Sunshine Travel Service

06/05/2026

05/20/2026

16 MAY 1920 Interior of a packed St. Peter's Basilica in Rome as Joan of Arc is canonized by the Pope. The church was "brilliantly illuminated" by candles and oil burning lamps. The Basilica was not "electrified" until 1955. Prior to 1954: For exterior illumination on major feast days, workers (Sanpietrini) still manually lit over 4,000 oil lanterns and torches by rappelling down the dome, a tradition dating back centuries. I still have trouble seeing the historical significance of the little things we have to be grateful for....

05/20/2026

20 MAY 1927 At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard the Spirit of St. Louis in the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight

Departing from New York, he landed in Paris 33.5 hours later, and I like to complain about 12 hour flights :-0

04/30/2026

28 APR 1937 Pan Am operates the first scheduled commercial transpacific flight

03/31/2026

31 MAR 1889 Eiffel Tower officially opens for dignitaries and an award ceremony in Paris, France; designed by Gustave Eiffel and built for the Exposition Universelle, at 300 meters high, it holds the record for the tallest man-made structure for 41 years

The Eiffel Tower on opening day in Paris

12/09/2025

Pretty amazing for the oldest building in continuous use....

The hole in the roof isn't a mistake. It is the only reason the building is still standing.

When people walk into the Pantheon, they look up at the rain falling through the 9-meter opening and ask: "Did they run out of money? Why didn't they finish the roof?"

The answer is Roman genius.

1. Why is the hole there? (The Engineering) If the Romans had closed the dome with heavy concrete, the weight at the top would have been too crushing. The dome would have collapsed under its own stress 2,000 years ago. The Oculus (the eye) acts as a "Reverse Keystone." It actually relieves the structural tension. It lightens the load at the weakest point of the dome.

2. The Secret Recipe (Why it doesn't collapse) The Romans didn't just pour one type of concrete. They were the masters of chemistry.

At the bottom (the base): They used concrete mixed with heavy Travertine rock for strength.

In the middle: They switched to lighter Tuff rock.

At the very top (near the hole): They mixed the concrete with Pumice (volcanic rock so light it floats on water).

The top of the dome is incredibly light. If they had used the heavy bottom concrete at the top, the Pantheon would be a pile of rubble today.

3. Why doesn't it flood? It has rained inside the Pantheon for nearly 2,000 years. So why isn't the floor a swimming pool? If you look closely at the marble floor, it isn't flat. It is slightly convex (curved in the center). This guides the rainwater toward 22 tiny, hidden drainage holes cut directly into the marble. The water flows into an ancient Roman sewer system underneath the building—a system that still works today.

4. The "Sun" Dial The hole wasn't just for weight; it was for the gods. The Pantheon was a temple to "All Gods." The Oculus allowed the heavens to enter the temple. On April 21st (the birthday of Rome), the sun strikes the entrance grill perfectly at noon. It wasn't just a building; it was a functioning astronomical clock.

So no, they didn't forget the glass. They built a machine made of stone that has survived Barbarians, Popes, and gravity for 19 centuries.

11/26/2025

Just visited this in November and it is sad but enlightening

The ancient Roman city of Herculaneum, buried alongside Pompeii during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago, has reopened one of its most haunting locations—the seafront shelters where hundreds sought refuge but never escaped.

Unlike Pompeii, which was buried in ash, Herculaneum was engulfed by scorching pyroclastic surges that carbonized and preserved organic material with extraordinary detail. Along the ancient beachfront, archaeologists uncovered the skeletal remains of families, sailors, and refugees who gathered under the stone boathouses hoping for rescue from the sea. Their final moments remain frozen where they fell, offering a sobering reminder of the human cost of the disaster.

Now accessible to the public for the first time in decades, this shoreline reveals a rare and emotional window into everyday Roman life—and death—at the very moment Vesuvius reshaped history.

10/10/2025

New tunnel in to the Colosseum opened

A 2,000-year-old tunnel once used by Roman emperors to slip into the Colosseum unseen will open to the public this month, offering visitors a rare glimpse of the arena’s imperial backstage.

Known as the Passage of Commodus, the 180-foot corridor was built beneath the amphitheater to let emperors and VIP guests reach their seats in the imperial box without mingling with the crowds.

The passage takes its name from Emperor Commodus, the ruthless leader who governed from 177 to 192 CE and was nearly assassinated in the underground walkway.

10/09/2025

09 OCT 768 Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I are both crowned King of the Franks

10/08/2025

Just a Mirage..... that's all you are to me .....