A Holy Week To Remember
Easter always sneaks up on me. With the date changing every year, I usually feel less prepared than I would like to be. This year, I was aware of more gentle reminders in the German holidays leading up to Easter and the holy days that were celebrated by our neighbors and those of others faiths that surround us. I saw the Fasching/Carnival celebrations taking place, and many with ash crosses on their foreheads for Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent.
Fasching is kind of terrifying 😆. There are so many traditions with it here that are unique, like the women stealing the town hall key, and these scary masks, pretending to steal your children, masked people getting handsy if you stand too close.
Just a couple days after we returned from Italy, Holy Week began, which was the same week that Matt’s mom and aunt flew in to stay with us. We also celebrated Nola’s eighth birthday and her baptism.
Once Matt’s mom arrived it was go, go, go! I didn’t want to waste a single second with their precious time here. While the kids were at school for the first couple days, we visited Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, ate at a historic mill (Eselmühle) near us, and visited Esslingen. Once the kids were out of school for Easter weekend, we spent a day in Strasbourg and Eguisheim, France, went to Nola’s baptism and celebrated Easter together.
This memorial at Dachau was powerful. There is a very similar on in Jerusalem at the Holocaust Museum there. The words on a wall near this read, “May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Naziism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom, and in respect for their fellow men.”
The crematorium. It was awful to see.
Eselmühle (Donkey Mill). This mill has been here for over 500 years, grinding wheat with a mill powered by donkeys. They have a great bakery and restaurant.
Esslingen.
What we look like at every turn. Esslingen is such a great village to explore.
Strasbourg!
France wins for the cute cafe chairs. Every place has a different design.
La Maison Kammerzell is one of the most famous buildings in Strasbourg. It was a medieval housing building originally built in 1427. The current facade dates to 1589.
Our favorite Tarte Flambée place in Strasbourg is Mama Bubelle, right on the river. We ordered a few different kinds to share and loved it!
Nougat seems to be a big thing throughout Europe, all different kinds and tastes. We spend a ton and got an amazing pistachio one and one with almonds and Speculoos.
Eguisheim! “Little town, it’s a quiet village…” There are the cutest tiny medieval villages that were the inspiration for the town from the Disney movie, “Beauty and the Beast.”
The cranes! The Alsace region of France is known for its wines, cuisine and the cranes. It was so fun to see their nests everywhere.
If you looked closely, all of the original doors and facades had an inscription. It was customary for a couple to engrave their initials and the date that their house was built. The reference to Jesus Christ is marked by the inscription of the symbol “IHS” (Jesus Hominum Salvator, which means Jesus Savior of Men). The inscriptions declarations of faith and to seek protection of their homes, to ward off evil spirits and bad fortune and to protect against fires. Other common inscriptions were “Come Holy Spirit, Come Holy Consoler.”
There is nothing like a French baguette. Nothing. The German, Italian, Spanish and Dutch ones just do not compare. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s worth bringing lots of baguettes when you go! I learned a trick from my mother-in-law to keep them fresh like the day you buy them. Wrap it in foil, then plastic wrap and put in the freezer. When you want a warm, perfect baguette, removed the plastic wrap and warm in the oven.
With all the time traveling together, I was grateful to come together each evening to talk about Holy Week as a family. I feel much more connected to this holiday now as an adult and hope that my kids learn to love it as well.
One of their favorite traditions is when we eat on the floor on Thursday night of Holy Week. We talk about the Last Supper, the Sacrament, and the Atonement. It’s always a sacred space for us, but we have a lot of fun too. This year it felt like a feast with the baguettes, cheeses and treats we brought back with us from France.
Blurry perfection. We push the table aside, light candles and eat amazing food, sing a hymn, and read the story of the Last Supper and the Atonement form the scriptures.
I was asked to speak in church on Easter Sunday and this is part of what I shared:
John 3:15 “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
I’ve always loved these beautiful words that Jesus shared with His closest friends after the Last Supper and before Gethsemane. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This puts what we are celebrating today in a tender and personal light. He died and was resurrected because He loves us. He went on to say sincerely that as we do what He teaches, “Ye are my friends” (John 15:15).
He is keenly interested in what we are becoming and knows that when we DO the things he invites us to do, we become what He is inviting us to become…like Him.
We are currently living in the Hopeful Saturday of life — waiting for the Savior’s return, as our brothers and sisters of long ago were waiting for the Resurrection.
Jesus could have risen from the dead instantly, or even the next day. But God carved out a space for a Saturday — a day where faith was shaky and many probably questioned, “Where is God in all of this?”
Like us now, they wondered if they understood enough, wondered if it would really happen, and watched for signs and evidences of their faith.
He truly came! He visited those He had loved in life after being Resurrected. We learn from the Bible and the Book of Mormon that He visited His other sheep around the world fulfilling prophecies given from the beginning of time.
For us now, this is a hopeful time of waiting. We love a God who is close to the brokenhearted. Close to those who wait. Close to the ones waling the path of uncertainty and turmoil.
Saturday was not the end of their story, and it is not the end of ours.
We know He lives. We know that He is coming again.
President Russel M. Nelson shared, “In a coming day, you will stand before the Savior…you will be overwhelmed with joy to be in His holy presence. You will struggle to find words to thank Him for His infinite, perfect love and atoning sacrifice that makes it possible for you to live with Him and your family forever.”
It was a week to remember. Looking back on it now I am grateful it was so busy and full because it forced me to be organized and careful to be present. I am so happy for the memories that we made in each place, together.
