Photos

Here is a link to some of my photos in Rome: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043246&id=40309179&ref=mf

There are more to come!

A full day in Paris

Laura and I woke up early on Thursday morning and were soon off to the train station to go into the city. The station is only a five minute walk from Laura's house. Since we had to wait about 15 minutes for our train, Laura and I decided to see if we could get some coffee at one of the nearby shops. Instead, we found a pastry shop and had a delicious raspberry tart and a heavenly chocolate dessert called "The Opera". Our train came and we rode into Paris and got off the train and then onto a metro in order to go to Notre Dame. The metro/train system is quite large in Paris, and you have many options to choose from: the metro (with multiple lines), the RER (a metro, but faster), and then the train. With the help of the information desk and some maps, Laura and I were able to pretty much figure out the system by the end of the day. When we got off our last metro, we walked to Notre Dame and toured the inside. The famous cathedral is definitely huge and it was cool to see the flying buttresses and gargoyles on the outside. I also enjoyed yet another statue of La Pieta located behind the altar. The first La Pieta I saw was Michelangelo's at St. Peter's in Vatican City (La Pieta is Italian and refers to Mary's mourning of Jesus after he was crucified and lay in her arms).

After Notre Dame, we walked along the Seine River, passed the many street merchants and to the Louvre. Laura and I decided not to go inside the museum due to time constraints (if I'm going into the Louvre, I want to respect it by spending half the day there), but I know I will return some day. Seeing the outside of the Louvre was quite impressive itself, since it is so HUGE. And for the fact that it used to be a royal palace. We walked through the gardens and stopped for some lunch. We continued on our way through the Tuileries Gardens and fountains, and were soon on the famous shopping avenue Champs-Elysees. Laura and I walked down the street, looking through the windows of famous stores and looking at the many people strolling along. We stopped at a post office so Laura could mail some postcards and then stopped for cafe. I had chocolate (hot chocolate), which was very rich and delicious. We kept walking down the street until we reached the Arc de Triomphe and viewed it in the daylight. Then we turned and walked down the other side of the street. :) It really is shopping central, and Laura and I went into a sunglasses/eyeglasses store and tried on a bunch for fun, and then a while later we stopped in a store that was having a big sale and each bought a dress or two. This was especially nice for me, as I only had two sets of clothes to wear due to my estranged luggage.

Once our shopping was done, Laura and I took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is bigger than I could have ever imagined. As we crossed a street and turned a corner, it first came into view and I immediately began taking pictures. Laura kept telling me I would get better pictures as we got closer and were actually underneath it and in the park, but I really couldn't help being excited. Soon we were underneath the Tower and in the park, and it's hugeness is absolutely unbelievable. Laura and I sat in the park for a while and decided that instead of staying to see the Eiffel Tower light up in the dark (which was still at least 3 hours away), we would stop by a grocery store to buy food for a light dinner back in Bougival. We took the metro/RER and then a train and walked very slowly due to sore feet back to the house. We had a relaxing evening and light dinner of grapes, crackers and cheese, and of course wine. This was the perfect way to spend my last day in Europe, and I had a great time with my cousin!

Goodbye Venice, Hello Paris!

Our last night in Venice was wonderful. Our pilgrimage group met in the outdoor sitting area of our hotel and had a local drink called a Bellini (named after the artist) which is Italian champagne with real peach juice. After a few toasts we made our way to our restaurant just pass St. Mark's Square. We enjoyed the largest meal of our trip - the antipasti included fried vegetables like cauliflower, zucchini, and artichokes along with stuffed mushrooms, the first course was fettuchini Alfredo with the most amazing noodles I have ever had, along with some kind of pasta stuffed with chopped veal. Then we had a light salad to clear our palates, and then the second course was the meat dish, with samples of beef, pork, sausage, bacon, etc. Then we had this delicious chocolate cream puff for dessert followed by cappuccino, of course. It was a fabulous meal at the end of a fabulous trip. After dinner we hung out in St. Mark's Square and listened to the bands playing around the square. No one could quite believe we were there, it was a surreal experience.

The next morning my fellow pilgrims and I said our goodbyes, and I was off to the Venice airport along with a dozen others. My destination was Paris! However, when we arrived at the airport (after a boat trip and shuttle) I discovered that British Airways was on strike in Venice and thus my plane was not leaving. Just my luck. I was immediately put on a bus to Verona and was able to catch a flight to Gatwik Airport in London. When I got to Gatwik and went to baggage claim for my luggage, it didn't show up. No kidding. The British Airways people did a report, and then I hopped a bus to Heathrow, the point of my departure for Paris. So technically I was in England for at least an hour, driving through the countryside to get to Heathrow. England was beautiful, with tons of green grass, trees, and bushes. I passed cows, sheep, and people driving from the passenger side seats of the car. ;) When I finally got on my plane to Paris (three hours later then originally scheduled) I saw a fox hanging out on a grassy area near the runway - crazy.

We landed in Paris as the sun was setting and I was able to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Laura met me at the airport and we took a bus to the metro station, passing the Arc de Triomphe all lit up in the dark - it was a cool welcome to Paris. After a few problems at the metro station, we made it to Bougival, the suburb outside of Paris where Laura will be living for a year.

Venice Part II

Since I couldn't write much on my last post, I'll catch everyone up on what's been happening here in Italy for the past couple days. :) On Sunday, we traveled from Ravenna to Venice and stopped in Padua to visit a couple churches. The first church we visited was the Scrovegni Chapel, with walls that are covered in paintings done by Giotto. Each painting tells a story of Jesus, Mary, and various saints. It was extremely beautiful, but because it is SO humid in Padua, visitors can only spend 15 minutes in the chapel at a time, AND only 25 people can be in the chapel at one time. On top of this, visitors must sit in a "special" room for 15 minutes in order to be de-humidified. Seriously, it was very odd, but basically just a room with a lot of air-conditioning. We then had a lovely lunch and celebrated mass in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua (who is actually from Portugal, but don't try to tell any Italians that ;) ). After Padua, we rode on the bus for an hour and were in Venice! We took a water taxi to our hotel and then had dinner on the Grand Canal. Very beautiful, and cooler thanks to the breeze from the water.

On Monday we awoke in Venice and were soon on our way to St. Mark's Square, followed by mass in the Basilica of St. Mark, which was very cool. We then toured Doge's Palace and had the rest of the day to ourselves. After Steph and Angie got train tickets, we did some jewlery shopping in the sweltering heat. The sun and humidity is really intense, but as long as you are in the shade it's bearable. After shopping we rested at the hotel and had another nice dinner on the Canal.

This morning we woke up and went on an excursion to the nearby islands of Burano and Murano. Everyone had a wonderful time - the boat ride was beautiful (as long as we were sitting in the cool breeze), and the islands were small and quaint and we saw buildings painted beautiful bright colors of purple, blue, green, and pinks. In Murano we watched how Murano glass is made and did some more shopping, though mostly just window shopping. Tonight is our festive farewell dinner near St. Mark's Square. It has been a wonderful pilgrimage! Tomorrow I'm off to Paris to visit Laura!

Venice

Today is our first whole day in Venice. We arrived last night after stopping in Padua and seeing a beautiful chapel that you can only enter if you are de-humidified first. It is VERY hot and humid here, but bearable in the shade and with a breeze from the canals. Right now I'm in an internet cafe with Angie and it is pretty expensive and I only have like 5 minutes, so I can't write about everything that has happened. But Venice is very beautiful and we were all excited to get here. Today we had mass in the basilica of St. Mark and then went on a long walk to the train station so Steph and Angie could buy tickets. After that we had lunch and shopped for murano glass jewelry - very pretty! Tonight we are going to have dinner on the Grande Canal and walk around some more! Hopefully I'll be able to write more later, maybe in Paris! Bye for now!

Journey to Ravenna

This morning we traveled from Assisi to Ravenna, which is either very near Tuscany or in Tuscany, I can't really remember. It was about a three hour drive and the countryside was absolutely beautiful. First we passed vineyards, then drove through mountains that were covered with green trees as well as rockfaces. It was kinda like the Rocky Mountains but on a smaller scale. We drove across a long highway on big concrete stilts and passed under many tunnels. Lunch was in Ravenna (pizza, I really like potato pizza), followed by gelato. Then we toured three beautiful Byzantine churches (Basilica's of Saints Vitale, Apollinare, and one more) full of GORGEOUS mosaics. When we walked in and saw the mosaics for the first time they literally took my breath away. The golds and blues are beautiful. We are now finished touring the churches and I'm in a little internet cafè around the corner from our hotel. We have dinner in an hour and I'm sure it will be fabulous. Tomorrow we travel to Padua and then arrive in Venice in the evening!

Relaxing in Assisi

As soon as we were settled in our hotel room, we were off to explore the quaint and charming town of Assisi. Not only do we have a beautiful view of the Church of St. Francis, but every street we walk down is so beautiful that at first we were stopping and taking pictures every few minutes. The majority of the buildings are stone, and the streets are small and lined with shops and apartments. The streets are also very steep - there are a lot of hills and steps, but it is so cute! I don't know how else to describe it.

On Thursday we mainly shopped for friends and family members (and ourselves, of course), and then had a lovely dinner at the hotel. Assisi is in the region of Umbria, which is not the same region Rome is in, and so the food is a little different. Our first course was pasta with a white, cheesy meat sauce which was my favorite pasta so far, and our second course was a type of white pork with french fries - we were quite surprised, but apparently fries are common in Umbria.

On Friday morning we went to the Church of St. Francis and celebrated the Eucharist. The church is very beautiful with world famous frescos, and is the third most visited pilgrim site in the world. St. Francis devoted is life to simplicity and poverty and probably turned in his grave when such a big and beautiful church was built to honor him, but it is probably my favorite church yet - the ceiling of the upper church, and some of the lower is beautiful blues studded with gold stars. Our next stop was the Church of St. Claire and was also very beautiful, and is now the home of the original San Domino cross that spoke to St. Francis and led him to convert to Christianity.

The rest of the day was spent on the streets and in the shops. We actually had to visit the farmacia, or pharmacy, as mosiquitoes have been biting us and are going to be worse in Venice. Steph and I asked the pharmacist for bug spray and at first she didn't know what we meant, but as soon as I showed her a bite on my leg she immediately understood and asked "before or after", meaning if he wanted spray to prevent bites or help heal them. We replied "both", the pharmacist showed us what we wanted and we were on our way.

Tonight we are going to have another lovely dinner and art talk from Mickey. Tomorrow we travel to Ravenna, which apparently has some very nice art and cool buildings. Ciao, Ciao!

From Rome to Assisi

Yesterday was our last full day in Rome and was well spent at Vatican City. Our first stop was the Vatican Museum, and one of our group leaders, Brother Mickey McGrath, an artist (www.beestill.com) gave us all a wonderful tour that ended in the Sistine Chapel. Our next stop was St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world. Although it is incredibly huge, it is proportioned in a way that makes it seem almost normal on the inside, but it's not by far. After touring the inside of the Basilica, Steph, Angie, and I went to lunch and shopping with F.J. (Father John). F.J. was in search of new vestments and found some gorgeous ones right outside the walls of the Vatican. I never thought I'd go shopping with a priest. :) After shopping we made our way back to St. Peter's in order to climb to the top of the dome (which is longer than a football field on end). We had to wait in this incredibly long line packed with people in order to get back in St. Peter's and then made our way to the top, a three or four story elevator ride and then a three hundred and twenty two step climb to the top. It was exhausting but the view and fresh air was worth it. The last 15 steps or so are a tiny spiral staircase with only a long rope to hold on to.

After the Vatican we took a public bus back to the hotel and then had a full Italian meal consisting of antipasti (appetizer of thin ham, fresh mozzarella balls, and melon or cantelope). Next was the first course of lassagna and ravioli followed by the second course, pork and beef with potatoes, and then tiramissu for dessert. We ate in a restaurant frequented by the one and only Elizabeth Taylor. Richard Burton and Liz came there often and we ate in a room dedicated to them and filled with signed photos of the two with the owner, Mimo, as well as the turquoise sandals she wore in Cleopatra. Very cool.

The next morning (today) we left for Assisi, where I am currently. We have already seen the 8th largest church in the world, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, which houses the Porziuncola, the little chapel St. Francis built a long time ago. The view here is wonderful and I know I'll love the Italian countryside!

The Start of Our Pilgrimage

Monday was the official start of our Prayer and Art Pilgrimage in Italy. We woke up early and had a delicious Italian breakfast of meat and cheese, croisants, yougurt, etc. Our group then made it's way to Santa Maria della Vitoria which houses Bernini's controversial statue of swooning St. Teresa in Ecstasy. Next was Santa Susanna for a tour and to celebrate the Eucharist. Santa Susanna is the official American church in Rome and is built on the site of Susanna's home. Christians have been celebrating the Eucharist there for 1700 years. Compare that to our churches in the US! During World War II, Nazi headquarters were just around the corner and nuns hid Jewish families in the church.

The later part of the afternnon was leisure time and Steph and Angie and I walked to the Spanish Steps and then walked down the street at the bottom of the steps that is home to all of the famous fashion designers such as Gucci and Prada. We then had more gelato, as it was HOT outside, and climbed back up the steps and went to the Cappuccin Crypt that is decorated with the bones of 4000 monks. It was weird. We were extremely tired when we got back to our hotel and slept for a few hours before having a 3 course Italian meal for dinner consisting of ravioli, veal and potatoes, salad, and finally a delicious dessert kinda like cheese cake but lighter and not as rich. It was delicious.

On Tuesday morning our first stop was the Catacombs of St. Priscilla and we had mass right above the catacombs. Afterwards we had a tour of the catacombs, where 40,000 Christians were burried, 100 of them martyrs and 6 of them popes. There painted on the walls we saw the first images of Mary and baby Jesus and the three wisemen. There are 63 catacombs in Rome, with 4 million 'graves', and only 5 catacombs open to the public.

After the Catacombs we went on a bus tour of Rome and then had another delicious lunch. After lunch Angie, Steph, and I, along with F.J. (a really cool priest from Philly) went to San Giovanni in Laterano Basillica, the first Christian Church in Rome. Across the street is a building that houses the Holy Stairs, 28 marble steps of Pilate's residence. Jesus walked up these steps before he was sentenced to death. Emperor Constantine's mother, Saint Helena brought the steps to room in 326. Next we went to the National Museum of Rome and I saw several people walking around with Rick Steves' book and we chatted with each other.

Some things I've noticed about Rome - the people, both men and women, are beautiful and very stylish with fashion and hair, and especially shoes!! They are very chic. Also, Rome is a really big city, with graffiti and all. However, the orange trees lining busy streets makes you temporaril forget tha ugly parts (trash and graffiti). It's simply beautiful with orange and pink paint on the buildings, shuttered windows, and statues everywhere! Tomorrow we go to the Vatican!

First Full Day in Rome

Ok, let's try this again. Ciao! My last entry left off just before we adventured to the Colosseum. Angie and Steph and I took the metro to the great ampitheater and were quite impressed. The first thing we did, besides take pictures, was to make our way to the Forum in order to buy a discount ticket for getting into the Colosseum. By that time we were desperately in need of water and bought some ice cold bottles before eating a lovely lunch of pizza in an air conditioned building a block away from the Colosseum. After refilling our bottles at a fountain after we ate, we made our way back and entered the Colosseum, bypassing all the lines thanks to our special pass (thank you, Rick Steves). I have to say I was very impressed with the Colosseum and viewed it while thinking of gladiators and wild beasts fighting for their lives as crowds and emperors cheered on. After the Colosseum we headed for the Forum and followed Rick Steves' tour, getting slightly confused on the way but we left satisfied and headed back to our hotel to meet our tour group and have dinner. We once again used the metro, which was completely full, and we had to ride it like sardines in a can. No kidding - everyone was pressed up against everyone. Once back at the hotel and after some refreshing, we met our group and were excited as quite a few of the members have already been on tours with Fr. Kane and loved them! Next we had a wonderful dinner and night walk topped off with more gelato (my two favorite combinations are coconut and chocolate, and strawberry and lemon - tastes like the best strawberry lemonade ever!) I have to go now as others are waiting to use the internet - next post is the Spanish Steps, Santa Susanna, and Teresea in Ecstasy. Ciao, Ciao!

Rome, Sweet Rome

Chow! We have arrived in Rome and are finally able to communicate! For some reason we have been unable to figure out how to use the phones with our phone cards. Hopefully we will solve this problem quickly once we get the chance. But right now we simply want to see as much of Rome as possible! The plane trip here was grueling, and with a bit of walking, some refreshing gelato (I thought I ordered lemone but received melone instead (cantelope, strange but good), and help from a few locals, we arrived at our B&B. After all showering, we went on the town for some dinner and more gelato. It was a refreshing evening, and ended nicely as two men in a restaurant window blew kisses at us as we walked back to our B&B. A very nice welcome to Rome.

In the morning we made our way to our next stop, Hotel Medici. Although it took an hour for us to walk there, Angie ended up learning how to use the map, which will come in handy. We have just come back from mass at Santa Susanna and will soon be on our way to the Colosseum and Pantheon!