This Group Has Seen Better Days!!

We rose early as the guide demanded. Unfortunately it was to rain. We boarded the bus and headed towards Sienna which is the birthplace of St. Catherine of Sienna. In the Cathedral there lie the relics of the head and right thumb of St. Catherine.



Afterwards we went to the Piazza del Campo, where we were given about an hour and a half of free time. This was kind of ruined as it started to rain. After a brief period of rain, it turned into a downpour and then into an all out storm. The winds came up and blew chairs and tables from restaurants and a cart from a souvenir kiosk into the center of the courtyard. Luckily at the time we had sat under a different cafe and had ordered lunch but quickly ran inside when everything start flying about. Our group gathered just a little earlier than its appointed time and we all trekked back to the bus parking lot. A few of us lingered towards the back to make sure that those that have a harder time getting along made it to the bus unscathed but despite umbrellas we could not make it back dry. One of the sidewalks was pretty much made up of clay so we were many times up to our ankles in water. Once we reached the bus we peeled off our wet outerclothes, took off shoes and collapsed into our seats. From there we drove to Assisi, reaching it all too soon as our clothing was not yet dry. Upon arriving we climbed up the hill (with much grumbling about hills and "why are there so many steps?") and entered into the lower basillica. The area looked familiar and I spotted the hotel where we ate lunch at our last visit. The area is getting ready for the Pope to visit on October 4th so there were a lot of things around the area that aren't normally there. It seems there was quite a bit of updating to the parking situation there since I was last there.


Mass and the visiting of the tomb of St. Francis was quite moving for me as I thought back to our last trip here. I thought about Micah and how much this Basillica meant to him and how moved he was by it. I said a prayer for Micah for direction in his vocational life as this is something that naturally is quite a focus on a senior in college.

Following mass we had a tour guide start us on a tour. We went in to the upper part of the basillica which we did not get to see last time as it was closed that day. The guide could not go in with us to talk as it was a Sunday and was not allowed. She did give us a good description of things to look for when we went in. It is a beautiful place and the frescos are breathtaking. By the end of our time there it had started to rain...again. This cut our tour short and we did not get to see any of the St. Clare or the early history of St. Francis' life so I feel that the group missed a lot. We immediately went to the bus and were taken to our hotel. Our dinner wasn't until 7:45 so Cindy and I changed out of our wet clothes into nice warm, dry ones and worked on a bottle of wine and some crackers until it was time for dinner. It was a buffet dinner that was held with several other groups that are staying in the hotel. Kind of noisy but we had good dinner and after-dinner conversation with other members of our group. We get to sleep in tomorrow -- wake up call not until 7:45 but we will be up before then. Hope and pray that the weather is better for our journey into Rome!