John 3:16 – Be thankful, grateful, patient, charitable, kind, and smile, as it is infectious. God Bless America; protect our president and the military!
We had a long flight, a two-week vacation to Alaska, though three flights, it only covered the 3, 278 miles to Fairbanks, Alaska, so it comes in second as trips go.
The winner was our overnight flight from Philly to Rome on September 27, 2105. We were delayed about an hour and a half as then Vice President Joe Biden wanted to say one last goodbye to Pope Francis, who was heading back to Rome to celebrate his feast day Mass at the Vatican. The Mass was the closing Mass for the World Meeting of Families. Our plane departed shortly after His Excellency, around 8:45pm. We all felt safe and comforted flying, and in the air at the same time as the Pope.
Coincidentally, our friend whose husband we were traveling with had just left a job as a director with AAA. He reached out to his Rome contact before leaving, and he was nice enough not only to procure 4 tickets to that papal mass but also to drive us around Rome to see some things they don’t take you to on the tour, then drop us off to be screened through security for the mass.
The funny thing is, we got there early and got seats in a row just behind the cordoned-off section for the cardinals, bishops, dignitaries, and the like. Rather than take the four seats right next to the center aisle railing, we opted for the quick-getaway end seats. Bad move on our part, since we could have gotten much better pictures if we’d taken the other seats. I was closer to the end of the row, and though I am almost 6’3, Joe played basketball for the University of Scranton in the ’70s and comes in around 6’5″. I got many great shots of the back of his head, though I did get a few keepers.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we were greatly honored to get the tickets. If you get the chance, the Vatican is an amazing place, and Vatican City is its own country within a country. The tour we planned through Roma Travel right here in Broomall and Laura and her staff did an amazing job. They even exchanged our Euro’s at the current price once we returned.
Our trip lasted about two weeks, touring from Venice to the Amalfi Coast, including Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, Assisi, Pompeii, Sorrento, and Positano, then flying back to Rome from Naples to head home. I would recommend this trip to anyone; the history is amazing, as are the people, culture, art, and experiences, and hopefully, if you go, you get an itinerary like ours and an amazing guide like Massimo, who did an amazing job.
What’s your story from your longest adventure?
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