Sunday, May 31, 2015








                                                      Valhalla Lutheran Church 
(Google Images)

Valhalla Lutheran Church
Valhalla Centre
Hythe, Alberta Canada

"Located approximately 60 km north-west of Grande Prairie, Alberta is the Hamlet of Valhalla Centre at the crossroads of Highway 59 and 723. 14 km west of La Glace. The population is 45 people (2011 stats) living in 19 dwellings." (Link 1.)

"In 1912, Halvar Ronning and the first members of his pioneering party filed on homesteads at this location. Subsequently, group after group of pioneers trekked the arduous Edson Trail to join the fledgling settlement, which would come to be known as “Valhalla”. Establishing a Lutheran parish was an integral part of Revered Ronning’s vision, and even before a single house was constructed, he began holding services in his tent. (Link 2.)

"Valhalla Centre got its name from Reverend Halvar N. Ronning.  Valhalla means "home of the gods" in Norwegian.  In Norse Mythology, Valhalla is the home of Viking Heroes after death." (Link 1.)

"By 1926, the settlers had prospered enough to hire Anton Finden, a pioneer carpenter from Norway, to build this church, a grand testament to the principles upon which their thriving little community was built." (Link 2.) 

"Valhalla Centre was known for the Valhalla Cooperative Creamery.  Homesteaders sold their cream to the creamery which made it into butter.  The butter was then chipped by train to Edmonton.  Because the Creamery did so well it attracted other businesses and the hamlet grow.  In 1945 the creamery was sold to the Grande Prairie creamery.  (Link 1.)


"Valhalla Lutheran Church
Nga Lam Artist
Valhalla Heritage Society" *

Thank you: *To Marilyn Sharples for sending me a card with a drawing of 
                        Valhalla Lutheran Church where she attended as a child.
Link 1: 
http://www.discoverthepeacecountry.com/htmlpages/valhallacentre.html
Link 2: http://www.geotourismcanada.com/documents/693.aspx


Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)



Monday, May 25, 2015

Seville Spain Attractions - Seville Cathedral



(Link 1.)

Seville Cathedral/Cathedral of St. Mary of the See
Seville, Andalusia, Spain

This Roman Catholic cathedral  is the largest cathedral, "the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site." (Link 2.) It was completed in the early 16th century and is the burial site of Christopher Columbus.





Photo by Margaret Tyack

"The interior has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain." (Link 2.)  The huge interior with a central nave and four side aisles. (Link 3.)


Photo by Margaret Tyack

"The central nave rises to a height of 42 meters and is lavishly decorated with a large quantity of gilding." (Link 2.)

Photo by Margaret Tyack

"The cathedral has 80 chapels..." (Link 2.)  Iron screens close off the chapels. (Link 3.)


Photo by Margaret Tyack

Thank you: To Margaret Tyack for e mailing me photos and commentary while 
                       traveling in Spain.
Link 1: http://www.travelncampinginfo.com/top-5-seville-spain-attractions-you-must-see.html
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral
Link 3: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/seville-cathedral


Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

Sunday, May 17, 2015



Madonna del Ghisallo
(Link 2.)
Madonna del Ghisallo
Magreglio, Italy


Statue Commemorating Fallen Cyclists (Link 2.)
"Madonna del Ghisallo is a hill in Magreglio, close to Lake Como in Italy. It is named after an alleged Marian apparition.
According to the legend, the Medieval count Ghisallo was being attacked by bandits when he saw an image of Virgin Mary at a shrine. He ran to it and was saved from the robbers. The apparition became known as the Madonna del Ghisallo, and she became a patroness of local travellers. In later times, Madonna del Ghisallo (the hill) was made part of the Giro di Lombardia bicycle race and has often featured in the Giro d'Italia as well.
Interior-view from the front door
(Link 2.)
"For this reason a local priest, Father Ermelindo Vigano, proposed that Madonna del Ghisallo (the apparition) be declared the patroness of cyclists. This was confirmed by Pope Pius XII. Nowadays the shrine of Madonna del Ghisallo contains a small cycling museum with photos and artifacts from the sport. There also burns an eternal flame for cyclists who have died. One particularly notable artifact is the crumpled bicycle that Fabio Casartelli, a native of the region, rode on the day that he died in a crash in the Tour de France.

"The walls are covered with tiny pictures of famous cyclists, some buried in the adjacent cemetery." (Link 2.)
The Colle del Ghisallo is a mountain pass road that connects the upper part of Valassina Larian Triangle. The point of the pass, at an altitude of 754 m above sea level, is located near Magreglio." (Link 1.)

 Postcard photo*

Postcard photo*

*************
Thank you: To Richard Wilson for telling me of his visit there in May 2015 and 
            to PezCycling News for the photos.
Note: The ECMC2015 will include a ride from Basel, Switzerland to the church 
            and museum and then on to Milan, Switzerland for the event.
*Postcard photos added 2019.
Link 1 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_del_Ghisallo
Link 2: http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/travel/travel-madonna-del-ghisallo-church/#.VU9D7PlViko


Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)