Gondolas galore!
Good to see Philly Union's sponsor, Pennsylvania Power and Lighting, over in Italy...
Now that's some fresh fish
The face of a Venetian empress outside the Doge's Palace at San Marco's Square...
No, my camera is not crooked, and yes, that tower is leaning to the left...
At the Guggenheim House. Wild and weird contemporary art stuff. This, obviously, is Gugge's grave. Next to her are her "babies" - no, no children...just her dogs :)
Help! I'm lost in Venice! Which way to I go...IDK?!?
A maestro at work on the island of Murano, known for its glass masterpieces.
The colorful houses line the streets of Burano. Okay, so I'll tell you the story behind why the houses are colored. The tale goes that Burano used to be a big fishing island, and when the fishermen would come back from a long day of work, they'd be drunk to the point of being unable to find their house number through all of the fog and haze. Thus, the colored houses would at least set them on the right track so they could look for their lime greened house or whatever...Interesting right?
Okay, so Venice was pretty cool. It rained nearly the whole time that we were there, but it was still fun to explore the back alleys and small shops. At first, I wasn't really impressed because I live near the water and have been on canals, rivers, etc. forever. But as I spent more time, I realized that literally everything was on water. Locals could drop out of their front door and into the water (they never would though, because it's so dirty). Sometimes, to get from point A to point B, it was more efficient to ride the vaporetto (water taxi) rather than try and walk. Even if the distance is short, the odds of running into a dead-end or circuitous path were high, so you'd likely be delayed anyway. I got a pretty good fell for the area though after 2 days and could get around generally without a map. By the last day, Saturday, I was ready to go because there were so many tourists! Oh, wait. Yea. I was one of those. But I try to blend in as best as I could, so as not to stick out or get in the way as some of the tourists didn't know how to walk or carry their umbrella without poking me in the face with it...Okay, yea, so you get the point....
It was a quick turnaround coming back from Venice because the next day was Pasqua aka Easter Sunday. Since it was the newly appointed Pope Francesco's first Easter Mass, and it might be the only time we were in Rome for Easter, a group of about 10 of us went down to the Vatican for Easter Mass. We were up before the dawn, and if that wasn't enough, it was Daylight Savings Time in Europe, so we lost an hour of sleep. Lovely! Anyway, we got there around 6:45 am, and found ourselves in a line about 2/3 around St. Peter's square. Whatever, we were just happy to be going and to see it all. Luck and divine intervention would have it that an entrance gate was 5 meters from where we were.
We got in licketly split and got the best standing seats possible, which was still about 75 meters away. If you wanted to sit, you needed to notify in advance for a ticket. Anyway, front row standing room to see Papa Francesco's first Easter.
Not too shabby considering there were 250,000 people total packed in St. Peter's Square :)
Don't tell this guy that we're in the 21st Century... Just kidding, but if anyone can tell me what position this guy has, you get 1,000,0000 points from me. Really though, I'd be impressed :)
*hint: location and outfit are key*
So, to me, the service was more of a ceremonial spectacle more than anything. There was a marching band prelude, probably 1,000 Latin Hail Mary's recited, and Catholic chants that they probably recite in their sleep. It must be pretty important to the Catholics though; it's like their Mecca I guess. Nonetheless, it was a pretty cool experience. We left early and felt the walk of shame before 250,000 + We just wanted to beat the rush and get some sleep!
We had a great big Easter dinner, and then I felt like I connected in worship later that night during our own worship session. My heart was yearning to worship God some after I couldn't connect that morning. That was really good to help me further appreciate Easter. Jesus willingly died as a sacrifice for my sin. But he didn't stay on the cross or in the grave. He rose from the dead, conquered the grave and defeated Satan to grant us eternal life. Rereading the gospels recently struck a cord inside me that really moved me beyond a "heady" understanding of that fact. This passage from Isaiah is also great too:
Isaiah 53:5-11 - 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishmentthat brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crushhim and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
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