Marinna Ventures to Italia: Feelin' A Little More Holy!

Sunday was our day for the self tour of the Vatican. After getting a good nights sleep Kate and I were off and running to catch the tram heading to St. Peter's square. Every Sunday the Pope does a blessing over the square and on Wednesday's he does a Mass for the people. Being the good student that I am, I won't be skipping class to attend Mass. Maybe when I am finished with them in just three weeks!

Hard to believe I have already been here a week! Time sure is flying! Ok back on track trying to finish up the weekend adventures! We really aren't very far from the Vatican city here in Trastevere, by bus/tram. As we came around the corner it gave me goosebumps to see the people gathering for the blessing. It is such a surreal feeling being in St. Peter's square let alone in the presence of the Pope! We got there just in time to hear him speaking the English prayer. It was somewhat hard to understand but evidently there is a group of people from South Dakota that he mentioned! My thought after hearing this..."That's my neck of the woods!" Well sort of! So many people here are from the East coast or the South. So when there is someone different than that its great!

After listening to the blessing we decided to walk around. We knew that we most likely weren't going to make it in for Mass because the lines were so long, but we still we thought we would try! After walking the wrong direction in a huge crowd (I felt like a fish trying to swim up stream!) we realized we couldn't get in that entrance!

Even the outside of the Basilica is breathtaking! Like every other major monumental structure we have seen so far, I felt like I was the size of an ant! It's huge! We were going to try and get into the museums after this, because on the last Sunday of every month they are free entry! A good tip to know but get there early because they close earlier on Sundays! As we were headed in the direction of the museum I saw some fellow Montana people. Not sure they were so good though...One of them had a GRIZ shirt on!! Go CATS!!! Trying to explain the rivalry to my friends was a lost cause! They just looked at me like I was crazy! Anyways, it really is true that one can find a Cat/Griz rivalry anywhere in the world!

While walking around the outside of the main square we found two Swiss guards at the a more hidden entrance. It was definitely time for a photo opp! They spoke English and were very nice! Not too shabby on the eyes either, aside from their crazy outfits! Ha ha

We made our way back to the square and came upon an entrance dedicated to Pope John Paul. His beatification was on May 1st. It was a great display to walk through! He truly was an amazing man! This tour was as close as we got to entering inside of the Basilica for Sunday. It was just a sneak peak of whats to come on Thursday! The official tour we signed up for is happening on the national holiday. Anyone know what the national holiday is on Thursday??

After we finished our adventure of walking around we found a sign for the Hardrock cafe!! Don't get me wrong here...the food is AMAZING! But its good to switch things up every now and then! Kate and I decided we would wait to go visit the Hardrock until all of the roommates were with us and we really wanted American food!

On our walk back we stopped in Campo dei Fiori for some lunch. A big salad with a glass of white wine hit the spot. It has been fun getting to know my roommates over these long meals! The Italians love to just sit and chat during meals! Taking time out of the day to relax and enjoy a meal is a great custom that we are all fully embracing!

After a late lunch we headed back to Trastevere for a nap and some homework! On Saturday when we were at St. Ignatious' Basilica they had a sign that the Notre Dame University choir would be performing. It was beautiful! Of course it was...It's Notre Dame!!

I'm off to do some laundry now! Should be an interesting experience! Ciao!