The food court in Abu Dhabi airport!
It's just occurred to me that this was the first time I've been on an A380. Previously, I'd only ever flown on 747's. From the outside the A380 looks positively gargantuan. It really takes an act of faith in the ability of mankind to climb aboard such a monster and expect it to somehow hop you across the world. Apart from the aircraft itself, I'm extremely impressed with the level of service on the flight. The Etihad staff were very kind and courteous, the food passed for edible and the entertainment options were surprisingly good.
The view from my cabin window.
There's been a brief delay with our connecting flight to Rome which has given me the opportunity to deliver this quick update. Skimming over my pilgrim booklet, I've noticed that tomorrow is going to be a very full day. Apparently we're going to try and visit the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum - all before lunch! After that we will take a tour of the Basilica of St. John Lateran and finish with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce. Wow! I'm ashamed to say that my historical knowledge of these iconic sites is severely limited. So I've decided to try and use this next 6 hour flight to get all read up.
The book I've selected for this purpose is the first one I could find on the subject. It's called "A Catholic's Guide to Rome" written by Frank J. Korn. Apparently this guy has visited Rome over 50 times and has extensive historical knowledge of the sights contained therein. I look forward to gleaning some of his insights and claiming them as my own. ;)
Boarding time! See you in Rome.
Peace
Sam
Get to the Vatican museums as early as possible, and do your own tour without a guide. Before the crowds is the best way to see them. St. Peters you need all day for :( which you won't get. Look for the red curtain, that's where the adoration chapel is and the best place for a moment of quiet. At Santa Croce make a beeline for the holy relics and spend as much time as you can letting their reality sink in. The temptation is to spend too much time taking photos and not enough time letting the holy things speak to your heart. Try and find a happy balance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice Cathy, but unfortunately we're always on a directed tour guide. That being said, each of our guides has left us with some allotted time for free roaming (which I've tried my level best to make good use of).
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