The Island of Capri

Ahh....... the Island of Capri

From Sorrento we traveled to Naples where we caught a ferry ship to Capri. Once in Capri we got on a very small power boat for our cruise around the island. There are spectacular views of the cliffs surrounding Capri as well as the water. If nothing else it was worth it just to see the beautiful clear and I mean clear waters. I hope that you will take the time to click on the pictures so you can get a greater view of the water. As we were traveling the guide pointed out some interesting facts about Capri and the surrounding areas. But I admit I was more taken with the water than anything she was saying so this blog will be short on history… The water is so clear you can see the floresant coral under water.




(for my love affair with water see my blog from last year “Are we of water or land”)

One of the unique views was of a rock formation that the people of Capri have deemed the Virgin Mary. They believe that the rock formations have taken on the image of the Holy Mother and her followers after Christ’s death.


The rock formations here are called the Faragilione – or the Sea Stacks. These are natural formations that have been weathered over millions of years. The one closest to the mainland is called Stella, the next Mezzo, and the most unique of all is called Scopoto. It is impossible to capture the magnitude of these rocks in picture. You have to be there to truly appreciate the beauty and significance of them.
Once our boat ride was over – one moment – I forgot to tell you that there are so many boats out there making waves that during one eventful period I was drenched by a wake from another boat. So much for looking nice in Capri= I had to suffer with “wet butt” syndrome. Thank goodness it was sunny and hot and I dried quickly.
Ok – so we were on our way to Capri – you have to take a tram up the cliffs to Capri. Once there you walk to the most expensive sections of Capri only to end in one of the most beautiful garden areas I have seen in Italy. These are called the gardens of Emperor Augustus. After taking pictures we were led over to the side of the cliff where you could take pictures of the Marina Piccola below.

Again breathe taking views.

Capri is a beautiful island and I hope that someday you will have an opportunity to see the clear blue waters and the fantastic natural rock formations.

Sorrento, Italy

What a beautiful place to get refreshed.........
On our way to Capri we stopped off and spent the night in Sorrento. The City overlooks the Bay of Naples, Mt. Vesuvius, and Capri. There is a very very scarry drive to get to Sorrento. It is called Amalfi Drive. As you can see from the pictures Sorrento is beautiful, and what a wonderful way for the kids to relax, swim in the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea) and catch our breathes before heading off to Capri the next day.






Our hotel is at the base of the cliff on the left side.
First stop after dinner - the water...........
This is the view from several of the hotel rooms.

Sunset - my favorite time. A time to relax, a time to reflect, a time to become one with life.
We move 900 miles a hour through life, there is so much to see, so much to do, and yet we rarely can find the time needed to slow down and ask ourselves - What did I just do, or What did I just see???



Sunsets.............my time to be

Today's Lesson St. Francis of Assisi

Today’s lesson is over St. Francis – oops I forgot this is not my on-line class… but I believe that every time we have a chance we should Teach as well as opine.
So……… St. Francis founder of the Franciscan Order. He started questioning faith, and eternity after having been captured and tortured for a year during war. After a night of heavy prayer and confusion he heard a voice call him to:
“Go Francis, and repair my house which you see is falling into ruin”.
At first Francis thought that to mean the physical church but later understood it to be the spiritual church that was facing so much corruption and lack of spiritual leadership.
His father did not accept Francis’s desire to give to the poor and had him taken bound and beaten and placed in a closet - where he was later freed by his mother.
“Having therefore been taken before the biship, Francis stripped himself of the very clothes he wore, and gave them to his father, saying:

"Hitherto I have called you my father on earth; henceforth I desire to say only "Oour Father who art in Heaven"

" Then and there, were solemnized the Gospel of the day told how the disciples of Christ were to possess neither gold nor silver, nor scrip for their journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff, and that they were to exhort sinners to repentance and announce the Kingdom of God. Francis took these words as if spoken directly to him, and so soon as Mass was over threw away the poor fragment left him of the world's goods, his shoes, cloak, pilgrim staff, and empty wallet. At last he had found his vocation. Having obtained a coarse woolen tunic of "beast colour", the dress then worn by the poorest Umbrian peasants, and tied it round him with a knotted rope, Francis went forth at once exhorting the people of the country-side to penance, brotherly love, and peace."

This was an 11th century church that we were told was closed, but later when Stephen and Adriane went up they found it open and snuck in to take some beautiful pictures.

During the Lent of 1212, Clare, a young heiress of Assisi, sought him out, and begged to be allowed to embrace the new manner of life he had founded. Clare at age eighteen, secretly left her father's house and went to the Porziuncola, where the Friars met her in procession. Then Francis, having cut off her hair, clothed her in the Minorite habit and thus received her to a life of poverty penance and seclusion. Clare stayed provisionally with some Benedictine nuns near Assisi . There is still today a small convent that works out of the Chapel of Sta. Clare – they remain sequestered from the outside world and serve in prayer and devotion.

When you walk into Assisi there are several archways each indicating a century. The first is the 11th century. All the houses and buildings in that section are the same way they were in the 11th century. You can do anything you want to the inside – internet, plasma TV – but the outside must never be changed.

This is the view from our Hotel room window...... absolutely breath taking views. It was truly spiritual even for those of us that are not Catholic.

(Quotes for today's lesson came from the Catholic Encyclopedia)

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Leaning tower of Pisa, fact or fiction???
Well of course the tower is leaning – it’s either that or we are all daft in the head. But how much is it leaning and will it ever drop?? Well those are the questions we leave to the experts -which by the way say at the current rate it will not really drop until 2110 or something like that – so for today it was a safe trip to take.
As you know from my other blog I was concerned that Italy might be to boring for me after so many trips, and I was searching for something more – well I found it in several unlikely places – the first being Pisa, which I will write about today, Assisi which comes tomorrow, and Sorrento which will round out the week.
Pisa was an “optional” tour which is a kind way of saying it cost extra – and there was a time when I really debated on whether or not I wanted to spend extra money to see a leaning tower. WELL……… was I ever glad that I went. You see Pisa is a lot more than just a leaning tower. There is the baptistery, the cathedral and the amazing love the people have for their town and their special place they believe has been blessed. Our guide could not be more passionate about “his” town and the beauty and history it places in the world. After all it has been written and discussed that it was Here that Galileo made his discovery that objects fall at the same speed

When you go to Pisa the first place you have to go to is the Baptistery. It was the belief that you could not enter the church until you were “Cleansed or baptized” so they built the Baptistery- you were baptized then went into the cathedral. The Baptistery is an eight-sided shape building. The most unique thing about the building, and the one thing that absolutely caused the hair on my arm to stand up, was when this young man came in and made a single note sound, as it traveled around the room he then added another vocal note an octave higher then another and the echo was so defined that within seconds he was harmonizing with himself. It was absolutely amazing. Something I could have sat and listened to for hours.

Pisa is a beautiful little town with only three credits to its fame. A place to be baptized, a place to worship, and a bell tower that is leaning. But to the people of Pisa it is their gift to, and from, God. It is a special blessing that thanks to the people of Pisa we get to share.......

ROME AT NIGHT

This year marks my 4th trip to Europe with students and parents. It is also my 4th trip to Rome and while many of you dream of someday going to Rome, I was concerned that something so beautiful and historic might simply become “just another ruin”. So I prayed that I might find something “new” something that would peak my interest and believe me I found it. ROME AT NIGHT………… We live in a world that although we see in dimensions, is often so routine that we forget to really look at life in a different perspective. As I said I have seen Rome from really just one perspective, the daylight when all the imperfections, age, and rush of the city can be seen. So to see it at night, with the lights flooding the area to enhance the shadows, the beauty of the architects design was a great find. Our tour guide Arnaldo decided on the tour as a last minute event. We had to get permission from the bus company, had to authorize our driver to get overtime, (and to use the extra fuel) and each of us had to put in 15 Euros (about $25.00) and agree to a very late 3 hour trip. But when would we ever get another chance to see Rome at night.
Our driver Dino was fantastic. He risked life and limb (ok – bus and tickets) to drive as slowly as he could around all the landmarks – the occasional honk from an irate Italian would spur us to move on – but there were a few times when I felt the bus “pause” long enough for us to try to take some pictures. We also saw places that were not on the regular tour – like the Presidents residence etc. I have included in this blog the two views of several of the sights I hope that you will take some time and look at the “Day and Night” views. More blogs about our trip are coming so stay tuned.
IF YOU CLICK ON A PICTURE IT GOES FULL SCREEN SO YOU CAN SEE IT BETTER.







St. Peter's Basilica

T

Trevi Fountain

The Colosseum