Pompei!

All the places we spend very little time in are places I wish we could spend more in! The cute little town of Salerno which is near Pompei is beautiful! I need to spend months in Italy some day.

Our last day in Rome was interesting. We went to the Vatican and decided to do a tour that cost 40 euro because they boasted to have the best English speaking guides. The tour was HORRIBLE! The girl got so many facts wrong so we went back and asked for a refund and got half our money back which we were quite satisfied with. It was more than we were expecting. We rewarded ourselves with some gelato. Other than the worst tour ever, the Vatican is amazing. The Sistine Chapel is beautiful! Mom I wish you were there to explain all the artwork to me. St Peters is interesting, they seem to worship popes more than Jesus the Savior they are supposed to be serving. There are more statues and pictures of popes than crosses or other symbols of Christianity. After the Vatican we walked around Rome, hit up a Piazza or two and got some amazing views from the Spainish steps.

We then headed to the train station for our train to Salerno and got on our train but could not find our seats, so an Italian George Clooney, named Francesco, came to our rescue and was our Italian translator with the train controller. He was awesome! He told us all about his country and his profession it helped pass the time so well and what better way to learn about Italia than from an Italian. He was so wonderful and nice!

We went to Pompei today and were completely astounded by it. To have it so well preserved and to see the magnificent statues and art work still there. Not to mention the tile work. Amazing! I am hoping to have a long time on a computer soon so I can upload some pictures, it may not happen for a while yet though. But they are on their way!

For prayer, Julie and I start about 36 hours of train travel tonight to get up to Toulouse France where we will spend about 5 days then we head to Morocco. Pray for safe travels and no complications. Also, I start my study abroad in about 8 days and I am starting to get nervous. Pray for me to trust that this is the Lord's best for me and to trust in him for the knowledge I need. Thanks so much for all your prayer!

Arrivederci Italia!