Not too much has been going on around here since Ireland. We just finished up our last two weeks bring us into spring break which was much needed! Around Bernardi what we call "the Bernardi Plague" has been going around. Some form of influenza, which has hit most of us has made for a pathetic couple weeks around here!
Last weekend we went on our silent retreat for the semester! It was such a beautiful establishment that we stayed at! It was about a 2 hour bus ride from Bernardi through beautiful countryside. It was quite an amazing weekend spent in silence and prayer for everyone!
This past week was just spent then making it through for spring break. I had a test and a presentation earlier in the week. As soon as that was over I pretty much felt home free even though I still had a couple classes I needed to sit through.
This weekend we are pretty much just relaxing. Palm Sunday we will be going to mass with the Pope at the Vatican and other than that we are all happy to simply be able to rest and have no obligations!
I plan on doing some traveling in the next two weeks off and on so I may not get to the blog in the next couple weeks, but when I get back I will try and be better about getting my updates quicker! I hope to make it to either Venice, Italy or Pisa and Lucca in Italy this week. Then spend Easter here in Rome. After Easter then I will be going to Prague in the Czech Republic and Vienna in Austria! I look forward to all these experiences and I will keep you updated as much as I can!
I wish you all a very Blessed Easter!
Arrivederci!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Ireland Day # 3 Continuation to Day # 4
In continuation...We needed to catch the bus at 3:30 AM, so we never went to bed after celebrating at the pubs! When we got to the bus, it was FULL! So, our only option was to miss our flight (which we already paid for) in Shannon and take a bus directly to Dublin. Had we known about this option earlier, we would have planned accordingly. So, we found ourselves on a bus going across the country at 6 AM. I was disappointed in myself for not being able to stay awake and take in the country, but I found it physically impossible to do so! We were able to make it to Dublin in plenty of time, have a scone and coffee breakfast, and make it back to Rome without worries.
Once again, we had VERY entertaining flight attendants, Marco Fabio and Marta. I hope these names alone allows your imagination to wander as to the ridiculousness of the situation, because I was continually shocked and very entertained the entire time aboard the plane!
So, there you go! Ireland in 4 days! Very quick but probably the most memorable place I will go to while in Europe...definitely a country I would highly recommend to anyone and I hope to get back to at some point in my life!
Stay tuned for more travel experiences!
Ciao!
Once again, we had VERY entertaining flight attendants, Marco Fabio and Marta. I hope these names alone allows your imagination to wander as to the ridiculousness of the situation, because I was continually shocked and very entertained the entire time aboard the plane!
So, there you go! Ireland in 4 days! Very quick but probably the most memorable place I will go to while in Europe...definitely a country I would highly recommend to anyone and I hope to get back to at some point in my life!
Stay tuned for more travel experiences!
Ciao!
Ireland Day # 3
So day 3 happened to be St. Patricks Day! We spent the first part of the day taking a short bus ride to a little town called Spiddal through the countryside. It was hard to get good pictures though because it was yet again raining! It was a a fun few hours though!
St. Patty's Day is definitely crazy in Ireland! It was also the rugby match between Ireland and Italy so that made the people even more crazy! We pub crawled a bit, but ended up at a local place which was packed, but sooooooo much fun! A great band at the pub consisted of a fiddle, a guitar, and a round drum played with spoons and a little mallet. It was definitely a night full of irish dancing, great conversation, and everlasting memories!
Well, our day technically never ended...
St. Patty's Day is definitely crazy in Ireland! It was also the rugby match between Ireland and Italy so that made the people even more crazy! We pub crawled a bit, but ended up at a local place which was packed, but sooooooo much fun! A great band at the pub consisted of a fiddle, a guitar, and a round drum played with spoons and a little mallet. It was definitely a night full of irish dancing, great conversation, and everlasting memories!
Well, our day technically never ended...
Ireland Day #2
So, Day #2...After sleeping in with no alarm in an amazing bed for the first time in 6 weeks our day began with lunch which was for me a tuna melt because it was Friday. It was really good though! :)
Annie had class so it was up to us 3 to find our way through the little city. The weather was cold and rainy which apparently is not a surprise in Ireland! It didn't change our excitement for where we were though! After meeting up with Annie later that afternoon and a few of her local friends we headed to a pub for happy hour and then to the "best fish and chips in Galway".
When we decided to head back to Annie's place, we stopped back at the lovely Radison and claimed our bags. Little did we know that after a short Irish drama between a landlord and a maintenance man, we would end up back at the Radisson!!!! This time, we were given 2 apartments which was an entire bed and bathroom for each person!!!! This is possibly one of the most grand "Luck of the Irish" occurrences ever. We lucked out 2 nights in a row (our only 2 in Ireland) to stay in an apartment which rents at €350 per night for FREE!!!!!!! Pretty amazing and God sent!
Annie had class so it was up to us 3 to find our way through the little city. The weather was cold and rainy which apparently is not a surprise in Ireland! It didn't change our excitement for where we were though! After meeting up with Annie later that afternoon and a few of her local friends we headed to a pub for happy hour and then to the "best fish and chips in Galway".
When we decided to head back to Annie's place, we stopped back at the lovely Radison and claimed our bags. Little did we know that after a short Irish drama between a landlord and a maintenance man, we would end up back at the Radisson!!!! This time, we were given 2 apartments which was an entire bed and bathroom for each person!!!! This is possibly one of the most grand "Luck of the Irish" occurrences ever. We lucked out 2 nights in a row (our only 2 in Ireland) to stay in an apartment which rents at €350 per night for FREE!!!!!!! Pretty amazing and God sent!
Ireland Day #1
Again I apologize for the delay in writing this...things have been extremely crazy around here, but here it is now!
So...As most of you may or may not know two weeks ago I was in Irealnd for a long weekend over St. Patrick's Day! To say the least, it was amazing! I loved it so much that to be honest I didn't even want to come back to Rome...it was so beautiful!
So day one, Michelle, Emily, and I left straight from school and by the time we arrived at Galway in Ireland we had taken 3 buses, a train, and a plane. They flight was sort of interesting...we had a group of American high schoolers, of whom were kind of rude talking a lot and ignoring the stewardess and I will never forget when the stewardess was attempting to give her safety speech and she said "Everyone just needs be quiet! You will have three hours to talk, you can stop talking for just two minutes!" It was kind of funny and entertaining anyways! :)
While visiting Ireland we stayed with one of Michelle's friends, Annie, who was very sweet and an amazing hostess to us all! She is studying there for the year and lives in an apartment, but at the time her apartment was being worked on so they gave us an apartment hotel at the Radisson which was gorgeous! It contained two bedrooms, three baths, a kitchen, dining area, and living room. The beds were the best part of the whole room though!!! Queen sized beds with four pillows and a duvet! I don't think I have EVER slept so richly and this was all free! We did have to share the bed, but that was minor!
So...As most of you may or may not know two weeks ago I was in Irealnd for a long weekend over St. Patrick's Day! To say the least, it was amazing! I loved it so much that to be honest I didn't even want to come back to Rome...it was so beautiful!
So day one, Michelle, Emily, and I left straight from school and by the time we arrived at Galway in Ireland we had taken 3 buses, a train, and a plane. They flight was sort of interesting...we had a group of American high schoolers, of whom were kind of rude talking a lot and ignoring the stewardess and I will never forget when the stewardess was attempting to give her safety speech and she said "Everyone just needs be quiet! You will have three hours to talk, you can stop talking for just two minutes!" It was kind of funny and entertaining anyways! :)
While visiting Ireland we stayed with one of Michelle's friends, Annie, who was very sweet and an amazing hostess to us all! She is studying there for the year and lives in an apartment, but at the time her apartment was being worked on so they gave us an apartment hotel at the Radisson which was gorgeous! It contained two bedrooms, three baths, a kitchen, dining area, and living room. The beds were the best part of the whole room though!!! Queen sized beds with four pillows and a duvet! I don't think I have EVER slept so richly and this was all free! We did have to share the bed, but that was minor!
Friday, March 23, 2007
I'm Sorry!
I apologize for the delay in my blog from Ireland last weekend! It has been an extremely full week with homework and other things and on top of it I have been sick most the week not even able to attend classes. I am off now to my silent retreat for the weekend which I hope will bring much needed rest! I hope to get my blog done by Monday at least with the Ireland trip!
Love you all!
Amanda
Love you all!
Amanda
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Ravenna Weekend
Pretty much the rest of last week was just classes and hanging out until Saturday. We left early morn heading for a weekend in Ravenna. Ravenna was very beautiful! We basically just saw a lot of churches! Lots of walking and lots of churches :) Not quite sure what else to say about it, but it was interesting that one of the shops used to be a church...it was kind of crazy! This is the shop below...
Ravenna is on the tourist map for one reason: its 1,500-year-old churches decorated with best-in-the-west Byzantine mosaics. Briefly a capital of eastern Rome during its fall, Ravenna was taken by the barbarians. Then in AD 539, the Byzantine emperor Justinian turned Ravenna into Byzantium's lieutenant in the west. Ravenna was a light in the Dark Ages. Two hundred years later, the Lombards booted Byzantine out, and Ravenna melted into the backwaters of medieval Italy and stayed out of historical sight for a thousand years. Today the city booms with a big chemical industry, the discovery of offshore gas deposits, and the construction of a new ship canal. It goes busily on its way, while busloads of tourists slip quietly in and out of town for the best look at the glories of Byzantium this side of Istanbul.
And here are a couple places we stopped at...
The Basilica di San Vitale, at 1,400 years old, is impressive enough on its own. But to see its brilliant mosaics still conveying the intended feeling that "this peace and stability was brought to you by your emperor and by God" is rare indeed. Study the scenes of apostles, the lamb on the twinkly ceiling, the beardless Christ astride a blue earth, and Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora (an aggressive Constantinople showgirl who used all her charms to gain power with — and even over — her emperor husband) in their lavish court. San Vitale can be seen as the last of the ancient Roman art and the first of the Christian era. This church was the prototype for Constantinople's Hagia Sophia built 10 years later, and it inspired Charlemagne to build the first great church in northern Europe in his capital of Aix-la-Chapelle, now present-day Aachen.
The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, just across the courtyard from the basilica, is the humble-looking little mausoleum with the oldest — and to many, the best — mosaics in Ravenna. The little light that sneaks through the thin alabaster panels brings a glow and a twinkle to the very early Christian symbolism (Jesus the Good Shepherd, Mark's lion, Luke's ox, John's eagle, the golden cross above everything) that fills the little room. Cover the light of the door with your hand to see the beardless Christ as the Good Shepherd.
Let me know if there is anything else you want to know!
Just so you all know I will be spending the weekend in Ireland! I am extremely excited because it's a place I've always dreamed about going to so when I get back Sunday I will update you of my travels :)
Have a great St. Patrick's Day!
Ciao!
Amanda
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Papa!
So, this week didn't start out with much going on, but by the middle of the week there was some excitement. On Wednesday we went to our first Papal Audience. We started out near the back of the auditorium but after the blessings and addresses people started clearing out because he was just shaking hands with those with special tickets. Darren noticed though that there weren't any guards by the doors to go around and get up close so he went through and I followed. Slowly the rest of the group followed. I got as close as about 6 feet from him. It was pretty much amazing! I didn't get to touch him yet but for my first of many Papal Audiences for the semester I was quite happy for the closeness that I did get! I was so moved to be able to see him and take pictures and its such a feeling to be in the presence of holiness. I don't know what else to tell you about it and I was pretty much speechless and taken away by the whole event but please ask any questions if you have any!
The rest of our week here will just be more classes and homework. We will be in Ravenna on a weekend trip this weekend so I will hopefully get an updated blog shortly after that :)
I love you all!
Arrivederci!
Slow Times!
I apologize for taking almost two weeks to update my blog but there really hasn't been too much going on here in Rome. We have been extremely busy but mostly with school and now spring break planning and such! I am still loving Rome and Italy so much! There are always new things to discover and learn!
The latest little day trip we took was last weekend to Siena, Italy. We left early morning Saturday and spent the entire day there relaxing and exploring. Among the amazing sites, Siena is the home of St. Catherine. Here is a little blurb on her...
Saint Catherine of Siena (was a Dominican Tertiary (lay affiliate) of the Dominican Order. Catherine was the 23rd child out of 25 (her twin sister, the 24th, died at birth); At the age of seven she consecrated her virginity to Christ despite her family's opposition; in her eighteenth year she took the habit of the Dominican Tertiaries. She is especially famous for fasting by living for long periods of time on nothing but the Blessed Sacrament. In 1370 she received a series of visions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, after which she heard a command to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life of the world. She began to write letters to men and women in authority, especially begging for peace between the republics and principalities of Italy and for the return of the papacy from Avignon to Rome. She carried on a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, also asking him to reform the clergy and the administration of the Papal States.
In June of 1376 Catherine went to Avignon herself as ambassador of Florence to make peace with the Papal States, but was unsuccessful. She impressed the Pope so much, however, that he returned his administration to Rome in January of 1377. During the Western Schism of 1378 she was an adherent of Pope Urban VI, who summoned her to Rome where she lived until her death in 1380. Catherine's body is currently interred in Rome, in the basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva near the Pantheon. Her head and right thumb are in Siena, and her foot in Venice.
In June of 1376 Catherine went to Avignon herself as ambassador of Florence to make peace with the Papal States, but was unsuccessful. She impressed the Pope so much, however, that he returned his administration to Rome in January of 1377. During the Western Schism of 1378 she was an adherent of Pope Urban VI, who summoned her to Rome where she lived until her death in 1380. Catherine's body is currently interred in Rome, in the basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva near the Pantheon. Her head and right thumb are in Siena, and her foot in Venice.
It was pretty crazy to see her head and thumb out and I am not quite sure what I think about that, but it was still an amazing experience. In addition, we were able to see her room where she lived and it was very small and simple.
Also in Siena, is the place where a Eucharistic Miracle took place! Here is a blurb...
On August 14, 1730, during devotions for the vigil of the feast, thieves entered the deserted Church of St. Francis and picked the lock to the tabernacle and carried away the golden ciborium containing consecrated Hosts. Two days later, on August 17, while praying in the Church of St. Mary of Provenzano, a priest's attention was directed to something white protruding from the offering box attached to his prie dieu. Realizing that it was a Host, he informed the other priests of the church, who in turn notified the Archbishop and the friars of the Church of St. Francis. By this miracle the Hosts have remained whole and shiny, and have maintained the characteristic scent of unleavened bread. Since they are in such a perfect state of conservation, maintaining the appearances of bread, the Catholic Church assures us that although they were consecrated in the year 1730, these Eucharistic Hosts are still really and truly the Body of Christ. The miraculous Hosts have been cherished and venerated in the Basilica of St. Francis in Sienna for over 250 years.
This was quite an amazing miracle we were able to see :) (Just so you know these two pics were ones I pulled up from the web because we were not allowed t take pics but I wanted you to see what I saw!) The remainder of the day was just spent exploring the city and relaxing! We left by about 7:30p and bused back about 4 hours! It was a long but very good day! :)
That was pretty much all I have for last week! I will try and be a little better about my updating :) It is just difficult when we really don't have a lot going on :)
I hope you are all doing well and I continue to keep you in my prayers! I would love to here from you to see how things are going back home!
Ciao!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
