Rome Travelogue - The Night before the Beatification

and all through Rome every creature IS stirring...

It's electric here tonight! The city has really filled up today.

In the streets we saw processions and high spirits from groups of French, Spanish and Polish pilgrims. They wear their colors and are exuberant.



From the moment we arrived we noticed these signs on posts, poles, trains, buses...everywhere. Rome has been waiting for this and now it's the eve before the beatification.


There are big screen TVs set up around the city. We saw them at St. Maria Maggiore and St. John Lateran.Because Vatican Square can hold 400,000 and 2-5 million are predicted for Pope John Paul II's beatification, these screens are for those who can't fit in the square so they can be outside and still "see" the beatification, broadcast live.

Tonight we felt compelled to be a part of the excitement and see what was happening outside the Vatican. As we imagined, it was alive with anticipation. Over the loud speaker, sound checks. Up in scaffolding, new teams giving live reports. Above in the air, helicopters. Sleeping bags were out, flags were flying, songs were being sung...




Under this American flag, students from University of Dallas.
Nuns, running to the square with sleeping bags...not an uncommon sight. They, ALL are thrilled.
Tomorrow is the day and I truly can' t imagine what it will feel like...look like...will we even get close? My tears are close.

It is so moving.

The picture below is what got me started, emotionally. After days of seeing religious in all sorts of garb fill the streets we knew that this was a special time and place.

It's headquarters... a touchstone.

Coming out of St. John Lateran I saw these two brothers...priests. They were transfixed by the screen which was showing scenes from JPII's legacy and life. As I took pictures of them, my family quietly off to the side, a moment of just me and them....it grew silent and meaningful. Realization came upon me. The moment changed for me and I saw and knew....

They still love him.

Not only him, they love their Church. While they are here it is alive and wonder-filled. It is a grand history, a part of something bigger. I found myself welling up with tears at what is happening here, happens here...when they are all together.

I pray that they can TAKE Rome HOME in their hearts. Stay strong dear religious, there is beauty.

Blessed John Paul II pray for your clergy and religious.

RomeTravelogue - Day Two

Day Two, technically our third day in Rome, was spent with a tour guide. We had a feeling it would make a difference...and Franco Julius'30 years of experience in Rome were invaluable to us.

Franco planned a perfectly timed day. Having stopped by the hotel the night before he greeted us and discussed final plans and helped us purchase 3 day transport and museum passes. Afterwards, he even drove my husband around a little.

At 9am Thursday he arrived to gather us and told us to follow his shoes, don't look at cars just follow him. Thankfully, the cars did stop and off we went! Here are some highlights of the day.

THE PIAZZA NAVONA - think this might be my favorite Piazza (Town Square) Hope to pick up some artwork here to remember our trip.

The top of St. Agnes Church,a magnificent structure that looms over a competing sculpturer's fountain depicting the 4 major rivers.

A break for a businessman's stand-up cappuccino...so good .
I am in love with the cobblestone streets and towering facades dripping flowers from rod-iron gates. It's like a movie.

Gelati...daily!
Franco described how even the architecture taught about the Church and the doctrine of no salvation outside of it. All things can be on the way but it is through the Church we find salvation.

The huge dome of the Pantheon was another incredible site and marvel. Dome architecture and it's prevelance fascinated us.


At the Museo Della Civilta Romana our tour guide proved himself with this seemingly unknown gem. It was quiet and almost empty. The museum holds reproductions made from casts of the originals and allows you to see items up close, perhaps better than you could at their actual site. Also, the elements (and pigeons) have not decayed these replicas.They are cleaner and more intact than their originals. This visit wasn't even on our radar of places to go and ended up really making all the destinations that followed more meaningful! Franco planned this part of the day when we had the place to ourselves, quiet and cool.
Here oldest son is doing some Latin translation from the wall of Augustus' autobiography.

A favorite part for many of us were the intricate models. Below is a model of the colosseum. Our guide tells us that it built so that 75,000 people could exit it within 15 minutes time...had bathrooms too.



This next model wasn't even the largest of the museum. There was one you looked down into from above that covered a giant room's floor and my camera could not capture it. This truly engaged the minds of my sons who have read much about ancient Rome.The could see and imagine much from this perspective. Not pictured is some models of the weaponry, battering rams and the like.

From the museum we went for a drive down the Appian Way. In this lush area of Rome you might imagine you are in Tuscany. Looking out to the countryside you could envision travellers on this road to Rome. Passing many crypts, we stopped at Tomba de Cecilia and then ate lunch at a vine-covered restaurante of the same name.

This was such a delightful part of the day. It just felt so European!

We even let the boys try some vino with their pasta.

For mama, I luved all my beverages.

At the Baths of Caracalla my tenor and his lil' soprano sang an opera duet a la the Three Tenors.

From there we arrived at The Senate and The Forum ancient ruins. Look closely at this shot that shows the ruins and what it might have looked like in a rendering below.
So much was here...so much history and structures to marvel at. We saw where Caesar's body was burned and over the ropes people had thrown flowers on the spot. I asked our guide about it and he said, "Probably Latin students..." For sure.


Coming up over a hill and through this arch we could now see the carvings we had earlier seen in the museum and they were not as easy to see. But there ahead of us was an very clear site, the Colosseum.

Massive.

From it, this view.
The sun was laying golden on the colosseum and Arc of Constantine as we left.

Popping back in the van, our driver dropped us off at a back entrance to the Victor Emmanuel II through a Church called St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven where we had the following view of the ruins.
The inside of the Church, while elaborate and unusual, spoke to me. I want to go back here and explore more as it was closing time.

Can you see in the photo above all the crystal chandeliers? Gads of them adorning the arches and coming down the sides...


Here we prayed for your intentions.

That stained glass window had 3 bees in it, signifying Bernini and the papal family.

And here is the view upon leaving. Look at all the Church domes.

Looking back at the twins, Castor and Pollux, it may be hard to see their enormity.Descending the stairs from the Victor Emmanuel II it was like coming off a cloud of a day.

Soaring.


It's taking me a long time here in Rome to load pictures and get these posts up. I have so much to share about the next 2 days....

RomeTravelogue - Day One

Day One is really Day Two as we arrive in Rome a calendar day after starting our trip. We get our shuttle to the hotel and are thrilled at it's beauty and the size of our rooms and bathrooms.

As sleep didn't come easy on the plane, we all nap to varying degrees. It's hard to rouse them but we know we must try to get on a time zone 6 hours ahead of our own. With multiple guide books and maps in our hands we head out looking for a gelato recommendation to sugar us up with energy in the late afternoon. A long, hot walk does not bring us to our destination. We can't find it. Disappointing. We're feeling cranky and trying to keep the kids positive. We decide to head to what also looks closeby, on the map.
The Castel Sant'Angelo is a fortress that the papacy used to hide in during attacks and although the guide book from 2010 says it should be open, it is not. But we get to see a lot of street performers and trinket merchants and while turning to take a picture near the Castel we arrive at a view behind us...it's the Vatican.

Wow.

We are really here. And so are a lot of other people. We see tours in processions and lots and lots of collared priests and habited nuns. That's not a normal thing so it's so nice to see so many. My husband reminds me, "Well, this IS headquarters."

The square, which I am told holds 400,000, is being prepared for the influx on a predicted 2-5million for Pope John Paul II's beatification. Giant canvases are being put up with photos of him.
And this, a larger version of the mosaic with JPII's motto on more than one banner. Big screen TV's are being set up and a truck with potted trees arrives.
Suddenly, the air gets that cool to it and the wind picks up.
A storm is coming.

My husband makes the right call and quickly ushers us into a rare taxi van to accomodate all 6 of us and it's back to the hotel. The hotel doesn't not permit air conditioning until June so we open the windows to cool the room and hear the storm, the dramatic thunder.

We never make it out to dinner, but go to sleep early trying to adjust to the many window noises. We want to be up early tomorrow for our day with our tour guide. There is much to see, much planned and he arrives at 9am.

RomeTravelogue - The Flight

Planes, trains and automobiles...lots of travel today.

Not a minute down the street from her house did this little one remark, "I'm bored." We all had to laugh knowing what was ahead of us today....yesterday...it's almost a blur now.

A bright spot for her...WINGS. See them on her shirt by her collar? First time flyer.

It was hard to sleep on the plane. Our seats were near the bathroom and people would congregate there and talk. But thankfully she got a few hours.
Here's a shot from our window as we flew over the French Alps.
I haven't flown lately and these new personal TVs in the seats were great! We luved looking at the map after we were all movied out. (That's how I knew we were over the French Alps.)
And then, Roman soil!

My travellers are doing so well. When I was kid, I took it all in stride too. Today my thoughts frequently ran to the amazement of being in the sky for 8 hours, crossing an ocean. It is a wonder that we stay UP and any turbulence had me back to my rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet. There was comfort in seeing a habited nun and several collared Fathers in our section of the plane. There were many polish people onboard and they were so joyful. I imagine we might hear as much polish as we do italian this trip!
The hotel is beautiful! We had been setting our expectations for small rooms and bathrooms, but it's all terrific! Can't wait till they all wake up and want to explore it more with me. Pics and video to come.

Driving in from the airport and even just passing by St. Paul's and the Twin Churches and the Colluseum was a pinch me moment. As our children stared out the windows my husband nudged me to notice them.

It'll all coming alive to them.

My sister said it best. What they've read about in history and heard about of their faith will no longer be abstractions to them. They'll be walking on that ground...seeing it, touching it...hearing the sounds and tasting Rome.

We're here.

And there are bidets....