The Big Bang

It’s true. We live a life of reckless decisions, moments of weakness and take backs… but this is not one of those stories!

In April, Dave and I celebrated our “Last Big Bang.” At least for a little while. We figured with moving to Chicago and starting Podiatry school, big time debt and jobs, we would be pretty tied down for a little while. So, in anticipation of the “settling down” we decided to finish the college life with a cruise to the Mediterranean!

For 10 days of pure bliss, we arrived in Italy April 13. We were a few days early for the cruise so we could spend some time exploring Rome, Italy. [Note: the pictures are not in order. sorry]

Venice - St. Mark's Square

Venice

We saw everything we wanted to (at least that could be done in one day): The Vatican, St. Peter’s Cathedral, the catacombs under the cathedral, changing of the Vatican guards, ate gelato, ate paninis, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, The Forum, Campo de Fiori, the City Center, the Capital Building, Arch of Constantine… and not to mention just weaving the streets with Dave navigating like a pro and taking in the sights, smells and vibe of Rome.

We took the train back to Bari, Italy (about a 4 hour train ride from Rome) and boarded the ship. Somehow we were the VERY LAST people to check in, we really weren’t even late, and a man escorted us all the way to the ship talked in to his walki-talki  saying, “I have the Americans.” We felt famous and so fancy. Everyone working on the ship was so kind to us. I’m fairly certain we were the ONLY Americans on board. There were Australians and Canadians but we didn’t hear of any other Americans. And believe me, we looked and listened for them.

Rome - Vatican City

Venice

Vatican City- "The Pieta" by Michelangelo

The first stop on our cruise took us to Olympia, Greece. We wished we could have been there when they lit the Olympic torch this year. It was incredible to see the ruins and imagine those wild men running with their bare bottoms and rippling muscles, competing for a prize. I took a victory lap around the “track” to really get in to the Olympian mindset. I loved seeing the colors of Greece, listening to the people, meeting the local dogs and seeing the countryside.

Venice - eating yummy pizza and pasta

 Next we stopped in Izmir, Turkey. We shared a cab with some Italian women, mother and daughter, who were fierce bargainers. The major site to see near Izmir is Ephesus. In the Bible, it speaks of this city where Paul preached to the Ephesians. There is a whole Epistle to them in the Bible. The city is made of marble and parts of it are amazingly still quite intact. There were underground pipes all over the city and you would just see them sticking out. It was incredible the advancement of that civilization. I wish we’d been able to read Greek because writings were sprinkled on stones throughout the city. The Library of Celsus was incredible and so beautiful. I imagined it filled with scrolls holding ancient writings and prophesies. The amphitheaters, both large and smaller held a sense of awe. You could just image the thousands of people listening as Paul spoke. The theater has been used in modern times for a few different concerts. One performer, part way through the performance put down his microphone and sang for the 65,000 people present with just his voice.

Rome, Italy

Venice

 Our 3^rd stop was Istanbul, Turkey. The major attractions here are the thousands of mosques that dot the city. The most well known is the Blue Mosque. We caught a tram to the location and explored the mosque (barefooted and heads covered with scarves), visited the Grand Bazaar (bought a scarf), explored the city, looked at too many stores of rugs, towels, scarves, lamps and Turkish Delight (bought another scarf).

The Pantheon

The Colosseum

 The 4^th stop was one of our absolute favorites! Dubrovnik, Croatia is said to be “the Garden of Eden on earth.” It was stunning – a picture right out of a medieval fairy tale. This town sits on the edge of the Adriatic Sea and is surrounded by a huge stone wall. We walked along the wall looking down on the red roofs of the city. Even though it’s a city of almost 50,000 people we just stood and listened to the wind. It was the most peaceful city we visited, absolute paradise.

Katakolon, Greece - the most beautiful lemon and orange trees everywhere.

 Lastly, we stopped in Venice. We took a water taxi to the city and went right to St. Mark’s Square. It was neat being there a second time, as if I was coming “home” to visit someone. Dave loved it too. We just wandered the streets, in and out of cathedrals, grabbed lunch at an outdoor café, watched all the different people walk by, visited shops and just soaked in the sun in Venice.

Olympia, Greece - Birth place of the Olympics and where they light the Olympic torch every year!

Ephesus, Turkey - where Paul preached to the Ephesians

Istanbul, Turkey - sitting on the steps of the Blue Mosque

streets of Istanbul

Dave just loving the Turkish food we got.

A beautiful mosque in Turkey.

 We arrived back at the port in Bari. Since our plane didn’t leave until 8pm, we thought we’d try to make it to church. With a map, we ran through the streets trying to make it before church was over. It was 6K away (3.7 miles) and we were sweaty and exhausted when we got there. As soon as I walked in, I almost started to cry. I felt like the people there were my family. When everyone else outside seemed so pushy and too busy to help, the people inside the church wanted me there. We slipped in the back but of course everyone saw us. A missionary there spoke English and translated what was being said. We sang the songs in Italian. A sweet family offered to give us a ride back to the port to get our luggage. Going to church there was one of the most amazing experiences of the trip.

Walking the city wall of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Dubrovnik, Croatia right on the Adriatic Sea

Dubrovnik

We eventually made it to the airport and onto our plane, after a hiccup in Milan we made it back to the U.S. As much as I loved our trip and traveling, there’s nothing quite like being here in the U.S. I love seeing the world and exploring but I am so grateful for this country. Oh what a wonderful world…