Last day with Shelly and Ryan

We have been blessed all week to not have had rain like was forcast all week.  But it rained and thundered all night Thursday and Friday morning.  I had arranged with a friend down in Paestum to get a tour of the Casafecio where they make fresh Mozzarella di Buffala.  It was scheduled for 9 am Friday morning.  After all the cheese we ate yesterday, no one really wanted to think about Mozzarella di Buffala! but my friend had been so great to arrange this tour! and it was raining! and we wanted to see the Ancient Greek temples nearby.  So we went and had a wonderful morning!  Everyone really enjoyed seeing them make the cheese.  We got free samples, which I loved! 

We drove over to the temples and we were able to get good pictures and see everything we wanted.  

This temple was built by the Greeks in 700 BC.  Quite amazing how well it is preserved. The square areas just below the upper triangle part, under the shelf, were each filled with stone pictures of mythological stories.  These were removed when they excavated this temple, and were on display in the museum. Below, are a few pictures of these sculpted pictures.

There is a very famous lid to a tomb that has a diver picture on it.  That is in the museum too, along with other artifacts.

We found a gellateria open and we all had an ice cream cone.  It was the first of four ice cream cones for some of our group.  I think our American visitors have a rule which is, "never pass up a gallateria"!

After Paestum, we had lunch at Franco's.   

Then I went home and took a nap and the younger four went off to Pompeii to see all they could see on their last day in Italy.  They regally liked Pompei and the nice thing was that it didn't rain too hard and they were able to have a great time.

We went over to an investigator's home for dinner as soon as they got back.  We had a wonderful time.  I can't remember laughing so hard ever.  We had pizza and ice cream for desert.  It was a fantastic end to a great visit with Shelly and Ryan and their friends.

Here we are just before heading to bed.  Shelly is checking on their flight information.  We loved having them come visit us.  I can't believe that we are heading back to utah on Monday morning, for Jon's wedding.  Picture me very happy!!!

Thursday with Ryan and Shelly

Thursday morning, we went to the outdoor market in Battipaglia.  The girls bought a few things.  I found some socks to wear that were long enough to wear under my skirts and keep my legs warm this winter.  So I was happy with my 5 euro purchase.  After an hour and half of shopping, we stopped by the caseficio where they sell Mozzarella di Buffala cheese.  We bought a kilo and ate them right there on the spot as a mid morning snack.  We love this cheese so much and we were really excited about sharing it with Ryan and Shelly and their friends.  Everyone had 1 little ball called a bochincino.  They thought it was alright but no one was crazy about it like we are!  We had a lot left over that I thought we could eat later.  Then we drove 15 minutes up into the mountains above our house and everyone took a little hike. Here is the view from the top of the mountain.

              You can see all the way across Battipaglia and to the Mediterranean Sea.

                  Here is Ryan, Shelly! Christy and Scott up on top of the world!

After the hike we had lunch at a member's home back in Battipaglia.  She had the anti pasta all dished up on plates as we got there.  And it was a huge plate for each of us of Mozzarella di Buffala as well as two other kinds of cheese! three large pieces of each! and a selection of proschuito which is raw meats.  I thought that Christy was going to gag! because she really didn't even like the first piece of mozzarella di Buffala, we had given her that morning and now she had a whole plate full of it!  But she was a trooper and ate it all.  I knew what else was coming so I only ate about a fourth of my plate.  Next came homemade Raveoli which were really good and really filling.  By now everyone is stuffed.....but wait there is more!  Next came a plate of meatballs, all homemade.... Then green salad.....and then cake....and then fruit....!!!!! Now, Shelly can understand how painful it is to eat at member's homes. It tasted all very good but it was about 10 times what we could fit in our tummy. Everyone wanted to just go home and sleep.... But they didn't. (I did!!). Paul took them to the Mall to get gifts to take back home and then on to Salerno to meet our organist non member who we like so much.  They arrived back in time for English class.  We taught our English class and then we went to dinner at our favorite Pizza place, Donna Sophia's, along with about 20 kids from our English class.  We had a fun night.

D&C 10:69

And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endure to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.

Shelly and Ryan make it to Battipaglia. Yea!!

After visiting their mission up in Austria for a week, Shelly, Ryan and the Kochevers came to visit us in Battipaglia for three days.  The weather forecast was rain all week.  boo hoo....but yea we had several tender mercies, and didn't get any rain until Friday.  Wednesday we drove all along the Amalfi coast. It was a perfect day.  We stopped in Amalfi where we ate our picnic lunch in the car! and then went to the paper mill that was operating since the 1300's.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Ryan and Shelly overlooking Vietri sul Marre 

Ryan, Scott, and Anziano Scherbel 

Making our panini lunch 

In front of the cathedral in Amalfi

I love these little hidden stairways we see everywhere as we walk down the streets of these beautiful old Italian towns.   We ended the day by driving through Salerno to see the Christmas lights that are lit throughout the town.  

Cute legs

I have been reading the New Testament lately and I really enjoy 1 Timothy chapter 4.  I totally agree with verse 8 which says that, " bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of  that which is to come."

I like vs. 12... "Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith,  in purity."

I have been pondering a bit on verse 14: "Neglect not the gift which is in thee."

I know that we all have been given diverse gifts.  I sometimes wonder what my gifts are.  Learning Italian is definitely not one of my gifts, but it is certainly Paul's.  I look around at the people in our little branch.  They have a great diversity of gifts.  One sister is so very kind and patient.  One sister is the best teacher I have ever heard.  One sister has so much love for the unfortunate, one sister has a great thirst for learning about the gospel.  One darling sister makes the most delicious cakes and cookies, and another sister has a gift of languages.  One sister has a gift of enduring well, and another sister has a gift of healing.  One young convert has beautiful legs.  I have noticed that she wears the cutest stockings.  

I have started taking pictures each week of her different stockings.  They wouldn't look good on most people, but they are perfect for her.  When I read verse 14, I think of her and her cute legs.  She has not neglected her gift.  She has added upon it.

                                                            My favorite pair !

Learning to make gnocchi

Two sisters came over this morning and showed me and also the sister missionaries how to make gnocchi.  Flour and boiling water added to a soft sticky dough.  Be careful not to burn your fingers.

Then you pull off a piece of dough and roll it just like you are playing with play dough! ( I didn't know that my play dough skills would come in handy on my mission! )

Keep rolling til it's long and thin.  

Sprinkle the snakes with flour so they won't stick together.

Then cut into pieces about 3/4 inch long. 

Then you take each tiny piece and lay it on the table in front of you and quickly draw two fingers over it to flatten and curl it all in the same motion.  And voila you have gnocchi!

     We made a tomato sauce to put over them after we boiled them in water for 6 minutes.

They were delicious.  Italians also make gnocchi with flour and cooked pumpkin, or mashed potatoes.

As I read my scriptures tonight

Before going to bed, tonight  I had a sweet reminder that my Heavenly Father is always mindful of me.  He knows me, he knows where I am, and he knows what I am doing.

Today, we had a wonderful day with our daughter Shelly and her husband, as we toured Rome, in the rain.  Before going to bed, I was just reading my scriptures, and I just picked up where I left off last, with 2 Timothy :1.  The second to the last verse in the chapter says, "But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me."

I feel that is a message to me that my Heavenly Father seeks me out very diligently also, and he found me, even in Rome also!

The Victor Emanuel Monument, The Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain

After Palentine Hill, we walked to the Victor Emmanuel Monument which is rather modern but is very interesting.  It was built in the late 1800's I think as a tribute to the king who unified Italy.  It is famous for its huge horse that carries Victor Emmanuel.  The horse is the largest horse statue in the world.  It is  43 feet long.  The kings mustache is five feet long.  A person could fit in the one of the horses hooves.

There are huge winged angels riding chariots, on top of the building.  They look way cool.

Here is a picture of what was across the street from the Victor Emmanuel building.

From here, we walked for what felt like, across Rome.  We wanted to see the Pantheon.

It was well worth the walk.   It's a totally round building building built in the 1st century AD.  Quite an architectural feat. It's the best preserved building inside, from that era. It has a huge dome which Michelangelo used as model for the huge dome in St. Peter's.

From, here, we walked to the famous Trevi Fountain, which is also known as the fountain from the movie, "Three Coins in a Fountain".  The superstition is that if you throw a coin into this fountain, and make a wish at the same time, your wish will come true.  So of course we had to all throw a coin in and make a wish.  It's reported that the coins thrown in each day by tourists are collected and help feed the poor.

The colosseum and Paletine Hill

Today we visited the Colesseum and Paletine Hill where the Roman Forum is and also where the ruins are of the palace of the Emporer's.  It was suppose to be cloudy in the morning and only partly cloudy in the afternoon.  But it rained constantly all day.  We bought umbrellas and enjoyed the day anyway.

Here we are in front of the Colesseum.

The Colesseum is 2000 years old.  It was considered one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Just a few hundred feet away  you enter into the area of Palentine Hill through this huge Arch called the Arch of Constatine.

A few feet up the path, after we entered the arch, we saw these pretty leaves.

They  looked like they were painted on the wall, but they are really real.

It started raining really hard right after we got the picture taken above. So the men bought us each an umbrella.  We had fun getting a few good pictures sporting our new umbrellas!

Above is my very  favorite picture of Shelly and Ryan Poppins!

                                                  Shelly, Christy, and Geri

Paul and Geri in front of the royal palace ruins.  The word palace comes from this place.  It was said that the palaces built up on this hill were so big that the eyes got tired of looking at them. And the height of the Egyptian pyramids were nothing compared to the height of the palaces up here. 

   Shelly and I with the Colesseum in the background

Panoramic view from  the Palace patio overlooking Rome.