6 Dec:
That morning, Becky wanted to go check out St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City because it's one of the major reasons she wanted to go to the Vatican. Other things we wanted to fit into the day include souvenir shopping, a sit-down dinner, and a tour of the Colosseum. However, we had to leave by 4pm to catch our flight at 7:30p, so I doubted we would fit everything into the day. Becky really wanted to see St. Peter's, and we weren't going to drop the Colosseum, and I was adamant about the souvenirs because I haven't bought much of anything yet, so dropping the dinner it was.
But we weren't going to lug around our back packs all day, not when Abby got a hotel room to herself (she's staying until Wednesday). So after checking into there and dropping off our stuff, we left.
There is a line into St. Peter's not because it lacks space but because you go through security to get into it. It didn't take long. No one set off the metal detectors or anything, so that was easy peasy. But the cathedral (or basilica or whatever) was gorgeous. Made entirely of marble and really ornate and full of religious stories and statues of popes and alters of popes and there had to have been three different areas to hold three different masses. In fact, there was a mass going on while I was there wandering about. Becky climbed to the top so she could take pictures of the view of Rome. I decided to stay down and admire everything in the basilica. We didn't have time to do both and climb to the top.
Took a lot of pictures. (Sorry, no pictures this time because I'm crunched for time and it takes a while to upload them.) There was a small prayer room where photos weren't allowed, and I went in and said a prayer for basically everyone I know. Yes, Mom and Dad, I said a prayer for you in the Vatican. How awesome is that? Wandered some more, and then Abby and I checked out the crypt where all the dead popes are buried. We walked by Pope John Paul II's tomb and it had a few flowers on it. There was a barrier separating the people who wanted to linger in front of it and people who just wanted to pass on by. Quite a few of the people lingering were crying. I said a prayer that went something like "Hey, John Paul. I hear you were awesome. So keep being awesome. Amen." It was a lot more formal, but the context is basically the same.
Met up with Becky then and we took the metro to the Colosseum. We got crepes along the way because Abby had been craving once for a few days and Becky and I wanted to try one just to see what it was like. It was good but almost too sweet. I couldn't finish mine.
At the Colosseum, we found another tour on the street, but this guy had an actual name tag and tee shirt and everything, so we knew from the get-go it was fairly legit. The tour would last two hours and would include the Colosseum and Palomino Hill which is really close by. We had different tour guides for both places. The guide for the Colosseum was Italian, spoke really decent English, used a really old book on the Colosseum to show us pictures, and was also really really funny. During the course of the tour, Becky was labeled as the Vestial Virgin, and Abby was the non-virgin. When we first entered the Colosseum, Roberto (the guide) pointed to a penis graffiti'd on the wall and Abby said she's seen bigger. ("I'm not a virgin, remember?" she teased.) So then Roberto pointed out an even bigger penis grafitti'd on the wall to please her. We laughed.
Colosseum was pretty awesome. It made me want to watch a gladiator game just to see what it was like. But I wouldn't want to live in ancient Rome. As a woman, I would be part of a class that's lower than the Plebes, and that's pretty low. I wouldn't have been able to sit down in the colosseum. I couldn't own land or horses or call a house my own (legally). I prefer my equal opportunities in my era, thanks.
Palomino Hill was really cool. It was pretty and the grass was green. Our guide for this one spoke slowly and with awesome English (she's from Canada so of course she'd be awesome at English). But she made sure everyone understood what she was saying and her enunciation was clear. Very professional. She also encouraged questions, so after she told the story about the founding of Rome, I asked her when and how Remus was killed. Depends on who you ask that question to. Ask a Roman and they'll say Remus died by Romulus's hand, but the folk in Sienna say that Remus escaped and founded Sienna. I thought that was really interesting.
We also walked through the ruins of a grand house for the Roman rulers. All the marble was stripped bare from it, so we only saw old crumbly walls with holes in them. (The holes would have held lead working that held up the marble.) The marble from this ancient house was stripped during the Renaissance period and reforged into the majority of St. Peter's Basilica. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right? We also saw the Roman Forum from the top of the hill, but we didn't go down into it because we didn't have the time. By this time, it was about three and we still had to do souvenir shopping.
Stopped in almost every store and at every booth we found. I finally bought Adam's sweatshirt (white hoodie with "Italia" on the front) for 12 EUR at a store run by an Asian man. He was really friendly. Only spoke his native language and Italian, but he did know enough to tell me the price of something. Amazing how people communicate without knowing each others language. Then I got my patch for maybe 1 EUR more than I would have paid, but I didn't mind. I wanted to find a Vatican City patch, but they weren't easy to locate. The patches were hard enough in the area we were. So I made do without it. But I will buy you, Vatican City patch, if I find you somewhere else. I saw patches for other countries in Florence, so I'm hoping I'll find one in France or something.
It was 4:15p when we finally left for the airport. Becky and I bid Abby good-bye, enjoy Roma by yourself, have fun, and then we were off. We thought we would be late for the plane, but there was absolutely nothing to worry about. We missed the 5:00p bus that would take us to the airport, so we got the 5:20p instead. We spent the time repacking our things so it all fit into one carry-on. Ryanair is pretty strict on that rule, but they didn't check anything for this flight. So my first flight with Ryanair is unusual in that regard. Still, I'm not about to carry on a backpack and a purse somewhere else. They'll make me check something in, I know it.
Waited a long time at the airport. The flight left 30 minutes late for whatever reason. If I wasn't resting my eyes, I was reading my book on the flight home. Made me want to have an audio book because I didn't want to read physical words. Ryan, please send more audio books my way. Did not feel well on the descent. Mom reminded me when I called her upon our landing in London that she did send Dramamine for just that sort of thing. Gotta remember to get that on the plane this weekend.
At the border control, for checking passports, there were three people who didn't have their border crossing cards filled out. Becky went, and then one of the ladies stood up to go through, so I was bumped back in line. At the same time the other two finished, a woman in a wheel chair and her husband came by to cross the border. I rolled my eyes and moaned. The line just got longer and I didn't even move! Becky was already on the other side and couldn't see what the hold up was. But a second border agent came by and checked in my passport so I didn't have to wait so long. Didn't ask me any questions, which was nice. I could just trounce on through then.
Really didn't feel well on the bus ride back to the city. Felt better after walking to the Tube, which was still open, but the actual Tube ride wasn't so much fun. I got back to my room, put on my pjs, and promptly went to bed. Not without calling home to ask about a housing issue for next year. The housing issue is now resolved, so it's nothing now. But I did forget to call my parents and ask about it.
Sorry no pictures for this one. But if you ask, I can email you a few! Or if you know Mom, she can show you on Facebook. I have loads of pictures. If I know you in real life, I'm happy to send some your way! Don't be afraid to ask.
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