Genealogy at its Best

Nearly six years ago, Marty and I stumbled upon a B&B on the North Side of Pittsburgh, called the Priory.   We celebrated our 25th anniversary there and enjoyed the close walking proximity to PNC Park as well as to the city of Pittsburgh.  As we explored the hotel, perusing through the on-site history books as well as the photos on the wall, we realized that the Priory was actually part of the Church and Benedictine Monastery where Marty's Dad and siblings had attended grade school while growing up.  A stroll around the neighborhood led us to the actual street where Josef Geisler, a tailor, set up his residence after he emigrated from the small town of Zell am Ziller. Matthias Geisler, Marty's grandpa, raised his family of eleven children just a block away.  It was great to see that both houses still stood on streets where the original Belgian Block roads intact.

Just about a year ago, the Priory purchased the building adjacent to theirs after it had been gutted by fire.  They added 17 rooms to the hotel and as part of their Grand Opening celebration, the Priory offered a room special to past customers.  The offer was "too good to refuse", and Marty and I decided to reserve a room for Saturday night.

We began our Saturday night retreat by attending Mass at Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, located on Troy Hill.  The church has genealogical significance to Marty's family as some of his relatives were baptized there in the late 1800's. We opted to have dinner at Max's Allegheny Tavern located on Suismon street, just a couple of  blocks from the original Geisler Homestead and down the street of the home of Leo Woelk. ( Leo's sister married Matthias).  Max's restaurant is in the original building that housed a hotel and restaurant as early as the 1860's. The venue is German and Viennese food, typical of the immigrants who immigrated to the area.

Marty enjoyed the four beer sampler of specialized brews from the restaurant.  Our food choices included Schnitzel Royale and Viennese Chicken, which came with side dishes of potato pancakes.  We ended up switching meals as the chicken that I ordered came with a sauce that was filled with green peppers. This seems to be the trend anymore when Marty and I go out.  They say that cats migrate to people who are allergic to them.  I seem to have the same penchant with green peppers.  Luckily, Marty is happy to switch meals when this occurs.  The food was fabulous.

As part of the Priory hotel special, we found a dozen fresh Roses in the room as well as a chilled bottle of Champagne  and Priory Baker sweets.  So, we sipped our Champagne while enjoying a delectable mini cheesecake and chocolates.  I'm willing to bet that none of Geisler family relatives partook of such delicacies, but I, for one, am thrilled to have had this opportunity. Marty is certainly not complaining either!

Celebrating Spring

On this beautiful first day of Spring,  I realized that one does not have to travel far to experience adventure worth sharing.  Today, Marty and I decided to drive through the countryside to Annville, PA to the Allen Theater to view a showing of "The King's Speech".
The drive is certainly a familiar one, made countless times on our way to and from Lebanon Valley College in years past.  But, it has been awhile since we traveled this route, and I'm happy to say that the scenery continues to be as unspoiled as in the past, full of farms, many with signs featuring an inspirational reading from the New Testament, either on a placard by the mailbox, or painted in brilliant white on a dark blue silo.
Our travels took us back to the Allen Theater, a single stage theater with an old fashioned appeal.  It kind of reminds me of the Beaver theater where I remember going a few times as a little girl, but I do believe that that theater is long gone.  The Allen Theater was renovated with a state of the art sound system and crystal clear projection which adds to the entire experience.
Where else can you pay $6.00 for a ticket to enjoy not only a movie in plush, comfy seats, but pre-movie entertainment while you wait for the showing to begin?  Today's talent featured a young man playing classical music on a violin with background music piped through the sound system.   When the young man was finished, the audience was greeted personally by the owner who offered a "satisfaction guaranteed" experience.  At this point, your eyes are drawn to the stage to await the opening of the red velvet curtains when the performance begins.   Marty and I rarely see  movies in the theater, probably because we are spoiled by these personal touches at the Allen Theater.

Today's showing of the "The King's Speech" was spectacular.  I highly recommend this film which is based on a true story of King George VI of Great Britain.  The scenery, music, and attention to details make this movie well worth seeing.  Colin Firth's performance is deserving of the Oscar which he received.   I prefer "happy ending" movies, and this one was no disappointment.  The musical score at the end only added to the pleasure that I felt as we exited the theater.

On our way back home from the theater, we stopped in Cornwall at the BlueBird Inn for dinner.  They had 14 types of beer on tap to choose from, but Marty finally settled on the Yuengling Bach which he found quite tasty.  I decided to treat myself to a "Frozen Leprechaun" which was "magically delicious", despite the lack of Lucky Charms.  We had the dining area practically to ourselves and dinner was fabulous.  I chose the pistachio-encrusted chicken topped with melted brie, served on wild rice with a light Bing cherry sauce, while Marty ordered the Whiskey Salmon over browned butter & bacon Risotto.  It's a good thing that we both decided to take a hike through the neighborhood prior to our leaving, since I'm certain that we consumed way too many calories today!