After being here four weeks, Dan and I, as well as several other seminarians finally ventured through the Italian/Swiss Alps in the area of the northernmost part of Lago Maggiore. The "Lago Maggiore Express travels through the mountains and down the lake giving a view of the area.
The day started out in Domodossola, where our wandering into the parish Church became an invitation to take part in Morning Prayer (in Italian) and Mass. The six of us had the privilege of serving the Mass.
Our next leg was a scenic railway, with a brief stop to see the parish Church in Re.
When we got to the parish in Re, a Cardinal was just finishing Mass for the day - the Queenship of Mary - in a side chapel of the Church.
From there we ended up at Locarno, where we enjoyed a small lunch, as well as some chocolate, during the afternoon.
The last leg is a boat ride from Locarno, at the northernmost part of the lake... and it's from here that I'm writing this. Sailing through the alps is uniquely beautiful... I can't think of anything in the States quite like it. It was fitting that the Responsory for Evening Prayer this evening was "Our hearts are filled with wonder as we contemplate Your works, O Lord."
On a side note, if you have ever read Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, ths was the lake he spoke of in part of the book - There is a "Hemingway Suite" in the hotel a few towns south of Verbania; this had been used as the military hospital where he stayed during WWI.
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