Peter and Brenda’s Adventures

 Great-grandmother, companion, entertainer, guide,…she is Awesome!  Her name fits, Awesome a service dog, who joined Nancy on our pilgrimage.  Give Awesome a patch of grass when she is off duty, she is a dog….running, playing and rolling around.  On duty, she is vigilant. Awesome stood by and remained at Nancy’s side while we walked with and listened guides. From the quiet and confusing maze of roads in medieval towns, to the busy streets of Rome, she kept her companion safe each day. She stopped at curbs and stairs to raise awareness of the changes in footpath. Old towns and buildings have many stairs. Sidewalks and crosswalks have curbs and edges. Yet, Awesome navigated all terrains with care for her companion.  Calm, patient and quiet Awesome, a golden retriever, is both a guide and mother. While most working dogs are not used for breeding, Awesome has been Nancy’s companion for 8 years and she gave birth to three litters of puppies, two litters of grand pupp...

We were privileged to ride in a bus that had been in service for less than one month. While the lights worked well, no matter how many times we pushed the other button, no beverages appeared. 

Not a horror story, but one rich in local history.  Rising above the valley the town of Orvieto sits on butte of a volcanic tuff. The soft rock was ideal for tunnelling and creating hiding spaces for the Etruscan civilization who settled in the area in the 9th Century BCE. This civilization and then the Romans dug wells to access water for the community above.  In the Middle Ages an olive press was situated in a tunnel taking advantage of the consistent temperatures. Olives were crushed under a basalt stone through the work of donkeys moving the stone.  This mash was then pressed to release olive oil. Pigeons were kept caves connected to the homes above.  These passages were so well used that spaces for oil lamps were carved into the walls.  Of course all of tunnelling and the passage of time has created some instability which has been remedied with modern cement pillars 

As Catholics, we believe that the consecrated (blessed) Host and Wine have transubstantiated to the actual Body and Blood of Christ.  This means we believe that, although the Host and the Wine still look the same, these have changed in substance into the Body and Blood of Christ.  In 1267, a German priest, Peter of Prague, was traveling to Rome to see the Pope as he was struggling to believe that Christ was really present in the consecrated Host. Along the way he celebrated Mass above the tomb of St. Christina in Bolsena. There as he prayed the Eucharistic Prayers, the host in his hands began to bleed. This blood dripped onto the altar and the Corporal, the Linen cloth kept beneath the Chalice and Ciborium.  He immediately set out for Orvieto, to see Pope Urban IV. After investigating this miracle, the Pope requested that the local Bishop bring the Host and Corporal to Orvieto.  The Corporal now rests in the Chapel of the Corporal, in the Duomo di Orvieto. and is car...

We wound our way through the streets of the Medieval village of Orvieto, to the Duomo official called the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta.   This pieta shows Mary holding the body of Jesus on through the cloth of her gown, and Mary Magdalene in touching Jesus’s hand with Nicodemus looking  This Cathedral was undergoing renovations and several of its works of art were not on display. However the intricate mosaic work and sculpting in marble were a wonder to see. 

You take-a your aubergine, put-a salt an-a presse for a 30 minutes.  Than you scrape-a off-a a salt an-a fry.  Than you put-a layer of-a your fry aubergine, than-a mozzarella, than-a Parmesan and a basil and you make da Layers.  An-a you bake in-a da fourno.  This is the ancient family secret for the Eggplant Parmasan enjoyed today at a local little restaurant.  Did I say little? The tables were 12” wide shelves on a wall with stools to sit on in a narrow hall. We struggled to eat with our elbows in to avoid being accidentally hit by fellow patrons.  The food was fantastic!

In Rome there are five Holy Doors that are open for the Jubilee Year. We entered the door at St. Peter’s Basilica and then the one at St. Paul Outside the Wall. Today we returned to St. John Lateran Basilica, in the pouring rain to officially enter the Holy Door.  We then attended St. Mary Major Basilica to enter our fourth and final door. The fifth door is located at a prison in Rome, where we pilgrims are not able to enter.  Both of these Basilica have origins dating to the early church. St. Mary Major Basilica, like many churches in Rome, has many old treasures on its walls, ceilings, and floors. 

 We tried to visit the Spanish Steps and found them to be used as seating. Coins into the Trevi Fountain? Not without skipping them over the heads of tourists. With so many people, it was a challenge to enjoy the beauty and history of these places.