Rise and shine.
Why am I so tired?
I decide to lay in bed for a minute before getting up and starting the day.
Bad move.
I fall asleep and wake up at 11:30. I have to be on the outskirts of Vatican City in 15 minutes. It's an impossible task, yet it's one I plan to accomplish. I can't miss my tour. That'd be €35 wasted and a missed opportunity to see the center of Catholicism. I've never used the expression "high-tailed it," but I believe there's really no other way to describe my actions this morning.
I high-tailed in on out of my room, down seven flights of stairs, into to the train station, on the metro, (waited to reach my stop), out of the metro, down the street, around the corner, and to Romearound office. It's not there.
What the hell is going on in Vatican City.
I ran up and down the street for a few minutes before giving up. It's 12:07 and the tour started at 12. I find a couple guys on the street recruiting for a different tour company and as them where the Romaround office is. They say it's back on the street I've been aimlessly running around on.
Impossible.
I run back over there, this time down the opposite side of the street, and there it is. No sign and nothing to make it conspicuous. There's a group waiting out front and two people at the desk waiting in line. The tour hasn't left yet.
Good thing the Italians are punctual.
The line to check in moves quick and while I'm waiting I overhear the girl at the front say she's staying in my hostel. Hopefully she's up for a conversation, because hours of silence in the Vatican doesn't sound appealing. After a few minutes I'm checked in and head next door to buy a big bottle of water and a peach. It's quick so it's breakfast. Then I walk back to Romaround. Now there are two girls from my hostel. I haven't met them yet so I introduce myself. Liana and Jessie are from ASU and are studying design. They've got internships in Europe. Jessie in Barcelona and Liana in Torino. They're relatively friendly but we don't talk much as the tour continues. We walk down the street to the Vatican and since we're on a tour we skip the lines.
Thank God.
When were all inside and all sorted out we begin our tour. Courtyards, halls, it's all priceless. The Vatican has the best art and half of it is painted on walls and ceilings. The Rafael rooms are amazing. The photographs don't do it justice. I take a ton though, especially since we've been told that we can't take any once inside the Sistine Chapel. In exchange for extensive restoration, a Japanese company now owns the distribution rights to Michealangelo's masterpiece.
Someone sold their soul to the Devil.
When we are about to enter the Chapel we are reminded one last time by our tour guide not to take photos.
"They take it very seriously. If you're caught taking a picture the guards will delete all of your camera's photos and escort you out."
But not today. It's a photo frenzy inside the Chapel. It's hot, the guards are tired, their friends are on vacation, and their stuck working at a zoo. They've given up. They'll let the guards on the next shift deal with it.
I decide to risk taking a sneaky picture of the ceiling from down low. No guards come. I take another. And another. And another, until finally I get trigger-happy with my camera. The art is beautiful and the chapel is amazing. I can't imagine even attempting to paint it. But Michealangelo did.
We finally all meet up at the exit to the Chapel and walk out to the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica where the tour ends. I thank the guide then head to the gift shop to buy a rosary. The plan is to get it blessed by a priest, cardinal, bishop, or any other man of the cloth I can find inside the Basilica. In the gift shop, a bunch of old nuns run around and help the shoppers and work behind the counter. It's almost funny.
I gravitate towards a specific rosary and buy it. Then I head into the basilica. It's a masterpiece. High ceilings, grand architecture, and an awe-inspiring altar. I spend about 30 minutes admiring the interior. Eventually I head for the door, and right before an exit I hear "hey!" At first I keep walking, but after another step or two I realize that there aren't really any English speakers here. So, I look over my shoulder and there are the two girls from ASU. I stop and talk to them. Jessie wants to buy a rosary in the gift shop and find a priest to bless it. I tell them I'd just done it. Afterwards they're going to find the famous Boca Deverra and eat pizza. They invite me along and since it's exactly what I had planned anyways I decide to go. We head back to the gift shop and she finds a rosary for a friend. I get one for my friend as well. He drives with one hanging from the rearview mirror in his car.
After we search for another priest in the Vatican, we head outside into St. Peter's Square. It looks bigger when it's packed with people, but it is absolutely massive. The statues that look down upon the square are impressive as well. After a few minutes of taking photographs, my camera dies and we head off.
The three of us decided to eat pizza first, and find the relic second. They found a great place yesterday and they think they could find it again. So we walk. And walk. And walk, until I find myself in the most beautiful place. Small alleys paved with cobblestone, old buildings covered in ivy and beautifully maintained, small sidewalk restaurants, and laundry strung on lines between windows. This is Roma.
After a while they can't find the place their looking for so we settle on a different restaurant. I order a pizza Roma. They order pizza with breschuto. Mine comes first and it's got a thin crust with melted mozzarella, topped with fresh Buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil. Theirs follows shortly after and is simply a cheese pizza topped with brushuto. Mine is absurdly fantastic. It's the best pizza I've ever had. I exchange a piece for Liana's breschuto and it's also amazing. Italy really does pizza.
After dinner, we find the Boca Deverra and finish our day by walking to the Colosseum. It's dusk, and the lighting is beautiful. The photographs are so brilliant that they look fake.
No one will believe this.
After we sit around for a half hour or so, I propose returning with wine. They jump on the idea, and after a short and successful search for wind we returned to bask in the glory of the Colosseum and watch people as they made ridiculous poses for the camera. We sit for hours, until finally we decide to pick up and move to the steps of a grand church near the hostel. Again we spent hours talking. Jessie has fallen asleep. Liana and I keep talking. Finally I decided I'd better head back to the hostel and we picked up and left.
I have to fly to Ibiza tomorrow. On Ryanair.
Why am I so tired?
I decide to lay in bed for a minute before getting up and starting the day.
Bad move.
I fall asleep and wake up at 11:30. I have to be on the outskirts of Vatican City in 15 minutes. It's an impossible task, yet it's one I plan to accomplish. I can't miss my tour. That'd be €35 wasted and a missed opportunity to see the center of Catholicism. I've never used the expression "high-tailed it," but I believe there's really no other way to describe my actions this morning.
I high-tailed in on out of my room, down seven flights of stairs, into to the train station, on the metro, (waited to reach my stop), out of the metro, down the street, around the corner, and to Romearound office. It's not there.
What the hell is going on in Vatican City.
I ran up and down the street for a few minutes before giving up. It's 12:07 and the tour started at 12. I find a couple guys on the street recruiting for a different tour company and as them where the Romaround office is. They say it's back on the street I've been aimlessly running around on.
Impossible.
I run back over there, this time down the opposite side of the street, and there it is. No sign and nothing to make it conspicuous. There's a group waiting out front and two people at the desk waiting in line. The tour hasn't left yet.
Good thing the Italians are punctual.
The line to check in moves quick and while I'm waiting I overhear the girl at the front say she's staying in my hostel. Hopefully she's up for a conversation, because hours of silence in the Vatican doesn't sound appealing. After a few minutes I'm checked in and head next door to buy a big bottle of water and a peach. It's quick so it's breakfast. Then I walk back to Romaround. Now there are two girls from my hostel. I haven't met them yet so I introduce myself. Liana and Jessie are from ASU and are studying design. They've got internships in Europe. Jessie in Barcelona and Liana in Torino. They're relatively friendly but we don't talk much as the tour continues. We walk down the street to the Vatican and since we're on a tour we skip the lines.
Thank God.
When were all inside and all sorted out we begin our tour. Courtyards, halls, it's all priceless. The Vatican has the best art and half of it is painted on walls and ceilings. The Rafael rooms are amazing. The photographs don't do it justice. I take a ton though, especially since we've been told that we can't take any once inside the Sistine Chapel. In exchange for extensive restoration, a Japanese company now owns the distribution rights to Michealangelo's masterpiece.Someone sold their soul to the Devil.
When we are about to enter the Chapel we are reminded one last time by our tour guide not to take photos.
"They take it very seriously. If you're caught taking a picture the guards will delete all of your camera's photos and escort you out."
But not today. It's a photo frenzy inside the Chapel. It's hot, the guards are tired, their friends are on vacation, and their stuck working at a zoo. They've given up. They'll let the guards on the next shift deal with it.
I decide to risk taking a sneaky picture of the ceiling from down low. No guards come. I take another. And another. And another, until finally I get trigger-happy with my camera. The art is beautiful and the chapel is amazing. I can't imagine even attempting to paint it. But Michealangelo did.
We finally all meet up at the exit to the Chapel and walk out to the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica where the tour ends. I thank the guide then head to the gift shop to buy a rosary. The plan is to get it blessed by a priest, cardinal, bishop, or any other man of the cloth I can find inside the Basilica. In the gift shop, a bunch of old nuns run around and help the shoppers and work behind the counter. It's almost funny.
I gravitate towards a specific rosary and buy it. Then I head into the basilica. It's a masterpiece. High ceilings, grand architecture, and an awe-inspiring altar. I spend about 30 minutes admiring the interior. Eventually I head for the door, and right before an exit I hear "hey!" At first I keep walking, but after another step or two I realize that there aren't really any English speakers here. So, I look over my shoulder and there are the two girls from ASU. I stop and talk to them. Jessie wants to buy a rosary in the gift shop and find a priest to bless it. I tell them I'd just done it. Afterwards they're going to find the famous Boca Deverra and eat pizza. They invite me along and since it's exactly what I had planned anyways I decide to go. We head back to the gift shop and she finds a rosary for a friend. I get one for my friend as well. He drives with one hanging from the rearview mirror in his car.
After we search for another priest in the Vatican, we head outside into St. Peter's Square. It looks bigger when it's packed with people, but it is absolutely massive. The statues that look down upon the square are impressive as well. After a few minutes of taking photographs, my camera dies and we head off.
The three of us decided to eat pizza first, and find the relic second. They found a great place yesterday and they think they could find it again. So we walk. And walk. And walk, until I find myself in the most beautiful place. Small alleys paved with cobblestone, old buildings covered in ivy and beautifully maintained, small sidewalk restaurants, and laundry strung on lines between windows. This is Roma.
After a while they can't find the place their looking for so we settle on a different restaurant. I order a pizza Roma. They order pizza with breschuto. Mine comes first and it's got a thin crust with melted mozzarella, topped with fresh Buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil. Theirs follows shortly after and is simply a cheese pizza topped with brushuto. Mine is absurdly fantastic. It's the best pizza I've ever had. I exchange a piece for Liana's breschuto and it's also amazing. Italy really does pizza.
After dinner, we find the Boca Deverra and finish our day by walking to the Colosseum. It's dusk, and the lighting is beautiful. The photographs are so brilliant that they look fake.
No one will believe this.
After we sit around for a half hour or so, I propose returning with wine. They jump on the idea, and after a short and successful search for wind we returned to bask in the glory of the Colosseum and watch people as they made ridiculous poses for the camera. We sit for hours, until finally we decide to pick up and move to the steps of a grand church near the hostel. Again we spent hours talking. Jessie has fallen asleep. Liana and I keep talking. Finally I decided I'd better head back to the hostel and we picked up and left.
I have to fly to Ibiza tomorrow. On Ryanair.
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