Picture breakfasting in Italy! Those of you who have been to this magnificent country before perhaps found the traditional Italian breakfast of a hard roll and coffee somewhat disappointing. But, good news, due to popular demand from tourists, some hotels have begun offering a ‘reinforced breakfast” that includes cereals, eggs, etc.
And we were truly ecstatic when we recently discovered that Cafe Pompi, a popular local Roman restaurant, offers a fantastic Sunday Brunch. Their specialties are poached and scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, toast, butter and jam, baked beans, tasty sausages, pancakes, fluffy muffins, donuts, yogurt with cereal, fruit salad, all invariably accompanied by orange juice and a steaming cup of coffee.The cost is pretty reasonable for an Italian brunch of this quality: about 10 Euros.
But if you don’t happen to be here on a Sunday morning, then consider stopping here some time for their famous Tiramisu, which is their main claim to fame. Many consider it the best they have ever tasted. You can get all kinds of flavors, but their original is still a big draw.
I can’t decide whether I want the brunch or the Tiramisu, but I am not in Rome that often, so I’ll have both!
They have a couple of new locations, but we recommend the original one at Via Albalonga 7 in the San Giovanni neighborhood. Open Tuesday thru Sunday 6:30 AM to 1:30 AM. Metro to Re di Roma stop and two minutes walk to restaurant. The restaurant is south of the Termini Train station.
Been there? Please let us know how you
By the way, we are not compensated in any way for this review. Just wanted to pass this on to everyone.
I travel frequently, often with organized tour groups, but one thing I’ve noticed is that after spending the day touring various sites, we head back to the hotel, have dinner at a decent hour, but then what? I’m not really that tired and it’s too early for bed. Should I head down to the hotel bar for a Cappuccino? Watch the foreign-language TV station in my room? Or check out CNN International? Hmm……is this really why I traveled all this way? The night is young and so am I!
A great idea, if you happen to be in a major city, is to attend a concert in one of the concert halls or churches in the city. You can attend one in the evening as I often do, or if there is some part of the tour that doesn’t interest you that much, then break away from the group and attend an afternoon concert.
People sometimes are uncertain about striking out on their own in an unfamiliar city and certainly that is understandable. You don’t know your way around, probably don’t speak the language, etc. But breaking away from the group can often be one of the most rewarding experiences of your holiday. After paying so much money to get there, why sit in the hotel? Travel is about memories, after all.
Concert at Notre Dame Cathedral
Can you imagine being able to say “oh, yes while in Paris we went to a concert at Notre Dame” or perhaps “in Rome we went to see Guiseppe Verdi’s La Traviata“. And often the venue, whether it be a church or opera house, is as spectacular as the music .
If I’ve convinced you to break away even for a little while, then I have some advice: be sure you purchase your tickets from a reliable supplier. It can be a little scary to order tickets from an unknown source in a country far away and wonder if the company will actually come through for you.
A company that I recommend highly is CassicTic. Check out their website and you will find concert information for 21 countries from Austria to USA. It is safe, secure and tickets will be delivered directly to you. Be aware of sites that offer deals too good to be true…..they probably are! ClassicTic is an official authorized agent for the artist, venue, or arts organization. You can even order upon arrival with your mobile phone.
With music no interpreter is needed, because music is an International language that binds all people together. So don’t miss out!
Classic Tic Website
By the way, just in case you didn’t know, people in Italy (and elsewhere) don’t drink cappuccino in the evenings. It is a morning drink. So my trip down to the lounge will invariably be a cafe mocha or a glass of wine. But I don’t plan to be in the lounge, I am off to a concert.
Yes, this is possible and welcomed news! Those traveling from Paris to Barcelona have always had the option of taking a high-speed train, but it had one serious drawback. Due to the fact that France and Spain use different rolling stock, you had the inconvenience of having to change trains near the border between the two countries. With the construction of anew high-speed rail line that links the two cities directly, that problem has been eliminated…no change of trains is necessary.
The upper level in the first class coach. Second class is basically the same, but with two seats on each side of the aisle. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
The trains clip along at a speed of about 200 mph (320 kph ), enough to get you there in a hurry but slow enough to see quaint French villages with the majestic Alps in the background and then, on the final leg, the beautiful Mediterranean coastline of Spain. For a better view, try a seat on the upper deck (these are bi-level carriages).
The Paris-Barcelona trains run from Gare de Lyon station, one of five stations in Paris.
Le Train Bleu Restaurant inside Gare de Lyon Station. A step back in time to the golden age of travel. (photo courtesy wikipedia)By happy coincidence one of our favorite lunch spots in Paris just happens to be in a train station: Train Bleu Restaurant inside Gare du Lyon. Sit down, have lunch from the set menu (which includes a half-bottle of red) and then at train time you just walk a few yards (meters) directly on to the train.
There are currently two trains each day, with a travel time of approximately 6 and a half hours from Paris to Barcelona making several stops in France and a couple in Spain. In March 2014 that will be increased to four trains per day.
For British travelers this new service will also allow you to take the Eurostar to Paris, change stations and then catch the train to Barcelona. So it is possible to have breakfast in London, lunch in Paris and dinner in Barcelona. What a convenience and a great entry for your travel journal!
Those of you coming from the UK might also want to check out Loco 2. This booking website gets great reviews.
We are big believers in train travel in Europe. First, the romance of train travel is hard to resist, especially since air travel has long since lost any semblance of romance and the wait to check in can often be longer than the flight itself. Also, since most train stations are located downtown, you avoid a long (and often expensive) trip from the airport to the city.
Why anyone would choose fly rather than take the train eludes me. Certainly more relaxing than flying….and the food is better!
Most importantly, you can actually see the countryside and its people rather than looking down from 30,000 feet.
You can get up, walk to the snack or restaurant car, and socialize with others. This is the beauty of train travel, it’s definitely more rewarding than just the utilitarian need to get from one place to the other.
So, sit back, relax, meet new friends….whatever. That’s probably the whole reason you’re traveling in the first place.
For a more in-depth look at train travel in Europe we recommend the website called the Man in Seat 61.
The Good Shepherd portrayed in this fresco on the walls of the Catacombs of Priscilla
A visit to any of the catacombs of Rome is always interesting if you want to get a glimpse of the life of early Christians. Contrary to some assumptions, these were not secret places of worship during various persecutions, although there may have been occasions for Mass. They also adorned the walls of these catacombs with symbols of the teachings of their faith in the form of frescoes. The catacombs are perhaps the earliest example of these, since the religion was not practiced openly before the 4th Century.
More likely any Mass here was a funeral Mass because the catacombs is where Christians…and for that matter the pagans as well…buried their dead. Unlike the pagans, however, the Christians believed in the Resurrection of the dead. Death was not the end, but the beginning. A difficult concept for most Romans to grasp I would think.
One of these Catacombs, the Catacombs of Priscilla, have what is believed to be the earliest known image of the Blessed Virgin Mary nursing the child Jesus that is believed to date from around 230 AD. This depiction of Mary nursing Jesus was common as a symbolism for the way Jesus nourishes his church. Although there are many later examples of this image in Catholic art, this appears to be one of the first.
Benedictine nuns are in charge of the Catacombs and offer the visitor guided tours.
The Catacombs of Priscilla are under the care of Benedictine Nuns who offer guided tours of the Catacombs. We suggest you consider a visit on your next trip to Rome. There is a fee, but that is the case for all of the catacombs of Rome.
Those familiar with Medjugorje have surely heard about the recent letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the alleged apparitions in Medjugorje that states in part: “clerics and the faithful are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such ‘apparitions’ would be taken for granted“. This letter was delivered by the Papal Nuncio to the U.S. and sent to all U.S. Bishops.
Medjugorje Visionary Ivan
Dragicevic
Such talks by visionaries from Medjugorje are something that has been going on in the U.S. and other countries for many years. Most notable among the visionaries who travel giving talks is Ivan Dragicevic. Ivan lives in Medjugore during the summer but lives in the U.S. during the winter months and normally has a full speaking schedule at various parishes and locations during that time. During most of those talks he also allegedly has apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To those who oppose the reported apparitions in Medjugorje, this seems a great victory. To those who believe in the apparitions in Medjugorje, this seems like a severe defeat.
Actually, it is neither, in our opinion. It is a prudent move on the part of Holy Mother Church to avoid scandal by appearing to approve an apparition that is still under investigation.
This brings up the often-asked question: can individuals still travel to Medjugorje and be loyal to the Magisterium of The Church? The answer is yes! The latest directive does not deal with this issue at all.
Saint James Church, Medjugorje
As has been the case for many years, pilgrimages are not allowed to be organized at the Parish or Diocesan level, but priests are encouraged to accompany such groups to provide spiritual guidance so long as they do not assume official approval. And, of course, individuals can travel their on their own.
To add to the confusion is the fact that many Priests, Bishops and Archbishops continue to visit Medjugorje and concelebrate Mass in the church.
Since so many priests have reportedly found their vocations in Medjugorje and the fruits seem widespread, we encourage you to find out for yourself, if you feel called to travel there.
The Church will probably put out some kind of ruling in the future, but what that will be is anyone’s guess. It will possibly not be outright approval of the apparitions, since they are still on-going, but rather might be approval of Medjugorje as a place of pilgrimage.
When we mention barge, most of us have an image that is certainly not likely to make us hop on one and float away. But the kind of barge we are talking about….more properly called “hotel barges” is nothing like you might think.
True, these were once used for hauling lumber and other commodities along the rivers of Europe. The rivers were the main means of transport back then and so a series of canals and locks were built to help expedite the shipment of goods.
The barge Anjodi.
Nowadays many of those barges have been converted to floating hotels that offer every modern convenience. They offer a chance to really slow down and enjoy the scenery. Most of these are in the U.K. or Europe from the Netherlands all the way south to Venice, so there are bound to be Catholic churches, cathedrals and other places of interest to Catholics.
Such hotel barges hold only 6-20 passengers, so there is obviously a closeness that develops among passengers. An in many cases you can charter the whole barge and have a private hotel barge cruise.
Biking and Barging go together
The cruises almost always include a chef on board and 3 or more crew members as well. And normally almost everything is included in the price (even bicycles), so you don’t have to worry about those hidden extras that can sneak up on you and ruin you budget. As you can see, the atmosphere is definitely relaxing.
Ground hog day started again with the bacon and eggs and cappuccino’s. Today we were supposed to leave for Vetirbo and we changed plans. I love this place and I even conquered the very small shower. I have learned to drop water on my legs before I get in and then rub with body wash and then squeeze sideways into the box as the water is running and this works until I drop the soap and Susan has to come in to get it for me. With the right attitude you can get used to anything.
The car or as we call now the UFO (Carmine named it that when he was with us at night and I locked it…..and 42 lights blinked all over the car, not to mention the new feature I found that jabs you in the butt as you drive if you cross the center line) it is filthy and I think I don’t care. For what they charged they should come to America and wash mine at home.
Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Love
Today was beautiful as we visited 2 apparitions from Our Lady in the outskirts of Rome. Both were wonderful in their own way and we had mass and prayed and walked most of the grounds. Our Lady of Divine Love and the three fountains. There are actually two places known as Tre Fontane in this area.
On Sunday we will return to Our Lady of Divine Love where we will leave all of the petitions we have received and carried for you and invoke the Blessed Mother to answer you in some way or another. It is always a very emotional day for us as we re-read all of your needs and hope that we all remember that it is the will of God that we need to accept.
The Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls
Before heading back we went to St. Paul of the Cross outside the walls. We had been here before and remembered it all like yesterday. There are plenty of explanations in the photos, so you are on your own, we are beat and plan to go back and have leftovers and snuggle up together and watch a good movie. We will see who falls asleep first!
I guess we can say see you soon since tomorrow is our last full day of adventures before we leave on Mon. 6:15 AM—ugh. Sunday night we will definitely be in bed early. We hope you have enjoyed our journey and in some way were filled with the grace of Our Lord and His blessed Mother, Our Mother too.
I ended up on the sofa (we were watching TV) since I fell asleep and when I woke up to go to bed Susan was pretty much sprawled on both sides. I didn’t want to wake her so back to the sofa I went and it wasn’t bad. I figured I had better get used to it since today was going to be a doozy.
Another exciting drive…not sure how much more of this excitement we can take!
The morning routine didn’t change and we headed out to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace, Mentorella or better known as the Ment, where we “meant” to go. It was a little cloudy and traffic was a bear. We headed up the mountain and Susan moans and groans were pretty bad. I was laughing almost the whole way as she would lean into the turns one way and her lips would go the other. Soon she was laughing but still leaning pretty hard.
One of us definitely needs to yield the right of way….maybe it should be us!
The ride was stunning as we came in a different way and as long as you didn’t look down. There are lots of photos as there were 3 days ago. When we got back to the little town we were at before we still had 10 miles to go, up and down and up and down. We were stopped a couple of times by horses and cows in the road and we hardly saw a car on the whole journey.
The turn into the shrine area is rather dramatic and scary as hell. Right before the last turn into the shrine there was a sign saying don’t enter, so we parked in the rest area right there and walked the last 1/2 mile to the shrine. I should have known better, when we got there there was a big parking lot and lots of room since we were the only pilgrims there. The lot also served as the heli-pad and we were glad we drove.
The sun was still in and out and we should have walked the grounds and taken pictures of the vistas before we went into the shrine, since not long after the clouds closed in over the mountain and the rains came. When we went in we fell into a graceful peace and immediately knelt and prayed. Jesus was present and over Him on the altar was a beautiful carved statue of Mother and Child. After our prayers for the indulgence we took ever so much time looking at every inch of this marvelous church. This was Blessed John Paul’s II favorite place and now we knew why.
There was a caretaker around and he told me that the don’t close at 12:30 as other shrines and told us to visit the Grotto of St. Benedict and the holy stairs to heaven (100 of them), as it seemed to us, when we looked up and the clouds covered it and were shining with light. You felt like you could walk up and never return, with the rain we decided to stay below.( balk, balk balk!) From that point you can get the best photos of the valleys below but today you could hardly see 50 feet ahead (balk, balk, balk).
Entrance to the Grotto of Saint Benedict at the Mont
It is a tight fit going in to the Grotto of St. Benedict, but well worth it. We went to the cave and that was a beautiful experience, although a tight fit. When you entered the lights came on automatically and after a while they would go off, good thing no one could hear us scream when they went off. It was hard to imagine that St Benedict lived in this cave for 2 years while discerning his future, and we think it’s rough when the lights go out in a storm and we have no A/C.
Back at the shrine we went to the side altar, as there was another couple who were there praying, and began our rosary on these very hard kneelers. After beginning the First part of the rosary we went to the back of the altar and sat in front of the memorial to Blessed John Paul and a beautiful icon of the Mother and child. We finished the final prayers back on our knees at the side of the Madonna. I went back to Blessed John Paul’s memorial to take the time to thank him and Our Mother for the gift of speech for Karina and asked that he continue to help her to be fully cured, knowing well that these afflictions are sometimes a blessing from God and his reason is beyond our comprehension.
This is a place for prayer and as close to God and heaven as you will ever come, and as Blessed John Paul said when he was here so well:
After lighting candles for all your intentions and our we went into the dining room used by all who stay here and on the walls were photos of the visit by our last 2 popes. ( Pope Francis came an hour later to meet up with us in his helicopter). Some of the photos you will see are pictures of the vistas that we couldn’t share with you today because of the weather. The others are in fond memory of Blessed John Paul.
We bid the Ricardo, the caretaker ( he could have been the priest) goodbye and mad our way back to the car for another joyous ride, as Susan would put it, down the mountain. It took Sue awhile to organize herself and get buckled in after trying to fasten herself with her pocketbook. The ride down was harry to say the least, since at time we could only see about 10 feet in front of ourselves. There were a lot more moans and groans and I think I even gave a few.
The miraculous image in Frascati.
We headed for Frascati and Our Lady of Capocroce. Frascati is an ancient city with an icon of the Virgin and Son. The icon was in the church when it was bombed in the second world war but survived and was found in the rubble after the liberation.
When we got there the church was closed and we decided to have a coffee and share a brandy to warm up and wait till 4 and see if they opened. The couple that owned the bar told us that the church we went to wasn’t the right one and to go around the corner and after our break we did and it wasn’t 50 feet away and open, well almost, there is an iron gate that keeps you from getting into the church proper and you are stuck in the entry. It didn’t matter as we knelt and prayed and I took some beautiful photos of this miraculous icon. As we were praying it started to rain again so very hard the roof sounded as if it would cave in and as we stood there the sun light came in and brilliantly lit up the altar. We both went to our knees and prayed a little more. We looked for a window outside the church and couldn’t find one and didn’t care because the subtle thank you’s are wonderful and they remain with you forever.
Once outside, the rain had stopped and we walked to the car. Our car was parked at the other church and it was open and we went in and were quite surprised at the history it contained. Most of this area was bombed in 1944 and rescued by the Americans. Almost all the churches were destroyed except for this one and only the icon in the last. It turned into quite a day full of love, prayer, thanksgiving and time with the Divine.
The ride home was ugly with traffic and we stopped at our favorite restaurant, the supermarket, (this trip has not been a gourmet delight) and for 20 Euro’s I got us diner that I would prepare at the hotel. It was fun to cook and we have a romantic meal, candlelight and all.
The wishbone determines who washes dishes. But I helped…I am not a hopeless cad.
We took the wishbone from the chicken and Susan lost the break, the dishes were hers, but I helped. Planning our day tomorrow is not easy since there are so many places to go and Susan is working hard on the Itinerary since tomorrow we weren’t supposed to be here. I’m sure we will have another glorious day. Good night all.
God Bless,
Susan and Tom
Mary, Mother of God my mother, Queen of Peace, ask your Son Jesus to give me the gift of peace. Pray for me for peace; peace in my heart, peace of mind and of soul, peace in my family, peace with all whom I meet, the peace of Jesus.
Jesus, my Lord and Savior, my Brother, King of Peace, I come to you.
When we got up this morning it was really dark and really raining and really early. I spent half of the night getting up thinking it was time…..I hate that, the wake up call came just as I entered a deep sleep. We dressed and Susan went down and managed to get us a double espresso with a little steamed milk and that got the heart going.
Our plan was to be at Termini station to meet our friend Marilyn at 6:30 am and go together to the Vatican. Marilyn was early and we were late because we had to go back to the room for the tickets. Once together, we made it to the Vatican, albeit with umbrellas in hand, since the rain still persisted. I was afraid that this was not going to be fun and my fears were confirmed later.
Attending the Weekly Papal Audience…a sea of umbrellas
Seeing the Pope is always special and we sat and waited for 3 hours for that chance and as soon as he was about to get to the high altar were we were seated the rains came again and we were engulfed in a sea of umbrellas, I could hardly see Sue and she was next to me let alone trying to see the Pope, and we had good seats, not a 100 feet away.
Pope Francis speaking at the Papal Audience
The rain subsided for awhile and we got to watch as the Pope gave his address and it was then partially translated into other languages by different priest. It was difficult to hear, and even more difficult to see with all the umbrellas, but the atmosphere is so exciting that none of us seemed to mind.
Pope Francis likes to get out there and greet the folks!
The Holy Father is calming and gracious as was evident after the blessing he went down to the handicapped and shook hands and blessed them. He then made his way back up and walked around greeting newlyweds, dignitaries and others that had the front row seats.
We sat in front of a priest from Pennsylvania with his mom and dad and had a great time with them. We met another priest from Milwaukee and talked to him for almost an hour. Fr Jason is in Rome to study for 2 years. We had given up our seats when the umbrella’s had come up again and went and stood behind the pope. That’s where we met Fr Jason.
I was real proud of Sue today, I was sure she was going to be upset that her seat wasn’t near the Popes and she wouldn’t get to meet him, but she gave up her quest as she saw the multitude of sick and handicapped and knew the Pope would go to them as it should be. No mountains today! It was a thrill just to be there and to get a blessing from the Holy Father and knowing it was also for all of you. We had planned to meet Marilyn at the Pieta in the Vatican but didn’t re-open until 2 so we search her out to no avail. We would have to reschedule our lunch.
Hopping the subway back to our car.
The crowds were very heavy and the rains came again so Susan and I went to metro and headed back for the car. We were going to find a rest nearer to our hotel and gave that up because of the weather so we went to the grocery store and pick up a couple of pizzas, which are very good after I doctor them up.
It was already a 10 hour day so even though the sun came out as we ate our pizza we decided to stay in and test the sleeper sofa and watch a movie. The sofa was comfortable and I never made the movie.
We decided to stay at this hotel until we leave and not make the long drive to Offidia and Veterbo. There are so many shrines in the area to see and I am done packing and unpacking the car. This will give us a little rest before we head home Monday and back to a crazy work week starting Tuesday.
Have a Great
God Bless
Susan and Tom
Holy Mary,
help those in need, give strength to the weak, comfort the sorrowful, pray for God’s people, assist the clergy,
>> intercede for religious.
>> Mary all who seek your help
>> experience your unfailing protection.
>> Amen.
