Happy Feet & Travel B.A.G.: #SeekingMary: Che Sorpresa!

Au revoir France, Ciao Italy!

Our long trip calls to mind the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. It must have taken her also a long time to travel from her home. But unlike us, Mary had no conveniences. She must have taken a ride on a donkey or walked some of the way through hilly country. To keep to the spirit of the pilgrimage, Bro Arun discussed the 3rd & 4th words Mary spoke in the bible as we made our way on the bus from France to Italy. They were both spoken during the Visitation:

3rd - It was not really written in the bible but Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth must have been “Shalom” or “Peace”. The deeper meaning of shalom is “my debt is paid”. Mary, the first tabernacle, was carrying in her womb the Prince of Peace who will pay for mankind’s debt.

4th - The Magnificat. It is a revolutionary prayer because if we follow what Mary says, it will change the world. It will cause a moral, social and economic revolution. It will cause the death of pride, the end to all labels and discrimination, and elimination of selfishness.

The monotony of our long trip was broken by lunch in Genoa (Genova), Italy’s leading port and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus,

Piazza de Ferrari, Genoa

and sightseeing in Pisa for those must-have photos with its iconic Leaning Tower.

Then came my surprise!

Have you ever had a dream that came true, and you didn’t even know there’s another dream that is being fulfilled together with it? It’s like receiving a gift, and as you open it, a jack-in-the-box pops up with that diamond ring you’ve been drooling over (or some such desired thing) attached to it.

I got that jack-in-the-box surprise in Italy. It’s been my dream to visit Italy more than any other European country. I feel an affinity to it, maybe because my name, Mirella, is of Italian origin. This preceded my dream of joining this Marian Pilgrimage by maybe decades. Both were being fulfilled in this trip. That is the gift box in my analogy. But I had a more specific dream for 16 years prior and that was to visit Tuscany. This was after I watched the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. I just fell in love with the place shown in the movie.

(Before I go on with my story, let me tell you that I am clueless when it comes to geography. My son, Jaffy, found it hilarious when I asked him if they were on the ship when he said they were in Bukidnon – “FYI Mom, Bukidnon is landlocked.” Malay ko ba.)

So, Day 11 brought us to Firenze (Florence). At the beginning of our walking tour, I already found the city captivating. In the middle of the piazza, as we gazed up at the magnificence of the Duomo Sta. Maria del Fiore,

our guide said, “Firenze is the capital of Tuscany.” My jaw dropped! I was being blessed with my dream and I didn’t even know it! Actually, the fulfilment began yesterday because Pisa is also in Tuscany. Talk about being jack-in-the-boxed! Che sorpresa!

I wish we had more time to stay and explore Firenze's art and history, but sadly it was only a couple of hours stop.