And Then It All Came to an End

I've been home for a few days now, and have finally gotten around to doing a post for my last week in the Eternal City. All I can say is that I could not have wished for a better last week. I guess it all started when I went running on the Ancient Appian Way- 43:30. It was one of the most liberating experiences I've had. The weather was perfect, the trail was beautiful- there were ruins just kinda strewn about along the trail- it was AMAZING. The following day I went to the Colosseum and Roman Forums (the link to the pictures are at the bottom of the page), and made sure everything was packed.

The last day I was able to get to the Vatican Museums, the Capuccian Crypt, and Campo dei Fiori, where some fire jugglers were performing. Here's some video:



And here's some pics!

Now that I'm back home, this blog will most likely shift towards more design topics and photography. Hopefully I can stay up with it. So until next time...

Venice & Padua

So the last full weekend abroad I was fortunate enough to go to Venice and Padua with Sara. We saw all that there is to see in Venice, including St. Marco's Square at 5:30 AM. In Padua, I dragged Sara along until we found St. Anthony's Basilica. it was nice to see the final resting place of my namesake. In this last week in Rome I hope to do some last-minute tourism. Until then, you'll have to settle for the photos from Venice and Padua, which can be found here. I didn't take many photos throughout the week, so I'll add them to last week's photos when I get the chance.

EDIT: I got the chance. Here you go.

A Sorta Witty Title

Yeah, so I was in Sorrento and Capri the past weekend and enjoyed it. Here's the highlights:

1) Getting awesome pictures of cliffs, water and the Arco Naturale on Capri
2) Sitting on a small beach in Capri
3) Going to the same restaurant I went to in 2007 and being served by the same waiter
4) Running along the cliffs of Sorrento at 6AM
5) Eating and orange picked fresh from the tree outside our bungalow.

As for the rest, I'll let the pictures do the talking.
And here, they talk about the rest of last week.

I Can Relate to Australians Now

I went to an Italian zoo today. They had the usual menagerie; giraffes, monkeys, kangaroos and your typical assortment of birds.

But one animal struck me as exceptionally unusual: the North American Deer. Yes, this rare and exotic beauty comes from the far-away, almost mythical land of North America, where it roams freely today to become tomorrow's roadkill.

That's when it hit me. This must be how Australians feel when they go to ANY zoo anywhere. "Oh, you have kangaroos? We have special guardrails on our cars so they can survive impacts with those things. Crocodiles? Ha. That's not a croc..."

"Deer? Ha. That's not a deer."

The Holiest of Holy Weeks

If you're going to be in Rome for Easter Week, you might as well go to as many churches as you can.
That's what I did on Good Friday. My self-guided "Church Blitz" lead me all over Rome. I started out at noon at the closest church, Santa Maria d. Grazie and ventured eastward from there, saying at least a decade of the Rosary in each. Here's the full itinerary:
1. Santa Maria d. Grazie
2. San Giovanni d. Fiorentini
3. Santa Maria degli Angeli a di Martiri
4. Santa Maria Maggiore
5. San Passede
-qick stop of at the American Seminary for Confession-
6. Ss. Ambroggio e Carlo
-quick stop for the main meal of the day (pizza)-
7. Chiesa Gesu e Maria al Corso (for Veneration of the Cross)
8. Basilica San Giacomo
9. Santa Maria d. Montesanto

When evening came, I went to the Colosseum for the Pope's Stations of the Cross. They announced each station in several languages (as seen in the video below). The candle-lit ceremoy was a nice end to the day.



While Good Friday was sunny and warm, Easter Sunday was rainy and cold. But Mass in Piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter's Square), was still on. So at 7AM Lauren (a fellow Tyler artist) and I went to wait in line to get into the Square at 8:15. We got to our seats around 9, ready for Mass at 10:15 between a sea of umbrellas and make-shift cardboard umbrellas. It was a wonderful celebration, mostly in Latin and Italian, but represented several languages through the readings (Second reading was in English) and intercessions. It was quite cold and wet, so Lauren and I left right after the Mass was done. By the time we remembered that the Pope gives his Pascal Statement we had alrady left or seats with no way back. But according to my roomates, who managed to stay report that nothing notable happened (Just the usual call to help less fortunate Nations). Below is a video of a beginning bit of Mass, with the revelation of the Icon of Christ as Savior.




Here's Pictures! Week 12 | Holy Week