Loreto

Took a trip to Loreto this morning with a 3 hour journey that began at 7.30 am.

When we finally reached the town, it was a cool and bright day with the sun shining but with a brilliance that wasn't scorching. :-) We had a few hours to roam around the area and visit some souvenir shops and also explore the basilica that housed the Nazareth home. Mass was celebrated there at 12 noon with a total of 122 priests, 30 sisters and some other people in the congregation who were mainly tourists. The altar was in front of the grand mausoleum-like edifice that covered the house 'relic'. The carvings along the walls tell the story of how the 'house' was brought to Loreto.

After the mass and a short break for our packet lunch we hit the beach that fronted the Adriatic Sea and had an hour of exploration there with the bathers and beach-goers. It was very windy there and a good number of people were enjoying themselves as they soaked in the Adriatic sun and playing on the sand. Some of the priests took that opportunity to grab a short dip in the sea as they bravely fronted the strong waves that came crashing onto the shore.

It wasn't a trip that was full of spectacular scenes to see, though those at the basilica were very interesting indeed. For some, it may have been a little boring. Well, it was a weekend outing that helped me clear my mind a little after so many weeks of ingesting Italian and her crazy grammar! :-P

It was another three hour trip back from Loreto and we passed through some scenic valleys and mountainous regions that took my breath away!

You can grab all the shots of the trip at my flickr page! ;-)