It's Springing!

Spring has been out in full force for a couple weeks here in Rome. I meant to post about the budding loveliness a while ago, but one thing or another has kept me procrastinating. Just as well - waiting means that I have lovely photos of the wisteria that is blooming all over the Academy and Monteverde. I don't recall seeing wisteria bloom in any places I've lived previously - I'm sure that it exists, somewhere, but it's just not a plant that I've had much first-hand experience with. I am completely smitten. It's beautiful, it's romantic, it's fragrant - I just want to stand underneath the falling blossoms and inhale.

They are the latest of the lot; we've been seeing flowers on all the trees for a few weeks, and now the petals are beginning to slowly drift to the ground. Every day on the way to school Indigo asks, "What happened, Mama?" while pointing to a mass of fluffy pink on the cobblestone sidewalks. I'm amazed when I think that she probably doesn't remember her past two Springs. This may be her real first awareness of flowering trees, and of tiny baby plants poking up through the earth.

With the arrival of Spring, we're eating a lot of new peas and fava beans and asparagus. Some of the kitchen staff have begun to regularly sit outdoors in the afternoons, shucking peas and beans, and Indigo loves to help them. They are a gracious, friendly bunch. I dare say that we are actually helpful (me more than Indigo - she stuffs more fresh peas into her mouth than she puts in the bowl), so they are probably happy to have the help and conversation. Indigo loves helping so much that I'm thinking that when we return home, I'll look for a local farm that might welcome volunteers for an hour or so on the weekends. Why not? I'd love for Indigo to have the opportunity to learn more about food, and feel some pride in helping to make it. Speaking of gardening, and growing things, here is an image of part of the amazing Bass Garden, where some herbs and vegetables are grown.

The arrival of warmer weather has meant that we've gotten to spend a lot more time outdoors. I hear that the nightlife is back, and there are throngs crowding the streets in Trastevere. I have yet to verify this for myself, but I can believe it! The tourists are starting to crowd the daytime streets as well, and all of the "seasonal" businesses have begun to re-open. Last weekend we took a trip with another family here to an animal farm in Ostia. It was fantastic. It was a great opportunity for kids to see and interact and learn about a variety of domestic animals. In the center of the farm was a petting area, and some of the baby goats, sheep, rabbits and ducks were so small that they could slip out of their enclosures, and come right up to us for some food or a cuddle.

The biggest thing we're looking forward to this Spring is our trip to Sicily! We leave on Wednesday (in two days!!) and will be staying in Cefalu, which happens to be Josh's favorite place in the world. And soon to be mine? We'll find out!

Il Carnevale Romano

Throwing confetti

In the USA, we don't usually celebrate Carnival, with the exception of New Orleans, which celebrates Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). Before coming to Rome, I had always associated the notion of Carnival with Brazil, actually. Venice too, perhaps, if I had given it a little thought. But it turns out that many places with a large Catholic population celebrate Carnival, which occurs right before Lent begins. Rome hosts a 10-day celebration throughout the city, consisting of street performances, parades, and many horse-centered events, including races. Our family has not gotten to many of the events, but we have seen some masked and costumed street performers, thrown lots of confetti, ridden on a carousel, seen a puppet show, and tomorrow Indigo is dressing up for Martedi Grasso - there is an all-school Festa di Carnevale at her preschool. And maybe we'll let her stay up a little later to see the end-of-Carnevale fireworks.

The puppet show that we saw last weekend is not actually part of Carnevale festivities, but runs year-round. It's called Teatro di Pulcinella Gianicolo, and is one of the few open-air puppet theaters around, and has been putting on performances since the 1950's.  You can watch the whole 15-minute performance here (it's in Italian, of course).

Here are a couple more pictures of Indigo, enjoying her carousel ride, and admiring her "Queen Dress" for the party tomorrow. And after tomorrow, it's Lent...I wonder how things will go, now that the Pope is resigning? If he steps down on February 28th, and they don't have a successor until the end of March, that doesn't leave much time to get someone in by the High Holy Week, culminating in Easter (March 31st this year). This will be a crazy month. Popetacular!

I'm on a boat!

Queen Indigo

Day Trip(s): Ostia Antica

One of the easiest day trips from Rome is to Ostia Antica, an archeological site that was once a harbor city for ancient Rome. The city was founded by King Ancus Marcius at the end of the 7th century BC, but the oldest structures uncovered by excavations are dated to the early 4th century BC. Maybe there are older buildings yet to be excavated, or maybe they were destroyed in various conquests, or maybe the original structures were not made out of materials that could stand the test of time. Still, 4th century ruins are probably the oldest man-made things that I've ever seen, and the site is damn impressive.

Cheerfully waving from the necropolis

It's an easy 30-minute train ride from Rome to Ostia, and then about a 10-minute walk from the train station to the site. The site is huge, and we've seen only a small part of it, despite having gone twice. It is a little kid's paradise - lots of wide open space with all these stones and half-walls and little rooms that can be climbed on, and hidden in, and played in. Indigo's a happy kid, and I've often seen her get excited by something, but I have never seen her as delighted and overjoyed as she was on our first trip to the site. I had to practically peel her away from climbing on the walls in the old necropolis (shudder) in order to go see anything else in the site. She could have happily played there for hours. Hours.

"Another rock!"

Indigo loved walking on the cobblestone street that winds through the center of the site. She painstakingly stepped from one to the next, over and over (which is why we never got very far in). We were literally surrounded by thousands, maybe even millions of stones on the ground or all around us in the ruins, and at one point, after another painstaking step, she stopped, looked at her next step, and exclaimed, "Another rock!"

Her favorite part of the site though (that we saw), were the little warehouses and shops near the Baths of Neptune. There were several little rooms that she could go in to and explore. She was beside herself - clearly this was the coolest place she'd ever seen. We had to peel her away from there, too - I had to use every distraction and bribe I could think of to get her to come away so that we could go see some other things.

Towards the warehouses

Hanging out in an ancient warehouse

I think food and milk was the bribe that ultimately worked - she had worked up an appetite from climbing around on top of 4th century BC ruins (crazy, right!?) We ended up having a picnic on a sun-warmed rock just outside the theater, and then we climbed around on rocks some more.

"Me? Up to something?"

We returned to the site when Josh's parents were in town. Indigo was less interested in climbing this time, and more interested in jumping in muddy puddles, but at least it meant that we got a little farther into the site, and saw a few new things. Raye and Candace were especially interested in seeing the theater, which was amazing.

A view of the theater from the top of the seating area

 The theater was acoustically perfect; Ray could speak in a normal tone of voice (he's in the red hat) from the ground, and Candace and I could hear him perfectly from all the way up in the back. Indigo, meanwhile, led her daddy on a merry chase back and forth through a tunnel, and managed to impress some Italians with her pronunciation of Italian words (that's my girl!)

So yes - if you are coming to Rome, definitely go for a day trip to Ostia Antica. It's really awe-some, and it's lovely, and so good to get out of the city for a bit. Here are a few more of my favorite photos from our trips:

The main road through the site

The perfect picnic spot

Even in January, it's lovely and green

Near the Baths of Neptune and the shopping district

Tunnel into the theater

Theater dramatic masks

"Ciao!"

A Week of Celebrations

As most of you know, Indigo's birthday is right between Christmas and New Years, so we pretty much spend a solid week celebrating, opening presents, eating special and delicious food, staying up late, and being merry. It's lovely, and it's...a lot. I think we've just finally begun to get back into the swing of our usual (Roman) routine, now that the excitement's died down a bit.

We had a fantastic visit with Josh's parents, who were able to spend the holidays with us here in Rome. Besides enjoying their good company, it was gratifying to watch them get to reconnect with Indigo. They hadn't seen her since last Spring, and she's changed so much since then. I think she probably astonished them. Kids - they're magical, you know?

We had a few little adventures and day trips (I'll write a post dedicated entirely to Ostia Antica later), but spent most of our time a bit closer to home, in order to show Raye and Candace the nearby areas.

This was not Raye and Candace's first trip to Rome, so they had already seen many of the major sites around the city. They had not gotten to see much of Trastevere, though, so we spent a lot of time exploring down there, since it's just down the hill from us, and is so fun to sight-see. Walks through town started Indigo's newest addiction to "pizza yanca" (pizza bianca), which is essentially pizza bread with olive oil and sometimes salt drizzled on top. She'd often devour the snacks I'd brought for her on our walks, and we'd have to buy a little something more for her, to avoid a meltdown. So now pizza bianca is a new favorite.

Christmas was so fun. While I always enjoy Christmas, it's so much more fun when you can share in a little kid's excitement. It's just so magical; we decorate a tree with toys, put up twinkling lights, eat special food, and then suddenly some old guy brings toys to the house! Amazing, right?

Indigo was a little overwhelmed, and it took a couple days to finish opening all of her presents (which is fine, except her birthday's on the 28th, and we had to start all over again). The biggest hit was definitely the play tent we got her, in the shape of a castle. She loves that thing - and now goes in every day to read books in there. Lovely.

 As I said, we took a day trip to Ostia Antica. We also went to Frascati, a small town famous for a number of villas, for its white wine, and also for its porchetta (roasted pork). The town was ok - pretty enough but since we didn't go to any of the villas, not that noteworthy - but the porchetta was amazing. It may be on my top 5 list of the best foods I've ever had. It's at least on the top 10 list. If you're in Italy, and decide you want to try it yourself, follow the instructions on this blog.

After we ate, Indigo used the leftover bread to feed the pigeons. That's Raye in the red hat and Josh sitting on the bench behind her. Doesn't she look incredibly tall in these pictures?!

And then, of course - Indigo's birthday. Who can believe she's two years old?! I can't. We had a small party with just the family and one friend - one of her teachers from school. We're going to do a bigger, many-kid party with some other birthday boys and girls in about a week.

And finally, New Years. Some people at the Academy organized gatherings throughout the week for the various holidays. We went to them all, enjoying having the chance to chat with other people in the community. After taking Indigo home to go to bed around 8, I was able to return to the party an hour later. I hadn't expected to stay that long, but it's been awhile since I've stayed up late, especially for New Years, so I thought, why not?

The party was up on the 4th floor balcony of the Academy building. There's a telescope up there, and I was able to use it to look at the moon - amazing. I don't think I've ever really looked through a telescope before. I could see craters and everything. It was incredible.

Midnight approached, and people began setting off fireworks. I think that the city launches some of its own, at the Piazza del Popolo and at the Colosseum, but fireworks are legal here, and so everyone - and I mean everyone - began shooting off their own. There's no good way to describe it, and no picture I took could possibly catch the spectacle we saw over the city. Fireworks bloomed in the sky at hundreds upon hundreds of places, all around the city. For a solid hour. Everywhere we looked (and we could see a great deal of the city from the top of our hill) we saw little starbursts exploding. It sounded, and smelled, like a warzone. It was crazy, and disorganized, and over-the-top. It was so Italian. I've never seen anything like it, and probably never will again.

 Happy New Year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's been a month since my last post. I haven't neglected posting because I have nothing to say or share, but because life's been a little hectic around here. Indigo had a long illness (cough turning to croup turning to pneumonia and an ear infection) that led us to our second ER visit and having to keep her out of school for a couple weeks. And I was sick, and Josh was sick, and then Indigo was sick again, and Josh hurt his back. But now I think - I hope - that's all past us. So onward we go!

And while we were busy being sick, it gradually grew colder and more wintery here in Rome. Yes, Rome does get cold. Not the bone-numbing cold of New England, mind you - but the morning mile-walk to Indigo's school has gotten increasingly colder and is now, some days, done in below-freezing temperatures. It gets a little warmer throughout the day, but some days that just means that it gets up to 45 (although tomorrow it's supposed to be in the high fifties).

Personally, I welcome the cold. It's comforting. A bit of normalcy in a life that is so different from anything that I've known before. December should be cold. Christmas occurs in the winter. That's what I've known, and that's what I want.

Possibly bigger than my head?

So far, this Christmas season has been merry and a little perplexing. Of course, since the Italians don't celebrate our Thanksgiving, there is no kick-off to the Christmas season in November. In some ways, that's really pretty lovely - there's much less commercialism here, and a lot less holiday pressure (and burn-out, I suspect). The first herald of Christmas does begin to arrive in stores in November, but with little-to-no pomp and circumstance. That is Italian panettone, a kind of seasonal sweet bread that I've dubbed "the muffin as big as my head". Seriously. Look at it. Most panettone seem to have fruit and assorted craziness in them, but the one in the picture above was just chocolate chip bread. Delicious.

Our little tree

Some store fronts, especially ones that either specialize in food or are technically a corporation/chain, do decorate beginning in late November. But the vast majority do not. Some begin in early December, but the real start of the Christmas season here in Italy is on December 8th, which is the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception. All around the city, Christmas trees and Christmas lights were lit for the first time on that night. Christmas trees are really not available for sale until a few days leading up to the 8th. I tried looking for a tree the week before, and none could be found. When flower vendors did start getting some in stock, I was surprised to see that they had very few for sale, and all of them were potted. That is, you're not buying a cut tree; you're buying a live one. Maybe that's why so few are out being sold? Do people buy a tree and then tend it all year long, year after year, keeping it out on their veranda or in a courtyard to wait for the next Christmas? I've no idea. But I suppose that's what we'll do. We'll leave it on our terrace for the apartment's next occupants.

Lights just before dusk on the 8th

I'm not convinced that the majority of the city's occupants have Christmas trees, anyway (this is an ancient city, and apartments are tiny. Where would they fit them??) But I think most Italian households proudly display presepe - that is, the nativity scene. It is a Catholic city, after all. I'm told that the Vatican has a gorgeous life-sized one that they don't unveil until Christmas Eve. But presepe are all over the city - and as I understand it, in nearly every home. You can even get ones made out of chocolate, like the one in the window of the Sicilian bakery I pass on my walk to my Italian class. But isn't it sort of heretical to want to eat the baby Jesus?  I don't feel all that comfortable with the idea.

Heretical...but delicious

I plan to do a follow-up post to this one in a few days full of pictures of all the gorgeous shop windows, all decked out in their Christmas finery. Stay tuned!

But of course, one more quick thing - the most fun part of this Christmas season, so far, is Indigo's wonder and excitement at the lights, and the idea of "Father Christmas" bringing her a present on Christmas day. She refers to Santa as Father Christmas because that's what UK-created Peppa Pig does - and god, it's super cute and charming to have your not-quite-2-year-old use that quaint old-world name. And all the glitter and dazzle of Christmas decorations are magical when seen through the eyes of a child, and I've found that I'm enjoying this lead-up to the holiday immensely, more than I ever thought that I would. It's lovely.

Things

In my Halloween post, I mentioned that it was not easy to Buy Things in Italy. Let me elaborate.

We take for granted the conveniences we enjoy in the US. There are so many more things in the US - I mean material things. But it is so easy to buy things. All sorts of things. Things you don't even think of as essential things, because it's so easy to obtain them. Here? There's no Target, or similar place where you can go and buy all the various things you need. Instead you must shop in 15 different tiny little shops, and try to talk to the shopkeeps about what you need (because shops are so small, merchandise is stacked up or shoved under tables or in secret drawers or hanging from the ceiling). It is hard to explain what you need when you speak baby-talk Italian. Miming can be helpful, albeit embarrassing.

There's this hardware store near Indigo's school, where I went to look for a fan in September. It's actually two stores, but the store with all the things is locked. And packed, from floor to ceiling, with an endless assortment of things in no order whatsoever. To get something from that store, I had to go next door to an entirely separate space (which is taken up by a huge counter and lots of counter-to-ceiling drawers presumably filled with yet more things), explained to the man behind the counter what I was looking for, then I followed him over to the locked store, which he opened. I followed him through a tiny little path winding through the mounds of things, and he kind of dove into the morass, pulling out a fan, then another. There was no fan "section". He literally reached into a pile in one area, waded deeper into the store, and pulled out another. I chose one, then followed him back to the other store to purchase it.

Not only are things harder to obtain, there's less choice. I think it was Lo who said, when visiting, that product choice was really what the US is famous for the world over: you can basically name your price, and buy nearly anything at the the price point you want. There's less choice here. It often seems like there's a Walmart-quality version, or a designer-version of any given thing, and very little in-between.

 

But it is immensely enjoyable shopping in the outdoor markets. I do shop at the local grocery store for many items, but I get all my fruits and veggies (and sometimes cheese and bread) at the markets. And the flip side to not having convenience here, is that Italy boasts so many gorgeous artisan boutiques - the like of which you'd rarely see in the US. Like this glass lamp shop in the heart of Rome:

Not only does it have a spectacular storefront, it has this huge basement filled with glass wares. It's really like a huge, magical, hidden-treasure grotto down there. I've taken to referring to it as the glass grotto.

Then of course, there are lovely little shops down gorgeous, winding roads that have made-in-Rome wares that you won't find anywhere else. I found a little kids' clothes shop - the woman tailor was inside, sewing away as I entered. Turns out she's Swedish, but has lived and worked in Rome for the last 30 years. Her clothes are bright, cheerful, and utterly adorable.

The paper stores in Florence are exquisite. Here's a tiny sample of what you might see:

Don't they look like textiles?  Amazing.

I've got to get more pictures of the toy shops soon (Christmas is coming, so I'm sure I'll have the opportunity soon). I did go into this one shop in Orvieto that had this wonderful little - mobiles? Models? I'm not really sure what they were. But I want to cover a ceiling of my home in tiny little hot-air balloons, now.

And here, of course, is one of the open-air markets, at Campo de' Fiori:

Something you'd never see in the US

I walk through the heart of Rome twice a week, because my Italian class is just off of Campo de' Fiori, home of the biggest outdoor market in Rome, and central to what is probably the city's biggest tourist area. The walk is actually really fun, mostly because I enjoy the company of the three friends who are taking the class with me, but also because it's good to come down off of our hill now and again to blend into the strange mix of Romans, pilgrims, tourists, and who knows what else.

I'd been to Campo as a tourist prior to the start of my class, so I'd already seen the strange motorcycle outfitted with...machinery?  I hadn't seen its owner, though, until I walked by with my friends the first week of our class. And then, there he was, sitting astride his strange machinery bike, whose machinery was whirring and spinning. I glanced at a a man standing next to him, who was holding a butcher knife, and I suddenly realized - this motorcycle was outfitted with a knife sharpener!

It was so crazy! I mean, this guy sits in the middle of a crowded piazza on a modified motorcycle, and sharpens peoples' knives! How does he do this? Does he ride from piazza to piazza on his bike? Does he have a permit? Do the police even care? Endless questions.

These pictures are actually here courtesy of the lovely Betsy, who was smart and savvy enough to have had her camera on her at the time we saw the man and his bike. ;)

Crazy.

Le tre amiche

As I mentioned in my last post, we had two of our friends visit us in our Rome home recently. Rachel and Lo spent just over a week in Italy, spending time with us during both weekends and traveling together to other cities in between. It was so lovely having them here, and Indigo was beyond ecstatic that Auntie Rachel and Cantaloupe (her attempt at saying Auntie Lo) had come to see her.

Lo and Rachel, with the Eternal City stretched out behind them

The day after our adventures at the Vatican, the three of us decided to do one of Rick Steve's (forever altered in my mind now to Stevie Nicks, as he was called by some obnoxious American tourists) walking tours of Rome. We set off down the hill and through Trastevere, crossing the Tiber River into the heart of Rome.

Our first stop was supposed to be Campo de Fiori, home to Rome's largest outdoor market. But the thing about the city is, it's filled with hundreds of tiny, twisting, cobblestone roads that seem more like secret passages than honest-to-goodness roads. So it's quite easy to end up someplace entirely unexpected (although probably delightful).

We ended up, unexpectedly and delightfully, at an excavation site, and peered in. I think it was Rachel that noticed the first cat, then the second and third - and then we realized that there were at least a dozen cats lounging amongst the overgrown grass and broken columns and stairs. We had happened upon a cat sanctuary. There was a little office down inside the site, with instructions to ring the bell if interested in adopting a cat. The Italian government, by the way, pays people to feed the cats in their neighborhoods. It's actually a real job, and it's brilliant. Rome does not have a rat problem; the people take care of the cats, and the cats take care of the rats. Why don't we do that in the States?

Another gem we found was this tiny church seemingly squished amongst the buildings in the piazza. There must be hundreds of these little churches scattered about the neighborhoods of Rome. I find them utterly charming.

We finally made it to Campo de Fiori, and were aggressively propositioned to by several Italian men trying to get us to eat at their restaurants. One sang "Born in the USA" and tried to give us kisses. Another danced for our favor. Rachel, being the most immune to this kind of persuasion, steered us to a little place where no one was pressuring us, and we discovered the eighth wonder of the world: zucchini fritters. Honestly, they're really hush puppies with an almost token amount of green in them, but who cares? They count as vegetables, right? So. Good.

Onward, then, to Piazza Navona, which I immediately fell in love with. Possibly because of the trio of Baroque fountains there. Possibly because of the two amazing toy stores there. Possibly because it is the site of the annual Christmas Market, which I am so excited to take Indigo to. Maybe I just really like this guy to the right. Can you blame me?

We lost ourselves again, but eventually found our way to the Pantheon. I admit to being incredibly naive here, but I had thought, illogically, that it would still house the original pantheon of Roman gods. No, of course it doesn't; it was silly to think that it wouldn't have been converted to Christianity long ago, with the original heathen statues and art destroyed (sob). But I was disappointed nonetheless. The structure is breathtaking, of course - completely unbelievable, really. But disappointingly Christian. Ah, well.

The outside of the Pantheon

We saw the Trevi Fountain, of course. And the Spanish Steps. And a million breathtaking buildings, ruins, obelisks, architectural elements, fountains.



Santa Maria Novella

The age and history of Rome is amazing, but Florence - Florence is simply gorgeous. I took the high-speed train (we really need to get that mode of travel in the US!) there to meet Rachel and Lo, who had been visiting Venice, and the three of us spent the day "swanning" around (as Lo likes to say), looking at art and architecture, and having a lovely time.
There were so many beautiful buildings and artistic touches, everywhere. The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is covered in stripes, but it's not painted - the builders actually used different white and green stone to achieve that look. I found myself wishing that I knew more about art history, so that I could identify all the things that I was seeing. We also went and toured the Uffizi Gallery, which houses a huge collection of amazing art, but probably most famously Botticelli's Birth of Venus. It was a thoroughly enjoyable museum experience, because the gallery limits the number of guests who can enter at one time, so it does not get overcrowded.

We walked through the city, and personally I loved the smaller, more intimate feel of the place, as compared to Rome. I love Rome as well, but Florence feels so much more manageable. And I felt like I had a good sense of the place, even after just 9 or 10 hours there. I still don't feel as though I have a full grasp of Rome, even after being here a month, but I suppose that's because it seems so vast.

We walked over the Ponte Vecchio, and did some shopping. Florence is famous for its leather, and we found several shops to peruse. One in particular was quite nice, and we had a nice repore with the shopkeep - and I ended up haggling a little bit to get a better price on a leather bag (not for me, sadly). But still! I haggled. Then we had a delicious dinner as night fell, and a beautiful walk back to the train station to catch a train back to Rome.

The Arno River

Then alas, came Lo and Rachel's last day with us in Rome. They went to Ostia for the day, which I regret missing, but Josh and Indigo were both sick at home. I went out for one final dinner with my ladies, and had some of the best pasta I've ever had in my life. (Some day I will write a separate post devoted to the food I've had here in Italy, I promise). A last walk around the heart of downtown, then we caught separate cabs and went our separate ways, me to my new home and they to their old. I look forward to catching up with them again next June.

Arrividerci!

The Holy See

I made two trips to Vatican City in the past week. The first was with Josh; we had a free morning together and decided to stroll up there so that I could have my first look. We weren't planning to see the Vatican Museum or anything; we just wanted to take a brief look around. Despite being a lapsed Catholic, I admit that I felt a curiosity - no, a yearning - to see St. Peter's Basilica for myself.

It's an easy walk from the Academy to the Vatican. It's only about twenty minutes, with some of the loveliest views of Rome along the way. The journey ended with us cutting through a bus station, taking a few escalators down the hill and then...we were in Vatican City.

I was overwhelmed. I felt tears threatening, but I could not say exactly why. The enormity of it all just hit me - I was in the holiest place in the Catholic religion, and my emotions just bubbled over. I don't even know if I believe in God. I certainly don't agree, or particularly like, the Catholic Church. But clearly, obviously, it meant something to me, since all this unresolved stuff rose up from my chest, choking me. I was brought to tears. And this was just from setting foot in the City. I hadn't even looked at St. Peter's yet.

My first view of St. Peter's Basilica

I willingly allowed Josh to lead me to St. Peter's Square, glad to have someone else propelling me along so that I could simply look. A large crowd was amassing in the square, and after consulting our guidebook, we learned that the Pope conducts public masses on Wednesday mornings at 10:30am. We were going to see the Pope! We circled around and got in line to enter, waiting our turn for security guards to check my bag and to run metal detectors along our bodies. Then, we were in. Simple as that.

It was an interesting mix of people, there. It's a huge tourist draw, of course. But I've become accustomed to seeing mostly Italians (since we don't live in a touristy area), so it was neat to see people from all over the world. We had gotten in just minutes before the mass was to start, and we could see the Pope arriving in his Pope Mobile, flanked by guards all around, projected on four large screens around the square. I was surprised when the vehicle began to make its way through the square, rather than just going up to the dais. I suddenly got excited. I was going to get close to the Pope! And indeed, I saw people in front of me begin to run to the right, and Josh and I ran, too. And I saw him, barely lifted above the crowd, scarcely thirty feet away. The Pope.

Needless to say, I cried again. But at least I was not alone; I saw several other people wiping their eyes, too.

The following Saturday, I returned to the Vatican with some special visitors: Rachel and Lo (more comprehensive post about their visit to follow)! We decided to see the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel, and the inside of St. Peter's.

On the whole, our tour of the museum was amazing, but I have never in my life been in a museum that was so densely packed with people. It was insane. The sheer number of people, including large tour groups full of people that stood around and blocked all available paths, was just staggering. At times I ignored the art and just moved, because I needed to get a little space to breathe. My agoraphobia isn't as bad as it used to be, but I was still pushed to my limit.

Wall-to-wall tourists

I took pictures. Many, many pictures. But at some point I think my brain got a little overstimulated by all the art, and I put the camera away. Here's a random mish-mash of photos I snapped:

I took none in the Sistine Chapel, of course, because it's not allowed (well, no flash photography, anyway). None in St. Peter's Basilica, either. I suppose I felt, in both places, that taking pictures was disrespectful, since they are both holy places. I also felt that no single, or even collection, of photos could do justice to the entirety of what I was seeing and experiencing. I was not in the Sistine Chapel for long, as it was too crowded for me. Rachel, Lo and I sneaked out the tour-only exit, pretending we were with a tour, so that we could bypass the hour-long-wait-line outside for St. Peter's. Ha! Rebels. It was totally worth it, since it was 90 degrees that day, and there's absolutely no shade anywhere in that square. St. Peter's was impressively overwhelming, and I was moved to tears again by the sight of The Pietà.

Afterwards, we had some lunch and gelato.  And friends, if you ever go to the Vatican, you simply must go to the Old Bridge Gelateria. I have no photos to share, alas, since our gelato cones were enormous and there was no way that I could both handle that melting monstrosity in the 90 degree heat and manage to snap a picture of it before it melted all over me, my camera, the sidewalk, and the nun next to me.  Suffice it to say that it was heavenly.