Day 5 – Assisi to Roma

We ended another beautiful day in Italy by arriving at our modern and amazing hotel. Spacious rooms, large showers and real towels have everyone excited. We arrived late due to awful traffic in Rome and had supper at 8.30. Also arriving was a group from Morden (on a different tour than us, and just getting in from their overnight flight), which led to surprised reunions as we ran into some familiar faces.

Our drive time of about 6 hours was split by a half-day spent in Assisi, the place that St. Francis lived and preached. It’s a beautiful medieval village on the side of a large hill, which meant the great views and landmarks came at the price of some punishing climbs. Some intrepid students attempted to climb the Rocca, or hilltop, by following a “shortcut” that resulted in 2 aborted assaults on the summit. The few who didn’t give up and made it to the top were rewarded with beautiful views and 3.50 Euro charge to enter the buildings. Derek, Jordan, and Craig get the gold star for enthusiasm for trying not only to conquer the hill but also scale the walls. Honorable mentions to Brooklyn and Jessica for “faking” the climb to the top with good use of trick photography.

Back on the bus…the kegel exercises paid off . After promising Brittany a bathroom stop in the next 10 minutes, the bus driver got stuck in a 45 minute traffic jam. If there were shoulders on the highway, and trees with leaves bigger than a loonie she might have been able to solve her problem, instead she had to try out for the sprint team when we stopped at the Autogrill (look it up).

On our way into Rome Riccardo announced that we are officially half-way through our trip, a statement met with groans, and some planning on how to meet a rich local Italian in the next few days that might be willing to marry them.

A bonus today was the privilege of taking part in a mass at Santa Maria d’Angelo. The acoustics were fabulous and our kids were respectful as we listened to the singing and chanting. A great moment to just sit and soak it in.

If you’re looking for more emails, internet has been expensive so people have been saving their money (for shopping). Overall we’re surprised at how affordable food is at most places and it seems that budgets are staying intact. And Andrea was able to get cash from an ATM.

Three overnights at this hotel in Rome, and tomorrow we tour the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basilica. There is another dome to climb but we think we are over it!