The photo above is of Hadrian’s Arch. Hadrian, as Roman Emperor decided to finish the Temple of Zeus, which was started 500 years earlier! The first thing I did this morning was to take a 6 a.m. run through a part of Athens. And like running through Sorrento at that time of day, the city is all rolled up. A very different look than during the middle of the day. See photo.  After breakfast, we toured the city. First, we enjoyed a bus tour of the Constitution Square with the House of Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Temple of Zeus with Hadrian’s Arch, the Old Olympic Stadium (built…

Today we transition from all things Italy and Roman to Greece and the apostle Paul. We took a morning flight on Aegean airlines from Naples and arrived in Athens in the afternoon to meet our group.  After we arrived and got settled, I took a walk to Pandrossou Street and Market. It was amazing. I shopped and also bought food from several street vendors. Awesome afternoon. Let me share some history as we transition from Pompeii and the Roman Empire to Greece and the apostle Paul. History can be fascinating in linking seemingly unrelated events.  You would think that Pompeii, which we visited yesterday, and the Apostle Paul, who will be the…

Today Elizabeth and I join the Vermont couple we met at the Rome Train station on Day 1 for a 2.5 hour private tour of Pompeii. But first, I went on an early morning run in Sorrento. Other than a few tourists pulling their luggage to the train station, the city was quiet and all folded up. I always love running early in the morning to experience a city before it unfolds for the tourists. In fact, you would hardly recognize some of the streets when no shops are open and no chairs are on the streets creating street-side cafes. After my run, we relaxed the rest of the morning…

The previous evening (Mother’s Day), we had a wonderful dinner in Sorrento of fresh pasta with seafood and fish in lemon sauce washed down with a nice red from Sicily. After a decent night of sleep, we awoke the next morning to meet our driver to tour the Amalfi Coast with stops in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.  I had always heard how beautiful and dramatic the Amalfi Coast is, and it did not disappoint.  Highlights of the day included walking from the top of the town of Positano to the beach and back, stopping for breathtaking photos along the coast, enjoying maybe the best pizza we have ever had for…

Wow! A big curve ball on our very first day! On this trip,  Elizabeth and I will join 20 others to follow the footsteps of the apostle Paul. We start in Athens, cruise to Turkey and the Greek Isles, and finish in Rome in time for Pope Leo’s first public reception.   But before meeting the others in Athens on Wednesday, May 14th, Elizabeth and I planned to fly first to Rome, then take a train south to Naples, and then head down to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. On the way to Sorrento, we were to visit Pompeii, which sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in 79…

Another Trip – Italy, Greece and Turkey – May 10th Elizabeth and I are about to embark on another adventure – this time to Southern Italy, Athens, the Greek Isles and Ephesus in Turkey. But first, we were in Chapel Hill to attend Carter’s graduation. He graduated yesterday with a Master’s Degree from UNC’s School of Information and Library Science. So, another Franklin joins the Tar Heel Community! I want to take a moment to comment on how important it is to stay flexible and “roll with the punches” when traveling. When we headed down to Chapel Hill on Thursday, I got hit by a 36-hour intestinal virus. I felt…

You never know where you will find your New Year's Resolution...

Saturday, August 24th – Calgary, Alberta  As with most of my Backroads trips, I try to add some days at the end or beginning of the trip to see more of the region – I started with Calgary.  Calgary, my entry into and exit out of Canada on this trip, started out as a fort in 1875 to protect the fur trade and was named Fort Calgary in 1876 after Calgary on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. It officially became a city in 1884, with a population of 4,000.  It is now the largest city in Alberta with approximately 1.4 million people, located just east of the Rocky Mountains. Known…