Today was an absolutely amazing day. I woke up this morning thinking I was going on another art tour with my school. I left my apartment around 9 am and walked by myself to Piazza San Pietro. This Piazza is the location of the Vatican, which I had yet to see. I walked about 20 minutes down the river. I was carrying a map and was attempting to use it but I am terrible with directions. The roads in Rome are so narrow and crises crossed that it is quiet easy to get lost. However, Rome’s large monuments are easy to spot and often times you can get to your destination just by walking toward the monument located near it. It is almost like the northern star theory. Anyways, I remember looking on the map and seeing that I would make a left turn after passing here bridges. So after the third bridge that is what I did. However I didn’t see any sign of the Vatican. I walked a little further and just as I was about to change direction I looked to my left and there it was. The dome of the Vatican was just resting there above all the other buildings. Its intricate baroque details also made it stand out in comparison to the renaissance style buildings that surround it. I remember immediately my heart was pounding. I anxiously walked towards it and as soon as I turned the corner I was shocked to hear music. Not just any music but the most magnificent choir ensemble I have ever heard outside of my iPod. I had entered Piazza San Pietro. It felt like the world had stopped. There I was walking in between buildings that had no historical significance only to turn a corner and be greeted by a vision of columns and some of architecture’s most classical forms as the most perfectly tuned choir sang in the background. It was more than incredible. I ran up to the gates where guards checked my purse. When I entered the Piazza I noticed many people were watching these large screens that were playing a live video of what was going on inside the Vatican. The Pope was being carried up the isle. It was the beginning of the Sunday mass and I was just sitting there watching and witnessing it. I had seen clips of this on movies and the news but I was outside of the place it was actually happening and the music was so loud I could hear it perfectly from outside of the building. I am not very religious and know very few things about the Catholic faith but in that very moment I couldn’t help but tear up. I was in total shock that I was there seeing this and couldn’t believe how lucky I was. It was more than beautiful. I was able to see the Pope as he performed all his rituals, rituals that began long before my time and were carried on to this present day. The feeling was incredibly overwhelming and I still find it hard to describe. I wanted to call my mother so badly just so she could hear the music in the background. I thought of how many of my Catholic friends would have died to be in my shoes in that very moment. I can only imagine that if I enjoyed it so intensely, a Catholic would find the moment even more amazing. I still can not get over what I felt. I remember the chills traveling down my spine, the loss of words, the gratification, the overwhelming sense of excitement and the tears that I couldn’t hold back. Call me a sap, but I just couldn’t help it. After waiting for an hour my class and I went on a little tour. We traveled over to the Piazza Venezia and hopped on an elevator that took us to the top terrace of the building. When we got off the elevator I had another melt down. We were able to see the city in all directions from one of the most central areas in Rome. The view was breathtaking. It was similar to the quality of the amazing scenery of Piazza de Michelangelo in Florence. It was unfortunate however that it was raining. I took plenty of pictures regardless. My breakfast this morning was 2 miniature canolies, which were to die for! Of course, all Italian food is. After the tour I traveled home by foot, as always. I tend to stay away from the tram and buses. I am not good with the Italian so it’s hard to know where I am going and they are the prime location for pick pocketing to occur. I also trust myself more to get to where I am going and I really enjoy walking. As always, I like to have control over the situation. Plus it gives me the opportunity to take my surroundings in. I put an extra pair of pants under my pants to keep me from getting cold in the rain because I was off to my first Roman soccer game. We traveled by bus to the stadium. We drank a couple Peronis, and met up with some friends. The tickets were organized through the school so luckily we all sat relatively close to each other. The game was really exhilarating. The crowds did a lot of cool chanting that I really couldn’t understand but once again I felt that overwhelming excitement. I also had a slight breakdown wishing my sister could be there with me. Soccer was always her thing, and my thing was to watch her pursue it. I loved soccer because she loved it and I always wanted to be like her. Everything she liked, I liked, just because she liked it. That’s just how it works as a little sister. Especially if your big sister is as awesome as mine! Something about the excitement and the game really hit me and made me realize how much I wish I could tell her about what was going on or even just tell her how much I truly miss her and wanted her with me. On the way home from the game I was jam packed into a bus with Italian fans and they were chanting songs which was also very cool. Their spirit reminded me a lot of what you’d find on a PRT after a football game in West Virginia. So, you know I loved it! I ate a kebob for dinner and now I am just unwinding with a glass of red, red wine! Reflecting on my day and looking at my pictures has never been so amazing. Overall my first week in Rome was more than satisfying. I am one happy girl! I love my life so much right now that I feel like I am dreaming. In fact, there is a quote that says you know you are living the good life when reality is better than your dreams. The quote suits my situation perfectly. I miss my family and friends so much though! I wish they were here to experience this with me. That is the only thing besides internet that my experience is missing! I got the opportunity to talk to my boyfriend tonight which was really nice as well as my mother, uncle, sister and baby cousin. Hearing their voices always makes me feel less far from them! Well I am off to make a little video of my first week’s adventures that I will be posting on here as soon as it is complete!
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It was the sweetest gesture and man was it delicious. It has been an awesome morning. I really hope this video uploads soon so I can go explore on such a lovely day!
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