Our trip in Italy almost two years ago was so short but worth-remembering! The night of October 27, my husband and i agreed to sleep early so we would be awake at 3 a.m since we needed to catch the train at 5:30 a.m the following day. Since my day then was incomplete without playing Literati/scrabble, i told him that i would play first until i felt drowsy. He slept at the sofa while waiting for his game-addicted wife.It was 12 midnight when he noticed i was still playing. He took his turn of using the computer to put the gospel in the site while i treated myself to a rest at the sofa. I tried to sleep but i couldn't. Time was running so fast, and we already found ourselves preparing for our much-delayed honeymoon in Rome. At 5 a.m we already broke the placidity of the village as we walked down the road going to the train station.
Normally, when I'm already in the train, i will get a sleep. But on that day, i didn't. Too excited perhaps? Indeed! 9:30 a.m, we were already on board Alitalia via Milan. I was ecstatic to step Milan even if it was only at the airport. I felt i was rich,hahaha!(feeling ra to nako ha?) The more i was ecstatic when we arrived in Rome, the place i NEVER dreamed of visiting but the opportunity came.
Fr. Etienne and Robert welcomed us there since they arrived 10 days earlier. Fr. Etienne's day is incomplete without drinking glasses of beer. Well, Belgians are beer and wine lovers, and they hardly get drunk. As expected, we spent an hour at the cafe in Leonardo Da Vinci Airport.
Tired from the trip, we decided to go to the hotel where father's friend had booked. To our dismay, the location of the hotel would take us 21 bus stops. We couldn't imagine travelling again just for us to reach that hotel. Herman, my dearest husband, decided to look for a hotel which would have an easy access to the spots there. We had to walk from one hotel to the other since it was fully-booked, until we landed to a Pakistani-owned hotel which cost us 50 euro. "Thank you, Lord," i told myself.
We felt relieved as we walked going to our room. Silence came in to me and my husband as the room was like a jail. The window was broken thus there was a natural ventilation. And it was not only that, we would be sharing one toilet to all the occupants of the 8 rooms in the third floor! What a hotel! "Rome has this? i murmured. I didn't voice it out since my husband was already exasperated, and i didn't want to add fuel to the fire. We comforted ourselves by saying we would look for another hotel the next day. Since Father promised us a dinner, we then headed to a restaurant near the Augustinian Convent where Father was staying and where the towers of the St. Peter's Basilica were visible. As we passed at the St Peter's Square, i felt i was in heaven. I could only see the scene on tv, and for that time, i was there. I immediately whispered a prayer for a successful kidney operation of my mom and my niece's health.
Finally, we were sitting in a restaurant as we waited our orders at 9 p.m. We were all quiet as our dish was served. It was so expensive, and that was all we got? But because we were so hungry, we also ate all our complaints! My goodness! It was a day of complaints!
The following day, we walked almost two hours to get for a real good accomodation. It was paid off because the 100 euro per day room was really a place to rest.
Before visiting the known places in Rome, Father treated us at a Chinese Restaurant. It was a half-price cheaper than the Italian Resto we had last night and a mouth-watering meal as well! "This is the real meal!" we chorused.
The rest of the time last Saturday was spent visiting Maria Maggiore where one of the confession rooms had Tagalog and Visayan languages, Colosseo, Fontan de Trevi, the palace of Mosolini, Pietro, etc.
The whole Sunday was spent at the St. Peter's Basilica. Huge crowd from other countries queued to see the Holy Church of the Catholics. But the most memorable experience i had was when the Pope delivered his weekly blessings to the world in one of the windows of the Basilica. Thunderous applause was made. It was a hair-raising experience!
It may be a journey of our patience on the first day but we were able to pass the test!
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