The forecast is for today to be the best weather of our three days in Cape Town, so Jessy has rearranged our itinerary a bit. Instead of city activities today, we have been driving along the coast. It is a gorgeous day -- blue skies, some white fluffy clouds, warm and breezy. We are driving alongside the Atlantic, which is crashing powerfully onto rock and sand beaches. We have just stopped at the "end of the world", billed as the southwestern most point of Africa (which actually doesn't make a lot of sense to me when I look at a map, as it is neither the most southern nor the most western, but I guess if you stretch logic it is the most southwestern...) -- Cape Point. We got up at 8 this morning, relatively well-rested ... read more

"By reading we learn what we did not know; by reflection we retain what we have learned." -- Isidore of Seville (apparently the patron saint of computer technicians; computer users; computers; the Internet; ) If you replace "reading" with "experiencing", that describes why it was so wonderful to travel together with Linda, Leslie, and Carrie. We experienced many things together, but each from our own point of view. We also went our separate ways to do our "own thing" on a number of occassions. Either way we came back together over breakfast, lunch, drinks, dinner . . . and "reflected" . . . discussed our experiences and our perspectives. And that is how we truly absorb the benefit that we get from the experiences. This is true whatever and wherever those experiences might be; from the ... read more

Sunday night was a late one, so Monday started a bit slowly for me. I woke up as Linda was heading down to breakfast. I did my yoga routine, took a shower, and headed down to breakfast at 9:45. Separate Ways We had planned the night before that we would split up in the morning and meet at an agreed upon location at 3PM. Leslie and Linda got an early start to the Sistine Chapel. Carrie was heading out on a pilgrimage of sorts to Isola Tiberina, where there is a church that has special meaning to her. Carrie has a special affinity for St Bart's church in London. The church and its associated hospital were championed by a man named Rahere. He had been inspired to build the church and hospital in honor of St. ... read more

11 de Novembre Sono le nove e mezzo We are just finishing colazione (breakfast); we are sitting here at the hotel restaurant, drinking not-very-good coffee, waiting for Carrie. Today is "Vatican Day". We'll start with St. Peter’s Basilica, then go to the Vatican museum, visit the Sistine Chapel, and at 2:30 we have a reservation for an archeological tour of the excavation of the necropolis below St. Peter’s. Our hotel is in the Vaticano area, so it is a very short passeggiata. St Peter’s Basilica - -We just completed a visit to the cupola of St Peter’s Basilica. 320 steps (plus many more to get to the rooftop piazza where the counting started) and all well worth it. Just before the 320 step climb began, we had a fabulous view of the interior of the basilica ... read more