Wed., Sept. 5 Firenze on Foot

 David's bronze brother in Piazzale Michelangelo

 The Italian countryside

 Our friends on the train

 Firenze from the top 

RT at the madness that is Termini Roma

(This post is a day late because of no wireless in the hotel.) 

Today was our travel day to Firenze (Florence), and it proved to be a long one.  Bidding our wonderful Rome hotel arrivederci, we took the metro two steps to get to the Roma Termini (train station) in order to board a Euro Rail train for the 1 1/2 hour ride to Firenze. We got to the Termini and had no idea where to go next. After walking for some time, we came to the Customer Service desk where you took a number and waited. After about 40 minutes, the man took approximately 40 seconds to tell Richard we needed the train to Milan (which stopped in Firenze and Bologna along the way) and it was at Track 9. (I was disappointed that it wasn’t Platform 9 3/4, quite frankly.)

Once we located it, we ran upstairs for a quick sandwich. We got back to the track to discover the train was running late. After a great deal of speculation, we and some other travelers asked the conductor (or whatever he was) and he said it may not have been track 9 after all. The train was delayed because another train from another company had broken down in front of it. Great. As it turned out, it showed up about 5 minutes later on Track 8.

The train ride across the Italian countryside was magnificent. It looked exactly like I thought it would. We sat across from an elderly lady and a younger lady and a beautiful baby boy. They did not speak a word of English. 

Once in Firenze, we took a horribly loud, jerky, bumpy bus ride across to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Mediteranneao. We got checked in and decided to go exploring. We walked along the Arno River until we got to the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) which will take you into the city in one direction, and to the Piazza San Niccolo and the Piazza Michelangelo. 

We climbed a set of steps that made the Spanish Steps in Rome look like  a doorstep. There had to be 300 of them. On the way up. we found a public rose garden that had become the home to several bronze works by an artist called Folon. 

It was a long climb, but the trip was worth the prize at the top. We got a view that was unbelievable. Michelangelo was born and lived some of his long life in Firenze and the city is very proud of him. We saw a bronze David dedicated to him. I hope we will see his actual sculpture while we are here. 

While in the area, we discovered a beautiful church called San Salvatore al Monte alle Croci, which my friend Fr. David will have to translate for me. I do know it was Franciscan, however. It was very different from the churches we had seen in Rome. Not as ornate, but beautiful in its own right. It actually reminded me of some of the mission churches in California, which were all founded by Franciscans.

We were able to grab dinner (delicious pizza) across the street and then began the trek back to the hotel. 

Tomorrow we have a tour, so after walking for hours today, we are ready for a rest. 

Tues., Sept. 4, Rainy Day in Roma

Today was the day I had been waiting for. We had purchased a tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica online before coming to Rome. The Skip the Line tour is the only way to go. We took the Metro to the area near the Vatican to meet our tour. The Metro turned out to be very much like the Tube in London. We call them subways in our country.

We met our tour guide Frederica and began the tour promptly at 9 am. (The hundreds of folks standing in line did not look too happy with us.) After going through the metal detector, we started the tour which was unbelievable. Our tour took us on the Long March through the Candelabra Room, the Tapestries and the Maps rooms into the area where you find works by Raphael, many of which were housed in the old papal apartments. There is a room dedicated to Constantine with works that celebrate the passing of Rome from the pagans to the Christians. The Raphael Rooms include a large painting of King Jan Sobieski liberating Vienna, the Immaculate Conception Room, and then you are headed toward the Sistine Chapel. I have no pictures of it, because you are not allowed to take them. In order to enter, you must have your shoulders and knees covered, and the security takes it very seriously. 

Michelangelo has captured the the story of man on that ceiling. It is really unbelievable. From the creation of man to the Last Judgement, Michaelangelo painted the frescos alone in the room.  

Of course, my favorite part was when the tour guide reminded us that this room is where the cardinals elect at new pope. We saw the door that the pope goes through to the balcony after choosing one of the three vestments hanging in the “Crying Room” (Small, Medium or Large) to put on before being revealed to the people. She showed us where the white smoke is emitted. 

From there, we made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica, the cornerstone of the Roman Catholic Church. We could hear a choir singing in the basilica as we were walking through. There we saw the Pieta, Michelangelo’s first major work. We walked past the tomb of Blessed John Paul II, and my heart nearly stopped from the sheer knowledge of where we were. The Main Altar was magnificently adorned and underneath it are the bones of our first pope, St. Peter.  Frederica reminded us of the story where Jesus told Peter “upon this rock I build my church.  The early Christians built their church on top of the bones of St. Peter (the Rock). That simple sentence really blew me away. 

After our tour ended, we took in lunch at a restaurant recommended to us by our favorite desk clerk, Alessio. I had my first carbonara there, which was delicious. We had truly planned to go back to St. John Lateran to find the Holy Stairs, but were not able to as Roma had other plans. It rained heavily for the rest of the day. We waited for our Hop on Hop off bus because we still had today to use it. The only place we could sit was up top. After a miserably rainy ride across the city, we were in no mood to walk from the Colosseum stop back to St. John’s so we stayed on until we got back to the Spanish Steps, which is close to our hotel. I have climbed those 139 steps every day since we got here. Richard counted over 16,000 steps yesterday and today has 12,000 or so today. Since I am that much shorter than him, you can add probably 25% more to that for my steps. 

Tomorrow we say Arrividerci to Rome and head to Firenze on the train. I did not see the Holy Stairs this time, thanks to the rain both days. I figure that means I’m coming back again... 

 La Pieta by Michelangelo

 The tomb of our Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II

 The Main Altar of St. Peter's- Underneath this altar lie the bones of St. Peter the Apostle. 

 End of the Tour with Frederica

Leave is to us Catholics to build the largest church in the world in the smallest country in the world. 

Monday, Sept. 3 Labor Day in Rome or “Hop on, Hop off.”

Nothing like watching LL Cool J, Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas dubbed in Italian before going to sleep. 

Our Mini - Pilgrimage continued today. 

We woke up and after breakfast we headed to the Termini to catch our Hop on, Hop off bus. We rode across the city until we got to the Colosseum and the area of ancient Rome. Our bus stopped in front of the Arch of Constantine. It was awesome to think of the emperor who brought Christianity to the Roman Empire, by legalizing Christianity.  To see the Colosseum is almost surreal. We were awed by the structure and its magnificence. It was built in 80 A.D. To see a structure that old took our breath away. 

We found a quaint outside restaurant across the street from the Colosseum, where we enjoyed our first Roman-style pizza. Then we began the walk to visit the church called San Giovanni in Laterno (St. John Latern). Built in 318 A.D., it became the first church in Rome where once persecuted Christians could worship openly and legally. In Medieval times it was the seat of the Catholic Church and remained so until St. Peter’s Basilica was completed during the Renaissance.  It was really beautiful inside with impressive statues of the 12 Apostles and St. Paul. The 2000 year old bronze doors originally hung in the Roman Senate. We prayed in this church before going back to the Colosseum area. We enjoyed a thunderstorm and a cup of gelato on the way back to the Colosseum. 

We walked through an area where the University of Rome is excavating a part of the northeast slopes of the Palantine. We walked up to the top of the hill and discovered a hidden treasure in the Church of St. Bonaventura. Its facade was plain, but inside was another story. We are slowly discovering that every church in Rome is magnificent. Walking up the hill to the church were the Stations of the Cross built into the outside wall. 

Walking back to the Arch of Constantine to grab out bus, Richard decided to be photographed with his beloved Ole Miss flag. Then, it was back on the bus and back across the city to the Triton Fountain, which is around the corner from our hotel. 

We came in and decided to rest a bit before dinner. We may return to the Spanish Steps this evening to check out the shopping and find dinner. 

Tomorrow, the Vatican and the Holy Stairs, which we missed today because of the storm! 

 The Colosseum

 Richard in St. John Lateran

 The 2000 year old bronze doors at St. John Lateran

 Hidden treasure: the altar and tabernacle at St. Bonaventura

St. Bonaventura Church

Sun.Sept. 2, Bella Roma

Sunday, Sept. 2-

They brought around breakfast about an hour and half before we landed in Rome. I saw the sunrise over Italy, but I was so far up I could not see what Italy looked like. We came into Rome and through the Passport Authority and found our driver. His name was Pino, but of course I thought he said Lino, and I got really happy! I thought that was a good omen, but Pino did turn out to be awesome. Even thought he did not speak much English, he did identify a few landmarks, which I could usually translate from Italian to English. Not because my Italian is any good, I could just recognize them. 

In the airport, RT found out that there was a difference in Italian coffees and Caffee Americano. We got for 2 Euros = 2 tiny espressos. We made our way from the airport to the Hotel Anglo Americano and checked in early. While we were waiting, we enjoyed our first complimentary breakfast.

After getting settled, we were on our way to explore. The first stop was the Trevi Fountain- well- known to most Rome visitors. We threw the coin in so we could come back again, like every tourist does. 

  Fontana delle Naiadi

 Mass here was beautiful.

Spanish Steps- It was sprinkling a bit.

We discovered the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs and after a quick trip to McDonald’s (yes, really) for a bottled water, we made our way to mass at noon. What an experience to celebrate mass in Italian. Even though we did not know most of the words, our bilingual masses at St. Gregory’s came in handy. Hearing Spanish every Sunday really helped us recognize some of the Italian we were hearing. I began to cry at Eucharist, because it struck me that we are truly the Universal Church. I was doing the same thing my brothers and sisters all over the world were doing. It was so overwhelming!

We enjoyed lunch and came back to the hotel to rest for a little bit. Being up and traveling for 24 hours straight was very tiring, so we took a 2 hour nap before heading to find the Spanish Steps. We walked around in that area for a good while, had some gelati and made our way back to a quaint family restaurant. We could not get past the first course and soup. That was plenty to eat. 

Now back at the hotel to upload the blog and get some rest. 

Ciao! 

Day 1 Italian Voyage- Getting there

Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012

We began our trip from Memphis to Atlanta at 11:40 am and had a good flight complete with internet. We ate at Qdoba in ATL airport and were unsuccessful in getting an international cell phone plan. We did get a landline plan so that we could call our kids while we are there. Our cell phones will be on airplane mode for a week. 

The Delta flight to Rome began at 3:40 pm. Our in-flight entertainment for the first three hours consisted of nothing, since the system would not work. They rebooted it at least three times. The only thing we could see was the trip map which showed that we were flying up the east coast from Atlanta to Boston and making a sharp right turn headed straight toward the ocean. About 6:15 p.m. CST, the sun was setting. It was beautiful. A few minutes later I could see nothing out of the window. 

There was no internet, which left RT wondering who was winning the Ole Miss vs. Central Arkansas game. Guess we’ll have to wait until we can get on Twitter tomorrow morning. He was looking forward to tracking the game along the way. 

Our dinner was chicken and rice, salad (I got all of RT’s cucumbers, since he hates them), cheese and crackers, a roll with butter, a blonde chocolate chip cookie, Dinner conversation was listening to the liberal Democrat non-practicing Episcopalian lady and the South American Catholic doctor, (who claimed he only goes to church to take his children) drone on and on.

The third reboot was wholly unsuccessful, so we decided to take a nap, which was wholly unsuccessful as well. They served us turkey and cheddar on a roll and Milano cookies later in the evening, which we both ate. (Weight watchers is out of the question on this trip, I am discovering.) 

No movies, no music (my iPhone was low on battery) and a couple of puzzle books and a SkyMall magazine kept me company. In my haste, I forgot to pack my book.

They fed us a nice breakfast just before we landed, but that did not stop us from eating the free breakfast at the hotel!

On time and ready to go!

With no internet or movies, our entertainment was watching ourselves cross the ocean.

We're here!

First glimpse of Italia under cloud cover.

God only knows...

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of my son's marriage. In one way, it seems like it was just yesterday, and in another, it seems as though they have always been married. In any case, I truly believe that our daughter-in-law was a special gift from God to Aaron and to us. She is perfect for our son. They fit together and it is obvious to anyone around them that their marriage was meant to be.

I saw a photo Aaron posted on Twitter of the gift Anna had given him for their anniversary. She had handmade a note that read, "God only knows what I'd be without you" taken from the Beach Boys song. It struck me right in the heart. So intimate, yet so profound. I think it sums up the true love between a wife and her husband. I know I feel that way about my husband, and now someone special feels that way about our son.

I think Aaron would probably say that the reverse is true, too. I hope Richard would say that about me. I pray for them and their marriage every day. I am so happy that my son has this amazing young woman in his life. I am grateful to God that her parents let us share her. And that God has been gracious enough to give us another "daughter" in our daughter-in-law.

I think if I could rewrite that song, I would say, "God only knows what we'd be without you..."

I read the news today, oh boy...

The news lately has been so depressing. First the shootings in Colorado, and then the Sikh Temple shooting. A lot has been said about gun control both in the media and in front of the water cooler.

The shootings in Colorado and in the Sikh Temple are so absolutely horrendous it is hard to even talk about them. My heart is broken for the parents who lost sons and daughters in these senseless acts. Because of one man's horrible actions, dozens of families and friends have lost loved ones.

How can anyone justify the loss of innocent lives when folks are just going out for a night at the movies or to their own temple for a religious service? A person who can take lives as though they mean nothing is clearly insane and evil. Heated discussions on gun control have certainly ensued after these events.

I go back to what a friend, who just happened to be a policeman, always said: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." That, I believe is the bottom line. I don't know what the answer is in terms of gun control. We need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, but how do we do that, exactly? What about hunters? How about our right to bear arms? These questions absolutely overwhelm me as a Christian.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

"God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. God willed that man should be ‘left in the hand of his own counsel,’ so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him. Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts."  

"As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “the slavery of sin.” 

I pray for an end to all violence, and for the sanctity of all life. Lord, hear our prayer.