Well that was a real trip! The pilgrimage took us from San Francisco to Rome via Zurich. From Rome we took the bus to Assisi, Ferrara, Padua, Venice, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague. Here is a day by day account of that fabulous trip.

June 11 Monday - San Francisco to Zurich

Swissair SR109 took off at 10:00 a.m. and we arrived in Zurich the next day at 5:35 p.m. Eva Basuini could not come on this flight, but she caught up with us in Rome on Thursday, June 14, 2001.

June 12, Tuesday - Zurich to Rome

From Zurich we flew a small CrossAir jet from Zurich to Rome where Julie Eddison, the tour manager, was waiting for us. After we got our luggage the bus took us to Hotel Palatino where the friendly kitchen staff stayed until after 9:30 p.m. to make sure we had dinner. Manny and Mary Esteban celebrated their wedding anniversary that evening.

June 13 Wednesday - Rome

Breakfast was what Europeans call American breakfast - coffee, eggs, ham, cheese, bread, fruits, cereals and others. It was a long, hot and tiring day, but worth every bit of it. The first order of the day was the papal audience at St. Peter's square. At around 10:00 a.m. Pope John II came out of the Vatican confines in his Popemobile and circled around the square before heading to the temporary stage located in front of St. Peter's basilica. The Pope then delivered a short commentary on Psalm 28 and after that he blessed the people. Then priests from different countries greeted their own people. The priest who welcomed Americans mentioned the specific names of parishes or dioceses present during the audience, unfortunately he did not include St. Victor or the diocese of San San Jose, California in his greeting.

After the audience Giovanni, the local Italian tour guide, brought us to the cafeteria at the Vatican for lunch. He then took us on a tour of the Vatican museum. There were thousand of people who lined up to enter the Cafeteria and in the rush Pilar Llorin got lost. However, she had the presence of mind to seek the help of a nun and a priest who took her to the hotel in a taxi. That was a relief for her husband Joe and the rest of the group to find Pilar in the hotel when we came back from the tour of the city of Rome.

Our next visit was St. Peter's basilica where Giovanni pointed out the various features of the longest basilica in the Church. He said it wasn't a sad or weeping Madonna, but a mother who showed confidence and respect for her Son who accomplished the work of salvation. The next stop was the Vatican bookstore where all could buy souvenirs for their loved ones. The day ended with a Mass at local parish - Santa Maria Della Gracie.

June 14 Thursday - Rome

Today a new guide, Moon, led us on foot from the hotel to the basilica of Santa Maria Majore, St. Peter in Chains basilica and the Coliseum. We had a group photo near the Coliseum area. We walked back to the hotel where we picked up the bus to bring us to Trevi Fountain area where we had our lunch. After lunch the bus took us to St. Domitilla catacombs where Fr. Perata celebrated his 44th anniversary as a priest. The day ended with a visit to the magnificent basilica of St. Paul outside the walls. One of the features of this church are the roundels with mosaic paintings of the Popes starting from Peter to our present John Paul II. In the evening we celebrated Fr. Perata's ordination anniversary with a delicious desert and joyful singing. Eva Basuini arrived by taxi from the Rome Airport the evening before we took off for Florence.

June 15 Friday - Rome - Assisi - Florence

Today we said goodbye to Rome and a new driver, Humberto, took us from the Eternal City to Florence. Our first stop was Assisi, the home of two famous saints in the Church - St. Francis and St. Claire. Our Assisi guide met us at the foot of the hill and rushed us through the beautiful town. He spoke so fast that not too many understood what he was saying. After a short visit to the famous church he led us to a restaurant. From the town we took a bus to the church of Our Lady of Angels where we celebrated the liturgy. This church commemorates the event when St. Claire cut her hair as a sign of her complete dedication of her life for the Lord. After Mass the bus took us to a hotel located at the outskirts of Florence.

June 16 Saturday - Florence

What a lovely day to visit Florence! The weather was gorgeous and the guide pleasant and knowledgeable. Ariana, our guide, met us at the Michelangelo plaza where a copy of David sits at the center of the square. From the square we had an excellent view of the city of Florence, the birth of Renaissance.

After a short view of the city Ariana took us to the center of town to see and contemplate the beauty of the monuments and relics left for all generations to enjoy. Our first stop was the Duomo or the cathedral where Fr. Perata celebrated the liturgy for the group. After Mass as he was carrying the collection he tripped, as he was about to enter the sacristy. To make sure that everything was fine he went to see the doctor who indicated that Father Perata was fine. When asked how much the service cost the doctor told Fr. Perata that it was on the city since he was a tourist. Ariana, our local guide, made sure that Fr. Perata had something for lunch as he waited to be x-rayed.

Ariana brought us to Santa Croce church before lunch and in the afternoon we did our shopping and then lined up to see the world renowned David, Michelangelo's creation. Santa Croce is an interesting church. Famous persons such as Michelangelo and Galileo are buried in this Franciscan church.

June 17 Sunday - Florence, Ferrara, Padua and Venice

Today was travelling day. We left Florence at 9:00 am, stopped at Ferrara briefly and then headed for Padua where we had lunch before visiting the famous basilica of St. Anthony the patron of lost articles. The local guides did not show up to tell us about St. Anthony basilica and its treasures.

The region of Lombardy was much cooler than the area around Rome. The mountains of northern Italy reminded us Californians of the Tahoe area. The cathedral of Ferrara was a real beauty. Some went to visit the Cathedral museum and it was one place where there was no charge for seeing the ancient chalices and Mass vestments. It was also a chance to see a number of people in and outside the church on a Sunday morning. We had Mass in one of the chapels of the basilica of St. Anthony. In the absence of the local guide we spent time in the church and viewed the relics of the renowned preacher of Padua.

Padua was in a festive mood. Sunday was flea market day. Artists and vendors sold their wares in that huge plaza. There wasn't much time to do shopping since we were on our way to Florence.

The newly built hotel in Venice offered quite a number of interesting features. First, there was a piano available in the lobby. After dinner Terry played the piano for the group and there was dancing and singing for the evening. Second, the some of the shower rooms didn't have any shower curtains. Once had to be careful moving around since the floor became quite slippery after taking one's shower. Third, we had access to the hotel facilities such as the swimming pool, the exercise room and the golf course but there was hardly any time to use them. We had a pleasant stay in Venice.

June 18, Monday - Venice

After breakfast the group took off for St. Mark Square in Venice. Our guide Antonella met us at the Piazza San Marco and she led us through the Dodge palace. After the tour we celebrated Mass at a small chapel of the cathedral.

St Mark's piazza was crowded, but someone indicated that the worse was yet to come as far as the crowd was concerned. After Mass we did our own thing. A few went to see the glass blowing demonstration and bought precious glassware. Others went up the tower that had a commanding view of the area. After the Gondola ride it was time to head back to the comfort of the hotel and prepare for the next day journey to Salzburg.

June 19, Tuesday - Venice to Salzburg

The trip from the flatland of Italy to the base of the Alps was a feast for the eyes. It reminded us of the ride from Sacramento to Tahoe. Our first stop was a small town of Arnoldstein where we had lunch. What a wonderful surprise for us! The bathrooms were clean and unlike other places there was NO CHARGE for using them.

After the meal we headed for the historical town of Gurk where we celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. Hemma or Emma. This pilgrimage town that rises out of the green valleys of southern Austria attracts hundred of visitors every year. The object of the visit is St. Hemma, a woman of noble heritage, who dedicated her life to God after the death of her husband the tragic loss of her children. She was known for her generosity and religious zeal. Today the Salvatorian Fathers take care of the shrine and Fr. Joseph and his staff was very hospitable to the pilgrims.

At Salzburg's Renaissance Hotel that evening we celebrated two birthdays - that of Joe Llorin and Peter Gioe. After dinner a number of pilgrims went to see a performance of the Sound of Music - Austrian style.

June 20, Wednesday - Salzburg

What a wonderful day it was to be in the city of Mozart and the city once ruled by prince archbishops. It is also a city well known to Americans because portions of the movie Sound of Music were filmed in Salzburg. Ulli, our guide, took us first to visit the Mirabella gardens, one of the sites used to film the classic movie. The next stop was the museum where Mozart grew up. The group then walked to St. Peter's Benedictine abbey founded by St. Rupert in the 8th century. This church contains some of the most elegant baroque style decorations. For those with healthy lungs and strong legs the climb to the top of the Hohen Salzburg Fortress was worth the effort. It had a commanding view of the surrounding countryside as well as a view of the famous Danube River.

After lunch near the area of the Cathedral of Salzburg we headed for two more locations of the Sound of Music - the Leopoldskon Palace and the Nonberg Convent where Maria was a novice. The Leopoldskon Palace is owned by Harvard University and is currently used as an International Conference Center.

June 21, Thursday - Salzburg to Vienna

The drive today took us through some of the most scenic scenes of Austria. First stop was the parish church of Mondsee or Moonlake where the wedding scene of the Sound of Music was filmed. From Mondsee we took the autobahn to the historic and magnificent monastery of Melk. It is still a functioning Benedictine Monastery that was founded more than 900 years ago. We had lunch at the restaurant located in the compound of one of the finest baroque buildings in existence. The monastery runs a school with about 780 students. From the monastery one can see the River Danube.

Hotel Ananas or Pineapple hotel welcomed the weary pilgrims to quarters. A group of energetic pilgrims went to a typical Viennese concert in the evening.

June 22, Friday - Vienna

Irene, our local guide, took us first to see the Schobrunn Summer Palace. Once the summer home of the Hapsburg family that ruled nations it is today a museum that gives a view of the lives of the rich rulers of the Hapsburg empire. From the summer palace Irene brought us to St. Stephen's Cathedral (first martyr). We then went to another church where we celebrated Mass. This church is the de facto parish of the tourists since Masses for different language groups are scheduled each Sunday. Every Sunday an international Mass is celebrated in this votive church. After our Mass, Irene then took the group to an elegant fast food center (Rosenberger Restaurant) in downtown Vienna. To avoid the traffic rush the bus took the group to the Vienna woods some time before 3:00 PM. We stopped at a Carmelite convent in Myerling where a royal person committed suicide more than a hundred years ago. The Carmelite convent was erected in that area to seek God's mercy for the soul of the duke. When we came back to the city we could see the endless traffic of people going to get out of town on a Friday afternoon - a sign of modern civilization. The final activity of the day was to visit Belvedere palace garden. We had a group picture taken on the grounds of the palace and instead of going back to the hotel Irene took us to see the Danube River. What a gracious and welcoming lady your are Irene! Thank you for your generosity!

An unfortunate event occurred during a visit to a museum. One of the ladies lost her wallet to a pickpocket somewhere in Vienna.

June 23, Saturday - Vienna to Prague

After rising up quite early in the morning we headed for Prague, the Czech Republic. We stopped at the Austrian-Czech boarder for passport control and to change dollars to Czech Crone. But something interesting happened in that boarder. A number of pilgrims got to the bathrooms and an elderly lady in charge of the bathrooms allowed three ladies to leave and kept the rest in the bathroom area until she could get Czech money - about a nickel each person. She refused to accept dollar bills, each dollar worth about 40 crones! Yes, the "hostages" were later rescued!

The prices of food and other articles are quite inexpensive in the Czech Republic. A full meal would cost about $5.00. The same meal would cost over $15.00 in Vienna. We arrived at about 1:35 p.m. in the Holiday Inn hotel in Prague. The hotel is affectionately called the wedding cake hotel because it is shaped like a several tiers cake. Our guide Helena took us to see the Hradcany castle on our way to the Loretto Church and the Strahov monastery. We celebrated Mass in a side chapel where the remains of St. Norbert are kept. The church has several relics including that of St. Victor!

June 24, Sunday - Prague

It was a full day today visiting the beautiful city of Prague. Helena took us first the "new" section of the city, over three hundred years old. We visited the presidential palace, St. Vitus Cathedral and other important edifices. We then took the bus to the old town where the astronomical clock shows the twelve apostles every hour on the hour. After lunch in one of the most beautiful squares of Europe we crossed the Charles Bridge and proceeded to Our Lady of Victories where the famous statue of the Infant Jesus is venerated. Fr. Anastacio, a friendly Carmelite priest, welcomed the group and donated the statues of the Infant Jesus to Fr. Lim and Fr. Perata after Mass. He then allowed the group to take a group picture in the church. Before heading for the bus we had a chance to visit the baroque church of St. Nicholas, founded and built by the Jesuits in the 16th century.

George's International treated the group to a dinner at a restaurant located in the Strahov monastery. It was a delicious dinner, a fitting occasion to celebrate the two weeks visits to religious as well as cultural locations. We sang happy birthday to Juliet that evening.

June 25, Monday - Prague to Zurich and USA

Julie took us to the Prague (Praha) airport at 9:00 a.m. and the flight back to the San Francisco via Zurich went smoothly. The CSE (Czech) airline took us to Zurich where we had a layover of 3 ½ hours before boarding SR108 to San Francisco.

What a wonderful trip it was. We started in Rome, the seat of our Faith and ended in Prague where the faithful has recently been able to practice their faith freely. We thank you Lord for the wonderful trip and for the graces that you gave to all who went on this journey.

PICTURES