First, my I say that I dislike airports?
Last night I met friends for a session of the Society for the Preservation of Chinese Restaurants In Rome. It had been a while since we had convoked the SPCRR. We inducted a new member.
On the way back to my digs I saw this.
Not too shabby.
On the other hand, S M in Traspontina had this.
I get the scaffolding for restoration, but a Nutella ad? Really?
This morning from the cab window just a glimpse of the church in which I was ordained a deacon.
Don’t expect good food photos today, folks.
More later.
UPDATE
First leg.
More…
UPDATE
Reading while waiting:
sa
…
Okay… we have a toddler. Lord, have mercy.
At least this. Promising.
UPDATE
I’m really glad this is a short last leg.
The guy next to me needs two seats minimum.
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Welcome back Father Z, we really need you. Yesterday was the prperfect Fall day in Rome. We made it back to The USA, land of the preservation of the Vetus Ordus for the evangelization of Catholics.
Prayers for safe, uneventful travels, Father. And thank you for all the posts and photos from your trip. Just beautiful!
Father –
When you travel overseas, Lufthansa is the only way to go. They are very organized, clean and hospitable. Boarding and disembarking was efficient, nearly pleasant and quick. They also seem to think the passengers are starving and in need of a good, stiff drink. The food is very good (we had roast chicken and vegs, fresh salad, a very tasty dinner roll, brie, crackers and some kind of yummy German dessert. An hour later (and every hour or so after) they decided we needed a snack, so we got more crackers, fruit and cheese. And all the while, we were offered wine, beer, assorted liquor, soft drinks, juice, coffee or tea, all free of charge. And did I say the seating was quite comfortable and roomy in comparison to other airlines (which isn’t saying much, I admit, but at least we weren’t packed like sardines)? The flight attendants were polite, pleasant and professional. And the cabin was spotless.
Thanks for sharing your pilgrimage!
I love St. Peter’s at night! Prayers for a safe journey!
Have a safe and uneventful flight, Father!
Be sure to give us a review of the book on Dante. I’m a big fan of Dante, and he had no small part in my conversion.
Thanks for the photo of the Alps. I advise folks flying to Rome from the USA, going over, to sit on the port side by the window (left when facing the front), and the starboard side (right) when coming back so that they can see the Alps. Mont Blanc is particularly stunning.
I agree with Chiara that Lufthansa is a good airline, but avoid the Frankfurt airport! Last Feb I asked in German the woman at the desk (the misnamed “podium”) where the men’s room was, and I got this snippy answer in slang German, “Muß mal kucken!” “You have to look”. Hardly a helpful reply. I’m sorry to say that often my experience with bureaucrats, both stateside and in Europe (and Lufthansa is owned by The State), is that the customer isn’t king. Sometimes also in the private sector in Europe, the clerk’s attitude is “You’re here to give me job”. Sorry, but the customer IS king.
I usually fly USAir, which has the best connection to Rome from my neck of the woods. Perhaps because I board in Dixie, I’ve never received anything but friendly clerks and stewards with that airline.
Have a safe trip, Father.
The author of the book you are reading turned 100 in June:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Reynolds
There is a fancy restaurant here which has a Nutrella and something else dessert advertised on a board.
I cannot imagine, as to me Nutrella is something school boys hide in lockers in boarding schools to eat when no one is looking.
Horrid stuff, imo.
The Alps look fantastic. Hope your trip was all you wanted it to be, Father,
Have a safe trip home Father.
Thank you for sharing your visit with us.
Prayers for your safe, smooth and quiet travels, Fr. Z. Thank you for taking us along on your trip.
There is actually some decent Chinese food in Rome — really more Italio-Chinese. I find Italian Chinese much less sweet than the American kind. There’s a very good place off the Via Merulana.
Ah, Nutella. Love it on graham crackers. Little kids like to dip animal crackers in it.
How was the movie?
SaintJude6,
Nutella is great on cookies and graham crackers. Also: Graham Crackers sandwiched with chocolate icing, then chilled in the fridge for a few hours.
Fr Z, I laughed at the toddler remark! You should thank God you are not the mother of said toddler! I have done short haul flights with children at various ages and levels of hyperactivity, it is one way to do your penance!
Barbara Reynolds is still alive??!?!?
I read her (well, primarily Dorothy Sayers’) translation of the Comedy. Great footnotes!
The talk about Nutella inspired me, so I bought some–or ALDI’s version of it.
Also some Graham Crackers.
I checked not long ago to see if Barbara Reynolds was still editor of VII: An Anglo-American Literary Review – she is – but it did not occur to me to wonder how old she was… Wow! And she seems to have written the book Fr. Z is reading when she was 92!
“Lufthansa is owned by the state”? Having started privatisation in 1994, Deutsche Lufthansa AG is, and has been, wholly owned by private shareholders since 1997. As we hear so many oddities from, and about, Germany these days, I felt correction of this error is appropriate.