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Karen and I just got back from an eleven-day pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. We're jetlagged, tired to the bone and really, really happy.

What a super experience and one that I'd recommend to anyone that is interested in history, cathedral & catacomb crawling and magnificent pasta.

I won't get into the Catholic stuff because of the nay-sayers, but every Catholic 24HourCampfire member is invited to PM me. Eventually, I will write a long, long article about our experiences, not for publication but for personal enjoyment and sharing with friends.

Imagine, just imagine, celebrating the Holy Mass at the tiny Saint Pudenziana's Basilica. Saint Pudenziana's is about twenty-feet below street level because it is built over a senator's home that is the original level of Rome (other stuff is built on the rubble of previous structures).

The original home was built BC and the basilica itself was built in 124 AD. Both Saint Peter and Saint Paul celebrated Holy Mass at Saint Pudenziana's. Incredible.

One of the gals on our pilgramage wore a pedometer and she clocked 74 miles. Funny, I thought that I was on my knees all of that time.

Man are we jetlagged. I feel like someone scrambled my brains for a while and my miserable bod simply does not know what time it is.

By the way, spaghetti carbonara at the small cafe just across from the John Lateran Basilica is KILLER. It costs about 10 Euro and by the time you add some vino, it's about 15 Euro a head. And worth it.

Glad to be back,

Steve

Welcome home Steve!

Glad you had a good time, my soon to be exwife went to Rome with one of her coworkers and seemed to enjoy it.

Welcome Home!!

Welcome Home Steve. I look forward to the full story and don't forget WE NEED PICTURES

HBB

I was wondering about pictures too but thought I'd wait to mention them until you've had some time to rest.

At your convenience, we'd love to see some, if you have pictures to share

Before my daughter graduated highschool we some how managed to send her to Rome twice. Once was for World Youth Day. She also did a whirlwind tour of the Holy Land.

They were good experiences for a teen. She got to see a view that was way outside of her local peer group.

Hope it was a great trip for you. Can't wait to hear about your journey.

note:

My daughter became an espresso snob after being in Rome lol.

Welcome back, it is a very interesting place, and 11 days just doesn't seem enough sometimes. Went to some of the Coptic Christian areas last couple weeks, Church's actually caves used as such that can hold 20,000 people. Going to the Library in Alexandria next weekend. Post some pics when you have a chance.

I'm not Roman Catholic, but I am a believer... I would love to receive your "for friends" message. I hope you'll also post pictures publicly so that everyone can enjoy them.

Penny

Friends, I have absolutely no idea how many photos I took, but it was a bunch. I went prepared with 1.5 gigs of flash memory, so erred on the side of too many, rather than too few.

And I took about and hour and a half of video.

Rome traffic has to seen to be believed. Smart Cars and every form of dinky rig, blowing their horns and revving for the one open space.

We visited a catacomb out of Rome. Over 30,000 Christian martyrs were entombed there. It has five levels, goes about 200 feet down and has fifteen kilometers of tunnel. We took the tour of the first (top) level, the one that dates to 200 AD and it was incredible. Mike Aquilana, one of our tour companions (he wrote The Mass of the Early Christians and many, many more books) helped us interpet the early Christian symbols. The anchor, the dolphin, birds, fish, sheep and shepherd symbology prevails.

More later, my brain is still on "hold."

Steve

Great to have you back Steve. Give Karen our love, and tell her that old Knockando will be 13 next month, and the Skye Terriors are truely......... terrors.

Elvie and I are off to Hungary and Germany on the first, and will be gone two weeks.

We never saw a Scottie in Italy. Lots of "Heinz variety" and several long-haired weenie-dogs, but never a Scottie.

Libby is really, really, really happy that we are home.

Have a great time Hungary and Germany, my friend.

Steve

Mannlicher, you will love Hungary, lots to see an d the people are very friendly. Stay away from Slivowitz, gives me a headache. Where in Germany are you going? lived there for 6 years, working and studying.

Thismortalcoil,
we are attending an international Pharmaceutical research conference in Budapest, actually just South, at the fancy Polus Palace in GOD, Hungary. There will be trips into Budapest to see the sights. My wife's boss is a Hungarian, and actually owns a 900 year old castle in Bercil. We will spend one night in the Castle. Needless to say, he is richer than the average guy.

In Munich, we will be attending the Global Gator Pharmaceutical Conference. Thats where all the old UF grads in Pharmacy from all over the world get together. Munich this year, other places in past years. Looking for over 500 attending this year.
Lots of Germans in the group, including two department heads from the College of Pharmacy here in Gainesville at UF. I am in good hands.

One thing I am doing, is making a visit to the little village in the Palentine area where my family came from some 250 years ago.

Welcome home Steve. I am glad that you and your bride were able to make a trip of importance to you. Visiting places where our hertiage can be traced back more than two millenia is a real contrast to the western US where most of the history was still available from living souls just a few years ago. Feel good about including stories about the church since that's a big part of what makes you who you are. Any who object will just have to grow up. Ward
PS Ain't it good to come home and find your dog child well and happy?

Friend Ward,

Yup, the dog-child is so happy that we're home. Some old-old friends of ours took care of Libby, so she really didn't feel like an orphan. Lib is a velcro-dog; right now she and Stowie, our cat-child, are laying very asleep in Karen's lap. A long, long snooze, I suspect.

I've been sorting through digital images and thought I'd share these with you.

Your friend Steve

WOW! Welcome back!

Those pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing them.
I've studied the history of the early church (early middle ages) quite a bit and would appreciate any anecdotes or photos you would share.

Beautiful!!! More, more!!!

Penny

OK, Penny.

Here are a few more photos, just for you.

Please bear in mind that no photo, no video and absolutely no words can adequately capture the essence of actually being there. Many times, I just stood quietly and looked at the beauty for a long, long time.

Steve

Mans attempt to express the Divine.

The volume of it where you were is overwelming to the senses.

Looking forward to more.

Tremendous pictures Steve, glad to hear you had a wonderful trip.

I look forward to hearing about it.

Bob