Greece 2010 - Patmos

We had early morning wake up calls for a departure meeting at 7:00am. We boarded a shuttle with our local guide Dimitrius (very close to our traveling sisters the Demetrius's). Dimitrius was a terrific guide. He was very knowledgeable, kept us at a good pace and was extra nice to Joe!

Our first stop was at the Grotto of St. John. This is essentially a cave - THE cave where St. John the apostle (either the Divine or the Theologian - ask Mary Joan to explain) wrote the Book of Revelation. While very modest it was very impressive - an honor to see.

From there the bus brought us up higher on the mountain to the Monastery - almost. There were lots of steps - ancient steps with no handrails and very uneven - but we all made it. And glad we did!

The first room was overwhelmingly beautiful with frescoes and portraits of saints dating back as far as the 12th century. We moved from room to room. Heard about the earthquake which fractured frescoes - only to reveal older ones beneath. Then we made out way to the museum (and past the Chamberlain-brother look-alike!) where Dimitrius explained a number of important items.

We stopped after making our way back down the hill for a group photo (coming soon!) and then boarded the bus back to the port where we had a little time to stroll, shop and sample some of the foods recommended by our guide.

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Barcelona - Dos

Day two in Barcelona has been fantastic! Jose gave us lots of information on the artist Gaudi - not born here but arrived in 1852 to attend the university. His artistic style and influence can be seen across the city. We stopped at Park Guell which was an amazing outdoor area Gaudi designed near the home he lived in. Inspired by nature, fairy tales and classical legends the park is beautiful. With its kissing benches, 'candy house', salamander and plaza with the longest bench in the world it is a work of art in itself. Some of us made the walk up to the top where the three crosses are - and found even more breathtaking views of the city. From there we headed back downtown for a short walk to La Sagrada Familia cathedral. Design by Gaudi and still not yet finished, it is very unique and ornate. Just walking around the outside, Jose had enough informatiion to share about its intricacies that it took some time. The line for entrance was nearly wrapped around the ch

Cordoba

First our morning started with an alarm - or a lack of one; as Mary Jane and Pat's room never received a wakeup call. So everyone else was on the bus ready to go when they finally got a knock on the door. What troopers they were, though! In 15 minutes they were on the bus with everyone and not long after they were able to laugh at the 'chaos' of it all. Our local guide Isabel was just delightful - and clearly has a love for her city. She tells us that filmmaker Pedro Almodovar is from here as we begin our walk. First we go through the old Jewish center. Nearly all of the city's buildings are white-washed (originally by the women we hear). We stop at an old Jewish synagogue and learn some history of the area. Then we stop at the statue of a famous rabbi ( can you name him ?) which legend is that by rubbing his foot and then touching your own head you will get taller and wiser. most of us did that - some hoping for extra height, others for a bit of wisdom!

2011: Day 4 - Vienna

Another great day! We had a 6am wake up call - but it paid off! Our tour director, Robert, secured the first reservations of the day at Shronbrunn Palace - which meant we were the only guests in the Palace for the most part. We went room to room with our own local guide, Gabi, for a nearly private tour! A one-of-a-kind experience for sure. The Palace and Gardens were beautiful. 1,441 rooms and acres and acres of grounds. We learned about Mary Theresa (and all of her 16 children). This was the summer palace for the Hapsburg dynasty. We then switched gears and went to see modern art at KunstHausWien - what a creative artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was. And a man who epitomized eco-friendly living and work. A very different experience after our tour of the Palace. Next was a driving tour of some of the city's monuments, etc. with a stop for lunch along the way. We ended with a walking tour to additional historic spots and a tour of the downtown palace - the winter residence of the

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