Ugh.  Sometimes, traveling blows.

We missed our ferry from Bari, Italy to Greece on the day were shooting for (due to a train departure misunderstanding from Naples), so we took a free night train back to Rome to save money and waste time rather than shacking up in an expensive hotel in Bari.  Once we got to Rome in the morning, we then caught another train back to Bari to catch our ferry that night.  Little did we expect that the train ride would be straight outta hell.  Imagine the most jam-packed, overflowing train ever.  Then mulitply by a thousand.  No joke, the train ride was six hours long and people were standing in isles, in hallways, in bathrooms, in the areas by the doors…anywhere someone could fit their body.  Everyone was pretty much bathing in each other’s body odor and personal bubbles were definitely invaded for the entire six hours.

Picture how two train cars connect.  In the space between the sliding doors of each train car, there is flimsy rubber around the ceiling and walls to keep most of the rushing air out when someone is walking from one train car to the next.  To walk on top of, there are two constantly shifting metal planks that turn and creek when the train goes around a bend.  You can see the ground passing below you and it is freezing, especially in December.  This miniscule area is where I stood (and tried to “sit”) for six long hours.  Just me, my huge backpack (which took up most the darn sitting space) and my iPod.  Praise God for iPods.  Ha, it was absolutely miserable!  Zach was standing in a tiny hallways with dozens of other passengers, and Ben was able to grab a coveted floor position by the bathroom.  It was pretty hilarious when all was said and done.  But we really needed to shower.

We ferried to Corfu, a small Grecian island off the west coast of mainland Greece.  We weren’t even planning on going to Corfu at all, but we met a couple nice American young ladies from Oregon and they convinced us to spend Christmas with them.  We are always suckers for kickin’ it with fellow Pacific Northwesterners so we couldn’t say no.  Next thing we knew, we were heading for Corfu and a small hostel (but really more of a bed and breakfast) on a gorgeous beach in the middle of nowhere.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Ferry 

The family we stayed with has been running their “hostel” for 16 years, but it was much more the equivalent of a summer vacation resort.  She cooked us free breakfasts of French Toast and omlets and also made massive suppers of tantalizing original Greek entrees.  They were some of the most hospitable and most welcoming families we’ve met.  They had two small sons; one who was a talkative 10 year old and an autistic 8 year old.

 

Pelekas Beach: the view from our hostel’s balcony

We had a bonfire on the beach our first night and a few of the Greek guys jammed on their instruments

Zach posing while 12 inches from raw, unadulterated death below

Probably one of my most vivid and fulfilling memories of our entire Europe trip was on Christmas day.  After a hike into the hills and a hefty nap, we got a knock on our door and an invitation to come up for a special meal.  Little did we expect that this was THE big Christmas dinner bash, complete with the extended family, fancy attire, and enough Greek food to satisfy an army of puberty-ridden male adolescents in the midst of sporadic growth spurts.  Toward the end of the dinner, our host mom got up and turned on traditinal Greek music and began Greek dancing with her family around the table.  People would grab hands, some lifted high into the air, and dance around the 20 ft. dining table with an occasional Greek ”HEEEY!” yelp.  Soon more and more people were grabbed into the dance-train and soon Zach and myself were coaxed in as well.  They had some fancy Greek footwork going on, but I just did my best to keep up with the flow of the dance. 

I can’t describe the feeling – I felt so honored and blessed to witness such a unique, foreign tradition happening.  Of course I felt wildly awkward and out of place, but as we circled the table at least a few dozen times with the sound of Greek music blaring, I realized that this is the essence family: everyone celebrating, participating and enjoying each other in their customary ways.  Next, all the men circled up, took a knee and clapped to the music as the women and small kids would twirl around on the inside and dance.  It was a night I will never, ever forget.

Dancing around the table

No doubt, the best meal we’ve had in months

Some of the Greek guys wanting in on our photography session

After three nights in Corfu it was time to pack up camp and take another awful 7 hour long bus ride (8pm-3am) to Athens.  We literally got into Athens at 3am and ended up sleeping on a sidewalk until we were awakend by the cops at 7am and were told to get up and move.  So we found an available hostel and settled into downtown Athens.  Athens was a mediocre city: it was quite dirty and was still stuck in the 2004 Olympics mentality, but rich in fascinating history.  We toured the Acropolis, which was under massive restoration so everything was pretty cluttered with scaffolding and construction tools.  It’s hard to comprehend that the Parthenon was built in 500 BC and still stands as it does today.  Incredible.

Jumping the Parthenon with stoic pizazz

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus: the famous ampitheatre built in 161 AD.

Next, we decided to ditch the clogged metropolitain Athens area and retreat to another small island, Aegina, a couple hours from Athens.  We just couldn’t get enough of the island atmosphere.  We rented mopeds and tore up the entire island for 4 hours.  Praise God, we were blessed with outstandingly warm weather as we let loose on our bikes. 

We made Hell’s Angels tremble with fear

Verdict: we loved Greece.  It was one of my favorite countries right up there with Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.  Next up: Israel, Jordan and Egypt.  This is where things might get a little sketchy, folks, so apologies in advance if it takes me a while to post an update.  We might be in the middle of a desert somewhere.  Praise God for keeping us safe, for providing our daily bread, and for placing people in our paths to direct us.  Jesus has blessed us considerably on this trip and is continuing to draw us closer to Him.  Thank you, anyone who reads this blog, for all your continued prayers.

Cheers!

- I Love you all and here’s to a VERY HAPPY 2008 -

Matt

Pisa

The rest of Italy was a blur. We’ve reached that part of our trip where we are notched in cruise control and are stomping through most major cities in Italy with authority. Italy, in whole, was tremendously convivial and served as a great history lesson in art, architecture, and the Italian lifestyle. Here are the highlights for y’all:

We stopped through Pisa on our way to Florence to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Truthfully, I didn’t expect it to tilt as much as it really was. The tower was constructed in 1173 but the foundation gave way slowly over time due to poor planning and construction. It only leans at 4 degrees off center now, but even that small amount of lean causes it to look really, really funny. I thought it was fascinating that the tower was closed for over a decade (1990-2001) for corrective reconstruction because the soil kept eroding and it was flirting with disaster. During this time, they considered literally adding 800 metric tons of lead counterweights to the raised portion of the base, but finally settled on just removing 38 meters of soil from underneath the raised end. It straightened the tower by 18 inches. Because of that, it is now officially “safe” for another 300 years.

Trying to fix the darn thing

Florence

Florence had the best markets in Europe. We did our Europe shopping here for our families, as there were streets and streets of vendors and small market shops. The best part was learning to barter with the guys who were running their stands. They would give an initial high price, then we would counter offer for about a third of that. A little compromising tug-of-war later, we were able to settle on some phatty deals.

By far the most compelling thing we saw in Florence was the statue of David, holding his sling the moment after deciding to battle Goliath. It is the most acclaimed and recognizable statue in the history of art, and it did not disappoint. I originally thought it was a life-sized statue, but it was massive. Absolutely massive. What baffles the mind is that Michaelangelo was only 26 years old when he began chiseling David. It took him over three years to complete it. I was most fascinated by the fact that Michaelangelo thought his masterpiece would be placed atop a cathedral when he was done, so he purposefully made the torso and head a little larger to look anatomically correct from a viewer’s standpoint from ground level. Who woulda thunk, eh?

Michaelangelo’s David

These beautiful officers of the law reluctantly agreed to my photo opp

Choppin’ up Florence with our fellow American travelers whom we met in our hostel. One of the most rewarding aspects of traveling are the people we meet along the way. These ladies were from the States, but most other traveler’s we’ve met have been from Australia, South Africa and England.

The river running through Florence

Rome

If I could recommend any city for a traveler to visit in all of Europe, it would be Rome. It seemed that it was truly the hub of not only Italy, but all of Europe as well. Its extensive history of ancient Roman ruins, the Colosseum, Vatican City, the Parthenon and Circus Maximus (where the chariot races were held) merits it as my number one city. Here are my favorite things about Rome:

#1: The Colosseum

Colosseum at night

Posing

The main floor was incredible

 

#2: Prison of Peter and Paul

The small, underground prison where Peter and Paul were shackled. The upside down cross represents how Peter was crucified upside down, upon his request, because he didn’t feel worthy to be crucified upright like Jesus. It was very dark and dank and we had to go underground via two staircases. Whether or not this truly WAS where they were imprisoned, (there are 6th century documents verifying that this indeed was where Paul and Peter were held), it was humbling and inspiring to be where such men of God and friends of Jesus stepped foot.

#3: The Vatican

Jumping St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican

Weighing in at only HALF of a square kilometer in size with an explosive population of 800, the Vatican is the world’s smallest sovereign country. It is burred right in the middle of Rome and even boasts its own newspaper, radio station and postal service. My favorite part of the Vatican was St. Peter’s Basilica, which is the largest church building in all of Christianity. It was gigantic. The church alone covers almost 6 acres of land and can hold 60,000 people inside. Perhaps the most provocative section inside the church was the tomb and burial place of St. Peter (the same Peter who was incarcerated in the prison we visited).

In front of the massive tomb of Peter near the front altar in the Basilica

The inside of the church is majestically beautiful and has an astronomical budget to boot. Every wall, nook and cranny was detailed, chiseled, inscribed, polished, and/or decorated by famous artists. One thing really stuck out at me, though. There were prodigious paintings in the main dome that towers above the main floor. From the floor these paintings looked massive and very lifelike. When we went atop the dome and were able to circle the walls and view them up close, it turned out they weren’t paintings but mosaics! WHAT?! I cannot imagine the amount of time, patience and artistic precision it would cost to paint, place and glue each small stone individually. It literally befuddled me in new ways I’ve never known. Go see it.

The incredible mosaic walls consisting of hundreds of thousands of small, colored stones

Being the major museum connoisseurs that we are (…NOT), we toured the Vatican Museum which plays home to the distinguished Sistine Chapel. Frankly, I didn’t care a lick about the rest of the museum (sorry, art buffs!) but just wanted to soak up the Sistine in all her glory.

Michaelangelo not only sculpted David, but also was the renowned artist who painted the ceiling of the chapel, including the famous “Creation” scene between Adam and God below. I found it interesting that no one was permitted to talk or take photography inside the chapel in order to pay respect and reverence to it. It was a LOT bigger than I had expected, with very high walls and ceiling. I also thought the Creation painting would have been much larger, but it was very small and hidden among dozens of other Biblical scenes painted by Michaelangelo. I found it crazy that Michaelangelo had someone build a special scaffolding device for him that hung from ropes from the ceiling, but ended up scrapping that device because he thought it would leave holes in the ceiling. (**I hope you’re not bored with facts! I know I’m spewing a lot in this blog, but this is the good stuff that I found most interesting to me. Apologies if I sound like an Art History 101 textbook. Hang in there.) So, Michaelangelo literally built his own scaffolding which were wooden planks that jutted out from the walls of the chapel. Contrary to popular belief, he stood while he painted the ceiling instead of lying on his back. He spent FOUR years painting the ceiling for the Pope, from 1508-1512.

Sneaking a photo of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

#4: The Pantheon

The Pantheon was built in 125 AD, and it baffles architects today as to how they poured the dome ceiling and how it still stands structurally sound today.

And there you have it, folks. The rest of Italy in a nutshell. Oh, I almost forgot to include more amazingly awesome videos of ridiculous street entertainers. Check this guy out, he’s a real deusy. And yes, he is a gray-haired old man who does finger-puppeting in front of large crowds in one of Rome’s central squares. And yes, that is Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” his puppet is moonwalking too. And yes, he is giving creepy looks into the crowd of moms and innocent children as his pelvis gyrates and he attempts to dance.

This guy had a huge crowd watching him. I laughed my head off.

Here he is warming up his appendages before his next big show. At this point I was laughing too hard to focus the camera.

Our last night in Rome with our fellow hostel-mates from South Africa and Australia

CIAO! Miss you all!

Matt

We are enjoying Christmas on the small island of Corfu, just off the west coast of Greece.  We are blessed with blue skies, warm weather, and a terrific hostel (more like a resort) situated right on the beach.  Our room balcony overlooks the sandy bay with a view of the crisp blue Mediterranean as far as the eye can see.

Apologies to all, I’m way behind on posting the rest of Italy.  The place we are staying at right now has no internet and is secluded from the nearest town.  We are absolutely loving Greece, our 20th country visited.  It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that we only have 3 weeks left on this excursion.  Traveling so far and so long is taking its toll.  Our spirits are still very high and we are loving every moment, but we are growing weary and will kiss the North American soil upon return.

 Where we are:

(click to enlarge)

I love you all very much and pray that you enjoy the Holidays with your friends and family.  Remember to be so thankful and grateful for what our Loving Father has given us — His Son, Jesus Christ, who willfully came to the earth, lived, and died in sacrifice of our sins.  Praise be to Jesus, and may we keep him at the nucleus of our celebrations this year. 

Many Blessings to you!

Matt