The Vatican Museums, established in the early 1500s by Pope Julius II, showcase a vast collection of art, featuring classical sculptures, Renaissance masterpieces, and the Sistine Chapel, renowned for Michelangelo’s ceiling. Despite the crowds, the visit is a profound journey through history and art, culminating in the inspiring beauty of the Sistine Chapel.
The next day we boarded a train and headed to Rome. All of the grandchildren loved riding the trains. JP said it was the favorite part of his trip. We arrived into Rome, took the Metro to our VRBO apartments (3 in the same building). The apartments are close to the Metro, on a…
The next day we got up early and took a water bus to the train station and boarded a train to Assisi. We had a stop in Padeu and we visited Basilica of St. Anthony’s . Padua (Italian: Padova) is one of Italy’s oldest cities, founded by the ancient Veneti around the 12th century BCE.…
Nana and the family are embarking on a Jubilee vacation to Italy, commemorating a promise made 25 years ago during a previous trip. The journey starts in Venice, a historical city known for its canals and art, where 26 family members gather. They enjoy sightseeing, dinner, and a gondola ride before heading to Assisi.
Nana showcased her watercolor paintings and performed at the guest talent show during the cruise. Following this, the family explored San Juan, appreciating its history, vibrant architecture, and warm atmosphere. They enjoyed local culture, tried a GPS-guided app, and savored piña coladas before preparing to disembark. Two more blogs are planned.
I have been spending a lot of time with the grandchildren on the model railroads but they always ask about the big trains. “Papa we saw big train today and it was very interesting”. So I found a place in Bryson City, NC that is a scenic railroad ride. They had just added a steam…
During our visit to Portugal we also had the chance to visit Fatima. It is very close where Renato’s home town. I was surprised to see how big the area was and there were so many people. Nana Sue has been there before and she said that the entire square was filled. You can see…
On Friday we drove to Tomar and arrived at Isabel and Jose’s house (Renato’s parents). They welcomed us and made us feel at home. They live in a very small village outside of Tomar. There house is a 3 bedroom house with Isabel’s recently passed away mother’s house next door, and her Isabel’s mother’s mother’s…
Nanna Sue and I are now visiting Portugal. There is a very special festival in Tomar, Festival of the Trays, that we will be seeing on Sunday, more on that for a later post. We flew into Lisbon, a lovely city just in from the Western Side of Portugal. We stayed at a small hotel in the…
I recently visited Altoona PA with my daughter Erin. We were there for a family reunion with the Wolf family, from my mother’s mother’s side of the family. While there I took the advantage to check out a train museum and the famous horseshoe curve. The museum was fantastic and I learned the history and…
papa carney 