{"id":753,"date":"2012-10-08T18:12:51","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T22:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dinkel.us\/?p=753"},"modified":"2013-08-19T13:21:34","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T17:21:34","slug":"from-florence-to-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinkel.us\/?p=753","title":{"rendered":"From Florence to Rome…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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View from Piazza Michaelangelo – Florence<\/p><\/div>\n

As usual, it has been a challenging balancing act performing my unofficial role of tour guide–trying to see as much as possible without any of us passing out from exhaustion–though I think we all came fairly close in Rome this evening.<\/p>\n

I was able to break away for a couple hours early yesterday morning and made the walk from our apartment to San Miniato al Monte as I planned.\u00a0 Thankfully, the walk up the hill was much less severe than I anticipated.\u00a0 The experience was enhanced by the fact that I was the only person in San Miniato and this added an element of spirituality than I wasn’t expecting.<\/p>\n

We were able to watch the Steelers game at La Botticella in Rome last night and you would have thought you were siting in a bar on Carson street on the South Side of Pittsburgh…but a block away was Piazza Navona…a juxtaposition that was difficult to mentally process.\u00a0 A great experience all the way around….great beer, people and a last second Steelers victory.<\/p>\n

The Rome-Pittsburgh connection continued the next day.\u00a0 As we exited the Pantheon, we ran directly into Bishop David Zubik–Pittsburgh’s Roman Catholic Bishop.\u00a0 Kevin and Renee introduced themselves and chatted a bit and got a photo with him in front of the Pantheon.\u00a0 Not sure what the chances are that two Catholic Pittsburghers would run into their Bishop outside the Pantheon in Rome…wow.<\/p>\n

It is after midnight and I have to get prepared for another long day tomorrow.\u00a0 I’ll leave you with a few more photos from the last two days.<\/p>\n