Pope John Paul II

I converted to Catholocism 22 years ago and Pope John Paul II is the only pope in my Catholic experience. I missed opportunities to see him during his visits to the US, not ever being lucky enough to obtain tickets for St. Louis or Denver. Seeing the Pope, the head of the Catholic church, was my most memorable moment.

Quick Tips:

With recent events, I was not too surprised at the additional security. On Wednesdays, when the Pope has the private audience, everyone must pass through metal detectors. Some people in our group were asked to produce their passports prior to being allowed entrance beyond St. Peter's Square.

Dress code is strictly enforced. No shorts, short skirts, bare shoulders or sleeveless attire.

I had been severely warned about the pickpockets and beggars. However, with the Jubilee year in the Vatican City last year, the area was cleared for the tourists. I still paid attention, yet did not have any incidents or problems within the Vatican City. My sister-in-law took pity on an elderly woman who was begging and gave her 5000 lire. About 30 minutes later, while we were having coffee in a small restaurant, this beggar lady walked in, with all her maladies having disappeared. She plopped the money down and bought a beer. So much for the beggars!

Use the Vatican City post office to mail back to the States. It's located at the far right of St. Peter's Square and also inside the Vatican Museum, accessible when entering and exiting. The letters posted there arrived within 2 weeks.

Best Way To Get Around:

Several Rome buses have stops very close to the Vatican City. I looked for stops by Castle of the Angels, which included 40 Express, 62, 64 and 26. Once in the Vatican City, plan on walking. There is minimal parking available around the Vatican City and the only cars we saw entering the city streets from Rome were those that had passes and cleared the checkpoints. The Swiss Guard or Vatican police will prevent you from entering secured areas.

The longest walk is over to the entrance of the Vatican Museums. It's a good half mile hike along the city outside walls from St. Peter's Square to the museum entrance. The Vatican City is only 108 acres so walking is truly not a problem. We did see ramps scattered around, enabling people with wheelchairs and/or strollers access into Vatican City sites.

Unbelievable...This was the most breathtaking site imaginable.

The view of St. Peter's Basilica began three blocks away as we walked on Via delio Conciliazione, the street leading from Castel Sant' Angelo to the Vatican City. The basilica formidably sat in all its wonder and awe, showing more detailed majesticness as we approached St. Peter's Square.

At night, the basilica is lit and the square is guarded by Vatican City police. Even though areas were barricaded off, we were able to walk through sections of St. Peter's Square for a closer view of the building exterior.

During the day, only one entrance on the right of the building is open for admittance to the basilica. On Wednesday and Sunday, there were checkpoints and metal detectors set up prior to entering the area surrounding the church. I was asked to check my backpack in at the base of the basilica.

View the external of the church to assess the size of this building. Then enter the church and take a few moments to again assess the size. People at the other end of the church barely appear. The enormity of the structure is fascinating. Immediately to the right is Michelangelo’s Pieta, behind a plexi-glass barrier. People were crowded in this section of the church and the wait to be up front was worthwhile.

We slowly walked through the various sections of the church. Small chapel areas are equally as elaborate as the church. One chapel was exclusively for private prayer, creating a peaceful environment of silence and solitute. A section towards the front was roped off for confessions, with the option of six different languages. Only people seeking this sacrement were permitted in this area.

We spent the better portion of two days visiting St Peter's Basilica. We were also looking for specific statues and tombs: ones identified in our guide book as well as suggestions from our tour group. The tombs of prior Popes, especially St. Peter's, took time for our viewing and prayers.

On Sunday mornings, a Latin Mass is offered at the back of the Basilica. Plan on arriving at least one hour before Mass begins to get a seat. Additionally, private Masses are celebrated in the smaller chapels at 7:30 in the morning. We were very grateful for our opportunity to participate in a Mass at St. Peter's.

Entrance to the "Tombs of the Popes" is also free and is accessible by a flight of stairs over by the statue of St. Longinus. The only exit from the Tombs left us outside the Basilica, so we should have left this for last.

Tours are available, although we did not do so. I believe we may have missed out on some of the historical significance of some statues and/or paintings not referenced in our book. We did not view the Vatican treasures either. Entrance to that musuem was about $4, but we simply ran out of time.

On Wednesday's at 10:30, the Pope enters an auditorium to share a message with the audience. Rather than share my own inner jubilation at this experience (kind of personal), I'll document the event.

Getting tickets Contact your local Catholic church and ask the church secretary for their assistance in getting the tickets. The earlier the better!!! When the tickets are requested through the diocese offices, the group name will be sent to Rome so your group may be introduced. If you are not Catholic, call the church anyway! They will be happy for the opportunity to expose non-Catholics to the head of the Catholic church.

Seating Try to get seats either up in the first rows or along the aisle. The Pope enters from the back and rides in on a motorized cart, so everyone with an aisle seat is within touching distance (Yes, that was me!). People in the front rows were able to approach the Pope after the prayer service, providing the best opportunity to see the Pope.

Pope's Entrance The Pope processes slowly down the main aisle, surrounded by body guards. They will reach into the audience and bring babies and toddlers to the Pope for a special blessing and kiss. Two professional photographers take crowd shots during the procession, so take their cards and visit their shops to see the proofs. We were in pictures from both photographers.

Using a small notebook (my wife's journal!), we exchanged addresses with a couple who were sitting on the other side of the aisle. We would be in their pictures as they would be in our pictures as the Pope passed by. In order to be visible in professional photographs and other people's photographs, put the camera down for a few moments. In all the pictures, my forehead and chin are visible, with the rest of my face covered by a camera. My wife was overwhelmed and stopped taking pictures for a few minutes. She showed up beautifully in multiple pictures.

Pope's Message The ceremony started with a trio singing a hymn up on the stage. The daily reading was shared in multiple languages, Psalm 99 on our day. Then, by language, a bishop or cardinal introduces the groups to the Pope, and as they are announced, the groups stand and cheer. Some groups had bright handkerchiefs to wave and several groups had their own bands to play a musical tribute. The Pope then reads his message, in that language, to the audience. His message to the "English speaking people" was one of peace and forgiveness.

The Pope's messages last for about an hour. He then gives a papal blessing to all attendees. All items eligible for blessing (as defined by the Catholic church) were blessed. I had rosaries and medals blessed of which I plan to give as gifts to friends.

Afterwards, many people head over to the basilica or musuems. I suggest visiting these places on a different day to avoid the long lines and crowds.

See and be seen. This sightseeing location had more people just hanging around, with no apparent desire to go anywhere or be anywhere. Just hanging.

This was not just a tourist type place. We saw groups of people clustered on the steps visiting, high school age kids gathered together and heading over to the McDonalds, individuals with briefcases sitting in the sun, tons of photographers, just all types and ages of people. That's all there is to do at the Spanish Steps. Be there and maybe get into a few photographs.

In front of the steps there is a fountain of a ship of some sort, with water sprouting from the ship. People were drinking from these fountains, but I didn't. We had mixed messages from different people if the water was safe to drink. Some people said yes, others no, so I opted to stay on the safe side.

Sitting on the steps and facing the fountain, two things caught my attention. First Condotti street was so crowded with people. I didn't remember it being that full when walking down that street to the Spanish Steps. Maybe I was overwhelmed with the posh stores (and grateful that my wife did not want to shop in any of them!) to have noticed all the people. Second, the billboard looked out of place. There was a huge billboard, without a current advertisement, just there, blocking the view.

Various artists had spots at the top of the stairs, selling their paintings so we looked at their work before climbing all the way to the top. We wanted to Ttinita dei Monti church. The view from the entrance of this church is just beautiful.

From the Spanish Steps, we walked down some of the side streets, those parallel to Condotti. These shops still carried expensive merchandise, but not quite as costly. We purchased gifts for our girls in this shopping area.

Shopping here was a fun experience. Most of the shops did not have tons of merchandise out on display. We looked at the sampling of items that were on display and asked for different sizes, colors, etc. People at the shops were congenial and helped us in every way possible. When we made purchases, the salesperson made us feel very important. The item was carefully wrapped in tissue (with the store's logo) and placed in a nice store bag (not flimsy plastic!). The bag was sealed with a store label. The process was done with full pomp and circumstance, making each purchase memorable. Our tourist status was evident, but we appreciated the attention and memorable experience.

Unable to purchase postcards for all our Caravaggio paintings at the Galleria Borghese, we decided to tour the Galleria Cornsini in hopes of viewing "John the Baptist" painting. We walked from the Borghese Gallery to the bus stop just on the other side of the park. Our group caught a series of busses and took a convoluted route to a bus stop at least a mile from the Cornsini Gallery. I don’t recall the bus numbers, not that I would recommend that transportation plan to anyone anyway. I did enjoy the additional scenery and energetic walk; however, taxi fare between the galleries would have only been about $5 a person (4 people to a cab) and I would have been out of the rain.

Cornsini Gallery is a small museum with about a dozen rooms. As we entered, one section of the marble steps was covered with a wooden ramp, an apparent addition for handicap accessibility. Two elevators stick out on the right side, taking us up to the gallery. Interestingly, the ramp and elevator appeared as "add-ons" and looked out of place. The gallery was adapting to handicap accessibility!

As with most museums, we checked our coats and wet umbrellas at the entry desk. There was an entrance fee of $1 per person. (One of the guide books used by our group stated that entrance was free, but the price has definitely increased!)

The rooms were large and spacious. One young artist was on the floor with a set of paints and touching up the frescos on the museum walls. I guess if the Sistine Chapel can be repainted, then other museums can keep up with their frescos!

This museum was very relaxing as the atmosphere was more casual. There were beautiful paintings of the Madonna and Child, and of course, there was the Caravaggio painting of John the Baptist. Although they are art-worthy, they were not as famous nor as much viewed as the artifacts at Borghese. There were only two other people (besides the workers) in the museum along with our group. We were able to take our time, not experiencing the hurried & rushed feeling as we did at the Vatican Museums and Borghese Gallery. After walking around the museum, we were able to purchase our tenth Caravaggio postcard, completing our "hunt". Hunt for Caravaggio Journal

Continuing our hunt for Caravaggio, we visited Gallerio Borghese, one of Rome's most elaborate museums. The museum is open from 9-7 (Tues-Saturday) and shorten hours on Sunday. Most museums were closed on Monday. Interestingly enough, people were admitted into the museum for two hour blocks of time. If you need more time to tour the museum, you have to exit, and pay again to return. Additionally, reservations are required, but the museum may have a few "first come, first serve" openings in the two hour block of time. Fortunately for our group, we were visiting in the off-season, so this was not a problem.

Everyone has to check just about everything at the coat check. No coats, jackets, cameras, backpacks, etc. My wife was allowed to keep her purse with her.

The beginning of the tour starts at the top of the building and works down. We were able to view the gardens and gain some perspective on the facility itself as we walked up the wide circular staircase to the top floor. The rooms were sectioned off, with works of art grouped together by theme. Each room had a "guide" that described the work of art, artist and additional information. I recall that the guide was in more than one language, but I don't remember which languages were available besides English.

Walking a bit faster than my wife, as I wanted sufficient time to see the Caravaggio paintings, the Bernini sculptures, and the Venus sculpture, I moved quickly through the rooms. Suddenly, I was taken aback. Here was a beautiful painting and the artist had the same last name as me! Now, "Heimbach" is not exactly the most Italian name and I was not aware of any famous artist with my name, so I was extremely surprised. I dashed back several rooms and pulled my wife into the room with the Heimbach painting. She was just as surprised as me!

The Caravaggio paintings were beautiful. We saw "David with the head of Golith", "Madonna and Child and little St. John", "Madonna dei Palafrenieri" and "Bacchino Malato". Some of the Carabaggio paintings were on loan to other museums, so we were not able to view all that are owned by the gallery.

The famous sculptures are located in the last rooms towards the end of the tour. It's hard to describe the Bernini sculptures. David and Apollo and Daphne were fascinating. I also loved the Venus Vincitrix statue. The story behind this work of art tell it all. (Two of our group had guide books and we were reading them in addition to the material supplied at the museum.) You’ll just have to go to see them yourself.

The gift shop was at the end of the tour, on the way to the pick up your checked in belongings. We bought our Caravaggio postcards for our hunt and moved on to the next activity.

Rome is reputed to have fourteen Caravaggio paintings at various churches and museums. My brother-in-law instigated the "hunt", creating a purposeful opportunity for us to sightsee around the city of Rome. Each "hunter" had to view at least ten different paintings and purchase the postcard as proof of the find.

Armed with our list, my wife and I started with the churches. Church of St. Maria del Popolo (off the Piaza Popolo) has two paintings so we made this our first stop. In the Cerasi Chapel, just to the left of the high altar, the Conversion of Saint Paul and the Martyr of Saint Peter hung on opposite walls. We spent additional time to walk through the church which includes works by Bernini and Raphael. Postcards were available from a vending machine off to the side of the church. We purchased our postcards from the church whenever possible as the money from these souvenir sales goes to support the church.

Using our 7 day bus pass (purchased for 24,000 lire), we rode down Via Del Corso to the stop near the Pantheon. A short walk took us to San Luigi Dei Francesi for three more paintings. We saw Saint Matthew and the Angel, Calling of Saint Matthew, and Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, all located in the Saint Matthew chapel. This church is the French colony church and the services are in French rather than Italian. We walked through the rest of the church admiring the beautiful frescos and paintings on display.

Just around the corner was Sant’ Agostino in Campo Marzio church which displayed the Virgin Mary of the Pilgrims painting. There was also a chapel dedicated to Saint Monica who is one of my favorite female saints. We were informed that most churches close promptly at noon, so we were rushed through Sant’ Agostino and did not get to see the famous Madonna and Child sculpture.

As we reverently walked through the churches, I learned a few things. Revered bishops and priests are buried in the churches. I was admiring a work of art on the floor and realized I was standing on a grave. After that incident, I noticed similar monuments in all the churches. I also noted that these churches are actively used by local congregation and tourists for regular Catholic services. That's unlike other historical churches where the building is a "museum" and only used for that purpose.

We should have brought more coinage with us on the hunt. Most postcards cost 1000 lire and the machines only accepted coins. Additionally, most paintings are in dark chapels for preservation. Five to ten minutes of light in order to view the paintings cost between 100 lire and 500 lire. Some of the churches do not allow pictures, even without flash. Check the camera rules when entering the church.

Six paintings viewed and four more to go to complete our hunt. Off to the museums!

Minibus 112 terminated right in front of Mishelle's Shoe Store. Our sightseeing goal was Piazza Popolo, just a few steps from the bus stop, but no, my sister-in-law just wanted to look at one pair of shoes.

Federico greeted us at the door and offered to assist with our shoe shopping endeavors. He seated us all in the side room of his store so she could try on the shoes. I opted to wander through the store as my wife was not shopping for shoes. Federico had pictures of himself with famous people along one wall, including a shot with a very young Bill Clinton (taken when he was governor, Federico explained). Along the next wall, Federico displayed pictures of women who had purchased his shoes, all in various stages of undress. Hmmm....

I returned to the side room and my wife is also trying on boots! My sister-in-law has selected several pairs and convinced my wife that these boots are just wonderful. Federico negotiated prices with them, offering them significant discounts from the original price and explaining how we should file for Value Added Tax when returning to the States. I didn’t even want to know how much they were spending so I turned away when my wife gave Federico her mastercard. Just a few minutes later, a young sales woman returned asking my wife for a different credit card. She said that this one was no good.

We were both startled as our credit card had minimal activity (most of it from earlier that day) and we have a high limit. Federico rushed in and grabbed the card from the young lady. "No", he assured us. "There is no problem." He hustled the girl out of the room. A few minutes later he returned asking for my wife’s passport to verify information. My wife, worried, followed Federico. Apparently, our account had been closed. Mastercard noted an unusual purchasing pattern and location for our account. Unable to contact us, they shut it off! Over the next ten minutes on the phone (long distance), my wife provided sufficient information to Mastercard that we indeed were the correct owners of this account allowing us to use our card again.

After all this fiasco and long distance expenses to Federico, he remained a true gentleman. He escorted us to Piazza Popolo and identified the various buildings. He took our pictures, holding our shopping bags and was a willing participant in pictures with us. He gave us superb restaurant recommendations, along with his business card to use in getting reservations. If you're in the area, stop in his store and ask for his suggestions on good places to eat. He won't lead you astray!

My wife still loves her boots and wears them all the time. Now that I’ve seen the price on the Mastercard statement, she will be wearing these things forever!

My advice: inform your creditcard company when you're traveling overseas and plan to use their card!!!

"Just keep walking" I said to my wife. She was lingering in front of an artist’s portfolio, focused on a painting. We had walked by this artist in the Piazza Navona the last three nights and focus of my wife’s attention was still on display. But now, the artist knew my wife was serious. He lowered the price, keeping his voice low, just so she could hear. My wife hesitated just slightly before picking up the canvas. "How are we going to get this home?" I asked. "We can ship to the states." the artist offered. He also volunteered to roll the painting, which he did and encased the canvas in a makeshift cardboard tube. "It’ll fit in the suitcase." my wife assured me.

Piazza Navona is a conglomeration of everything Italian. The lawn is full of artists with their paintings, people posing as statues (with jars for tips), Bernini fountain, beautiful churches, touristy restaurants and obnoxious advertising billboards. The area was consistently quiet in the morning, with the fountains covered with pigeons (flying rats as we heard them called by one Italian!). The restaurants begin filling up for the lunch crowd, but the main crowd of people arrives in the evening.

The restaurants have ample outside seating, with propane heaters to warm the area. The evenings in November were just cool enough to appreciate the extra heat. Most of the waiters speak English to accommodate the tourist crowds and the higher prices reflect this tourist catering. We did not eat a meal at any of the restaurants, but opted to have drinks while watching all the people at the piazza. One waiter identified the Italian hobby of "strolling", casual walking to see and be seen. We opted to participate in this style of walking after enjoying several glasses of wine at the restaurant. This gave us time to really look at the fountain and the church. We had read the "story" from our handy guide book, so appreciated the statues on the fountain as they looked away from the church in disgust.

The location of this piazza was perfect for us. It was easily within walking distance of our hotel, and quickly became a meeting point for our group and landmark for getting to/from other places in the city. From Piazza Navona, we walked to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and to numerous restaurants. We could easily catch busses along Corso Vittorio Emanuele as this major street was just two short blocks from Piazza Navona.

Oh, the painting…. It did fit in the suitcase, padded with clothes to keep it protected. We had it stretched and framed, costing over $200 due to the texture and type of canvas. Fortunately, we had the perfect place to hang the painting as an excellent reminder of our Italy vacation.