When In Rome!......

 Take a taxi, the a bus, walk, but do not drive!!!

First observation was that the parking space were limited and the traffic was insane.  

New York City cannot compete with the amount of cars squashed onto a roadway in Rome.

 Ah, but the waterways...beautiful!!!

 And the architecture...beautiful.  New mixed with ancient and it was blended so well you could not tell the difference.

 And again, the streets narrow and the traffic unreal!

 Even the most mundane was breathtaking.

 One of our first stops was the Catacombs.

 The surrounding gardens were just perfect.

 The interior was damp and truthfully a bit scary.  We were told not to loose track of our guide while we were underground for if we did we might not find our wy out.  That got my attention.

 The upper floor of the Catacombs held a chapel and open areas for prayer.

Another memorable visit was to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.  It is an amazing structure built over the tomb of the apostle St. Paul.

A piece of wood that is believed to have been part of the manager of Jesus was beautifully displayed in the lower part of the basilica.

An Italian water fountain...

And a walk through some more of the ruins of ancient Rome...

on our way to the Colosseum!

Amazing!

Standing since 80AD it is the ancient version of our giant stadiums!

There were periods in the history of the Colosseum where 9000 animals were killed by gladiators in less than 100 days!

Travel buddies!

And armed guards!

Sienna and Assisi.....

Stop number two of this incredible journey and two of the most beautiful places I have ever been were Sienna, the home of St. Catherine and Assisi, the home of St. Francis.

The weather did not dampen our spirits as we climber hundreds of steps and walked hills that were at 45 degree inclines for three days.  

Mass was in aa beautiful chapel at the Basilica of Saint Francis.  

What a joy to be in a place when so much of Christianity grew.

The story of St. Francis is an amazing one and to walk where he walked and so many pilgrims since is why I came...and none of this disappointed.

St. Francis and the cell he was help in for so many years.

And the most incredible thing we probably saw here....a consecrated host that began bleeding during mass hundreds of years ago when a priest doubted the reality of transubstantiation.

The host still intact after all of this time in a monstrance in the chapel.

A miracle right in front of our eyes.

The one drawback of our trip...the food!

Oh my, Italian food has such a great reputation and it totally disappointed.

Granted we did not choose our meals...they were planned but they seemed typical of what we saw everywhere.

More steps, why not???

Suset in Assisi from our hotel room window.  It would not be too hard to wake up to this view everyday even on the most overcast days.

Dinner in a typical Assisi restaurant. 

Just more of what we saw each day.

And another mass in a chapel in Assisi.

What a beautiful part of our pilgrimage.

And now off to Rome!

Italy....What a Trip!......

Loading the bus on November 1st for another trip I never dreamed I would make.

I am/was that person who never had any desire to travel abroad.  Pictures in a magazine would be sufficient.  Now I am hooked.  I love it.  Going with a group on a Pilgrimage is in my opinion the gift of a lifetime.  It is a spiritual journey, a way to connect with God, and with the 35 companions you travel with.  It has taken me over a month to really reflect on what I found on that trip.  My first thoughts were not so positive.  It was grueling, long, a test of our endurance...but now I am beginning to see the purpose.  It was a test of sorts.  I was pushed beyond what I ever thought was physically possible so soon after back surgery.  I grumbled about the miles we walked, but I survived and so did the rest of our group...some much older than I.  I am glad I went.  I knew I am capable of much more than I thought possible.  I saw sights I will never see again and each spot holds a special memory for me....so here it is.

First stop VENICE!!!!

Yes, it was everything I had anticipated.

Absolute beauty everywhere.

St. Mark's Square.

Only in Europe can you find architecture that is this amazing.  

We did not ride a gondola but they were exactly as I pictured in my mind.

Venice is known for it's glassware which is handblown at local shops.

We were lucky enough to visit one of these merchants and watch a artisan at work.

I did not, however, purchase any of this!  $$$$$$

Every spot was postcard perfect.

And Venice is where I met Gelato!

My goal...to have one gelato a day for the whole trip....

maybe two!!!