December 5, 2016
Walking through the streets of Messina, Sicily with our guide Chiaria, an attractive, dark-haired 29 year old lady with a thick Sicilian accent overlaying her mastery of English, I wondered how this city, just across the Messina Straits from mainland Italy may be related to the small community of Messina in McDuffie County, Georgia. Someone look that up for me please, and send it back by email.
Our table mates, Charles, and she whose name is not Clarice, as has been earlier reported, nor Catherine, nor Carlotta, nor Constance, but does start with a C – and I will remember it before this cruise is over – invited us to go on a 2 hour walking tour with them. They had found it on the Internet, and the cost was only 30 euros per couple, including cannolli at the end of the tour. For the first 40 minutes or so of the tour, I was thinking, “What an incredible bargain this is, and what a great find! Thank you Charles and She Who Begins with C.”
Then we ventured onto Via S. Paolo, and Chiaria (pronounced Key-Are-Uh) turned to Bonnie, motioned to her cane, and said, “Can you do a few steps?” The next time a Sicilian woman asks my wife if she can do a few steps, I am going to reply, “She’s on her own if she does!” Oh my goodness! Because next we turned onto Eustochia Street, and it still wasn’t bad, but then the journey turned up hill onto Calimechi S Stafano. And I do mean uphill.
The Three Cs are toodling merrily up the hill while we are gamely struggling behind. Huffing was being overtaken by puffing, and I am not talking about your humble scribe and his companion. Breath was ragged. Muscles were tight. Toes were curling under. Feet were shuffling. And that was just the first ten feet.
Then we reached the “few” steps. Eight landings of 25 steps each. Then five slanted terraces covered in loose stones. Then a left turn and more landings. Then one right. And finally one left and we came out on the flat land surrounding Sacrario Cristo, and benches. Blessed, level, flat, unmoving and unmovable benches! Oh thank you, Sacred Christ!
Once my breathing slowed, my heart rate returned to normal and my pupils reappeared, and I could hear something other than my thudding heart and rushing blood, I was almost overwhelmed by the beauty of the church and the scenery across the Strait. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Letter. Paul, the Apostle, came preaching in the area, and two men went back to Jerusalem and visited with Mary, who gave them a letter authorizing a church in her name – hence Virgin Mary of the Letter.
Like much of Messina, the church has been damaged and rebuilt. There have been multiple earthquakes in the area – a 3.8 on the Richter Scale occurred yesterday about 30 kilometers away from where we are right now. Sicily was also the scene of fierce fighting during World War II and the area around Messina was heavily bombed.
Then we descended via a typical Italian twisting road – much easier to navigate than the route described accurately, honestly, and truthfully above – to Piazza Dumou and another beautiful church. This one puts on a musical concert every day at noon. Two soldiers who awakened from sleep just in time to warn local forces of an impending French invasion are featured bell ringers who mechanically strike noon. Then a lion roars and waves a flag. A rooster crows and flaps his wings. The Holy Spirit represented by a Dove descends and flies in a circle, representing the message that came to the local folk as to where to build the Church of the Letter. And finally angels parade around Mary giving honor to her. The whole program takes 12 minutes and includes the bells (much less dramatic than the ones in Salerno I missed recording yesterday) and a beautiful piece of classical music that you will recognize when I play the videos I made. Just before the concert, we went inside to view the beautiful place of worship. They have a life-size nativity set up in the sanctuary.
Our tour concluded back near where we started at a pastry shop that served us incredibly delicious cannolli. They are so good they’d make you slap your grandma.
Chiaria took another group on a tour. Charles and Mrs. C. went back to the ship – Cathleen, her name is Cathleen. We looked in two toy stores for suggested Christmas presents – with no luck – and then returned to the Pacific Princess for lunch and a nap. After napping, I began rehearsing for “Yes We Have No Bananas” which will be given sometime tomorrow. And now I must dress for supper. And She Who Must Be Obeyed will no doubt give her report, correcting all of my errors and adding many of her own.
TTFN!
Well, today was a beautiful day. Slept till 8 am. Had a leisurely breakfast and left the ship about 10. Went to go on the walking tour. This was not a walking tour, this was a Hiking Tour. Oh my word. Up a hill like you find in San Francisco for about 3 blocks and then flight after flight after flight, etc, of stairs up and up and up. The view was beautiful. But I am old!
The church at the clock tower was beautiful. Part had been destroyed by the 1908 earthquake and then really destroyed by the bombing of WW II. They have a statue of each of the 12 apostles in the church sanctuary. Only one of them is the original that survived the earthquake and bombing. The others are reproductions. They are all made of marble but you can tell that it is St John that is an original one. The marble is quite a different color. There is also one alcove beside the altar area on the left that survived earthquake and bombings. They actually bombed the church twice because they didn’t destroy it the first time. The second time the roof caved into the church and it burned for days.
There are many old churches and buildings and they are just magnificent. They were building a manager scene in the sanctuary while we were there.
We stood in the square outside that was full of people to watch the clock tower show. Just amazing to watch the lion roar and shake his head three times and then the rooster to flap his wings and crow 3 times. Then, the dove flew over the ground in the window and the cathedral for Mary rose up out of the mound. The bells weren’t rung like they were in Sorrento but rather struck.
The cannolli was very good. I couldn’t eat the hard case but the cream inside was amazing.
We got back on the ship and had some lunch and then I took a long nap before dressing for dinner. Dinner was fair the melon fruit bowl with macadamia nuts was so-so and the chicken pot pie with leeks was okay. They forgot to bring me my cold cherry soup. Apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Ate the apples and the ice cream.
Well, it is card time. His first talk is tomorrow at 3 pm. So we don’t have to get up to early.
Bye
No comments:
Post a Comment