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Well, Orly Airport anyway! The trains up to Paris are not running for some reason, so I'm now on a very overcrowded bus! I'm thinking more and more that the pilgrims who walk have the easy option!
This fountain, in the square very close to my hotel, was pretty much my last view of Rome, except the rather dismal suburbs leading to the airport this morning.
At the moment I'm sitting waiting for the flight to be called. I'm heading towards northern France for yet another take on "pilgrimage" - a visit to the area of some of the bloodiest fighting of the First World War.
When I came to Rome with my parents, I threw coins into the fountain to make sure I returned. After many years, the fountain's promised has been redeemed. I threw some more in this time, although when I come again I'll make sure it's not in heat-wave!
As a city, it's not my favourite - too frenetic and noisy - but there are so many interesting places that it's impossible to do it justice in one short visit.
This building felt as if it had moved seamlessly from its pagan origins to Christianity. It had a very pwerful atmosphere - I'm sure due to the fact that prayer had been offered there for so long.
The obelisk outside is one of many that the Romans stole from the Egyptians. Most of them have been "Christianised" by having crosses put on the top.
This is certainly no easy way to earn a living! It was well over 90F yesterday. I felt particularly sorry for this little fairly - her pitch was very close to a Statue of Liberty who was much in demand from the American touists.
Usually, if you put money in their little pot they just nod or wave, but this one jumped down, did a little dance with me, and bestowed a blessing with her wand.
According to the commentary on the tour bus, this is the place that all true Romans are baptised.
Most churches here seem fairly relaxed about photographs; the trouble is that some people abuse it. There were chapels being used for prayer and services, and there were requests not to photograph there. However, some people were, and I even saw one man snapping people in the confessional boxes!
Unfortunately, the Lateran Palace Museum was closed, so I didn't get to see the Sacred Stairway, which is supposed to be the staircase that Christ climbed when he was taken to Pilate.
I ate my "lunch" up here. I'd spotted it as a nice place from the bus yesterday, and saw a couple of vans that looked as if they sold panini or some other sort of snack. In fact they were ice-cream and drinks wagons, and the only solid food they sold was nuts. So I sat under a tree eating pistacios and a couple of slightly squashed plums that I'd been carrying in my handbag all morning. It felt like a real "pilgrim" meal, washed down with water that had been cold an hour earlier.
This pretty little church near Trajan's Column was due to have a concert later in the evening, and the pianist was there rehearsing. Several of us enjoyed this impromptu prevue.
I gather that this rather ornate building near Trajan's Forum is variously known by both these titles. It commemorates Victor Emmanuel, the first king of the united Italy. Apparently, its building destroyed a considerable amount of ancient and medieval architecture.
There was more than one forum in Rome - this is what is left of the one built by Trajan.
This depicts a famous Roman victory - apparently it was originally brightly coloured.
This church holds a piece of what is described as the "original" Christmas Crib. I haven't been able to work out whether this means the first depiction of Christ's birth in a stable, which was set up by St Francis with real people and animals, the manger in which Jesus was actually lain, or some else.
Whichever it is, it is contained in very elaborate reliquary that I'm afraid reminded me of a very large soup tureen, with the baby Jesus as the handle! I wonder how many years in purgatory I get for that thought!
These are the spectacular ruins of the Imperial Palace. The Circus Maximus in front is the place where many of the early Christians met their end.
Apparently, despite legends, there is no evidence that Christians were martyred here.
Every time I've tried to take pictures from moving vehicles on this trip, I've been struck by how superior the human eye is to even the latest camera equipment. I can look at a scene, focus on it, compensate for vehicle movement, and distinguish it from surrounding objects in a way that neither the camera on this phone, nor the one that's "just" a digital camera are capable of doing. If what we can make, with all our advanced technology, is so far behind something we can't make (a human eye), it seems pretty close to the proof the rationalists keep asking for, that there's a greater intelligence than theirs!
All through the museum, which was once the Papal palace, there are fabulous ceilings. This one is in a long gallery with maps painted along the walls.
The fashion for the great and good in those days was to have 2 sarcophagi. This is one of Helena's, depicting her son painting crosses on his soldiers, after the vision that told him he should fight under the banner of Chris. After this, of course, Christianity became the official religion of Rome, instead of a persecuted minority sect.
The legend is that as long as there is still some gilding on this statue, Rome will remain, so it has been brought into the museum from its original outdoor location.
This is a picture of one of the explanation displays, as I couldn't photograph the real thing.
The guide who took us round the museum was an art historian who was particularly interested in the Renaissance. He explained that the painting of the Sistine Chapel was the first time that figures had been painted nude, and that it looked back to the celebration of the human body in Classical times. Christ's body in the picture of the Last Judgement behind the altar is based on this torso.
Unfortunately, the only place that you are not allowed to take photos is the Sistine Chapel.
Apparently, it's a really good thing to have on your CV in Switzerland.
This little window had a lovely picture of the dove of the Holy Spirit - it's a pity it doesn't show up on here.
I was surprised that visitors were allowed to take photos, as it is unusual in Italian churches. I noticed, as in other places, that it didn't make a difference to the atmosphere. Considering that St Peter's must be the most-visited cathedral in the Christian wold, as well as being the largest, there was a greater feeling of being in a church than in some other places that I have been to. There was no entrance charge for the Basilica, and a chapel set aside for prayer that was being well used for that purpose.
This beautiful statue is protected behind glass. It seemed to increase the poignancy of the subject that it is now just stared at and photographed rather than being a focus for devotion.
I think the owner of the news-stand wondered what on earth I was photographing.
Two wheeled vehicles are the curse of both drivers and pedestrians. They come from nowhere, as this one did just as I took the photo, weave between the cars, and go anywhere they like - including pavements!
This is supposed to be the most elegant street in Rome - the shops and restaurants certainly looked as if they were the most expensive!
After walking my legs off yesterday, I thought a bit of sitting down sightseeing was called for today, especially since it's well in the 30's (that's the 90's in real money!). It's been hot enough to make both the Italian TV news and CNN in the last couple of days.
There are tour buses which take you past all the main sights in a couple of hours, and give a recorded commentary in a choice of languages, so I got on one of these this morning. I'd have fried on the open top deck, so I went downstairs hoping there would be air conditioning, but there wasn't!
When the bus was moving, there was a pleasant breeze through the windows, but much of the time we were sitting in traffic jams. This also meant that the commentary kept getting out of sync, so the whole thing wasn't an unqualified success.
Fortunately, because you can get on and off thd buses to visit the sites (or sights!) you buy a ticket for 24 hours, so I did the trip again in the early evening, when it was cool enough to sit on top. It was interesting that there seemed to be less traffic in what we would think of as rush hour than there was mid-morning, which is usually about the quietest time in British cities.
I'll get my money's worth out of the ticket by using it to get to St Peter's tomorrow morning. I'll then have to work out how to get back, as it will have expired before I've seen everything around the Vatican.
This monastry houses the little chapel in which Francis, newly back from the war with Perugia, heard Jesus speaking to him from the crucifix. He was told to re-build the church, and initially took it literally as St Damiano and others were in a very ramshackle state at the time. Later, he came to understand it more widely, and founded his order of friars to serve the poor and preach God's word.
This houses Claire's tomb, also the crucifix from which Francis received his call from God.
St Francis was canonised two years after his death, and this church was started very quickly. His body was moved from the Porziuncula and his tomb has been at the Basilica ever since.
This church which looks onto the square was once a pagan Roman temple, as the name implies.
This is the square in which Francis caroused with his friends before his conversion - the buildings are slightly later than his time, but apparently it still looks much as it did then. Here, after his conversion, he was publicly disowned by his father.
I didn't get to go in here, as it was closed at lunchtime. It's main connection with St Francis and St Claire is that they were baptised there, and that Claire felt confirmed in her calling to follow Francis and start a women's order when she went to Palm Sunday Mass.
This was the first church that I went to yesterday, mainly because it was near the station. I'm glad I did, because if I'd gone straight to the centre of Assisi I would have been too hot and tired to appreciate it, or may have missed it altogether.
It was built long after St Francis' time because of the many pilgrims visiting the Porziuncula, the tiny chapel where St Francis prayed and where he insisted on being taken when he was dying. This chapel is in the middle of the nave of the church and has the most fantastic atmosphere of prayer. The whole church was suffused with prayer - there was a Mass going on in the choir, and some people were stopping to listen to that, while others walked around the aisles or prayed in the Porziuncula.
I should have been in Assisi 40 minutes ago, but the train is late, although it left Rome on time.
I've spent a lot of time on my travels wondering how this happens. There is a plan that each train starts with,, so why can't they just follow it?!
Well, I and my luggage have both arrived safely in Rome. I haven't had the chance to do anything yet, except have a wander around to see where I am, and get some dinner. I don't know whether there is a speed limit here, but if there is it's either very high or not observed! There are lots of pedestrian crossings, but I'm not sure what the point of them is - perhaps if you get run over on one you can sue the driver!
Having gone to the station in a car, then on the train to Bristol and a bus to the airport. I'm now waiting to check in for the flight to Rome. The last time I flew was 1995 when I went to Israel, and that was on an organised trip - so I'm hoping both I and my luggage finish up on the right plane. If my next post is from Istanbul, you'll know I didn't!!
I spent a very pleasant time here on Friday, and was greatly blessed by attending the lunchtime Eucharist. As well as the service itself, it was an encouragement that they too had a sound system that fought back!
I took this photo from the cloister where I sat and ate my sandwiches. It was lovely and sunny, but rather windy, so this sheltered spot was really pleasant.
When I left the cathedral, I went to the church with the shrine of Julian of Norwich. Julian was an anchoress in the 14th century; she lived in a cell inside the church, and gave spiritual counsel through a window to those who visited her. She believed absolutely in God's great love for everyone.
I came home on Friday night, and spent yesterday catching up with washing, and getting sorted out to go abroad again tomorrow. While in Norfolk, I had a good opportunity to reflect on the places I have been so far, and on the thoughts and ideas I've had as I travelled.
The horses are kept in their stalls during the day, so visitors can meet them; but at closing time they are let out to the fields.
I went to the Shire Horse Centre which has recently been taken over by a more general animal sanctuary, so there were lots of other creatures too.
They said they were campaigning against factory farming, but it seemed more like all farming. Anyway, I had a very nice piece of cake with no fat, eggs or sugar - and I've got the recipe!
