A "Pit Stop" in Assisi

Dreaming of Assisi...

On the way to Assisi by train.



Finally there!


Remember I told you earlier that when my daughters and I arrived in Assisi we were a little lost? After the two hour train ride, we found out about a bus that would take us up to St. Clare and St. Francis. It was really too cold and windy that day to walk a few miles, plus my daughter, Mary-Catherine and I were in pain from our car accident injuries.

Well, we missed our stop off the bus after trying to ask some of the passengers where to get off. So we got off at the next stop. Oops, wrong place to get off. We walked for a bit and were freezing and a bit frustrated because we had no idea where we were. We found a little Church that I decided looked interesting enough to take a photo of. I also stopped outside it (it was locked) and said a little prayer.



We came upon a little coffee shop and decided to go in and get out of the cold to figure out where we were going -keep in mind that everyone spoke Italian there - except us!

Here's a photo documenting the much needed respite - cappuccino, cheese puffs (very nutritious!), and warmth before we hit the streets again to hoof it to St. Clare. Note the Italian tour book on the table too. :)



Stay tuned for more photos of Assisi, news about our trip and St. Francis of Assisi coming up!

Speaking of Saints...

I recently returned from Italy as most of you know. I had attended the International Congress for women hosted by the Holy See. I was invited by the Pontifical Council for the Laity to participate in the history-making event. It was an incredible experience - one I will be talking about and writing about for some time. In addition to the honor of attending the International Congress, it was truly amazing to spend time at St. Peter's and visit all of the altars and shrines as well as be able to see Pope Benedict XVI twice!

What I'd like to share with you now though, is my trip to Assisi after I attended the congress. I took two of my daughters with me and we went off on a two hour train ride heading for Assisi. We got a little bit lost when we arrived on that brisk and windy day. We eventually did get our bearings straight and then found our way to St. Clare of Assisi's tomb! I had been really looking forward to visiting and then there we were! We knelt down by her tomb and prayed and took in all of the graces that were awaiting us.


Here's what it really looks like with all of the iron grids and glass protecting Saint Clare's body, but my daughter turned off the flash on her camera and put her camera through the iron bars to get the above photo.





This is with holding the camera through one set of the metal grids with the flash off.