First off, about the ship, Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.... She's huge and, actually, part of the same class as Voyager, which took me on my first cruise. Overall, I liked Adventure much more for several reasons.
The pool deck is certainly always likely to be the most crowded area on the ship during the day. Two pools - and one in the Solarium - are never enough to accommodate all the swimmers.
One lovely difference between Adventure and Voyager was the bar, The 19th Hole. On Voyager, it was decorated in a casual golf theme but on Adventure, it was more upscale, almost like an old clubhouse. This quickly became one of our favorite places to hang out when we needed quiet. 
The Royal Promenade is four decks high. This is where you shop or stop at the cafe for a quick snack - or cheesecake! Notice the see-through sculpture that resembles a school of fish. So pretty!
So I was a little obsessed with this sculpture. I loved it! This was definitely missing from Voyager.
This was the only time Mr. Higgins and I stepped foot inside the main dining room. We never ate here, always preferring the relaxed buffet to the stuffy two-hour long dinners, but it is a gorgeous space, spanning three decks.
And just to prove that I, indeed, made it onto the ship... Doniamarie waiting for the muster drill to begin in the Imperial Lounge. Fun stuff! I always dread this required task but thankfully you no longer have to pull out those pesky life vests! Ha!
And there you have it....our first day on the ship....all while we were still docked in San Juan!
My very long journey of 6000+ miles began last Saturday with a late flight into San Juan. Mr. Higgins and I made a late night run to Walgreens and then crashed at our hotel. When we awoke the next morning, we walked the few blocks between us and the beach... This was my first water sighting as we'd flown in, primarily, in the dark. It was a beautiful sight on a partly cloudy morning.
It's amazing how calm and quiet a bustling city can be on a Sunday morning! After this little tour, we got ready, re-packed up, and headed to the cruise ship.
I just arrived home last night so I'm still going through about four hundred pictures. Expect to see about two weeks of pictures on this blog.... We saw that much!! The cruise was definitely one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. The Caribbean is so much more beautiful than my mind was capable of picturing. My mind, it turns out, is very limited! Ha!
I'll be in the Caribbean until next week. Please check back on the 27th for a tour of all our tropical stops.
In the meantime, enjoy the pic here, courtesy of Mr. Higgins, of one of our cruise destinations.
So far, everything looks great for our week of sun, relaxation, and water.
See you soon!
It's playoff season in the NBA! The Mavs are once again in contention, this time sitting prettily in the number two spot in the west, atop the Southwest division. Their first-round match-up: the Spurs. Of course. Hopefully, we'll deal with them as effectively as we did last year at this time!
And in honor or said playoffs, here is a clip from this week's game against the Clippers. The perfect pass from Kidd to Marion. Ah, it is so very sweet!
My favorite New York Times columnist has written another scathing critiicism of the Church. At some point in my life, such articles would have really bothered me, to the point of fury. Now, given current events, I'm glad someone is writing about these topics. Someone has to speak up.
I struggle with my opinion of the current administration of the Church on a daily basis. If you're Catholic and not struggling, then something is wrong. Complacency is a far greater sin than zealotry. Complacency allowed thousands upon thousands of children to be molested.
While I get annoyed with the idea that old = archaic (naturally, as a historian, this makes me glower), I can admit that some traditions within the Church should be changed. But the Church is an entity unlike anything the world has ever seen. It is older than Islam, older than any monarchy, older than any country. It has changed, in great leaps, over the years. But it has not changed its own institutional hierarchy to fit modern times.
The Church, the beliefs that are 2000 years old, have not changed and this is what Catholics must hold on to. As my friend, AL, said, those traditions are comforting in a world that is always changing. I know that they are a comfort to me even with my current struggles.
But something must be done. A Church that is so vehemently against abortion and contraceptives must also be vehement in its protection of those children actually born into this world.
Life is busy. I keep thinking things will slow down but as I look at the calendar, there is no end in sight until June. June!
The cruise is leaving port on Sunday. Mr. Higgins and I leave DFW on Saturday. Between now and then I have to pack, work, and do all the odds n' ends one must do when you go MIA for a week. But I can't wait.
It's been a long time since I had a real vacation - one with beaches and swimsuits. Actually, I think the last time I was at the beach was the summer of 2007. (I am, of course, discounting my previous cruise experience! Ugh.)
When I get home from the cruise, the marathon of moving begins. This move will be far easier but more complicated. Life is forever complicated, eh? But I can't wait for this either. I honestly can't remember a time when I had so much to look forward to. It's incredible and I have some amazing people to thank for it!
Here are a few pics from my Sunday night with Bon Jovi, courtesy of SK. Above: they sang a few songs out on the circle which was very neat as they seemed a lot closer, even when we were in the rafters!
The lights and stage equipment were just incredible. It was definitely a memorable night!
SK won free tickets to the Bon Jovi concert last night in Dallas and was nice enough to ask me to go with her. I haven't listened to Bon Jovi since college and didn't even know they had a new record out. But, then again, I'm not exactly "in the know" with music these days. Ha!
The American Airlines Center was packed and our seats were in the rafters. Honestly, this didn't bother me in the least. We didn't have to stand the entire time and we could watch all the crazy fans jump and bob from a high perch. It was kind of cool seeing it all from that level.
Bon Jovi was on stage for over two hours and the show was really great. I didn't know their new work, but the oldies were a blast. These guys sure do work hard in their concerts! This was the first time I'd ever been to a concert of this scale so it was cool just watching all the stage contraptions move about. The screens - moving every which way and even forming steps - were amazing!
I've never seen so many people at the AAC. The crowd was an, er, interesting mix. I had a lot of fun and left with my ears ringing. That's the way it should be, right? Ha!
In regards to yesterday's post, this is my new favorite "green" website. I ordered new lunch materials as this is the meal when I'm most environmentally unconscious, primarily due to ease and quickness. But, no more, come May!
No more Lean Cuisines! No more crazy, toxic plastic! Bring on the salad, the fruit! Ha!
Baby steps....
I will be honest and say that my life is not very "green." I'm not intentionally trying to hurt the earth or myself, but, frankly, it's overwhelming to think of all the ways one can "go green" and then to figure out what is practical and affordable. Let's break it down...
Food. I know I should be more careful about what I eat. I've read (some of one book by) Michael Pollan. I know the horrific state of our meat industry. Likewise, the preservatives and scary chemicals in most common foods is not unknown to me. But I'm not a big vegetable person and I can't figure out, for the life of me, how to cook tofu well. So, I'm left feeling as if I have few (low-fat) options...when I'm not completely overwhelmed.
Beauty and Household Products. I try to do better with cleaning products than anything else, as these enter our waste-water. This is one area where I feel like I've made good strides. Beauty products, though... I have a few eco-friendly, crazy-chemical-free products but my problem here is cost. I can't afford to be environmentally conscious here!
Energy. This is a hot topic of late with my upcoming move. I would like nothing more than to have "green" energy. But this is much more expensive than normal, dirty energy. I would like to be more environmentally responsible in this area when I feel like I have the means to do so.
I dont' think I'm a wasteful person so I guess the best I can do is take it one step at a time...baby steps. Do what I can, when I can, and try not to kill myself with toxic chemicals. I just find it ironic that this is not something that ever entered into my parent's thinking at my age. This is a new thing for our generation. It's our responsbility. No pressure.
Some news! In two weeks, I will be here....
Ha! No, I'm not telling you where this is as that's part of the fun! But I must thank Mr. Higgins for this photo. He has some magnificent ones, indeed!
Mr. Higgins and I are going on a cruise!! We were very limited as far as timing so we're going sooner rather than later to avoid summer prices and hurricane season. It's going to be an incredible trip. For those of you who remember my first cruise experience... Well, this one - itinerary, company, circumstances - is about five hundred times better. No weird family, no pressure, no stress. Just bliss. I can't wait.
Now, I must pack! Time is flying by and I know these two weeks - now really a week and a half - will disappear!
I love wildflowers. Though unromantically referred to as "weeds," I think they're beautiful as they announce the coming of spring. This year, spring burst forth in a matter of two weeks. Indeed, two weeks before this picture was taken, to the day, those trees were weighed down with snow! It's been a strange, long, dramatic winter and I've never been so excited to see a little color in my parent's field.
Winter is usually my season but this one went on a little too long. Now all I can think of are skirts, sandals, tank tops, and warmth.
Good Friday was a holiday for us at work. While this is usually a good thing, my holidays are generally spent working and this one was no exception. Actually, this one was worse!
I shoveled and raked rock on Friday morning. My shoulders, arms and abs still hurt from this rock adventure! The fun continued on Saturday when I cleaned house and helped with more outside chores.
But it was worth the pain as Sunday was a great, relaxing day. Mr. Higgins came out and mom and I cooked a tasty Easter dinner. It was a beautiful day and much time was spent rocking away on the front porch. The wildflowers are bursting into bloom here, along with irises, redbuds, and dogwoods, so the scenery is gorgeous. It was a great day and one of the best Easters that I can remember.
Now, I'll just have to fight dad for leftovers at lunch today!
Of the many plans and things I want to do when I finally move back to the city, starting a knitting group is one. It'll hopefully start with just SK, but maybe it will evolve to include some of our other friends.
I've always wanted to have a knitting group, primarily as a way to make myself knit! My knitting has fallen by the wayside lately....heck, it's fallen off the planet for the last year! And I have too many UFOs and too much yarn sitting around to completely ignore it any longer. Speaking of, is there going to be room in my new home for all my yarn?? Holy crap! I have no idea!
The other benefit to a knitting group is actually forcing myself to be sociable - a little. I can only do so much talking and socializing but I need to do something. The last time I lived in the big city, I was practically a hermit! I cannot let myself fall into my old, bad, yet comfortable, habits. Then again....I knitted a lot more as a hermit. Hm....
Bottom line is that I hope having one night a week dedicated to knitting will help restore the balance.... Productivity without becoming a hermit, that's the goal!
The Pope is not exactly making a lot of friends lately. He tends to handle every precarious situation in the worst possible way.
He has yet to win me over and, given recent events, he never will. I realize, more than most, the huge shoes he has to fill. Anyone coming into that position would have a difficult time of it after John Paul II. Considering Benedict is the polar opposite of JPII, it should have been known that this would not be an easy transition.
But some things are inexcusable. And God's vicar on earth should know that. Changes must be made if the Church is going to survive in its present form. This is now undeniable. Read this excellent editorial and you'll see why.
Left unchecked, I fear Benedict will bring the Church to the edge of extinction. (I really wish I were joking but I'm actually not.) And I'm not the only one who thinks this!
I've enjoyed trying hole-in-the-wall restaurants of late and last night was no exception. I met AL and EM at Eno's Pizza Tavern in the Bishop Arts District (aka Oak Cliff for the non-yuppies) of Dallas. I must admit to being a bit hesitant at first because back in the day (and still to this day, mostly), this part of town is not exactly safe after dark.
But this is a charming restaurant in the middle of a residential area. Yay, urban revitalization! Parking was a bit difficult but the food was worth it! The atmosphere was laid-back but sophisticated - very yuppie-ish. The beer and wine list looked good, though we abstained.
The pizza, though.... Very tasty! We got the Moma's and it was cheese, olive oil, and basil. Thin crust, like I enjoy, and very delicious. Not too oily but just right. And the desserts! I had one bite out of the girls' sundae and immediately wanted more. Very delectable!
It's good to find places in all different parts of the Metroplex as you never know where you'll be when you get hungry! And I'm adding Eno's to my list of must-eat places in Dallas!
Hans Holbein's painting, Christ after Crucifixion, was the sole inspiration of Dostoevsky's The Idiot. The actual painting is much longer, showing Christ's entire body. It's gruesome, it's striking, it's human.
In The Idiot, Dostoevsky seeks to portray a real good man. This man naturally takes on many Christ-like characteristics - innocence, purity, naivete. By society, the man is viewed as an idiot as he does not care about money, possessions, and society. He loves with the pure innocence of a child, he blushes like a bride, and assumes the good in others. Naturally, he is taken advantage of, made fun of, and ridiculed.
The Idiot is not an easy read - at least for me. I'm halfway through and it wasn't until last night that I finally looked up Holbein's painting. It's humanity is striking and makes you realize that, despite Christ's origins, he was very much a human. If you forget that, you forget his suffering. So, make yourself look up this painting, look at it in it's entirety. Dostoevsky was mesmerized by it. Imagine basing a novel of 600 pages on it. I dare you.
I am now, officially, not an Emily Bronte fan. What can I say? I tried, I succeeded in reading the book, finally, but was not overy impressed. It was not what I thought it would be.
I thought there would be love involved. Instead there was only selfishness, greed, and all manner of similar sins. Oh, yes, and abuse. Not one of the characters was the least bit likable, really, and all of them were intent on their own interests at all times. And just when you finish with one story, it's repeated in the next generation, with similar results.
That being said, I was a bit surprised by the ending. All in all, however, I found the book depressing and it was all I could do to get through it, once and for all. I will not be returning to Emily Bronte's world but the question is, how does Charlotte's world compare?
I know this is a lackluster, pathetic review, but it's all I can muster for a book that's brought me down every time I've picked it up.
Yesterday, we headed to Smoky Mountain National Park, which is just about forty miles south of Knoxville. It was a very nice drive until we got to the touristy Pigeon Forge, filled with family vacation entertainment that made my stomach roll. (Seriously, it was like entering the Twilight Zone!) But, above is our caravan into the Smoky Mountains. How I love it when trees form a canopy over roads!
This was a lookout point where you could see Gatlinburg below and Mt. Le Conte above at 6600 feet. A great contrast!
The drive was, to say the least, stunning. You could spend days, weeks, trying to see it all!
There was some fall foliage but, unfortunately, the camera cannot adequately capture the vibrant, amazing colors. 
There were streams and waterfalls, though we didn't get to any of those, and the temperature dropped by fifteen degrees as we ascended into the mountains. Everything was just gorgeous!
All in all, it was a great drive and the perfect prelude to my birthday.
I'm sure if Uma knew that she was going to be the star of today's blog, she'd have looked at the camera. Ha!
I got into Knoxville yesterday afternoon and everything I've seen so far has been beautiful. The trees and mountains flying in were just gorgeous! Fall foliage isn't exactly abundant yet but some trees are starting to change. I'll have more pics of this tomorrow.
For now, you get Uma, who I hadn't seen in three years. She's put on a little weight since then, but she's still a sweetie. Her skinny sister, Chloe, is less excited to see me again. Ah, well, cats! More interesting pics tomorrow!
I'm off to Tennessee today to visit a friend. The original plan was for me to drive as I'm longing to take a road trip. But, practicalities got in the way. I want to be back on Friday; that's too much driving in a very short amount of time.
However, there was some good news. I'd earned enough miles for a free ticket. Going to Europe has it's advantages! The bad news is that the plane is a small one. After my traumatic flight home from Rome, I'm a little hesitant about flying and small planes are always worse. Ah, well, suck it up, Doniamarie!
Anyways, hopefully I'll have some pics - of some kind - for tomorrow.
On Saturday, I went to our local nursery and picked up some fall vegetables to plant in the garden. Our tomatoes and peppers are still going strong (and the blueberries are a perennial) but I wanted something to take advantage of our second growing season here in Texas.
So I bought some different greens (the only recognizable one to me was arugula) with which to make salads eventually. The broccoli was on sale so I bought two broccoli plants as well. We'll see how it all grows in fall-like temperatures.
As if on cue, a cold front swept through yesterday and our temperatures dropped from 90 on Monday to 65 yesterday. All day long, I sat shivering in my office (stupid AC) and finally went off to make my first cup of hot tea of the season. It was very nice.
When I got home, I opened up some windows and the cat went crazy running from one to the other, tracking birds and squirrels. I even slept with the windows open!
Ah, how I love fall!
On Sunday, I had the overwhelming desire to get lost in a book. And while I'm reading several novels at the moment, none of them are "getting lost" material.
So I turned to Bobbie Faye with When a Man Loves a Weapon by Toni McGee Causey. This is the third Bobbie Faye book and the series has had a make-over - one that is not entirely welcomed by me - compete with new, ridiculous titles. Gone are the cute craw fish covers and in their place are boring covers. But Bobbie Faye is the same, thank goodness.
She is a whirlwind of (mostly) inadvertent destruction. These books are like action movies with a female heroine and cute cops/Feds, surrounded by Southern eccentricities and humor. It's a great mix and totally "getting lost" worthy. The first book was great (Bobbie Faye's Very (Very, Very, Very) Bad Day) and I probably should have re-read it this weekend, after my endless stream of bad luck last week.
Honestly, sometimes I feel like Bobbie Faye, who seems to have a sign on her back that says, "Please Screw Me Over."
I finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger over the weekend. You may know it from the movie that was just released, but before it was a movie, it was a bestselling book. I wanted to read it before seeing the movie; I have a bad habit of never reading the book after seeing the movie.
Niffenegger was surprising, mainly because she came up with a great premise - time travel due to genetics - but chose to focus almost entirely on a love story instead of the interesting stuff involved with time travel. Sure, love is great, but I didn't really need to know all about Henry and Clare's sex lives. Something left to the imagination is always good, in my opinion. There were some really creepy episodes due to Henry's genetic disability - if you can call it a disability - including a sex scene. Past Henry has sex with Clare while present-Henry sleeps soundly right next to them. I mean, ew. I guess it could be worse....a threesome, maybe.
Ew, now that I've grossed myself out.... It was, overall, an interesting read but the book seemed to stall in the middle when Clare and present-Henry finally meet. And then, before you know it, the end comes and you know the ending is coming. Niffenegger focuses on the beginning and the end with little substance in the middle.
A pleasant surprise within this book was a setting that I frequented quite a lot while in Michigan: the lakeside town of South Haven. I adored this haven with it's slice of Lake Michigan. Reading about it made me want to go back. Henry works at the Newberry in Chicago (a frequently visited place for my friends up north)... Kalamazoo is even mentioned! Oh, memories.
I'm glad I read Niffenegger's novel. Even with some disturbing scenes and lack of true plot developement, it's originality cannot be questioned.
I'm on an Eastern kick lately. Maybe I got tired of all these books on Henry VIII and other British novels. Really, what's the fascination with Henry's wives?? It's ridiculous! Furthermore, I can't read a story revolving around a monarch I detest. There are actually few monarchs I like but Henry VIII is so far off my chart, he's in the despicable category.
Anyways, The Twenthieth Wife, by Indu Sundaresan, is set in seventeenth-century Mughal India. In fact, this story immediately precedes the story in Beneath a Marble Sky, by John Shors. I thought this would be a love story of an emperor and it was....but the marriage takes place at the end of the novel. There's not much love in this book but there is a lot of history.
Mehrunnisa, our heroine, falls in love at an early age to Prince Salim, son of Emperor Akbar. When it comes time for her to marry, she is sent off, at the emperor's request, to be the wife of a lowly soldier. Her dreams shattered, she endures her marriage to an unintelligent oaf of a man. The one good thing to come out of her marriage is a daughter, Ladli. Meanwhile, there are assassination attempts and plots, rebellions, and wars going on throughout the empire.
Her husband, after ten years of marriage, dies a traitor and Mehrunnisa comes home to the royal harem and the "dowager" empress, who took a liking to her as a child. Eventually, Prince Salim, now emperor and called Jahangir, courts her and they marry. Mehrunnisa's neice, Mumtaz Mahal, marries Salim's son, Shah Jahan, who later builds the Taj Mahal in her honor. It seems that Mehrunissa's family had a way of charming the emperors.
The problem with this book is the characters. Mehrunnisa has no concept of humility and even when she is "suffering" she has more than the common person. Her sense of entitlement is annoying. And Jahangir....well, he seemed to be a bit of a wimp and I have no respect for wimpy men, especially those who are monarchs.
This was a good read but definitely not on par with Beneath the Marble Sky.
This is my last Italy post and I wanted to do something fun. At some point along the trip, I started taking pics of all the random cats we ran into. I saw very few in Rome but there were tons of outdoor kitties in Umbria. And they were too cute. Above, one catnaps in Assisi as the crowds pass by. Just a beautiful girl!
In Spoleto, we were hanging out at the city fountain, waiting for our restaurant of choice to open, when this kitten wandered into the busy town square. Several of the old men around the fountain tried to shoo it away, to keep it safe, but the kitten kept coming back. At one point, a teenage kitty started attacking this poor thing! We had to fend off the older cat and we eventually found a crate that this kitten was living out of. It was very stressful watching such a tiny creature fend for itself!!
Another cat in Spoleto, sitting by the city fountain. She didn't seem to know the above kitten.
A cat wanders amidst the ancient Etruscan temples at Largo Argentina in Rome. The last time I was in Rome, this place was filled with cats. Now, there was only this one. 
Look closely.... This cat sat perched in a window of what used to be the Roman amphitheater in Spoleto. We were afraid she'd try to jump down but she didn't.
We encountered this lonely kitty on the walk home from the Spoleto train station. 
And finally, lest I be called discriminatory, here's a dog we saw in Assisi. I felt bad for the dogs as there was very little grass in the city centers of these towns.
That's about it from Italy. Next week, you'll hear about my rather boring life here in Texas.
Now, back to Italy. Here are some random shots that I thought you might enjoy. Above, an ancient Roman mosaic from the National Museum of Rome at the Palazzo Massimo. I love the cat; she reminds me of Sookie, our fearless hunter kitty! (Cats are the subject of my Friday post, so stay tuned!)
While wandering around the church of S. Rocco in Rome, we came upon this dog who was asleep, and practically dead to the world. (This one is for AL!) It was quite interesting to venture into all these churches and to see how many people milled about, took pictures, or prayed. 
I love this shot. We went up to the fortress in Spoleto but still couldn't see the famous bridge below. While descending from the town's stronghold, I almost tried to scale the walls, I was so desperate for a view. Finally, I peered through the slits in the walls - for the archers - and got this shot. Thankfully those medieval builders were very strategic in their defensive architecture! 
Mom and I searched and searched for the Roman amphitheater in Spoleto until we figured out it no longer really existed - houses had been built on top of it, like many other amphitheaters, in the Middle Ages. The only thing left of it is the outer city wall and the curve within it. Judging from all the graffiti, this is where the local youths hang out at night. 
Our last view of Spoleto, seen from the train bound for Rome. We climbed all the way up to the fortress!! I think, just maybe, all the walking helped balance out all the gelato.
And what flavors of gelato were consumed? Well, let's see.... Stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate chunks, my absolute favorite by far!), strawberry, lemon cream, mango, milk chocolate, mint chocolate, strawberry yogurt, yogurt... I really meant to try the pistachio but ran out of time. I guess I'll have to go back!
I know I said to expect pictures of Italy this week, but I wanted to write this before I forgot anything important! I bought The Concubine's Secret, by Kate Furnivall, in the Rome airport to read on the ten hour flight home. It's the sequal to Furnivall's action-packed The Russian Concubine. When I got home, I learned that the book I had bought is selling under a different title in the US: The Girl from Junchow.
Furnivall has picked up Lydia's story where she left off... Lydia has left 1930s China with two companions in search of the father she believed to be dead. In reality, her father has been a Russian prisoner for ten years, held by Stalin for his engineering abilities. He has been forced to create a weapon that would kill thousands.
Meanwhile, Lydia's love, Chang An Lo, fights for a Communist China. Lydia has lost her mother and left behind her love; her pain is great but she is hopeful for her father. The search for him is dangerous and no one is left untouched by Stalin's merclessness.
Furnivall keeps the action flowing at a reasonable speed and, truthfully, I read for probably six hours of our flight. I had only a few pages left and I finished those last night. I have no idea why Furnivall is so focused on 1930s Communist countries as they're not exactly romantic settings. Her The Red Scarf was brutal in its descriptions of labor camps. But I will keep reading because her strong, intelligent female leads are a delight.
I get amused at bookseller's attempts to sell "summer reads" - which they say should be light and fluffy. Furnivall is not light nor fluffy. After reading her, though, you will have a newfound respect for the human spirit.
I'm home from Italy and given the lack of blogging material, you'll be seeing more pics from the trip in the week to come. It was a great trip - a tiring trip - but I saw (and ate!) so much. Mom and I went to Assisi during our sojourn in quiet Spoleto and it was just as beautiful as I remember - and more crowded!
The flowers were in bloom - oleander, geraniums, roses - making the steep streets gorgeous!
Of course, part of the charm of Assisi is the view of the valley below. The old part of Assisi is perched on the side of a hill, three miles from the train station in the town below. I was super proud of Mom and I for figuring out and taking the bus (totaling all of 3.80 euros) instead of an expensive taxi. We were quite the frugal travelers!
The attraction of Assisi - the reason pilgrims crowd the streets - is, of course, St. Francis. The basilica built to house his remains would appall him (he was such a simple man) but this was how the Church chose to honor him - a man who breathed new life into a struggling, corrupt institution in the Middle Ages. It's ironic that this basilica, in Assisi, is the only property owned by the Vatican outside of Vatican City.
I've never seen so many pilgrims - and tourists - as there were at Assisi that day. The last time I was there, it was a quiet, sleepy town. It seems, however, that Assisi is now in vogue in Italy. There are more religious souvenir shops than ever before.
It saddens me to see the first friar turned into a money-making machine. Everyone wants a part of this man - or, at least, everyone wants to be able to say they've been to Assisi. Anyways, mom and I visited almost every church in the city and we walked our legs off! Then, once were again in the town below, we walked from the train station to S. Maria degli Angeli - the church that houses the church Francis rebuilt, and the place he called home. This place is almost more moving than the great basilica. To step inside Francis' church is always a humbling, thought-provoking experience.
And that was our day in Assisi.
