Author: Jayne Lawson

“Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!” Psalm 71:19

We traveled for about an hour north of Genoa to reach Milan. Most of the terrain were the foothills of mountains with occasional stretches of flat farmland. This agricultural region grows mostly grains such as rice and wheat.

Castello Sforzesco

This castle was built at the end of the12th century and beginning of the 13th century. It has many frescoes, which are paintings painted directly on a freshly plastered wall. Many were done by Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci lived here for a time and was commissioned by the king to paint “The Last Supper.”

 

Church – Santa Maria Delle Grazie

This church was commissioned to be built by the king so the people could come and pray for the monarchs. It is here that Leonardo DaVinci painted “The Last Supper,” completing it in 1498.

The Last Supper

Leonardo Da Vinci

He was paid a monthly stipend (like a retainer fee) to do what he preferred, so instead of painting “The Last Supper” all at once, it took him 22 years to finish ”The Last Supper.” This was because during the time he worked on “The Last Super,” he also worked on various other projects as well, including ”The Mona Lisa” (which he worked on for 60 years until his death). Regarding “The Last Supper,” Leonardo spent three years just to find a man whose portrait he could use to paint Judas. The dimensions of “The Last Supper” are approximately 160 x 350 inches as compared to the Mona Lisa, which is about 12 x 18 inches.

On the opposite wall of the church is the painting, “The Crucifixion” done by Giovanni Donato Montorfano in 1495.

Duomo – Milan Cathedral

This world’s largest Gothic cathedral is in the city’s main square, the Piazza del Duomo. On the tallest spire is a golden statue of Mary, the mother of Christ. Its construction began in 1386, and it took more than 500 years to complete. To visit the interior of the cathedral, one must purchase a ticket.

On one side of the main square is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a four story structure housing restaurants and stores that are very expensive. Prada’s original store is here as well as designers such as Louis Vuitton, Versace, and Chanel.

Our guide gave us free time to shop here. John and I just laughed to ourselves and headed out to find a gelateria.

La Scala Opera House

La Scala’s music season begins December 2nd. Here well-known operas and live concerts are held.

Across the street is Piazza della Scala, a small square with a statue of DaVinci.

Next stop: Florence, Italy

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2

Cable Car

Today we decided to ride a cable car to the “top of the rock.” The cable car system was built by the Swiss, and each car was designed to hold up to 30 adults. The 1,300 ft. ride took about four and a half minutes, and it was very smooth. As we neared the top, we saw several of the Barbary Macaques (monkeys) sitting close to the cable car station. We exited the car and walked around the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. The panoramic views were absolutely spectacular! The top of Gibraltar is approximately 412 meters high, which is about 100 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower or 40 meters taller than the Empire State Building.

Barbary Macaques – Tailless Monkeys

Currently, there are 243 Macaque monkeys in 7 family groups. They live about 20 years, but several of those on the Rock are in their 30s. One monkey year is supposed to be equivalent to 3.5 human years, so some of these monkeys are quite old. While they are called the “Barbary Apes, they are actually tailless monkeys, and they are protected by law. There is a long suspension bridge on the rock for automobile traffic, but if a monkey is on the bridge, no vehicles are allowed to cross the bridge until the monkey is gone! While it is illegal for people to feed the monkeys, the monkeys have no qualms about jumping on a person’s back and stealing their food right out of a person’s hand!

The Siege Tunnels

Between the years of 1779-1783, the Spanish and French were fighting Britain over Gibraltar. The British dug tunnels during this conflict throughout the Rock of Gibraltar. Control of the Mediterranean Sea was at stake, but the British were not going to allow the “rock” to fall into Spanish or French hands. They used sledgehammers, chisels, and black powder to dig tunnels throughout the limestone rock. More than 34 miles of tunnels are in the rock, and there is the belief that there are more that have yet to be discovered. There is one tunnel that runs east to west, and at the right angle you can actually see the “light at the end of the tunnel!”

Europa

Of course, no visit to Gibraltar would be complete without stopping at the southernmost point of Europe. Here, there is the lighthouse of Gibraltar and an Islamic mosque, a gift from the king of Saudi Arabia to Gibraltar. From this point, you can easily see the mountains of Morocco.

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Next stop: Milan, Italy

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:5

Montserrat is located in the mountains north of Barcelona. The Mountain of Montserrat (“serrated mountain”) stands a bit more than 1200 m (5000 ft). The jagged fingers of it and the surrounding mountains give it the name.

When the Count of Barcelona reconquered this area from the Moors, he gave this area to the church for an abbey. It became a Romanesque monastery in 11th century. When an image of the Virgin Mary was found in a mountain cave, it was deemed “she” wanted to stay here and bestow blessings on the region, so the icon was placed in the basilica. This icon is a 12th century carved wooden image. The wood was then covered with varnish, but the clothing parts were also covered with paint. The skin only had varnish. Candles were lit in front of the icon for hundreds of years, and ultimately there was a chemical reaction between the unpainted varnish areas and the candle smoke making the body black. Therefore because of the coloring of the icon, she is known as the “Black Madonna.”

Black Madonna

Due to influx of pilgrims who came to see the icon, it was necessary to remodel the monastery during the 14th and 15th centuries. Rebuilt in the style of Gothic monastery, it was later destroyed by Napoleon’s troops. It was eventually rebuilt in late 19th-early 20th centuries. There are about 70 Benedictine monks living there today.

Montserrat Basilica

St. Michael’s Cross is located on a rock outcrop a short distance from the basilica. (Michael is the patron saint of the mountain.) There is a small chapel that was built to protect the “holy cave” where the icon of Mary was found. John hiked all the way to the Cross.

Here are some of the sights along hiking trail.

Top-left: Chapel guarding the “holy cave”

Center-left: statue of St. Francis of Assisi

Bottom-left: valley panorama

Right: outcrop with St. Michael’s Cross

Next stop: Milan, Italy

“Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.” Psalm 69:34

We arrived in Salerno to a day that was quite different than the last time we were here. Today the skies were clear, and the weather was warm. We boarded our water taxi for our 30 minute ride to Amalfi without a drop of rain in sight!! The seas have been amazingly calm.

Amalfi Coast

We cruised along in a water taxi to the village of Amalfi.

Amalfi Cathedral

The cathedral is a 13th century building, but the bell tower is from Roman times. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Andrew. It is said that the remains of Andrew, one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples, is in a crypt in this cathedral.

Amalfi Cathedral

Top: inside the cathedral

Bottom-left: bell tower of cathedral

Bottom-center: “holy water” basin

Bottom-right: cathedral alcove

Amalfi is small, but there are lots of souvenir shops, produce, fish, and meat markets, and of course, gelaterias!

After a couple of hours here, we boarded our boat back to Salerno for a bit more sightseeing there.

Salerno

We walked around the town a bit before taking a short break. It was a perfect opportunity to relax at a sidewalk cafe, sip a Coke Zero, and chat with Samantha.

Clockwise from top-left: domed building; harbor; Arechi castle; beach; town park statue

Next stop: Montserrat, Spain

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2

We were greeted by a golden statue in the harbor of Messina after passing through the Messina Straits, blue skies and warming weather. This statue is the patron saint of Messina, the Virgin Mary. Her right arm is up because she is supposedly blessing everyone who passes through the Messina Straits.

Messina is the closest point (3 km) on Sicily to mainland Italy. It is 2,700 years old and was founded by the Greeks. In 1908, it was destroyed by a 30-second earthquake followed by a huge tsunami. 2/3 of the population died. The city was rebuilt and now it is sometimes referred to as “modern Messina” with buildings made of cement in hopes of withstanding future earthquakes.

The shorelines of Sicily are mountainous, but the inner part of the island is flat. In the interior of the island wheat is raised for bread, pasta, etc. Prickly pear cactus is also grown for jams, natural medicines, and cosmetics. Other products grown are olives, grapes, and citrus fruits.

Top: Sicilian shoreline

Bottom (l-r): lemon, grape, olive

Mt. Etna

Mt. Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe. It stands 3,340 meters (11,000 ft).

There are three systems of craters at its summit. They are always active. These craters are independent of one another. Currently, an eruption is happening today. It started five days ago. Mt. Etna is a composite volcano with two types of eruptions: explosive volcanic debris or lava flows. There are over 300 craters on its flanks. Volcanologists say the current eruptive cloud is 80% vapor and 20% gas since the smoke is white. If it becomes gray, it will then have volcanic ash in it.

Before we headed off to explore the volcano, I had the opportunity to sample my first cannolis. It is like a tiny crispy pancake rolled and stuffed with sweetened ricotta and dusted with crushed pistachios. Delicious!

After that, John and I hiked down into this crater on the side of Mt. Etna. This is Silvestri Crater, and it was last active in 1892.

Silvestri Crater (southeastern slope)

Alcantara Gorge

The gorge was formed by lava flows hitting the cold waters of the Alcantara River, earthquakes, and erosive properties. As we strolled through the ecological park, there were several overlooks into the gorge.

John and I decided to do a bit of rock climbing in the gorge! (Haha! In case you really think that’s us… it’s not!

Next stop: The Almari Coast in Italy

“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21

Our day started with a ride in a water taxi, which is just a name for a boat that ferries people back and forth to the ship. Because it’s a water taxi and not a lifeboat wearing a different hat, it’s a lot more comfortable, having more seat and leg room. Partly cloudy skies today with temperatures in the 80s.

Santorini is built on a volcano. In 1956, there was a 7.6 earthquake which destroyed many of the buildings. Many Greeks left Santorini. In 1974, the people returned and built an economy based on wine and tourism. Unlike Italy and France, here grapes are grown on the ground because if they grow on raised trellises, the wind blows them away. Why? Their roots are shallow. They get water from the humidity since this island is so dry.

This island has about 5,000 donkeys, which are used to help harvest grapes. The wine is then stored in hillside caves because the cave temperatures keep the wine cool.

Big families here have their own private churches on their property. They are large white buildings with blue domes. On Sundays, services are held in public churches, which sometimes have red domes.

Windmills were used to grind flour, but now they are used for housing, but they were not popular. Why? Hard to fit rectangular furniture in round rooms!

Oia

Oia is a town located on the northern tip of Santorini. It has narrow cobblestone lanes, pristine whitewashed buildings, blue-domed churches, and lots of little shops. Marble is used on public walkways because it is less expensive than concrete here!

Byzantine Church of the Virgin Mary

This church was built in the 16th century on top of a Roman temple from the 5th century AD. It was thought to be a temple of Aphrodite or Dionysus. Archaeologists are prohibited from digging here because the priests didn’t want anything to be dug up that might be against their own belief system such as something that might show the Christians destroyed earlier artifacts.

The outdoor wash basin is symbolic. You wash your hands because you are going into the church to cleanse your soul.

Inside the church at the front are icons that flank the center door: Christ (right) and Mary and Child (left). Items of value to someone, like wedding rings, baptismal jewelry, etc., are given as offerings to the Virgin Mary.

These churches are not used for corporate worship. Sometimes they do celebrations in these tiny Greek Orthodox churches.

Kamari Beach

This is a black sand beach. The sand is composed of volcanic rock.

Pyrgos Restaurant

We had lunch overlooking the Aegean Sea. It was buffet style with lots of Greek foods to try. I loved the honey cake!

Clockwise from top center: rice, tomato ball, salad with oil and vinegar dressing, bread, fava dip, tzatziki dip, and pork.

They also had sweet red peppers, vine leaves, a slaw salad, and a delicious honey cake for dessert.

Mount Prophet Elijah

We stopped here for a beautiful view of Santorini. This mountain is over 2,000 meters high, and it is Santorini’s highest point. There is a monastery here, but it is closed now. There are no monks on the island.

Santo Wines Winery

This is the biggest winery in Santorini. It was founded in 1947. Wine has been made for more than 3,500 years in Santorini. The volcanic soil gives the wines special tastes due to the minerals in the volcanic rocks. There are 40 indigenous grape varieties on this island, and 500,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. Since I don’t drink, I cannot offer a comment on the wines except to say their colors were pretty.

Fira

Fira, the capital of Santorini, is perched on a sheer cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea. There are three ways down to the port below. One can walk 900+ steps down a steep, staired walkway, ride a “donkey taxi” down that same path, or take a three-minute cable car ride. We chose the cable car!

Clockwise from top-left: cable cars; view to the port from the cable car; donkey taxis; pedestrian walkway.

Next stop: Messina, Sicily