I couldn't pass up such an opportunity for a simple reason: this is one of those moments in history that we call "anchors." It is a moment from which something begins, which marks something, changes something. I believe that whenever there is an opportunity, it is worth participating in such events. Because it is not a fleeting thing. The event itself is, of course, fleeting, but its temporal emanation stretches hundreds of years into the future.

The flight from Modlin brought us to late-autumn Rome in less than two hours. It takes me longer to drive stress-free from Białystok to Warsaw without risking a speeding ticket. So, you could say that just over an hour and a half is all that separates us from biting into a maritozzo and sipping an excellent cappuccino while sitting in a bustling café on Piazza della Rotonda.

Landing at Ciampino, a bus to Roma Termini, then a short hop on the metro, followed by a bus to Trastevere, where we had rented an apartment. And that was it. Rome! I’m here... Holy crap!