Celebrating Our German Roots

The sign in German above translates to a message of hope: "When you think you can go no further, a little light will come to show the way." 

It's on a wall at the historic Alpine Haus Restaurant and Weingarten in New Braunfels, Texas.

My siblings and I have deep roots all over Europe, including Germany. One set of great-grandparents were Edward Kleiner and Bertha Weirauch; their respective parents were Anton Kleiner, Marie Jueschke, Teodor Weirauch and Karoline Kempe. 

Edward Kleiner and Bertha Weirauch Kleiner:

Anton Kleiner and Marie Jueschke Kleiner:

Teodor Weirauch and Karoline Kempe Weirauch:

So my sister Charlou and I we were excited to learn earlier this week about the strong German influence in Texas Hill Country where we've been vacationing.

With towns named New Braunfels, Luckenbach, Boerne and Gruene, we've been feeling our German roots strongly.

For lunch yesterday, our last full day here, we sought out German cuisine. I fondly remember my paternal grandmother, Alma Kleiner Easley, making hassenpfeffer with dumplings from scratch with no recipe. It was so delicious!

There was no hassenpfeffer on the menu at Alpine Haus, but there were plenty of other traditional German favorites.

I ordered wiener schnitzel with dumplings and sauerkraut. Mmmmmm...

Charlou enjoyed jaeger schnitzel with dumplings and red cabbage:

A stein of Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbeir for her...

is
...and Franz Keller pinot noir for me:

And of course traditional apple strudel for dessert to share:

Suffice it to say the food was delicious and authentic and took us back to primal feelings of well-planted roots. 

Alma and Edward and Bertha and Anton and Marie and Teodor and Karoline would have been so pleased.

Here are some shots taken by Charlou inside Alpine Haus with its lovely German antiques and other decor. 

When we left Alpine Haus, we explored historic downtown New Braunfels.

I love this business with the hybrid German-Spanish name:

Tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old sycamore tree:

Naegelin's (another German name) bills itself as the oldest bakery in Texas.

The beautiful and historic Comal County Courthouse:

By the time you read this, we'll most likely be on planes back to our respective cities.

Check out all my posts from Texas here.

We have had a grand adventure in Texas Hill Country! 

And now...back to reality.