Italia Day #3
Day 3 began with an early alarm clock that I did not wake up to - (Shout out to NS & KT for always waking me up!) The day continued into having the most scrumptious and beautiful looking bruschetta, at least three pairs of dirty feet in the afternoon, my first Italian beer of the trip and getting lost in Rome again at 1 am.
Wednesday morning we arrived at the Vatican for a guided tour. During this time, the Pope was just around the corner giving his weekly blessing in St. Peter's Square. Of course the planning was impeccable, however we were not able to attend the blessing because our tour was scheduled first - I'd be lying if I said I was not disappointed. On the other hand, it was amazing to experience the statues, paintings and buildings from the past. Everything was so beautiful, perfect and much larger than what I had expected it to be! Unfortunately, this was one of the hottest days of our trip and I had forgotten a water bottle, therefore, most of that tour is a blur because I felt as if I was going to pass out probably from dehydration, heat and exhaustion! In the end, I made it through and learned several different, interesting facts from the history you're able to look at right in front of your eyes.
The Sistine Chapel was the most amazing part to experience in my opinion. Over 25,000 people visit each day, which equals about five-million tourists visit this particular part of Rome each year. We all equally and quietly crane our necks to stare at the beautifully painted high ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. In the midst of the quiet are the Italian police officers screaming at tourists "NO PHOTO", which often became annoying. On the other hand, in the early 1500s, Michelangelo originally wanted nothing to do with painting the ceiling. He did not think of himself as a painter, only a sculptor. Additionally, many of us learned that Michelangelo painted the ceiling lying down. However, he actually painted it standing up using wooden scaffolds that he had created. The paintings were absolutely incredible and unbelievable. One could stare at them for hours and still not take everything in. Next, when looking at the wall where the Last Judgement is painted, in the bottom right is a figure of a man who was actually the Pope's assistant at the time. He had criticized Michelangelo, therefore Michelangelo got revenge and painted him with horns in Hell among the devils. And to this day, this man will always be looked upon as disgust, even thousands of years later.
After our two hour tour, we tried to enter St. Peter's Square, however were turned away because the Pope had just finished his blessing. We had an hour until we were allowed to enter, so a much-needed seated lunch came next! We stopped at a cute restaurant where we came across THE best service from an older gentleman I wanted to adopt. He was hysterical, adorable, and great on his feet (espeically when he tripped!) a great combination since I love old men. We ordered margherita pizzas and then our waiter suggested to try their bruschetta. Thank goodness we accepted because I will never come across a bruschetta that delicious and fresh looking ever again. I am not exaggerating - it was so amazing; I would have no problem eating it for the rest of my life.
Even on a hot and tiring day, St. Peter's Square was enormous and full of tourists. However, it is so large that there were thousands in the Square, yet still tons of breathing room. The line for the basilica took up about half of the circle inside the Square (well, hello geometry class all over again), so we took a good amount of pictures and just took in the experience instead. It was at this point in time when I actually believed I was in Italy and the Pope was blessing us from above a few hours before.
Afterwards, we had a tourism meeting of Rome and shopped in Spagna a bit longer. By this time, I could feel the blisters forming and for some reason, my feet were almost black! A quick trip to the hotel was a necessity not only because we were tired, but my feet could not take it any longer! Back at the hotel, Noelle immediately collapsed on her bed and said, "This is where I die", pretty much explaining how all of us were feeling. Then, Noelle, Kristina and I had roommate bonding time where we all stuck our feet in the tub to clean off and heal the bloody blisters.
For dinner that night, we ventured out into one of my favorite neighborhoods again and found a restaurant sitting on the corner with a large table open. One of the main reasons we decided to eat there was because we saw a bar with draft beers inside. Finally! Some Italian beer with a pasta dish on the side! Dessert was eaten at a nearby wine/gelato bar that played American oldies music. So, of course we all sang in the back corner and enjoyed our first shots of limencello as well!
It was probably around 9 or 10pm by the time we finished, but Noelle, Kristina and I were not ready to head back to the hotel yet. Little did we know we'd be getting back around 2am the next morning... The three of us continued to look for a nice bar in our favorite circle area and found Hardrock Rome! They offered the cheapest drinks on the street and we ended up having a great time getting to know our bartender, Nick. He was hysterical and told us about some great places to visit during our short stay. Not only was he a blast, but the couple sitting next to us were also from the States and traveling throughout Europe! It was great getting to know some other tourists, especially since we were able to share tips and stories. Close to midnight, we decided to leave and head back, but before we left, we asked to get a picture with Nick who was so happy we asked! He invited us behind the bar in front of the other customers, where we laughed and took multiple pictures with the other bartenders too!
The three of us left with laughter, smiles, some dance moves and no regrets at all. Well, except for the fact that none of us went to the bathroom while we were there. Not thinking anything of it, we explored Rome at night while most were sleeping. Noelle and Kristina wanted to wait for the bus to bring us back, but my smart self just wanted to walk, especially since I figured I could navigate our way back. One hour later....we were mighty close to the hotel, but kept walking in circles - and all three of us were literally about to pee our pants. We couldn't keep it in any longer and found a sketchy bar in a dingy part of Rome. AY - when in Rome....
I walked through, quickly said "Parli Inglese?!" When the bartender answered, "sometimes.", I knew we were in for an interesting moment.. I asked if my friend could use his bathroom, but Noelle decided to head straight to it instead where he just looked appalled. It was hysterical! We each quickly took our turns in this place because I felt as if we were in horror movie! 20 minutes later, we were on our way back to the hotel, thankfully! Sometimes bad decisions teach you lessons, and other times, bad decisions also make for great memories.
Day 3 began with an early alarm clock that I did not wake up to - (Shout out to NS & KT for always waking me up!) The day continued into having the most scrumptious and beautiful looking bruschetta, at least three pairs of dirty feet in the afternoon, my first Italian beer of the trip and getting lost in Rome again at 1 am.
Wednesday morning we arrived at the Vatican for a guided tour. During this time, the Pope was just around the corner giving his weekly blessing in St. Peter's Square. Of course the planning was impeccable, however we were not able to attend the blessing because our tour was scheduled first - I'd be lying if I said I was not disappointed. On the other hand, it was amazing to experience the statues, paintings and buildings from the past. Everything was so beautiful, perfect and much larger than what I had expected it to be! Unfortunately, this was one of the hottest days of our trip and I had forgotten a water bottle, therefore, most of that tour is a blur because I felt as if I was going to pass out probably from dehydration, heat and exhaustion! In the end, I made it through and learned several different, interesting facts from the history you're able to look at right in front of your eyes.
The Sistine Chapel was the most amazing part to experience in my opinion. Over 25,000 people visit each day, which equals about five-million tourists visit this particular part of Rome each year. We all equally and quietly crane our necks to stare at the beautifully painted high ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. In the midst of the quiet are the Italian police officers screaming at tourists "NO PHOTO", which often became annoying. On the other hand, in the early 1500s, Michelangelo originally wanted nothing to do with painting the ceiling. He did not think of himself as a painter, only a sculptor. Additionally, many of us learned that Michelangelo painted the ceiling lying down. However, he actually painted it standing up using wooden scaffolds that he had created. The paintings were absolutely incredible and unbelievable. One could stare at them for hours and still not take everything in. Next, when looking at the wall where the Last Judgement is painted, in the bottom right is a figure of a man who was actually the Pope's assistant at the time. He had criticized Michelangelo, therefore Michelangelo got revenge and painted him with horns in Hell among the devils. And to this day, this man will always be looked upon as disgust, even thousands of years later.
After our two hour tour, we tried to enter St. Peter's Square, however were turned away because the Pope had just finished his blessing. We had an hour until we were allowed to enter, so a much-needed seated lunch came next! We stopped at a cute restaurant where we came across THE best service from an older gentleman I wanted to adopt. He was hysterical, adorable, and great on his feet (espeically when he tripped!) a great combination since I love old men. We ordered margherita pizzas and then our waiter suggested to try their bruschetta. Thank goodness we accepted because I will never come across a bruschetta that delicious and fresh looking ever again. I am not exaggerating - it was so amazing; I would have no problem eating it for the rest of my life.
Even on a hot and tiring day, St. Peter's Square was enormous and full of tourists. However, it is so large that there were thousands in the Square, yet still tons of breathing room. The line for the basilica took up about half of the circle inside the Square (well, hello geometry class all over again), so we took a good amount of pictures and just took in the experience instead. It was at this point in time when I actually believed I was in Italy and the Pope was blessing us from above a few hours before.
Afterwards, we had a tourism meeting of Rome and shopped in Spagna a bit longer. By this time, I could feel the blisters forming and for some reason, my feet were almost black! A quick trip to the hotel was a necessity not only because we were tired, but my feet could not take it any longer! Back at the hotel, Noelle immediately collapsed on her bed and said, "This is where I die", pretty much explaining how all of us were feeling. Then, Noelle, Kristina and I had roommate bonding time where we all stuck our feet in the tub to clean off and heal the bloody blisters.
For dinner that night, we ventured out into one of my favorite neighborhoods again and found a restaurant sitting on the corner with a large table open. One of the main reasons we decided to eat there was because we saw a bar with draft beers inside. Finally! Some Italian beer with a pasta dish on the side! Dessert was eaten at a nearby wine/gelato bar that played American oldies music. So, of course we all sang in the back corner and enjoyed our first shots of limencello as well!
It was probably around 9 or 10pm by the time we finished, but Noelle, Kristina and I were not ready to head back to the hotel yet. Little did we know we'd be getting back around 2am the next morning... The three of us continued to look for a nice bar in our favorite circle area and found Hardrock Rome! They offered the cheapest drinks on the street and we ended up having a great time getting to know our bartender, Nick. He was hysterical and told us about some great places to visit during our short stay. Not only was he a blast, but the couple sitting next to us were also from the States and traveling throughout Europe! It was great getting to know some other tourists, especially since we were able to share tips and stories. Close to midnight, we decided to leave and head back, but before we left, we asked to get a picture with Nick who was so happy we asked! He invited us behind the bar in front of the other customers, where we laughed and took multiple pictures with the other bartenders too!
The three of us left with laughter, smiles, some dance moves and no regrets at all. Well, except for the fact that none of us went to the bathroom while we were there. Not thinking anything of it, we explored Rome at night while most were sleeping. Noelle and Kristina wanted to wait for the bus to bring us back, but my smart self just wanted to walk, especially since I figured I could navigate our way back. One hour later....we were mighty close to the hotel, but kept walking in circles - and all three of us were literally about to pee our pants. We couldn't keep it in any longer and found a sketchy bar in a dingy part of Rome. AY - when in Rome....
I walked through, quickly said "Parli Inglese?!" When the bartender answered, "sometimes.", I knew we were in for an interesting moment.. I asked if my friend could use his bathroom, but Noelle decided to head straight to it instead where he just looked appalled. It was hysterical! We each quickly took our turns in this place because I felt as if we were in horror movie! 20 minutes later, we were on our way back to the hotel, thankfully! Sometimes bad decisions teach you lessons, and other times, bad decisions also make for great memories.