Good Morning and Good bye For Now

Good morning from Rome, faithful reader. Today marks the last day of my time here, and the rest of this sabbatical is to be devoted to prayer and reflection about the last two months. So alas, this is the final blog entry reflecting on a wonderful journey. 

However, before retreating into my cave, did I tell you that it's possible to climb about a million steps to the very top of the dome of St. Peter's.....? These stairs not only keep going and going, but they become narrower and narrower as you go up.....but the view, even for those of us who hate heights.....spectacular!

And then there was Sunday morning, what with Ida and the kids off to the airport for the flight home (only to learn when they got there of a 6 hour delay... oy vey); but, with no objectors in tow, I headed first for the early Mass at All Saints Anglican Church with its mahhhhvelous stained glass, very British crowd (okay, small gathering....okay, it was me and a couple of couples) and then off to the sung Mass at St Paul's Within The Walls, an Episcopal Church using OUR Book of Common Prayer (the English still use the really old Prayer Book and I still have some thees and thous twisting around my mouth) which is the first non-Roman Catholic Church in Rome, I am told.
                                                                
To add to the small world notebook, as I was leaving at the end of the Mass, the priest in charge asked where I was from, and when I told him, he said to give his very best to Walter (our Dean!) who's a good friend from Sewanee Seminary)......

So faithful reader, many thanks for your prayers and well wishes. I miss you all very much and look forward to seeing you in just a few more weeks.

Blessings and peace....and a few pix of Roma......

 Happy campers who just finished a delicious terimisu 

 The stained glass in this church.....gorgeous!

 Saint Paul's in the Walls Episcopal Church....Fr. Walt, Fr. Austin says Howzit!

 The entry way to St. Paul's.

 I'm thinking we could use some new usher uniforms, eh?

Yoga class will begin in 10 minutes!

A Few More Pix of Tuscany

Stained glass at the Basilica of St Catherine, Siena

The Basilica of St. Catherine

Another altar in the same Basilica

A Church First Built by Charlemagne in the 9th Century. The Gregorian monk is to the right and the No Foto sign is to the left! OOPS! Who took this picture??!

Nothing could be more Italian than two elders talking story in the shade on a warm summer day....

Good Morning From Tuscany!

Well then faithful reader, after a half day of riding the bullet train rails, with speeds of 150 mph (slightly slower than the average Italian driver) and a few hours checking out the preserved head of St Catherine of Siena (really....when this fine woman died, hundreds of years ago, her body was taken to Rome, when the Siena-ites ((I'm sure that's a word)) snuck in, got her head (and a thumb), and carried these prizes in a paper bag back home, where they now are on display in the Church built in her honor....), after all of these adventures, we arrived here in the foothills of Montecino, as grateful guests of extended family member Uncle Mario Bollag.

Uncle Mario owns a vineyard that grows grapes destined to become Merlot, Syrah, and this part of Italy's star child, Brunello wines -- and -- by sheer chance, and at great personal sacrifice, we were required to try ALL of these different wines...a sacrifice I hope to repeat tonight!

We awoke to rolling hills, birds softly singing, blue skies and vineyards everywhere the eye can see. 

Missing you all and hoping you are well....

This leg of our adventure ends in one week's time....sigh!

Green as far as the eye can see

The view from the bedroom.....you could get used to this!

The devil...followed by just a few more fabulous churches

Well, it's Italy, so aside from a picture of the devil coming out of a mountain, I have only photos of churches to share with you! As for the devil, it's at a spot where supposed witches were thrown off a cliff to drown during the Middle Ages. Now it's a spot for reckless youths to jump some 30 feet into the water below (hoping those drowned witches don't reach up and grab the ankle of one of these reckless souls), like one reckless Joseph Teiti-Gierlach, who stood trembling for 10 minutes before taking the plunge.....He did feel someone (or some thing) tugging at his foot, but somehow managed to swim away! Lucky boy.....

 And you thought I was kidding about the devil coming out of the mountain! But there he (she? it?) is. Sorry for the poor shot, young Joey was driving the boat and having a great time zigging and zagging to his heart's content....!

 The neighboring village church with it's "modest" artistry....I'm beginning to think these Italian towns competed with each other when it came to decorating their churches....What do you think?

This church has 6 side altars; why, you ask? I have NO idea!

Saints and more saints

So tonight, I'm going back to this place and packing up the pipe organ for Marie.....

I think this is a painting of Pilate condemning Jesus, but check out the little kid with the puppy on the bottom step!

No idea what's going on here. Stuart, what say you??

A Church in Lugano, Italy

Good morning faithful reader. Looking from the outside at a church nearly 500 years old in this tiny village, you'd expect a rather simple affair when you walk on in. But, as with so many things revealed during this trip, it is not to be. Nearly 500 years old and the artistry is just beautiful. Here, take a look:

 The small village nestled in the pre-Alps, and if you look closely, the church is in the far right hand corner.

 Inside this church are the beautiful paintings; this one showing a very European looking Jesus being baptized by John.

 Most of the walls and ceilings have art work adorning them. The kids, cradle Episcopalians, are a little put off by all the ornateness!

Notice the elevated pulpit on the left, and the organ loft on the right....the organist was practicing for Sunday when we wandered in....just lovely.

Anglicans in Italy: Whowouldathunk?

Bon jour no faithful reader! As you can see below, there has been some traveling going on, with the highlights being the wonderful Sunday Mass at St George's in Venice, closely followed by a 2400 year old Roman arena in Verona (is that where Veronica got her name??) that hosted, just last night, are you ready for it? Sting! (For those not of a certain age, Sting was a very popular 1980s' singer....) Imagine an arena, that old, still hosting concerts!

Pretty sure this is Bishop Chang's old hang out shortly after he retired. Imagine, a chaplain at the only Anglican Church in Venice, where it's IMPOSSIBLE to get a bad meal!

 Of course the gondolas are still being rowed throughout the canals --- what a sight!

 St. Mark's Basilica is the Cathedral of the Roman Catholics here in Venice, a fabulous Byzantine style that is slightly more ornate than St. George's....The line to get in to look around? Oh, maybe a week long! 

 

The lovely town of Veneza, with so many red tiled roofs, a grand church in the midst of it all and a restaurant serving the world's finest Penne Alla Arabiatta....(spicy pasta)

Mass at Saint George's

Hello faithful reader from the canal city of Venice. Thinking of our retired Bishop Dick Chang, we went to Mass at St George's Anglican Church. I'm thinking, if my one active brain cell is working, that Bishop Chang served as a sort of supply clergy there after his retirement.  What a treat it was!  The church has a beautiful simplicity, and this morning we were especially in luck because an extraordinary high school choir from England came and sang hymns that must have made even the angels weep with joy. The harmonies, the range of voices, oh my! Pictures coming soon!

Just Wondering

So I'm thinking that maybe if trusty Junior Warden Dave Kleinschmidt is lolling around with nothing to do, feeling bored and in need of a project.....maybe we could add a little to our pulpit along the lines of this marble sculpture say......or..........





Maybe some solid gold around the altar.....whaddyathink?  

Nah, I'll take the elegant simplicity of St. E's any day! But the Italian churches sure do get ornate, eh? This one is from the 11th Century, it's in Ballagio, Italy. Tute Bene Senore!

A Slice of Swiss With That Please

Good evening faithful reader from the border of Switzerland and Italy. 

Here, in homes that go back to a time that the first Polynesians were just making their way to Hawaii, here where stone houses cling to hillsides for over 1000 years, here is a huge lake surrounded by steep mountains all covered by a deep blue sky. 

Take a look!

I'm keeping an eye out for Julie Andrews and the rest of the von Trapp family.....I think I hear them singing just over that next ridge!

A Journey's End

Alas faithful reader, this time in Africa is drawing to a very quick close. 

Don't let me mention the dozens of giraffes we saw today outside the game park (apparently they didn't read the signs telling them to stay INSIDE), or the baboons lining the highway, or the Costco sized Masai gift shop that tempted me to bring home a 7 foot carving of a Masai warrior, in living color, complete with spear, and loin cloth....no, I won't mention any of that. 

Now it's time for part two of this blessed sabbatical, off to see my sorely missed family and to endure some Italian cooking and Tuscan wines.... the sacrifice is nearly unbearable!



Here's a few photos from the last two days in the wild. While a few of the pix reminded me of a relative or two, I won't be dropping any names.....

A note about the photos: from the top: A Cape Buffalo (he will as soon charge you as look at you, the guide advised); a Zebra with her nearly invisible colt; Dumbo and his mom; and Wildebeest, nature's success story. 

We saw over a million of them (this time I'm not exaggerating....)(really)...and they are evolution's brain child. 

Why, you ask? (You didn't ask? Well, you should.) 

They are nature's brain child because their meat tastes awful, they are ugly and their horns have no medicinal, aphrodisiac or other redeeming function: hence there are literally MILLIONS of these critters in this part of Africa. 

Darwin would be proud! 

And yes, these are the creatures that storm over the Mara River, some drowning, some crocodile dinner but most making it; and yes, our trusty guide got us there just in time to see this marvel of nature! 

God bless you faithful reader. God willing, the next missive will be postmarked Milan, Italy.....