A place for vagabonds, daydreamers, and readers alike hosted by the resident gypsy, Angela. Like so many travelers, Angela has a particular affinity for Italy, but she will do just about anything to travel. Like-minded? Benvenuto!
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He has arrived, the Little Gypsy. He is perfect and sweet and lovely all in one, and we couldn't be happier. But he also has me up nights, and not with jet lag. So, I'm taking a hiatus from blogging while I get used to the whole motherhood thing. Oh, and I'm also doing a massive tech upgrade on this site, too. More on that birth later. In the meantime, here's a photo of Il Principe, my little prince...
We are working on that love of reading right from the start! Next up: teaching him how to properly pack a suitcase.
Read more...
I'm on maternity leave for the summer, but I read this article and loved it! Having traveled with school groups for many years, so much of this rings true...
Today I am pleased to welcome Jessica Lawlor as a guest blogger. Jessica is a student at Temple University, and she is currently studying in Rome.
On Sunday, I took advantage of an amazing opportunity to attend a very special Pentecost mass at the Pantheon. “What’s so special about mass?” you might ask. This mass was different because at the very end, thousands of red rose petals were dropped from the oculus of the Pantheon’s dome. The roses symbolize the coming of the Holy Spirit and fiery tongues.
Growing up Catholic, I regularly attended mass, so naturally I was very excited to experience mass in a different language in a foreign country. I’ve taken Italian for two semesters now, so I have a bit of the language under my belt, but I’m eager to learn more. I felt that mass might be an interesting place to try out my language and listening skills, since I’m already familiar with what happens during mass.
We arrived at 10:10 a.m., but were able to stand in the front row of all the people standing. As we arrived, there were hundreds of tourists waiting outside the Pantheon and we were a bit nervous that we might not get in, but the security guards were letting mass attendees move right through the line. Standing inside the Pantheon about to attend mass was an absolutely surreal feeling.
The mass began and I was struck by how beautiful everything was: the location, the music, the prayers, and even the crowd. Mass went on as normal (although it was a bit more difficult to follow than I had anticipated!) and as soon as the last communion was given out, everyone’s heads immediately turned upwards toward the dome.
Slowly, hundreds of tiny rose petals fluttered down to the floor of the Pantheon. As the procession made their way out of the church, the center of the Pantheon was opened and the crowd filtered in. After the crowd filled the entire Pantheon, hundreds and hundreds of rose petals fell quite quickly raining on the entire crowd. I was in awe as I looked around me and saw everyone laughing and picking up rose petals. Many people were posing for photo opportunities and others were gathering rose petals to bring home with them. I made sure to grab a few myself to press in my Rome scrapbook.
The wonderful thing about this mass is that it’s not heavily advertised, so it’s not filled with tourists. The Pantheon wasn’t crowded or uncomfortable; it was absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad that I got to experience such a wonderful and special tradition during my six weeks in Rome.
Jessica, thank you so much! Please check out Jessica's home blog, From Philly to Roma, for more updates on her adventures as a student in the Eternal City, and you can follow her on Twitter, too: @jesslaw.
And for more fantastic photos of Pentecost at the Pantheon, check out EternallyCool.net. I think I spotted Jessica in one of Susan's photos. Clearly they need to meet! Read more...
Oh, I love a good wedding! As a little girl I watched the weddings of Diana and Charles and Andrew and Fergie. But now as a married woman, watching the wedding uniting Prince William and HRH Catherine, I was particularly moved. What a way to begin a married life together -- under the gaze of billions of people and with all the pomp and circumstance that the British muster so well. Personally, I thought it was beautiful!
If I wasn't so pregnant, I would have gone to London just to be in the crowd and to enjoy the festivities of the day. My lucky cousin, Elizabeth, is there, and I'm anxious to hear how her experience has been! But with the miracle of modern technology -- and, thankfully, a DVR -- I watched the wedding and enjoyed every moment.
I have a special fondness for Westminster Abbey, and I'm not sure it has ever looked prettier. The trees -- English Field Maples -- running down the aisle were absolutely brilliant! And for those of you who have never been to Westminster Abbey, they give you a sense of scale. After all, the trees are 20 feet tall, and they don't even come close to touching the chandeliers in the Abbey.
Getty Images
I must say, I was a bit disappointed in the commentary on ABC. At several points Barbara Walters mentioned the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles and gave the impression that their wedding also took place at Westminster Abbey. It did not. They were wedded at St. Paul's Cathedral across town.
Also disappointing was the fact that ABC did not bother to announce or caption the musical selections during the worship service. The music was particularly beautiful, too. After all, if you get a choir and an orchestra and several corps of trumpeters, your musical selections can be quite stellar! Plus, the music included two pieces commissioned particularly for the wedding: "This is the Day" by English composer, John Rutter, and "Ubi Caritas" by Paul Mealor, a Welsh composer.
For me, the greatest musical moment was HRH Catherine's entrance into the church -- Charles Parry's setting of Psalm 122, a piece I have loved for many years.
Oh, and I really love the song "Jerusalem"which you might recognize from the movie "Chariots of Fire" -- indeed, the movie gets its name from the song's line, "Bring me my chariot of fire!"
The words are taken from a poem written by William Blake and set to music in the early part of the 20th century by Sir Hubert Parry. Contrary to what the LA Times blogger, Marcia Adair, wrote this morning, it is not "most often sung at cricket matches." In England it is akin to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" -- a secondary national song (second only to "God Save the Queen"). It is sung in schools and churches across the country, especially on St. George's Day, the day celebrating the patron saint of England.
Catherine's dress was beautiful. The princes looked dashing. And thousands and thousands of words have been written (and even more blathered on TV) about the hats and the guests and the jewels and the tiara and the coaches and the cars... but I must say, in it all, this is my favorite moment of the entire wedding... and it took place long after the royals had all gone off to smooch at Buckingham Palace:
What joy!
Photo courtesy of Oprah.com
While we may not have been invited to the wedding or the parties afterward, there's nothing keeping you from having a bit of the groom's cake. Oprah has published the recipe -- evidently one of Prince William's favorites, according to his former chef, Darren McGrady.
