[jdviole2]

On the many vacations we took together we went on a large number of hikes and climbed up many mountains. I think if you could ask Helena however she would probably tell you that her favorite climb was to the top of Saint Peters in Rome. At the end of her stay with me in Naples she was going to fly back to Munich to meet her mom and travel with her home. Instead of flying out of Naples we made her reservation from Rome. We did that so we could see Rome together before we had to part. Rome is only about 45 minutes away from Naples by express train so I had been there many times and I wanted her to see some of the city. (Once I wrote home that I was bored one weekend and went to Rome. My dad, who never wrote to me mom always did, sent a letter that had only two lines. He said "I got bored last weekend. I went to K-Mart"). We spent one day visiting the ruins of ancient Rome and the next day at the Vatican. She liked the museum (including the Sistene Chapel) and the inside of Saint Peters. She had dressed in slacks that day since there was and probably still is a kind of "dress code". No shorts or revealing clothes were allowed inside the church. Anyway. After we had seen the inside of the church I suggested to her that we go up to visit the dome. At that time (and maybe still today) you could climb to the top of Saint Peters dome. There is a charge but it was pretty modest. You first take an elevator to the roof of the main church. We walked to the front of the church and stood by one of the huge statues lining the edge, and looked down into the square. The scale of the building has to be seen to be believed. You are unexpectedly high up and everyone below really seem to be the size of ants. We then walked to the base of the dome and inside. At this point you are standing over the main alter area and at the base of the huge dome overhead. This is the whispering gallery. I had Helena stand next to the wall and I walked around to the other side of the dome. I leaned against the wall and whispered "I love you". I saw her jerk her head up and stare at me. The acoustics are amazing. You really can hear a whisper from across that space and even in a crowd, and recognize the voice. Next we began to climb toward the top of the dome. There are really two domes. The one you see from outside and the other inside. The stairway towards the top of the church is between the two domes. The stairway is a metal structure (of fairly recent vintage). You can see many of the details of the construction. Helena didn't have any background in building techniques but still found the experience very interesting. When you reach the top of the stairway the real fun begins. The final climb to the top of the dome is up a set of marble stairs. The stairs themselves are deeply worn in the center from the feet of all the many people who have made the climb over the years. I think that was one of the things that impressed her the most. She really got a sense of time past there. The marble staircase is a winding spiral and very narrow. There is no handrail to grab but only a thick rope hanging down the middle and fastened at the very top of the dome. The rope itself is worn smooth from the years of hands clasping it. Helena loved this part most of all. You really don't have any idea of time when you are at that point of the climb. There is nothing to tell you what year, or even what century it is. At the top you are in the cupola and you can go outside and stand and move around a narrow walkway. You can see down into the Vatican grounds and out over the city. You can see most all of the famous buildings and ruins from that viewpoint. We stayed up there for quite a while. We didn't talk much, she just stood with a beautiful smile on her face and shining eyes. Then we started down the winding marble stairs and retraced our steps back to the ground. It was funny, she never talked much about that climb but any time I would mention it she would get a far away look in her eyes, a smile on her face, and I knew she was back there again in her mind. I can't see a picture of Saint Peters today without returning there in my own mind. It is a very good memory, that makes me a little sad now, but one I wouldn't trade for anything. The first picture today is from Naples in 1974. Helena is in the parking lot of the hotel where we stayed while she visited me. An old hotel but with a bathroom in the room and a shower that was an open area with the shower head, no shower door. It was very large and highly recommended by me for newlyweds. Lots of room to get soapy and play. The next picture is Helena examining an exhibit in another museum, probably in California. This was, I think, in the early 80's. Third today is another butt shot (boy did I catch hell for taking those kinds of pictures, she never believed she had a nice looking rear). This is at Rainbow Bridge national monument. There are two ways to get there. You can take a horse or walk a very long way (it takes a few days walking) or take a boat up Lake Powell. We went by boat. This was on our marathon California trip. We took three weeks to get there and back so we could see many things on the way to and from. This was on our list of places to visit again one day. A list sadly that we never got to use. The fourth picture is another from her dad. Taken in 1973. It is somewhat rare in that she is wearing a long dress. She never did that much. The fifth picture is another of the public baths in Pompeii. She is sitting on the edge of what was one of the pools where hot or cold water was placed. Her companion is a friend from the navy, face obscured for privacy issues. This was in 1974. The last picture is of Helena and her mom being photographed by her dad at the Earl May trial gardens in Iowa, taken in 1976.