Well this weekend was absolutely amazing! I went to Rome for the weekend and stayed with my friend Lindsay from St. Thomas. My flight was very early Friday morning and my alarm got me up at 3:30am! woo! My senora still hadn't been to bed yet. haha but I arrived in Rome and got connected with Lindsay just fine. Since I hadn't eaten all morning, the first thing we did was get pizza!!! It was so great! The pizza that I have had in Spain has been pretty pathetic (microwave style) so a legit Italian pizza hit the spot! We walked around the city all day long looking at sites and taking in the sun. We met up with another Tommie, our friend John, who ended up knowing almost everything about the Roman Empire and the significance of almost all the buildings we saw! pretty great! The first day we saw the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Coliseum, Roman ruins, and
Circus Maximus which fit 250,000 people! It was a completely packed day but absolutely amazing. My favorite of all of them was Trevi Fountain. The water was so blue and the sculptures so incredible. We threw coins in to make sure we come back to Rome someday! I know I will be! Afterwards we got my first gelato!! It was soooooo good and creamy! Now I understand what everyone is talking about! That night, we all went to a restaurant and I got the fettucini with meat sauce. I wanted just a simple meat sauce dish to try to compare it to the kind of spaghetti I eat at home. It was really good and the wine was amazing too! Later we went to an Irish Pub to see a Rolling Stones cover band named The Stoners. They were such a hoot and very entertaining even though they weren't very good. The lead singer, Mick Jagger if you will, spent a majority of the time without a shirt on and wearing fake black leather pants. His preferred place to sing was on top of the tables or bar and people had to grab their beers to make sure he didn't kick them over. It was pretty funny.
The next day we woke up early and did the Vatican...ALL DAY. Lindsay lives across the street from it which was so fun to be able to see St. Peter's Basilica from her building. We first did the basilica. I was completely floored when I first walked in. I couldn't even walk or shut my jaw. It was the most beautiful building I have ever seen. As soon as we walk in, and after the initial shock was gone, Lindsay says, "Oh and here is the Pieta." !! Oh just Michaelangelo's Pieta, no big deal. haha it was absolutely amazing to see the incredible architecture, paintings, scuptures, mosaics, tombs, altars, everything. I believe we spent over an hour in the basilica itself. There was so much history, symbolism, and meaning behind everything we walked upon. I am still blown away by what I saw! Next we waited in line to see the Cuppola at the top of the dome of St. Peters. We could see all of Vatican City, of Rome, and the mountains too! It was so breathtaking. Next we went to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The museum in itself was so extensive and now I understand
how it can take a whole day in itself to complete! We only did it for 2 hours I think. I loved Raphael's rooms. He had 3 or 4 rooms right in a row with frescoes covering every bit of the wall and ceilings. It was so incredible. I walked into one of the rooms and turned to look at the wall behind me and nearly screamed! It was the School of Athens by Raphael. I had no idea it was in that museum and I couldn't believe I was looking at the original right then! I still can't believe it! We continued and eventually got to the Sistine Chapel. No one is allowed to take pictures inside but it was so incredible. The fact that it took so many years to complete and it was so detailed and perfect just amazed
me! Our necks were a little sore afterwards from looking up so much! It was so incredible and I have no idea when I will be able to see such a masterpiece again in my life. I feel so blessed to have had that opportunity to see some of the world's greatest pieces of artwork, sculpture, and architecture.
The whole weekend in itself was something that I probably will only get one chance to do in my life. Hopefully I will be able to return to Italy someday because I absolutely fell in love with it. The food, the hospitality, the art, the beauty, the history, all of it is so incredible!! I love Spain, don't get me wrong, but they are quite different cultures. I am pretty sure that Italy gained some serious brownie points this weekend in my book. I wish I could have had more time in the city, especially in the country. I really hope to return and be able to see more of the country including Florence, Venice, Naples, Assissi, Cinque Terre, and much more. That is definitely a tall order and not many people get the opportunity to see so much of their own country, let alone another one. I just feel blessed to have had that opportunity and I can't wait to go back and share it with more people I love.Chao!
Betsy
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