In a little over three weeks, I’ll be setting off on a trip through Eastern Europe, and through history. Our oldest son, Matt, and I will meet in Warsaw with our bicycles. We will set off to my grandfather’s home town, Czyzew-Osada, to see what we can see. Only in the last week, I have made contact with a cousin of my father’s who lives in Israel, and have learned more about the journeys of family members fleeing the carnage of Poland seventy years ago.
A great Jewish genealogical site, Jewish Gen, has been a great tool for tracking down relatives.

The Biking Stewart/Floreens, in Italy: Karla, Matt, Nancy, Rebecca, Colin
We then will ride south through Poland, across Slovakia, to Budapest. From there we will go east through Romania and Moldova to Odessa on the Black Sea, my grandmother’s hometown. I’ve been tracking down relatives from that side of the family, too, though have not been able to find out much about their life in Odessa a century ago. The search continues.
You can follow out journey at another website, Stewartbiketrip. See you there!