Assisi: Eremo Delle Carceri, Monte Subasio

After the many great experiences I've already had in Europe this summer - World Cup, friends, church history, schnitzel, family, Bach, coffee, pasta, & gelato - it's hard to imagine that the best was left for last, but that is indeed the case. This is because today, finally, I could hike the outdoors to my heart's delight and content!

I hiked 16 kilometers: four kilometers to the Eremo delle Carceri (Hermitage); four more to the top of Mount Subasio, before turning around and retracing my steps all the way back to Assisi.

The Eremo is a hermitage, tucked away in the forest of Mount Subasio. This was the hermitage Saint Francis came to periodically to retire from his apostolic activity, in order to refresh and renew his soul through quiet contemplation, meditation, and prayer.
















As his following grew, he began bringing his fellowmen up here, and after his death, the Franciscans continued using the hermitage, growing it into a small cloister. Even today a few monks live here, and a few hermits live in some caves a short hike away from the Eremo.






























The hermitage is virtually self-sufficient, with its own vegetable garden (see garden on left side of next picture) . Oh yeah, the view is not bad either!
















I noticed that there were doves everywhere in the vicinity of the hermitage. This is quite appropriate, because Saint Francis was a lover of God's creation. There are stories of him calming wild wolves as well as singing with the birds of the air. He sometimes even preached to the birds! His love for creation is nowhere displayed more clearly than in The Canticle of Brother Sun.
















After visiting the Eremo I continued my hike, towards the top of Monte Subasio. Although much of the hike was along a paved road, it was nevertheless still interesting. There were a couple rest areas along the way, so I was able to sit down and eat a sandwich and get a drink of water. The weather was really hot too, probably around 38C, so resting in the shade was a must!
















Once on top, there was a great view of the Spoleto Valley and the hills of Umbria.












































It's becoming increasingly clear to me how much I enjoy, perhaps even need, the outdoors, the hills, the mountains, the open spaces. I enjoy living in the city, close to people and all kinds of convenient amenitites, but there's a part of me that yearns for the rugged, raw beauty of hills, mountains, and forests. It completely makes sense to me, why Jesus went into solitude to pray in the wilderness. Perhaps God awaits us in the quiet, empty spaces of his creation, rather than our own busy, noisy devices.

I say this because while on my hike today I really felt at home. I felt at peace, the quiet, inner kind of peace that we all long to have.

After finishing the hike, around 5pm, I returned to my casa, exhausted, yet invigorated. I grabbed some food later on for dinner, and in the evening watched the fútbol game between Deutschland and Portugal.

I feel at peace. Thank you Lord Jesus.

Today's WM scores:

Deutschland 3 - Portugal 1

Assisi: Basilica Di San Francesco, Basilica Di Santa Chiara

According to G. K. Chesterton, "Saint Francis walked the world like the Pardon of God. I mean that his appearance marked the moment when men could be reconciled not only to God but to nature and, most difficult of all, to themselves in short, the coming of Saint Francis was like the birth of a child in a dark house, lifting its doom; a child that grows up unconscious of the tragedy in the house, and triumphs over it by his innocence...It was such an amnesty and reconciliation that the freshness of the Franciscan spirit brought to all the world".

Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) embodies in so many ways what it means to be a follower of our Lord Jesus, that this morning, upon entering the basilica dedicated to him, I could not help but be overwhelmed with emotion, especially joy. I actually wanted to cry, but for whatever reason, could not.

Assisi was canonized a short two years after his death, and not long after that, the basilica was built. Essentially, it is composed of two churches superimposed (built) on top of each other, with a crypt containing his body underlying the whole structure. According to the Assisi - Franciscan Itinerary booklet, "The handsomely designed exterior is majestic, and the interior magnificent, rich in frescoes done by the most celebrated masters of the 13th and 14th century" (page 42).

Aside from the amazing frescoes dominating the walls of the upper and lower basilica, the most beautiful moment of my visit was in the quietness of the crypt, where many others too had gathered in order to meet God in prayer. And meet God in prayer I did. Thank you Lord.

Finally, the relics room in the lower basilica was also very interesting, as it contained a habit, a hood, footwear, and various original handwritten scripts of Saint Francis.

Birdseye view of Basilica di San Francesco:















Front view of the basilica:















Franciscan Convent behind the basilica:















Cub at the basilica:















After such a beautiful morning, it was perhaps a little difficult to do anything else for the rest of the day, for I knew that whatever else I did on this day, it would not surpass my beautiful moments with God in prayer at the Basilica di San Francesco.

But knowing how limited my time was in this small town, I just had to move on and see the basilica built in honour of Santa Chiara, San Francesco's dearerst friend. In fact, the two loved each other, but decided not to marry, fearing that their love for each other would come between their love for God. So instead, they worked together side by side, Francesco forming the Franciscan Order of Mendicant (Wandering) Preachers, and Chiara (Clare) forming the Poor Clares.

Such was the holiness of Santa Chiara, that "When she came from prayer, her faced looked brighter and more beautiful than the sun, and her manner of speaking was of such inexpressible sweetness that her life seemed to be wholly of Heaven." Assisi - Franciscan Itinerary, page 26).

Birdseye view of Basilica di Santa Chiara (right hand):















Front view of Basilica di Santa Chiara















Flying butresses of Basilica di Santa Chiara:

Unlike the colourful interior of the Basilica di San Francesco, the Basilica di Santa Chiara has a surprisingly solemn character, with bare walls. Only the presbitery and the transept of the church has the biblical story in pictures.

There is also a byzantine crucifix located at the altar. This is the cross Staint Francis was praying before, when Jesus appeared to him and said "repair my house; as you see it is falling in ruins." This would be the experience that altered the course of his life, as it provided the impetus towards service and ministry in the name of Jesus.

Finally, these noteworthy items: a beautiful painting that tells the story of Santa Chiara, and a tomb containing her body, both situated in the crypt under the basilica.

Assisi: Chiesa Di Santa Maria Maggiore

I love Assisi, both, the saint, and the town!

The last chapter of my travels began this morning, when I said goodbye to Grace, Roma, and boarded the train to Assisi. I arrived in Assisi around 2pm, and immediately went to the Tourist Information Centre. I asked the lady working there where I could find a monastery or convent to stay for a few days. She replied that most monasteries are full this time of the year, so I shouldn't get up my hopes of staying in one, but she'd try.

She called one monastery: full.

She called another one, and to our surprise, they responded positively.

Thank you Lord!

I walked 5 minutes downhill around the main square, and arrived at the Casa di Accoglienza S. Elisabetta, a convent, and a house of hostpitality run by "consecrated lay women." Essentially, this is a place of rest, where one can stay for a few days in order to pray and reflect.

I look forward to staying here for a few days. I'm tired of travelling. I've been running on fumes for awhile already, and need a rest. There is a lot of history to take in here, but I also hope to try to get a little rest. Assisi seems like the perfect place. After all, Saint Francis and Saint Claire are both known for their love of God's creation. Perhaps I too can take in some of the beauty of God's creation here.

Here's the view from my simple but complete room:















Storm coming in! Shortly after my arrival, a rainstorm - the first rain I've seen in Italia - ensued: Thick, heavy clouds. Fresh air. Lightning. Thunder. Rain.















When the storm arrived, I just stood at my balcony and watched. Then I lied down on my bed and took a nap.

I woke up a few hours later after the storm passed by, to the sound of church music permeating the air. The music was coming from the church right across the street (see the previous picture, top left hand corner). I got changed, ventured across the street, and enjoyed a few minutes of choral music at the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, before climbing the hill towards the centre of town for some dinner.

I look forward to the next few days. I have a good feeling about this place. The spirit of San Francesco, the spirit of Santa Chiara, and indeed, the Holy Spirit dwells here. I can feel Him.

Below, a video of Assisi, taken from the balcony of my casa.

Roma: Vaticano

Our home in Roma is a mere 15 minutes walk and metro ride from the Vatican, which enabled us to sleep in a little and leave at 9am to arrive at the Vatican in time for a 10:15 Audience with the Pope.

The first thing we saw upon arrival at the Vatican was Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square):






















































When the Pope arrived and began speaking, it was almost anti-climactic. No big introductions or anything, just a few announcements in various languages. I found this good, since the physical surroundings, the grandiose buildings, the massive columns, the detailed statues, already provide enough pomp. A big introduction would've made me feel like priorities have somehow been mixed up. Then again, I'm Evangelical. I've learned to be suspicious of anything ceremonial or grandiose....

The Pope's message was thorougly gospel-centred. He talked about our need to develop a friendship with God through Jesus. The biblical story he used as an example of friendship with Jesus was unusual, but nevertheless appropriate: John, Jesus' favourite disciple (according to tradition), requests Jesus if he'll permit him to sit at his right hand in heaven. Of course, Jesus' response is "It's not for me to decide; it's up to my Father."

Most sermons on this passage probably point us in the direction of ensuring that we focus on the right issues in our relationship with God. In other words, we shouldn't be worried about where we'll sit once we meet God. That only shows how proud we are, and instead, we should focus on how to live more faithfully here, now.

Pope Benedict XVI used this story, however, to point out that living faithfully here and now is exactly what John was doing. His request came out of faithfulness, not pride. His request indicated a genuine friendship with Jesus. And this friendship that John enjoyed with Jesus, is exactly what we should be pursuing also.

Interesting. I need to think about that some more. I also need to read that passage again, and try to understand it with this point of view in mind.

His talk was short, maybe 8 minutes, and he spoke in at least 7 different languages: Latin (I think), Italian, German, English, French, English, and Polish. In terms of the crowd, there were about 5,000 present, and I found that even though many people in attendance were probably there simply out of curiousity, many came earnestly, seeking a genuine encounter with God.
































Enough about the Pope.

After the "audience" was done, Grace and I walked around the Vatican walls to the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums).

I did not take any picutres inside the museums. In many places pictures were not allowed, but also, much to my surprise and disappointment, a lot of art in the museums pertained more to Roman history than to the church. Most if not all the art was probably comissioned by the church, but it captured the history of Italy more-so than the history of the church. At least that's the impression I got.

I know that much of the history of the church intertwines with the history of the Roman Empire, but I'm not yet convinced that that's always a good thing. It's the whole relationship betwen religion-and-state thing that I'm probably uncomfortable with....

What I will say though is, that the Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) is magnificent. Pretty much every square centimeter of the chapel is covered with rich colours: the biblical story told in pictures. It was quite breathtaking. Now I know why Popes are elected here. And now I know why it sometimes takes them a long time to select a Pope. I'd want to hang out inside the chapel as long as possible if I could too!!!

Anyways, moving on.....

After visiting the musuem we still had one more place to visit: Basilica di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Basilica):






















































All I can say is WOW! Again, words like grandiose and magnificent come to mind when I think about how to describe the basilica. The beauty, the size, the colours, it was completely overwhelming.

The important question, however, is, did I meet God there? I'm not sure. To be sure, if I didn't meet God there it's because of my sinfulness and not his absence, but somehow, I think the multitude of tourists, the camera flashes, the noise of hundreds of people walking and talking, and especially the tour guides also have something to do with it. Is it fair to say that all the hype made it difficult to meet God?

There's something about having tours of a church that rubs me the wrong way. I noticed this in my travels in Germany already, where the constant influx of tourists disturbed the peace for those who were inside the church because they wanted to meet Jesus. Going out on a limb here, but I'm reminded of the story where Jesus drives people out of the temple for using it, well, not as a temple, but as a henhouse. Might we be doing the same thing?

In fairness, I did look at the schedule of mass at the basilica, and they do hold it regularly.

That was my experience at the Vaticano. Obviously, I have some things to work through. I'm overwhelmed. Confuseed. Challenged. In awe. I don't know how to feel about it. I need to think about it. I need to pray about it.

Lord have mercy on me, a wretched sinner. May this experience serve to draw me nearer to you, and may you use it to grow your kindgom.

Finally, yes, there was a World Cup game today.

Today's WM scores:
France 1 - Portugal 0

Roma: Colosseo, Catacombe San Sebastiano

Today was our busiest and best day yet in Italy, and considering yesterdays events, and how little sleep we got, that is good news.

Grace's words perhaps sum it up best: "Wow, it seems that when we're in a hurry and need to get something done, we work well together," and she's right, because we had so many things planned for today that in order for us to accomplish all our plans our minds really had to be in sync, and it seems they were.

We essentially accomplished the following:

Morning - Colosseo
Afternoon - Catacombe San Sebastiano
Evening - Fútbol: Italia 2 - Deutschland 0 (make sure you watch the video clip of Italia's celebration after their win tonight; it's at the end of today's journal entry).

Morning

So we begin with the morning. We visited the Colosseum:

Construction of the colosseo begun around the year AD 72, during the reign of Vespasian. It was inaugurated in AD 80, with a seating capacity of more than 50,000 spectators. Bloody gladiator combats and wild beast shows were held here, iwth "games" lasting upwards of 100 days and nights. After the Roman Empire fell, the colosseum became overgrown, until the middle ages, when it became occupied by two Roman warrior families.

Currently it serves as a reminder of Roman history. All the marble that used to adorn it has either been pillaged or removed and used for other buildings. It has also been damaged several times by earthquakes.

Still, I was moved by its formidable size.

Afternoon

In the afternoon we visited the Catacombs:

Catacombs, or catacombes, are underground corridors and passageways that were built as communal burial grounds. While this was the practise of not only the early Christians in Rome, but also pagans and Jews, it was the Christians who later on began burying martyrs here, so that they would be buried close to the fathers of the Church. Eventually, catacombes became sanctuaries for remembering the martyrs buried there.

The particular catacombes we visited, San Sebastiano, was the original resting place of St. Paul and St. Peter, until they were transfered to the Basilica di San Pietro at the Vatican. In the 4th century, a church was built on top of the catacombs (see picture above), to commemorate the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

San Sebastiano contains approximately 80,000 tombs (they're still digging, discovering more), but this is by no means the largest of all the catacombs. The largest one, I believe it's San Castillo, is the resting place for more than 500,000 people.

Evening

Finally, in the evening we watched the Italia - Deutschland game. What a super game that was. Both teams played so well!! But again, my team lost...

Funny story related to the game: we watched the game at a restaurant near the Basilica di San Giovanni, but after yesterday's transportation lesson, we wanted to be sure to catch the last bus home. This meant we had to miss the last 15 minutes of the extra time. We were quite bummed about that.

However, while on the bus and stopped at a red light, we saw a whole bunch of people - mostly, uhm, men - streaming out of restaurants, jumping up and down like little children, screaming and whistling. Some of the men jumped on each other, holding, hugging, even kissing one another. The occasion? Italia'd scored the go-ahead goal: 1-0, with less then 3 minutes to play in the game.

Immediately, one of the girls on the bus got out her cellphone and called her friend in order to get the full details of the goal. She relayed all the info to the entire bus. So we too, got to enjoy the goal!

Then, a few stops later, the same girl, still talking on the phone to her friend, announced that Italia'd scored again: due a zero, due a zero! It was the funniest thing. Again the bus erupted into jubilation.

I don't know how else to explain this, but that's what I came to the WM for! The celebration, the fun, the intensity, the unexpected! These kind of moments are priceless indeed.

I love fútbol!!

The game ended very shortly afterwards, and Roma - and all of Italia, for that matter - erupted into one huge gigantic party. After getting off the bus, I got out my camera and used it as a video-recorder for about a minute. Here's the result:



Today's WM scores:
Italia 2 - Deutschland 0

Roma: Spanish Steps, Piazza Novona, Piazza del Popolo

Grace and I decided to take a break from each other today. I needed it. I wanted to spend the day by myself, do my own thing, go where I want to when I want to how I want to and for whatever reason I want to, and that's exactly what I did.

I know. I'm selfish.

I ended up going to one of the main shopping districts in Roma, looking for some capris. No luck though, as I didn't find any that fit me properly (what's new..). I did, however, much to my joy and pleasure find a few UCB stores that kept me busy for a few hours....

Spanish Steps:















At around 8pm, Grace and I met up and took the #46 bus to Piazza Novona, where we found ourselves a nice place to eat dinner. The place we found today was good, but not as good as yesterdays'. After dinner, we went for a walk, and we ended up at Piazza del Popolo where we enjoyed a nice view of Roma by night.

Piazza del Popolo:















Night view of Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica) from Piazza del Popolo:















But then things turned ugly. Unbeknown to us, there was a taxi strike in the city. We walked around looking for a taxi for quite a while and just could not find one. The transit system also shuts down early in Rome, so only night buses were going, and they don't come as frequently as the day buses.

Finally we boarded a bus bound towards Valle Aurelia. But after about 20 minutes on the bus we got worried because we weren't coming across any recognizable city landmarks. Hmmmm .. what to do. We got off the bus, and began walking, eventually arriving at .. believe it or not .. the Vatican!

Here again, the Vatican at night: this time, from up close!















But as exciting as our discovery was, let truth be told, we were not in a good mood. We'd boarded the bus based on Grace's whim that "it was going in the right direction", and we exited it based on my determination not to ask the bus driver for directions back to our hotel. I may be a tourist in the city, but I'm not a dumb tourist in the city.

I know. I'm stubborn.

For the next hour, Grace and I had it out. We discussed, argued, even got a bit angry. She was hurt: I'd disregarded her feelings. I was pissed off: why did we enter that bus??? We were both tired. It was hot even at midnight. I was annoyed. We had a long day ahead tomorrow and wanted to get to bed. She was annoyed. We argued some more. I said sorry. She forgave. But I was still pissed. And so the story goes.

Finally, we saw a police car to one side of the Vatican. We approached it, and asked for advice. The kind response from a policewoman was basically something like "you're a 1 hour hike away from the Domus Aurelia". She empathized, but said she couldn't help us except give us the directions to walk home.

And walk home we did. Most of the way home was uphill. We got home close to 2:30am. Nice. So much for a good night's rest.

By the end of our walk, however, we'd managed to reconcile somewhat. Somehow, the pilgrimage home (it seems appropriate to call it a pilgrimage) calmed us down. By the end we even joked and laughed about it.

Lesson learned: make sure mode of transportation is sorted out when away from home. Translation: we should've known the damn taxis were on strike.

All in all, a brilliant first full day in Roma.

Roma: Trastevere

Arriving in Roma:















We arrived in Roma around 1pm today, and after taking the metro from Termini to Valle Aurelia, what should've been a 15 minute walk to our final destination, the Domus Aurelia, turned out to be 1 hour +.

Sweat rolling down my back.

Clothes sticking to my body.

Curse.

Thirst.

Cough cough.

Shoulda known better than to walk around in a big city without a map.

Regardless, we arrived - finally! - safe and sound, after calling the Domus by phone and asking for directions. The woman at the Domus was super. Thank God for kind and patient people.

After checking in, we both took a much needed and well-deserved siesta. At around 6 I got up, took a book, bought myself a lemonade, and parked myself downstairs under the palm tree in the front patio, before meeting up with Grace for dinner around 8.

Many people have told me that the best place to do dinner in Roma is in a section of the city called Trastevere: the ambience is great, and the food is even better. So that's what we did. We went to Trastevere, to a restaurant called Alle Fratte di Trastevere, and damn, was the food ever good. I think it was the best meal I've had in a very long time. I had insalata mista with veal a la milanesa, and it was deeeeeeeeeeelicious! If I ever return to Rome, I will return to this place!

Here is a picture of what seemed to be the central square in Trastevere:

Firenze: Uffizi, Basilica Di Santa Croce

Happy Canada Day!!!

Another team bit the dust today. This time it was Brasil - the team I picked to win it all!! All my teams are losing .. what's happening? I'm scared to cheer for another team now, because they'll end up losing. Next matchups are: Germany - Italy (I'm going for Germany), Portugal - France (I'm going for Portugal).

Today was our last day in Firenze, so our goal was to make good use of our time. For the most part, we got things done: we saw the places we wanted to see. But not without a little trouble. Today Grace and I got on each other's nerves a bit, because she was fed up with all the fútbol, and I'm getting a little tired of all the museums (I've been visiting museums for 5 weeks now .. it's tiring!).

Anyways, here's what we did. In the morning we went to visit the famous Palazzo degli Uffizi, probably the most famous museum in Firenze. The building (below) was designed and built in the 16th century. Although originally it housed government offices (uffizi means offices in Italian), presently it houses the world's single largest collection of Italian and Florentine art.

Highlights of the Uffizi were a few works by Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci. In fact, they had a superb exhibition on da Vinci called The Mind of Leonardo da Vinci. There was also a non-Italian art room which had a few interesting works by the likes of Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Goya.

Late in the afternoon I also walked over to the Basilica di Santa Croce, a basilica built late in the 13th century by the Franciscans. Unfortunately the doors were already closed so I was unable to see the interior of the basilica, but below is a photo of the church itself. This church is attached to a convent which holds the graves of many famous Italians, such as Michelangelo, for example.

Here are a few other random pictures we took throughout our stay here in Firenze.

After a long day of sightseeing, Grace cools down with a Cola.















Cub at sundown at Ponte Vecchio earlier today (we were there again tonight on our way to dinner).















Grace at the Museo di San Marco 2 days ago.















Next up: Roma!

Today's WM scores:
England 0 - Portugal 0 (1 - 3 Penalty shootout)
Brasil 0 - France 1

Firenze: Duomo, Ponte Vecchio

The heat here is exhausting! They ought to instal air conditioning in our hostel!

Anyways, today we visited the Duomo. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.














































































Afterwards, we went to a small café to watch a tragedy: Argentina - Germany. I'm crushed - again. Argentina played brilliantly for most of the game, but lost. Que porqueria, que cagada. After a great goal in the first half by Ayala, Klose tied the game in the second half. Argentina made 2 tactical errors that in my opinion cost them the game: halfway through the second half, Riquelme was substituted. What was the coach thinking? Riquelme's the heart and soul of the team! Voludo! The other error Argentina made is collapsing into a defensive mode after scoring the go-ahead goal. They always do this!!! They play attractive, attacking, controlling fútbol until they score and lead the game; then they completely change their style and play defensively in order to protect their lead. This is not their strength .. and today proved it .. again!

Well, poor Grace. She has no interest in soccer, yet she braved the café with me, and had to put up with my irritability after Argentina's loss. The rest of my day was ruined.

Anyways, not all was lost. Late afternoon we walked over to a famous bridge in Firenze, Ponte Vecchio. Below is what we saw:

Ponte Vecchio:










































Sundown view from Ponte Vecchio:















In the evening we wanted to go to Piazza Michelangelo to watch the Italia - Ukraine game, but there were so many people at the park we could not find a place to watch the game from. We ended up eating dinner at a resaurant near the park, and even though we couldn't watch the game, we knew Italia was winning the game because everytime they scored we could hear the crowd cheering all the way from the park, plus, all the restaurants in the neighbourhoods would erupt in joy everytime they scored. It's interesting being here and seeing how Italians celebrate their victory. The fact that they won the game tonight is good news, because it means they will play Deutschland next. Should be a good game!

Today's WM scores:
Deutschland 1 - Argentina 1 (4-2 penalty shootout)
Italia 3 - Ukraine 0