Palm Springs Pastor's Conference

Pastor Johnny Hunt

The final experience of the sabbatical is a pastor's conference in Palm Springs California.  I tried to organize the aspects of the sabbatical to include things that would aide, both in disconnecting from the church in the early stages of it, and reconnecting with it in the later stages.  It's not that I want to get away from the church.  I don't.  But I realize that it is healthy for me to draw away from time to time to get perspective that cannot be gained in the middle of things.  It is also healthy for the church to learn how to function independently of the pastor at times. 

I chose to attend a Timothy-Barnabus Pastor's Conference.  These are led by Johnny Hunt, a well-known Southern Baptist pastor out of Woodstock Baptist Church near Atlanta, Georgia.  Pastor Johnny is known for the great passion he has for the church and for his heart to minister to pastors and their wives.  I had hoped to attend one closer to home, but the one in Palm Springs was the one that fit in with the summer sabbatical schedule. 

The conference is really good about calling leaders back to the basics of being with the Lord, being grounded in the Word, growing your heart for Him, and then ministering out of the overflow of the work that God is doing in your life.  The warm desert setting has also provided an ideal setting for praying, planning, and thinking about how to lead the church in the coming days and months.  I have also thoroughly enjoyed the heat!  I think it has been over 100 degrees every day.  I have done my best to spread wide my solar panels and soak in the sun.  I hope I can draw on it during the long, cold winter months that lie ahead.  It has been an awesome experience. 

This is the final leg of the sabbatical journey. I return to church the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.   Since the theme of the sabbatical has been "going to the water's edge," it may seem odd to finish in the desert.  But the water's edge for me has really been the California coastline. 

On my first day here, I drove up to see some dear friends that used to attend our church, but now live here.  The journey to their place took me on a drive several miles up the Pacific Coast Highway, arguably the most scenic terrain that we experienced this whole journey.  It was a fresh reminder to me that, even though there may be many desert times, the Lord will bring you back to the water's edge for times of refreshing.  He is, as John 4 says, the Living Water that those who come to Him will never thirst.  I'm hope to make it my daily practice to come to the water's edge for refreshing myself in Him. 

I have been so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this sabbatical!  I'm grateful to the Lilly Foundation for providing the means to do it.  I'm so appreciative of the Oak Creek Church family and their willingness to support this for me and my family.  And I'm so grateful to the Lord for His unceasing blessings, times of refreshing, and constant Presence during these summer months.  Thanks to everyone for traveling with us on this journey. We are looking forward to a joyful reunion!

Denver Counseling Intensive

Most of the elements so far in the sabbatical have been focused on reconnecting--reconnecting with my wife, my kids, my family of origin.  The last two elements planned are sort of "reentry" events.  They are planned with the idea of helping to return to church life and seek to maximize the ministry that God has given to us.

A fundamental principle of ministry is that: you lead out of who you are. That means that you cannot separate the ministry a person does from who he is.  Unhealthy people cannot produce long-term healthy ministry.  It takes a healthy person to be able to do ministry in a way that is healthy.  And so these events are designed to make sure that I am moving towards personal, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. 

The first event is called a "Counseling Intensive."  I'd never heard of it before planning a sabbatical.  But it basically is what it says--it is cramming 6 months of intensive counseling into a single week.  Sounds great, right? :0)   To be honest, I have been dreading it somewhat.  But I know that it is an important part of the sabbatical and I believe that it will pay tremendous dividends in the months to come. 

I didn't seek this out because I'm having a breakdown or anything.  All in all, things are good.  But I wanted to participate in this for a couple of reasons.  One reason is that from time to time situations and emotions come up in ministry that are confusing.  Sometimes I wake up angry and don't know why. Sometimes I'm a grouch when there is no discernable reason for it.   I wish I could just go see a counselor at these times and talk through what I'm feeling, but the high cost of counseling prevents it.  I usually will talk things through with a friend.  But the grant has provided the unique experience of providing access to professional help.  (If you've ever heard someone say about me, "That guy needs professional help!", I finally getting it!)  I wanted to take advantage of the unique opportunity that these funds provide.

Another reason for planning this is to get perspective.  Sometimes sharing your life with someone who is totally objective can provide insights that you'd never get otherwise.  I've given the counselor the freedom to point out any blind spots that he sees in me that will limit my effectiveness in ministry.  I'm hoping that he will help me identify any areas that might be detrimental to me or the people I love and lead. 

And finally, I planned a counseling intensive because I believe God has called me to do ministry in a way that is sustainable.  Lord willing, I'm about halfway through my working years.  Sometimes you experience things that cause you to feel like you are becoming jaded or that your heart is shrinking. You wonder how long you can keep it up. As a pastor, you get a front-row seat to a lot of the hurt in the world.  And so I'm seeking counsel about how to get to the end and still be a sweet spirited, godly, faithful husband, father, and servant of God.  I'm opening myself up to someone to point out the ways that I'm living or doing ministry that cannot be sustained over the long haul. 

So I have traveled to Denver, Colorado to meet with a ministry called Restoring the Soul.  I meet every day for half a day with a counselor and then have follow up assignments between sessions. They call it a "tune up" when you're not in any crisis but are just seeking to make sure that you're on a good path in ministry.  I was told that by the end of the week I will be exhausted, but I am the one who planned this event.  I signed up for this. I don't want my own shortcomings to be impediments to the work that God wants to do in our church. 

I'd covet your prayers during this time as it's very personal and challenging.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to get this perspective on my life and ministry.  I hope that it will pay great kingdom dividends in the days to come. 

Sailboat Trip

After a time of recovering at home, Stacy and I left on a trip that we had planned for us to be together.  I'm not sure why, but I have always had a fascination with boats.  If we are near any water, I can usually be found wandering around on the pier looking at the boats. I've always wanted to go on a cruise where we were the crew on a sailing ship.  In doing research for the sabbatical, we found a couple who has a heart for pastors who opens up their boat to them.  We booked it.

We weren't really sure what we were getting into.  We looked at the pictures online and read the description, but there was a lot that we didn't know.  All we knew is that we were going on a 36 foot sailboat with another couple who would be the experts.  That was enough to get me on board.

Our Sailboat--the Twocan

Stacy is not necessarily a boat person.  I think she just went along for my benefit.  But when we met the couple who owned and lived on the boat, Keith and Brenda, we immediately felt at home with them.  The boat was docked at the marina that is at Cedar Point Amusement Park.  The marina is just about 100 yards from entrance gate to Cedar Point.  Our hosts have had their boat there for several years. 

We slept on the boat the first night in the Cedar Point Marina.  The sleeping quarters was really

small, as you would expect on a boat, but we were comfortable and slept well.  We got up in the morning and after a great breakfast, we sailed across Lake Huron to Put-In-Bay.  It was such a scenic trip.  You could see Canada from the middle of the lake. 

I was surprised when part way across the lake, Keith, who is a certified Captain, asked me if I wanted to drive.  I was excited to do that.  It's really something to travel with no noise from the motor.  Just the sound of the wind in the sail.  Whenever the wind would blow strong, the boat would tilt to where the bow would go down into the water and you could hear things falling out of the cabinets below deck. That concerned me and made sick.  But I figured the captain wouldn't let me crash his boat and he had a big smile on his face, so I just kept driving away. 

We tied up to a  mooring ball when we arrived at our destination and that was really neat.  There was a regatta the next morning so there were lots of boats in port.  I'd always wondered how people who were tied up to those buoys were able to get ashore, and learned that there is a water taxi who you called and told your buoy number and they'd pick you up. 

We toured around Put-In-Bay and enjoyed this pretty little town.  There was a monument there that was dedicated to the battles that were fought on the Lake and to the longstanding peace that was struck between the United States and Canada.  We really enjoyed visiting with our hosts and seeing the beautiful scenery that you can from a boat.  Our hosts were impeccable and we were so blessed to get to spend time with them.  They had a remarkable story of how God had used them and brought them to the place where they did this ministry. 

We enjoyed the time on the boat, even though we each had a little bout of seasickness.  It was everything that I hoped it would be.  We sailed back to Cedar Point and this time Stacy got her turn to drive.  We slept on the boat again and then headed back home in the morning. 

It was risky to try something like this that we've never done before.  Keith and Brenda gave us a vision for what life could be like if we ever retire.  They are active in ministry.  They make an investment in pastors and their wives and recognize some of the unique struggles that they face.  It was also good for Stacy and me to be together in this unique environment.  We love being together and experiencing new things together.  We were blessed to have this time to share aboard a boat that literally took us to the water's edge. 

Arkansas Trip

One of the challenges with having been a church planter is that we have lived a LONG way from our families for these past 23 years.  We have missed getting to be near my relatives and so we planned a part of this sabbatical to be with our families in Arkansas.  I was so grateful that my dad and stepmom, my brother and sister, and my mother in law and nephew made the time to be together during this time. 

Our original plan was to stay at our family's lake house in Arkansas, but my dad was able to sell it recently, so we were able to scope out a cabin near where my dad grew up in Jasper, Arkansas.  This was a great time to connect with my family.  I've really regretted not being able to be closer to my brother and sister and their families to share in their lives.  They are such neat people and I really enjoyed getting to see their families and catch up with what was happening in their lives. 

It's also a great time for our family to just play together. We have always been big game people, so we played lots of games of joker and cards.  We also ate tremendous food and got to see some of the places that I went to growing up. 

The cabin was up the hill from my dad's homestead and so we were able to go down there, fish in the ponds, swim in the streams, and enjoy some of the places where I went as a kid. Fletcher especially likes this place.  He loves looking for crawdads in the stream and we had fun fishing in the ponds. 

We took the whole family floating in canoes on the Buffalo River.  This is such beautiful territory and is nostalgic for me since I grew up doing this.  It's fun to share those things with your kids and see them enjoy them.  The river runs along majestic cliffs and it's just beautiful. 

It was also such a treat to get to hang out with
some of my cousins, aunts, and uncles that we don't get to see very often. I'm blessed to have a family that has some very godly and neat people in it.  It was good to get to catch up with them. 

I was fortunate to grow up in a home that was family oriented.  My parents tried to make sure that our

family came first.  We still hold one another dear, even though we aren't able to connect as often as we'd like.  I once heard Andy Stanley say that his definition of success for raising his kids was to have kids who wanted to be together even if they didn't have to be.  That's definitely true for our family. We WANT to be together even if we can always be.  And this part of the sabbatical was so important to reconnect with these folks. 

My brother Lyle, Me, and My sister Tammy

After the time with my family in Jasper, we headed down closer to where Stacy grew up to visit with some of her friends and family.  Stacy's mom was gracious to let us stay with her and we were able to head out from there to see these folks that we hadn't gotten to be with in a long time.  While Stacy was visiting her friends, I got the chance to fish some of the ponds in the area.  Her Uncle Bill and friend Tina were gracious to let me fish their ponds.  I loved it!  And I was fortunate to have great success in finding the fish. 


We also had a great time seeing Stacy's cousin Betty Rose and visiting with her friend Tina.  We love these folks and always enjoy the opportunity to catch up with them. 

The culmination of our time in Arkansas was a gathering for Stacy's 30 year high school reunion.  Stacy graduated in a small class--about 15 students, but she really enjoyed getting to catch up with her classmates for the first time since graduation.

It was such a treat to get to go to Arkansas for an extended visit.  The territory is so familiar that it is peaceful.  Seeing the people was rejuvenating.  And my family is so dear to me and being with them was a breath of fresh air. 

Time to Rest

Between each of the experiences during the sabbatical, we planned times to be at home and rest.  The goal of the sabbatical is to be refreshed and it isn't likely that if you traveled for three months you would be in very good shape at the end.  So we planned some time, especially after this Europe trip to be at home and recover. 

Honestly, this part of the trip was hard for me.  I'm used to going and so I've had to be okay with just being at home and resting.   We are so grateful that the folks from the Lilly Foundation required this kind of stress and release in the sabbatical.  It has been good to be at home and recover.

Rome

The Colosseum

Our final destination in Italy was Rome.  We felt like there was so much to see that we decided to spend several days there. 

We were really excited to see the Colosseum.  It was ridiculous how old this place was!  I was under the impression that some pretty bad stuff happened here, but didn't know just how bad.  I figured there were some periodic festivals where people were put to death there, but we learned that people were put to death here just about every day!  The Romans would capture prisoners alive and save them for the Colosseum.  The daily entertainment in Rome was to watch people fight for their lives.  It was free to watch, so most people made it a part of their regular routine.  Gruesome! 

At the Forum in Rome

Of course, some of those who were put to death were Christians who were persecuted and martyred.  The floor of the Colosseum, which is no longer there, housed a system of pulleys and trap doors where victims or animals could be raised to give the element of surprise.  There is an intricate maze of cells where inmates or animals were held.  It's difficult to imagine folks being entertained by watching people be mauled or devoured, but that was the case. 

Near the Colosseum was an area called the Forum which was a strip of land that has been left untouched since ancient times.  Still standing are some ancient pagan temples, some columns, and some historic sites, such as the place were Julius Caesar was put to death.  It is remarkable to be able to walk the same streets that have been used for thousands of years, where the history that you read about actually happened. 

The Pantheon

We also saw the Pantheon, one of Rome's most spectacular and historic buildings.  It was erected on the site where legend has it that Romulus, Rome's founder, was taken up by Eagles to be with the gods. Built in 80 A.D., it has one of the largest domes of any building and it is an architectural wonder, especially for its day. 

We enjoyed wandering the streets of Rome and finding these ancient buildings, fountains, and sites.  Many of the spots we know from movies--the Trevi fountain has been featured in several.  It was under renovation at the time of our visit, but it was still fun throwing a coin in it. Legend has it that if you throw a coin in, you will find true love.  It worked for me... retroactively 27 years ago!

At St. Peter's Cathedral

We were staying right by the Vatican and so a visit was in order.  We went through the most
magnificent church I've ever seen, St. Peter's Cathedral.  It is such an imposing structure and an architectural marvel to behold.  To see it, I was inspired by the degree to which people have gone to show their devotion to God.  But I also felt a little uneasy as there were huge monuments, shrines erected to St. Peter and all of the popes in the history of the church.  I can't help but think that Peter would be embarrassed by such things. 

St. Peter's Cathedral

We also went to the catacombs on the outskirts of town.  The story is that the cemeteries of Rome were full and dead bodies were beginning to stack up and were causing disease and death.  A law was passed requiring that people burn the dead bodies of their loved ones.  Christians, believing in bodily resurrection, went to great lengths to ensure that their departed were buried intact.  They found that the old quarries worked nicely.  The soil was made of volcanic ash that was very easy to dig, but once it was exposed to air, it hardened and made a solid structure. 

Unlike the catacombs in Paris which was filled with fully exposed bones, the catacombs of Rome were graves that were dug and covered with a headstone.  Many of the graves have been ransacked over time by invading armies, but there are still many that were intact.  These are covered with Christian symbols that are still used in the church to this day-the ichthus fish, the anchor, and the dove.  I think I was most moved by the fact that Christians have held the exact beliefs and used the same symbols for thousands of years. Pictures were not allowed in the catacombs. 

We went through the Vatican Museum as well.  It is one of the largest and richest collections of religious art in the world.  It was overwhelming to try take it all in. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder (not fun), but the art was incredible.  I think we were all most excited about going through the Sistine Chapel.  As you enter the Chapel, no talking is allowed.  The ceiling is covered with the most phenomenal paintings.  We were searching for the famous hand of God reaching out for man, which we discovered was right in the center of the ceiling.  Again, no pictures are allowed in this room, but it was such a blessing to get to see this in person. 


We also went to some of the lesser-known sites in Rome.  We climbed the Spanish Steps and looked in several of the fancy shops that are situated at the bottom.  One morning I went through Castel Sant Angelo, one of the homes that the Pope has held in history. You are struck by the fact that there was such a struggle for power in the church.  The pope literally was running for his life much of the time.  The pope had his own army at one time!   It's amazing to see learn how the church has struggled throughout history. 

We also ate lots of gelato every chance we got.  We struggled with the food at this point in our journey.  The kids were tired of eating pizza and were so ready for some real Italian food from someplace like Olive Garden!  We managed to find a good Chinese place near our house which helped get us through. 

We feel so blessed to have had the chance to make this trip, especially this part in Europe.  After being gone for a month, we were all ready to come home.  We took a short flight from Rome to Istanbul, Turkey, and then a 12 hour flight back to Chicago.  It was good to be home!

Assisi

Assisi is a small mountainside town best known for St. Francis. The town is filled with churches, one of them dedicated to St Francis. We stayed in a home that was owned by a couple who owned a restaurant in town.  They treated us to dinner in their restaurant that was built on an ancient site.  They were able to show us how they had incorporated the columns that were thousands of years old. 
The home we stayed in was a part of a castle structure and it said it was built in the 1200s.

We arrived late but decided to trek out around

the city.  The streets are curvy and steep so it is very difficult to see where you're headed.  We decided just to follow the lights and actually wound up at the beautiful St Francis Cathedral at about 10:00 pm.  We were surprised to find that the building was open and wandered in to have a look around.  As we were taking in the beauty of the church, we saw a procession of people headed to the basement--so we decided to follow them. 

Tomb of St. Francis of Assisi

Turns out that the tomb of St. Francis is under the church, or the church was built over his tomb and there was a mass that was about to be held there.  We had mistakenly wandered into a mass at his tomb!  The mass was attended by about
50 people and was read from a bulletin.  As soon as it was over, the worshippers all moved forward to lay hands on his tomb and pray.  That's kind of odd to us, but we later discovered that that has been common for thousands of years. 

Assisi was so beautiful that you forget that most of the structures are medieval.  We have so many areas in the states that are decorated to look like Tuscan villas.  Assisi was the real deal. I kept looking up close to see how they painted it to look so old.  It really was old, but beautiful.   You can see why it would imitated. 

Pisa and Siena

One of the most recognizable sites in Italy is the leaning tower of Pisa.  I figured there would be a whole city situated around Pisa, but we were advised to just stopover in Pisa to see the tower and church and then move along.  We hopped a train to Pisa and made our way to where we thought it was. 

We were told that several of the cities in Italy were designed with crooked streets so that you couldn't see the statue or fountain that you were going to see until you were right upon it.  At the last moment, you would round a corner and BOOM! there it is right in front of you.  That's the way it was with the tower.  You couldn't see it until you were standing right in front of it. 

What struck me about the tower, and this is going to a shocker to you, is how much it really leans.  That sounds stupid, I know, but it is a head-scratcher.  Maybe it was the clear blue sky on the day that we went, but it really was a spectacular site.  The tower sits in front of a beautiful church and large baptistery (kind of like another large dome) and each of them were so pristine that it was mind-boggling.  Of course, you can spend a great deal of time and money seeing things in this area, but seeing the tower was enough.  We quickly made our way back to the train station and on to the next destination-Siena.

Siena was another place that was suggested to us as a place to see.  This was an ancient city but it had a modern feel to it. The city center has a castle-like structure with a massive tower.  There were lots of modern foods and shops situated around the square.  While all of the streets were paved with brick, the square had a dirt path all the way around it with bleachers that were folded up above the shops that surrounded the square that looked like they could be could line the dirt track if they were unfolded.  Turns out that there is an annual bareback horse race that is held in the square once a year.  Each province of Tuscany puts forth a single rider to represent their region and the winner has bragging rights for a year.  Often the riders fall off their horses but all that matters is that the horse crosses the finish line.  The infield is crammed with people who want to see the race. It's a big deal! 

A week later we were eating dinner in Rome, when all of a suddenly everyone in the restaurant crowded around the TV.  We hustled over to see the race being run.  When the rider crossed the finish line, the camera panned out to those bleachers to see one very proud mayor pointing at the others and screaming, "In your face!!" 

The buildings and food in this region had a different feel from the other places we went in Italy.  While the food from other places centered on fish, this region featured steak, a lot more to our liking.  And we found a place that had actual fountain drinks--drinks with ice!  Siena was a beautiful city with fun feel. 

Cinque Terre

In our planning of the Europe trip, we decided to spend a little more time in one place at the halfway mark to make sure we could finish strong.  We figured everyone would need a little breather before the final push of the trip and it just so happened that we would be arriving at a beautiful place to take a bit of a respite--Cinque Terre (pronounced "Chin quay Terr-ah).  It literally means "Five Cities" in Italian, named for the five cities in a national park that are built right on the coastline of the Ligurian Sea. 

A few years ago, someone bought us a refrigerator calendar that had some pictures of various spots in Italy on it.  My favorite pic was of a city in this region with the multi-colored pastel houses and the clear blue water dotted with little boats.  It just seemed magical.  So I was pleased that this place fell right at the half-way mark in our journey. 

It's crazy expensive to stay in the state park, so we scoped out a city just south of there to book a stay--a town called Portovenere. Even though it was not one of the five cities, you'd never have known it because it was just as scenic and we were blessed to have picked a house that had a view of the beach.  We were also within walking distance of the little town which was important because we had to walk everywhere we went.

Portovenere was exactly what we were hoping to find in Italy.  It was beautiful, peaceful, authentic, and it was right on the water's edge--following the theme of our sabbatical.  We really enjoyed it because it was small enough that we could turn the kids loose without worrying that they would get lost or abducted or get into trouble.  Stacy and I could also have some time alone as well taking in the city. 

One of the things I LOVE about being on the water is the boats.  There were so many beautiful yachts that ported in Portovenere.  Some of them were ridiculous!  I checked on one that was anchored in front of where we were staying and it came with a crew of 12 and cost 550,000 Euros a WEEK, about $608,000!  Can you imagine?!  That was another thing that we opted not to do on this trip.  Nevertheless, it was fun to see them arrive in port. 

We enjoyed going to the beach here and not having such an aggressive sight-seeing schedule. One side of the beach was like a typical beach, except instead of sand, they had gravel.  That wasn't too appealing.  The other side had massive boulders that were used for laying out or swimming.  It was beautiful!  We all welcomed the opportunity to lay around and soak in the sun for a bit.

We did feel like we owed it to ourselves to see the five cities and made a trek over there for one day.  There is a hiking trail that goes right along the side of the mountain from city to city. We found that most of it had been closed because of mudslides, so we were only able to walk one part of it.  This was the hardest hike I've ever done in my life!  It was an interminable hike straight up and down a mountain.  We were soaked with sweat by the time we arrived at the next city.  The reward was an impeccable view of this city that we'd seen on the calendar.  So beautiful! 

The rest of the cities we decided to visit by train.  You would not believe how crowded these were.  We were literally packed into the trains like sardines.  You could barely breathe!  We were packed in, standing room only, all the way out to the train doors.  I was so grateful that we opted not to try to stay in these cities because they were so tourist infested and busy, but I was glad that we trekked out to them because they really were the inspiration for the whole trip. 



 

Maranello

Several years ago while traveling to Arkansas, we stopped in Bowling Green, Kentucky and toured the Corvette plant.  Even though not all of us are car enthusiasts, everyone really enjoyed seeing how the cars were made and became more knowledgeable about them.  So on a lark, I searched to see where Ferrari's were made in Italy and found that we were going to be passing nearby Maranello. I reserved tickets for the factory tour. 

It was really weird to see so many sports cars in one place!  There were red Ferraris, Lamborghini's (motor made by Ferrari) and Alfa Romeo's (designed by Ferrari) going in every direction near the plant.  It was pretty exciting for a 14 year old boy (and his dad) to see those, along with Mclarens and Lotuses. 

We went through the Ferrari museum and saw some of the coolest and rarest cars in Ferrari's history.  We  also toured the grounds riding the Ferrari bus on which a tour guide tells the history of Ferrari, explains their process of how the cars are made, and talks about the success of Ferrari in Formula 1 racing.  You also get to ride the Ferrari bus around a race track where the Formula 1 drivers train. People who purchase new Ferraris can come in and learn to drive their car around the track. 


I didn't feel like I was in a position to purchase a Ferrari at this time, so I figured I would never have the opportunity to drive one.  But since it was Father's Day, my wife and kids got together and rented one for me to drive.  Near the Ferrari plant, there are several companies that offer rentals.  Since we had limited time and money, we just rented a ten minute ride.  Event though it was a short ride, it was a lot of fun!  You could go from 0-100 mph in just a couple of seconds!  I was pretty nervous about pushing it too hard, especially since there's no way that I could afford to pay to fix something that I would break, but the guy who was riding with me didn't seem too worried about it.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do this.

Ferrari wasn't on the list of must-see places to visit in Italy, but it was a fun break from churches and monuments. 

Florence

The next stop on our journey took us to Florence.  Florence is one of those places that we probably never would have stopped at were it not for Rick Steves' travel books.  It was suggested to us, so we put it on our agenda. 

Like most places in Italy, it has a beautiful church with a baptistery that is situated on a piazza.  But this church was exquisite and the city is very accessible even though cars are not allowed in the main part of the city.  Apart from an occasional taxi, all of the traffic is foot-traffic.  This made it particularly charming and safe. 

The church here is more beautiful than most and the city has kind of a laid-back feel.  The streets are lined with street venders who sell various wares, but largely leather goods.  There is a leather training school here and many of the

venders seek to unload purses, belts, and jackets.  As a part of the downtown area, there is a large market which looks more like a food court in the top floors.  There is a cooking school inside the market and each area sells a different type food cooked by students who are learning their trade.  The food is good, inexpensive, and chic.  I think we ate here for every meal and never had the same things. 

We also had the opportunity to do some things in Florence that we would not on our normal budget.  It has been well documented that I am a tightwad.  On family vacations we will splurge a bit, but it is rare that we just spent money

lavishly.  Because of the money provided by the grant, we were able to do something that was sort of extravagant--we rented Segways (English majors: I know that segue is spelled "segue," but this is how they spell Segway in Italy).  This experience appealed to my practical side--we were only in Florence for a short time and riding Segways enabled us to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.  Plus, since cars were restricted here, I felt we could be relatively safe.  And I thought it would be something memorable that the kids would enjoy.  When I told them that we were doing this, they all looked at this cheapskate they have known their whole lives and said, "What!!" 

Everyone had a great time learning to ride these.  They go faster than you'd expect and they are steered by your body movement, so it's challenging to get it to feel right. You have to relax or else it will do wacky things. We did have a couple of incidents.  Madi hit a parked moped.  Stacy hit a stop sign with her wheel which caused her to spin out and fall at the base of the sign.  Passersby yelled at the rest of us and said, "Hey, your grandma hit a stop sign!" and we were able to get her back on the road. 

We mapped a path that took us to some of the sights in Florence.  Ponte Vecchio is a famous bridge that has shops built into the side of the bridge.  It originally housed butcher shops that were built on the bridge because it was handy to throw the offal (guts) into the river.  Today, it has normal touristy shops.  There is an ancient palace here.  But most famous of all in Florence is the statue of David at
the Uffizi gallery.  This is the naked statue of young David carved by Michelangelo.  It sits in a square with several other statues which are pretty impressive.  That was fun to roll up on during our Segway experience. 

Florence is a beautiful little town with lots of nice features and we enjoyed it tremendously.  We will forever remember the beautiful sites, and good food, but also the experience of trying to hang on to a Segway while touring the city. 

Venice

Venice was one of the cities that I've always wanted to see.  My family grew up around a lake in Arkansas where, many years ago, a man named Harvey Coin tried to create a city with water roads and boat transportation.  He created streams, brought in gondolas, and built a hotel for tourists to have a Venice-like experience. It never caught on and by the time I came around, the lake covered all the evidence of this "crazy" endeavor except for the skeleton of a hotel that we could see from our lakeside window.  But it was intriguing to me that something like this was in existence.

Venice itself is a wonder to behold.  You go to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.  You go Florence to see the Duomo.  But the entire city of Venice is what you go to see.  The sheer audacity of building a city on the water to escape the barbarian invasion is inspiring.  The idea of using water for transportation instead of roads is novel.  Venice draws people because of its uniqueness.

There are a few sites you want to see while in Venice: St. Mark's Square holds a beautiful palace and tower, the Rialto Bridge is a centerpiece of the city, there are a few islands, like Murano, where glass making is the thing.  But

mainly you want to just go down the Grand Canal and see the buildings, people, and sights.  Its the city itself that holds intrigue.

Venice, at one time, was one of the richest cities in the world, and cruising down the canal you can see how these magnificent houses were designed to impress.  Boats fill the canal, as well as yachts (we saw the Victoria's Secret chief's yacht while we were there) and people hurry on and off of boats to go to shopping points across the city.

While it is intriguing and beautiful, in ways it is also disintegrating around you.  (Not to philosophize, but this is analogous to life in many ways!) You are aware of what salt water does to things.  The city is sort of coming apart at the seams because of its watery foundation.  Nevertheless, it is so interesting to see how life functions here.  Everything has to be brought in by boat and then hand-carted to its location.  To get things off the island, like trash, is a major undertaking.  When people die, they have to be shipped to another island to be buried.  Seems like it wouldn't be worth all of the trouble.

Nevertheless, Venice was one of our family's favorite places, just because the food is good, the city is small and manageable, and there are so many unusual things to see.  It seemed like people go to Venice to celebrate.  After dark, the streets are filled with people who are enjoying themselves.  I guess they feel safer when there are no cars around to cause harm.  While we didn't party like that, it feels like a fun place to be.

.

I think its just interesting to watch the city work.  This systems of boats and canals makes the city negotiable.  You have to plan your route by finding the right bridge.  With the right map and a little common sense, it was easy to figure out within a matter of hours.  We loved going to the little bread shops, the small trattorias, and gelaterias to take advantage of the local cuisine.  We found homemade pastas that were tremendous.  They had to be eaten quickly or they would turn into a ball of dough!

We felt we were obligated to take a gondola ride while we were here.  They typically go through back
alleys and smoother waters than the main canal.  Our ride took us past the home of Marco Polo, under the Rialto Bridge, and back out onto the Grand Canal.  Our boat driver had been poling these boats for 34 years and could make the boat go with surprisingly little effort.  This is the kind of thing that, because of the cost, we would probably never do, but the grant has provided the resources to do things that we would not ordinarily do.

I can see why Harvey Coin  tried to recreate this world in Monte Ne, Arkansas.  There is a beauty about Venice despite

the corrosion of the buildings there.  It has a certain charm about it. You can tell that Venetians are proud of their city and their way of life.  There is an old-world feel about it that seems untainted by modernity.