My Perfect Tourist Day (1/26)

Breakfast
We finally went to the store so I had food to cook with this morning. I’m still getting used to our stove but today I made scrambled eggs. Well, it was more like an omelet with nothing in it cause I turned the heat up too high and it was cooked by the time I went to scramble it. But it reminded me of when I was younger and I was learning how to make scrambled eggs. Grandpa told me never to put the butter in until right before I’m ready to add the eggs. And he said that if it was too hot the butter would turn brown and that meant you needed to turn it down and wait some more. He also taught me to add a little water or milk before cooking. Good times.

Bocca della verità
Then Nicole and I headed for the bus. We didn’t know how long of a wait we had in store but we stuck it out. Today was the first time we ever took the 715. The bus was very nice.




Nicole and I needed to have a picture to remember the momentous occasion of riding in a Mercedes Benz bus. I know, sweet.


This is a Smart car. They fit all of two people in them but they are wicked fast.


We got off the bus and this is what we saw. We drive by this every day on our way to school but we never have the chance to stop and look at what it really is.


And then we were at the Bocca. A little background on the Bocca, not that I know much, tale has it that if you put your hand in the “mouth” and say something it will close on you if you are telling a lie. I said “I love Rome” and I still have my hand.


After you take your picture with the bocca you walk into a church. Once inside you get to see the normal things that can be found in a church and the not so normal. One of the not so normal things is a relic. In this instance I am using relic to describe the remains of a deceased holy person. In the very center you can see the person’s skull.


Another beauty of old churches are the attention to detail they showed to everything. This is just one section of the floor and I took it because it seemed to be the most complex of all the other tiles.


One interesting thing that I learned about churches, basilicas in particular, is that in the old days they used to be the local courthouse. If you look closely you will see the two levels where people would sit and watch a court procession take place and the center where the chairs are would be cleared and that would be the area where the person speaking would stand. At least, that’s what I think.

The Hill
Once we had finished with the church we went up the hill to take a closer look at the park. We go by the street that leads to the hill and Nicole is always talking about how she wants to go up there. God put us in the right spot because the bocca was right next to the hill. We went up there and everything was lush and alluring.


This was my first sight of the park. You cant see the park so much as what lies behind it but it was this big open area used for running and walking dogs. I want to buy a good guide book for Rome so that I can read up on what exactly everything is that I see. Jeff and Lourdes have a book and I forget what it is called but as soon as I remember that I will look into finding it here.


This is a closer picture of what lies behind the park. We have no clue what it is or what it used to be but it always amazes me when I see stuff like that. To think that something that people without the technologies of today created so many years ago is still standing baffles me.

The zoo
When we had had our fun at the park we left in search of the zoo. Nicole was almost 100% positive that the zoo was no where nearby but I saw a sign that said zoo and an arrow pointing some way so I thought it had to be close. Boy was I wrong. We walked for a little bit and then had no idea where to go so we asked a girl. She said we had to go to the metro and jump on that and switch to the A line and get off at Flamengo exit and take that to some other place and it was too convoluted for me to follow so we gave up. Some other time.


This is a car that we saw and it actually is a shell on top of a motorcycle. I guess there is one wheel in front and two in the back but its made to hold one person and all their crap. Crazy Italians.

Found a garage sale sotto la stazione ostienze
Nicole and I headed back home after what felt like a very full day. We took another bus that we had never been on before and we got off at the train station (different than the metro). There is a gift shop and grocery store inside so we went to get groceries. On our way out we noticed a sign that said “Garage sale” and it was sotta la stazione. We figured we should at least check it out to see what it was about. We went down stairs and found all sorts of cool things. They were selling Cuban cigars and silver salt and pepper shakers. They had CDs and VHSs of old Italian stuff. Most everything was really old but in good condition and worth owning. I had to talk myself out of buying a lot of different little things because I would have no way of bringing them back home. But we did pick up a few things and felt like we had conquered the world. We left there and went back home for real that time to eat leftovers.

Vodafone
Everything closes so early here. Imagine this, if you will. It’s 4 o’clock on a Saturday and you want to put more minutes on your prepaid phone. Your service provider is quite close so you go for a stroll. When you get to the building, it’s closed. You look at the open-close times and you see that on Saturdays they close at 1. What the hell? Why bother opening if you are only going to be open for 3 hours? I know, it just means that I have to get there earlier but it seems so dumb to be for them to be closed. Oh well. You live, you learn.

Met a new friend
The reason that I was trying to hard to get minutes put on my phone was because I was going to meet a friend for the first time and I was supposed to call her when I was close. Its not one of those creepy people you meet on line kind of things but we have a mutual friend who thought we should meet. And I’m very happy that we did.

I took a bus to the Ministry building and waited for 15 minutes for her to get there. She greeted me with the signature Italian double kiss and it was like we had known each other forever. She took me to the piazza closest to her house and told me that the church located there was owned by the Vatican. So when you go into the church you are no longer on Italian soil. I thought that was kind of cool. She said that if I was ever running from the cops I could run in and there is nothing they could do about it but sit outside and wait. Then we went to this little gelato shop where she treated. I got my favorite flavor, limone, and she got nutella and cookies & cream. We walked around that area and she showed me some cute shops and nice restaurants in her area. Then we went back to her apartment. Oh my goodness her place was so cute. It was about two times the size of my place and it felt so warm and homie. We sat in the kitchen and talked about our families and got to know each other a little better. We even planned out a few trips to take together. I’m so happy Silvia, my Italian professor at Mizzou, introduced us. Grazie Silvia.

Breakfast, again
So, the day ends, just as it began, with breakfast. Christina was such a doll. She gave me pancake mix that her mother had brought her when she came to visit last week. I was just thinking about how much I miss pancakes and I even asked my mom for a pancake recipe. They were so great. They needed syrup but you take what you can get. The bag said that it would make 10 pancakes but it only made about 7… and I ate them all.

On a different note, if you are interested in seeing what Fabiana and Renato look (and act) like, click below.

Margaret Farmer

So, I was telling my former roommate about Margaret, the ghost that lives in my house in Kansas City, and I told her that Margaret goes with me wherever I go. When I was a little kid I remember seeing Margaret standing in my closet. Jake, my brother, woke me up in the middle of the night and pointed to our closet doorway where we saw this woman dressed in a white gown with a glow to her. She never did anything harmful but I have always believed that she was around. Whenever something weird would happen in the house I would say “Cut it out Margaret.” And that was that.

When I moved to Columbia my second year, I lived in an apartment with Lauren. When you walked into the apartment there were two different sides to it. Each side had its own bathroom and two bedrooms. Lauren and I picked the side furthest from the entryway, as if it were safer. The first night that we were there we didn’t want to sleep in our rooms (partly because we hadn’t fully unpacked and also because it was weird to be in a new place alone) so we, correction, I made a palate for us to sleep on in the middle of the living room floor. We had just turned off the TV and were slowly falling asleep. Keep in mind that we lived here alone. Out of nowhere, we started to hear running water. She and I awoke and listened very hard for where it was coming from. We both agreed that it was coming from the unused wing. Once we figured it out we heard the faucet turn off, not just the water but the handle. I got up to grab a knife because we had no idea if someone was there or not. I went it, turned on all the lights and inspected each room and closet. There was no one there. That was the night I determined Margaret goes where I go.

When I was packing to leave for Italy the thought had crossed my mind on whether or not she would be joining me. I told myself, “No way would someone endure a flight a quarter ways around the world just to bug you.” And that was all the time I gave that thought. That is, until two nights ago.

It was Wednesday, January 23. Nicole and I had our friend Jimmy over for dinner that night. We had spinach and ricotta tortellini and grilled chicken. We were all winding down after the meal and talking about our experiences living with different people. Nicole and I agreed that Jack was by far the easiest person to live with last semester and how all I requested from him was that he keep the seat down on the toilet (which he left up once). That led Nicole into an inquiry of her own. She asked me if I left the toilet seat up the night before. She said she almost fell in the toilet. I was thinking to myself “why would I put the seat up?” and then I distinctly remembered putting the seat down to sit on it while I read. Then all I could think was Margaret Farmer made her was to Italy and this was her way of saying, “Guess what? I’m here.”

It’s not that she scares me, because she doesn’t. She has never done anything harmful for as long as I can remember and I don’t think she would start now. But why did she have to come here? Maybe I’m just being the crazy person now but I have no other explanations for why the toilet seat would be up. I got out of the shower and did not go anywhere near the toilet and Nicole went in to use the restroom and almost fell in. How did it happen? Oh well, as long as she doesn’t mess with me, she is welcome.

Men in Italy

The men in Italy make me laugh. There are so many different kinds of men here and it seems like I cant go out without having some kind of encounter with at least one man. Let me line them up for you.

The first night that Lourdes and her family were here I walked home from Piramide. That day was a game day for the Roman team (they’re kind of a big deal to the Romans). There is this American restaurant and there was a circle of men standing out front. I tried to walk through it and the first side let me pass but when I got to the other side they would not let me out. So here I am, tired and cold, standing in the middle of a circle of men. They were all very friendly, no worries there, but they were asking me something in Italian that my brain did not want to try to understand. I simply said “Sorry but I don’t speak Italian” and the main guy says, “How can you be in Italy and not speak Italian? Let me guess, American?” I laughed and said yes. He asked me if I love Rome and I said yes. And then they all started cheering, all except one guy. I guess they were trying to prove the point that everyone loves the Roman team and he is the only outsider. His friends apologized for him being so drunk and they let me pass. After I left they were calling after me asking me what my name is but I was too tired so I kept walking.

Another night I was on my way back home and I had taken the metro again. I was with Nicole and Jimmy this night. We were on our way out of the train station and it was very cold. These two guys were at a table asking people to donate money to some children’s fund. He walked right up to me and said something to me in Italian. I said my same old line about not speaking Italian and he says, “That’s ok. I speak English. I was just saying that I like your hat. It looks very warm and I am so cold in here.” I said thank you and he took my hand and said that I was very hot (meaning warm) and that he was sooo cold. I then smiled and walked away.

Another day, I was waiting for the bus and a man told me I had nice hands. I already told that story so I wont go into it again. Then there was a day that I was sitting on the bus and there was a man standing next to me reading a book. I kept looking at his book wishing I knew what it was titled and knew what it was about. I would have settled for recognizing the author. He noticed that I kept looking at the book and smiled at me. He understood that I had no idea what it was about and I think he chuckled on the inside at my American ignorance. When I got up to leave he gave me a wink and I gave him a smile. He reminded me of a nice old man, old in the sense that he was in his early to mid forties. But for those few minutes that we rode together we got each other. And when he gave me a wink it was nothing more than a head nod goodbye, his way of saying nice to meet you.

A few days ago it was raining on and off so everyone had umbrellas. Nicole and I were headed to Termini to get a movie so we took a different bus that usual. We were standing next to this man and he turns to me and says something in Italian that I vaguely understood. He was laughing at his friends giant umbrella that he was awkwardly holding. I laughed. He then showed me that he had his umbrella up his sleeve. I then unzipped my purse and showed him where mine was. I actually told him in Italian, too. He introduced himself and his friend. His name was Mario and his friend was Sergio Ferrari. He said that he and his family have lived in Rome since the beginning of time and that he had an uncle that lived in New York for a while. He had been to New York once. His friend was from Tuscany and they were joking that he was a Tuscano not an Italiano. They were very nice men, late fifties, early sixties.

Nicole and I go to market every Sunday and we have gone by this booth two weeks in a row. The first time we went by, one man asked Nicole to marry him. She said no and he looked very sad. The second time we went by he remembered her and told her to come over to him. She said “Nah, I’ll pass.” He looked sad again. It was quite entertaining. The main guy that hands to bags out at that place was always my favorite at that booth. He knows a little English and tries to speak it when I go by. Today I was trying to fish out a bag and gave up because it was stuck and I only had one hand so he fished it out for me. He’s very good looking, probably 23. But every time I see him I cant help but thinking about Jeffrey and the book he gave me. The guy kind of dresses like Jeff but I am mostly reminded of him because of Kite Runner. The guys that work the booth look like they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, one of the Stans (that’s what Jeff and I call all the countries that are not included in the middle east; they all contain the word “stan”). And when I see them I think of Amir and his father.

Nicole and I ran into another guy at the market today. He was carrying an Ikea bag and Nicole pointed at it and said look as we were walking by him. I was turning around to look at the bag and I noticed that he was wondering what we were looking at. I think its rude to stare and not tell the person why you are staring so I turned around to let him know. I said that we have that same store in America and we were admiring his bag. He said “You American? I American, too.” And he linked arms with me. We both laughed and then I walked away.

You see, they are all very friendly. And none of them are creepy or anything like that. The blond said it best, “Italian men love to flirt.”

Why my school is grand…

In Italy
I have to say that the top reason for why my school kicks ass is the fact that it is in Italy. I feel extremely blessed that I can say I live in another country. I know that not many people have the opportunity to move out of their home state let alone country. I know that I’m not moving here permanently, yet, but its still a change of pace that that everyone is entitled to have.

A Typical Day’s Events
A typical day for me is composed of many great things. For one of my classes, we went on a walk to the Pantheon. WTF? Who does that? I mean, how amazing is it that I walk to the Pantheon for a class lecture, and not just to go? It was my first time going and it was so great.


This is a fountain located in the front of the Pantheon.


This is the front of the Pantheon.


In the very front of the Pantheon there is an open area that is nothing but floor, ceiling, and columns. This is the very top of the columns. I love how everything in Italy is done with such finesse.


Inside the Pantheon the ceiling is a big dome. The higher up the dome the thinner the dome gets so that it can hold itself up. And the floors slant downward from the center for when it rains. There is a big hole in the very center of the dome (where you can see the light coming in) and its open year round so when it rains water comes in. The other building structure that helps with rainwater are drains in the floor. They are simple little slits that look like stars but they help minimize water damage.


The pantheon is still used as a church so you will see things like seats and an alter and even…


… a statue of Jesus. I love all of the different ways that Jesus is shown. What I think amazes me the most is the fact that even though they are all a little different, they are so similar to what we have back home.

Later that day, my class took a walk to Campo di fuori to take pictures. It’s a photography class and we do this every class period. This time it was campo and it was just after all the venders had left to go home. The assignment was to capture what was going on at campo in that moment. Here they are.











The next day my same teacher that I have for Masterpieces of the Vatican decided to take this class (Renaissance & Baroque Art) to Santa Maria sotta Minerva Basilica. I don’t believe it is one of the 7 Basilicas but it was beautiful regardless. We learned that the cathedrals off the sides of the church are bought by different families to have their loved ones buried in the church. They are all closed off my gates and only the families and the church have the keys. So you don’t get to go in unless your family tells the church that they want to have a mass there. And I think you only get to do that when it’s close to the anniversary of the death. Here is what I captured.


They were filming a movie or a commercial in front of the church so we weren’t allowed to stand on the other side of the elephant or get a better angle of the elephant.


This church had very interesting stained glass. Most places you see stained glass is either just a design or it is a story but this incorporated both in its design.


This is a woman crying and she is set on the side of a tomb. I don’t remember who’s tomb it was exactly but it was less old than most of the others. You can tell because it uses two different mediums, it’s more life like and they have it on a 3D scale meaning it pops out at you.


I believe Michelangelo did this piece and it took him two pieces of marble to make it. The reason for that is the first slab that he used split on him so he had to start again.


This slab just had a creed or something inscribed on it but I thought it was too beautiful to not take a picture of.


This is the front of the church. If you can imagine, behind the gold piece in the center is a long wooden bench that stretched along the whole back wall, and there were priests or monks back there praying. Va bene!

Location
Back in America location is prime. Italy is no different. My school is located right off of the south turn in Piazza Navona. We are also close to San Pietro. Last time I went it was only a 10 minute walk. Which is very nice for me because they have their own postal service and its more reliable and just as close as my Roman Post Office.

Also nearby are a bunch of cute little eateries. The closest are the gelato shop and the paninoteca. I go to each once a week. My favorite panino has tacchino, pomodoro, insalata, and formaggio. She toasts it for me and it is to die for. If I go to the gelato shop I always get limone. Sometimes I mix it with fragola but I like the limone better. There is also a pastry shop close by and they sell pastries in the morning and pizza in the afternoon. I think they also have select meats but I’ve never had them. My favorite there is the krapfet but they have only had it once. Next to that I love all the different kinds of cornetti that they have.

Aside from food shops, we also have a ton of glass blowing shops by my school. I went in a few of them and let me tell you, if I was never going back home I would have bought so many pieces from these places. The chandeliers that they have are so amazing looking. Aunt Stella, you would love it here.

We also have a bookstore that is very close, it’s at the bus stop that I get off at on my way to school. The people there, although they asked me to sit at another table that one day, are very friendly. I wanted to get a movie and they were out so I asked the guy to tell me when they would have it again. He looked in the computed and told me to go to another location because if I waited for it to come in it would be double what it was selling for that day. It was very honest, and nice, of him. So I went to the other location and I bought a movie that I found out will only play on my laptop or on a DVD player that I buy in Italy. It was completely worth it because it is my favorite movie and it has Italian dubs and subtitles. I already own the movie back home and it offers neither of those on it. the movies is Sotto il Sole Della Toscana.

The other great thing about our location is it only takes one bus to get me home. Most of the other people have to take a metro and then jump on a bus or they have to take a tram and then a bus but we only have a bus. Its conveniently located two blocks from our house, which makes the wait nice.

My classes
I’ve been in school for two weeks now and I can honestly say that my classes are kind of dry. I’m hoping that’s because it’s still early and things will pick up. I feel like I haven’t really learned anything new in my Italian class, and I fall asleep during most of my classes. But the fun thing is that we go out into the city in all of my classes. And my photography class has definitely been a good class for me. The teacher, Mario, said that I have a good eye for taking pictures and he complimented me on the pictures that I took this week. The lesson that day was to take pictures looking down and still being able to capture what was going on. He said that when we have limits, they give us more freedom. In saying that he means because we know how to work with a limit we are able to do something more than someone who did not know how to work with it. I really like that class and it’s the only one that doesn’t put me to sleep.

But the classes will get better. I will learn more and I will have fun all the while.

My two days with the Krauses (1/20-1/21)

Lourdes called me around one to let me know they were in town and they were going to be going to the major basilicas and I was more than willing to come. I thought that would be nice so I took her up on her offer. I had a few hours to kill before meeting up with her so I cleaned my room and put away the great stuff that I bought at the market this morning. I bought two new purses, one black, the other brown, and a pair of black boots. They are great but I’m going back next Sunday to get another pair of green boots. I know that green sounds like a weird color for boots but trust me, they are great.

San Paolo Basilica
I walked down one of the main streets on my way to Stazione Piramide to catch the metro to San Paolo Basilica. The wait wasn’t long but I definitely got their before Jeff, Lourdes, and the kids did. I went to the park to read a little while I waited. I was 50 pages from being finished with Kite Runner when Lourdes called to tell me they were there. I walked to the Basilica. I was greeted with smiles and open arms. It was so great, like being with my family.


This is what the ceiling looked like going down the isles. The detail was astonishing. To think that someone took the time to not only think up that ceiling but actually execute the making of it astonishes me.


Jeff prepped us for this site. If you look along the top of the picture you will see the faces of previous Popes. Inside this Basilica there is a portrait of every single Pope that ever existed. Along a different wall there is a portrait of Pope Benedict XVI with a light shinning on his face as an indicator that he is the current one.


This is a statue of San Paolo, or Saint Paul. Lourdes told me that the way that you know its St. Paul is by looking at the sword that he is carrying. San Paolo is always shown with a sword. His name used to be Saul because he was a soldier that persecuted Christians but his name was changed to Paul, not sure why, but he’s always depicted with a sword.


From Left to Right you have Lourdes, Sophie, Me, Vickie, Isabel, and Christian.


Mostly same people except I’m not in there and Jeff is.


This is San Pietro, or Saint Peter. Lourdes told me that the way that Peter is always shown is with keys because he holds the keys to Heaven. So… this is Peter, note the keys in his hands.


And guess who this is… You’re right, San Paolo. He’s holding his sword, like always.


This was the holy water holder thing, I don’t know what it’s called. But I was looking at it and thought it was worthy of remembering. There is an angel on one side and something that looks like a demon or even maybe the devil. It had horns, very long toenails, and the wings looked bat like. What seemed most interested about this statue was the mixture of two different elements, good and evil.

Piramide
Once we had finished at the basilica, we headed back to the metro to get back to the hotel. We made some stops on the way and the first was to the pyramid. I live about 15 minutes walking distance from the pyramid. The history of the pyramid is that a man wanted to be buried in a pyramid like the Egyptians. So when he died he had his children build him a pyramid. They went completely bankrupt in doing it but they had to fulfill his last dying wish.


The pyramid was built before the walls were put up around the city so if you look to the left of the pyramid you will see the wall built right into it. Before the wall was torn down to make way for roads it served as a way to protect the people from raids by other countries. People didn’t even live on the outside of those walls because it was unsafe.


This is a piece of art that sits across the street from the Piramide. It is a WWII statue that is supposed to express how cruelly prisoners were treated during the war. It’s always creeped me out.

Colloseo
We jumped back on the metro to go two stops down to the coliseum. I had been there a few times before but hadn’t taken any pictures with it.


As soon as we stepped foot over there Jeff was camera crazy. He asked if I had taken any pictures with the coliseum and said I needed one. This was it.


This is the Arch of Constantine, I think. It’s right next to the coliseum and its just one more beautiful thing to add to the list of marvels in Rome.

Stazione Repubblica
This was the last stop for the day. We got off the metro and walked up these steps to be greeted with a beautiful sight of the building of the Republic. I’m not sure what it is for and I was such a dingbat that I didn’t take any pictures. But it was gorgeous. There was a fountain in the center of the circle and the building went around it. It was composed of tall columns and marble floors. Very beautiful.

Hotel
We walked to the hotel from the station. The hotel didn’t look like a whole lot of anything from the outside but when we got inside it was like being somewhere different. Much of italy is like that, it looks like one thing from the outside but the inside is always something of a surprise. There was a courtyard on the inside and the elevator was located right next to it. we took this very old elevator up to the fourth floor and we walked across this outdoor skywalk to get to the lobby. They handed us the keys to the room and we went down the hall. It was very interesting, you had to have the key to be able to turn on the lights. It was small and cute and even their bathroom was nicer than ours.

Ristorante
We walked over to Barberini to try and find something to eat. We came across this very cute place that was reasonably priced. We go so much food and everything was good. We had cozze alla marinara, penne arrabiata, salmone alle linguine, something with clams, margherita pizza, prosciutto pizza, tortellini Bolognese, penne Siciliano, pane, vino and acqua. Everything tasted so fresh.


This is what was left of the Cozze alla marinara. It’s pretty much just mussels with a white wine and olive oil sauce. It was sooo good. When we finished the mussels we were using the sauce as a dip for our pane. It was a perfect combination.

Spanish Steps
After dinner we headed toward the Spanish Steps. I had been there earlier in the week and thought that it was a little over rated but when I got to see it at night with no one there it was stunning.


This is the same view that I took the picture where the street was crowded and there was an ambulance trying to make its way through and was having trouble.


The girls were carrying Sophie up by her armpits and I wanted a picture of it. Lourdes was yelling that they were going to rip her arms out. I thought it was funny.

Termini
From the Spanish Steps we walked to Termini, the largest station in Rome, I think. You should look up a map of Rome and see how far it is and try and follow my days around the city. From Termini, I went home, to Piramide.


This is one of the fountains at the four corners. There is a fountain on each corner at one intersection in Rome. There are two fountains of the rivers and the other two are of goddesses. This is Leto. The swan in the background is Zeus. He gets her pregnant and she has Apollo and Artemis.

DAY TWO

Piazza di San Pietro
Lourdes called me and told me that they had just finished at the Vatican museum and were one their way to do St. Peter’s Basilica. I was invited and you know I had to take her up on the offer. What could be more great than getting to see St. Peter’s Basilica with someone to tell me all the interesting things about it? I made a walk over there (about 20 minutes from my school, around Piazza Navona)


This was my first time seeing the piazza. I was blown away. I took this picture in the middle of the street and I thought that I was going to forget that I was in the street and get honked at. But I didn’t.


This is the fountain on the right side (when looking at the basilica) of the piazza. I love fountains, and I love that I can now say that I have lived in the two cities with the most fountains in the world (Rome being number one, Kansas City number two).


This is one of the entryways to the basilica that we are not allowed to go in. That is a Swiss guard making sure no one tries to weasel their way in. Lourdes said that the reason that the guard is Swiss is because back in the day they were the best trained soldiers. Then, when the Swiss decided that they didn’t want to be involved in wars they kept their soldiers there and they still trained them to be the best. That makes sense, only the best for the Pope.

San Pietro Basilica
We stood in line for a while waiting to get inside. As we waited I took pictures of everything. When I got inside, I took more pictures.


This is the very top of the basilica. We didn’t go up there but for 5€ and 553 steps you can walk up there and have a great view. I hear that it is the best view of the city. When I make it up there you will be the firsts to know.


This is another statue of none other than San Paolo. I would hate to have been on his bad side. He looks fierce.


This is what the piazza looks like from the entryway of the basilica.


These doors are only opened when the Pope declares it a holy year. The last time that they were opened was in 2000 because it was a jubilee year. No one really knows when the Pope will have the doors opened but its pretty badass that he gets to pick when it will happen. He just wakes up one morning and says to himself “Heck yes. This is going to be a holy year. Let’s do it!”


This is how grand St. Peter’s is. Even their holy water holder is maxed out to the tenth power. I love how there is a mixture of mediums used to create one thing.


I cant remember the name of this piece and I cant remember who exactly created it but I do know the reason why it is behind glass. I know you cant see the glass in this picture but that is because I am such a remarkable photography. The reason it is behind the glass is because a few years ago so crazy person threw acid on it in hopes of destroying it. I’m not sure what happened to him but they put it behind glass and wont let people get close to the glass even so that nothing like that will happen.


This is the cover that goes over the alter of the Pope. Breath taking.


This is a statue of Jesus. They let you walk up to him and kiss/touch his feet. I had to do it. they were so smooth, smoother than eggs, it was no longer round, the way toes should be, because so many people have touched them over the years.


This is Peter’s seat, which sits high off the ground. Sometimes he would actually sit in it but not anymore, he’s dead.


Another shot of the cover for the alter. Rumor has it that the Barberini’s took the brass that was used at the Pantheon to construct that cover. The phrase goes: “What the Barbarians didn’t take, the Barberini’s did.”


This is Saint Veronica. If you look very close you will see the face of Jesus on her cloth. She was the woman who walked up to him as he was carrying the cross to wipe his face.


And we close with another statue of St. Peter. How perfect.

Pizza Navona
Once we were done with St. Pietro, we made a little walk over to Piazza Navona, where my school is. We took a different route than the one I took to get there. We went by the old castle, which is not a prison, and we crossed one of the original bridges of the city. We stopped in some shops that blow glass and we got to the pizza. I was informed that the Piazza used to be a horse racing track and you can still see the old booths that they used to keep the horses in. Aren’t I the lucky one?

I had such a great time with them for those two days. I’m so lucky to have people so close by that I can call family. They told me that if there is anything that I want from base just to let them know and they will find a way for me to get it. And they extended an invitation to their home so if I want to go somewhere for a weekend get away I can always go there. Thank God for good people.