Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The travel bug bites again ...

I just done it. Bought my tickets to Rome. Frequent flier miles. On Northwest (well, it's Continental, a NW partner. That way I have only one stop, instead of flying to Detroit then Amsterdam then Rome. And they give me Elite privileges so I can get the seats with the legroom!).

In two weeks! (March 2 - 9)

WOO HOO! Ancora a Roma! Sono lietissimo! Fa due anni che sono stato a Roma ... e non posso aspettare .... ! Vado a Roma .... Vado a Roma! Sì, sì, sì ... Roma bella!

[Ok. I'll stop. For now :-)]

Of course, the crazy thing is that I have to go to the Italian consulate in Miami and give them my passport and some papers to get a tourist visa. A, the joys of an Indian passport. It takes 5 minutes. But I still have to do it. Every time. But I guess the money that's saved in the freq. flier miles will go in the flight to Miami, the hotel room and the rental car. ::sigh:: (Actually, all that is still less than the cost of a flight to Rome). So this will happen mid-week next week.

And I'm not going alone. J from right here is using this as her vacation (her b/f can't go. Shoot.). Coray from Cambridge UK will likely come and join us for a day or so. Paolo from Pisa as well. Definitely will make it to Assisi this time.

[Yipee!]

And. See Pope Benedict. For the Angelus that Sunday. And the General Audience that Wednesday. Yes, with thousands of other people. But still. WOO HOO!

[Then there's the retreat with the students this weekend. The trip to Auburn, AL next weekend for the Chant workshop. Boy. The novitiate is going to be strange next year! Best get this bug worked out 'fore then :-D]

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gashwin,

The travel bug constantly bites you every two weeks and you just keep yourself under this "sickness" by road tripping at least once per month (short and long trips).

The question: Will being a novitiate end the travel bug? Will you have to go to rehab for withdraws? (Grin)

For a globetrotter, you are going to have to adapt to limited adventures when you’re with the Paulist. The option is to find someone willing to pay your future travel expenses (and don't look at me).

Safe journeys to the Holy City (and I don’t mean Charleston) and give a hello to Paolo for me.

BTW…How do you say “Strawberry” in Italian? (Grin)

Sincerely,

Dogwood

Heather said...

Yeah for you getting to travel! Very excited for you. I saw a word in your blog about Rome though I haven't understood all week (I read Angela's Ashes). Angelus. I assume it is sometime in the evening like sundown and perhpas something to do with evening prayer? Please help.
-Confused in Charleville (hehe)

Fr. Gaurav Shroff said...

Hey confused: :-D -- the Angelus has traditionally been prayed morning, noon and evening. The bells of the church are rung, people stop what they're doing and join in the prayers ("The angel of the Lord said unto Mary .... ") and then resume what they're doing.

Every Sunday at noon, the Pope gives a short address before praying the Angelus. It's great, cause St. Peter's square fills with thousands of people for the short service and then empties right out ... :)

Here's a page that has the prayers of the Angelus spelled out.

So, any chance you can come to Rome while we're over there? :)