August 28th 2022, Sunday
Woke up and got ready to go to St. Peter's basilica (eyes rolling here). Father met us there and took us inside through some cordoned area. Mass was by some newly appointed cardinal. Father left us in church and went to do his work. God, I felt trapped inside... so trapped! All the glitz and grandeur of the place made me despondent. I wanted to be out in nature, in the small church I had selected to attend Sunday mass in Rome... something with windows where I can see nature and feel at peace. My original plan was to attend Sunday mass in a cute simple chapel nestled in nature. I had googled for English mass in Rome and I found a place with a small chapel near a garden, but my Catholic family was swayed by the gaudy imposing basilica and I was dragged along unwillingly. I tried talking them out of it to no avail, so silently I accepted defeat and that's how I found myself imprisoned in a structure that did not feel holy to me.
The grandiosity of the basilica can never match the splendour of mother nature. I just wanted to get out. Everybody seemed in awe, I felt trapped by religion in church 42.
This nun sat near me during mass, and after mass we started talking... and she was going to Poland the next day and that's why she wanted to attend mass in the Basilica before leaving. She wanted to take a picture with us, Sr. Cynthia.
After mass, father showed us where to buy chasuble to take home... and this pretty ivy covered building was there, naturally had to take a pic near it.
Then we walked to the clergy home where Father stays, he treated us to lunch. This was some pasta, then there was meat with spinach. Father is pretty cool, it was nice lunching with an old friend. Then we walked back home and slept a while.
Then got ready again and took bus 190f to piazza Venezia, met father there and
Went to a café for coffee and snacks...
My dreamcatcher top
Saw some books on the way to the Trevi fountain
The Trevi fountain, this place is awfully crowded...
The fountain in front of the Spanish steps with nice cool drinking water.
In front of the Spanish steps
We walked the cobbled streets
Searching for a nice place to have dinner
We got into a nice little restaurant, and here are some potatoes
Some grilled vegetables
Some pork meat
Seafood paella for my sister
Some pasta for my brother
I think I had this, the mushroom pasta
Gnocchi... after a nice dinner we walked back home and slept.
August 29th 2022, Monday
Woke up ate peaches and figs, that we had plucked from the farmhouse near Siena. We then packed and vacated by 9:45am. Vinod and me went to a convent to drop off the luggage, Fr. John Peter arranged a place to drop it off. Then me and Vinod went walking to a Tabbachi place to buy bus tickets. Nam, dad and mom went to a café near the airbnb for breakfast. Then we met them at the Vatican shops and we did our shopping... bought rosaries, vestments, cute angels and other stuff.
This it some nice corner near the Vatican shops
A mirror selfie in a shop
Ivy covered buiding. Then we bought bus tickets again to travel- 7 euros for 24 hours travel. Which we should have taken earlier. Comes cheaper than buying individual tickets, like the 1.50 euro for 100 minutes of travel. Then we took the bus and went to Open door bookshop, which was closed... sigh. It was the holiday season, August, and the second hand bookshops that I was looking forward to visit on this trip were all closed. The one in Florence too, Libreria Gozzini, I went to that place three times while I was there and it was closed.
Then we (mom, dad, Nam and me... Vinod had gone to meet his school friend who is a capuchin monk in Roma) walked to Trastevere, which is apparently a neighbourhood in Rome known for its charming restaurants and thriving nightlife. It was quite hot in Roma... cause there aren't any trees around. The Vatican is completely devoid of trees, which is sad. They don't understand that trees are scared too, and that's where most of the problems start, not perceiving mother nature as entwined with us.
Anyway, we found a nice café to have lunch... Aromatics, a vegan restaurant.
One of the highlights of this Rome trip was this charming café
I had some burrata and tomato salad
Hummus and pita bread... I think mom had this
Some roll with fries
Dad had some wrapped roll with fries too
Oh, this vegan cheesecake was lovely... exactly like how I make it at home. Vinod and Fr. Damien met us at this café.
We then walked to a Marian church in Trastevere
Church 43 in Roma
After this Fr. Damien offered to drop mom, dad and Nam at Roma Termini, so they took the bus and went. While me and Vinod, took the bus to the convent, had to take two buses...used google maps, it was easy enough. Google maps told us where to walk and which bus to take, how convenient. We reached the convent, picked up the luggage then took a taxi to Roma termini. Met them at the station, and Nam had booked tickets on the Leonardo train, so boarded that and settled in for the half hour ride to Rome Fiumicino airport station. Packed the stuff we bought in Rome in our cabin bags, and got down at Fiumicino. Nam and Vinod went to check in one bag that had lemon cello and wine, and it came to 29 euros per bag which was cheaper than an extra carry on bag for 33chf. Then we passed through security check, we were early so went to eataly to eat something.
I took roasted potatoes, the others bought some food too. We boarded the plane and reached Geneva at 22:30 pm.
Felt real good to be back and smell the cold night air in Geneva, waited for bus 23. Booked five tickets for 13chf, reached home and it was amazing. Coming home to our own home feels great after a long hectic journey. Maybe this is how it feels, the end (of our physical life), like reaching home. Somehow Rome didn't feel good, the company was good, hanging out with father... that's all. The farmhouse with the pigs and figs was the best part of this trip not to mention catching all our trains on time. So that was our Italy trip and it went off pretty well.
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