Rome – Israel – Ephesus – Mykonos – Naples – Rome

August 31 to September 15, 2011

On Wednesday evening, Lynn and I left JFK, bound for Rome to embark on a 15 day tour of the Holy Land with Ligonier Ministries. Our journey begins in Rome where we arrived mid-morning on Thursday and were taken to our hotel, The Hotel Imperiale, inside the old walled section of the city. Thursday afternoon, we got on a bus for a tour of the Roman Forum (Palatine) and Senate building, Mamertine Prison and some of the famous fountains of Rome. Our guide, George, was a fabulous historian, tracing the founding of Rome to today.  The photos show the Forum, the Mamertine Prison where the apostles Peter and Paul were kept before they were executed, and Mussolini’s office building, from where he wielded his power for two decades until he was overthrown after World War 2.

(The Roman Forum)

(The Mamertine Prison where Peter and Paul were kept before their executions)

(Mussolini’s Headquarters in Rome. He gave many speeches from that 2^nd floor balcony to the crowds gathered on the square)

On Friday, we boarded a bus and headed to the ancient Coliseum, which is actually known as Flavian Amphitheater, named after one of the Roman Emperors, Flavius. The workers were on strike that day, so we couldn’t go inside. But, our guide, Gracie, gave us a wonderful walking tour around the outside of the Coliseum. After a bus tour through Rome, we stopped for lunch and then went to Vatican City to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. The artwork in the Vatican museums, and especially inside the Sistine Chapel, is stunning. It was a great thrill to stand beneath the ceiling of the Chapel and look up to see Michelangelo’s famous rendering of God creating Adam, their fingers almost touching. The Sistine Chapel is where the Cardinals meet to elect the new pope. We saw where they place the oven in which they burn the paper ballots, the white smoke indicating to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square that a new pope has been chosen.

St. Peter’s Basilica and Square in Vatican City

Saturday morning, the buses picked us up @ 11:00 and took us to the ship, which was moored in port city of Civitavecchia, which means “old city”. The Celebrity Cruise Lines newest ship, The Silhouette, was waiting for us. Her maiden voyage was July 23^rd, so we her fifth cruise. The Silhouette is decked out from bow to stern with every modern luxury and convenience imaginable. It is 5-star accommodations on the high seas. Our stateroom is on the 11^th floor, looking out the port (left) side. It’s very spacious and we have a great view looking out of our floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors onto the veranda and onto the Mediterranean Sea.

(Jim and Eileen Hollenbach, and Lynn at Hotel Imperiale waiting for the bus to take us to the ship)

(Getting ready to board the Silhouette!)

(Our stateroom, #1597 – not too shabby!)

(1^st Dinner on the Silhouette with Jim and Eileen Hollenbach, Jeff and Mary Simpson, and Ed and Beth Beck from Naples)

Sunday morning we attended a worship service in the ship’s theater. Dr. R.C. Sproul  preached from Isaiah 6 and Galatians 4 about how God, in the fullness of time, sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Redeemer.  After a 45 minute run on the treadmill, Lynn and I cancelled all that work by having a great lunch overlooking Sicily to the east and the tip of the boot of Italy to the west. As I write this, I’m looking at the Navigation Channel on our stateroom T.V. It shows that our ship is southwest of Italy, heading toward Israel. We will skirt the southern tip of Greece tonight, be at sea all day Monday, and dock in Ashdod, Israel early Tuesday morning ready for our travels through the Holy Land. I will write another update in a couple of days.

In the Father’s Care,

Dave and Lynn

(Sunday morning on top of the ship, overlooking the boot of Italy as we sailed through the Messina Strait)