Rome - Vespa

This is a Vespa. Otherwise known as a Motorino. This is the primary way of personal transportation in the city. The streets are too busy and crowded to make driving a car practical (that and gas prices are through the roof - more than $3 per gallon). Most people just choose to walk and/or take public transportation here. I am amazed at how well the public transportation works between the busses, subways (the metro), trams, and trains. Unlike in St Paul, MN, a bus arrives within two blocks of almost anywhere about every minute. You never have to wait at bus stops very long.

Rome - Capitoline Hill

I love Rome. There is so much history that you can go and see and touch. This is a typical view from up on the Capitoline Hill. You can see all of Rome from this hill, which is part of the reason it was/is used as the capital of Rome.

Rome - Sts Peter and Paul

This is a picture of the relics of the chians of St Peter. These chains are at the church of Saints Peter and Paul. It is amazing to see the actual chains that bound the first Pope before he was crucified upside down.

Rome - Bernini

On one of my art and architecture class visits we went to this church. It was built by Bernini and is a prototype to when he built the arms of St Peter's Basilica for the Vatican. This little courtyard (called the cloister) feels like it's embracing you, just like the colonade arms of St Peter's.

Venice

I went to Venice this past weekend. The city was wonderful, the food was great, and the fellowship was awesome. This is the kind of place I would love to live for a few months in the spring time. The traditional image that comes to most people's minds when you say 'Venice' is the famous Gondola. Here is a picture of one. It cost about $200 to ride in one, so I passed on the opportunity.

Venice - Grand Canal

This is a typical shot of the Grand Canal. I love the colors of the city. This was a beautiful city to visit. I hope to go back someday.

Venice

This photo was taken standing on one of the three bridges that go over the Grand Canal, the main waterway through Venice, looking out into the St Mark Canal. What a beautiful view!

Venice - St Marks

This is the Basilica of St Mark in Venice. It is a Eastern Bysantine church built after the Roman emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman empire to Bysantium, which he promptly renamed Constantinople, and was later renamed Istanbul as it is today.
When the Eastern Empire fell to the Turks, some of the treasures of the Hagia Sophia (the St Peter's of the Eastern Empire) were moved here to St Marks. There is a museum in the Basilica that is amazing, but we were not allowed to take pictures in there, so I couldn't get any photos of the cool stuff.
Anyway, it is an awesome church. I think Venice was the capital of the Western Roman Empire for a while when the Roman Empire was divided into East and West. That would partially explain the huge Bystantine Basilica.

Venice - St Marks

This is a sampling of some of the beautiful ancient moziacs in the dome of St Marks's Basilica in Venice. These pictures do not do justice to seeing this in person.

Venice

As I was standing at the waterfront by San Marco I took this photo overlooking the St Mark Canal. The little island in the background can only be reached via water, like many of the little island all over Venice.

Venice

This is a beautiful photo of a typical waterway in Venice

Venice

The main streets in Venice are water. Almost all of the 'normal' streets are relly just allyways. This becomes obvious when one walks around Venice because the paved streets have no general organization or order.

Venice

This is a typical store in Venice. Venice is know for thier Festival where everyone dresses up in Victorian style costumes complete with masks to cover thier faces. There are many stores that sell these masks. Venice is also well known for a special kind of glass they make. Half of the stores in Venice sell trinkets made of the glass.

Venice

What trip to Venice would be complete without a picture of the beautiful and colorful buildings that are all over the city.

Padua

I went to Padua on the way to Venice so that I could visit my Confirmation saint, St Anthony of Padua. I had been waiting since I became Catholic eight years ago to make a pilgrimage to St Anthony's church. It was a blessed time for me as I finally completed this long awaited journey.