Sept.18-20 in Rome

     Thus continues the sporadic chronicling of happenings past. Sorry for the not-exactly-chronological order.

 

Tuesday--

     This was the first day of class. After a 4-hour Italian class (with a 20 minute break halfway), I managed to recieve a proposal from a random ice cream man. No, really, I did. It was weird. Especially since I had never gone to that gelateria/cafe before, and since he called me "madame."

     That night was game night on Elizabeth's (one of the Residence Coordinators) terrace. We had some of her yummy sangria and played Catch Phrase.

Wednesday--

     It rained this day, which was nice. It was also the evening of a VERY AWKWARD party which the hotel owner hosted for us. He likes to try to impress us by throwing parties and inviting.... interesting people. The story goes that he invited Swiss Guards and an Italian mens' swim team, but that the Guards weren't able to come due to being at Castelgandolfo (which is where the Pope was; he's still not back to stay :( ). Yes, I do believe it, because they had been to such parties in previous semester. Bottom line: it was pretty much just Christendom and the strangest mix of Italian guys (which made certain of the girls feel jipped). Being one of the first ones downstairs for the party (because I didn't want to be rudely late) was horrendously awful. Why? Let's face it: it's a set up. I was actually very lucky as far as table-mates went: Andrew Hepler and Theresa Norris did a great job in breaking the ice, and the two Italians were polite.
     After the party was the Vatican at night and in the rain. It was so beautiful and peaceful and empty. So awesome. I feel that one can only really appreciate it at night.

Thursday--
     Ah, yes. The failed church hunt. So I looked up online where the Syrian Catholic church was, grabbed a hunting buddy, and proceeded to get very lost. At least we got to see the Spanish steps, REALLY expensive stores (Gucci, Armani, Burberry), the only Baptist church in Rome, and the church of S. Lorenzo. So, not a total failure, but still pretty disappointing. Maybe I'll manage to find it another time.

Tuesday in Lower Assisi

     So the first thing we did Tuesday was a Rosary walk down the mountain to Lower Assisi, where Fr. Bergida said Mass for us in a small chapel in Santa Maria Degli Angeli. This church is a Franciscan church after which was named a mission in the US. It's current name? LA. Santa Maria de los Angeles is the (Spanish) name of both this church in Assisi and the town in California. Cool trivia.

     On the way down, you'll see a number of thornless rose bushes. The story is that St. Francis jumped into a rosebush in order to distract himself from temptations. After this, the roses lost their thorns.

 

On the way to Mass

     After Mass we had a tour of the church. Very fun tour guide. We started outside on the steps of the church, from whence you can see the Porziuncola: the church within a church. It's an absolutely beautiful little church, with an amazing altarpiece depicting the Annunciation. Alas, pictures were not allowed. I did find this, however: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-santa-maria-degli-angeli .

     This church's name comes from the word for the property on which it stood, "little portion." This chapel and the land around it was given to St. Francis and his brothers by the Benedictine monks who were here in the valley.

The Porziuncola

      St. Francis had a vision of Jesus and Mary when he was praying in this chapel, and they asked him what favor he wanted. St. Francis asked that a plenary indulgence be granted to all who pass through the doors of the church. Many pilgrims have since come to this little chapel.

Facade of Santa Maria Degli Angeli

     After the tour, we took a bus back up the mountain, had lunch, and then had free time, which time I spent church-hunting. Below is something you'll see in Italy--

The McDonald's emergency vehicle. :)

     During my free time, I found the location of Santa Maria delle Rose, but the church was closed, so I couldn't go inside. :(  I also found San Stephano, which I was able to enter. It was a cool, dark, out of the way church. To me, it looked like something that belongs in the English Isles, somewhere in the ruins of those green places.

     This church had some very deteriorated frescoes in it. I only saw two, but I'm sure all the walls were originally painted.

I wish I could have seen it brand new!
So many beautiful Marian images in these churches!

     And that pretty much concludes the last full day in Assisi. I've decided that it's nigh impossible to have one favorite church in Assisi. Now I'm waiting for some of you to jump on top of me and proclaim me wrong by telling me which was your favorite. :) Ah, well. I was never very good at the favorite game. By the way, here's a site with some pictures of San Francesco: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-san-francesco .

Three-Church Day

     Yesterday (Wednesday) was quite an eventful day.
     First we met our Art and Architecture teacher, Prof. Elizabeth Lev. She is quite the character. Very funny, very dry, very sarcastic.
     After class... WE SAW THE POPE!!! There was a general audience yesterday (which made getting to class a bit inconvenient, as our usual course is to cut through St. Peter's Square), and it was going on as we were heading back from class. Coming out of the terminal and towards St. Peter's, we could hear his voice, so I raced around to look for him in between the columns. I finally got a glimpse of him and was even able to take a pretty decent picture, considering how far away I was. SO EXCITING! I easily could have jumped up and down and screamed if it weren't for the fact that the Holy Father was talking. :)

GAHHH!!!!!!! :-D

     That afternoon was devoted to church-hunting, the object being a Russian Orthodox church that I spotted the other day from the roof of the North American College (Pontifical; it's a seminary). This hunt, unlike a previous hunt for a Syrian church, was a success. It did take a good hour and fifteen minutes to find it and get there, though.

     So St. Catherine of Alexandria church was found, and it was totally worth getting lost twice and having aching feet. Sadly, they were touching up on the paint, so the candles weren't lit. I was also sad that I couldn't smell incense. It was still awesome.

     Before dinner the whole group went to see the church of St. Pressede; beforehand, I saw St. Mary Major as well. St. Mary Major has what is believed to be the crib of Christ, and St. Pressede (a woman who aided St. Peter) has part of a column that might be the one at which Christ was scourged. Whether or not it is this particular pillar is debated.

Reliquary of the Crib

Exterior of St. Mary Major

 

Inside St. Pressede

    And dinner..... We had hamburgers at an Irish pub that was in a Chinese area. The American food and the Irish decor made us all SO happy. It was very homey. :)

When In Rome

     Go to the Vatican at night. Do it. I'm serious. These are great pictures (thanks to the camera I got for Christmas), but they still aren't the same as being there. One of the most beautiful and relaxing things ever is to be here at night:

 

 

     And by the way, there are some cute kids who run around the street, but be careful of them, and watch your purse while you stand in awe of thier cuteness. There were no attempted thefts, but my roommate reminded me of this strategy today when this adorable five year-old Arab kid was saying "hi" to us.

Swiss Misadventure

     No, I am not talking about the inferior brand of instant (AKA, fake) hot chocolate powder. I am speaking of the mildly humiliating encounter this afternoon.

     I went again to the Latin Mass at St. Peter's because I was too lazy to go to an earlier Mass. I left early enough to actually get a pew this time, and not just a plastic folding chair in the way back. The cute old priest who says the Latin Mass has a really nice, soothing, grandfatherly voice. It's the nicest Italian I've heard so far. I'm actually not a big fan of the spoken Italian language. I'd rather hear it sung. It was really cool to hear the Irish priests during the Prayer of the Faithful today. I'm just sitting there beaming, thinking, "Real English! [as opposed to English spoken by Italians] Hooray!" So, yes, Mass was lovely as usual.

     After Mass, I went to All Brothers (the best coffee I've ever had; this is the place where at least one of the bartenders tends to call Christendom girls princesses) for breakfast. As I went back through St. Peter's Square, I heard the Pope's voice, got very excited, and then was dreadfully disappointed when I discovered that what I heard was only a video-recording. :-( I was really sad. I want to see the Pope, but he's still at Castel Gandolfo.

     Then I had the bright idea to wander around and explore. I sauntered down a street, managed to get a heel stuck between cobblestones for a second (how do the Roman women wear their outrageous shoes on these streets?!?!). Then I decided that my good shoes were killing me, so I headed back.

     On the way back, I saw this gate and thought, "Ooh, that's a pretty gate. I don't remember going through it when I came down this street... But I must have, because it's not THAT gate, the guarded one I pass by every day. Hm. Guess I wasn't paying attention." Well, I was right about one thing: that I hadn't been paying attention. I see that there are Swiss Guards at this gate and become even more confused, but that's okay! There are like, two other normal-looking people going in, so of course it's just a regular street. And I enter. And I hear a voice behind me calling, "Signorina! Signorina!"

     "Shoot.What'd I do NOW? This isn't that other gate where people aren't really allowed in, so why is he coming after me?" I turn and there's a Swiss Guard behind me saying something important in Italian. Still convinced that this was NOT that gate, I look around (not knowing what he's saying; too confused); and then it hits me. It is that gate. I just hadn't recognized it from the new angle.

     After an extremely brief apology, I turn right around and leave, quite rather embarrassed. (A minute later, I realized that my situation was actually pretty funny.) Technically that makes me the first person in this Rome group to talk to a Swiss Guard.

     And then, on the way back from that, I get sung to by some construction guy. Italian men are weird. I can't say that I'm fond of them. They're such flirts.

     I really don't know why all this weird stuff (you'll hear a very weird story later) is happening to me. I was pretty sure that weird things only happened to girls who were flirtatious and/or bereft of a level head. I guess not. I think God is just trying to teach me some lessons. Humility, patience; all that good stuff that I don't have.

     I also don't know why the Italians seem to like me. I went out to coffee with my red-haired roommate the other day, and the guy at the counter seemed much more interested in me. Why? I'm a brunette! The Italians usually pay more attention to the girls with lighter hair. Whatever. At least I can be thankful for the fact that I've been 100% safe. Some girls in the past have had some mildly scary things happen to them.

     Anyway, I am off. I still have much more to write about concerning Pilgrimage... It's just that so much happened that week!

 

The "pretty gate" of doom

 

The Mediterranean Sea

     Today was an optional trip to Nettuno, a beach town on the Mediterranean where St. Maria Goretti is buried. I wasn't originally planning on going, but I'm glad I did (even though I managed to sunburn my face). It was really nice to take a train trip and to get out of the city.
     The water was actually fairly warm, considering that it's September. It was REALLY salty, though. I loved that there were waves close to the shore. It was so much fun to bob up and down on the waves. The sand was different there-- the sand farther from the water looked dark, like dirt. There were much fewer shells than there are on the Atlantic beaches, and there was no seaweed. It was nice to not feel living stuff underneath your feet in the water. :) (The Gulf Coast of Florida at Tampa was really nice, but I didn't like the fact that the sand felt slimy and that I was stepping all over seaweeds of various sorts.)
     After maybe 30-60 minutes, however, the tide really started coming in and bringing colder water with it, so I got out and walked back and forth along the beach.

The church at Nettuno, where St. Maria Goretti is buried

     I did not go into the church (there was talk of it maybe being closed for a few hours in the afternoon), which is kind of a bummer.
     I had my first kebab for lunch. Good, but way too much meat. Actually, I ended up not eating all the meat because of a canine friend outside the train station. The kebabs here are made basically the way burritos are, which means that I can't eat them in a dignified manner. Thus, I discovered a large fluffy being coming my way to eat the scraps I dropped. Then he just sat in front of me with a cheerful look on his face, as if to say "I'll be a big helper and eat that for you. You really don't want it." It was really funny. I've never seen a big dog be so happy-looking but well-behaved before. It looked kind of like a golden-white retriever, but with longer hair. His owner was very amused as well.

 

 

     I wanted to climb the rocks, but there were too many creepy critters on them. :-P

Assisi Day 2

     Once upon a time, on a Monday in Assisi, we the Christendom people didst depart our house of lodgings and didst walk down the hills to the Basilica of San Francesco. It's three churches all built on top of each other. They are built on and around the tomb of St. Francis. No pictures were allowed. The crypt chapel (which has in it the stone sarcophogus housing St. Francis' body. We had Mass down there. It was dark and plain, but it was very nice nonetheless.

Entrance to the lower (middle) basilica

Some of us girls with the countryside of Umbria behind us

 

     Then we had a guided tour of the middle and upper churches. There were amazing frescoes all over those two churches. The tour guide was fun and pointed out this one painting of St. Francis that was based on a description given by his nephew. The upper two churches reminded me of Santa Chiara. On the way back, I saw one of those freaky person-statues.

     That afternoon we had free time, in which I ate pizza at the fortress, took a walk, and revisited Santa Chiara, which I loved.

My casual lunch scenery

Here is where I started going through
 some serious wee bairn withdrawal.

 

     If you ever are in the mood for a frozen coffee drink, look for "Caffe Zero," it's a company that makes them. They are sold premade in these carboard-plastic cups, and you get the straw when you pay for them. They are kind of like coffee slushies. The mochachino (sp) one is good. I had one while staring out over the countryside by Santa Chiara.
     End of Day 2. Oh, and for dinner, I believe we had-- as usual-- way too much pasta.

Part 2 of Day 1 in Assisi

      The tour started in the common area. This plaza has government buildings, and St. Mary over Minerva. The Romans built a temple to Minerva (Athena) in Assisi; since then, it has been converted to a Catholic church, but the facade is still the original Roman one.

 

     Afterwards, we saw Chiesa Nuova, "New Church," the church which in St. Francis' house. (No, it's not new anymore.) Pictures were not allowed, so I only pictures of the outside. There's an ancient Roman well right outside the house which everyone (of course) just had to stand on.

     The next stop was San Rufino, named after the first bishop of Assisi who was martyred by the Romans. This church was in fact built before Sts. Francis and Clare were born, and there is a font inside where it is said they were baptized. (If you've seen the CCC cartoon version of St. Francis' life, you will recognize the church's facade. :) )






     Then.... Santa Chiara (St. Clare). I LOVED that church. It was done in a medeival style, with Gothic arches, flying buttresses, an icon-like style of painting. The ceilings were this strange shade of blue that I'd never seen before, with stars. It was so beautiful. This church also has in it THE crucifix of San Damiano. The crypt housed St. Clare's body. She was pretty tall woman. It's sad that I couldn't take any pictures, but at the same time, it gave me more time to soak it all in. Here's a link that has some pictures of it, though they really don't do it justice.
 http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-santa-chiara
     We had our Mass in the late afternoon at San Damiano. This was the first of our special, private
Masses... which people kept piggybacking on. :) All week, we'd have at least one person see that Mass was going on, and then join us.
     It was something of a hike to and from Mass, since San Damiano is outside the city walls. We passed by a lot of olive trees. There are so many in Assisi.
     Lunch and dinner were 4 course meals, and they gave us way too much pasta. Too much food.....
     That night, some of us students went up to the fortress. The view was incredible. So many lights below. Then musicians in one of the squares below started playing Michael Jackson songs. It was really funny.
     On the way to Assisi, we stopped at a gas station, and I saw this--

     Here in Italy, the Smurfs are called "I Puffi." There were posters for the movie everywhere last year. I took this pictures in honor of a certain Matt, who does a fabulous "I Puffi" voice.
     And there you have day 1 of Assisi.

Monday

     Today was Orientation. We had a private Mass near to the tomb of St. Peter; there are lots of chapels down there around his tomb. It was cool, but distracting to hear at least two other Masses while trying to pay attention to our Mass. The chapel was also too small for the 35 of us, but that's okay.
     After Mass, we all went out for coffee and croissants (cornetti). Then on the Terminal we went for lots of talks, presentations, and for lunch. I followed Rachel's advice and got the soup. It was edible. The lemon iced tea was nasty, though. It tasted like it was watered down with Frizzante. Yuck.
     Then we walked back through the Vatican Square and took care of domestic duties in our apartments. Then came parting with 50 euro for book and packet rental. :( Very sad, but it really can't be helped.
     Scavenger hunt teams started departing at 3:00 pm. My team consisted of myself, Erin, Marilyn, Matt Marcolini, Conor Knox, and Andrew Hepler. The girls and I even dressed the same, wearing the colors of our contrada: jeans, black shirts, and red in our hair. Conor made the not-very-smart decision of wearing courdoroy pants and a waffle-knit long-sleeve tee. He regretted it. Team Baroque, as it was named on the Metro to Candia, left a few minutes after 3:40 and got back 79 minutes later. We were the first ones back and were only six minutes over the record time (73 minutes, made a few years ago). We collapsed as soon as Elizabeth Walsh (Residence Coordinator) saw that we were back. We ran a good part of the way. We ran to the bus stops, ran to the Metro, ran IN the Metro. Some of the people in the Metro were cheering us on, which was pretty funny. We discovered that the Metro can eat your tickets, and that it is always a good idea to take your time with turnstiles. Yes, I did fall, but I barely felt it. Bumping into and then passing the two teams that left before us was pretty sweet. :) Matt Marcolini's been in Rome for a while (longer than the rest of us), so we had a huge advantage.
     And now we girls are waiting for the guys to get back from the grocery store so we can have the victory celebration. :)

And you thought Smartcars were small

We had to take pictures of this fountain. I don't quite understand it.

Assisi Day 1 Part 1

      There is so much to cover! I loved Assisi. It's now one of my favorite places in the world. It was quiet, peaceful, clean, and it had practically no graffiti, unlike Rome.
     Driving towards the city, it looks a lot like Minas Tirith, which obviously made me very excited.



The church on the mid-left is the Basilica of San Francesco. The tower to the far right is the larger part of the Roman fortress; my hotel was pretty close to it. It was much closer to the fortress than it was to San Francesco.

     It was built by the Romans around the time of Christ, and is now divided into Upper and Lower Assisi. Upper Assisi is the older part of the city, built on the hill. Most of its buildings have the medeival outer structures with all the wrought-iron.... things-on-the-outside. There seem to be a lot of hill-top cities in Tuscany and Umbria (regions countaining Siena and Assisi, respectively).
     The streets are cobblestone, and people have flower-boxes out their windows, and painted tiles near their doors. And tile roofs.



A very normal street in Assisi

     There are 35 Catholic churches in Assisi (I think this includes Lower, but I'm not sure); the group saw about seven of them. Some of us explored the town and found more.
     We left Rome on Sunday morning and got into Assisi before noon. We checked into Hotel La Rocca (named after the fortress), and then the tours began. (Dramatic music.)

Sunday in the Eternal City and Sundry Digressions

     I am settling in in Candia. Today I just casually rolled out of bed a little before nine, and was out the door with a roommate at 10:15. We booked it to the Vatican and just barely made it in time for the start of the 10:30 Latin Mass. I'm rather proud of myself for being able to walk the long cobblestone streets in heels without any substantial inconvenience. It's certainly doable, but it's not terribly comfortable and you have to pay attention to where you're stepping. Don't step in the grooves or the grates, lest you get your heels stuck.
     Back to Mass: the First Reading was in Italian (I think), the Second in German, the Gospel and Homily in Italian, and the Prayer of the Faithful was in Italian, Spanish, French, German, and English. There might have been Portugese somewhere, but I'm not sure.
     Because there were so many priests, bishops, and/or cardinals, Communion distribution went rather quickly without lay ministers. (I do not like having lay ministers giving out Communion at Mass, but let's not go there now.)

     Here in Italy, everybody dries their clothes outside thier windows on lines. It's really funny to see; it makes me think of Aladdin. That's how they do it, though. Most people don't have dryers. Hang-drying things can be really inconvenient, though, when you've just washed a lot of things. I did a medium-sized load of wash by hand, and one of my roommates did the same. In order to dry it, we had to use two lines out the kitchen window, one line in the bedroom, and then find other random places in the apartment for the rest of it. I'm just glad it's all dry now and that I no longer have to duck under a forest of laundry in order to get to my bed.
     Ciambellas are really good. They're cream-filled doughnuts. The Nutella kind is obviously wonderful.
     The croissants here are different from the kind we have in the States. They're not as buttery. The ones in the hotel Alma Domus at Siena were very good.
     I like cappucino and macchiato. The coffee here comes in smaller portions, but I feel that you really don't "need" as much here because it's stronger. And when you get it in a cafe, you don't get the cardboard cups to take away like at Starbucks. You either sit down or stand at the counter, and you are given glass dishes (often with the cafe's name on them) and you leave them there (or you put them together and in a place on the counter where the dude can take them back and wash them). Very different from America.
     The bread isn't as fluffy and moist here. Italians don't seem to like moist breads or baked anything. They also don't like to have really sweet stuff, either, other than gelato. Speaking of which, there was this gelato place in Siena near the Piazza del Campo which had REALLY COOL displays. They heaped up the gelato and decorated it with the fruits and things that are used to flavor it.
     I like Italian  wine better than California wine. It tastes smoother and less alcohol-y. It's also a lot cheaper to buy wine here than it is to buy wine at home. The most expensive bottle I saw at the grocery store yesterday was about 4 Euro. That's less than eight dollars! Butter, however, is more expensive here. And other stuff I can't think of.
     Grocery shopping is a little different where produce is concerned. You DON'T touch it with your bare hands. You either use plastic gloves or you use the plastic bag as a glove. Then you bring the food (only put into a bag one kind of produce) to a scale, enter the code that's on the basket where you got it, take the sticker that prints out, and put that on the bag. It's a little more complicated than shopping at home.
     Italian food at Italian restaurants doesn't taste quite like Italian food in America (of course, there's the whole Sicily thing). Pizza here is better, in my opinion, as is bruschetta. And I've not tasted a lot of garlic.

     We've heard rather a lot of English-language songs being played in the stores here. It's weird. I heard the Goo-Goo Dolls and Bon Jovi being played at this elegant leather-stuff-store that we went into to search for a new wallet for my roommate. It's called Carpisa, and there are adorable little turtles on the wallets and suitcases.

    And that's the end of my ramblings for now. Next I need to try to put up pictures and dig up my journal entries from last week so I can tell you all about Pilgrimage.

Yesterday Morning

          Yesterday, we got to go to Adoration in front of the Eucharistic Miracle at Siena. In about 1730, the entire city was gathered at the Duomo (cathedral) for the Feast of the Assumption (I'm pretty sure...), except for a very few people. Some theives took this oppportunity to break in the Basilica of San Francesco in Siena. They broke into the tabernacle stole the ciborium with over 300 consecrated Hosts inside. When people found out, the whole town was furious, and started praying that They would be returned. Some days later, a parish priest saw something white in the offertory box. He opened it, and in the cobwebs were all the Hosts.
     A great celebration ensues, and they put the Hosts in a monstrance so everyone can see and rejoice. They are now locked away, but we all got to see. :) We had Adoration before not just the Miracle which is the Eucharist, but another miracle-- these Hosts are almost 300 years old. Hosts will usually last 5 years before they decay. It was awesome. :)

Back from Pilgrimage

     Hello, all! I have spent the last week on Pilgrimage in Assisi and in Siena. It was a WONDERFUL trip, and I have no idea where to start.
     I suppose I will start by saying NO, I did NOT drop off the face of the earth. I did not post this week because I decided not to take my computer with me. It was a very good idea. I didn't need it, and it was so refreshing for the first few days. The last two were more like a mini-Lent. :)
     So, yes. Two awesome cities, and now I am FINALLY settling in with my final room and roommates. And...

I'M IN THE PORCUPINE CONTRADA!!!!!!

 

VERY psyched about that. My roommates are Erin Moore and Marilyn Charba. Now I am off to do important stuff like grocery shopping and LAUNDRY. My clothes smell soooooo bad..... Like everyone else's, so I can't wait to have clean ones.
     And now I will end with the often-pretentious-sounding little word that people always use whether or not they're in Rome: Ciao!

Pictures and Day 2

     Today I actually got up at 8 for breakfast without having to. Scandalous, I know. For breakfast there were croissants, cereals, eggs, and these cool pastries that had pudding and strawberries on top.
     Speaking of food, I've noticed something about the coffee here in Italy-- it's thicker. At least, that's the way it is thus far. I'm only going off the cappucino I had at the airport and the espresso one of the girls had earlier today.
     We had tours of the neighborhood this morning, on which we were shown the nearest church, clothing and grocery stores, cafes, atm, and other shops. Speaking of church-- I just realized how different it is here in Rome versus back home in regards to churches. Here there are tons of churches, Catholic churches. Back home, there are probably just as many churches, but only a few of them are Catholic, being in the Bible Belt and everything. I wonder how many Protestant churches are in Rome... There's got to be one.
     After the tours, about half the girls went on a shopping excursion. Most of us bought nothing, but it was fun to look inside the different shops nonetheless. During this outting, we got lunch. I had a fish-and-tomato sandwich. I'm pretty sure it was tuna, because that's what it tasted like. I've noticed that the tomatoes here are really good. I usually dislike plain, uncooked tomatoes at home, but the ones I've had here so far I do like.

     And now for a flashback-- traveling to get here. I flew from ATL to Chicago, I got to see Lake Michigan, and I was VERY impressed. It is HUGE!!! The sad thing about my flying is that I did not get to see the Atlantic, and I barely got to see the Alps. I happened to be sitting in the middle of the plane, and the window closest to me was covered most of the time. Unless you are always flying across the Atlantic, why would you have the screen down? Don't you want to see what the place looks like while airborne? :-P Spoil-sports. Maybe I'll get a better seat going home.
     On my plane, there was a guy with a very..... interesting hair arrangement: he had like, dreadlocks, but instead of hanging down like most people, he had them up and folded over, so that his hair looked like a hat. It was weird.

     Now let's see if the web will let me put up pictures now...

 

 

 

 

 

      More to come later. I took a decent one of the altar of the chair, but it won't load. It's like the web has something against that particular shot or something.

Arrival

     Well, here I am, safe and sound, in Residence Candia. I got here at about 11:00 am Rome time, 5:00 am home time. One of the first things I noticed when I got off the taxi is that Rome smells exactly like it did fifteen years ago. It's weird how everyplace has its own smell. Our cars, our houses, our workplaces... We just don't usually notice it because we're accustomed to it.
     Back to traveling. I actually have had it very easy so far. No delays from ATL to Chicago, and no delays from Chigao to Fiumicino. I didn't get sick on either plane, and I didn't lose my luggage.
     Miss Ott from Christendom was there outside the baggage claim to meet all of us students who were coming from this airport, and she was fairly easy to find.
     Another easy thing I've had to do was the taxi-- I rode with another student (Donna Kelly) and a priest who is going to be leading us this coming week in Asissi and Siena. It's a really good thing we were with him, too, because he knew what he was doing. The three of us split the cost, so I only paid 17 Euro to get to Candia (or rather, one block away from it, since there was a one-way street and the guy apparently didn't feel like going around and dropping us off at the door).
     Once we got to Candia, we checked in and I took at nap. At three, we had orientation part 1, which consisted of mini-speeches, gelato (the lemon flavor was very good, but VERY strong), wandering around St. Peter's, and then going to Mass at St. Peter's.
     I was very happy to discover that the priests were saying the Mass in Latin; I could actually follow along! Whether you love or hate the vernacular, there's still something to be said for the saying of Mass in Latin: no matter what language you speak, or what country your from, you can still vocally participate in Mass.
     After Mass, we took a group photo and went out for dinner, which was pizza.
     The current adventures are going to bed and getting potable water. Not sure when I'll be posting next, but here are some pictures in the meantime:

 

Okay, A picture. The internet didn't seem to like the other two.... Another thing on my to-do list.

Pre-emptive Post

     Hello, people. I am very bored right now while backing up my files on my parents' computers, so I thought I'd write a brief post.
     Here is a list of some of the cities where I will be going (besides Rome and Vatican City):

• Assisi
• Siena
• Florence
• Orvieto (most likely)
• Subiaco (most likely)

     Assisi and Siena is where I will be next week, and the last two towns are optional trips. I feel like I'm forgetting someplace (like Ostia, maybe), but I can't remember. And I'm too lazy to run up both flights of stairs to find the calendar.
     And that is all. I will be arriving in Italy Friday morning, so I don't think I'll be able to post anything terribly interesting until at least that night.