Pictures with the Pope

I knew I wasn’t leaving Rome without attending Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.  I told Mike that he was taking me if he went.  Last weekend was my first mass.  We got coffee and headed out to the Italian service, which happened to be held at the altar in the front of the Basilica.  Because so many people attend mass at the Vatican on Sundays, there are over 5 times all held at different spots in the Basilica.  We were lucky enough to sit in the front.  It was absolutely gorgeous.

We went again this weekend.  Mike wanted to attend a service in Latin so we woke up early, got coffee (of course) and made our way to St. Peter’s.  This time they had a little book with all of the prayers, calls/responses, and songs in Latin with Italian, Spanish and English translations on the side.  It was so cool to be able to follow along and actually understand what was going on.  It was such an incredible experience.

Last week I climbed to the top of St. Peter’s with Mike and Ben.  [Hahaa, no, not Mike’s roommate Ben but a Ben on this trip..] We woke up early to beat the crowds and it was quite an exhausting climb—551 steps.  But the view took my breath away.

That week we also saw Aida at an outdoor theatre near Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.  The backdrop was authentic Roman ruins.  Real, Roman ruins.  That was nothing short of awesome.  After the opera, I took a midnight walk to the Colosseum with Mike, Arvin and Kelsey.  The night ended with a simple pasta dinner at 2 AM in my apartment.  Yeah, sounds like Rome.
"Pictures of you, pictures of me/ Hung upon your wall for the world to see" --The Last Goodnight