Athens

What can I say about Athens? Well. . . it rained. Perhaps I should really say. . . IT RAINED!
This was the place where we had the least effective tour guide, partly because he spent more time telling us not to get lost, where to meet and how to find the group if we did get lost; and partly because his slurred manner of speaking and heavy accent made it very hard to understand anything he said. All while the rain was pouring down on us in a deluge and we got increasingly wetter and colder. He did give us some information about the city, the Acropolis and the Parthenon but I'm afraid it was overshadowed by what would happen if we mislaid "the tour group".

The Parthenon was impressive by it's sheer size! And the other Temple (the Erechtheum) and the huge number of ruins waiting to find a place in the Acropolis puzzle were amazing. Mind you by that time we had been set free from "the group" to explore on our own and the rain had stopped for a bit.

The view of the city from the Parthenon was impressive and we had the added bonus of having a dark sky and and bright rainbow against which to take our photographs.

Looking down at the amphitheatre.

You can see a bit of the rainbow in this picture. This portion of the Erechtheum is called the Porch of the Caryatids.

On the way back we had a different view from the bus window.

Did I mention that it rained?

Perhaps we'll go back to Athens someday and see more of the city. I know we only saw a small portion of it's sights and I know that spending more time here on warm, sunny day, would give us a much different perspective.

Next port - Ephesus.

The Amalfi Coast and Pompeii

After boarding our cruise ship "the Grand Princess" we sailed down to Naples. Upon arriving at the port we took a bus trip along the Amalfi Coast (south of Naples) and then toured the ancient city of Pompeii.

The trip along the coast was spectacular. The road was very winding, narrow to the point of being one way in many parts, had very narrow or no shoulders at all and was often built cantilevered over the cliffs. We were fortunate (?!) to have chosen seats on the ocean side of the bus and often could see straight down to the rocks and sea 1000 feet below our bus window. What a ride! All along are towns built on the rocks descending to the sea and terraces planted with olives and lemon trees.

The Amalfi is known as one of the world's most beautiful coastlines and we fully agreed.

Notice the highway hanging in mid air over the side of the cliff!


This rock is aptly named "Madonna and Child".

The Tyrrhenian Sea is aqua blue and so clear we could see the bottom.

We spent a couple of hours walking through the town of Positano, browsing the shops and walking the narrow streets of this seaside village. The sun was bright but the wind was chilly.

After lunch in a very lovely hotel, we were driven to Pompeii. Pompeii was first settled in the 4th Century BC and was later conquered by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. By AD 62, it was a prosperous town. That year an earthquake damaged a good part of the town but people had no idea that the defunct volcanic mountain above the town was any threat to them. They rebuilt the town making it even more beautiful than it had been before the earthquake. However in August AD 79 Mount Vesuvius errupted causing panic, death and destruction. The whole town was covered in 30 feet of volcanic lava and ash. Over the years that ensued, rumours abounded of a city full of treasure buried in the ground but it wasn't until the 18th century that nearby Herculeum and Pompeii became the site of extensive excavations. Today we can walk the streets of Pompeii and can see the beautiful architecture, the sophisticated water systems and detailed paintings and mosaics that decorated the public buildings and private homes.

I remember being fascinated by ancient history back in high school and reading all about Pompeii. Visiting this city gave us a vivid understanding of how people lived almost 2000 years ago and brought history to life in a way no textbook or history course could do. What a gift to actually visit this place.

Finally back home /Rome Ramblings

It seems like a long time since we were really at home. I guess it has been just that. With our trip to Germany and Italy for 2 weeks in Sept and then a brief 3 weeks home before we left for 16 days on the Mediterranean, it's really good to be back home. I'm not sure why two opportunities to go abroad came the same year and the same season but I'm glad we seized them and went.
The only downside is that Harv and I caught a bug on the last day at sea and have been unable to get rid of it. Harv is on the mend but I'm still suffering stomach cramps. I've already lost 10 lb. which is wonderful, however I suspect it will quickly return once I'm back to eating. :(
Standing above the Forum area in Rome

What a great trip! I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to blog all the places we visited. There was just so much that we saw and did.

We travelled with our friends, Don and Bev from Vernon. We've done a motorcycle trip with them at least once every year since Don got his bike many years ago. He loves to plan the trips and we just go along and enjoy. This was our first non-bike trip and our first overseas trip with them and and it proved to be just as much fun as our bike trips always are.

Our cruise was to leave Rome on the 13th so we booked flights for the 8th and spent the first few days walking around Rome. What fun! It is not called the "Eternal City" for nothing! Everything is so old. It is mind boggling to realize that Romans have walked those same roads for more than 2000 years. Everywhere you walk there are pillars, foundations, arches and buildings, many of which were errected before Christ. The size, scope and sophistication of ancient Rome must be seen to be believed.

We visited all the sights;

- The famous Trevi Fountain where I threw in a coin to ensure another visit to Rome,
- the Pantheon with it's domed roof,
-the Vittorie Emmanuel Mounument where we took the elevator to the top for a panoramic view of the city. -we climbed the Spanish Steps,

-we toured the city by horse and buggy,
-we were dazzled by the high fashion in all the shops.

- we enjoyed a different flavour of Italian Gelato every day

-we took an excellent and informative tour of the Colliseum and Palantine Hill,

-we had dinner in quaint Piazzas and sometimes right on the street (literally! - we had to pull our elbows in to avoid having cars' mirrors hit us). -we saw Pillars, ancient churches with domed ceilings, monuments and fountains galore.

-we walked everywhere from our centrally located hotel - the "Zara" and enjoyed the warm weather the first 3 days.

- we took a tour of the Vatican on the fourth day, a good day to do that as it was somewhat rainy and cool - We saw part of the Vatican museum, the Sistene Chapel with Michaelangelo's famous Paintings, St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square. The most impressive things there were its sheer size - it's the largest church in the world, and the works of art in the Basilica -

not painted but composed of tiny squares of naturally coloured pieces of marble mosaic tile. Truly a work of art in the most literal sense.

Rome was a wonderful place to visit; teeming with visitors, but vibrant, historically fascinating and full of architectual beauty. We only hit the highlights - one could visit again and again and never run out of things to see and do. I highly recommend it!

Treat time with the grandkids

Harv and I were pleased to be given first chance at babysitting while our son and his wife took in some seminars at church this weekend. So we packed our bags and drove down to Seattle to spend time with our grandkids. Friday night there was just time for a story and a cuddle after supper. But Saturday we had all day to play.

We played in the yard in the morning while B had his nap and

then we were off -

- to Jack in the Box for a cheeseburger and a smoothie.

On our way across the parking lot to the Krispy Kreme, I stopped to admire a Metropolitan car just like the one I learned to drive in. Only ours was black and white. Cute eh?
Ah yes, the Krispy Kreme - not sure it's all it's been hyped up to be but the kids sure enjoyed the treat.

Princess E showed us the BEST way to eat a Chocolate Fling!

Then there were a few minutes to watch the donuts being made. . . . .

. . . before heading to Carceek Park at the ocean.

This is a favourite place to go.

It's got lots to do - a grassy picnic area and playground,

a high bridge over a train track with trains to watch

AND the ocean and rocky beach of course.

Oh the plays you can play with a beach full of rocks.
BenBen was delighted - there were no shortage of rocks to throw
and giggle over.

Natedog had fun trying to predict which waves would lap quietly and which will gleefully splash you.

The sun was so warm that PopPop succumbed to a nap.

We even found a fleeting moment to pose for Nana's brag book.