Back in the USA

Newark

We made it back to the U.S. without any real troubles. We're waiting in Newark now.  After a very short night last night, getting more sleep on the plane might have been smart. But sleep didn't come too easily on a plane in the middle of the day.
On top of everything else, symptoms of a cold began to materialize for Don yesterday. This is a bear of a trip even if you're feeling well. He's all stopped up and feeling less than terrific. Miserable is the word he's using. 
After landing here, we picked up our checked bag and passed through customs. Then we rechecked our bag only to find ourselves forced to pass through standard security again.  Arg. All in all, it wasn't overly painful. We were just a bit miffed to have to dig out our credentials and go through the whole process again.
Good news - we were able to move our last flight up a little. Instead of arriving in Houston at almost midnight, we hope to land by about 10:45. Bad news - we probably aren't sitting together; maybe that will change by the time we board.

Still in Newark

We've been killing time in this terminal for about four hours now. We took a break from sitting and drinking in the VIP lounge by grabbing a bite to eat and stretching our legs with a stroll around the concourse and a little window shopping. That was about as much fun as Don could handle right now. So back to the lounge to wait another hour. 

We hope it's only another hour. Right now it's beginning to look like our earlier flight will be lucky to leave on time. We may leave only a handful of minutes before our original flight. We're still hoping for the best. 

More waiting...

Our earlier departure time of 8:00 PM has now slipped to 8:45, cutting our advantage in half. Several flights to Houston have been postponed today. Other travelers around us have waited through multiple flight changes already. With only 45 minutes before our adjusted departure time, we still have no plane at the gate. Not hopeful. 

Update: At 8:35 our plane has now arrived. They're projecting a new departure time of 9:05. That seems quite optimistic since the plane has to be serviced before we board.

The bottom line is it looks like we'll be able to catch a ride to Houston tonight and we might arrive a few minutes earlier than originally expected.

Did I mention that the last hour has been spent with a group of six-year-old girls playing gleefully at our feet?  They are now all abuzz about their impending departure. If we weren't already exhausted, we would be after watching them.

Boarding the plane

9:02 and we've begun boarding. Whether or not we actually land much earlier than planned, who knows?  We're just thrilled to be on a plane that appears to be heading home soon. 

Oops. Not so quickly. Instead of closing the door and taking off, the captain just announced that we are waiting for maintenance to come check out something in the cockpit. It's 9:28.

10:10 still waiting on the plane at the gate.  Isn't it amazing what people will say on telephones while surrounded by a group of total strangers?

10:20 backing up. But only after the flight attendant announced over the speaker - again - that all devices must be turned off.  He suggested that if you wished to continue using your devices, you could step off the plane and wait for another one which would come "tomorrow".  He was looking directly at the passenger in the seat behind me as he said that.

10:50 taking off.  yea.

2:00 AM touch down at Bush Intercontinental.  yea.

(All times above are Eastern.)

Getting to the house

So instead of arriving a lot earlier than originally scheduled we landed two hours later. Our name was called as we entered the baggage claim area. Oh, man. What now? A moment later we are walking out with our checked bag. It's been waiting in Houston for several hours. Oh how lovely it would have been to have arrived on that flight.

We are ever so grateful that a kind and able gentleman was willing to work all night so that he was waiting to help hoist our bags and shuttle us directly to our car. I said something about him driving us all the way home. He laughed big. I think I was more serious than not. 

1:39 we are exiting the parking lot, driving our own vehicle. It feels a little strange after ten days of depending on others for any kind of transportation beyond our own feet. The silver lining - Houston highways are quite empty in the wee hours of a Friday morning. We glide down the roads without a care. Nonetheless, caffeine is in order. For Don who is driving and for Mary who has to stay awake to keep him awake. 

The mighty Navasota River never looked so good. Well, at 3 something in the morning we see the sign more than the river. What awaits now is a much-dreamed-of shower followed by blissful sleep.

Just before 3:30, the garage door goes up. It's good to be home again.

St. Peter's Basilica

Considering the wonder and grandeur of the other churches and basilicas we'd already visited, we thought we might be jaded with St. Peter's. No need for concern on that front!  We were filled with awe and reverence. 
Just when you think a few more sculptures and paintings collected inside a building made of thousands of cubic yards of marble can't really be much different from the last, well....
There's no describing the massive space that is also somehow inviting and comforting. Like the other churches, the architectural details alone are enough to make you realize it was designed and built as a massive labor of love and devotion. The artwork, mosaics, and sculptures housed within build more intensity. The various altars, large and small, engage your attention and draw your focus. And from a place built in the floor right in front of the main altar you can view a glimpse of the tomb of St. Peter, where we had been just a few minutes earlier. 
In each of these magnificent churches there seems to be one something that pulls at your soul in particular. For me (Mary), on this day, it was the Pieta. Michelangelo's masterpiece depicts Jesus after He was taken down from the cross and laid across His mother's lap. She is holding Him gently and her face is full of a tender sadness. No doubt there's much to be said from an artistic and art history point of view. Looking at the sculpture, I almost expected the figures to move, or maybe see the wind blow the folds in Mary's robes. Then some part of my brain would remind the rest of me that this was stone, not flesh. But as a mom and a Christian, I also felt great sadness and compassion for the pain and the loss which must have engulfed her. 
I guess that's the most amazing thing about all of these churches. They were built hundreds, several hundreds of years ago. Yet the impact today is still overwhelming to pretty much everyone who enters. You only need look at the faces of all the other visitors to realize that. 
I think that sense of reverence and awe is something we will remember always. 

Vatican scavi tour

The scavi tour, or excavation tour, was the one thing that everyone who had experienced it before agreed on. It was our must-have ticket around which the rest of our schedule was arranged. 
The ticket made it clear we'd have to check Don's camera to take the tour. We didn't hesitate to make a few purchases at the Vatican gift shop before the tour since we knew we'd leave them with the camera. The problem was the line for security and checking his camera circled at least halfway around St. Peter's Square. Now what?!!
We decided to search for our entry point for the tour. That alone took about 15 minutes. Our destination was just outside of the colonnade, to the side of the basilica, just beyond the facade. The Swiss Guardsman that we found took pity on us. He would allow us through with what we had in hand. That was a huge blessing.
At this point, we were actually a little early for the tour. So we stepped  aside to find some shade under the colonnade. Finally, our appointed time had come; we reported in for our tour. Here we found out how small the world really can be. 
Also in our group was a couple named Eddie and Delores, from Alvin, TX. He is a deacon with the Houston-Gaveston archdiocese. They were accompanied by their daughter, Carolyn - who is the wife of Jack that we met earlier!  She's also an Aggie. Like us, they met as students at A&M. It seems that Jack would not be taking the tour, though.  He was elsewhere with their young children. 

The tour begins

Our guide introduces himself as Joe Baker, a seminarian from Wisconsin. Joe was being "shadowed" by Bill, a newly-arrived seminarian also from Wisconsin. He explains that we are not to touch or lean on anything older than ourselves. What he meant, of course, is that only the rails and such that had been added since the middle of the 20th century were fair game.

You see, the scavi tour is all about the archeology digs involving the tomb of St. Peter. We began at the location where Peter was killed. Our one and a half hour tour took us back to pre-Christian times, explained the circumstances of Peter's execution and burial, and followed with the building of the original basilica by Emperor Constantine, then finally the current basilica. All of these times and events are like layers to the story. As we've learned, Rome is very ancient and most everything is adapted from or built on top of something in an earlier age. 

In the 1940s workers uncovered, in a location directly below the current main altar of St. Peter's Basilica, something that was easily recognized as St. Peter's earliest tomb marker. Its exact location below the surface had been lost for centuries. The bones in the tomb were determined to not belong to Peter. Because of a fear of looting or desecration, they had been moved and deposited elsewhere many centuries before. After further excavation, Peter's bones were discovered nearby. The original burial monument and his bones are visible on the tour.

The tour was basically a viewing of the pagan-turned-Christian mausoleums that were built here on the other side of the river from the city of Rome.  We learned a lot about the history, culture, and customs of the day. It is quite intriguing to think of being buried with a "libation hole" in the top of your sarcophagus so your loved ones can continue to provide you food and drink when they visit you!

But mostly we knew we were on sacred ground. Many of the people buried here, like Peter, died because they refused to denounce their Christian faith or to honor of any of the pagan Roman gods. It was against the law to be Christian and for that they were killed. It was incredible to have just walked the same pathways these faithful martyrs had walked. 

Our dismissal from the archeological tour led directly into the magnificent basilica that bears the name of St. Peter.

Our reaction?  Breathless. Speechless. Overwhelmed. Awestruck. Humble. 

Arrivederci

We are on our way back to the airport. We still have much more we want to record here. And we will. But this morning we must bid farewell to Roma.

We've had a fabulous trip and we'd like to return someday. There are some churches yet to see, as well as other cities and sites in Italia.

At the airport

The check-in and screening process here was relatively painless. Once again we are taking advantage of the VIP lounge. Mary is enjoying one more espresso and croissant. One or two more caffe beverages may be in order just to keep moving until we board.

Our alarm went off at 4:30 Roma time this morning. We are scheduled to arrive in Houston at 11:58 tonight. Considering a seven-hour time difference, that makes for a long day.

What is a little odd is that all the folks around us - several couples and small families - seem to be American, Texan even. After a week of stumbling over ourselves trying to communicate, it took awhile to realize we can easily understand what's going on immediately around us.
For now, arrivederci!

Touring the Vatican

Saturday, July 20

Up and out early. We hop on the metro and are off to Vatican City. We weren't sure which way to exit the station when we got there. We opted to follow the crowds. And there were plenty of crowds to follow.
We stopped long enough to grab a quick bite to eat between our station and our Vatican destination. As we were leaving the cafe, we got a friendly "Gig 'em" in response to Don's Aggie shirt. After returning the greeting with a startled smile and a thumbs up, we continued to wind our way to the Vatican. 

Our first stop was the Vatican Museums. The lines for people waiting for tickets were three or four across and wrapped around several corners of the city wall. We had our online voucher and headed straight for the entrance. Even so, there was still a maze of check-ins, screenings, and escalators to navigate. Finally, we made it to the Vatican Courtyard.

We began checking out one of the first exhibits. There are several rooms of antiquities, masterful paintings, and relics housed in the museums. However, we quickly realized that spending even a few minutes in each of these rooms would limit our time in the crown jewel of the museum tour - the Sistene Chapel. We decided to leap frog all the rest and go straight there. 
Traveling the hallways past each of the other areas was like walking through molasses. It seemed there were thousands of visitors in front of us. Everyone was gawking and taking pictures. And no wonder. The hallways were majestic museums, all in themselves! But we were on a mission.

At last....

Capella Sistina

We are at the entrance. Wow. We step in. WOW!

The room is full. Someone is leading a prayer. Latin?  Italian? Not sure. Then English. Then one more language. Then he left. We are left to contemplate the chapel.

We had previously downloaded an audio guide for our phones and are now listening to the descriptions and history the narrator provides. The artwork is exquisite and mesmerizing. These are such feeble words to use, though. What is incredible is that the whole history of man and God - from the creation of the world, the fall of man, the story of our salvation through Christ, and the depiction of the Final Judgment at the end of the world - unfolds before your very eyes.

We usually think of the ceiling when we think of the Sistene Chapel. But there is so much more. The walls are a series of paintings several stories tall that wrap around the room. And seeming to want all of your attention is a very serious, commanding Jesus at one end presiding over The Last Judgment.

We can only point and gawk and sigh at the overwhelming grandeur of it all - the colors, the detail, the totally  life-like images, the composition of each part into a living whole. We are speechless. 

After about an hour, we leave the chapel only because we have tickets for another special tour elsewhere in the Vatican. Along the way, we ran into the guy from the cafe earlier. His name is Jack, Aggie Class of '98, I believe. We spoke for a bit then he left to rejoin his family and we continued to our next tour. Who would have guessed a couple of folks from Texas would be rambling around in the Vatican and find each other twice in one morning?

Assisi

We decided to take the train to visit the ancient town of Assisi, home of St. Francis. Our wanderings to Assisi began with wandering around the Termini train station to decipher our ticket and platform instructions. We were rewarded with what must have been a third of a mile (or more) trek to the far end of the platform. We boarded and settled in for our two-hour trip through the Italian countryside. 

The flat area around Rome gave way to hills dotted with small towns anchored to their slopes and valleys filled with olive orchards and fields of sunflowers. Then we saw the unmistakable profile of the Basilica of St. Francis flanking the hillside city of Assisi.  What an inspirational scene.
We thought we would be able to quickly catch a bus to travel the final two miles, but as we we have come to learn, Italian buses are undependable.  First bus was 10 minutes late and full.  Another one quickly showed up though and we were on our way.  
We got to the Basilica in time to celebrate Mass.  It was said in Italian, but you could hear the responses in several different languages.  Really neat how all these fellow Catholics from all over the globe couldn't carry on a conversation with each other, but in celebrating the Eucharist could fully understand each other.  
After Mass we decided to take the little bus up to the top of the hill and walk down.  Again, bus was unreliable, but we got there finally.  While riding up we thought Six Flags Amusement Parks ought to turn that bus trip with that driver into a ride.  It was better than most roller coasters.  
At the top we found our maps were bad and we were way behind our time schedule to get back to the train station for the ride home.  We persevered and made our way down visiting the church St. Francis was baptized in ( San Rufino), the church built in honor of his pupil and founder of the first female convent (St. Clare), a former roman pagan Temple of Minerva now a Catholic Church (The Church of Santa Maria sopra (over) Minerva), the plaza where St. Francis gave up all his worldly possessions, and the small quaint little church whose bells miraculously rang when St. Francis died (Santa Stefano) all while strolling through this beautiful medieval town on the side of a small mountain.  It was all breathtaking.
As we made our way to the Basilica of St. Francis, we began to hear what we thought was thunder.  We brushed the thought aside though because we had been told many times that it only very rarely rained in Italy, especially Rome, in July.  After a short break for shopping, we headed into the Basilica of St. Francis and it was none too soon.  As we approached the doors, it began to sprinkle and by the time we got inside it rained.  It rained like one of those Texas thunderstorms that brings an inch or two an hour.  In fact, if we had to guess Assisi received well over an inch of rain during the two hours we toured the Basilica.  In addition the temp dropped several degrees which made for a nice change.
The Basilica was amazing.  The paintings and sculptures were so un-Francis-like.  They weren't gaudy, but were beautiful, yet simple.  In the lower Basilica we were able to visit St. Francis' tomb where he is buried with four of his closest brothers and before leaving were able to find the now famous Aggie Madonna.  Yes, we found the fresco with the Virgin Mary holding Christ in one arm and giving the "Gig'em" sign with her thumb in the other.  Father Michael Sis found it on a visit several years ago and it has become so popular St. Mary's in College Station used the picture on the Christmas cards last year and now the bookstore at the Basilica of St. Francis has not one, but two prayer cards featuring that fresco.  
It was a quick trip back down the hill by bus. About a 45 minute wait for the train to arrive and a two plus hour trip home.

New sidewalk cafe when we got home after 8:30.  We are really getting used to this late night meals - Italians typically don't eat dinner until after 7:30 - 8:00.  Got home well after 10:00 where we washed our clothes and our bodies. We quickly realized that walking through the hilltop town of Assisi wore us out and killed our muscles more than we anticipated, but it felt so good to have seen such wonders.

Too many tourists

After the Pantheon we were exhausted and hot, but wanted to push on because we didn't want to miss a thing. We walked to the east through what looked like quaint little walkways or back alleys. To the Romans though, they just continued to be roads with cars going everywhere. But the size of the crowd began to get us down. These little boulevards looked like the Fan Zone at Kyle Field before an Aggie football game. There was hardly room to walk.
Hot and tired we continued to find relief in the many churches along the way. Each one was so incredible. When we finally arrived at the Trevi Fountain, we just couldn't believe the mass of humanity we found. It was so crowded that we had to wait our turn to even get close enough to see the fountain itself, much less get close enough to throw in our three coins. We finally did get close enough and sat and took in the beauty along with several hundred (or thousand) of our newfound fellow tourists.
By now we were really overheated and tired. Not a good way to end Day 2. On we marched toward home (and it had now become a forced march). Where we were there wasn't any "mass transit." We could only walk. When we did get back to St. Mary of the Snow at the top of the main drag leading to our little apartment, we were hungry. We quickly found a sidewalk pizzeria (they are everywhere); sat down; and since we had pizza the night before, ordered a calzone. We were a little smarter this night and only ordered one and split it. While we both could have eaten more, it was more than enough.
We were now refreshed and ready for more, but realized it was 9:00. So, we headed home, but stopped for some more gelato - you can never have too much gelato. After we got home and cleaned our bodies and washed and hung up the clothes, it was almost midnight. What a great day though. We were tired, but it was a good tired.
Tomorrow Assisi.