EAT, PRAY, LOVE ROADTRIP in ITALY – PART I – TRAVEL – Marka Zackova

This year we started our trip around Italy with a pilgrimage.

First a few words to explain…

It is Tuesday evening. We just arrived from Prague to Rakovník and checked into a hotel in the city center. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 am they will induce labor. In the evening, we had a romantic dinner, sat with a glass of wine and laughed that in 24 hours we will be holding our Emilko in our arms. But I can’t sleep at night, I’m nervous. Jarko hugs me. I feel supported and safe. Before going to sleep, I will say to him: “Jarka, if anything happens and it becomes necessary, baptize Emilka, please.” Jarko nods his head and hugs me.

In the morning we have breakfast and go to the maternity ward. We get constipated on the way and arrive at the hospital 10 minutes late. The prime minister with whom we agreed is gone, he had to run to a conference. (What?!) We missed it. The service is held by a doctor who gives orders like a policeman without greeting or listening. We refuse such an approach and they send us home from the maternity hospital. We are leaving back to Prague.

It’s about 1 in the afternoon and I’m having my first contractions. We are really happy, labor starts on its own, no artificial triggers were needed. We call the midwife. She says I have time, I am a first-time mother, I don’t have to go anywhere yet. After half an hour, the contractions speed up and within an hour they are regular, about every two minutes. Jarko calls the midwife again and she assures us again that there is still time. But Jarek can’t do it, he decides for us and we get into the car, heading towards Rakovník. We have an hour’s journey ahead of us. I’m on the phone with my assistant. It reassures me that the contractions will slow down in the car. On the contrary. It will intensify and not even 20 seconds will pass between each one. To make matters worse, we’re getting another jam. I am asking Jarek to stop it at the nearest gas station, that I will give birth here. Finally, we enter Rakovník and I use my last strength to move to the elevator. My legs buckle and I fall to the ground. With the help of the staff, we get to the maternity ward.

Everything looks OK so far. But after a while, the monitor shows the baby’s heart rate is too fast. The doctor doesn’t like it, he calls a colleague for a consultation. Not even a minute passes and the monitor starts beeping, something is happening, the child is in danger. Emil’s heart stopped. At that moment, the so far peaceful birth turned into a nightmare. I literally jump out of my chair and shout: “Emilka, Emilka, wait, please! Hello Emilka, hold on, I’m begging you, please! Please!” And I’m already lying on the table, they give me a sleeping mask and I just firmly believe that Emilko is still alive.

I wake up in the corridor. I can’t pronounce his name. I can’t even say the word son. I’m afraid to even ask. I’m shaking. Stuttering, I just ask: “A child?” The answer is: “The doctor will tell you…”

…

I’m shaking…

….

Wait

um…

the worst

Shhh… …

And where is Jarko? Why isn’t he here? I want to scream and cry, but I can’t. I’m still having contractions. A midwife is sitting in the room next to me. I hold her hand and squeeze her hand with each contraction.

Jarko finally came to my room. The assistant tells him that I won’t remember anything, that I’m still under the influence of anesthesia. But I remember all this very well. Even better than I would ever want.
“Jarko, what happened? Did Emilko survive?” I’m afraid of the answer.
“Yes, he is alive. It was close, they had to revive him, but he is already on his way to Prague. Don’t worry, I baptized him.”

Cisársky literally took our son out in 5 minutes. Normally it takes 20. A minute and he wouldn’t be here.

After a week I saw our son for the first time. After the next one, I could hold him in my arms for the first time. Connected to various devices and with tubes on each side, we still cried from happiness to receive this undeserved gift. And at the same time, the idea of what could have happened haunted me for a long time…

I had nightmares for several months. Night and night I saw the accelerated monitor, which suddenly stopped. For months, I woke up sweating to the answer: “The doctor will tell you…”

All days we prayed to Mary and St. Hundreds of people also prayed with Rita and us. When we learned that Emilko’s life was out of danger, we decided to give him the second name Mária and decided that when we were all happily at home, we would go to thank St. Rita to Cascia.

And so it was decided about our vacation this year. We started our road trip through Italy with a pilgrimage. First we visited St. Anthony in Padua, from there we headed with an intermediate stop in Forli to Assisi for st. František, followed by the main stop St. Rita in Cascia and we ended the pilgrimage part of the trip at Patra Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo.

PS: Thank you, God, that our Emčo is here with us! 🙂

SHORTENED ENGLISH VERSION

After a complicated birth of our son, we decided to go on a pilgrimage to Cascia, to thank our patron, St. Rita for saving our baby boy who almost died on the way to this world. Now he is 1.5 years old. A healthy and happy boy who really enjoyed the trip.

This year we planned to begin our vacation as pilgrims in Italy. We started in Padua (St. Antonio), then continued to Assisi (St. Francis), then finally to Cascia (St. Rita) and we ended our pilgrimage in San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio). Our pilgrimage was a part of a road trip in Italy.

PS: Thanks, God, for saving our son! 🙂

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua

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Location: Piazza dei Signori, Padua

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Location: Sotto Salone, Piazza Delle ErbePadua, Padua

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Location: Padua

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Assisi

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Monastery of St. Rita, Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Cascia

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Location: Piazza Aldo Moro, Cascia

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Locatoin: Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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Location: The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, Cascia

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