Day 10: Sunday
Today was a day for the bucket list! I woke up at 7:30am to go to Vatican City, despite the fact that I only went to bed at 4am. Kari and I made our way down to the boys’ room and met up with Joe and Brandon where we proceeded to the tram. We met up with Brandon’s parents at the end of the line and got on the 64 bus. After we got off, we rounded the corner, and there was St. Peter’s basilica! The line to get in was HUGE since it’s free on the last Sunday of the month. It moved pretty quickly though, so it wasn’t too bad, and it gave me plenty of opportunities to take pictures of the “square” (which is actually an oval).
Today was a day for the bucket list! I woke up at 7:30am to go to Vatican City, despite the fact that I only went to bed at 4am. Kari and I made our way down to the boys’ room and met up with Joe and Brandon where we proceeded to the tram. We met up with Brandon’s parents at the end of the line and got on the 64 bus. After we got off, we rounded the corner, and there was St. Peter’s basilica! The line to get in was HUGE since it’s free on the last Sunday of the month. It moved pretty quickly though, so it wasn’t too bad, and it gave me plenty of opportunities to take pictures of the “square” (which is actually an oval).
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| St. Peter's Square and Basilica |
Finally we made it through the metal detectors and into the largest church in the world. The beauty of the inside is impossible to capture in words or pictures, and there is no way to even soak it all in standing inside staring up and all around for hours. There is intricate detail in every corner, and it makes me wonder the significance of every single one. We walked around for a while, but the guards kept ushering us away from places and telling us not to take pictures. They were all so attractive! We realized that mass was starting in a couple minutes, and since Joe and Kari wanted to, we decided to go. I thought it would be an interesting cultural experience from a secular observation point of view, and it was. We got to sit right next to the Papal Alter under St. Peter’s basilica. Almost the entire service was in Latin and sung, and I had no idea what was going on until Communion, and before that it was up and down, up and down. They gave us programs, but they don’t really help when you don’t speak Latin, so Brandon and I just sat and enjoyed the general splendor of the church. There was even a statue that resembled angels playing basketball. I found myself wondering at some point how they change the lightbulbs in the ceiling. We also learned that the canopy over the Papal Alter designed by Bernini was made from bronze stripped from the Pantheon.
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| Inside the Vatican |
After the service we decided to ditch the plans to go up the dome since it was already getting late and we wanted to make it to the market still. When we got outside the “square” was full and no one was moving. It was so crowded and everyone was pushing in every direction. Well all this was for good reason, because a couple minutes later Pope Benedict XVI himself appeared at a tiny window very far off to offer blessings. I took some pictures, but he was so far away that all you can really see is white stuff through a window. After we pushed our way through the crowd for probably 15 minutes, we finally made it out and could breathe. Then we found some Swiss Guards, so we stopped to take a picture, and one was pretty cute!
Then we made our way to the bus stop to head back to the market. It was the most crowded and craziest bus ride I’ve ever been on. Italians are literally nuts. All the drivers were going wherever they felt like, and pedestrians were doing the same, then getting mad at the cars and buses in their way. I have never heard so many horns honking at one time in my life. People tried to get on the bus when it was clearly over capacity, and yet the bus driver still stopped and opened the doors! One guy literally pushed the doors open and then pushed the people at the doors in so he could get on. After weaving through traffic and marveling at the insolence of Italians, we finally made it to Argentina, got off, and got on the much less crowded tram. By the time we made it to the market it was already starting to close down, but I was on a mission to buy a hairdryer, so I finally found one, along with a straightener, for 18 euro. We wandered through the market where, lo and behold, there actually was an end! At that end, there was a McDonald’s, and we, being hungry and being Americans, decided to abandon our shame and eat. It was crazy busy, so the Italians can’t judge. Then I went home, eager to shower and use my new hairdryer and finally have normal hair, where I was dismayed to find that it doesn’t plug into any of our outlets, just like our iron. So, curious about why Accent would provide us with an iron that doesn’t actually work and suspicious of our apartment’s outlets, I sent them an email asking about the iron, so hopefully they can guide us in the right direction, providing me with the answer to the hairdryer as well. At least my straightener works. I showered anyway and let my hair dry, and I’ll fix it tomorrow before class. I uploaded my pictures to facebook, and then it was time to sit down and get serious about reading for class. I finished Act 3 of Coriolanus before I fell asleep, and after I woke up I skyped my family for an hour. I got to see my kitties!!! Things seem to be the same at home, but I was jealous of their day off tomorrow for Memorial Day. After skyping, I finished Coriolanus, made dinner (penne with tomato sauce again), and then took a break to look through my Rome travel book to make a list of everything I need to see before I leave. It seems like a large list, but a lot of it is Vatican stuff or things we’re going to see for class. One day I want to an Angels and Demons visit, and there is also much more at and near the Forum that cannot be missed. There seems to also be a lot of cool stuff in neighborhoods we haven’t even been to yet, so we’ll have to check those out sometime too. I had planned on watching the Italian Cup, but I had to finish my reading, and that took me the rest of the night, especially with the interruption of fireworks after the game ended. They were all over the city but I couldn’t see any of them. Finally Elli returned from Spain, burnt like a lobster, and the evening began to wind down outside as the sirens, cheers, and fireworks faded away. We have to walk to class tomorrow because of the transportation strike, but the walk is beautiful anyway, so I don’t mind that much, except that I have to get up a bit earlier. Hence, time for bed!
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| With the Swiss Guards |
Then we made our way to the bus stop to head back to the market. It was the most crowded and craziest bus ride I’ve ever been on. Italians are literally nuts. All the drivers were going wherever they felt like, and pedestrians were doing the same, then getting mad at the cars and buses in their way. I have never heard so many horns honking at one time in my life. People tried to get on the bus when it was clearly over capacity, and yet the bus driver still stopped and opened the doors! One guy literally pushed the doors open and then pushed the people at the doors in so he could get on. After weaving through traffic and marveling at the insolence of Italians, we finally made it to Argentina, got off, and got on the much less crowded tram. By the time we made it to the market it was already starting to close down, but I was on a mission to buy a hairdryer, so I finally found one, along with a straightener, for 18 euro. We wandered through the market where, lo and behold, there actually was an end! At that end, there was a McDonald’s, and we, being hungry and being Americans, decided to abandon our shame and eat. It was crazy busy, so the Italians can’t judge. Then I went home, eager to shower and use my new hairdryer and finally have normal hair, where I was dismayed to find that it doesn’t plug into any of our outlets, just like our iron. So, curious about why Accent would provide us with an iron that doesn’t actually work and suspicious of our apartment’s outlets, I sent them an email asking about the iron, so hopefully they can guide us in the right direction, providing me with the answer to the hairdryer as well. At least my straightener works. I showered anyway and let my hair dry, and I’ll fix it tomorrow before class. I uploaded my pictures to facebook, and then it was time to sit down and get serious about reading for class. I finished Act 3 of Coriolanus before I fell asleep, and after I woke up I skyped my family for an hour. I got to see my kitties!!! Things seem to be the same at home, but I was jealous of their day off tomorrow for Memorial Day. After skyping, I finished Coriolanus, made dinner (penne with tomato sauce again), and then took a break to look through my Rome travel book to make a list of everything I need to see before I leave. It seems like a large list, but a lot of it is Vatican stuff or things we’re going to see for class. One day I want to an Angels and Demons visit, and there is also much more at and near the Forum that cannot be missed. There seems to also be a lot of cool stuff in neighborhoods we haven’t even been to yet, so we’ll have to check those out sometime too. I had planned on watching the Italian Cup, but I had to finish my reading, and that took me the rest of the night, especially with the interruption of fireworks after the game ended. They were all over the city but I couldn’t see any of them. Finally Elli returned from Spain, burnt like a lobster, and the evening began to wind down outside as the sirens, cheers, and fireworks faded away. We have to walk to class tomorrow because of the transportation strike, but the walk is beautiful anyway, so I don’t mind that much, except that I have to get up a bit earlier. Hence, time for bed!
