You are such a good writer, HH. I especially enjoyed your descriptions of your private moments with your great aunt and your mother. So touching.
My older son has been traveling extensively ever since he was in college. He loves Italy and has been there several times. He tells me Rome is in his opinion the 'most European city" he knows. He has really explored Florence, Venice, Pompeii, and Ostia as well. I don't think he's ever been to Milan. That would be so awesome, to stand before the original Last Supper .
He's never been to Greece or Turkey, though a few years ago he talked about wanting to go to Turkey. I believe he knows a few people who've been there. I know at least one couple at church who've been to Ephesus.
I've never been to the Mediterranean and would love to visit all those places. I did see the Elgin Marbles, from the Parthenon, in the British Museum as a teenager. And of course Nashville has a replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park, which I visited many times as a Vanderbilt student, when it was practically my yard ( I was a grad student and lived off campus). Since it is intact, any time you have seen an intact Parthenon on tv or in the movies, you've seen the one in Nashville. It was erected for the Centennial Celebration of the city, I think in 1880, because back then, Nashville was not famous for country music, but for its plethora of universities. It was called The Athens of the South.
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Murfreesboro
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TheHeadlessHorseman
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Re: Catching up
Thank you both for the kind words, and for taking the time to read it. I know it was long, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
As I mentioned, we have already promised Sam that we will definitely go back to Italy one day, as she really fell in love with the culture there, and there is so many more locations that we want to visit such as some of the places that your son has been to Murf.
My wife and I have already discussed the possibility of going back for Sam's 16th birthday, as we think it would be a awesome sweet 16 gift for her. Of course, that is 5 years from now, and her 11th birthday is in a few days and we already know that there is no way we can currently give her a birthday experience anywhere close to what Phoebe had, but we will still do something to make her day memorable for her, not that it's a competition, but as a parent you don't want one kid to feel less special than the other.
As for possibly of topping this vacation, I'm sure that eventually we will as there are plenty of other destinations we want to visit, and as the kids get older we can go to places that we know they will appreciate more as their interests grow. I have always wanted to go to Egypt, but I know that in recent years they have been more strict with tourists and it would be a wasted trip if you went that far and didn't get to go inside the Pyramids. But as I said, there are many beautiful places to visit, and I'm sure that we will go somewhere special for our next summer vacation.
Also, I honestly didn't know about the replica of the Parthenon in Nashville until you mentioned it Murf, I just Googled it and it's pretty impressive. It just goes to show you that there are still so many amazing places right here at home that you can explore.
As I mentioned, we have already promised Sam that we will definitely go back to Italy one day, as she really fell in love with the culture there, and there is so many more locations that we want to visit such as some of the places that your son has been to Murf.
My wife and I have already discussed the possibility of going back for Sam's 16th birthday, as we think it would be a awesome sweet 16 gift for her. Of course, that is 5 years from now, and her 11th birthday is in a few days and we already know that there is no way we can currently give her a birthday experience anywhere close to what Phoebe had, but we will still do something to make her day memorable for her, not that it's a competition, but as a parent you don't want one kid to feel less special than the other.
As for possibly of topping this vacation, I'm sure that eventually we will as there are plenty of other destinations we want to visit, and as the kids get older we can go to places that we know they will appreciate more as their interests grow. I have always wanted to go to Egypt, but I know that in recent years they have been more strict with tourists and it would be a wasted trip if you went that far and didn't get to go inside the Pyramids. But as I said, there are many beautiful places to visit, and I'm sure that we will go somewhere special for our next summer vacation.
Also, I honestly didn't know about the replica of the Parthenon in Nashville until you mentioned it Murf, I just Googled it and it's pretty impressive. It just goes to show you that there are still so many amazing places right here at home that you can explore.
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TheHeadlessHorseman
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Re: Catching up
I just woke up and re-read my post and realized that I made a mistake, I said ... As for possibly of topping this vacation.
I should have omitted the word OF, I guess that's what happens when you're up typing at 3am.
I should have omitted the word OF, I guess that's what happens when you're up typing at 3am.
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Murfreesboro
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Re: Catching up
Oh, my phone makes so many "corrections" for me that my eyes just slipped right over that. It takes me several proof reads to catch them all, if I do.
We are very blessed in America that our country spans a whole continent (and then some), so we can experience every climate and natural wonder imaginable without leaving the US. Of course we don't have the deep history of Europe, but we do have a lot of history here, too.
I hope you do get to return to Europe for Sam's sweet 16. Her mid-summer birthday makes that very doable. Would you choose a cruise next time?
One place I've dreamed of visiting is the Holy Land. I got far enough along with it that I was looking at tours on line. Some of them include Ephesus and Egypt. Maybe even Gteece. Of course, those are more expensive. But I had just about set my sights on one when Oct 7 happened. That made me shift it to the back burner.
We are very blessed in America that our country spans a whole continent (and then some), so we can experience every climate and natural wonder imaginable without leaving the US. Of course we don't have the deep history of Europe, but we do have a lot of history here, too.
I hope you do get to return to Europe for Sam's sweet 16. Her mid-summer birthday makes that very doable. Would you choose a cruise next time?
One place I've dreamed of visiting is the Holy Land. I got far enough along with it that I was looking at tours on line. Some of them include Ephesus and Egypt. Maybe even Gteece. Of course, those are more expensive. But I had just about set my sights on one when Oct 7 happened. That made me shift it to the back burner.