Did you think I had forgotten? Oh! NO!
Get ready for one more of Sol’s adventures.
First of all I have to explain why I didn’t post this before. Everything started when the last day I spent in Italy, one mataji asked me to give her my pictures.
It’s well known that when you have some special pictures on your camera somehow another you will lose them… and that is exactly what happened to me. I gave her the memory card and Vualá! they went, without leaving a note…nothing!
Fortunately I have a brother that is always there to fix all my mistakes and after a few days he recovered them… gracias Eze…again!
Then I entangled in my cake making episode and I couldn’t find time till now. In fact my brother had to push me, so I heard to him and I said to myself “I have to be faithful to my friends”… I hope you enjoy it!
Everything started with one email. My friend Adbhuta Datri wrote me telling that His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja was going to Italy for a few days and she was going to be there too, so I didn’t need any more excuses. Let’s get the plane tickets!!! It was a little bit risky cause we didn’t have the arrival date of them so we surrendered and got whatever we could.
29th August - Departure to Venice via Madrid (click here to check the itinerary)
We took the plane at 8:00am so I just slept 2 or 3 hours… I was tired but excited!
This is my brother Eze arriving to the new Madrid airport…
In about 4 hours we arrived to Venice but we had to take a bus to Padova where Trai Prabhu would pick us up.
Everything was very auspicious!!! All the buses are like this in Venice!!!
I was remembering all my Sita-friends hehehe…
We went through Venice… see the typical Italian on a Vespa 
He saw me taking the picture and he run away!
And after 4 more hours we arrived to… Prabhupada desh!!! Yes, Trai Prabhu was waiting for us and was in a hurry cause Radhanath Maharaja was taking lunch at his home. At that time we realized that by Krsna’s arrangement we were on time to greet him!!! We were just at the door of the temple and then Trai Prabhu said… I leave you here and I see you later cause I think Maharaja is in the car behind us… I turned my face and there He was… Haribol!.
He was on the way to his home so we had time to get ready for welcoming him
While I was getting ready I got the second…well, the third good news. HH Candramauli Swami Maharaja was also coming! (the second was that Adbhuta Datri’s name was written on the door of my room. We were going to stay together!!!).
By the time I had my sari and tilak on I coudn’t stop moving. I was very nervous just to know that I was going to meet Radhanath Maharaja in a few minutes. I met Him in Mumbai, where I stayed a little more than one year. He has been source of inspiration for my brother and I from the very first day and we really missed his association. After six months in Spain, we were going to meet him out of India for the first time
All the matajis started to make a circle while chanting and dancing (this was a hint of what was about to come…the most amazing and ecstatic kirtans ever!!!)
Candramauli Maharaja arrived first and then… Radhanath Maharaja!!!
…and all the devotees chanted the Holy Names…
…then we followed him to the temple…
…and he offered respects to Srila Prabhupada…
…then he went for darshan of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai…
…and then we had KIRTAN!!! while Maharaja looked at us smiling
We had a looooooooooong kirtan but Maharaja went to take some rest, but we continued with the kirtan This was a very auspicious beginning!!!
Then Maharaja was going to speak a few words after some time so I decided to meet some devotees. Here I’m talking with Nirmala Bhakti Mataji, who takes notes from Maharaja’s lectures, then she writes them very nicely and distributes amongst the devotees as a gift. She is really nice. Thank you
Candramauli Maharaja then came. He is with Trai Prabhu…
I was sitting in the temple and my brother called me and he said “look who is there”…
Adbhuta Datriiiiii yes my friend and sister Can you feel my happiness??? I couldn’t smile more!!!
The sun was setting when Maharaja came…
He expressed his gratitude for being there and he appreciated the curtain of the altar very much. He said there was a lot of suspense when the altar opened and a lot of time to relish the last darhan when it closed; he called it “a curtain in the mood of goodness” (it was reaaally slow hehehe)… we were in a very sweet and familiar mood…
…and then we had more kirtaaaan… I don’t have more pictures cause I was dancing 
The next day we attended mangala arati…
…then japa meditation and guru puja…
…and then more kirtan!!
!
After the program Adbhuta Datri gave me her darshan and after a few hours we were quite satisfied and ready for lunch prasadam!
Radhanath Maharaja and Candramauli Maharaja came to the garden for prasadam too. It was very nice to see them together
Do you know what? I got one more surprise… Kurma Prabhu, the famous vegetarian cook came to Prabhupada desh for a few hours. Oh! This was too much!!! Finally I was going to meet him in person!!! I got that good fortune. I introduced myself and he remembered my letters (sometimes I write to him asking for coockery advice).
He gave an inspiring lecture on Srila Prabhupada in Australia from one of his books entitled “The Great Transcendental Adventure”.
He just stayed for a few hours but it was such a great gift for me to be on his presence!…
Days went very fast… Radhastami’s Festival was going to be the last celebration for most of the devotees. Here we are dressed in pink and starting to feel the separation… also Jay Gopi was there…
…but there was a Festival to celebrate!!! Srimati Radharani kiii jaya!
Here Their Lordships are ready for the abhiseka…
Candramauli Maharaja gave a wonderful lecture on Srimati Radharani’s transcendental qualities and Radhanath Maharaja read his notes. Very sweet scene
This is Krsnaloka Mataji praying full of devotion…
The festival went on very nicely. Of course we had lot of kirtan.
Now we had to get ready to say goodbye and meanwhile a devotee made us a “reading” that resulted very interesting. I won’t tell you what he told me, hehehe…
And time arrived… yes… Maharaja was leaving us…
…and following Maharaja… Adbhuta Datri!!!
Tears, tears and more tears…
The afternoon was quiet. I went for a walk with Eze…
…my name means sun in Spanish and my last name means sunflower in Italian so there I am… Spanish Sun with Italian Sunflower
Krsnaloka Mataji saw us and she called us from the window. Her neighbours invited us for cake…
…and after that she invited us to take the “Real Italian Ravioli” made by Citrarupini Mataji (bathing Their Lordships on the right), by some known as “Raviolesvari Mataji”.
Time to say goodbye to Maharaja, to the devotees, to Prabhupada-desh… and thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Devotees are my shelter. The association of the devotees is my only hope. Thank you
…and time to say hello to Venice!!! Coming soon…
technorati tags:prabhupadadesh, radhanathmaharaja, candramaulimaharaja, kurma, venice, italy, radhastami, harekrishna
