Kunzlers, St Margarethen and Germany

The Kunzlers. I have always liked the Kunzlers. I Hans like the thought of Hans (Johann Casper Kunzler, Anna Elizabeth's father), a big, strong man but tender enough to open his heart to the gospel. And I love that Anna Elizabeth had big feet and was taller than most women. But my favorite Kunzler story is the new information I found about the Kunzlers in 1400's. During the plague in 1434 in Austria, the only way to escape the illness and sure death was to flee the villages. Hans and Jos Kunzler were boys who were somehow taken to a relative's home who lived on the Buehli Farm in Switzerland. They grew up there, married and were able to purchase their own land. They did very well, donated property and labor for 2 churches, and helped in "the fight for freedom". We don't have the magic link that connects our Mr. Kunzler to these boys, but it is generally accepted that the Kunzlers from St. Margrenthen come from this line.

St Margrenthen is about 8 miles down the hill from our Bed and Breakfast. It is very near the Austrian Border. We planned to visit the 2 churches there. One built in 1686 and one built in 1805. Kunzlers were involved with both. And, we wanted to see a window designed by a Hans Kunzler in the early 1400. It was part of the original church and is now displayed in a museum. We could not find the museum. But we found the churches.

As we entered the city, Spencer drove directly to a church. But I, always doubting, insisted that this was not the church. So we drove to another one. We got out of the car, read the Kunzler history, talked for a while and then took a million pictures. I could faintly hear music. Inside a man was practicing the pipe organ for sunday services. He played a short concert for us. We left feeling great - but as we drove away and I looked closer at the map - Spence got the last laugh. This was the wrong church. It was not even that old. And the church Spence instinctively went to first was the correct one!

We then quickly visited the 2 churches, located headstones with the name Kunzler on them, took photos and moved on.

I was sad to miss seeing the window. This is the inscription on it.

It was written by Hans Kuenzler.

It's true, Mount Bashan, you lift yourself high,
And you brag about your fat oxen.
Great cedars also grow on your slopes--
Like a beacon you beckon young lambs to Zion.

However, this small mountain has been chosen by God;
He will make you humble.
It will please Him to live there.
He mocks your pride and vanity.

To the temple in Jerusalem
People must come from distant lands,
Until God's Son comes down from heaven
To take away the present hardships.

He, the Savior, has promised enlightenment:
Where two or three are gathered
In devotion, things will go better from that hour.
Your prayers please Him.

Our next destination was Germany! Switzerland is on one side of Lake Constance and Germany is on the other. From Rorschach a ferrie crosses that lake and docks at Lindau. The 1 hour boat ride was lovely. We had great weather and wonderful views. Mom loved it.

Lindau was a little frustrating. It was hot, we

were tired and it is hard for Mom to walk long distances. I am not sure what there really was to see. We saw several tourist trap type shops with figurines, spoons with country names on them ... that kind of stuff.

We also saw buildings with beautiful painting on the walls. But we didn't know what we were looking at and we were hot and tired, so we sat at the sidewalk cafe and waited for the boat to take us back.

However, Spencer found a little Swiss hat and outfit for Davis. We had a blast picking that out. I'm sure Doug is thrilled!

I knew that European Football was huge, but I did not realize how huge. A new stadium was completed within the last few weeks in St Gallen. And, one of the national teams involved in the upcoming tournament planned a warm up practice in the stadium. The Zimmler's, being huge fans, planned to attend and invited us (mostly Spencer but I tagged along). It was pouring when it was time to leave, but we decided to chance it. I am so glad we did. It continued to pour for a while, but finally it stopped and event began. I am not even sure which country it was. But it was so fun to be there. Everyone was so excited. The new stadium is beautiful. The team colors are green and white. The walls are GREEN. The parking is underneath the stadium. And there is a shopping maul attached to the stadium. It was exhilarating and fun.