Bitter Sweet
Today is our last day in Roma. It really is bitter sweet. I have been slightly home sick for a couple of days now. I really just miss my family, a lot. My Mom (Grandma) and Dad (Grandpa) and of course my girls, Katrina (my dog) Mya (Mom's dog) and Tabitha (the family cat). I even miss my crazy pocket pet, Degu, Leo.
Rome has been really good to us these past eleven days. We have not run into any major problems, the weather has been great; it has only rained three of the eleven days for an hour each time. Other than that it has been nice and cool in the morning and night and hot in the sun during the day. I have a nice farmers tan going on too, which is always nice!
The Jewish Quarter(The Jewish Ghetto)
The word "ghetto" is an Italian word first used in Venice in the 1600's. The word was used to describe the place where the Jews lived. "Ghetto" came from gettare, "to cast."
Our last class today took place in the Jewish Quarter, the ghetto, as its known as here in Roma. The Jewish Ghetto was built in 1555 along the flooding banks of the Tiber River. The ghetto was the forced home for nearly 300 years between the counter-reformation, 16th century, and the Italian unification, 1870. Most of the old ghetto has been torn down, however there are still visible traces of the ghetto and also newer apartments are still standing and used in this area.
Pope John Paul II was the first Pope to ever try and heal and reconcile with the Jewish Community. He acknowledged that the Church should have intervened during the holocaust to defend the Jews. Pope John Paul II was also the first Pope to ever enter a synagogue.
Dear Friends,
I hope that you have enjoyed keeping up with us on our pilgrimage here in Roma. Hopefully one day you to can make your own journey; maybe you will be lucky and I will be your tour guide. Who knows? Only God knows what is held in your future. I plan on returning one day. Hopefully more than once. There is so much for me to see here. I hope the next time I return my family will be with me however, because it will make the trip even more memorable for me.
We will be returning late, tomorrow, May 27th around 9:45pm. Till I see you again, CIAO!
Thank you all for reading my blog. I will be praying for you all.
One last horah in Roma, 1 Euro shots!
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