For more of this week’s photo challenge, wall, check out The Daily Post.
Below are pictures from my 2001 Navy deployment, on the USS George Washington CVN73. The locations are in the description of the picture. It starts in Crete, then Portugal, onto Naples, then to Rome.
For more of my deployment pictures that I have shared on my blog, click here.
Enjoy!
This One Word Photo Challenge is a bit difficult as I had to search for the specific color. I did find some pictures of the shade of green called seafoam in my navy deployment pictures. I was lucky to have a division officer who compiled everyone’s pictures of the deployment and have them put on a disk and hand them out to each person in her division. The pictures that I took myself was saved on only one computer and it crashed a few years later. I do have some negatives that I do need to have developed again and put on a disk.
When I moved in with my grandmother a few years ago, I had gone through all of my things that I had left here when I got out of the navy. In all that stuff I found all of my navy uniforms, deployment cruise book, and that CD that had my deployment pictures that my division officer had made for us.
Below are just a few of the pictures I have on that disk. Enjoy!
Belly dancer in Dubai, UAE
Fort Kastro in Crete, Greece
Usually, when one hears the words ‘Bucket List’, they usually think of the movie that came out in 2007, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. They also think about a handwritten list of things to do before one dies. That is what the movie is all about, accomplishing feats, dreams, wishes, adventures, or whatever it is that you want to accomplish before you “kick the bucket”.
After I saw the movie I contemplated making such a list for myself. I had already done several things that would’ve been on the list, had I had one. The very first on my bucket list would have been to go to Rome and eat pasta, drink wine, see the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel. I have already done all of that, although I would love to go back and spend more time sight seeing since I didn’t have that much when I first visited Rome.
A few years ago I actually started writing my bucket list. So far, I have crossed off things such as, learn to snowboard, learn to surf, go to Disney World, become a published author, and become a mom. Those really aren’t outrageous requests I’ve made for myself, but I’ve been happy to have been able to cross them off my list, especially when I became a mom. I waited until I was 30 years old, whereas many women have children much earlier in their life. I had done four years in the navy, which allowed me the chance to travel the world. I had traveled around the US and had moved around a little bit (from Arkansas to Colorado, then to Oklahoma). I had gone to college and obtained my associates degree in Aviation Airframe, then worked in aviation for a few years. That’s when I felt that my life was incomplete. Even though I became a single mom before I had my daughter, I wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything in the world.
I still have quite a few things on my list, but won’t disclose any of them until I’ve crossed them off. Do you have a bucket list? If so, what have you crossed off your list?
To read about other bucket lists, click here.
I went through my US Navy (2002) deployment (USS George Washington CVN73) pictures and found a few photos to post in this weeks photo challenge. Enjoy!
Vendors in Crete
Souda Bay, Crete
Lisbon, Portugal
Coliseum actors – Rome, Italy
Venice, Italy
Venice shops – Venice, Italy
This weeks photo challenge, abandon, has me thinking a lot of my visit to Italy. What better way to show abandon through pictures, than Italian ruins.
Most of these pictures were taken while I was in Rome, but the rest were taken either in Naples or on my way to Rome; there’s even a picture of the leaning tower of Pisa.
This is where they did chariot races as seen in the movie Ben Hur.
I could be wrong, but I think this was Nero’s palace. It is located right next to the Colosseum.
Same as the picture above. If someone knows what this is, please let me know. It has been 13 years since I visited Italy.
One of the many feral cats that lives in the Colosseum.
The Colosseum.
More Italian ruins.
The leaning tower of Pisa.
It has always been a dream of mine to visit Rome, Italy, to go to the coliseum, St Peter’s, and the Vatican. One of the few reasons why I joined the Navy was to see the world, the other was to serve my country.
When we anchored off the coast of Naples, Italy my best friend Christina Rico and I took a three hour bus ride from Naples to Rome. We spent the day driving around, touring Rome. The bus finally parked and allowed us a few hours to visit the Coliseum, then St Peter’s. After that it took us to our hotel where we were given a real Italian meal. Though some of the people we were with wanted to call it a night, but I looked at Christina and said, “I’ve finally made it to Rome, I’m going out.” She agreed with me.
The thing about Rome is that there are fountains every where you look and some of them are lit up so that the streets of Rome are never dark…I said some of them. We walked and walked until we found the Spanish Stairs. Then walked some more until we found a small pub where we ran into a couple of friends. After a few drinks, we walked around some more and found a coffee shop that was oddly opened at the wee hours of the morning.
It was near five in the morning when we decided that it was best to head back to our hotel. We started to walk around, looking for our way back when we found the subway. This was my first and only time ever riding a subway. It didn’t appear to resemble anything that I’ve seen on TV. In fact, it was quiet and so very clean, I was impressed.
When we got to our room we decided a quick bath and a nap was probably best before we got back on our tour bus at seven. The tour bus took us back over to St Peter’s and the Vatican, where we had more time to spend walking around, seeing the sights. Since Christina and I already walked around St Peter’s, we decided the Vatican was next on our list to see.
The Sistine Chapel was all that I cared to see, though I was amazed at all the statues and tapestries we saw along the way to the Sistine Chapel. When we finally walked into the Sistine Chapel I felt a moment of awe. I honestly cannot explain it. I even felt the same spirituality when I walked into St Peter’s Basilica. An overwhelming sense of calm and peace. I looked up to the ceiling, staring at the beautiful paintings of Michelangelo and began to tear up. Words just cannot express what I was feeling, but if you have ever been there, then you understand. Maybe it was my understanding of what Michelangelo went through while he painted these murals, or maybe it was my knowledge of the history of St Peter’s, or maybe it was the fact that I was standing in such a holy place that I could feel the presence of God.
Though this trip was back in 2002, it will always be one that I will remember, and one that I will always cherish.
Caesar cremation site
Standing with a Roman actor, Christina on the left and me on the right.
Author Jennifer N. Adams 