Good weekend and... Burial Chambers in Pécs

Mostly just a picture post today. I had a great weekend - Thursday-Monday all of my roommates were at a European Volunteer Service seminar and so I was alone... but not really. Emilie stayed on Thursday night. Thursday and Friday nights, I also had the pleasure of welcoming in a couple other American girls, one volunteering in Debrecen for a year and the other was visiting her. The visitor and I have a common friend and when their original plans fell through, she used the 'mutual friend' card and it was great. It was perfect timing! Saturday and Sunday were amazing quiet days for me. It was nice to just... be.
Today, I traveled with Joe and Kathy Angi to a dentist friend in North-Eastern Hungary. It was a long trip, but filled with great moments of story sharing, sight-seeing and newly formed friendships.
And for now, I'm off to figure out a grocery list and then back to work tomorrow. Have a great day, friends!

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When Jeff and I were in Pécs, we had just enough time to go to the Necropolis of Sephianae (Pécs's old name), which is an old Christian burial site dating back to the 4 and 5th century. Stop. Do some math. 2009 minus 300-400 = 1709-1609 years ago. The grave areas you are about to see are over 1600 years old. They were excavated, preserved, and put on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Europe). You pay less than $10 to check this place out and it took us a few hours. It was really interesting and I wish that my short summary could do any justice for it, but it won't. If you're ever in Hungary and have any sort of fascination with history (especially Christian history), I suggest you check it out.

This is the Cella Septichora - the largest part that they found - there were never any bodies put in here and from what we read, no one knows why. See all those paintings? Also on display are all these BEAUTIFUL paintings that are several hundred years old, as well. Some are done by Popes. Some are just done by normal, everyday people - but they depict a lot of saints, Jesus, stories of the Bible, and even Heaven.


this is actually the ONLY body found in the entire part that Jeff and I toured. Inside is an old man. That's really all they know about him. I'm sure he lived a good life and I hope to meet him someday.


This is looking down into the "Wine Pitcher Burial Chamber" which is named as such because in that little hole in the wall, there is a painting of a wine pitcher and adorning the chamber are paintings of grapes and vines.


This is the medieval inner castle wall. This was built in the 12th century (1100s). Is anyone else's mind blown by this kind of stuff? It hurts my brain to think about it. Really!


An inside look of the "Peter and Paul Burial Chamber"


a painting on the top of the "Peter and Paul Burial Chamber" - remember this was painted 1600 years ago - that's some amazing artwork and very durable paint!