Pre-trip work!

 We are still busy like crazy getting prepared for the trip!





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 March 11, 2025  The city of San Gimignano stands on the site of a small Etruscan settlement dating from the Hellenistic period 3rd-2nd century B.C.  It's history begins around the 10th century.  We started in the center plaza. This is another walled city and our first major attraction was the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta consecrated in 1148.  The main altar. I will tell you who is under the "table cloth" in front later in this post. The amazing thing about this church was the amount of frescos! Remember, this is 1148 and the population is essentially illiterate. If you followed the flow of frescos it was salvation history from Genesis to the Resurrection of Christ and His Ascension into heaven. There are three layers of frescos. Here's how the timeline works.  First, you follow the top pictures around the church, then the second row, and finally the third row. Here are three examples. Top: The Annunciation, Middle: Palm Sunday, Bottom: Judas receiving 3...
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 May 29, 2025   Goodbye Europe! Time to go home. Our last day in Europe was met with mixed feelings from all of us. It's the kind of experience that at the same time felt long and over too quickly. It's similar to the "post Christmas blues". You look forward to something for a long time, put in the work to make it happen, the event goes quickly, and you feel a little depressed when it's all done. Rod and I recognize the blessing of time with our children, those still at home, those already on their own, and those somewhere in-between.  Looking back on the trip as a whole, it was everything we hoped for. There were no medical emergencies. The was no lost luggage. There were no delayed or canceled flights. There were no car accidents or breakdowns of any kind. All the goals we had at the beginning of the trip were fulfilled. 1. Get a break from the responsibilities of life back home. 2. See stuff you can't see in America. 3. Strengthen family bonds through new e...
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