Writing On Eagles Wings

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;” Acts 17:24

While it was sad for us to leave the ship, we knew a new adventure awaited us in the Eternal City, Rome! We rode a shuttle to the train station in Civitavecchia, and was able to buy our tickets without a problem. In less than fifteen minutes, we were on board and heading south to Rome. 47 minutes, we arrived at Rome Terminali.

We hoofed it to our hotel, a hot and humid jaunt. I waited in the hotel lobby until our room was ready, and John headed out to explore.

Our hotel is on the left side near the red flag. Across from our hotel is “St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs” basilica.

After we settled in, we boarded the hop on-hop off bus to explore the sights. We sat on the top of the double decker bus and plugged in our earphones. As we listened to Italian music, we headed off.

Rome is closely linked to Venus, goddess of love. So much so that Rome’s secret name was “amor,” which is Roma (Italian for Rome) backwards and means “love.”

My first “ooh” and “ ahh” moment was passing Rome’s Colosseum. As we passed it, I was struck by how huge it was and how massive the walls were. When I thought of how many spectators (85,000) would come to see the games of “sport,” which included the killing of Christians who were forced to face hungry lions for their faith, it was sobering.

Palantine hill is the oldest and largest of Rome’s seven hills and overlooks the Circus Maximus (500×150 ft), which is another area of sport. Chariots races and war games were held here.

Altare della Patria

We visited Capitoline Hill and saw the monument to Italy’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II. He is the one who united Italy into one country. Beneath his monument is the tomb of the unknown soldier. Currently, it is a museum dedicated to the unification of Italy.

The Four Rivers Monument

This monument pays tribute to the four known continents at that time by representing a river from each continent: Nile from Africa, Ganges from Asia, Blue Danube from Europe, and Rio de la Plata from South America.

Pantheon

It’s pretty incredible to actually visit places I’ve only read about in textbooks. The Pantheon was a temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome. It was built between AD 117-138, and is noted for its Roman architecture (arches), it’s dome (world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome), and it’s circular opening (oculus) at the top.

Trevi Fountain

Toss in a coin and make a wish! (They supposedly collect 3,000 euros a day from this fountain!)

Segway

This was the best way to see Rome! I don’t know how many miles we rode, but I never would have made it on foot. I had a great “wingman.”

No smile because I was trying to take our selfie while riding. I guess kids aren’t the only ones with guardian angels! (Psst… Don’t tell Samantha!)

There are spring-fed water fountains all over Rome. They are perfectly safe to drink from and are quite refreshing on a hot and humid day!

Of course, no post is complete without the food pictures. We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe on the banks of the Tiber River.

Next stop: Zurich, Switzerland

“And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.” 1 Chronicles 14:17

Today we traveled through Tuscany to get to Firenze, or Florence as it’s known in the English speaking world. This region of Italy is known for its wine. For a long time, the Medici family ruled, but they were not royalty. They were bankers who collected art. When the last Medici died without an heir, she gave all the art to the city of Florence.

 

The Oldest Bridge in Florence
This bridge was built in 1345. It is on the Arno River. The houses on it are shops just as they were in the Middle Ages. All others bridges in Florence were destroyed in WWII.

 

Holy Cross Basilica (Basilica Santa Croce)
This church is in the Piazza Santa Croce. Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and others who contributed to the arts are buried here. There is a statue of Dante in the front. He was the author of “The Divine Comedy” and “The Inferno.” While we were here, we stopped here at a leather shop, a gelateria, and we walked over to see the Arno River.

 

Palazzo Borghese
We had lunch in this palace, where once lived Maria Luisa, the sister of Napoleon. We had a pesto-type lasagna, beef, spinach and potatoes, and tiramisu.

 

Uffizzi Museum
Here we saw works of art by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello, and Botticelli.

Clockwise from top-left: Michelangelo’s “Holy Family with Young St. John the Baptist,” his only documented work on wood; Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus;” Raffaelo’s “St. John the Baptist,” and Da Vinci’s “Adoration of the Magi.”

Statue of David
This sculpture is considered the best representation of male Renaissance beauty. It was sculpted in three years by Michelangelo.

Fun Fact: The symbol of Tuscany is Pinocchio because the writer was from here.

Next stop: Rome, Italy

“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