ROMAN HOLIDAY

Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

luke 10:23-24

With apologies to Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck for borrowing their 1953 movie title for my headline, and in the interest of full disclosure, this week’s post is more of a travelogue than a spiritual reflection. The opening scripture verse above is about as reverent as this gets.

My wife and I are back home after spending nearly two weeks on a cruise in the Mediterranean that took us to Italy, France, and Spain.

We left on December 26, and returned on Sunday, January 7 – basically, the twelve days of Christmas. It was a long time to be away and, though we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, we are exhausted and oh, so glad to be back home.

This was a voyage that was three years in the making. Our original plan was to go when I retired in 2020. Obviously, COVID, and a couple of interim ministry commitments altered our timeline. Since neither one of us had ever done a cruise before, it has taken a while to cross this off our “bucket list.”

Before going too much further, a couple of general observations.

The downside of a trip of this nature is that there’s too much to see in too little time. But the myriad of positives far outweighed that one negative.

And even though the emphasis is on visiting and seeing the cultural tourist attractions, on the cruise ship there is also entertainment, socializing, and a constant stream of food and beverage to occupy and fill one’s time (and stomach). The prophet Isaiah’s description of the mountain of the Lord kept rolling around in my mind: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.” [Isaiah 25:6]

My main interest was seeing the historic religious sites in the seven cities that we visited – Rome, Pisa, Florence, Marseilles, Montpellier, Barcelona, and Madrid. Given my interest in photography, my camera was my constant companion.

By my standards, I failed in my quest to capture the perfect picture. However, I was more than satisfied with the majority of my images, although I was challenged by exposure issues (I’m far from what you would call a skilled professional) and uncooperative weather (overcast and rainy). I actually took some of my better photos with my cell phone, difficult as that is to admit. A bit further down you will find a gallery of some of my shots.

The guides on our excursions were informative and entertaining – thoroughly knowledgeable about the locations we visited. For the most part, their narratives were a surprisingly pleasant blend of historical, political, cultural, social, and religious perspectives that were not distorted by any evident propaganda or personal bias. And they owned up to those few occasions on which their ardent opinions were obvious. Of course, for many of them, this is their livelihood, not just a sideline job.

I never cease to be amazed at how much older European structures are than any here in the United States, and how well they have withstood the test of time. More wars have been fought on European soil than on our continent, yet the buildings, for the most part, seem unaffected, as evidenced by how well they have been maintained – especially the churches.

When one visits any European country, the imposing presence of the church is glaring. Though not as many people flock to religious services as in years past, there are churches everywhere.

The religious influence is overwhelming, in architecture, art, and society. And all the cities we visited were gorgeously decorated during the Christmas season. One can spot a creche, or Nativity scene, almost anywhere one looks.

Linda and I also took advantage and attended a couple masses on Holy Family Sunday in Florence (December 31), and Epiphany (January 6) in Madrid.

And it was also in Madrid where the highlight of this journey came for me.

I got to witness the “Cavalcade of the Kings,” a parade held on the Eve of Epiphany, when the three Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus. Parents and children lined the streets to watch a spectacle that rivals the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

It evoked nostalgic memories from my childhood in Puerto Rico. And all I had to do was step out of my hotel, as the procession marched right outside the door.

Even though I am now back home and back to reality, I will treasure the joys of this time away and the memories of this experience for the rest of my life.

I leave you with a slide show of just a tiny portion of my thousand-plus photos. Believe me, I could have subjected you to far worse torture. I am certain that I will be referring to this trip in future posts and regaling you with more of my delusions of creativity. Thank you for indulging me.