Che Bella Vita

March 24, 2018

On our way back from Napoli, having just taught another delightful Institute class. Two words…simply wonderful!!! The weather today has been beautiful, but very chilly. It has been raining off and on for a couple of weeks, so a day of sunshine is wonderful. This morning we woke up to the mid 30’s. It has been a fairly cold and wet winter. We have really enjoyed the cold, (one of us more than the other) but the wet, not so much. Cynthia is becoming more Italian every day. If it is colder than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, she is bundling up like the Italians. Of course, the Italians bundle up when it is below 80 degrees and both men and women always have on a scarf around their neck to protect them against “colpo d’aria”. Which means if they have cold air blowing on their neck they think they are going to get pneumonia, and they seriously believe it. It is so funny to see. Oh yeah, we got to Napoli early today to assist the Burns (a wonderful Senior Missionary Couple living in Napoli) with inspection of a Missionary apartment located on the 7^th floor of their building. The four of us, with his tools, squeezed into an elevator built for two and were packed in like sardines. We closed the door and pushed the button, only to find that it would not move until we inserted 10 cents in the coin operated mechanism. On the way down, we saved our dime and walked down the 7 flights of stairs, which in Italy is actually 8. They count the first floor as zero, so floor 7 would be floor 8 in America.

We had a joyful week-long visit from The Baby and Tremain and sadly put them on the plane home this past Tuesday morning. Woke up at 4:00 a.m. to get them on their flight for 7:00 a.m. The bonus to that early hour is that there is no traffic and we made it in record time. Enough for the farewell. The visit was amazing, and we had so much fun together. The two of them did travel to Venezia (Venice) and spent the night on the Grand Canal. They said it was fantastic and not to be missed, if you are traveling to Italy. We have not gone to Venezia because it is out of our Mission, but Cynthia was told that we might be able to get “permission” from the Mission President to make that side trip. Assuming we get permission, you can count on the fact that Cynthia will be making that happen. As for me, I am ambivalent to that trip, as there is still SO MUCH to see in and around Roma. “A happy wife is a happy life” so, I am quite certain that we will be making that trip, if approved, and I am EXCITED! Of course, The Baby and Tremain took in all the traditional sites and Cynthia and I accompanied them when time allowed. See pictures below. They were both awed by the history of Roma and the ancient sites...us too! The idea of walking in the footsteps of the ancients and touring their engineering marvels was incredible to them and remains incredible to us. One of the highlights of their visit was to go to Pompeii and to Sorrento and the Island of Capri. We made a similar trip with Kathryn and Manly last year, but we never tire of Pompeii, frozen in time, or Sorrento with its charm or Capri with its absolute beauty! The weather was more cooperative than before, so we were able to take a boat trip around the island and see it from the water’s edge. It is simply BREATH TAKING! The pictures below, though beautiful, don’t begin to do it justice. The Baby and I were also able to sneak out early on Monday morning, catch the subway and then run 5 miles in Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus). Nothing has changed since we ran together back home, she runs in front and I in the back. Youth does have its advantages! Let’s see how she’s doing at age 62 or 63 like her mother and father.

We also had a wonderful visit from Brother and Sister Richards and their son Brock. Cynthia walked their feet off and then I joined them later that day, after they were sufficiently worn out. Cynthia said they walked 13 miles that day. Then we went to see San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) Church. For us, that is a must see. As you may recall, they house the chains that Peter was bound by, both in Roma and Jerusalem. I know we spoke of it before, but to be in the presence of a religious relic like that, is awe inspiring. Imagine, you actually stand only a few feet away from the chains that bound him, who walked, talked and was taught by our beloved Savior and though he may have denied Him thrice, he ultimately was crucified because of his testimony of Him. Very, very moving. At the end of the night we had our traditional Chinese dinner together. Delicious and so fun! When we finished dinner, we went out to our car and found it completely blocked in by a car that was double parked next to us in the street and a motorcycle parked behind us. We honked our horn several times without success and finally did the only thing we could do, we picked up the motorcycle, moved it and then very carefully backed out and went home. A fitting end to their trip to Roma, Italy. P.S. I went back by the restaurant 1.5 hours later and found the car still double parked!

In closing, the Burns are assigned to support the military base in Napoli and therefore they have access to the commissary. Cynthia gave them our “wish list” and they provided! My dinner when we got home from Napoli was Ballpark hotdogs and Hormell chili! First American hotdogs we have had since arriving in Italy. YUM-YUM!

That’s it for now. Until next time, remember who loves you. We do! Have a wonderful day in the neighborhood, because it’s a wonderful life.

Love,

Anziano and Sorella Knies

Richards at San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains)

You can't come to Roma without eating Chinese food with the Knies', yum-yum!

Pompeii with The Baby and Tremain

The Baby is admiring this 2,000 year old mosaic, which in Latin means "beware of the dog".

2,000 year old oven that The Baby is trying to convince Tremain that she would have gladly used to make his bread.

You can see the ruts the chariots made in these stone steets. How many chariots, over how many centuries would it take to rut these streets?

In the floor of the Pompeii Colosseum where gladiators anciently fought.

We decided to love instead of fight. Nice jacket Anziano Knies. He only wears it when he doesn't care how he looks.

Island of Capri

He's been making sandals since 1959!

On our way onto the floor of Circo Massimo for our 5 mile run where the gladiators had their chariot races almost 2,000 years ago. The largest Circo in the world.