The SSU travel team arrived in Asissi yesterday evening after some delays that were nerve racking for student Charles Carmody who lost the keys to his rented scooter and would be required to pay 200 Euro if they did not materialize. Fortuantely the keys were found all rolled up in his tent mate’s sleeping bag. Meanwhile, the rest of the group enjoyed their first and last taste of honest Sorrento sunshine while drinking cappucinos, and were appreciating the delay so much that bus driver Chris offered to ‘lose the keys’ for awhile. Nevertheless, we were off down a bumpy road into Italy’s interior and the quiet little town once home to St. Francis called Asissi.
Last night we were treated to night off cooking in the campsite restaurant with a meal of lasagne followed by Guinea fowl and potatoes braised with basil and a panna cotta for dessert, all while watching the Netherlands soundly defeat Italy 3-0 in a Euro cup match on the big screen TV. Most slept soundly after our adventures in Sorrento (our “rest” stop).
Students are presently taking in a lecture by Dr. Margaret Anne Smith on the C.S. Lewis novel Until We Have Faces for their mythology and literature course. Later in the afternoon we will explore the town of Asissi and the haunts formerly of St. Franicis and now of the Franciscan monks who continue in his legacy.
A recuperative spot on the trip, students Faculty and Staff are at last enjoying a long awaited “no program day” in Sorrento, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. Some of the team are using the day to swim the some of the bluest waters the Mediterranean has to offer just below our campsite and catch up on their journal assignments. Others are renting scooters for the day to explore Amalfi. Not having the nerves of steel required to drive on the Amalfi Coast, I plan to take the bus and do lunch with SSU friend Robyn English and SSU Faculty members and perhaps catch a ferry back.
Yesterday was a great program day despite intermittent pouring rain, mud everywhere, and a plague of ants that made us all wonder if we were remembering Sorento incorrectly as “the happy place.” Our guide Bartolo introduced students to the ancient city of Pompeii and the modern culture of the area surrounding Vesuvius on a walking tour of the city’s ruins. Students walked on ancient Roman city streets, saw the largely intact remains of shops, houses, and public baths, and saw plaster casts of the preserved remains found of the victims from Vesuvius’ last blast. After exploring the site, students were taken into Naples to see the treasures of Pompeii being preserved there, such as statuary, mosaics, metalwork and glassware.
Prayer concerns to date include Kara Thiessen who stepped on a sea urchin yesterday and still has 15 or 20 nasty spines thoroughly lodged in her foot. Also Dr. Margaret Anne Smith and Staff member Kendall Kadatz have been experiencing ongoing headaches for the last couple of days and would appreciate some relief. Off to do lunch in Ravello!
The team is packing up as I write and preparing for the scenic drive to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Students have had two intense days of experiencing the Roman and Papal treasures available here in the Eternal city. On the first day students were taken to see the forum, the Collusseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps, then left to explore some on their own or just sit poolside back at camp and enjoy some of our first truly hot sunshine. The next day was mostly spent in Vatican city seeing the museum of ancient Roman, Greek, and Etruscan works and Renaissance paintings such as “the School of Athens” by Raphael and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Following the Museum students explore St. Peter’s Basilica and some climbed up to the top of the dome for an impressive view of the city.
The past couple days have also added to our numbers. Robyn English and Dave Levangie arrived from Canada to meet us in Florence and Dave Warne (fiancee to student Zoe Fitch) joined us on our first day in Rome. Packing with this additional gear will be a challenge because we are already packed to the gunnels and there is not a seat to be had on the bus now. Please pray for a miraculous bending of the laws of physics!
Student’s Staff and Faculty are still pretty weary and our looking for a relaxing time in Sorrento – our official R and R spot. I’ll write another post from there.
The SSU travel group has pushed through a series of heavy travel days, driving from Barcelona along the Costa Brava, passing through the Dali Museum at Figueres, and then (after a miraculously smooth entry into France) staying overnight in the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. The Europe team packed up again the following day and headed west along the Mediterranean towards a quick overnight in Nice and a swim in the Mediterranean along the Cote d’Azure. This was followed by the longest day of driving so far from Nice to Firenze (Florence), Italy. The SSU team travelled the length of the French Riviera, passing by Monaco and its crops of perfume roses, and then continued into Italy through the many tunnels that pass under the mountains of the Liguria region, finally arriving at our destination of Florence in Tuscany.
Students have been enjoying the wealth of art and Western history available in Florence, as well as the cappuccinos and gelati. Yesterday we took the SSU team to the Academia to see Michelangelo’s David and his incomplete statues “the Prisoners” and many have been to the Opera (the Duomo’s museum) and to some of the Medici palaces and haunts. Today, Some students are visiting Brunelleschi’s dome this morning at the Duomo and others are buying jackets handbags and other items at the Florence’s famous leather market. Today we will also visit nearby Siena for yet another perspective on Renaissance Italy.
David Levangie (husband of Dr. Margaret Anne Smith) and long time SSU friend Robyn English are arriving from Canada today to meet up with the SSU Europe team in Florence and continue on our journey through Italy. We are sure looking forward to seeing them, and hope that everything continues to fit onto an already tightly packed bus.
In terms of overall group comfort and morale, we are all in pretty good spirits and had a great time sharing music last evening, jamming into the night on all the instruments we brought along and attracting other curious campers. Although they have been good days, most of us (and the team leadership especially) are feeling a bit weary from the hard days of travel, and are wishing the Italian coffees were a bit bigger to help us stay alert! Speaking of coffee, we are also hoping to resolve some electrical issues that are making it difficult to prepare camping luxuries like toast and coffee every morning without blowing fuses. We will also be glad to say Arrivederci to some very intense humidity that is particularly noticeable going up the hundreds of stairs that lead up to our otherwise fantastic campsite overlooking the whole of Florence right beside Michelangelo’s square.
Tomorrow we leave for Rome and I will update you with another post. Caio!
By