Writing On Eagles Wings

“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

“All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.” Psalm 86:9

Emerald Princess docked in Mykonos

We were greeted with beautiful azure seas and whitewashed homes along the shore as we approached Mykonos. The temperature was rising quickly, and it is expected to be in the low 80s.

Windmills of Mykonos

One of Mykonos’ most famous landmarks are its windmills. These windmills are approximately 700 Years old. They were used to grind various kinds of grain for flour.

Our lunch was at a little place called the “Taverna Vergos.” We were served bread, salad with olive oil and vinegar, cheese pie (a pastry stuffed with a soft cheese) with two dips similar to hummus, rice , and a hamburger patty. Dessert was Greek yogurt with honey, strawberries, watermelon, and banana. Finally, we had a traditional Greek meal! It was delicious!

Delos

We boarded a boat for the island of Delos. In Greek mythology, this is the birthplace of Zeus’ twins, Apollo and Artemis. The entire island is a nationally protected site. The island is about 2.5 miles long and 1 mile wide.

Top: overlooking some of the Delos ruins

Clockwise from top-left: marketplace; house with fresco; lions of Apollo’s sanctuary; sacrificial bulls decorated with flowers

Panagia Tourliani Monastery

This is a Greek Orthodox Church. Inside a Greek Orthodox church, there is always an icon of the “Virgin Mary with her child” to left of “royal door.” The royal door is where the priest enters the church. To the right of the door, the icon is always Christ. The Virgin Mary icon is always given gifts to show adoration, and the most important thing a worshipper can do is kiss her icon.

Top: Virgin Mary icon, royal door, Christ icon. Bottom-left: Virgin Mary icon close-up. Bottom-right: Archbishop’s throne.

Kalafati Beach

Our last stop of the day was at Kalafati beach. We sat in an outdoor refreshment area, where John treated me to a Coke Zero and a strawberry gelato!

Next stop: Athens, Greece

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25

In 1898, the island of Crete was liberated from the control of the Ottoman Empire. In 1913, Crete was united with the mainland of Greece.

Chania

Chania is a big city on Crete, and was the site of a Minoan settlement that used to be called Kydonia. If you are familiar with Greek mythology, it is here where King Minos had his beautiful castle that housed the ferocious Minotaur in an underground labyrinth.

The Minoan civilization flourished during the Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC). Throughout its history, there were several different groups that ruled this area, including the Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Venetians, and Turks. Chania was built around Kastelli Hill, a natural landform rising above the harbor. Around the harbor, you can see the old Venetian wall and fort.

Greek Orthodox Church

In 320 AD, this was a Dominican (Catholic) monastery. When the Ottomans were here, they converted it to a mosque. When Ottomans left (1918), the people kept the minaret and the clock tower because there were still Cretan Muslems here. After the end of the war, Muslems had to leave Crete, and Christians had to leave Turkey. This church is now a Greek Orthodox Church dedicated to St. Nikolas. This church has been the worship center for three different religions!

Tomb of Elefthérios Venizélos

Elefthérios Venizélos was a famous politician (justice minister) in Crete as was his son. He worked on the union of Crete with the mainland. In 1910, there was a revolution demanding the unification of Crete and Greece, which he led. The site of their tombs overlooks Chania Bay.

White Mountains (Lefka Ori)

It’s highest peak is Mt. Ida (8,000+ ft), and these mountains often have snow until June. There are five mountain ranges in Crete, and they are very popular with hikers.

Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Chania

The cathedral was built in the 19th century and is known as the Three Martyrs Church (Trimartyre). Inside there are three aisles. One is for Mary; one is for St. Nicholas, and one is for the Three Holy Hierarchs.

Mosque of Hassan Pasha

This is the first mosque built in Crete after the Byzantine conquest (1649).

Lighthouse and Forteza

Both were constructed by the Venetians in the 16th century.

British War Cemetery

Resting place of 1,527 Allied soldiers and Cretan resistance fighters who died in the battle for Crete in 1941 during the last ten days of May. Many were evacuated, but those who were not, stayed and fought.

Byzantine Wall

This wall was built over the remains of an earlier fortification of the Hellenistic period (larger blocks at bottom). The Venetians built on top of this, which is evidenced by the round sections. The top layer of this wall is from the Byzantine era. It is part of the wall that surrounded ancient Kydonia (Chania).

Next stop: Mykonos, Greece