Hola!
We're so sorry there are no photos this time, but we are currently in a worn down internet café with 486's in the not so nice side of the city.
We have departed the Eternal City and have arrived in the City of Counts, Barcelona! Our final days of Rome were beautiful and packed with all we could get in before we left on Wednesday morning, Rome time. On the Monday we visited the heart of our catholic faith: the Vatican!
We visited the museum in the morning and toured the Pinacoteca (art museum), before seeing the stunning Sistine Chapel. Next was the tour of the exacavations under St Peters Basilica, the 'Scavi' tour of the unearthed necropolis on which the original St Peters was built almost two milennia ago, and where the bones of St Peter were proved (in the 60s) to be buried. We climbed the dome of St Peters for a breathtaking view of the city, though we took the easy option by taking the lift…(hey, we were running late OK)
Tuesday was our final hectic day before saying ciao to Italia. In the morning we visited the headquarters of Opus Dei - Villa Tevere, which was a welcome change to being surrounded by crowds of other tourists. We were shown around by James from Kenya and then had Mass in the Prelatic Church and prayed before the tomb of St Josemaria Escrivá. Then we hit Villa Borghese, an idyllic city park, here we rented a quadcycle (for 6 people) and took in the scenery, until Alex took the wheel…!
After getting back to our feet (quite literally) we made our way past the iconic Spanish Steps in Piazza Spagna towards the Trevi Fountain. Fortunately all our coins landed in the pool. James went for a long shot while Vince, Dom, Matt and Baron played it safe and now we are all looking forward to our trip back to Rome : ) (We just remembered our itinerary takes us back there for a day before going home, so the coins work really well!)
Our final ancient site was the famous circular Pantheon. Here we were amazed by the tombs of Victor Emmanuel, Raphael, and Umberto I, not to mention the outstanding architecture and beauty of this awe-inspiring church. After passing through the Pantheon, we visited Sancta Maria Sopra Minerva which holds the body of Saint Catherine of Sienna, and has an amazing blue and gold ceiling, and the statue of The Redeemer by Michaelangelo. With an early dinner at the pizzeria, we wrapped up our Roman Holiday with a visit from guest speaker Greg Burke, a Fox News European Correspondent, who shared some interesting stories about Blessed John Paul II and some war tales, with the Foxy “Fair & Balanced” unbiased approach, of course.
And then off to Barcelona! Arrivederci Italy and Hola Spain!
With a small stop-off in Prague due to our super-budget flights, we survived the bumpy flight and arrived in the balmy Mediterranean paradise! This is our first stop on our pilgrimage around Spain. After arriving in Club Foiró, the centre of Opus Dei that is our home here in Barcelona, we visited the family of Glenrowan resident Luis Trullols. They were very welcoming and we had a soothing swim! Once again we sampled the local cuisine, with ensalada (salad), arroz (rice), and many types of meat!
Our first full day here was calm in relation to the busy Roman days. We traversed Las Ramblas, the popular tourist strip in the city and took in the sights and sounds, and kept our wallets close… We prayed the rosary and attended mass in Spanish at the Barcelona Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic building. Mass in Spanish was an interesting experience and made us realise that the same mass is celebrated throughout the world in every
language!
Alex ran into a friend from Australia in the church, as you do, and that pretty much brings us up to date. We are now heading for dinner and will be visiting the rest of Barcelona has to offer and driving away on Saturday. Praying for you all, pray for us too!
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