ROMA DUE!

Our sleep didn't last very long...we were up and out the door early again. As my Dad always says to me when I am annoyed about not getting enough sleep, "just sleep fast, kiddo!"

Our bags were getting so weighed down after buying some stuff along the way that we made the decision to send some things home in the mail. Also, Jeni and I were flying out of Rome the next day (November 11) to Lisbon, Portugal. We found a great flight deal with Easy Jet, Europe's discount airline, for €65 each, however, the catch was that if you needed to check your bag, it would cost extra. My backpack was small enough to qualify as carry-on luggage, and only one piece of carry-on is allowed. I was overloaded and couldn't get all my stuff into my backpack anymore...I was hauling things around in my day bag, my running shoes were dangling on the side of my backpack and some liquor was stuffed in the outside pockets. Crammed to the NUTS! We marched over to the post office, at the main train station by our hostel, and put together two packages to send home...which took a painful 2 hours. Sigh...I won't even bother going into detail...but I got the vibe that the post office staff thought we were being the biggest pains in the asses. Anyways, I wanted my package going out the cheapest way possible...meaning the slowest and least secure...but, good news, I just received it yesterday (November 28)!! YAY!! Relieved because my leather hand bag was in it...and my boots!

It was Vatican day! I just have to say, because it came to mind just now, we had the best weather in Rome (minus the rainy, first night). 20 degrees and a sunny, cloudless sky both days we were there. I think back to the day at the Vatican, which was only two and a half weeks ago my gawd, and it was so warm and beautiful. It was a good day. A good day to pray and ask God for a spanky, new BMW in the near future! Juuuussssttt kidddddding!

We took the bus to the Vatican City and the sweetest, older gentleman decided he would like to show us the way into the Vatican from the bus stop. We followed like sheep, as he talked to us in Italian. Once we reached the entrance to get into St. Peter's Basilica, he grabbed our hands, kissed them and exclaimed, "ciao bellas!". Why, thank you! So nice.

Again, J-Sak and I were able to just walk right in to the Basilica...no half-day line ups that we were warned about were to be found. Maybe we were just lucky? We decided to check out the Basilica on our own, but pay for a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. St. Peter's Basilica...wow...the largest Christian church in the world...and it was amazing inside! Both my Mom's side and my Dad's side of the family come from Catholic backgrounds and, as a result, I grew up learning about Catholic ideologies. To step foot inside the mecca of Christendom was an altogether different feeling that is hard to describe. Also, I did not know this, but the Basilica is the burial sight of St. Peter...as in Simon Peter, one of Jesus' twelve apostles. It is believed that around 64 AD, Peter traveled to Rome and became a martyr of his faith under the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. Peter is also considered the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. All of this, I did not know and found it interesting and, at the same time, eerie. Jeni also ran into a former co-worker of hers from ATCO...haha...at the Vatican, in St. Peter's Basilica. Just another day in Europe.

Later in the afternoon we met up with our tour group for the Sistine Chapel. This part I was most excited about! Before traveling throughout Europe, I knew who Michelangelo was, but not in depth. And, because I had the opportunity to see his marble masterpieces in Florence, I got more of a sense of what kind of artist he was and how much of an impact his art has made on humanity. I think this certainly enhanced my experience of seeing the Sistine Chapel for the first time. Also, I am so glad we did a tour. The information you get before you see the Chapel is really beneficial, I think anyways. We are first lead through the Vatican Museums, which hold tens of thousands of pieces of art collected over centuries by the Catholic Church, and include masterpieces by Michelangelo and Raphael, and many other important pieces from the Renaissance era. Our guide informed the group that if we were to look at each piece of art for 20 seconds, it would take a person 10 years to go through everything! After about an hour and a half going through the main pieces in the Museums, we are lead to the Sistine Chapel. OoOooooOO, great anticipation!

The Sistine Chapel really was remarkable. I know it sounds typical, but it truly is the most outstanding work of art that I have ever seen. And, because I knew the information I did about Michelangelo before heading into the Chapel, I understood why it is such an incredible and genius masterpiece. First of all, not only was Mikey a brilliant sculptor, but he could whip up a freakin' beautiful fresco painting on a giant ceiling. Second, to paint the entire ceiling took him only 4 years. Maybe that's a fair amount of time, I don't know, but I thought that was impressive. If I was painting a chapel ceiling, it just might take me a lifetime. Third, do you guys know what frescoes are? I didn't know much about the technique before I toured Europe so I will briefly explain. Pigment is mixed with water and is then applied to a thin layer of wet plaster (fresco meaning "fresh"). The pigment is then absorbed into the plaster and, once dry, the color will last forever. Also, once the pigment is applied to the plaster, there is no erasing or correcting mistakes...it's permanent. Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling in 1508, when he was 33 years old. Go see it. It was quite emotion-invoking.

And that was Rome. After we left the Vatican City, we did what we do best...walked. Haha! We found a nice place to eat and enjoyed our last Italian meal knowing that we had seen all we wanted to see in Rome. I mean, of course I could've stayed longer and explored more, but we got the big things accomplished! It was too bad it was such whirlwind visit...but that means there will hopefully be a "next time". Oh and, to celebrate our Italian adventures, we sought out a gelateria (of course, expect no less from us!) recommended by our tour guide...millions of flavours and they give you a giant dollop of whipped cream on top of your goody if you so choose! Ummm, yes please!

Ciao bella! Italy, she's been real nice!