Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy
Stained glass masterpiece in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Waking up at 5am to the sound of Joseph groaning in pain, Tuesday was a day to forget in some respects. Vomiting for about 7 hours, Joseph stayed in bed most of the day. By the grace of God, none of the rest of us fell ill (until Zac arrive home to the US, sick). Zachary theorized that Joseph contracted the sickness while rolling around on the hotel floor when the 3 boys jammed onto one double bed (really two twin beds pushed together) sleeping arrangement hadn't worked out so well. He WAS the only one to roll around on the hotel floor... who knows? We were also in a "non potable" water area on our journey into the mountains, so perhaps he picked up a bug there? Or was it the chicken at the Autogrille?
Devoted father, Tim opted to stay at the flat with Joseph as he slowly recovered Tuesday; reflecting on the bitter Passion of Christ and the terrible sword that pierced the heart of Mary at the sight of her Son's terrible suffering. Joseph's temporary discomfort was by comparison minuscule; never the less, Tim recognized his own sadness at seeing Joseph sick in light of the sadness of a our Blessed Mother as she watched her child in agony.
Tomb of St. Philip Neri; Chiesa Nuova, Rome, Italy
Daily and Sunday Mass and confession times posted on the door of Chiesa Nuova, Rome
On his final day in Italy, Zac joined Peter and I for another blazing tour of the city. We didn't get going until after 10:30AM, due to the poor night's sleep, but we hit the ground running... rather sitting on a bus in a maddening urban traffic jam. Our route had been marked out the night before by our friend, Oana, who gave us a list of final must sees in Rome: a 5 basilica route, visiting and praying at the tombs of St. Augustine, St. Philip Neri, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Clemente, St. Cyril, and many others. The three of us walked, bussed, rode the Metro and then jogged to make it back to the flat by 5:30PM for our reunion with Tim and Joseph.
Packed up and ready to vacate our flat, our friend, Pietro, called a cab and arranged that the fee would not exceed e50. Four of us across the back seat of a small sedan, one up front, our prayers for a safe journey to the airport Marriott were answered; though we panicked a bit when the driver sped past a Marriott (which we thought was our hotel). Arriving safely and under the e50 agreed upon cost, our next adventure into Italian accommodations began. "Your reservation is for two, but I can see that you are more than two..." followed by a bit of red tape and added expense. This night's reservation was a Christmas gift from Grandpa Cliff & Grandma Billie. The eve of Zac's departure at the Marriott was by far our most comfortable, pampered night thus far in Italy, and the extra charge for the extra people (the US reservations center could not take a 5 person reservation for Italian hotels) was money well spent.
Noteworthy:
- Total number of postcards purchased so far: 25+
- Total number of postcards written so far: 4 or 5
- Chances that most of our Italian postcards will be mailed in the US: 100%
