroin usage and I half expected our new host to be strung out and carrying a baseball bat. As it turns out, our cab driver was a curmudgeon of an old man and both the neighborhood and the Airbnb owner could not have been better. After a restless night sleep, our neighbors were up until 3am blasting terrible 90s top 40 in preparation for pride day, we stepped out to make the best of our one-day in Dublin. After eating more meat than we typically consume in a year, we were craving something healthy and herbivorous like whoa. A restaurant,  The Fumbally, was recommended to us for brunch and since it was in close proximity to our apartment we decided to give it a try. This place is heaven. A must if you visit Dublin. It was almost like The Fumbally stole all the vegetables out of Scotland and were selling them in the form of avocado toast (on delicious gluten free bread!!), salads, fresh squeezed orange juice and frothy cappuccinos. You sit at communal tables and we were lucky enough to meet James and Sarah who told us stories of their travels and recommended a few places to visit that were not originally on our list. We completely forgot about our lack of sleep and were ready to face the day. Dublin is very accessible by foot and we were able to check out all of the tourist spots in a few hours. 

First up was Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded in 1030.

Julie and I practicing tourism

Next, we took a stroll through the Dublin Castle. We decided not to check out the State Apartments, but thought the outside was really cool. :) 

The highlight of the tourist attractions was Trinity College, the Book of Kells and the Long Room (old library). While the campus is stunning, it was our tour guides, a current doctorate at the university, ability to articulate the history and provide colorful anecdotes that made the visit a highpoint.  If you find yourself on a tour, ask for Jamie…he looks like Harry Potters older, taller brother. A couple fun facts: the books in the old library are organized by size and do not use the dewey decimal or any type of numeric or alphabetical system. There are about 17,000 students at Trinity, 60% of which are female. 

Our tour guide mesmerizing the crowd with his stories of Oscar Wilde and Scholars vs. Fellows marble games

Julie, Ryan and Richard in the square at Trinity

Spiral staircase leading to the 2nd story of books in the old library

There is no better way to end your day as a tourist in Dublin than with a self guided tour through the Guinness Storehouse followed by a poured to perfection pint in the 7^th floor gravity bar, which offered panoramic views of Dublin. 

   

Watch out for Ryan and I in the new Guinness ad...

We finished our day watching the world cup at Koegh’s, grabbing a burger and then a final pint at Grogan's Bar. The weather, pride parade and world cup created a great buzz in the city and left a special place in our hearts for Dublin. Next stop, the Campbell abode, which reminds me...I should have prefaced this post by thanking our friend, John Campbell, for putting together an amazing itinerary of Ireland for us. If his country is half as extraordinary as he is, we are in for a real treat.

Fun Fact: Irish students need not sit for an interview or submit an essay when applying to University. Placement is determined by your total score across 6 subjects. As told to us at by our wise tour guide, you sit for 7 tests, each worth 100 points. They throw out your worst score and add the rest together. You have to score a 600 to be admitted to the medical school at Trinity.