No leg room at the inn

Sunday our Sacrament meeting was nice but also very short. Irene gave a talk in (Nigerian) English, with the young Sorella Davis translating, and at times it took as many as four people on the stand to help out with scriptures and translation. The talk was very good, but the process is always interesting. Her topic was modesty, and she loved the verses in the scriptures about it. There were announcements about the temple trip that evening, and almost everyone was talking about it. It is a cool tradition. The other two hours of classes were also enjoyable. Even though it was the height of the August holiday, the chapel was full. Joyce's father even came! He only comes once a year, since it is the only Sunday he is not at work. It was great to meet him. After the three hours, Chris Erhue, a new convert from Nigeria, was ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood, with Anziano Canfield acting as voice. He gave a powerful blessing, filled with the spirit. I got to be in the circle.

After coming home, I was tired enough after being up late that I took a nap, which would end up being useful. The whole afternoon was spent packing and preparing, including a bunch of food. There was another big thunderstorm in the afternoon, and the weather has been very nice. We fit everything into one of our big (29") suitcases each, plus a shoulder bag or two, a small ice chest, and a bag of food for the bus. Anziano Balzotti met us at 8:45pm to drive us back down to the Roma 3 chapel. We gave him the key to our car, which the Benincosas will use all week, although I forgot to actually give it to him, so he had to turn around to get it after he got a few blocks away. The bus arrived a little before 10pm and we packed up and left at 10:20pm. There was plenty of storage space underneath for big bags, but the overhead storage on the bus was pretty small, and they told us we couldn't put anything on the floor. Fortunately, we squeezed it all in.

 

Looking toward the front of the bus

Looking back

It was a fun and excited group of sixty passengers, but I quickly realized that people of my height were not considered when Italians designed this bus. There was literally no way my legs could fit under the seat ahead of me, so I ended up with one leg curled halfway under and the other in the aisle. There was no comfortable position for me, so I didn't sleep very well, except on one period from about 2-5am. We stopped every three hours to get out, stretch our legs, go to the bathroom, and buy some food or drink if desired; each such stop took well over half an hour. We made good time, apparently, passing the Swiss border just after daybreak. Switzerland is always beautiful. I will post some photos from the bus in Tuesday's entry.

I wasn't very comfortable on the bus, either, so I really sympathize with Doug's predicament. I couldn't move or reach down, and it was sometimes pretty hot. But the group was great. There were a lot of kids, too. These people make it a family time, and bring their children of all ages for the week. It makes for a lively, talkative group on the bus, but I think it's pretty cool.

When we got near the Swiss border, the bus driver told us that Switzerland requires you to wear your seat belt, and everything has to be stowed. If a bag is under the seat, there is a fine of 84 francs, which is $84 right now. So, we put my big red bag in the area under the bus--just when the sun was up and I could have been knitting. Since my supplies were out of reach, I had a great time instead visiting with people.