Assisi, the City of Peace
I'm starting to realize that my photo situation is getting quite desperate. Webshots takes forever to load up, so I'm probably just going to post my select favorite pictures here on the blog and just upload everything else to Webshots when I get home in May. I'm doing the best I can! But unfortunately, I'm still very behind. I figured that before I leave for my huge, two week spring break trip, I should at least put up my photo journal of Assisi.Assisi is one of the most incredible places I have ever been. I tried to give you a thorough glimpse into this serene little town, and hope you enjoy the pictures. I love just about every photo I took there! It was hard to narrow it down, so the result is a plentiful amount of pictures. I'll caption them as I go, of course.
We got into Assisi during the early evening, and took a walking tour just to get our bearings and see a little bit of the city. The city is built into a hillside, so everywhere you go, you have to walk up or down really steep streets. It was quite a workout! This was one of my favorite little roads.
More wandering around the city... One thing I appreciated was its cleanliness. It was exactly as I pictured Italy before I came here.
I get a kick out of cute little shops, and this one was near the birthplace of St. Francis.
On Saturday, we had the opportunity to just unwind and reflect for a few hours. I chose to sit in the olive orchard next to the small convent we stayed in. It was so sunny and warm!
It was the most ideal location, honestly. The city was sprawled out behind us, and the land in front of us sloped down into the Umbrian countryside, which faded gently into fog, no matter what time of day.
My view of the sky from where I was sitting! I just journaled and enjoyed the stillness.
This was the view from the road next to our convent. See what I mean about the fog? And this is one of those moments that Dad would call "Divine Intervention." It felt like God was whispering through every breeze in Assisi that afternoon.
After some afternoon prayer and reflection together, Father John set us free to explore Assis. A bunch of us decided to climb up to a fortress on a tall hill, and the view was spectacular! It was well worth the trip.
Behold, one of my favorite pictures EVER. Danny (the only boy among the 10 of us on the retrest, bless him) wandered ahead to look out over the city. The evening sun was just around the corner of the fortress, and we were all just overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment. It was a remarkable day.
Mom, I know you get frustrated with too many sunset pictures, so I didn't post as many as I could have. But just for the record, I saw two of the most incredible sunsets I've ever seen in my life that weekend!! The deep, tangerine color of the sun is indescribable. Just before it set, it was seriously red. Loved it. We sat up there for an hour and a half or so, watching time pass by us.
The next morning, Father John told us to get on our hiking shoes, and we happily obliged. Little did we know that we would be starting out on a two hour journey straight up into the mountains! Yes, we literally climbed a mountain. Imagine walking up the steep incline of a hill for a minute. Now imagine doing it without pausing at that same fixed angle for two hours... All I can say is, after that, nothing I come across will ever seem steep! And I will never take breathing for granted again.
It was worth everything when we got to the top though. We visited a hermitage of St. Francis, and it was so peaceful... I can't even convey the sense of calm serenity that entered my heart. There were doves flying above the hermitage, and golden sunlight, and endless trails venturing off into the mountains... I felt like I was in heaven.
The tau of St. Francis, formed from the rocks brought by countless people who trekked up there in pilgrimage in order to pray.
These are the two doves I befriended. They were just chilling on the rooftop, cooing, when I said, "It's okay! You can come down." And then one of them flew next to me. I didn't even take a picture, because for one thing, I didn't want to startle him, and also, I was enjoying the moment too much. Eventually, I told the other bird to come down too, and he also flew down on the other side of me. They were so friendly and trusting. This was probably my favorite moment from the whole day!
We got down the mountain MUCH faster than we got up! Famished, we headed to one of the main piazza's for lunch, and as we were eating a parade went past! Group after group came dancing (literally) past us, dressed in traditional costumes and bearing banners and flags. They were adorable. We did a little more touring after that, then had to head back home. Leaving was kind of bittersweet...
...but I will find a way to get back there someday. Somehow. And that's a promise!
posted by Sarah @ 12:59 PM
2 Comments:
Just beautiful Sarah.....
So I was showing my dad all the pictures from this post and he said, "we should have Sarah over for dinner some time so she can share all her stories about her trip." I bet that makes you want to run home really fast ;) Keep having a great time. This week we're going on "tour" for band; Hortonville, Wild Rose......yeah not quite the travels you're used to! Love you lots and miss you even more.
~Sara
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