Austria

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Chester, England

Some of you have already noticed, but I uploaded a whole lot of photos yesterday. 

Fountain at Chester Cathedral

About 250 actually were in the batch.  It includes the rest of the photos from Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France.  I did not upload any photos from Scotland or England.  They will have to wait for the next chance I get.

We are now staying with the Byrom family in Runcorn, England.  Today we went to Chester and walked the walls. 

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Paul Ross with Chester wall clock

We went through the cathedral and went down the main shopping streets.  It was a beautiful day for what we were doing.  We quite enjoyed ourselves.  We each had a pasty and a vanilla finger.  She liked it but it was too much.

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River Dee from Chester Wall
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
Amanda Ross at Chester Cathedral

We stopped by Ellesmere Port on the way home at a outlet mall.  We picked out a couple of suits and bought them.  However, we were not convinced we had the best deal, we took them back.  Interestingly, on the way out, we stumbled upon another store.  I found better quality suits that were on sale for almost half of the cost for the other two suits.  Hands down, Amanda and I both liked the second store over the first.  Now I have some new suits, one of the reasons I wanted to come back to Europe.

Homes in Chester, outhouses, plumbing, from Chester Wall

We had dinner this evening, some amazing lasagna.  Rose has always made great lasagna.  Afterward, Rose, Amanda, and I went to visit an older lady I taught on the mission.  She was such a sweet soul and she proved to be the same.  We have all aged, but the sociality has not diminished or changed with time.  I think Amanda quite enjoyed Jane Young and her quaint little home in the English countryside.

Rose Byrom, Jane Young, Paul and Amanda Ross

Yesterday, we had dinner with Jack and Brenda Millington from Howe Bridge.  Jack used to cook us as missionaries some wonderful homemade pot pies.  Visiting with him on Sunday, he offered to make me and Amanda one.  We agreed and met with them yesterday.  The pot pie was as wonderful as ever, boiled cabbage, and homemade trifle.  We really had some good laughs.  Jack even sent us off with a couple of parting gifts.

Amanda and Paul Ross with Byrom Brothers, John on the right, their family in front

There are so many people that nearly 10 years have changed nothing.  We don’t always remember each other’s names, but the feelings are still the same.  Memories seem to come back quickly, surprisingly.  What will heaven be like?

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Venice, Italy

Just a quick update.  Internet here costs us roughly $10 an hour, so we are using as little time as possible.

Alps from the train to Venice

We are in Venice.  We arrived safely here from Salzburg.

Some waiting gondolas. We couldn’t justify the price…
We arrived in the afternoon and wandered until the sun went down.

Right on the Mediterranean, we are feeling the heat and humidity.  I am loving it, Amanda not so much so. 

Paul Ross on the Ponte di Rialto
Grand Canal from Ponte di Rialto
Obligatory selfie with Grand Canal!

Last night, I had real Italian pizza and Amanda had real Italian pasta. 

This is not an alley. Some of the walks to homes are quite small.
Amanda with Statue of Nicolò Tommaseo in Campo Santo Stefano

We are living the life of luxury. 

Looking at Santa Maria della Salute in the distance from Ponte dell’Accademia

We are in a nice little flat right off campo (miniature piazza) named Campo Santa Margherita and the place buzzes at all times of the day.

Amanda enjoying gelato in Venice!
Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore across the water
Amanda and another Venice canal
Me and Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore across the way
Me on the steps of Basilica Santa Maria della Salute
Another beautiful church facade

Of course we had to visit the world famous Doge Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica.

Paul and Amanda Ross at Palazzo Ducale
Doge’s Palace
Amanda in front of St. Mark’s in Venice
Another narrow alleyway in Venice eating gelato

We finished the day off with an authentic pizza in a quaint little piazza outside our hostel. We had some amazing gnocchi in a little restaurant in Venice run by some Asians! The whole world is a melting pot!

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Salzburg to Venice

There is not a whole lot to share I think manz would be familiar with.

We did get a ride up to the Hohensalzburg, see the big main churches here in Salzburg, and visit the birthplace and home of Mozart.  Those were definitelz interesting. 

Universitat Mozarteum

This is definitelz the citz of little finds though. 

Amanda in staircase of Schloss Mirabell
Paul at Schloss Mirabell

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From the antique shops to the other little sights, it has been verz interesting. 

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The best part is that our hotel was so close to everzthing and none of the daz was lost to travel.

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Amanda and her pomme frites

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Rainy Salzburg
Paul Ross in Hohensalzburg

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Amanda and Salzburg
Tram to Hohensalzburg

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Amanda and Paul Ross with Hohensalzburg

Sadlz, we are headed for an 8 hour train ride to Venice todaz.

Fountain in Innsbruck

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Hofkirche Innsbruck
Hofkirche Innsbruck

Well, somebodz is waiting for the computer.  Time to head out.

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Salzburg, Austria

A quick update.  We are back to the shortened e-mail times.

We are writing todaz from Salzburg, Austria.  We arrived last night about midnight.

Zesterdaz was spent traveling to familz historz sites for mz Wanner and Nuffer familz near Stuttgart.  We visited Holzgerlingen and Neuffen, the towns where thez lived in for several centuries.  Neuffen was well worth the trip. 

Neuffen train station

Holzgerlingen turned out to be a bit of a dissapointment as there wasn’t much of anzthing old left.

The train platform at Holzgerlingen

[I have shared the photos of Holzgerlingen and Neuffen previously, so I have not reshared them in this post]

On Sundaz we went in to Munich and visited the little village of Dachau. 

Dachau East Gate

There we spent a good portion of the daz in the Dachau Concentration Camp. 

It was interesting to finallz visit a concentration camp. 

Dachau had built the ovens and gas showers for mass use, but fortunatelz thez were never used on a mass scale. 

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Thez were used, but in a limited sense.  It was interesting, terribly sad.

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We maz have a chance to upload photos tonight. 

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Dachau Ovens

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Dachau Gas Showers

Depending on what this computer will allow us to have access to (meaning, will we be able to find the camera or jump drive in order to upload).

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Michael & Suzanna Melycher Family

John & May, Mary, Michael, William, Stephen, Michael Jr, Suzanna, Anthony, Anna, Myrtle & Joseph Melycher

This photo was taken 25 May 1936 presumably in Fairfield County, Connecticut of the Melycher family.

Michael Melycher was born 20 October 1869 in Modrová, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Trenčiansky, Slovakia. Suzanna Gajdosik was born 22 June 1878 in the same location. Michael and Suzanna were married 3 February 1896. I am not clear when they immigrated to the United States, some records show as early as 1897, others as late as 1909.

Michael and Suzanna had 10 children.

Stephanus Melycher born September 1898 and died before 1903 in Slovakia.

Michael Carl Melycher born 7 April 1900 in Mondrova and died 30 April 1987 in Newport, Campbell, Kentucky.

John R Melycher born 29 April 1902 in Austria and died 16 February 1985 in Fort Lauderdale, Broward, Florida. His wife, May B Linderman, is also in the photo above. She was born 28 May 1911 in Kentucky and passed in 1995 in Fort Lauderdale.

Father Stephen Daniel Melycher was born 4 February 1905 in Austria and died 20 January 1997 in Brooklyn, Anne Arundel, Maryland.

Joseph Romano Melycher born 16 August 1910 in Croton Falls, Putnam, New York and died 19 August 1993 in Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut. His wife, Myrtle Beardsley, is also in the photo above. She was born 7 April 1915 in Newtown, Fairfield, Connecticut and passed 30 May 1992 in Danbury.

Anna Mary Melycher born 10 March 1912 in Croton Falls and died 14 August 1990 in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut.

Mary Melycher born 27 February 1914 in Croton Falls and died 16 September 2013.

Anthony Francis Melycher born 15 November 1915 in Bridgeport and died 8 September 1984 in Danbury.

William Francis Melycher born 21 September 1918 in Newtown and died 14 July 1997 in Newtown. My Uncle Willie, or William Francis Melycher Jr is the son of William Sr.

Rudolph Melycher born 17 March 1920 in Newtown and died 20 September 1920 in Newtown.

Michael Sr died 22 August 1947 in Bridgeport. Suzanna died 7 January 1959, also in Bridgeport.

Here is another picture of the same occasion.

William, Joseph, Michael, Stephen, John, and Anthony Melycher

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Mozarteum

Mozarteum Doors

I once took some private lessons with a man by the name of Terry McCombs (1945-2007).  He studied for a time at Universitat Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.  He showed me a number of photos and told me of his experiences there.  I felt and relived many of the experiences he had there.  While I was on my mission, he helped prepare an application for me and even had a friend of his come do an interview with me in Manchester, England.  In the end, the costs and personal inadequacies lead me to make decisions that took me in other directions away from music altogether.  At any rate, when I was in Salzburg, I made a point to stop and visit the Mozarteum.  I have thought about the Mozarteum some over the past few weeks and have those “what might have been” thoughts.  I don’t know they would have accepted me, and I certainly know it would have been a battle to learn German as well as music.  The thought still scares me.  But here are the doors which could have been an entirely other world.

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Our garden

After spending a day working in our yard, I thought about how little I felt like I really accomplished.  I mowed the lawn last night and today sprayed weeds, picked some dandelions, and turned over some soil for Amanda.  She planted flowers in the flower beds, jalapenos, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and squash.

As I puttered around the yard, I thought of how the British call their yard a garden.  Our garden is where we grow food, their garden is where they grow flowers, grass, and hedges.  Then I thought about how there are people and that is all they do for a living, maintain gardens/yards.  In honour of the season, I found some photos of gardens we have been to that seem to be more than just flowerbeds.  Sorry, no photo of our yard is included!

Here is a picture of one of the gardens at Lyme Park in Disley, England.

Garden at Lyme Park in Cheshire County, England

Garden at Lyme Park in Disley

A shot of the gardens at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria.

Some of the gardens at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria

Some of the gardens at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg

Some of the gardens at Hampton Court Palace in Richmond Upon Thames, England.

The garden of Hampton Court Palace, former home of Kings and Queens of England

The garden of Hampton Court Palace, former home of Kings and Queens, in Richmond upon Thames

Lastly, a view of one of the less ornate gardens at Maymont in Richmond, Virginia.

Part of the gardens at Maymont in Richmond, Virginia.

Part of the gardens at Maymont in Richmond

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Chester, England

Some of you have already noticed, but I uploaded a whole lot of photos yesterday.  About 250 actually were in the batch.  It includes the rest of the photos from Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France.  I did not upload any photos from Scotland or England.  They will have to wait for the next chance I get.

We are now staying with the Byrom family in Runcorn, England.  Today we went to Chester and walked the walls.  We went through the cathedral and went down the main shopping streets.  It was a beautiful day for what we were doing.  We quite enjoyed ourselves.  We each had a pasty and a vanilla finger.  She liked it but it was too much.

We stopped by Ellesmere Port on the way home at a outlet mall.  We picked out a couple of suits and bought them.  However, we were not convinced we had the best deal so we took them back.  For as much money as we were paying, I didn’t absolutely love the suits.  With our buyers remorse, we took them back.  Interestingly, on the way out, we stumbled upon another store.  I found better quality suits that were on sale for almost half of the cost for the other two suits.  Hands down, Amanda and I both liked the second store over the first.  Now I have some new suits, one of the reasons I wanted to come back to Europe.

We had dinner this evening, some amazing lasagna.  Rose has always made great lasagna.  Afterward, Rose, Amanda, and I went to visit an older lady I taught on the mission.  She was such a sweet soul and she proved to be the same.  We have all aged, but the sociality has not diminished or changed with time.  I think Amanda quite enjoyed Jane Young and her quaint little home in the English countryside.

Yesterday, we had dinner with Jack and Brenda Millington from Howe Bridge.  Jack used to cook us as missionaries some wonderful homemade pot pies.  Visiting with him on Sunday, he offered to make me and Amanda one.  We agreed and met with them yesterday.  The pot pie was as wonderful as ever, boiled cabbage, and homemade trifle.  We really had some good laughs.  Jack even sent us off with a couple of parting gifts.

There are so many people that nearly 10 years have changed nothing.  We don’t always remember each other’s names, but the feelings are still the same.  Memories seem to come back quickly, surprisingly.  What will heaven be like?