VISITING COLOGNE - THEN AND NOW

Part 7 of the series on Retracing Their Footsteps 

[Charles Sherlock with Richard Nebgen and his brothers in 1961]

Charles and Theresa Sherlock arrived in Cologne, Germany at 6pm on 30 May 1961. They met Richard [Nebgen] [son of Adolph Nebgen – Grandma’s paternal side] and his brothers – Gunter, Sieglinde and Alfous Nebgen. Altogether there were 12 people.  They had drinks, dinner and singing.  They then got into 4 cars [18 people by now – probably spouses and other relatives] for a tour of Cologne. They also took a walk on the promenade and then went to Richard’s house.  Later, Richard drove them back to their hotel – Hotel Augustinerplatz in Koln. “They are wonderful people" is what Theresa wrote in her travel diary. [This was probably the first time that Theresa had met her German Nebgen relatives.]

Before leaving Cologne the next morning, Charlie and Theresa visited the Kolner Dom, the Cologne Cathedral.  Grandma Theresa (she's in the light red coat in the photo) wrote in her travel diary, that this was the "most beautiful cathedral".  

The first time I viewed the slides of Grandpa Charlie's and Grandma Theresa's month-long trip to Europe in 1961, I was in awe of the photo of my Grandma standing in front of the grand Cathedral in Cologne.  As time passed, the Cathedral and the city of Cologne was not only placed on my "bucket list" but was placed near the top. So, you can only imagine how excited I was to visit the Kolner Dom on our Rhine River Cruise trip in 2015. 

We arrived at the Cathedral in Cologne (High Cathedral of St. Peter & Mary) at 10am on a Sunday [23 August 2015].  Since Mass was being celebrated in the Cathedral, we were only allowed to visit in the back of the cathedral. Since we couldn't visit more of the Cathedral that morning, we took a walking tour of the city.  Cologne was once a Roman settlement called "Colonia Agrippina".  Old Roman ruins remain in this city and we saw some of them.

After lunch, we had the opportunity to explore more of the Cathedral in Cologne.  We saw the beautiful stained-glass windows and ornate gold shrine on an elaborate altar.  I thought the Cathedral was very impressive.   I have read that this is the most visited spot by tourists in Germany.  I can understand why!

The Cologne Cathedral was started in 1248 but the construction was halted in 1473.  Then in the 1800’s the construction was once again started and finally completed in 1880. The Cologne Cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe.

Of course, we took some photos re-enacting some of the ones my Grandma was in 1961.  I purposely brought a photo or 2 of my Grandma in front of this magnificent cathedral with me on the trip. I always liked this photo of her (in the red coat) in front of the Cathedral.  The problem was there were way too many people walking back and forth to take a photo where you would see us.  So instead we stood closer to where the photographer took the original photo.

From the two photos you will notice that things have changed.  There is no longer that small patch of grass in front of the cathedral.  Also, there is no longer a street in front of the cathedral but rather a "plaza" where people walk through or gather.

I loved my short visit to Cologne and to its magnificent cathedral!  

CRUISING THE RHINE RIVER

Part 6 of the series on Retracing Their Footsteps 

Once in Amsterdam, my Grandparents [Charles and Theresa Sherlock]  boarded a steamship for a river tour down the Rhine River.  They weren't on a river cruise like the ones offered by Viking and others these days.  Theirs was more of a "hop on, hop off" boat ride. 

While my Grandparents began their trip down the Rhine River in Amsterdam, that’s where we ended our river cruise.  

In 2015, my brother, his wife, my husband and I took a Viking Cruise, beginning in Basel, Switzerland and ending in Amsterdam. We made stops in Breisach, Germany [for the Black Forest]; Colmar, France; Strasbourg, France;Heidelberg, Germany; Rudesheim, Germany; Koblenz, Germany; Cologne, Germany; Kinderdijk, Netherlands and Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Charlie and Theresa stopped for lunch in the town of Elten, Germany, which was a part of the Netherlands from 1949 -1963.  Our stop before Amsterdam on our 2015 Rhine River cruise was at Kinderdijk, which is 1 hour and 15 minutes north and west of Elten.

  

RETRACING THEIR FOOTSTEPS - BRUSSELS AND AMSTERDAM

Part 5 of the Series on Retracing Their Footsteps

On 28 May 1961, Charles and Theresa flew to Brussels and had lunch in Brussels.  They traveled by bus to Amsterdam, arriving at their Hotel Suisse at 7pm. They took a walk with another couple. The next day they went sightseeing – on a boat trip on the Rhine River. They visited the old St. Nicholas Church in Amsterdam.  On their visit to Amsterdam, they bought a ceramic windmill that played music for each of their sons' family.  As a child, I remember ours sat on our TV in the living room.  

In 2015, my husband, brother and sister-in-law visited the city of Amsterdam. We walked to the flower market and then back to our hotel, the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel.  Our hotel was 2 streets west and a few blocks north of their hotel – Hotel Suisse.  We enjoyed a canal dinner cruise on our first night in Amsterdam.

The following day my husband and I took a tour that included the towns of Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Marken [which are all north of Amsterdam].

So, one of my objectives when I visited Amsterdam was to find and purchase a ceramic windmill to display in our home.  I found the perfect one at Delft Blue.  Now, every time, I look at it in our entertainment center, I think about my Grandparents and about our 2015 trip to Amsterdam. Such great memories!

RETRACING THEIR FOOTSTEPS - LONDON, ENGLAND

Part 4 of the Series on Retracing their Footsteps

Theresa and Charlie arrived at the Regent Palace Hotel in London, England at 10:30pm on 26 May 1961. The next day they hired a cab for three hours and saw Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria’s statue, House of Commons, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  They also saw in London the following sites – House of Parliament, Tower of London, London Bridge, Thames River, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Piccadilly Square.

So far, my experience of being London, consists of spending a few hours in the London Airport with my daughter on our way to Milan in July 2019.  Hoping to someday spend some time in London and see the sites.

RETRACING THEIR FOOTSTEPS - COUNTY MEATH, IRELAND

Part 3 of the Series on Retracing Their Footsteps

May 26, 1961 – “Pat Sherlock picked us up.  What a ride in the country we had. We visited more Sherlocks, Christian and his wife, then to Dad’s father’s old homestead.  It was lovely. The people who live there did some changes [Charlie’s father Edward lived there in the 1870’s and 1880’s] but the lady let us take pictures and look around.  There was over 60 acres and all the land was green”.

Pat Sherlock, their driver, is the son of Patrick Joseph Sherlock.  So therefore, a sister to Agnes Sherlock and 1^st cousin to Charlie. Edward Sherlock’s old homestead [probably the house he grew up in] was in Demailestown [in Wilkinstown] but at some time they also lived in a house in Ladyrath [in Wilkinstown].  That seems like a place they were at for a shorter time.

“We went to Pat Sherlock’s for lunch. We saw his land and cattle then took another trip around to the Carey’s. Also saw the Ladyrath home.  We sure covered a lot of ground, beautiful roads and farms”.

Demailestown and Ladyrath are very close to one another. Actually, both of them are included in the bigger town of Wilkinstown.  While they are listed as townlands, they are more like housing developments.  So, think of a housing development in a rural setting with a few houses. Demailestown and Ladyrath are west of Drogheda, east of Kells, and north of Navan and Kilmessan.  I looked at both Demailestown and Lady Rath on Google Earth and couldn’t find a house like the one in the above photo.  Of course, this photo is from over 50 years ago and the house very likely could have been torn down and a new one built.

While we were in County Meath in 2015, I tried to find these townlands in person, but it is much harder than trying to locate places on Google Earth.  Oh, if it could be just that easy! Of course, it didn’t help that we didn’t have GPS, so it was rather like looking for a needle in a haystack!  The roads were tiny rural roads and there were not many signs. We drove past Lobinstown, Wilkinstown, Slane Castle and Navan.  Lady Rath and Demailestown is to the east of the main part of Wilkinstown.  So, alas, I did not actually get to see Lady Rath or Demailestown despite our efforts. But since Ladyrath and Demailestown is in Wilkinstown we came very close to it.  It really helped Charlie and Teresa that they had a driver who was very familiar with the area to take them to these townlands in 1961.

The Carey’s are the children/descendants of Elizabeth Sherlock [sister of Edward] and her husband Nicholas Carey.  I am not sure which Carey’s, Theresa and Charlie met with on their trip.

“We picked up Pat’s wife of 4 years and went to see Agnes who has 9 children.  Her husband was 50 years old [when they married] and she was 20.  He is now 70 and she is 40 years old.  After visiting Agnes, they visited Mary Glacken in Navan, who had dinner ready for everyone.”

Even though Charles and Theresa only spent two days in Ireland, they met a lot of relatives and visited several their homes.  Charles and Theresa also visited the old homestead of Bryan Sherlock and Margaret Caffrey Sherlock in Demailestown, where Charlie’s father Edward Sherlock was raised.  Edward died when Charlie was just a baby, so I am sure that their visit to the old homestead was rather emotional for Charlie.

I would not only have loved to visit the townlands of Demailestown and Lady Rath, but also meet any remaining Sherlock/Caffrey/Carey relatives still living in the area

RETRACING THEIR FOOTSTEPS - IRELAND

Charlie and Theresa started off their trip in Ireland after stopping briefly in London.

Charles and Theresa arrived about 5pm [25 May 1961] in Dublin and took a taxi to the Shelbourne Hotel [which was not too far from St. Stephen's Green (a huge luscious green park-like area in the middle of Dublin)]. They first saw two of Charlie's relatives when they spotted two women at the hotel -- a Mary Glacken and an Agnes Sherlock.

According to my research, Mary Glacken is the daughter of Patrick Glacken and Mary Ann Sherlock.  She would have been a first cousin of Charlie [Charles’ father Edward and Mary’s mother Mary Ann were siblings.] I have not figured out how Agnes Sherlock was related to Charlie.  However, I am now thinking perhaps that Agnes is the daughter of Patrick Joseph Sherlock and Mary McCullagh [who are also the parents of Patrick Sherlock, who is mentioned later.] Agnes would be a 1^st cousin of Charlie too. There is a mention of a Margaret Sherlock. 

In 2012, while visiting Ireland for the Notre Dame vs. Naval Academy football game at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, my husband and I walked past St. Stephen’s Green to go shopping. St. Stephen’s Green is so gorgeous and very green!

Grandma Theresa doesn’t write much about visiting spots in Dublin itself. From her diary, it seems like they spent most of their time in the smaller villages, even though they stayed the two nights at a hotel in Dublin.

                                          [St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin in 2012]

In 2015, we did spend a short time in Dublin.  My son flew in after we had already gone to visit the Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park.  We picked up my son from the Dublin Airport and stayed overnight at the Ashling Hotel in Dublin. We visited the Guinness Warehouse and the Jameson Distillery in Dublin. So, I guess both my grandparents and us used Dublin more as a place to arrive and leave, rather than a destination to explore. 

                                        [The River Liffey in Dublin]

RETRACING THEIR FOOTSTEPS - INTRODUCTION

Fifty-eight years ago, my paternal grandparents Charlie and Theresa Sherlock went on this incredible European trip.  I have since dubbed it "Their Grand European Adventure". They left Burbank, California on 22 May 1961 and arrived back home a month later.  Of course, since I was only six years old at the time, I don't really remember much about it.  It started with a "Send Off " picnic at North Hollywood Park with family and extended family members.  However, after my Dad's death in 2001, I inherited the travel slides and Grandma's travel diary from that trip.  I have looked at the slides numerous times, throwing out the ones with scenery but no people, which was a huge mistake!  I also have read Grandma's travel diary too many times to count trying to piece together the photos with where they were taken.  I have tried to figure out who were the relatives (ones I have never met) in the photos.  I have used Wikipedia and Google Maps, but things have changed a lot in the past 58 years.

Ever since I saw the slides and read the travel diary, I have had this burning desire to re-trace as many of their European Adventure steps as possible. I know that I won't get it all done in one trip but that it may take a number of trips across the Pond, which will give me great joy!

Not only am I trying to continue my quest of re-tracing their footsteps, but I also want to write about it - comparing my visit with theirs (what they saw, activities they participated in and people they met). I will use the itinerary order of their trip.  Sections directly from Theresa's travel diary will be in italics.

Let me end this introduction with a travel quote that sums up my view of travel from an unknown source --

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer".