an interesting chapter from

Ben Hur's European Holiday...

a painting signifying the importance of Fatima, Portugal  about the appearance of Mary  in the beginning of the 19th century..

As I was saying earlier, the holiday was perfect in many ways.  We were  worried that the weather pattern that was wrecking havoc at that time in Northern Europe would spoil our vacation, but miracles do happen.  Except for a light shower on our first night in Fatima (Potugal), the weather was great all the way throughout the two weeks that we were there.  There were twenty-two of us who blended so well as a group and we had so much fun together.  It was a pilgrimage, so we visited mostly places noted for their religious significance. We did take a side trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo and tried the casino and marveled at the wealth that littered that filthy rich place.  I am still salivating over the Ferrari's, the Rolls Royce's and the Lambourgini's that lined the streets of Monte Carlo.  We had a chance to rendezvous with our daughter Karla who is currently studying in Florence.  She met us in our hotel in Rome.  I liked the fountain of Trevi. I wanted to spend more time there and get swept into the romanticism of that beautiful corner of the world, but it was very crowded and the ladies were in a rush to go shopping.  We also missed the Sistine Chapel because it had closed by the time we got out of St. Peter's basilica.  Oh, well, that leaves us something to yearn for and maybe a reason to go back someday.  I took a lot of pictures but I don't have a scanner, so maybe I'll just send you some prints for your journal.  Ciao!

Ben Hur