Italia - Day Five

Today was the day of sleeping in and relaxation. We have been running around for 4 days and realized we needed a real vacation of just being relaxed. It was so quiet and peaceful to sleep until 11am after a night of really seeing what God was doing in both of us. Michele and I were up until 2:30am last night just reveling in the mercy and grace of our great God. He has been showing us so much favor and blessing us on our trip. This trip would have been very different without Him as our guide. The people who have crossed our paths and the love we’ve felt is not something we could recreate on our own.

We found the Supermercato this morning around noon after we stumbled out of bed. We found yogurt, Cheerios, milk and ‘juice’ along with Italian pasta for Thorsten and sardines for my dad. It was nice eating in the room – our first real breakfast since we arrived. Commenting on how much we wish we could find Denny’s, we asked God to bless our ‘American’ meal and then showered and walked out for a day out. Although the map said that the Colosseo (Coliseum) was about 3 miles away, it was really only about a 10 minuto walk. Along the way to the Colosseo, we found some great little shops that had inexpensive, good quality clothing and shoes AND were open on Domenico (Sunday) so we decided to stop by on our way back. As we walked down the street, we realized there were no cars on the street. Everything had been blocked off for the Giro d’Italia (bike race) in Roma. As we got closer to the Colosseo, there was a lot of noise and a lot of people. Much to our dismay, most of it had been blocked off for the race and although we found a great spot up the hill to take pictures, it wasn’t the same… so, we will be back tomorrow instead.

Thus the shopping ensued. We found a great place that had bathing suits, underwear and some summer things and fell in love. I found a sexy little black bikini that I felt sexy in (amazing, right?) and some cute striped shorts and a tank along with 4 pairs of comfy undies for 50 euros. Michele found some cute pants, a skirt and a sexy orange bikini that made her feel sexy too. Then we went back to a place that screamed Michele and she found some really great clothes that spiced up the colors of her wardrobe. By then, we realized we were hungry and headed to Cotto again for lunch at 4pm.

Sitting outside under the umbrella in the beautiful courtyard, we ordered a bottle of wine and two fantastic pizzas (Campana and Deliziosa) and enjoyed a quiet afternoon in the cool breeze. The bartender kept making cute faces at us and brought us a little tray of olives, chips and peanuts because he said he felt blessed that we were alive. These little reminders that God is so in love with us and shows us through the people we encounter are irreplaceable. When we were finished, we changed into something a little nicer and headed for the Metro at Termini for a church service in the south only to come out at Subaugusta in torrential downpour. We made it across the street in a lighter rain and then it started raining harder. God must have been telling us that when we are in Rome, we must do as the Romans and we’ll get spiritually led at the Vatican tomorrow. Obviously need to listen to Him. When we got back to Termini, blue skies – can you say that it was ‘el signo de Dio?’

After getting a few more gifts for family and friends, we stopped at the ristorante on the corner and asked the waiter (who had been bugging me to have dinner with him) if he knew where the Warner Village Cinema was. Right around the corner! Warner Village has English movies that are untranslated – YAY! Both Michele and I felt very led to see Angels and Demons while in Rome and it just so happens to be playing in English the day before we go to the Vatican around the corner from where we are staying. ‘El signo de Dio’s are everywhere!

Later:

It’s almost 2am again and it’s still really day five but I feel the need to explain something. This evening was orchestrated by God, there seems to be no other explanation for it. When we decided to go to church today, we went to the torrential downpour 13 stops away from our hotel. We realized it wasn’t meant to be since we really didn’t know where we were going and it was pouring so we went back 13 stops. During the Metro ride, we saw the commercial for the un-translated movies and it reminded me that it was Warner Village. After we arrived at Termini, I told Michele that we should stop by the postcard place to get these artsy postcards and as we were walking toward the corner, I told her we should ask the waiter. She said that maybe we should just go home and check online but since we did stop and ask him, we were a short walk away from the theatre. The timing was perfect as it left us about 2 hours before we had to go to see Angels and Demons. It seemed like just the right thing to do.

Let me tell you – it was an INCREDIBLE movie. It doesn't even 'trash' the Catholic religion but because it brings hope for things to come – a unity of sorts between Catholics and other faiths. It allowed me to see the treachery of this infamous religion but also see the heart and soul of what it was founded on. Throughout the whole movie we kept exclaiming that we had just been at each of the places today or recently and when we walked out, we were in Rome! What a time and place to see a movie like that. Now tomorrow has been reorganized and we’re going to do some serious sightseeing. If we had gone to see the movie tomorrow or when we returned or even before we came, we wouldn’t have been able to see everything that we felt pulled to see. I’m sure this doesn’t make much sense but we both feel that God has placed some serious roots in both of us to feel His love and find His peace through our last day here. We keep thinking of it as the grand finale and it will be the most incredible day.

On the schedule is the Coliseum (Colosseo), Forum (Foro Romano), Campidoglio, Pantheon, Castel Sant Angelo (St. Angelo’s Castle) again, Vatican City tour, Piazza del Popolo, and back through the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain). I’ll be able to pick up my new eyeglasses and see the whole city. It’s all walking distance and will make for an exhausting and wonderful last day – all seen through different eyes after this movie.

What an incredible day – fully brought to us by God.

Ciao!