The Post traveled all over the world this year, including the old walled city of Lucca, in the Tuscany region of Italy, where Steve and Judy Reed visited in September. Photo by J. Reed.

It was a great year for our “Post travels to” feature in 2017. The Post traveled far and wide. It traveled as close as Traverse City, and as far away as New Zealand. Other places the Post traveled included: Weidman, Mich. to see Dr. Pol; Canada, the Danube River in Hungary and Germany; Great Britain; Peru; St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.; Beartooth Highway in Montana and Wyoming; the Bahamas; Beijing; Big Bay, Mich.; Branson, Missouri; California; China; Cozumel, Mexico; Disney World; the Dominican Republic; Los Angeles; Fort Myers; Hawaii; Italy; Kentucky, Ohio; Shipshewana; and Spain.

We have run out of Post travel photos, so if you have one, please send it in! (See details in other Post travels story on this page.)

Steve Reed in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Post recently traveled to the Tuscany region of Italy, with Steve and Judy Reed, of Cedar Springs.

The couple flew into Milan and then stayed in Montecatini and visited several cities and villages throughout the region. They took one day and explored the ancient walled city of Lucca and visited the town of Pisa, where they saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa and other attractions. Another day they drove to the Chianti region, where Chianti wines are made and visited the town of Greve and tried the area’s wine and olive oils. They also took the train to Florence, where they visited the Uffizi Gallery and saw many works of art from well-known Renaissance artists, including Leonardo DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Botticelli, Caraveggio, and others. Towards the end of the week they took the funiculare (cable car) to the top of Montecatini Alto, a mountaintop village that sits high above Montecatini Terme (where they stayed). On their way back to Milan, they visited the city of Parma, the home of Parmesan cheese and Parma ham (prosciutto).

Some of the buildings in the ancient walled city of Lucca.

Besides visiting the ancient towns and villages, the Reeds also loved trying the different types of dishes at the many pizzerias and Italian restaurants in the region, especially the trattorias (family-owned restaurants).

“We had a great time,” they said. “The people were nice, the food was excellent, and it was amazing to see many of the buildings and artifacts from a time in history that we’ve only read about.”

Thank you to the Reeds for taking us with you!

Are you going on vacation? Take the Post with you and snap some photos. Then send them to us with some info to news@cedarspringspost.com or mail them to Post travels, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. We will be looking for yours!

Dave and Jan Malmo, of Howard City, toured Italy, Greece and Turkey in October. They saw all the highlights of those amazing countries including the 700-year-old Leaning Tower of Pisa. “It actually is the bell tower of the nearby cathedral, Il Duomo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site,” they said. “It leans because it was built on soft ground and the tilt is now more than 5 meters off.” They also visited Ephesus, Turkey where the book of Ephesians (from the Bible) was written; visited the “house” the Apostle John built for Mary to live out her life; and the cave where John was inspired by God to write Revelations. Those were the highlights for the Malmos as well as the Sistine Chapel. “It was amazing!” they said.

Are you traveling during the holidays? Are you going on vacation? Take the Post with you and snap some photos. Then send them to us with some info to news@cedarspringspost.com or mail them to Post travels, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. We will be looking for yours!

The Steinebach recently traveled across Europe on vacation and took the Post with them. They visited cities and sites in Italy, Germany and France, including Michaelangelo Park in Florence, Italy; the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy; the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany; and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Travelng with the Post was Curt and Carol Steinebach, their daughter Christina Dean, and their son Cayden Steinebach.

Cayden is an incoming 7th grader at Cedar Springs Middle School. Christina is a 2013 graduate from Cedar Springs.

The family had a lot of fun visiting sites in Europe as well as researching ancestral roots in Germany.

Thanks so much to the Steinebach family for taking us with you!

Hannah and Thomas Thomas outside of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy with The Post.

Hannah (Wright) Thomas (originally from Sand Lake) and her husband, Thomas, travelled to Rome, Italy during Christmas 2014 and took along the Cedar Springs Post. “We had a magical time visiting the Vatican, Colosseum, St. Peter’s Square, Sistine Chapel, Pantheon and many other beautiful sites that Rome had to offer,” explained Hannah. “We even had the honor and privilege of watching Pope Francis give his Christmas address at the Vatican.”

She also said they enjoyed visiting with the local Italian people, who were very friendly, and eating the local Italian cuisine, which they thought tasted delicious.

“We are happy the Cedar Springs Post was able to take this amazing trip with us,” said Hannah.

And thank you, Hannah and Thomas, for taking us with you!

Are you going on vacation? Take the Post with you and snap some photos. Then send them to us with some info to news@cedarspringspost.com or mail them to Post travels, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. We will be looking for yours!

Father Lam Le and church members from Saint John Paul II Catholic Church visited Rome last April. Pictured is: Front (left to right): Dawn Falicki, Chris Pigorsh, Anna Witters, Katie Mendenhall, Nancy Drummond, Mary Ann Mendenhall, and Kara Dault. Back (left to right): Deacon John, Jennette Pigorsh, Mike Pigorsh, Darlene Cooper, Milton Cooper, Shannon Brewster, Tom Witters, Fr. Lam Le, Logan McGahan, Marcella Fase, John Drummond, and Aaron Dault.

The first year anniversary of the opening and renaming of Blessed John Paul II, to Saint John Paul II Catholic Church in Cedar Springs, was commemorated with a 10-day pilgrimage tour throughout Rome, Italy. Father Lam Le, along with several Church members took in the experience of a lifetime when Pope Francis made history Canonizing two Popes to Sainthood together on April 27—Pope John XXIII and their Parish’s Patron, Pope John Paul II.

The travelers stayed in apartments within walking distance to the Vatican. They came very close to meeting with the current Holy Father of the Catholic Church, while joining in a general Papal audience he gave to the public on April 23, in St. Peter’s Square. It was announced to the crowd that a group from Cedar Springs was in attendance. Fr. Lam was able to celebrate a Latin Mass and distributed Holy Communion at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter Basilica in the Vatican, along with about 30 other priests. The group was also able to witness Father Lam celebrate Mass at the Pontifical North American College seminary, where he lived and studied for 4 years, as well as many other Churches throughout the city, and was many times assisted by Deacon John Falicki, from Sand Lake, and other members from the group.

The congregation poses in front of the Vatican.

The pilgrims also toured the Colosseum, Catacombs, and visited the city of Assisi, the home of St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment. It was noted Pope John Paul II had met with World Religious Leaders while in Assisi to encourage all to pray for world peace.

The travelers all agreed that they felt honored and proud to not only represent their Cedar Springs Church but also their community. They came back with an even stronger faith. They will miss the bond they made with their new friends in Italy.

The Post thanks Saint John Paul II Catholic Church for taking us with you. It sounds like you had a great time!

Are you going on vacation? Take the Post with you and snap some photos. Then send them to us with some info to news@cedarspringspost.com or mail them to Post travels, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. We will be looking for yours!