Being a stranger

It is a day to be on the road again--train and bus to San Giovanni Rotondo.  The train went smoothly and was very relaxing to watch the Italian countryside go by.  When I got to Foggia it was time to transfer to a bus.  As a stranger who doesn't know the language nor the local customs it is often a challenge to find one's way.  As I got on the bus and went to my seat I realized I did not punch my ticket.  As I headed up the aisle I met an Italian woman who gave me a dirty look, as if to say,  "You are doing this wrong!"  I felt stupid and tried to apologize in my worst Italian.  As I settled back into my seat I felt the pain of being a stranger myself.  I began to wonder how I treat  strangers or people not like me.  What kind of vibes do I send out by my looks and actions?  Anyhow I made it to San Giovanni Rotondo, the place where Padre Pio spent much of his life and where he is buried.  There is a strong devotion to him and it is one of the biggest pilgrimage sites in Italy, probably because he lived so recently.  He received the stigmata in his lifetime and died in 1968.  Pope John Paul II has been here and canonized him in Rome in 2002.  Below are some pictures of the campus and his tomb.