Life in Rome

This morning I chased across the P. Navone to go to Mass. When I got to the church I could make out that the 8 a.m. Mass ends on Friday. My nationalistic German Church next door has a scheduled 7 a.m. Mass only and I do not feel that German right now to be ready at such a time. So I chased to the other end of the Piazza and went to a little church dedicated to Blessed Mother and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There were about 6 people in the church and a little bent over priest or deacon came to light the candles. As soon as he came the church emptied. There were only two people left. That is when Mass started. Latino and Italiano. The woman reader came in late.....Afterwards I walked the neighborhood and noticed the Basilica of the Apostle Andrew around the corner. I walked in and there a Mass had just ended but the priest took the small congregation to a side altar singing the Litany of Loreto. I joined them. The Basilica of the Apostle Andrew takes your breath away. Also a Cardinali is in a glass coffin under an altar: San Jose Maria Tomasi and his feast day must be coming up or was recently because posters where up that Cardinali Law would be coming for the Mass. Walked to the Tiber and took a leisurely walk along the Tiber. No people, just water a few ducks and me and that in the middle of Rome.
My goal was the Tiber island and the Hebrew Museum and Temple in the vicinity. Everything on the Tiber island was closed. There is the Basilica to St. Bartholomew, closed, there is some unindentifiable museum, closed, so I went with the flow of the people to some very large building on the island and I entered and asked the receptionist what was the cost of the ticket and what where they showing. The guy turned to me and said: "Madam, this is not a museum, this is a hospital." Well, have a good laugh. Came off the island and ran into a Dominican priest. I chatted him up. He was from the Western Province, Fr. Luke, and teaches here. Made my way back home. Saw a large bus stop and managed to guy a ticket for one Euro but when the bus came I was told my ticket was not for the tourist bus only for the regular bus so now I have another souvenir. The tourist bus was overfilled anyway and I walked home. Rome is really a delightful city by foot. I stay away from the main thoroughfares and walk the side roads with map. Yes, I get lost but I always recover somehow. So I came home by foot over some hill and ruins - no not the colosseum - just lovely neighborhood scenery. Tomorrow I will walk over to S. Maria in Trastevere. The Jewish temple will have to wait until Monday. Yes, they were closed, too. Sabbath and Passover.