Well life and the holidays got in the way of my writing, so I needed to get back on it and finish the trip to Italy. We left Sorrento and went to Pompeii to see the ruins. It is a very interesting place to visit, a whole city and community that was lost in such a fashion as it was. The ruins hold many insights into Rome life during that time. To see and feel the sense of community that was there as you walk along was a treat. It was a lovely day with sunshine and warm weather and the crowd was not too big. The city had ruins of every part of daily life and they have worked so hard to be able to tell the story of Mt Vesuvius. From there we went to the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino. Of course, I had no background on the importance of the Abbey and WW2, but what a story and what a place. You have to climb lots of stairs to take in the view and see why it was such an important battle, it was worth each stair I climbed.
We got to Rome right at sunset and as the lights of the city were coming on, what a sight to behold. We had a great hotel with a view from the 10th story and neighborhoods all around for us to experience day to day life. Of course, we all found the gelato place right around the corner and made more than a few trips there during our stay! We spent a full day at the Vatican and had tickets to see so much. St. Paul’s square was getting ready for the papal audience the next day, but the crowds were still big. They say if you can see the floor of the Sistine Chapel it is not crowded, well we could barely see it as the whole Vatican was wall to wall people and there is so much to see. I was so glad we had guides as it is overwhelming trying to figure out where to go. They had a plan and tickets and we saw so much, The Vatican Museum and Gallery, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica of St. Peter. The art is just unlike anything you have ever seen before and when you realize how old most of it is, it is almost unbelievable. The Sistine Chapel is like nothing else I have ever seen, I was able to just find a little corner and sit and look up and try to take it all in. We were told to go ahead and get our souvenirs that day, as the next day would be impossible to get into the main Vatican stores. I had a list of things I wanted to get both for myself and others and then picked up several items just to have and still wish I had gotten more!
For many years I have collected both crosses and small nativity scenes and I found some wonderful things to add to my collections! It was a long day and a great way to see it all and to get ready for the big day in the morning and the Pope!
We had tickets to the Papal Audience, but all that really means is that we could get into the line and then fend for ourselves. Our guides knew the drill and prepared us well. We started out at 6:30am on the bus with our boxed breakfast! We were told to hold our line once we got in line, that many would try to cut in for every reason. Don’t tell a bunch of West Texans to hold the line!! We did our very best, using the mighty Texas Tech Raiders as an example of how to hold a line. We were arm in arm ready to go. Our guides charged ahead and got us wonderful seats! There were over 100,000 people there and only half that many chairs if that. We were only a few rows back from the front, which was a long distance from the stage and the Pope, but we had great views.
For the next several hours we had a great time, watching all the people come in, seeing all the groups of churches and choirs from all over the world. Each group was announced and we did our best to make sure they knew we were there! To the right of the stage were brides and grooms all dressed up in their bridal best. Each audience brides and grooms who have been married in the Catholic church during the year are chosen to sit on the stage and get a blessing for their marriage. The fashion show was great. To the left were all the dignitaries, both from the church and political, they were not introduced, but you could tell they were important!
Right on time out comes the pope in the popemobile! He circled all around the large audience reaching out as he could, we got to get up-close views! The announcement was made in several languages, and the pope gave his address and he gave the whole address in Italian and then gave the same talk in all the languages the pope speaks, so we heard it in English, Spanish, and then several others gave the same address in a few more language! We then got our blessing and spent the next hour getting out of the Vatican! Our next stop was the Catacombs, which was nice and quiet compared to the morning! We ended our day with a farewell dinner and then I prayed very hard that I could get all of my treasures in my suitcase!
