August
13, 2005, Day 6
Pilgrimage log
Today we got up at another good time (7:00am – any time after 7 has been found to be tolerable), had some croissants and nutella and hit the road at 8:30am. After snoozing on the bus we hit Pisa around 10am. We spent a couple hours looking at the beautiful Cathedral, the largest baptistery in Italy, taking goofy pictures, and buying “the tackiest souvenirs in the world” (David, our tour guide, in his British accent). We then drove an hour and had lunch at a “nice” truck stop, which did have good food, although it felt like half of Italy was inside – apparently Italy goes on vacation starting this weekend, so there were a lot of people on the road with the same idea of lunch as us. After another three hours through the beautiful Italian countryside, we arrived in Milan. After getting settled into our rooms, which are probably the nicest yet, Fr. Jim celebrated Mass for us. We then had another good dinner, getting a nice mix of both fizzy water and non-fizzy water. We then finished the night by praying a rosary together, including the intentions of our families, friends, and fellow parishioners.
Diary entry from Brian
Today, day six of our pilgrimage, we ventured to Pisa. It was there that I found the shopping capital of the world. Our Tour guide claims that it is Milan, but let me tell you, it is Pisa. It was there that I finally understood the shopping tendencies of the opposite sex. The beautiful street vendors of Pisa had knifes, swords, nun-chucks, brass knuckles, and throwing stars. Now my budget did not allow me to buy all that my heart desired, but I made due with what I had. Pisa was a lot of fun and I got some great souvenirs.
Hi Mom, Dad, Tina, Laura, Sarah, Rosie, Mary Katherine, Molly, Puppy, Popcorn, Lou, White Kitty, Princess, chickens, Tom T, Tom C, and Rabbits!! I miss and Love you guys!!!!
Diary entry from Trent
Today was perhaps the best day of the trip for me and what made it great was not what I expected. First, when I got on the bus for our transfer to Pisa, the souvenir that I spent 10 euros ($12.50) on and lost was still on the bus! I thanked our driver Roberto (pronounced ROW-BEAR-TOE if you want to be a hip Italian traveler) and we were on our way. Inside Pisa I expected to see the leaning tower (what would Pisa be without it, right?) but I didn’t know there was a corresponding cathedral and baptistery. The baptistery in particular intrigued me because I had not been inside one yet and this baptistery is the largest one in Italy. During the middle ages, at least from what I was told about Italy, one could not enter a church unless he or she was baptized. Therefore, one would be baptized in a baptistery right outside the Cathedral and then would be allowed to enter the Church. Inside the baptistery I stood in awe at the colossal dome structure that engulfed me. The top of the dome was perfectly centered over the baptismal font so that when the baptistery did not have a dome cap the rain would fill the font. After everyone in our group left I just sat quietly in the back to reflect on the purpose of this beautiful work of art and architecture. Pisa is pretty touristy, and by touristy I mean there are a million tents along the street selling fake leather handbags and statues of the leaning tower wearing a top hat as hundreds of shoppers mill about and take pictures of their friends holding up the tower while eating gelato. This is contrasted by the serenity of the baptistery where I prayed a rosary and meditated with the white-noise-like sound of everyone’s voices echoing in the room. Right in the middle of the rosary two guards shouted “Silencio!” and once the room was dead quiet the guards began to chant and sing harmony with their own echoes. It was amazing, it sounded like a beautiful set of bells had been rung. Amidst all of this my mind was racing with thoughts of John the Baptist, the luminous mysteries, my own baptism and conversion, the conversions of all the souls in this baptistery, and what God is preparing for my future vocation. After leaving I felt like I had a real clarity of vision and I know that God is calling me to serve him in a way only I can. I miss you all, I know life must be boring without T-HO’s crazy antics but fear not I shall return soon!
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