Dear Friends,

To celebrate Neil's 55th birthday, we went on a month-long exciting cruise to the Mediterranean and then a few days in Rome. It was a wonderful trip with these highlights:

* Geological wonders (crater lakes on the volcanic island of San Miguel in the Portuguese Azores, the Rock of Gibraltar, panoramic views of steep plummeting cliffs of the Greek isle of Santorini),
* Beautiful sceneries (French Riviera coast at Nice and dolomite cliffs towering straight up out of the sea near Naples),
* Exotic ancient ruins (Istanbul and Ephesus of Turkey, Rome of Italy, Athens and Rhodes of Greece),
* Magnificently preserved religious and mythological sites (mosques in Istanbul, monuments in Rome and the Vatican City).

Kuei-mei was touched by the tolerance for American tourists by the Turks at prayer in their ancient mosque and by Turkish children's "Hello America" with high 5's. Neil just thinks that the whole trip was spectacular.

The most trying event was being physically cramped for two hours in the hot sun among impatient tourists and anxious pilgrims waiting to visit the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. After viewing the treasures and Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes of the "Creation", newly restored in 2000, we declared it was worth our efforts!

Below are some photos to share our joy with you.

Hugs from Kuei-mei & Neil at home in Florida

Neil using the Roman toilet built around 1st Century AD in Ephesus, Turkey. Photo #006 DR	Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, constructed after the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Photo #037 35

St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City Photo #021 DR