With one week to go until the wedding, yesterday Caroline sent me the schedule of events which included the procession order for the ceremony. When I got to "Jonathan and Monsignor Frank enter from the side door" I was smiling through the tears.
Happy tears.
The best kind.
I love color kaleidoscopes
on Sicilian mermaids,
espresso saucers,
garden planters,
and floating rowboats.
Today is my dad's 81st birthday, and in honor of the occasion I am sharing the following conversation from a few years ago. Try to follow along and not get dizzy.
Me: Dad, what do you want for your birthday?
Happy birthday to my piano man, Dad’s sports buddy, and (since you’re in the middle) the best younger AND older brother. Two years ago you stood by Nicholas on his wedding day, and in two weeks he will do the same for you. Happy birthday Jono!
Today, Pope Francis is calling for prayers to counter "the diabolical force of hate, terrorism and war" and urging believers around the world to join Catholics in the Holy Land for a day of fasting and prayer for peace.
Peace. Oh, how we need it. But this morning, as I spent time in quiet reflection on ways to
answer this call to prayer, I was also wondering if it will make a
difference; after all, the problem is so vast and complex and ongoing that the good
intention of a prayer seems like a grain of sand in comparison to the desert before
us.
And then I was reminded of quote from the musical, Hamilton:
“A legacy is planting seeds in a garden you don’t get to see.” While this quote
refers to the legacy Alexander Hamilton wanted to leave our young country, I
realized that replacing the word ‘legacy’ with ‘prayer’ is a way to see how
every prayer is a seed, planted with faith and watered with hope as we wait to
see what it grows into.
There are many answers to prayer—yes, no, yes
(but in a different way), no (because it isn’t what you need), maybe (but you
have to be patient), not now (there will be a better time)—just as there are also many
ways for that seed to develop. It can blossom the way you envisioned, or bloom
into something entirely different, or take root in ways you never thought
possible. The key is remembering that the seed always turns into something.
There is so much we don’t understand about prayer, but if we
acknowledge that God’s ways are not our ways, that his ways are more
imaginative and always perfect, then we also need to remember there is no such
thing as unanswered prayer. We must surrender to this truth no matter what.
So we pray. Alone, with our families, in brotherhood with the
world.
We may not always see the fruits of our prayer seeds, but
the garden is still there.
Happy anniversary, Nicholas & Lauren! I have always loved this photo from your wedding day: you are both smiling and headed together into the future, at your back are family and friends who will always be there to support you, and Nicholas is holding Lauren’s bouquet—because that’s amore!
This is our last full day in Italy. Part III: Rome (Day 12) was an unexpected gift, and the perfect ending to our adventure.
There have been
questions about another trip, and the answer is yes. And I’ll leave it there.
Day 12:
Rome (Oct. 16)
Due to a cancelled flight (a little hiccup in our itinerary) we had the miraculous
opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon and night in Rome before our scheduled
Monday flight to Atlanta. Rome had not been part of our itinerary, and yet … after
a short flight from Catania there we were. Sometimes the unplanned and unexpected
moments are the ones that stand out. What a way to end our adventure.
Once in Rome, we hit the ground running. After checking into our hotel,
we tossed our bags in the room, hopped into a taxi, and within an hour of
landing in Rome we were standing in St. Peter’s Square.
Which always brings me to tears. Always.
We explored. We shopped. We ate a panino sitting on the curb along Via della Conciliazione, our view the embracing arms of Bernini’s columns.
Afterwards, we walked to Piazza Navona, visited the Church
of Sant’Agnese in Agone, walked to the Pantheon, and then walked back to Piazza
Navona for dinner at Tre Scaline. There is something timeless about an outdoor
table, there on the edge of the piazza, with the setting sun and the rising
moon signaling the streetlights and street performers. There was music in the
air.
After dinner we walked to la Fontana Trevi where we threw a
coin over our right shoulder into the fountain. This, we were told by Jane, was
the correct way to toss a coin, but only ONE of us (Rose Ann) did it the right way. Evidently too much wine
and the other three did not know right from left. Once they
realized their error, the three tossed yet ANOTHER coin into the fountain to undo
their bad toss. All was right with the world.
A coin tossed into the Trevi Fountain means that you will one day
return to Rome and it was the most perfect, symbolic way to end our trip.
Then, because we walked well over 20,000 steps, we took a
taxi back to the hotel and met some fellow travelers on the hotel rooftop for
one last Aperol Spritz.
Arriverderci Roma!
As we approach the one-year anniversary of our 2022 Girls’ Trip to Italy, this week La Dolce Vita Travels will publish a series of posts recapping our trip last October. I do this for several reasons: as a means of transcribing my travel journal, to provide fellow travelers with names of restaurants/hotels for their own travel journals, and to plant seeds of interest for our next trip (and there will be another one).
This is an overall recap of the official itinerary. There were pockets of free time almost daily, and while I share what my sister and I did during these times, the truth is everyone will have a different story. Some were shoppers, some were explores, and some were diners … there was something for everyone.
The series will be three parts—Part I: Naples (Days 1-4), Part II: Sicily (Days 5-11), Part III: Rome (Day 12). Our time in Naples was the most intense; after all, it is an intense city and we packed a lot into our itinerary. This meant we did the heavy touring the first few days of our trip, then enjoyed the slower pace of Sicily on the back end.
Day 11: Taormina (Oct. 15)
Today is the day we add a city to our itinerary. But more on
that later…
Breakfast this morning overlooked the Mediterranean
Sea. I decided to celebrate with a delicious brioche—a Mt. Etna-sized brioche that paired
most excellently with my cappuccino. Life is grand. (Speaking of Mt. Etna,
which we could see off in the distance. Those weren’t clouds, but puffs of smoke. Etna
is still considered an active volcano and the smoke is the reason it is known as “the
grumbling giant” nickname.")
A short bus ride along the coast took us to the historic
center of Taormina, which is known as the “pearl of the Mediterranean.” We
walked up the main road to the Greco-Roman amphitheater which offered the most
breathtaking views of the Bay of Naxos. All we needed was Luciano Pavarotti or
Andrea Bocelli to walk out on the stage.
Because this was going to be our last day in Taormina (more
on that later) we were given two hours to meander through the narrow streets
and do some last-minute shopping. And shop we did. Taormina is so picturesque,
so quaint, so lovely. After many days of group travel, I enjoyed wandering
alone, taking photos, stopping at a bar for an espresso, and a little later for a
small granita. At one point I entered an antique bookshop looking for an anniversary gift for Nicholas and Lauren. Since gifts for a first anniversary are traditionally paper, I purchased two lithographs that were from rare books
(the owner even made a photocopy of my passport to maintain provenance for his
records). It was exciting handling old papers and books.
When we reconvened at the main plaza, we were given an offer we couldn’t refuse: a Godfather tour of the towns that served as location for the film. We drove to Savoca (incidentally, our bus driver today was named Vito, as in Vito Corleone). Just like the wedding procession in the movie, we climbed to the church of Santa Lucia where Michael Corleone married Apollonia. We also visited Bar Vitelli where Michael asked Apollonia’s father for her hand in marriage. Inside, the bar was filled with movie memorabilia, such as the same table and chairs that were used in the movie.
Finally, a tale of travel woes. If you remember, I was
missing from last night’s dinner due to the fact that ITA Airways canceled our Monday
morning flight (Catania-Rome) which meant we would miss our connecting afternoon flight (Rome-Atlanta). At one point, Jane and I
were on three separate phones talking to ITA, the tour company, and Jane’s
connections at Central Holidays. We went to bed with things still undecided, but overnight the tour company worked magic and by morning we were booked on a Catania-Rome
flight for tomorrow (Sunday) so we could make our connection on Monday. They arranged
transportation and lodging for our overnight stay in Rome (at no extra cost for
us).
While we are sad to leave Taormina one day early, the good
news was an afternoon and night in Rome before our Monday flight to
Atlanta—an unexpected bonus, especially for those in our group who have never
been to the Eternal City.
When life gives you lemons, make limoncello!
P.S. Jane was able to change the date of our Farewell Dinner
to tonight, our last night in Sicily. It was such a wonderful dinner with
speeches, gifts for Jane, and Jane’s announcement that she would be retiring.
We were her last tour group. Did we influence her decision? See video below.
