I wrote this from the airport yesterday but couldn't get it to upload:
I'm officially done with college! We're in Munich about to board the plane to O'Hare. I'm sad to be leaving but excited to be on a normal schedule. I already miss all of those who aren't traveling back to Goshen with us. See all of you stateside folks soon!
Today we took a trip to Assisi to visit the church of St. Francis of Assisi. The countryside and the buildings are beautiful. Our itinerary included seeing two more beautiful churches, one for St. Claire and the other for St. Francis. The highlight for me was the beautiful, sunny day we had, instead of the forecasted rain, which lit up the countryside for absolutely stunning views.
These past few days in Rome have been action packed. Today some highlights were our visit to the catacombs of San Callisto and the Vatican City. There are so many amazing original articles in the Vatican Museum, the eye doesn't know where to rest. Also all the walls and floors and ceilings are so ornate that everywhere you look, it's awe inspiring. As for the Sistine Chapel, there are no words. Too bad photos are not permitted! But you should totally go visit it and experience it for yourself.
Yesterday was a long day of travel and exploring the city, but we are in Rome!!! My level of excitement requires-count 'em-three exclamation marks. A few highlights of the day are from our walking tour of the city, including: gelato, beautiful Italian men, the Pantheon, the Fountain of Neptune, and the Spanish Steps.
Greek food is so good. I read an article this past year on the ranking of countries based upon their yearly consumption of cheese per capita. Greece ranked number one with a whopping fifty-five pounds per capita. I believe it. That doesn't even include how much tourists eat, and speaking from my personal experience of a tourist, that would be a LOT. Tourism is Greece's largest contributor to their industry. That's a lot of cheese. Delicious, delicious, cheese. But seriously, everything I have eaten has been delicious!
Saturday we took A cruise day on the Aegean Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean. We visited three islands: Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. The highlight of the day for me was cliff jumping into the Aegean Sea!
There are so many interesting sites to see! The temples of Zeus and Apollo, ancient Corinth, the Corinth Canal built in the 1800s. It is so cool to read the letters of Paul in the actual locations he was writing to. I am loving this experience!
Today we went to the Acropolis museum and saw the Parthenon in person. If I didn't
have a picture, I wouldn't believe it myself. What an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. The artwork and architecture are astounding in size and beauty.
Yesterday We arrived for a later dinner and to check into our hotel in Delphi. The next morning we visited the museum and archaeological site. The museum showcased the evolution of ancient art from simplistic forms to perfection as defined by humanism. I was amazed at the precision, especially in the latter works, which include fine details such as eyelashes and tendons.
Like all the other locations we have visited, the views are breathtaking. I could never get tired of looking out the window if I lived here. On top of that, the food is delicious and the people are extremely warm and hospitable.
This morning we learned how icons are made. There are still those who make them in traditional way.
Our travels took us to Meteora where we visited a monastery. The land used to be filled with water, but due to an earthquake the water drained out of the canyon, leaving massive rock formations. This impressive landscape is the perfect reclusive and beautiful place to go for a life devoted to prayer and study. Or in our case, be be tourists and walk through a monastery and learn about the monastic movement and way of life.
There were so many great things about today, but I'll only name two. Our learning centered around the official and predominant religion in Greece, Greek Orthodoxy.
This morning we visited the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius. My favorite parts were the sights and sounds, both which were incredibly beautiful.
Afterward we visited the Rotunda of Galarius, constructed around 300 AD. An interesting fact is that the Rotunda had been used as a place of worship by Muslims, Jews and Christians. What a cool history! These structures are impressive and beautiful; pictures simply cannot capture their grandeur.
What an exciting day it has been! We went to the river where Lydia was baptized and then ate at "her house". Geeks do a great version of the hamburger, by the way.
After lunch we saw ruins where Paul would have preached the good news and walked on a road he would have taken. The sights were breathtaking and beautiful.
We also visited the port city Kavala and talked about the visions of Paul.
Today was filled with many beautiful and interesting things, so be sure to catch me in person see all the neat photos! Below are a couple photo highlights.
Greece is a beautiful place! The people are warm and friendly, the food is delicious, and the streets are filled with charm. This afternoon we visited a museum of Byzantine art, which was incredibly beautiful. Here are a few photographic highlights.
You would think after the multiple trips overseas that packing would be a breeze. Coming off of my last finals week while in the midst of packing and working and cleaning out my old apartment and moving my stuff into storage and graduating, I am looking forward to finally getting some sleep on the plane. That's my hope at least.
Not only am I pumped about traveling around Greece and Italy, I am really excited for the course content on the apostle Paul. There aren't any other courses on Paul offered at Goshen, the Bible & Religion major in me is ready to geek out reading these epistles.
Each day I'll be posting a couple photos and some thoughts on what I've learned. Follow me if you would like, as our group follows Paul's journeys through Greece and Rome!
