Capharnaum

Quite near the Church of Peter's Primacy is the ancient town of Capharnaum, the home of Peter's mother. Jesus stayed there often during the years of his ministry, and a Church is built above Peter's home. Many of the buildings of the town have been excavated, and we saw homes and shops as well as several public buildings.

Clear Water of Galilee

The clear water at the shore of Galilee is seen along with a statue outside a Church. The Church of Peter's Primacy is at the place where Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter, Rock, the one on whom He would build His church. A beautiful sculpture is seen among the trees. Inside, the Church is built around a hug symbolic rock. A great day was off to a wonderful start.

Galilee

Upon arrival in Israel we took a bus to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. At this point, the wonderful vacation ticked up into a pilgrimage. Here we see Galilee near the place where Jesus walked on water, along with a view of the scene of the great Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are the Peacemakers . . . "

Fresh Fish Delivered

We saw the freshest of fish being hand delivered as we headed back to board ship. Not being a fish eater, I did not see it as looking delicious, just pretty.

Turkish Rugs and Dancers

After the ruins of Ephesus we watched craftsmen making famed Turkish rugs, and were entertained by lively folk dancers after a delicious luncheon.

SUNDAY POSTER

John the Evangelist

Ephesus is the burial location of St. John the Evangelist. Within a hilltop enclosure his burial location is a beautiful peaceful place. After having been in his work area on Patmos, we were interested in seeing this holy resting place.

Arena

Our tour of the ruins of Ephesus concludes at the huge arena, patterned after the Greek dramatic theatres. Later we visit the Ephesus Museum and see a wonderful rendering of Mary and Jesus.

Ephesus Library

The iconic Celsus Library in Ephesus is the one photo every photographer must collect in that location. Here it is on a bright sunny morning, along with a mosaic found outside what appears to be a large home in the upper class area.

Ruins

We visited the ruins of a great city when we arrived in Ephesus. Formerly a seaport, it is the setting of my favorite Shakespearean comedy, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, and it is impressive in its size and scope. The statue seen above does not normally have a baseball cap on it, but my friend Dick was wearing it and our guide thought it would help us to recognize the image of Nike. He did point out the trademark Nike swash does come from the left side of this statuary.

Mary in Ephesus

A church is built on the site that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, apparently spent her last days. A small, dark Church, it is uplifting to visit a place associated with Mary so clearly. A fine start to the visit to Ephesus.

On to Ephesus

After seeing a perfect sunset over Patmos, our ship headed to the coast of Turkey where we stepped onto Asian soil for the first time. Our destination was Ephesus, once a bustling seaport but now a few miles inland, the home of the Ephesians. The sculpture marks the area as the city of birds.

SUNDAY POSTER

Dome Decor and Dancing

On Patmos we entered a Church that had an imposing and beautiful dome depicting a vigilant Jesus looking down at his congregation. We were to find out in the coming week that many such domes are dotted all over the Holy Land and its environs.

Following the sightseeing, we sat down to a fine lunch, highlighted by some high-stepping dancers. The star of the show on the left had some admirable hops!

Faces of Patmos

Several interesting mosaics and works of art populate Patmos, and this Orthodox priest added a powerful aspect to the visit.

St. John's Grotto

Our stop at Patmos was the first of four stops on a Holy Land tour. This Greek Isle features St. John's Grotto, the location where the evangelist dictated the book of Revelation. John wrote a Gospel and several other parts of the Bible, and this is a specific place where he was known to work and live. John is not buried on Patmos, as we shall see in a later post.

Positano

We left Pompeii for a wonderful luncheon in Positano, on the Amalfi Coast, overseen by this wonderful statue. It was our last stop in Italy; in the next post we see out first Greek Isle and begin the trek to Jerusalem.

Forun in the Shadow

Our visit to Pompeii winds up in the massive Forum, seeing a statue of Athena in her temple and then looking out toward the north to see the shape of Vesuvius looming in the morning light.

Vesuvius Victims

Apparently the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD was sudden and showered the city of Pompeii with a dry volcanic ash. Many citizens were found in a sort of mummified state, preserved eerily in place for more than 19 centuries. Today it is just as eerie as it must have been to those who excavated the site.

SUNDAY POSTER

Softcover Book Published

During the course of my travels this summer, I visited the Holy Land with a special extra purpose in mind. A dear friend who faces the challenges of ALS with grace and courage was on my mind. He and his family are wonderful examples of the power of prayer and family. To assist in the fight against this insidious disease, I used over 30 of my photos with a like number of Bible verses to put together an eBook entitled TO WALK HUMBLY. This title is from my friend's favorite Bible verse.

Today I have completed work to have the book published in a quality softcover version and it is available online for onlyh $20. All proceeds are dedicated to the fight against ALS. Check it out and consider purchasing a copy today!

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/rickbeatophoto

More Details

Many of the streets of Pompeii are remarkably complete and interesting, as you see here. The detail above is actually a portion of sidewalk; the mosaic was designed to act in place of street lights on moonlit nights, a fascinating concept twenty centuries ago.

Pompeii Details

The details we learned of the Roman city of Pompeii were quite interesting. Here we see one of the lead pipes that provided running water to public and private buildings all over the city. Below is a view of one of the streets. Deep gutters were provided to allow safe runoff of heavy rainfall. The stones crossing the streets allowed pedestrians to walk across without stepping down into the water. Look again: the cross stones were well arranged. Carts, whether pushed by people or pulled by donkeys, could use the street, with wheels fitting between the stepping stones.

Pompeii

Our stop in Sorrento began with a visit to Pompeii, the city that was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. We entered close to the theater and were able to see the classic architecture of the outdoor facility.

Rome to Sorrento

We take a final look at the Castello Sant'Angelo, with the statue of Michael the Archangel in the central courtyard, and then complete our time in Italy . . . . in a way. The next morning we board Pacific Princess for our cruise, which stops in Sorrento, where we are pleased to visit both Pompeii and Positano on our actual final day in Italy. Here we see the sunrise over the bay as we prepare to tender to the dock in Sorrento.

Arrivederci Roma

Early in our first look at Rome we began the day at St. Peter's Square. As we visited Castello Sant' Angelo on our last day, we walked up on the outer parapet and saw a wonderful view of the square from the high vantage point. It was a feeling of completing a circle for us. Meanwhile, we stopped in a small cafeteria for appetizers and a soft drink. The owner, on the right, visited with us for quite a while, and then our waiter, on the left came by and heard we were from the Chicago area. He was so pleased to tell us that he went to high school, not in Italy, but in Croatia. What would make that interesting to a Chicagoan? He was a high school pal of former Bulls star Toni Kukoc. Small world!

Labor Day Poster

Happy Labor Day with the wish that everyone could be so fortunate to have the family as a haven in a heartless world.

SUNDAY POSTER, 1000 POSTS

Love your neighbor as yourself. What could be a more fitting poster than this on the occasion of the 1,000th post on Rickbeatophoto. Steady production considering that 33 months ago the first post suggested that we would share this form at least, say, once per week. And now we manage to do this daily. Thanks for joining me!

Bridges Over the Tiber

Our tour guide had headed home with his family, but he had helped us plan a walking tour for Sunday that had us crossing the Tiber on four different bridges, a real chance to see some of the city . . . and to stop for appetizers and cold drinks in a quiet ristorante. The major sight to see was the huge Castello Sant' Angelo, a majestic name indeed for a huge tomb built by and for the Emperor Hadrian.