From Pompeii to St.Peter to Pisa

Wednesday night, dressed up for dinner, we watched the dolphins swimming alongside the ship, welcoming us to the southern tip of Italy. 

We sailed through the night, maneuvering onto the berth in Naples early Thursday morning.

This was the view we had upon opening our curtains when we got up.

After breakfast a taxi that dropped us off 

at the entrance to the ancient ruins of Pompeii . . .

a city destroyed under 10 feet of ashes when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

In a matter of moments, life stopped as it was, 

giving us a glimpse into the times preserved when it was unearthed 17 centuries later.

It is surprising to see the detail of what was important to this long lost civilization -
the wall murals and floor tiles just amazed us.
We walked down one street after another, laid in stone with ruins of theaters,
merchant homes and grand mansions lining each side.

Just before dinner, after the all clear that all were on board again,
we sailed on along the Italian coast, docking in Civitavecchia early Friday morning.

We got on an all day tour bus to several locations around Rome.

Our first stop was to see the church of St. Peter in Chains.

Golden ceilings, frescoes, mosaics and sculptures give light to 

a time in history that defies the imagination.

Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses alone tells the story

of Moses' feelings upon experiencing God's holiness and seeing

the people fall into sin and forget Him so easily.

We continued on to one of Rome's grandest monuments, the Colosseum, 

built in the first century. 

I was surprised to see the layers of walls and arches surrounding the center,

Seventy thousand people filled this place to be entertained in ways 

we do not even want to think about today.

Upon leaving the place we were told that there were actually two more layers of walls

most of which have also been destroyed.

You can see what is meant by that in this photo.

Our tour included a lunch in a restaurant that gave you the feeling of being in an underground cave with arches, a nice ambiance created by chandeliers.

After lunch we headed to St. Peter's Square, 

a busy plaza where the masses receive the weekly blessing of the Pope.

The square is framed by two ornately carved and curved buildings

with statues of saints and martyrs, of old, lined up along the top.

The inside of the Basilica is breathtaking in size and design.
Numerous halls lead to more halls,
every square inch covered in mosaics and sculptures,
with the capacity to hold 60,000 people.

After a long day, it was nice to be rocked to sleep again.
This truly has been one of the most relaxing things about this trip . . .
seeing so many places, without having to pack and move on.

I was going to write about today's trip to Pisa,
but I'm fighting with the internet . . .
so I'll log out of stateroom D627
and tie things up when I'm home.
Tomorrow is my birthday and one final excursion
before we head home.

Greetings from Greece

When we got off the ship in Mykonos, we had the choice to head left to the beach

or right, to the town. We decided to take a short taxi drive to town.

Already from the ship we saw that all the buildings on the hills were white -

in sheer contrast to the beautiful blue water.

But walking through the narrow cafes (part of the public walkway)

 and shop lined streets  in town,

I fell in love with the Mediterranean style . . . as pretty as it can get.

The views were stunning

and breathtaking!

Exploring Ephesus

Monday morning we got off at the port of Kusadasi, named the gateway to Ephesus.
The tour bus took us to this ancient city and we walked the marble street
people walked on a few thousand years ago.

A tour guide had our group wearing mics so that we could follow her 

as we joined the throngs of people exploring a city once  lost underground from earthquakes.

In fact, much of what we see there today has been unearthed and pieced together.

The work on this is ongoing.

The sheer detail these ancient artists and craftsmen went to is mind boggling.

All around us were random pieces, some of which . . . 

such as the Nike goddess of victory . . .

were explained by our tour guide.

I also finally understood why the headless statues.

Earthquakes and decapitation during war explain a lot.

The old  library is situated at the end of the street.

We turned right under an archway that led us to what used to be the public marketplace.

It was a bare center with posts along the side where vendors would have sold their wares.

Here we were reminded of the silversmiths who played a big part in the business of selling idols.

I came back from  the tour and looked at the account in Acts 19 where a great riot began when the apostle Paul opposed the worship of man made gods.

It was in this this outdoor theater that Paul addressed the people,
preaching salvation in Jesus Christ.

A Christian church began, but not without Paul being imprisoned and eventually sent out of the city.

I wonder if I'll ever read his letter to the Ephesian church again, without remembering this scene

and realizing why Paul was so encouraged about their growth after he was gone.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. Ephesians 1: 15-17

Ashore in Athens

Early Sunday morning (Mediterranean time), soon after docking in Piraeus,

 we took a bus tour to Athens that eventually led up to the Acropolis. 

I loved the drive through the city, going past the old Olympic Stadium, the

parliament building where we caught the changing of the guard - which was quite theatrical, 

the public library with it's beautiful columns and more churches.

Funny, how I always pictured the ancient ruins to be situated in a barren wilderness,

and here we took a cool walk through an area that resembled an olive grove.

We stopped at the wall of a theater.

Going up and turning on the path, saw it from the inside with 

new steps for seating on both sides.

We continued on up a cobbled path to the entrance of the Acropolis,

which holds several temples.

Our guide explained from how far away the marble had been brought and how it was erected and 

sculpted on site. The craftsmanship is beyond amazing!

Considered as the "cradle of Western civilization," Athens truly  features some treasured sites.

Pointing out historic places, such as Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul addressed the Athenians,

made us feel like we were walking on precious history itself.

The Temple of Erectheion features statues of human figures as columns.

 Just to show we were here . . .

and because I happen to have good wifi at this moment.

The marble columned Parthenon has been the target of a lot of damage and theft,

but still standing and able to make one feel quite small.

The story behind this temple, how it lost it's roof  and more, is a lesson in history, Greek philosophy, democracy and conflicts over centuries by empires that came and went.

It was quite surreal to think that one city can hold 2500 plus years of this kind of history.

Truly a treasure site to behold!

Formal NIght

Saturday night, after a day at sea, everyone was busy getting ready for formal night -

even husbands and dads got involved in pressing out clothes 

in the laundry room. 

And when everyone was ready,

there were lots of photo ops going on inside and out.

Such fun!

Day in Dubrovnik

Croatia is a country I never expected to visit, but now that we've seen a part of it, 

I am so glad to have had even just a peek into this country. 

After anchoring this morning, passengers got off to go on a pre-booked tour or to do their own thing.

We split a taxi ride with our friends and took a drive up for a view of the city. 

It was not just a view, but a personal visit with the driver and some of  what he has experienced, 

living through the war and losing members of his family. 

He had a very positive outlook toward tourists, now coming in by the ship loads. 

His story and the views of his city, now re-built, was a picture of faith to go on.

At the end of the drive up the mountain, scattered with wildflowers, goats and ruins, 

he took us down to the town to see this ancient fortress in our own time.

Here we took steep narrow steps down into the old city. 

The architecture of beautiful old cathedrals, steeples and narrow streets

 with vendors and cafes lined up alongside them reminded me of Venice. 

In the end we had to take the 100 plus steps back up, 

where we hailed another taxi to take us back to our ship.

It's Friday evening here and, after all departure checks are complete,
we will be setting sail just as the sun is setting.
I'm heading up with my camera.