Two Hour Sabbatical Overview with Rick Steves!

 

I discovered on Rick Steves' web page, his Classroom Europe section, where you can watch little snippets of his shows and rearrange them any way you like.    I decided to put together the pieces that he has up that correspond to my Sabbatical itinerary.   So I can vicariously visit, and so can you!  

Of course there are big gaps.  It's missing Scrooby, England; Leiden, Netherlands, Subiaco, Italy, Macedonia in Greece (Thessaloniki, Philippi, Berea), and Patmos and Corinth in Greece, Caeseria Maritima and many of the sights on the Jesus Trail (Sepphoris, Cana, Migdal).   Nonetheless it hits a lot of them. 

Malta is funny, because Rick skips every sight that I am seeing; none of the St. Paul sites are included in his video. But he's doing a day run off a cruise ship, and I'm a pilgrim staying in (most likely) a hostel.   very different.  But I included it because there are some things in there I might try to see, if I have time after I've done a full St. Paul pilgrimage.  

You can watch the playlist at https://classroom.ricksteves.com/watch_playlist/VYIJN

The whole thing runs about 2 hours 7 minutes, but it can be viewed piecemeal as well.  Enjoy!

The dates are set: Thank you Iona Abbey!

Iona Abbey, photo taken in 2016, when I did a one day visit.  Now I'll be there for a week!

In the past few days I have had connections with Iona Abbey and the Wild Goose Worship group.   They are able to put me back in exactly the same worship retreat that I had planned to attend last year.  So from July 31 to August 6 I will attend the "Braving the Elements" retreat!  

So, I am started planning. Given the November election in Pennsylvania, I need to leave July 19 to return October 29 or 30, and be ready for the November 2 election (I am the judge of elections.)

So I'll arrive in Great Britain on July 21, visit the Congregational sites, likely visit family members in Bath, go to Canterbury (possibly not in that order) and head to Iona arriving July 30 in Oban and July 31 in Iona.   

Right now, I anticipate my order being:

July 21-August 6 - UK/England and Scotland (Also a day in Leiden, Netherlands, the first week.  Maybe I'll start in the Netherlands)

August 7-21 - Germany and Italy with my husband. This will include Hamburg and Milan, and possibly Assisi, which Mark is interested in visiting.  It will also include some of my Luther trail stuff in Germany, most likely Wittenberg, which I've been to twice, and Mark has never been to, and which is close to Berlin where we have friends we want to visit. 

August 21- September 24 or so  -  Germany/Switzerland and time volunteering in Hamburg, Germany

September 25 - Oct 8 ish - Rome/Greece

Oct 9-29 - Israel and Palestine.  Returning the 30th, which is a Saturday. 

Returning to work November 1, and the election November 2.

I won't get any tickets until I have a Covid vaccine, but I am detailing out my itinerary again, and I will start booking things when I am more sure of traveling in July.

It is very promising that the Iona Abbey is opening up their bookings through June and July.  And I am beyond happy that they can fit me into the retreat again!  

Keep me in your prayers!