Zenna Singing!

Prayer Request

Tonight Laura was taken to the emergency room for what is believed to be an allergic reaction. Everything is fine and she is being well cared for, so no need to panic :) however prayer for continued quick recovery is appreciated!

Our first week...

We had a very busy but exciting first week.  On Monday, we visited the Roman Forum and Palatine hill to discuss the origins of Rome.  There are new discoveries which was quite wonderful including the unearthing of an arena of the Emperor Domitian which had not been seen or unearthed for more than 50 years.  On Tuesday, we toured a couple of national museums (Massimo and Terme) as well as the Diocletian baths (the site of Mandy's group picture below), as well as the columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius.  On Wednesday, we were taken through the Colosseum by Darius Arya, the executive director of AIRC, our host site.  Dar is a respected archeologist and specialist on the Colosseum and other arenas in antiquity.  The students really enjoyed their time with him and seeing the Colosseum up close and in depth.  (See a couple of my great pictures below.)  On Thursday and Friday, we visited the Vatican.  On Thursday, we were priviledged to tour the necropolis of St. Peter.  The evidence for this being the actual burial place of Peter is actually quite compelling, and I actually do  believe it to be authentic (not that the bones that they have are necessarily Peter's); however, for me the most compelling evidence is the length of the tradition of that exact site as the burial place of Peter.  It actually goes back to the first century, only a few years after the death of Peter.  On Friday, we climbed all the way to the top of the cupola of St. Peters (half of us) where we were able to overlook the entire city.  We then went through the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel.  The students are off for a three day weekend, visiting places like Pompeii, Sorrento, Venice, Capri, and London.  I'm staying "home" in Rome to get caught up on work and rest.

Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre)

Colosseum inside

Seeing eye behind altar in St. Peters

Podium in front of baldicchino over tomb of St. Peter

Our Group

Arrived

We have arrived! Rome is beautiful! It is so full of life and color! I cannot wait to spend the next three weeks exploring this city!

Getting lunch/gelato

And we are off!

So far everything is going smoothly. Pray for continual safe travels! :)

Almost here!

Our departure time is coming up very quickly!

Preparing to Leave for Rome next week!

In four days, I will be leaving ahead of the group for an exciting time in Rome, Milan, Ravenna, and Florence. Of course, there is still much to be done before we all leave, but I think the excitement is building for all of the students.  Attached is a picture of St. John's University in the Prati district of Rome, where the students will be staying.  My apartment is a short walking distance from the students where we will meet for Sunday dinner. 

It's relatively close to the Vatican and even closer to Castel Sant'Angelo (Hadrian's Castle) where the popes resided for many centuries.  (The connecting passageway from Castel Sant'Angelo to the Vatican was a feature of Dan Brown's second book Angels and Demons; although the passageway is not as glamorous as portrayed in the movie -- it has the smells of humanity!, although I'm pretty sure access to the tunnel is no longer allowed).