Austria Summer 2018

This summer, we turned to Europe to visit Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. This blog entry is just the Austrian part. More to come …

We visited Rifat Jabeen Khan and her daughter Sania in Vienna. We worked with Rifat in Saudi Arabia. This view is toward downtown from her balcony. You can see the Riesenrad (Vienna Giant Wheel) in the Prader amusement park.

This is the Danube River right under her balcony. We went out walking along the river three or four times. 

This is Rifat with us. Her daughter took the picture!

This video shows where Rifat works. She is employed by the United Nations in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agency is housed at the Vienna International Center (VIC).

Rifat said that all visitors HAVE to take this photo with their country's flag.

The UN adopted these 17 Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of achieving them by 2030. Wouldn't if be nice if we were REALLY working on them?

We stopped by the Riesenrad (Big Wheel) to look at it again. We rode it on a previous trip. It was built in 1897 and was the world's tallest Ferris wheel until 1985. It was also featured in the movie "The Third Man."

After our visit in Vienna, we took a train to Graz, Austria. This is the view down from the funicular (cable railway) which takes visitors up to the Schloss (castle) in the middle of town.

Here is the view out over Graz from the top. The valley is pretty much filled in with houses and businesses. 

This is Jim posing with one of the towers on top of the Schlossberg.

We took three self-guided walking tours around Graz. The first one was about Modern Architecture. This is the Kunsthaus (Art Museum) in Graz seen from the Schlossberg. This is an example of Graz' modern architecture. It was built as part of Graz being named the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003. Graz is well known for a number of new buildings.

This is another modern building in Graz. It is the Island in the Mur. The Mur is the name of the river and the island isn't an island at all. It is an artificial floating platform.

The building represents a giant seashell with two connecting footbridges and has an amphitheater, playground, and café on board.

This is the Lift im Berg (elevator in the mountain) which you can ride down from the top of the Schlossberg. It lets you out in a tunnel in the middle of the mountain.

This is Esperanto Square. It was named this to honor the International Language Esperanto. Jim is fluent in the language and a strong advocate for it.

This is the information sign about the inventor of Esperanto.

This memorial in the square is for "The hope for world communication in peace and freedom."

Another walking tour was of the Old Town. This is the Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church) in Franziskanerplatz and is considered one of Graz' oldest churches (finished in 1277). Look at the sky and you will see the weather we had!

This square boasts the town's Glockenspiel. It plays different melodies three times daily. The wooden statues up on the tower wear traditional costumes and dance to the music.

This is inside the Dom (Graz Cathedral). Emperor Friedrich III built it in mid 15th Century. It is both Gothic and Baroque on the interior.

This is looking through the nave of the Dom towards the altar.

  This the mausoleum which is the final resting place of Emperor Ferdinand II. It was built early 17th Century and is right next to the Dom. This is the first oval dome built outside of Italy.

Our third walking tour was of Religious Buildings. This is the Kreuzkirche (Church of the Cross). It is an Evangelical Church built between 1912-1914 (just before WWI !) next to a city park.

We greatly enjoyed our stay in Austria. Our last morning in Vienna, we went on a walk with Rifat along the Danube River. This is a sunRISE, not a sunSET.

New England 2017

We spent two weeks in October visiting New England. We went for three reasons: Alonda wanted to see some places and gravesites of her Revolutionary Era ancestors; we wanted to see the legendary New England fall colors; and we wanted to visit two students we knew when we taught overseas.

Our first stop was the Old Burying Place in Watertown, MA. Alonda's ninth great grandmother, Anna Cakebread Cutler (born in England in 1610 - died 1644) is buried here. The burial records show she is here, but we couldn't find the actual grave site. James Cutler, Sr., her husband (Alonda's ninth great grandfather was born in Suffolk, England  1606 - 1694) was buried at Cambridge Farms in Lexington, MA. We couldn't find this place.

As you can see, this cemetery is well cared for. Some of the oldest graves have no markers. At that time in history, a family would put up a wooden marker or just bring in a stone (without markings) from their fields. It was later that marked slates would be used and later still for the modern style of engraved stone markers to come into general use. This style of cemetery doesn't exist out west. There were no Europeans here until the 1800's.

We found another burial ground in Lexington, MA. Alonda's eighth great grandfather (James Cutler, Jr.  1635 - 1685) is buried here. We couldn't find a marker.

This is Manasseh Cutler, Alonda's most illustrious ancestor. He is the reason Alonda is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). To join, you have to prove you are a direct descendent from someone who fought during the American Revolution. 

Manasseh and his wife (Mary Balch Cutler) were buried in the Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, MA. All known Revolutionary War gravesites throughout New England are marked with an American flag and a Revolutionary War marker.

Manasseh was the pastor of this church (First Congregational Church, Hamilton, MA) from 1742 - 1823. When we went to the church office, they were absolutely thrilled to meet an actual descendent of their former pastor. The church had just celebrated its 300th Anniversary in 2013-14. This church only had two pastors in its first 100 years!  

One of the two girls we visited is attending Yale, so we went to the Alumni Association to see what they knew about Manasseh. He graduated with a law degree there in 1767. The Alumni Association doesn't track Yale graduates that far back. They sent us to Woolsey Hall because that is where the names of all Yale graduates who died in the wars are engraved. It was only after we got there and walked around that we realized he couldn't possibly be there. He fought and survived the American Revolution!

Manasseh was one of the founders of the Ohio Company which was formed to organized the Ohio Territory.

This US Commemorative stamp recognizes Manasseh as one of the drafters of the 1787 Northwest Ordinance. This was done to give veterans land on the American frontier. His son, Ephraim Cutler, left the Hamilton Congregational Church as one of these pioneers.

Manasseh's parents' grave site is in Aspinwall Cemetery, Putnam, CT. This gravesite map and cemetery guide are part of an Eagle Scout Project.

This is the marker for Hezekiah and Susan Clark Cutler, Alonda's sixth great grandparents. Notice the change over time of grave markers. Starting in the early 1800's, more "professional" grave markers were being used.

Here is Lenny, the chocolate moose! He is full size and made entirely of chocolate. We found him in a chocolate store as we travelled to Portland, ME. The bear in front of Lenny is also full sized.

These are the baby bears standing behind Lenny.

We had beautiful weather for the entire two weeks of our trip. This is the view from the old part of Portland, ME. There were some really pretty mansions along the waterfront.

This observatory was NOT for looking at the stars. It was for looking at the surrounding area and watching the ocean for approaching ships.

This is the Maine Narrow Gauge Railway Company and Museum. As you can see by Jim's feet, the tracks are very close together. We rode the scenic route along the waterfront. The entire museum has to move since their building has been sold.

Here is an example of the foliage we came to see.

We drove through this National Forest in New Hampshire. The trees were really gorgeous.

Along the route, near Mount Washington, we passed the Mount Washington Hotel. This was one of the first grand hotels to cater to the automobile.

All through New England, people were decorating for fall. Alonda kept looking for a pumpkin patch, but we never found one where we could stop and take pictures.

These are Mountain Ash berries. They were very colorful in the Green Mountains in Vermont.

This is a scene from the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI.

If you didn't want to look at the sea, you could look at the mansions along the Cliff Walk. The entire walk is along the beach side of these private homes.

We went to Plymouth, MA. We did eat lobster, crab and shrimp on this trip. New England claims to have the best seafood. We live in Seattle and know better.

Our last stop was Boston, MA. Jim had never been on the Freedom Trail. This is the statue of Paul Revere in front of the Old North Church. Every tourist takes this picture!

We managed to see both of the girls at their universities. Left is Malak Khan, a freshman at Yale. Rifat, her mother, taught with us in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Right is Danielle Lobo, a junior at Wesleyan University. We had her as a student and worked with her parents in Karachi, Pakistan.

A fall foliage trip is worth your while. It was really beautiful!