Visit to the Vatican

Visiting the Vatican requires purchasing tickets in advance and each visitor is given a time of entry.  Ours was 11 am.  You can imagine our surprise when we overslept and woke up at 10 am!  We had to jump out of bed, wash our faces, and dash off to catch the bus across town.  Fortunately, we arrived just in time to join in the queue to enter the same doors thousands of pilgrims have entered before.

I couldn't help but to think of all the visitors, from all the different countries, from every walk of life who passed through the entryway over the years.   But I was especially happy to see all the Catholics for whom this might have been the pilgrimage of a lifetime.

The size and scope and grandeur of the Vatican is hard to convey in words.  This is a piece of stained glass window that is brightly lit from behind.

The sheer quantity of statues put me into statue overload pretty quickly.  So much better to be able to enjoy one piece at a time.  In many ways, this is the pleasure of creating this blog to revisit these amazing pieces and take the time to enjoy them.

Ceilings are especially beautiful. 

And this ceiling in the hall of maps was my favorite.  For some reason that I can't explain the art of the ancient map making appealed to me the most.  

Upon returning from our trip, I've ordered a book on calligraphy and have been inspired to learn the art of beautiful writing.  

Here's a close up of the writing.

I long for the days when an ordinary task like writing was elevated to an extraordinary work of art.  

  

The gardens and grounds of the Vatican were worthy of a trip all by themselves.

This garden sculpture was especially touching. 

We were able to take many lovely photos from the Vatican windows.  Rome is such a beautiful city.  

What exquisite views!

An unexpected aspect to the Vatican was its wing of modern art.  Love this Marc Chagall in red chalk.

This painting was a favorite of mine.  

Also the simple devotional nature of the Henri Matisse drawings touched my heart like no others.    For all the opulence of the art in the Vatican, isn't it interesting that the pure delicacy of the Matisse drawings are a favorite of so many?   Surprisingly they are huge, quite possibility 30 feet by 10 feet.  

Our Arrival in Rome

What struck me as the most interesting thing about Rome is the intermingling of the old and the new. In most ways, it is completely modern.  Yet, in the middle of it all are buildings and ruins that are hundreds and even thousands of years old.  I had imagined the ruins as being fenced off and kept as a tourist attraction on the outskirts of town. Instead, it all exists in a seamless blend of old and new.

We were met by a driver at the airport named, Claudio, (pronounced Cloudio) and he was completely fearless in extreme traffic conditions.  What was refreshing, though, was how he could be both very aggressive and then yielding and polite simultaneously.  This was a characteristic of both the men and women which we found very appealing.  They had a balanced nature.

After about a 45 minute drive we turned a corner onto a quiet cut-de-sac where we would stay in a rented flat.  The cut-de-sac lead to a side entrance of a large and prominent cathedral that actually housed a Michelangelo statue.

Priests and nuns frequented this entrance and there was a constant coming and going of clergy.  Every afternoon around 4 we could hear the nuns singing.  Along with the sounds of church life, we heard birds singing, children laughing, and the locals chatting as they walked their dogs.

Immediately we noticed and appreciated the shrine of Mary that graced our building.  It was wonderful to be in a city that integrates it's religious traditions into the fabric of everyday life.  

In Rome our admiration for the small details of life began.  All the beauty of old-world craftsmanship  of everyday items like doorbells.... 

and doors!  

Anyone who has had the good fortune to visit Europe, has most-likely fallen deeply in love with their doors and windows.    

This is the window, and view from our window, from our sweet rented flat.  What a joy to look out on a view from a residential neighborhood rather than from a hotel.  

After settling in to our little love-nest we set off to explore the neighborhood on foot.  

Following the winding streets, we would come to one beautiful piazza (town square) after another.  The outdoor cafes all looked incredibly inviting but we eventually settled on one with the most friendly and inviting waiters.  Later we realized that waiters that were bilingual and catered to tourists were almost like performing artists.  They elevated the art of service to a fine-art filled with flair and showmanship and significantly added to our dining pleasure.

Fun on Broadway

We decided to throw caution to the wind and spring for tickets to Hamilton.  I can't bear to admit how much we paid for them but will only say it was worth every penny.  Much has been written about the show but one observation that I liked the best was that "there is 'before Hamilton' and 'after Hamilton' on Broadway. " This show truly is revolutionary in that it takes a character like Alexander Hamilton and breathed new life into his story--and into the American story.  It changed my ideas about rap and hip-hop and commanded my respect.  The creator, Lin Manuel Miranda, showed a conviction in his beliefs and ability to tell this story in a new and compelling way that should inspire everyone, in every field.

The play was nominated for 16 Tony Awards which is more than any other play in history.   To read more and watch an excerpt follow this link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/theater/hamilton-tony-nominations-record.html?_r=0

Needless to say, it was thrilling to be part of such a game-changing show.  One of the t-shirts they had for sale in the lobby said, "I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry and I'm not throwing away my shot."  

My prayer is that this show inspires new young leaders to lead this country out of the terrible mess we're in.  May they stand tall in their convictions!  

Of course, just walking around Broadway and Time Square is always fun. We loved seeing the billboard for Sean Hayes cast in the role of God in An Act of God.   

And we especially loved seeing God taking a selfie (a popular theme on this trip!) 

We celebrate all the work everyone has done to make Broadway a place that feels safe and inviting for people all across this country who are now arriving in droves.   In the 2015/2016 season, attendance reached a record high of 13.3 million attendees.  How blessed and grateful we felt to be one of them!  

NYC - The 9/11 Memorial

Regrettably we were unable to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum since tickets were already sold out for the day. But we did visit the grounds and paid our respects to all those who died on this very tragic day in history.

In synchronicity with our feelings, the heavens opened up with a heavy downpour of rain.  We had to buy a rain poncho but I can't imagine visiting this profoundly sad Memorial any other way.

One of the engraved names on the Memorial includes a reference to the woman's "unborn child."  It was something I had never thought about before and touched me very deeply.

Also the way friends and family place flowers of love and remembrance on the names.  The delicacy of the flowers against the cold black marble added to the tenderness.

After such a profound experience, it was a great comfort to visit Trinity Church just a few blocks away where first-responders were able to come for prayer and sanctuary. We felt grateful to regain our composure and find sanctuary too.  It has a graveyard where Alexander Hamilton is buried which felt significant to us because we would be attending the play about Hamilton's life later that evening.    

After our visit we strolled through other parts of the city and came upon some life-affirming sights that tended to restore our optimism.  For example this exhibit of globes for peace.

And a peaceful riverwalk.

The waterfront has been lovingly designed to invite reflection so I contemplated how trees serve as a witness to our better natures.  So quietly present and strong, yet, flexible and giving.

NYC - The High Line

Before making the long voyage across the ocean, we wanted to break up our trip by stopping in New York City.  One of the things we did in the city was make a trip to the High Line.  The High Line is a public park created on an historic elevated freight rail line.  It's approximately 2 miles long and has thousands of plants, art exhibits, and areas for performance art and music.  To read more about it, please follow this link:  http://www.thehighline.org/visit

We were deeply inspired by the humble beginnings of the High Line which was simply an idea of two friends with a love for both nature and community.

The revitalizing effect this admirable project is having on the surrounding area is impressive.

One of the humorous exhibits on the High Line is a wax figure of a man dressed in his underwear which is so real looking that it takes visitors (including us) many minutes to figure out if it is a street performer striking a stationary pose or a statue.

We joined with a group of children who dared to touch the wax figure while bursting into joy-filled giggles.

Another intriguing exhibit is a car made out of old tires.

Children's play areas make this park extremely family friendly and fun for all ages.

Our Trip Begins

This is a blog about our trip-of-a-lifetime to Italy and is dedicated to my beloved husband, Terry, with great gratitude. We began with a stopover in San Francisco to see the play "The Most Happy Fella."

It turned out to be a charming production and the soundtrack that ran in my head in Italy as I sang about "la frutta, la torte, and la Abbondanza!

In a happy coincidence, San Francisco was enjoying their yearly event called Bay to Breakers where silliness rules the day!  We came across huge numbers of people all dressed in various get-ups and when we saw these folks dressed as chickens, Terry yelled out, "Hey chickens, will you pose for a picture?" and they promptly struck a pose!  Such good sports!