Alas!  Our first long weekend and our first international trip since being here in Europe!  Yes, Italy was celebrating the 150th anniversary of its reunification, thus a national holiday and no class on Thursday, March 17th.  Since we don't normally have class on Fridays, it meant a four-day weekend, and many of us decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go see some more of this vast world of ours.  Originally we hoped to go to Ireland, since it was indeed the Feast of St. Patrick, but plane tickets were sky-high.  So someone suggested Switzerland and many of us joined on.  We weren't exactly why we chose this country.  It's not a "common destination" for many Bernardi students (there weren't a whole lot of guidebooks in the Bernardi library from this place) nor is it a place of many religious sites (it is a largely protestant country, from which John Calvin and other reformers hail).  However somehow we were drawn to Svizzera and the trip proved an incredible time of rest and relaxation, experience of history and natural beauty, deepened friendships, and appreciation for a culture that is not our own.

We flew Easy Jet, an inexpensive European airline, to Geneva, where we began our adventure.  To our great surprise, the Swiss are timely, orderly, and courteous.  There actually seem to be rules of the road that the Swiss follow!  People actually greet you on the street with "Bonjour!" and you have to pick up after your pets in the park!  These things simply do not happen in Rome, where everyone is in a hurry and everything, from the communion line at Mass to driving down Via del Corso lacks serious organization.  We also found, just moments into Geneva, that playgrounds are abundant, and they have legit equipment too!  (Playgrounds really don't exist in Rome and back in America there are no longer many swings or teeter totters or cool toys like these because of lawsuits and regulations)  We took advantage of these opportunities for fun and recreation, sometimes having to watch the locals to see how the equipment must actually be operated!  It was a good time to bond with some Swiss children, that's for sure! 

I must also pause to explain that Switzerland is quite a melting pot of sorts.  There are three regions, that each speak a different language (German, Italian, French) and I think the food and customs of the region largely mirror that language.  Thus finding "authentic Swiss cuisine" was hard to come by.  We were indeed in the French quarter and got to speak it a bit and sample the crepes and croissants, and boy were they tasty!  I am such a fan of fresh bread now...Italian bread is quite dry but the French know how to make it right!

I was able to do some research prior to the trip and found an English-speaking parish in Geneva, where we got to go to daily Mass, and which sponsored a Mass at the Basilica of Notre Dame on Sunday evening.  It was really an international parish, with people from many countries and backgrounds.  We met a very sweet woman from Ireland (on St. Paddy's Day!) named Clare who had moved to Geneva to work for the United Nations.  We got some lunch at a cute little cafe and then sampled our first taste of genuine Swiss chocolate.  In fact, we even met the chocolatier - Eric himself - who blessed us with a free chocolate bar!  After exploring the harbor and climbing on a huge tree stump, we decided to catch the train to Montreux, where we would be staying for the next few days.  The Swiss train system is incredibly efficient and we met a few more wonderful people during our ride. 

I must say that I am starting to feel very inadequate in my language skills.  In Europe everyone is at least bilingual since you really have to be in order to go anywhere else.  In America, we may study Spanish in school, or French or German, but very few are fluent in this second language.  Though I was able to have a brief conversation with a nice Italian lady on the plane, in Italian, it was also a blessing that some of the Swiss spoke a bit of English.  Finding our hostel that evening proved a bit providential too, because we had a German major (Katie) with us and she was able to find a German-speaker to give us directions! 

Our hostel was just perfect and was located scenically right on Lake Geneva (Lac Lemon).  Hostels are a really unique European invention, where young adults can stay for a cheap price, while traveling.  They often involve large dormitory-style rooms, and have common areas and rec rooms for youth to gather in.  The eight ladies all roomed together and the guys roomed together, with several other guests filling the spaces in their room.  Apart from a rather loud volleyball team next door to us, it was a pleasant experience.  The bathrooms and showers were clean, breakfast was delicious (the butter was just phenomenal AND they had granola!) and the staff were very kind and helpful.  We finished day one (St. Pat's Day, remember?) by eating crepes in an Irish pub in town!

Day two meant exploring Chateau de Chillon, one of the most beautiful medieval castles in all of Europe, located on the shores of Lake Geneva, just a stone's throw from our hostel.  I absolutely loved this walk through history and enjoyed learning about life in the Middle Ages by seeing all the rooms and furniture in this place (ie: grand hall, duke's chamber, latrine, chapel, etc.)  Perhaps my favorite part of the castle was a tower with three windows where one could gaze out and see the lake and the Alps - a breathtaking view.  I also enjoyed a dark corridor where a projector cast shadow images of knights and princesses walking past and posing!  Too funny!  I learned a lot about castle life, such as how the flat walls prevented intruders from climbing up and how the slits and holes in the walls were for various kinds of weaponry.  Afterward we enjoyed a beautiful picnic lunch outside, with the birds hoping to get in on the action! 

After some R & R that afternoon (napping/reading/praying by the lake) we ventured up the mountain, via a steep tram car, in order to catch a view of a good sunset.  It was so much fun to hike around and see the traditional Swiss cottages and to experience the beauty of the natural world.  Seeing Edelweiss on the side of one of the homes made us all burst into songs from "The Sound of Music"!  It was a joyous occasion! 

It was raining cats and dogs our final day in Montreux, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits.  A group decided to climb higher on the mountain we had been on the previous day and Audrey and I rented bikes to bike around Lake Geneva.  It was actually a bit of a small miracle that we were able to go biking after all, since the information booth in town that we had been directed to told us they only rent in the summer.  Fortunately, we were able to find the hostel staff, even though the desk was not open, and they graciously rented us their bikes for the afternoon!  They were nice bicycles and had little bells, which I took much advantage of in dinging and getting people to move out of my way!  :-) 

This bike trip turned out to be a phenomenal afternoon.  Some moments were certainly less than ideal.  I was soaked to the gill, my glasses were covered with water drops, my hands were bitter cold, I was tired, and hungry.  There were many times when I wanted to give up, when my only consolation was the thought of a hot shower and dry clothes.  But then these dreams would be shattered when I realized that I only brought one pair of pants (we had to travel lightly with only a carry-on) and I may have to wear wet jeans for the next three days.  Somehow, though, a little patch of blue began to form in the sky, that gradually got bigger.  Eventually the rain stopped, the sun even came out a bit, and the wind dried my pants!  But before this happened, we had quite a fantastic discovery. 

We were biking along through a cute little town right on the lake, called Saint Gringon, when we came across a sign by the side of the road that said "FRANCE" in big letters and listed some new speed limits.  I immediately turned to Audrey and gestured to the sign.  Are we really in France?  Is this possible?  We began to look around and saw customs bureaus by the side of the road, noticed new license plates on the vehicles, and even observed that the menu prices were no longer listed in Swiss francs but were back in Euros.  Later, when we looked on a map, we confirmed our suspicion that yes, indeed WE BIKED TO FRANCE!!  We would have gone further, but by then the path was gone and there was no shoulder on the busy highway either, so for safety's sake, we turned around.  What an amazing feeling of accomplishment!  And there were no border patrol there either! 

That evening we were seeking a fairly reasonably priced venue for dinner (Montreux is touristy and prices are very high) and we stumbled upon the Jazz Cafe, located on a quiet side street.  Though there was no menu outside for us to compare prices, a man sitting outdoors, who turned out to be an employee, invited us in to take a look and said, "You can leave if you want!"  We were given a cute half booth, with a stool on the other side, which we later found to be for the waiter to sit down and have a conversation!  To our delight found a plethora of options on the menu that suited our fancy and our budget.  When the owner heard that we were Americans he came right over.  He was from Boston himself and moved to Switzerland to work for Nestle.  While here he decided to open his own business and met a Chinese woman who was here for hotel management school (the world's best is in Montreux) whom he later married.  Keith and Sherry, the original man who invited us in who is from Belgium, proved to be great hosts and we had a great conversation with them both, while waiting for the food to cook. 

This cafe had character.  Montreux is known for its Jazz festival every July, so the decor reflected this fabulous genre of music and the menu had some "jazzed up" sandwiches and burgers.  I in fact ordered the "Jazz Burger" which had a fried egg on top - what a unique idea!  Later we were introduced to Tash, a friend of theirs from Russia, who told us some great tales about the cold winters in Moscow, when she had to wear three fur coats!  We ended up staying and chatting for so long that Sherry ended up buying us drinks on the house, so we got to taste the Montreux white wine and Belgian beer (of course he was biased to this).  It was such an incredible evening, and while walking home we were greeted by the most bright full moon I have ever seen, glistening off of Lake Geneva (it was the spring equinox after all!).  What a day! 

Needless to say, we really did not want to leave Montreux, but when Sunday rolled around we knew we had to pack up and say goodbye.  The train took us to Lausanne, which boasts several Gothic cathedrals, some fabulous parks, the lakeside port of Ouchy (no joke!), and the International Olympic Museum (and is the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee).  This last stop was pretty cool - though we didn't enter the museum itself the outside gardens were phenomenal and we enjoyed picking up the world record javelin and trying to reach up and touch the record-winning high jump bar.  Yes, I think it says a lot about Switzerland and its uniqueness as a neutral nation, that is houses this Olympic committee, has a chapter of the UN, and even developed the Red Cross. 

Finally we headed back to Geneva where we got to get our energy out at the park again and visited the phenomenal Basilica of Notre Dame.  It was good to see a Gothic Church, since Rome doesn't have very many!  It was neat to see French saints in the stained glass windows, including St. Francis de Sales, who used to be the bishop of this region!  Since our flight would be very early the next day, we had not booked a hostel.  Thus we spent the night camped out in the Geneva airport - what an experience!  We found a little cove of semi-comfortable chairs that was naturally fenced off and claimed our territory.  Surprisingly, many people had the same idea, and could be found sleeping in all odd corners of this place.  After some homework, back rubs, and a couple rounds of telephone pictionary, we decided to try to catch a few winks.  Most of us had nodded off when around 3 am we were awaken by the loudest snoring any of us had ever heard!  I had no idea such a noise could come from a human being!  And I really don't know how he didn't wake himself up in the process!  We were up, so we decided to explore the airport and play some Egyptian Rat Race in order to pass the time until our flight at 6:30.  We made it back to Rome with a couple of hours to spare before class on Monday!  What a memorable trip!

What a beautiful Saturday in Rome!   Mass at one of the station churches this morning, breakfast, a nap, studying, visiting the outdoor market, lunch with a friend (by far the best spaghetti carbonara I have EVER tasted), and skyping another friend.  God is so good!  It is sure nice to spend time at Bernardi and get caught up on many little tasks.  Such as blogging about my travels...

From March 11th-13th I traveled to Assisi with my dear friends Audrey and Naomi.  This was our first trip on our own, since our previous travels had been planned by others, and as such was quite an adventure and a great chance to "get our feet wet."  It turned out to be such a providential weekend.  So many things worked out beautifully and God poured out many blessings.

Getting there involved walking to the Termini Station (where the metro, buses, and trains all depart from in Rome), buying train tickets, validating these tickets at the little yellow box outside the train, and then hopping on.  No problems, except for finding ourselves in the 1st class train car when we had paid for a 2nd class ticket.  Oh well - we got to experience walking across several cars in a moving train, which proved to be quite the experience!  Train is definitely my preferred mode of transportation right now.  As Audrey reminded me, it is so ancient!  People have been doing this for many years.  It is so easy!  You just hop on and you don't have to worry about a thing except when to get off.  It is a great way to see the countryside and you don't have to stop for traffic.  I wish the U.S. had an established train system across the nation like here in Europe! 
 
We then figured out how to catch a bus up to the top of the hill (the train station is in the new part of Assisi but we would be staying in the old city at the top of the hill).  Immediately we fell in love with this quaint medieval town.  No wonder everyone raves about Assisi and name it their favorite place in Italy!  The streets are cobblestone and narrow with houses very close together.  It is built on a hill and there are staircases every which way and little nooks and crannies.  There were children running through the streets playing and parks and schools and it was quiet and the people were friendly.  From the very start we could sense the loveliness of this place and knew we were in for a treat. 

Our first evening entailed finding the Benedictine Monastery where we were going to stay, which wasn't difficult at all (Assisi is not very big).  We actually arrived at about 5:28 just to find that the sisters would be praying Vespers at 5:30!  It was quite beautiful to hear these nuns chant their prayers in Italian and we were given booklets to sing along!  We got settled in our room, a nice big space for the three of us, off of a gorgeous garden with a breathtaking view of the new city below.  The sisters were so gracious and friendly.  It was a very good opportunity for us to practice Italian (but they spoke a little English too!).  We then got dinner and stumbled upon a group from Franciscan University of Steubenville singing praise and worship music on the steps of a church in the town.  It was great to talk to them and I even got to see an acquaintance from Totus Tuus over the summer!  Small world!   We slept very well that night. 

The sisters provided breakfast each day.  Colazione for Italians is fairly simple - fruit, bread with jam or cheese, yogurt, and coffee.  One of the sisters asked each of us our name and when she came to Audrey, a name she had never heard before, she asked "Sei cinese?" ("Are you Chinese?") which I thought was quite hilarious!  Our first destination of the day was Santa Maria degli Angeli (St. Mary of the Angels) which was in the new city and involved a bus ride down the hill.  Even the name of this great church just takes your breath away!  It was a stunning baroque basilica which was unique because it was a church within a church!  Yes, within this magnificent structure was the small original chapel that St. Francis was given and used for his newly formed religious order.  He would receive new friars here and this is where Clare received her habit.  The cell where Francis spent his last moments and died was also in this church and praying by it was such a blessing.  Confession and Mass were highlights of this church as well. 

After eating some pizza in a piazza back up in the old city, we decided to make the trek up Mount Subasio to the Hermitage where St. Francis and his early companions came to meditate in the woods.  The hike was over an hour and quite trying at times, but we prayed rosaries to pass the time and made it!  The view was unbelievable and the peace of this natural place was insurmountable.  This brings me to explain the title of this entry: Pace and bene (peace and goodness) was a common saying of St. Francis.  Born to a noble family in the 1100s, Francis was a confident young man, the life of the party, who loved to sing and recite poetry.  Living during the High Middle Ages, a time of chivalry and adventure, he aspired to become a knight someday.  However later Francis renounced material possessions for a life of embracing the Gospel call to poverty and simplicity.  His path was that of the cross, something proven by his reception of the stigmata later in his life.  To pray in the cave where Francis used to come was a true blessing and the fresh air was so good for my lungs. 

After trekking back down the hill, we visited the Cathedral of San Rufino (patron saint of Assisi) where Sts. Francis and Clare were baptized.  Though hungry and seeking dinner, we decided to go see the Basilica of St. Francis lit up at night, since no restaurants were open yet (Italians don't dine until 7 or 8 pm).  This was a phenomenal decision and the lit church simply took our breath away.  After a delicious dinner in "La Boca del San Francesco" ("The Mouth of St. Francis") and a tasting of some of Umbria's (the region of Italy that Assisi is in) finest sweet treats, we turned in for the night. 

Our final day, Sunday, brought us to Convento di San Damiano to meet up with Fr. Carola and a group of Bernardians he had taken up for a day trip (this was a pleasant surprise for us after we had already planned the trip to hear that they were coming for a day!).  The rain didn't dampen our spirits as we spent the afternoon exploring the Basilicas of St. Clare and St. Francis.  We got to pray by the tomb of St. Clare, the beautiful companion of Francis, who founded the Poor Clares cloistered religious community, and see relics of both saints, including their tunics, the shoes that Francis wore to contain his stigmata, and even locks of Clare's beautiful blonde, curly hair!  This was quite magnificent.  The tomb of St. Francis was undergoing construction, unfortunately, but being in this magnificent church dedicated to him and seeing the thousands of frescoes and pieces of art depicting him throughout the church was truly phenomenal and viewing additional relics, such as his chalice and the handwritten original rule of the Franciscan order was incredible.  Seeing the family home of St. Francis at Chiesa Nuova was a final highlight of this fabulous trip. 

What a beautiful weekend...a chance to walk in the footsteps of two very holy saints...to bond as sisters in Christ...to relax and enjoy the serenity of nature and of this lovely town.  God blessed us with so many good things in Assisi and I am grateful for this trip.  Oh!  One more thing!  When we got back to Rome, Fr. Carola took us to a steakhouse for dinner!  It was so good to eat my BBQ ribs, since meat is often lacking in our diet over here!  They were well worth the

Wow!  After five straight weekends of travel (two day trips, three overnight trips, one out of the country) I am finally back in Rome for a few weeks!   Yes, I can honestly say that after just two months, "I am not the same, having seen the sun shine on the other side of the world."  There is so much to see and experience here in Europe, but it is always good to be "home" in Rome.  Trips require much planning and preparation and also reflection and recuperation so it is nice to have some down-time to get caught up.  Plus, there is much of Rome that I have yet to see!  Some of you asked about Lent here in Rome, so I thought I would devote a blog entry to this topic!  Then I hope I can update you on Assisi and Switzerland within the next week - both demand lots of time and will include loads of pictures!  :-)

A beautiful Lenten tradition in Rome is to visit the Station Churches.  This was started by men from the NAC, the North American College, who are essentially in major seminary and are studying for various dioceses in the U.S.  (Different countries send men over here to study at the pontifical universities, such as the Angelicum where we go or the Gregorian University where Fr. Carola teaches and their places of residence are called "colleges" so there is an English College for men for Britain, etc.)  Each day of Lent there is a different church assigned to the day and a Mass is celebrated there at 7 am, in English by a priest from the NAC.  Though this is very early and often the church is very far from Bernardi and involves a long trek to get there, it is really phenomenal. 

Every day is like a mini pilgrimage and it is truly an incredible way to visit some of the countless churches in Rome, including those that are not often open for the public to see.  I have only been to a handful of Station Churches thus far but each has been truly unique and beautiful.  My favorite has been the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, where the chains that held St. Peter down during his imprisonment in Rome are displayed for all to see!  I recall the homily given by the priest this day, about our enslavement to sin, and the freedom that comes from obedience to Christ and his Church. 

Also, as much as I have come to love Italian liturgies and enjoy saying the Italian responses (I have a little guidebook to help!) and trying to decipher what is being said in the homily, it is really good to have Mass in English where I understand every word and can thus get a lot out of it.  Finally, the community at the Station Churches is fabulous.  It has been a good way to meet seminarians and students from the other Catholic colleges that are studying here in Rome (such as Christendom College and St. Thomas More College).  Going out for a cornetto and capucinno afterwards is an added bonus!

Another Bernardi Lenten tradition is to have "Lenten Angels" - something similar to "Secret Santas."  We all drew the name of another member of our Bernardi family and are to spend the 40 days of Lent lifting up this person in prayer and when Easter comes, we will buy them a small gift.  It is a beautiful exercise in generosity and is prompting me to think of others more than myself, to offer up rosaries and holy hours for my person, to make sacrifices and suffer for this person, and ultimately to will that this sister in Christ becomes more holy.  Praise God for this opportunity! 

 As we discussed at our community night on Fat Tuesday, Lenten sacrifices are meant to bring us closer to Christ.  We must pray in order to come to know Christ better.  We must fast from that which hinders our relationship with Christ.  We must serve and give to our neighbor and in so doing, serve and give to Christ.  Thus I have personally decided to make this Lent a time to come to know Christ better through scriptures, for as St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ."  I am spending time each day praying with the daily Gospel reading, which has lately come from the Sermon on the Mount.  I am rediscovering the many riches of scripture and coming to love our Lord even more.  Praise God!  May he bless your Lenten journeys!

Yet another weekend of travel...yet another weekend of community-building, site-seeing, and expanding our minds!  Our Friday-Saturday trip to Bologna was with our fabulous art professor Dr. Lev, who studied during college here in this city and thus knows it well.  She was quick to inform us that Bologna is the culinary capital of Italy, and this was no lie, since the cuisine was the best I have tasted so far! 

We hopped on the bus at the bright and early time of 6:30 am and were in for a nearly five hour long bus ride.  There were plenty of tunnels, a typical rest stop on the side of the road featuring a snack bar and a huge array of chocolates, snacks, wines, and pastas - much more selection than the vending machines you get at wayside rests in Minnesota!  We were surprised to drive past snow-capped mountains since we hadn't seen this fluffy white stuff since last month in Minnesota!  And no, I cannot believe a month has gone by already!  Just three left! 

Though there was no snow in Bologna, the weather was rather frigid cold and we were not quite prepared with warm enough clothing.  Thank goodness for tape recorders (so the hands can stay in the gloves and pockets) and ear muffs (hooray for care packages from home)!  On Friday we visited the Church of St. Petronius, the patron of the town; the University of Bologna, the first university ever to be established; the Church of St. Mary of Life; and what is called the "seven churches" complex, which is essentially meant to replicate the sites of the Holy Land (including the Holy Sepulcher, Pontius Pilate's courtyard, etc).  I got to eat authentic Lasagna Bolognese for lunch (delizioso!) and our dinner was a magnificent four course spread.  My tummy was sure happy at the end of that day!

After a delicious breakfast at the hotel on Saturday (Italians know how to make breakfast pastries!) we headed to the museum of sacred art where we got exposed to a plethora of Bolognese oil painters and the genre of Counter-Reform art.  Next was a quick stop at the Oratory of St. Cecilia where beautiful frescoes of the life of this saint (who holds a special place in my heart because I dressed up as her and told her story to the kids all last summer) line the walls.  Finally, we visited the gorgeous Church of St. Dominic, prayed by his tomb (saw his skull), and went to Mass.  Then there was just time to grab a panino (sandwich) and some fresh fruit from one of the many stalls at the market and we hopped on the bus to come back to Roma! 

The rest of the weekend has been quite fun.  We watched the Audrey Hepburn film "Roman Holiday" last night while making signs to decorate doors since two of our Bernardians have birthdays today!  Ironically, their names are both Maria and their rooms are right next to each other!  The movie was fun too because we saw many of the sites we see on a regular basis (Trevi Founatin, Coliseum) and how Rome looked different decades ago.  This morning was Mass and the Noon Angelus with Papa Bene!  So many people crowd the square each Sunday to catch a glimpse of our Holy Father and hear his words of encouragement!  Praise God!  Sunday night community dinner is at 7 and it is bound to be delicious!  God is very good!