The Amalfi coast

Among the most beautiful places on earth is the Amalfi coast.  This was my first time to this area, and it did not disappoint!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ancient Rome Part 3

What a treat to return to see the coliseum and the Roman Forum.

The Roman forum - shops

Arch of Constantine 325ad

Coliseum 

Gate 35

It is such a wonderful place to visit.  It was on my bucket list... yes at the age of 68 I have a bucket list.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ancient Rome, Pt. 2

We also saw the Vatican Museum.  It is among the best museums in the world.  It holds many items that were gifted to the church, as well as items that the Christians looted, or kept for safe keeping, depending on how you look at it...

Authentic Italian Pizza

roman ruins

face removed from city of Rome now in the Vatican museum

hundreds of statues in the Vatican museum
most from ancient Rome.

1st century floor moved to the Vatican

amazing large maps from the 1600's

large tapestries 10' tall x 20' wide
gifted to the Vatican

Authentic Egyptian obelisk moved to the Vatican

lovely sunset at the Vatican

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ancient Rome - Pt. 1

 Today we got to my favorite part of the trip.... Ancient Rome.  We visited the Trevi Fountain [not ancient] and the Pantheon.

The pantheon has an interesting and fantastic story.  It was built in 126 as a temple to all of the Gods.  After the fall of Rome, it was repurposed as a church by the Christians.  Consequently, it is the only building from ancient Rome that was not destroyed or stripped of it's marble to build the Vatican.   Today it is the one remaining building that allows us a picture of the glory of ancient Rome.

front of a Roman temple that has a modern office building behind

Trevi fountain

Trevi fountain

Spanish steps... built with marble looted or recycled from the colluseum.

We are having a fantastic trip!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

St Francis

Here is the prayer of St. Francis... one of my favorites...

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.

Here is the town of St Francis... Assisi

Roman ruins from 200AD and the other buildings
just were added right around it.

Amazing paintings in the church from 500 AD

Narrow streets of the village.

Monastery on the hill above the town of Assisi.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.