Where is Chris - Simple Cathedral

Today Christians across the globe celebrate Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.  This year, instead of bearing palms and entering their churches in procession, they remain in their homes praying for an end to this Covid-19 pandemic. 

We've had the good fortune to visit several churches and cathedrals across the globe.   Today we share one of those with you.  Can you guess where it is?

Think of ways to keep your children engaged during their time at home.  Our hope is that our images provide a starting point for discussions and projects that can help tie your families together at this time of crisis.  #KeepTheKidsEngaged

We hope you are enjoying this series of  "Where is Chris" posts.  We'd love your feedback on our social media.

Where is Chris (Scroll on Image)    Learn More (Click)

Where is Chris?

Here is today's post: See if you can guess where I am. 

As promised, we've updated yesterday's post, Where is Chris - Wobbly Bridge, with the answer to the puzzle.  Revisit that post and just scroll over the image to reveal the answer.  You can also click on the link below the picture to read more.    

Make sure to follow us on our social media, so you don't miss any destinations. 


If you can't wait for tomorrow for the answer, you can take my quiz in my Instagram story.

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Village of Oia, Santorini Greece

Our Tour Continues

After concluding our visit at SantoWines Winery, we reboarded our motorcoach for the scenic ride to the Village of Oia. View our photo album, Drive to Oia - Santorini, to get an idea of the scenic countryside of this part of Santorini, Greece.

Arriving in Oia

Pronounced "Eee-ah," the village of Oia is perched high atop the cliffs of Santorini's northern terminus. Known for its quiet beauty and spectacular sunsets, this spot boasts superlative views of neighboring volcanoes.  Following our guide, we strolled through the narrow, cobblestone lanes, viewed the brilliantly whitewashed buildings, shops, sun-bathed cafés and blue-domed churches.

Church of Panagia of Platsani

Today Oia, as an Orthodox village, has the picturesque blue domed chapels, pristine white bell towers and volcanic stone trimmed church doorways dotted all along the caldera cliffs. Each chapel is of course named after the Saint it honors and was built by a local family, many to pray for the safe return of the seafaring members of the family.

There are two main churches in Oia that have a priest conducting weekly services. The Church of Panagia of Platsani is the principal church and located at the center of the village. It was built in the 1800's and maintained in perfect condition.

More than 70 churches, with the characteristic blue domes, dot the countryside of Oia.   The churches resulted due to the maritime life of its inhabitants.  Families would build churches in order to ensure that God would favor them with safe journeys on the sea.

In some cases, the parents and wives of the sailors and the captains  promised to erect a church to a saint so that their beloved ones would come back safely. Upon return from a dangerous voyage, the sailors and the captains also built churches honoring a saint that had kept them safe from bad weather or other dangerous situations.

Consequently, most of these churches are privately owned as they were inherited by the ancestors of each family. Family members were also buried at these churches.  They are typically closed to the public except for on the Saint's Name Day when a festival is held and everyone is invited to attend.

Postcards came to life as we continued our stroll through the village of Oia.  We had time to explore on our own, browsing for souvenirs, enjoying refreshments and marveling at the incredible views. The natural beauty and tranquility of Oia's landscape has inspired artists from around the world, and numerous galleries can be found nearby.

Photo Album:  Village of Oia

In the album above, which can be found on our Facebook Fan Page, we have shared some of our own postcard images captured as we continued our stroll from the center of the village, through the narrow cobblestone lanes, which lead us to the Kasteli (Castle) of Agios Nikolaos. From that vantage point you have excellent views of the volcano and all of the village. If we were still at the castle during sunset, we would be among the hordes of people that have gathered for a breathtaking view.   Our view from the ship was equally impressive.  

We'll share the rest of our day in Santorini in additional blog posts.   Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can follow the rest of our journey.   Also, become a fan (like) our Facebook Fan Page so that you'll be notified of additional stories and photo albums of our 12-Night Greek Isles & Mediterranean Cruise on Star Princess.    We hope you are enjoying your virtual journey thus far.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Where have you explored? 

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Off the Beaten Path Lucca Italy

 

Imagine a beautiful little Tuscan town protected by massively thick 16th-century walls, featuring some of Italy's finest medieval and Renaissance architecture, superb dining, and antique markets.  

Welcome to Lucca, Italy the next stop on our 12-Night Greek Isles & Mediterranean cruise vacation.

We ventured off the beaten path  for our port of call in Livorno, Italy (Florence / Pisa).  Come along with us and enjoy an hour-long guided walking tour thru the streets of Lucca, followed by our independent exploration before returning to our waiting ship in Livorno.   This four-hour excursion offers a little bit of everything - a guided walking tour, free time, a visit inside the noted Cathedral of Lucca and plenty of photo opportunities. 

Our Facebook Fan Page albums:               Lucca - Walking Tour     

Lucca - Church of San Michele in Foro     Lucca Duomo (Cathedral of St Martin )

This charming little town is located in the heart of Tuscany, 46 miles west of Florence and 14 miles northwest of Pisa.  Lucca saw its first city walls built in 56 AD and later became a roman colony.   The beauty of this place is still mainly connected to its walled fortifications that still surround the city centre and were designed to keep the enemies away. The tree-lined garden boulevard is now the perfect location for a slow stroll around the city walls.

Our motorcoach dropped us off at Piazzale Martiri Della Liberta where we entered the city gates and walked through Piazza S. Maria to begin our exploration. Continuing along via Fillungo, the main street in the city, we made our first stop at the Roman amphitheater. We continued through the archway to Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.

Today this unique elliptical-shaped plaza, ringed by Medieval houses, (central image in collage above) is the center of the life for the citizens of Lucca. Little remains of the original amphitheater, but one can imagine being witness to spectacles and gladiator games in ancient times.

Our next stop was at Guinigi Tower (Torre Guinigi).  The Tower was built in brick; its imposing bulk was lightened by mullioned three-light and four-light windows and decorated by coats of arms, cornices and plaques. Since then it has been one of the symbols of the town.

Throughout the city we saw references to Giacomo Puccini, the renowned citizen of Lucca who lived from 1858 to 1924 and is famous the world over. As we stood in front of the Music school where Puccini studied, we heard music from the students who are following in his footsteps.

Continuing to the Piazza San Martino, we came to the Cathedral of St. Martin (Duomo di San Martino). It was consecrated in 1070 by Pope Alexander II. This beautiful marble cathedral features magnificent Romanesque sculptures on its façade and a much-revered crucifix and notable works of early Renaissance art inside.

The Baptistery of St. John, the church of Santa Reparata and the Duomo of San Martino are three different buildings in three adjoining squares, but form a single complex, both for their position and for their millenary history.

 The final stop on the guided-tour portion was at the Church of San Michele in Foro which is located in Piazza S. Michele. Dating back to the 12th century, this stunning example of Romanesque architecture features one of the most interesting facades in Italy. Outside, its four colonnaded levels of gleaming white marble are inlaid with a menagerie of real and mythical animals. 

The dimly lit interior hosts a painted wooden crucifix with the Virgin Mary and St. John dating from the late 12th century and a white enameled relief of the Madonna and Child, attributed to the famous Italian sculptor Luca della Robbia.

Free time in Piazza S. Michele

Now that the guided-tour was complete,  we had to stop for some Gelato and explore the other shops in the square.   Since we had made a purchase, the Gelateria owner allowed us to use their WC (restrooms).  We suggest you do so before returning to the meeting point to avoid having to pay to use the public WC. 

Continuing along via S. Paolino, we now enter Puccini territory. He not only worked as an organist at the Chiesa dei S. Paolino (1515) but in 1881 his first composition "La Messa a Quattro Voci" was performed here.  We walked a little further to  our pickup point - Piazzale Verdi where we waited for the rest of our group to return.  More details about are free time can be see in our photo album.


We hope you enjoyed your virtual visit to Lucca.   Should you find yourself near Florence or Pisa, we suggest you consider visiting this charming city.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit along with the drive through Tuscany.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Happy Easter 2010

Happy Easter

Today marks the most solemn day in the Christian calendar.  Unlike Christmas, Easter is a movable feast occurring the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox.   It can therefore occur between March 22 and April 25.  Christians gathered in churches today, across the world, and rejoiced because He is Risen from the Dead.  This Good News has been handed down from generation to generation and is based on the scriptures recorded more than 2000 years ago.

We have had the good fortune of traveling to many parts of Europe.   While on these cruise vacations, we often visit the magnificent cathedrals and churches built hundreds of years ago.   The stained glass window above can be seen in the Cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium.

The sculptures, wood carvings, and stained glass windows bring the scriptures to life.  What is most amazing is the level of detail exhibited in these works of art which can be found not only in the cathedrals, but often on other buildings such as the one pictured here.

During our travels, we have learned about how the cathedrals and their contents have withstood the test of time.  In some cases, bombs fell all around, but left only minor damage to the cathedral.   In other cases, damage was more extensive but the communities rose from the ashes and restored them to their previous condition.  Visiting these churches has enhanced our cruising experiences and we hope that you'll also have the opportunity to visit some historic churches on one of your future cruise vacations.

The top photo was taken onboard AMA Waterways Amalegro last Easter Sunday.  Modern age has added the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs to this holiday celebration.  Whether you celebrated this as a religious holiday or secular one, we hope that this Easter Sunday was a joyous day for you.