Vatican City and Then Some...

Being that Vatican City is a country in and of itself, it gets it's own post... This 0.44 square kilometer country brought us a bit of luck, as we just happened to visit on the last Sunday of the month, when entry to the museum and the Sistine Chapel is free. Ancient Roman statues, paintings of Mary and Jesus, early Christian church coffins, we saw it all - and lots of it. The Sistine Chapel was the highlight of the Vatican museum tour because it's so famous and it was just plain cool. We also toured St. Peter's Church, where the Apostle Peter's bones "supposedly" lie and where the Pope always gives speeches from in the Vatican. Yep, it's the place you always see on TV. It was the biggest and most amazing church I've ever entered. Underneath the church we went through the maze of Pope coffins, including Pope John Paul. It wasn't spooky, it was actually a very peaceful place I thought. The Vatican is definitely worth the day we spent there.


To see everything in Rome could have taken us a week, but we only had 2 full days, so on we went... A train to Bari, Italy. A 16 hour over-night ferry to Patra, Greece. A bus to Kiato, Greece. A train to Piraeus, Greece. Two days traveling. We made it. We have a bed to sleep in tonight until our super fast ferry of 5 hours to Santorini Island tomorrow morning. We're on the go, but having fun, especially after a shower and dinner.

Italy

Our first stop in Italy was Tirano, a small town on the border of Switzerland, where we switched trains to Milan. We were only there an hour, but enough time to hear the accordian player on the street and to grab the most AMAZING pasta from a little to-go shop. We stopped again in Milan, or Milano in Italian, which was a city I wasn't sad to by-pass. Crowded. Loud. Graffiti everywhere. Dirty. Finally we arrived in Genoa, or Genova. This is a port city in the Northwest of Italy. With over 600,000 people is was bustling as people walked the cobble-stone streets with old architecture towering overhead. The best part of this city, in my opinion, was an old street we stumbled upon that housed huge mansions once occupied by the nobles of the city. We went in one of them, which is now city hall, and it was very impressive. I pictured women walking the open halls of this residence with Victorian gowns boasting their cleavage. Genoa was a stopping point to reach the Cinque Terre, five small villages that were cut off from the rest of the world for quite some time. We hiked between some of them and took the train between others. We took dips in the Mediterranean Sea at two of the villages to cool down from the heat. (It is HOT in Europe right now!) We stopped in little cafes here and there to grab a snack and I even did a little shopping at a boutique run by a woman who was dressed like a gypsie in white. The Cinque Terre was beautiful, surrounded by vineyards and lemon tree orchards. I would definitely like to go back, but maybe not in the height of trourist season and HOT HOT weather.

Here is a picture of one of the villages where we took a dip in the small bay...


After the Cinque Terre we stopped in Pisa. The only reason to go there is to see the Leaning Tower, which we did. Besides that, it's just a small college town like McMinnville, Oregon. We saw the tower, hopped back on the train, and now we're in Rome. Rome is like ancient meets modern. We ate our grocery store lunch beside ancient temple ruins. We walked through the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Saw fountains and churches made by famous designers. There is so much to see!!!



Tomorrow the Christian Catacombs and the Vatican and anything else we stumble across, which will definitely happen in this city!

Switzerland

We spent our first day in Zurich, walking everywhere around the city center. Things that stood out to me... The train system is so effecient, down to the minute. The train to our hotel always arrived at 9 minutes after and 39 minutes after the hour. A LOT different than Kenya. All the buildings are beautiful, even the regular homes look like something out of national geographic. The pretzles are my favorite bread here, which could be a little dangerous.
Our second day in Europe we took the train through the Alps to St. Moritz, a posh ski town, where we are hanging out with Will's parents for a few days. We took a cable car to the top most peak at over 9,000 feet. It was one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen, even might beat Alaska.

The downfalls of Switzerland is that it is quite expensive to eat and it's a little cold for me, even colder than Limuru this morning. But overall, Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places I've been and it is definitely a nice break from life in Kenya.

This was the view around every corner as we took the train from Zurich to St. Moritz...

Leaving on a jet plane...

Bags are packed.

Passports ready.

We're off to Europe!

10 countries.

6 1/2 weeks.

Dream honeymoon here we come!

First stop... Zurich.

We'll keep you posted.

LCC Adventure...

45 Kids.

24 adults.

3 busses.

1 hike.

On Saturday Will's team from Mississippi took everyone from Limuru Children's Center on a hike. Hell's Gate was the destination... a geo-thermal area with hot springs, cliffs, and deep ravines. We enjoyed watching the kids climb down cliffs, jump off rocks, and play in the water. With everyone wearing matching purple shirts, we were quite a sight in the national park. It was a great time for all!

Solomon is Out!

Solomon is out of the hospital. The bill is paid. And he looks so good. He still has to see the neurologist for check-ups, but his hearing looks like it will be fine, and he has few scars considering the damage of the accident. If you had seen that boy when we arrived at the emergency room with him and see him now, only a week later, you would be amazed. Thank you for all your prayers for Solomon and his family. The funds have been donated for his medical bills, and Solomon is getting stronger every day. His sister, Rosemary, who was also in the accident, is back at school and doing well.

If you continue to think of this family, you can pray that Solomon will have no brain damage and his memory loss will be restored. Also, pray that both Solomon and Rosemary are able to overcome the trauma of the accident. They saw the deaths of two people and 15 kids in the hospital bloodied and broken that day. Rosemary described to me how the driver, who was killed instantly, looked and various other gruesome details that no child should have to experience. The trauma is something they are still dealing with.

Thank you again for the love and support you've given people you don't know. All of us on this side of the world have been blessed by it. Much love to you!