Home Again

In 3 days, we've seen all of our grandkids. Friday, we had an overnight layover in Atlanta, so Michael's family picked us up at the airport, took us to dinner, and stayed at the same hotel as us. Saturday, Suzi's family came for a visit. Sunday, Teri invited us for dinner, then we went to see Kristi's new house. Movie 1: In Kusadasi, Turkey, they still weave rugs by hand (for a price); Movie 2: Traditional Greek instruments and dancing in Crete.

Day 17: Santorini to Atlanta

Last night in Santorini, we rode mules from the harbor up to the city of Thira. Santorini was thought to be an island in Minoan times (3000 B.C.), but it turned out to be the top of a volcano that erupted about 1450 B.C. All that was left was the rim of the volcano and the mouth filled in with water. Thira and several other cities are built on that rim. After walking around town and going back to the internet cafe, Alice wanted to ride back down. (If she can't ride a horse, a mule will do -- actually I think it was a donkey she rode back down). I walked and took pictures. This morning, 9:30 (Athens time) Friday June 26th, we are sitting in the Athens airport waiting to check-in for our flight -- with 45 minutes of free WiFi. We should arrive in Atlanta at 8:05 p.m. (Atlanta time). Picture 1: Thira on the rim of the volcano; Picture 2: Alice riding a donkey down the hill; Picture 3: Thira (taken from our shuttle boat) -- you can see the zig-zag path of the 588 steps of the donkey/walking trail up the middle of the picture; Picture 4: Sunset in Santorini.

Day 16: Rhodes to Crete to Santorini

This morning, we arrived in Heraklion, which is the capital of Crete. We took a 7 a.m. excursion to a small wine-producing village called Peza, where they had a wine-tasting (while we looked for postcards). Then, we went to another small village, called Archanes, where we got to taste Greek pastries and see some traditional Greek singing and dancing. Tonight, we're in Santorini at an internet cafe. Tomorrow, we sail back to Athens and catch a plane -- we can't believe it's almost over. Picture 1: Sunrise in Heraklion (we've seen more sunrises in the last few days than we've seen in decades); Picture 2: A 3500 year-old Minoan farmhouse on Crete; Picture 3: Even modest homes in Archanes have elaborate courtyards; Picture 4: Greek dancers and musicians.

Day 15: Patmos to Rhodes

We left Patmos at 8:45 p.m. last night for Rhodes. Alice is really into this "cruise thing" and talked me into going to "karaoke night" last night. I lost my head for a few minutes and sang "Hey, Jude." Today, in Rhodes, we toured the old fortress in Rodos, then visited the acropolis at Lindos. Apparently, the acropolis in Athens isn't the only one -- each town in ancient times had its own acropolis for both religious and defensive purposes and each was strategically located at the top of a hill. Apparently, the Apostle Paul preached in Lindos, too. We also visited a family that produced ceramics -- there are only 8 of those families left in Rhodes. Picture 1: The cave where John wrote revelations has been turned into a white Greek Orthodox church; Picture 2: Looking down on the church (from Picture 1) and Patmos; Picture 3: The acropolis at Lindos, Rhodes; Picture 4: The Bay of St. Paul.

Day 14: Mykonos to Ephesus to Patmos

We left Mykonos at about 11:45 pm last night at arrived at Kusadasi, Turkey, at 7 am today. That was VERY early for us to start a tour, but it was well worth it. Just a few miles from Kusadasi is Ephesus -- where the apostle Paul preached from 54-57 A.D. Ephesus flourished from the 11th century B.C. to the 7th century A.D., but most of the buildings we saw were built in the 2nd century B.C. In the afternoon, we went to Patmos -- where the apostle John wrote Revelations. The history written by his scribe follows church doctrine precisely. It says he lived to be 100 (and wrote Revelations when he was 95), and that when he "died," they went to his tomb and he wasn't there. I couldn't find an internet cafe in Patmos and we had to get back to the ship, so I couldn't update the blog. Picture 1: Our cruise ship on the left, Alice in the middle, and "Little Venice" on the right in Mykonos; Picture 2: Windmills in Mykonos; Picture 3: The 2nd century B.C. amphitheater in Ephesus which holds 24,000 people -- this is probably the last place Paul taught before being driven out; Picture 4: Turkish rugs in Kusadasi.

Day 13: Athens to Mykonos

We returned our second car, left our last motel, and boarded a cruise ship for 4 days. Our first stop is the Greek island of Mykonos. We stopped here tonight at 7:30 pm for a few hours, then we'll board the ferry again and travel overnight to Ephesus, Turkey. The cruise ship has internet service, but it's a dollar a minute and and I have to use their computer (which means I can't upload pictures from my camera). l'm at an internet cafe on Mykonos that has Wifi right now and hope I can find another tomorrow. I have great pictures of Mykonos, but don't have time to upload them right now. Picture 1: This one-way street has "Do Not Enter" signs (the red ones with the white bar), but it is the only way to enter the parking garage for our hotel in Athens; Picture 2: The port of Piraeus as our cruise ship was pulling out; Picture 3: Alice in her fashionable life jacket after our "lifeboat drill"; Picture 4: A view from our cabin window.

Day 12: Athens to Athens (Dust to Dust)

We made it to most of sacrament meeting today. (It was extremely hard to find and then we had to park 3 or 4 blocks away.) The mission president and his wife -- who sounded like they're leaving after having completed their 3 years -- both spoke. She's from Australia and spoke in English, he's a native Greek (though I don't think they lived in Greece before their mission) and he spoke in Greek -- with translation). Next, we climbed the Acropolis and surveyed the birthplace of democracy. The Parthenon isn't as "intact" as they make it look in pictures, but it's still breathtaking (and it's in pretty good shape for being built in the 5th century BC). We also pondered Paul's speech about the "Unknown God" (in Acts 17:22-32) as we gazed down on Mars Hill. Alice says that sometimes one "ruin" doesn't seem any different than any other, but for me, it's an exhilarating feeling to stand where Socrates, Aristotle, and the Apostle Paul once stood. We had an early dinner -- I had souvlaki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souvlaki) and Alice had spaghetti (we had the same thing yesterday in a little "down-home" cafe on the outskirts of Corinth that was much tastier) -- then we went back to our room to rest up (and COOL OFF) before our boat trip tomorrow. We'll be on a cruise of the Greek islands our last 4 days. There's supposed to be internet service on board, so I hope to be able to update the blog each day. Picture 1: Late last night, I discovered that there's a pool and restaurant on top of our hotel -- this is a view of the Acropolis from there; Picture 2: A view of Alice and the Parthenon (and scaffolding) from the east; Picture 3: A view of the Parthenon (and me) from the west; Picture 4: Mars Hill (in the foreground with people on it).

Day 11: Πάτρα (Patras) to Αθήνα (Athens)

We had a smooth, carefree ferry ride to Patras, got a new car, and drove to Athens. The only stop we made was in Corinth -- not to write epistles, but to see the canal. The canal is 170 feet down from the highest point (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinth_Canal). As we drove into Athens, the Acropolis and the Parthenon loomed majestically above us. Our hotel isn't far from them, but the buildings around us obscure the view from here. Tomorrow, we'll be attending church in the "Acropolis Branch" (we hope), then taking a Sunday stroll up the Acropolis and Mars Hill. Picture 1: As we pulled into Patras Harbor, we saw this ferry (that is almost identical to the one we were on); Picture 2: Most of the drive from Patras to Athens was along the coast (there's a lot of coastline in Greece) and it was raining; Picture 3: The Corinth Canal from one end; Picture 4: The Corinth Canal from the top.

Day 10: Bari to Πάτρα (Patras)

Today was our last day in Italy. We did some laundry, visited the local castle, deposited our trusty Fiat in Bari, and boarded a ferry for Patras, Greece. It's a 16-hour trip, but there is WiFi on board, so I can update the blog. We've never been to Greece and even the written language is difficult, but we're up for the challenge. I learned the Greek alphabet in high school, but that was a long time ago. We've rented a car in Patras and will be driving to Athens tomorrow. Picture 1: Bari with Alice in the foreground and the harbor in the background; Picture 2: The castle in Bari; Picture 3: A view from the ferry; Picture 4: A better view from the ferry.

Day 9: Naples to Bari

We found Vesuvius! I spent about 2 hours last night checking websites until I found one that described the route (turn by turn) and Googled mapped it as well. We have a GPS, but without an exact address or a preprogrammed location, it's only moderately helpful. Vesuvius was pretty impressive -- and the view was amazing. We were able to drive most of the way up, but then climbed about a mile. Next, we went to Pompeii. We had no idea how large the city was (12,000 people) or how prosperous and "modern" the people were. Then, we drove to Bari. We'll be turning in our trusty "Fiat" that we've enjoyed driving from Munich to Bari and boarding a ferry that leaves at 8 pm for Greece. We have our own room on the ferry (which takes about 16 hours to get to Patras), but I probably won't have an internet connection, so I probably won't be able to make a blog entry tomorrow. Picture 1: A view of Vesuvius from below; Picture 2: A view from the top of Vesuvius; Picture 3: A view down into Vesuvius; Picture 4: A view of Vesuvius from Pompeii.

Day 8: Naples to Naples

Tonight we're in Naples again -- the first time we've spent 2 nights in the same place. We took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. Our plan was to climb Mount Vesuvius and go to Pompeii today, then drive the Amalfi coast tomorrow. Well, we didn't realize that there are several roads that go part-way up Vesuvius, but only one leads to the hiking trail. After driving halfway up the volcano on the wrong road and driving around trying to find the right road, we decided to drive the Amalfi coast today. We drove as far as Positano and got some great pictures, but the steep inclines, the hairpin turns, and the fearless Italian drivers whizzing by, were making me nervous (even more nervous than Alice), so we returned early (7:30 pm) to our hotel. Ahhh, air conditioning. After cooling off, we walked to our new favorite restaurant around the corner. Last night, we shared the best pizza ever. Tonight, we shared the same kind of pizza as well as a local ziti/ragu dish. The ragu was heavenly -- I think the "Ragu" company in America ought to be ashamed to use that name. Picture 1: Mount Vesuvius from across the Bay of Naples; Pictures 2, 3, and 4: The Italian coast between Naples and Positano.

Day 7: Rome to Naples

Today we visited the coliseum. We saw it 10 years ago, but, because it was closed when we got there, we didn't get to go inside. This time, however, we not only went inside, we had a tour guide tell us the whole story. Next, we went Anzio -- where the Allied landing took place in January of 1944. We visited the cemetery (which is very nice), the museum (which obviously operates on a small budget), and the beach (which is beautiful). Then, we drove to Naples. Naples is said to be the most densely populated city in Europe -- and we believe it. What we call a "one-way street" in America is a "two-way street" in Italy -- and they often squeeze 3 to 4 lanes of traffic onto it. What they call a "one-way street" in Italy is a major thoroughfare in Naples. But the pizza has no equal. I think they invented pizza here -- but they REALLY know how to do it right! Picture 1: Inside the Coliseum; Picture 2: Anzio Cemetery; Picture 3: Storming the beach at Anzio; Picture 4: A beautiful view (and the beach is nice, too). [P.S. Our WiFi internet carrier was down for maintenance last night.]

Day 6: Siena to Rome

I was really excited to see Siena because it is a beautiful little hill town with a rich history -- but, it seems that thousands of others had the same idea. There were scores of tour buses and hordes of tourists. People were parked in every nook and cranny of every parking lot, roadside, and alleyway in town. After driving around the town 3 times looking for a place to park, we left -- and took a great picture from a couple of miles away. But the day got better from there. We drove to Genzano di Roma -- a teeny little town that has a unique 2-day celebration every year. They allow artists to make murals with flowers and "flower parts" all the way up the main street to the church. Next, we drove to Rome and spent the evening at Piazza Navona -- one of Alice's favorite places on earth -- where we had a leisurely anniversary dinner (paid for by my parents) and watched the artists, singers, and fountains until 11 pm. Then, we topped it off with the best gelato (ice cream) in the world -- at the corner of the plaza. Picture 1: Siena from a gas station outside of town; Picture 2: "Infiorata" (Flower Festival) in Genzano di Roma; Picture 3: My favorite mural; Picture 4: My favorite traveling companion -- on our 37th wedding anniversary.

Day 5: Bologna to Siena

Today, we spent more time in Catholic churches than we did in the Mormon Church -- not by choice, however. When we arrived at church this morning, they were having the closing prayer. We assumed it was the closing prayer for Sunday School, but then everyone started leaving. We asked one missionary if sacrament meeting was about to start and he said, "It just ended." Another missionary said, "Oh, does the church website still say 11:50?" Well, yes it does, but apparently it should say 10:50. So, we took a Sunday stroll through the Catholic Basilica in Bologna. Then, I took a Sunday stroll up 498 steps of the town tower while Alice waited in an air-conditioned McDonalds. Next, we took a Sunday drive to Ravenna and visited a Catholic Basilica built in the 6th century by the Byzantines. It has some fantastic mosaics that survived all these years. Then, we took a Sunday drive to Siena, where we are staying tonight. By the way, I did have bologna (mortadella) in Bologna -- for breakfast this morning. Picture 1: Basilica di San Petronio in Bologna (it was started in 1390 and the Bolognese were planning to make it bigger than St. Peter's in Rome, so the Pope diverted the funds and built the building on the left -- so the bottom is beautiful marble and the top is ugly brick); Picture 2: The 12th century tower on the left tilted during an earthquake, so the Bolognese built a taller one (which I climbed); Picture 3: Basilica San Vitale in Ravenna (the mural is all done in mosaics); Picture 4: An example of the mosaics on the floor.