An American Family in Valencia
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt On our first day of Spanish class in Valencia, Laurie and I met another couple even crazier than us. Some people think we were nuts to sell our house and live a life on the road. Jon and Kari have […]
The Town With a Grudge
Revenge is a confession of pain. Latin proverb Only an hour train ride south from our current home in Valencia, Spain, lies the town of Xàtiva. Before arriving here, we’d never heard of the place. But it was well known by famous people through the age including General Hannibal of Carthage, General Scipio of Rome, […]
Pilgrimage to Milan
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV Milan, Italy is known as a fashion center, financial capital, and the home of da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper. While most people would visit the second biggest city in […]
Driving, Italian Style
“…he drove as if he were at the wheel of a Ferrari at Monza. Like all drivers, he insisted on showing off his skills.” Michele Guittari, A Florentine Death Italians drive like they’re auditioning for a race team. Streets that would be pedestrian only zones in most countries are frequented by fast moving cars, and yes—sometimes […]
A Slice of Small Town Italian Life
“The Creator made Italy by designs from Michelangelo.” Mark Twain Before this trip when we thought of Italy, the big cities came to mind: Rome, Venice, Florence. The most eye opening part of our journey has been experiencing small town Italy: villages with a population of 500 or so, with lineages to a time before […]
City of the Saint
The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today. Francis of Assisi The city of Saint Francis teased us. From more than two hours, away we could see the basilica, prominent at the west end of the city. But we were excited—fifteen days after hiking out of Florence the hometown […]
Francis and the Wolf
If we could talk to the animals, just imagine it Chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee Imagine talking to a tiger, chatting to a cheetah What a neat achievement that would be… Lyrics from the movie Doctor Doolittle St Francis is often remembered for his love of animals. He’s the patron saint of animals, there […]
A Magical Stop
“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.” Neil Gaiman Last Sunday we had one of our toughest days of hiking, ever. But the ending was…magical. We left at about 8:00 am because we knew it was going to be hot and the guidebook classified the […]
Walking the Italian Hill Country
In America, one must be something, but in Italy one can simply be. Pietros Maneos We’ve left behind the big city of Florence and walked into a different Italy, the Italy of small towns in the mountains connected by quiet forest paths and roads. An Italy where mushroom hunters prowl the forest paths and bring […]
A Trek Across Italy
It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. Francis of Assisi Yesterday we set out on a month long walk across Italy from Florence to Assisi to Rome. Our objective is not only to experience the beauty and history of this country, but to seek a higher purpose for […]
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