Valfart 5, torsday -- Pilgrimage 5, Tuesday

     Nok engang nød Ugleungerne croissanter med Nutella i massevis, så hvis de ser lidt beskidte ud om munden og andre steder, skyldes det bare overdreven nydelse af denne klæbrige, brunlige substand.
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Once again we ate breakfast in the cellars, and the Owlets ate a lot of croissants with Nutella. If they look a bit dirty around the mouth and maybe elsewhere in this picture, Nutella is the culprit. 

     Vi samledes atter hele flokken og tog hen til propagandekongregationen, hvor vi jo havde været på smugbesøg dagen i forvejen, og der læste vi messe kun for os. De små Ugleunger var efterhånden blevet helt gode til at ministrere, så vi slappede af og nød messen.
     Uglemor nød især billedet af sin navnehelgen, Carl Borromæus, der hang i det øverste højre sidekapel - helt tydeligt at se på billedet.
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Then all the pilgrims congregated in the church of the Propaganda, of which we had a sneak view on Wednesday. The smaller Owlets were by now comfortable serving mass with the bishop, and we all enjoyed a mass in the surroundings. The church should look essentially the same as when Bl Steensen was created a bishop here in 1677.
MotherOwl looked at the picture of St. Charles Borromeo, seen over the heads of the servers.

Efter messen gik vi på kirkevandring igen. En kirke, der især tiltalte os, var Sant' Andrea delle Fratte. Her hænger der et mariabillede til minde om Alphonse Ratisbonnes mirakuløse omvendelse, og ved det billede læste S. Maximilian Kolbe, der er Minimax' navnehelgen, sin første messe. Endvidere er vores sognekirke Sankt Andreas kirke, opkaldt efter Sant' Andrea delle Fratte. Polly Berling, der lod kirken opføre, forelskede sig i Sant' Andrea delle Fratte, og måtte også have en sankt Andreas kirke. Hun lod også male en kopi af nådebilledet, der dog nu hænger i et kapel.
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After mass the whole group went looking at churches. One church in particular caugth our attention, Sant' Andrea delle Fratte. Inside is a miraculous painting of our lady. This painting commemorates the conversion og Alphonse Ratisbonne. Here St. Maximilian Kolbe read his first mass ever, and he is the patron of our Minimax. Furthermore we belong to St. Andreas' church. Named of course after St. Peter's brother, but also after this church. The lady that built the church - the second oldest in Denmark - was in Rome, and fell in love with Sant' Andrea delle Fratte. After returning she built a church and had a copy of the picture painted for it.

     Nok engang spiste vi pizza til frokost og samledes så på Peterspladsen for at se på Vatikanmuseet. Det er stort, og der er vel nok meget at se på. Selvfølgelig valgte Uglemors kamera dette øjeblik til at løbe tør for strøm, men Minimax havde "sit liv" med også. Så takket være ham får vi her et par små glimt fra Vatikanmuseet. Den kogle, der engang stod for enden af Circus Maximus, og Skribenten sammen med sin muse, Klio.
We had once again pizza for lunch, and met at Saint Peter's square to see the Vatican museum. It is very big and very filled with things worth looking at. Of course MotherOwl's camera ran out of battery right at the beginning, but Minimax also had "his life" - he took more than 1000 pictures this week. Thanks to Minimax for the pictures of the cone that once was situated at one end of Circus Maximus and also the Writer and his muse Clio. . 

Ugleungerne var ganske vilde med at tænde lys alle vegne for hvem som helst, og til sidst måtte vi begrænse det til et lys pr. kirke. Det gik så på skift. Her fik de dog alle tre lov.
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The 3 littlest Owltes found ligthing candles at an altar to be the thing to do. We had to limit it to one candle per church, the Owlets taking turns. Bet here in Santa Prassede it was real candles, and they were allowed one each.

     Om aftenen tog vi afsked med Rom med en fælles middag på en restaurant i nærheden - og nej, vi drak ikke al vinen i den kæmpestore flaske, den stod til pynt. Desserten var tiramisu.
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In the evening we said our goodbyes to Rome with a dinner for all of us. And no, we did not empy that big bottle, but we ate all the tiramisu, taht was served as dessert.

This is only for Sue Elvis and family
I found a shop. And I just had to take a picture of. it
As you see, you have an enterprising Roman branch of the family.

Valfart 4, onsdag -- Pilgrimage 4, Wednesday

     Efter endnu en tidlig morgenmad tog vi metroen, og så ventede vi. Ugleungerne havde deres bøgen med, Uglemor og Skribenten måtte bare står og vente.
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After another early breakfast, we rode the Metro for several stops, and walked, or rather tried to get through the throngs. And then we waited. The Owlets had brought their books. MotherOwl and the Writer just stood and waited.

     Vi ventede på pave Frans. Her er han så endelig. Lisdt før tiden begyndte han sin rundtur på Peterspladsen, og kom tæt forbi hvor vi stod. Han nævnte os endda i sine hilsener, og vi fik en særlig velsignelse.

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 We were waiting for pope Francis. He arrived a bit early for his ride aruond S. Peters square, and came quite close to where we stood. He even mentioned us in his greetings, and had a special blessing for each language group - where we counted as Germans :)

     Så trængte vi til at være lidt alene. Efter en enkelt pizza eller to slentrede vi op ad Corsoen, hvor alle går for at se og blive set. Vi var inde i kirken San Carlo in Corso og hilse på Carl Borromæus, der er min - valgte - navnehelgen eftersom Charlotte er hunkønsformen af Carl. Han er nem at genkende. Klædt i kardinalsrødt og med en meget karakteristisk næse. 
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We needed a bit of space aruond us, so after a pizza (what else) we saunteded along the Corso, the main strolling street in Rome. We went into the church San Carlo in Corso, to greet S. Charles Borromeo, who is my chosen patron saint (Charlotte being the feminine form of Charles). It's very easy to recognize him in pictures, dressed as a cardinal with a caracteristic (big) nose.

     Så gik vi op i parken bag Piazza del Popolo og nød udsigten over byen. Der var meget smukt, og grønt.
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In the park over Piazza del Popolo we looked at the wiev over the city and relaxed by a small pond.

      Da vi gik videre, kom vi forbi Propagandaen, dem der før i tiden sendte præster ud i verden. Der var et museum med billeder fra hele verden, film fra pavernes rejser rundt i verden og gestande fra især Afrika og Oceanien. Malerier fra Japan g fotografier fra Australien og New Zeeland og en opstilling med en stødtand for hver af de da afrikanske martyrer. Til sidst så vi den kirke, hvor Niels Steensen blev bispeviet, og hvor vi skulle have messe næste dag.
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As we walked on, we came across the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, or rather their old headquarters, which now was a museum for missionary works. We went in there as it was open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and by Friday we would be in Florence. We looked at church models from India, Japanese paintings, African elephant's teeth and Australian photos. In the end we saw the church where Bl. Niesl Steensen was consecrated as Bishop, and were tomorrows mass would take place.

 Vi afsluttede dagen med at stå højt oppe over byen og se mørket falde på.
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We ended the day looking at the sun setting over Rome.

Valfart 3, tirsdag -- Pilgrimage 3, Tuesday

   Tirsdag morgen var vi tidligt ude. Så tidligt at månen stadig skinnede over Laterankirken da vi var på vej derhen.

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 Tuesday morning we were out very early. The Moon still shone over the Lateran Basilica as we arrived.

 

Vores biskop og præster læste messe for os i et lille kapel. De tre Ugleunger ministrerede igen.

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Our bishop and 2 priests celebrated mass in a small chapel inside the basilica. 3 of the Owlets again served mass.

 En detalje fra billedet ovenfor. Piraten ser koncentreret ud medens han holder biskoppens hat.

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A detail from the above photo, an attentive Pirate holding the bishop's mitre.

     I baptisteriet så vi en herlig hjort. Ugleungerne synes at den var vældig flot, men kunne ikke rigtig forstå hvad en hjort dog skulle gøre godt for et sted hvor folk blev døbt. Vores præst forklarede at hjorten er et symbol på længelen efter Gud og efter dåben og henviser til salme 42: "Som Hjorten skriger efter rindende Vand, således skriger min Sjæl efter dig, o Gud"

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Inside the baptistry we found a beautiful hart. The Owlets wonderes aloud what a hart was doinfg in there, and the priest explanied that the hart is a symbol of the humalonging for God and the baptism. It's an allusion to psalm 42,  "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God"

Uglemor fandt en masse flotte intarsier med bier.Det er godt nok pave Urban VIII's våben, og han var en lettere uheldig herre, men bierne er nu flotte alligevel.

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And MotherOwl found inlaid stone with bees. I know it's the heraldic symbol of Pope Urban VIII - a not so nice pope - I like his arms because of the many bees.

Efter både messe og rundvisning i kirken mente Ugleungerne at de fortjente en is. Skribenten og Uglemor var heldigvis enige, så her nyder de deres velfortjente is.Dagens foretrukne smag var jordbær og citron.

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After the mass and looking at the Lateran basilica, the Owlets deserved an ice. They really enjoyed it.The preferred tastes were strawberry and lemon.

     Efter en frokost der naturligvis bestod af pizza, vandrede vi til Colosseum. Det så nøjagtig ud som på billeder, men inden i var der udstillet forskellige ting, der var fundet ved udgravninger. Blandt andet disse levn fra snacks og spil.

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After a more substantial snack - pizza slices - we went to Colosseum. It really looks like the pictures, but one thing is newer shown in the pictures. All the funny and interesting exhibits inside. We found a showcase with leftovers found when digging out the lover levels.

• Kerner fra ferskner, oliven, vindruer og kirsebær, knogleterninger,  kyllingeben smadrede tallerkener og lommelærker. Datidens tilskuere var vist ikke så forskellige fra os. 
• Pits from peaches, grapes, olives and cherries, dice made from bones, chicken bones, smashed plates and hidden flasks. It seems the Roman spectators were just like us. 

     Eftermiddagens program var et foredrag om økumene - Ugleungerne havde fået lov til at læse eller tegne under foredraget. Det fandt sted i Santa Sabina på en af Roms syv høje.
     Udenfor fandt vi to ting, der var vidunderlige at kigge på. En statue af Sankt Dominikus i typisk romerske omgivelser og paradisets nøglehul. Lidt snyd er der i det billede, det er to sat sammen, men det så sådan ud når man kiggede

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The afternoons program was a speech on Ecumenism. It was held in Santa Sabina - anther grand church on top of one of the seven hills.The Owlets brougth books and pencils as the speech was in German and rather long.
Outside we found two things to feast our eyes on, a statue of S. Dominicus in typically Italian surrounding, and the keyhole to Paradise. The picture is photoshopped. But it really looked like this.

     På vej ned af høje igen fladt vores blik på denne gamle dør. Hverken Minimax eller Uglemor kunne lade være med at tage blilleder af den. Medens vi gjorde det, fløj tusindvis af stære rundt over vore hoveder og sang himmelhøjt.

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On our way down, we passed this weathered door, and Minimax and MotherOwl just had to photograph it. as we did so, clouds of starlets flew abowe us and sung loudly.

     Vi afsluttede dagen med et måltid i kontrasternes tegn: pizza frisk fra den gloende ovn efterfulgt af citronis i egen skal. 

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We ended the day with a meal of contrasts. The main dish was pizza fresh from the hot oven and the dessert was lemon ice.

Valfart dag 2 -- Pilgrimage day 2

Mandag startede med en festlig messe i Peterskriken sammen med de tyske pilgrimsgrupper. Trolli læste en af forbønnerne og vi nød at være her i Kirkens centrum. Ugleungerne var fassineret af kirkens størrelse og af den smukke helligåndsdue der kan ses på billedet.
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Monday began with mass in German - we joined the German groups - in S. Peter's. The Owlets were impressed by the size of the church - even the putti carrying the holy water stoup is more than man size - and to be in the Pope's own church. They were also quite fascinated by the dove of the Holy Spirit which can be seen in this picture.

Efter messen vandrede vi rundt i Roms gader, så på kirker, og var på Campo de Fipore, hvor Uglemor fandt en isbutik efter hendes hjerte. Alle isene var deklareret, så man kunne finde is uden mælk, nødder og lignende. Først bagefter så jeg at de også havde vafler uden hvedemel. Sikke et herligt sted.
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After mass we took a walk and enjoyed the sights of Rome. We even found an ice shop selling dairy free ice. MotherOwl was very happy as seen here.

Vi var henne og tale med bispedømmet Københavns to præstestuderende i Rom. Det var herligt at møde to engagerede, fromme og tænkende unge mænd.
Piraten var kun interesseret i hvornå han måtte pakke sin romerdragt ud, så det fik han lov til under mødet. Se en fin romer:
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We wnt to meet the two young men from the diocese of Copenhagen aspiring to be priests It was a treat to meet those two engaged, spiritual and intellectual young men. The Church needs priests as those.
The only thing the Pirate wanted, was to dress up as a Roman soldier, and he was allowed to do so as the meeting came to it's end. Is'nt he a nice little Roman soldier.

 

På gaden mødte vi en anden romersk soldat, og de udkæmpede et mini-slag.
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In the streets we met a real Roman soldier, and they traded mock blows.  

Om aftenen oplevede Ugleungerne deres første sungne vesper. Piraten faldt i søvn, men de andre nød det selv om de ikke forstod så meget af det skønne italienske. Vi nød også kirkens indre, og Ugleungerne synes at det er snyd at alle kirker i Italien er så flotte og de danske så kedelige. Uglemor og Skribenten er helt enige
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That evening the Owlets had their first sung Vespers. The Pirate went to sleep not long after we started, but the other 3 enjoyed the sound - as it was in Italian they did not understand much of it (nothing really).The Owlets feel a bit sorry that all the churches in Italy are so lavishly adorned and the Danish ones mostly white and plain. MotherOwl and the Writer most heartily agree.

• Her var vi til vesper - flot!
•  The church were we joined vespers. Glorious!

Efter Stormen -- After the Storm

I nat - eller rettere vel i går aftes - stormede det voldsomt. Skribenten var i København for at holde foredrag, og inden han nåede hjem, stod tog og busser stille. Så Uglemor og Ugleungerne var helt alene hjemme i den værste storm i lang tid.Ingen af Ugleungerne havde været i skole, for vi var kommet frygteligt sent hjem morgenen inden. Trolden passede dog sine klavertimer, og kom gennemblødt hjem.
Uglemor tog på indkøb, da Trolden var kommet hjem. Og ih, hvor det dog blæste. Så meget at Uglemor begyndte at frygte for at detr skulle ske noget med Ugleboet. Men heldigvis havde de fornuftige Ugleunder lukket alle vinduer og lagt de farlige ting ned. Vi ryddede Ugleboets have for haveborde og stole, vandkander, stiger, drivbænke og hvad der ellers kunne tænkes at kunne flyve væk.
Medens vi forberedte aftensmaden, hørte vi over stormens hylen en sær, rumlende lyd. Vi er vant til at naboens heste larmer temmelig meget, så vi tog os ikke særligt af det. Så skulle Uglemor hente lidt krydderurter. Udenfor mødte der et farligt syn. Et stort asketræ var væltet og dets grene lå hen over taget på udhuset. Uglemor gik videre og hørte en sær, raslende lyd bagved. Hun sprang ind under buen, og hørte en tagsten ramme lige bag sig. Urgh. Nu var passagen lige bag hende fyldt af grene og tagsten. Heldigvis er der også en havedør, så Uglemor gik ind ad den, låste den, og trak gardinerne for alle vinduerne.
Der skete ikke mere, selv om stormen tog til i styrke og det var meget uhyggeligt.
I vores landsby er der adskillige væltede træer, flere tagsten er blæst af kirken, og ting er fløjet rundt over det hele.

Uglemor har meget at være taknemmelig for:

Fornuftige Ugleunger, der tænker og gør noget.
At vi kom hjem med flyet mandag morgen og ikke tirsdag.
At Skribenten ikke kom noget til, men fandt en ven at overnatte hos.
At tagstenen ikke ramte mig i hovedet.
At ledningerne herud blev gravet ned for nogle år siden,. så strømmen ikke gik.
At træet ikke væltede lige ned i vores udhus, hvor Hvalrossen bor
Og endelig at Hvalrossen var ude at rejse. - - - - - -

Yesterday evening a big storm hit Denmark. The Writer was at work in Copenhagen, and before he was able to return, all traffic was stopped, and he had to stay overnight at a friend's place. MotherOwl and the Owlets were alone in the worst storm ever (maybe).
The Owlets had not been to school, as we arrived home early Monday morning. (The plane landed at midnight, but we were not home until half past 4 in the morning, but that's another story). Trolli had piano lessons which he attended, and when he arrived home, MotherOwl went shopping. In town she was almost blown away and hurried home with the next bus, afraid to find the Owlery hit by disaster as we have several old trees near the house. But the wise little Owlets had closed all windows and doors and everything was fine. We spent the next hour or so tying down and putting away.
Darkness fell, and we started cooking. We heard some strange sounds, but ascribed them to the horses at the neighbour. MotherOwl foolhardily left the house to pick herbs for the meal. Outside a part of a giant tree had fallen and the branches lay on top of the Walrus' house. As she walke on, MotherOwl heard a scraping, rushing sound and jumped under the arch connecting the two houses. A wise move as branches and roof tiles fell from the small house. One tile just missing MotherOwl. As the way back was unsafe, MotherOwl enterd the house via the garden door, made sure that all windows were closed and pulled the curtains tight.
Nothing more happened, but it was very noisy and scaring.
In our small village several trees have fallen, tiles are blown down fronm the church, and in general things have blown around.

MotherOwl is grateful that:

Wise Owlets closed all windows while she went shopping
Nothing happende to The Writer, and tjat he found a place to sleep
That we arrived home by plane one night before the storm.
That the tile missed me
That the Walrus was on holiday while his house was hit.
That only tiles fell off. The inner watertight membrane is still whole.
That the tree fell practically between the Walrus' house and the neighbours' shed.
That the power supply lines were put underground some years ago. Before that power outage during storms and often in between were a sure thing. We did not loose current a second yesterday.




Buen med tagstenen der ikke ramte Uglemor
The arch with the tile, that missed MotherOwl





Det væltede træ set fra vores køkkenvindue.
View from our kitchen window this morning