Holy See, Batman!

Dear Home:

I don't know how to even describe today. Somehow the phrase: I have been rendered speechless: doesn't compare to the awesome accomplishment I feel.

But first, let's start where we left off.

I was waiting to here back from Ian's band manager, right? I was going to go see him perform, correct? Didn't happen. Not a bit.

Major bummer.


I did however wait in their hotel for 3 hours...nearly falling asleep on couch in the lobby. I also nearly passed out as a I walked back to my hostel. But I finally made it. Took a shower and a short nap.

Rejuvenated I got on skype with mi madre finally and coordinated a three-way phone call with me and her and then via her phone, the verizon wireless help guy. No jokes please. My phone, which hasn't turned on since I got here, apparently has a hardware malfunction. New phone coming when I get back to the states. Hooray! *eye roll* Because this totally helps me now...

So I after that I discuss with my parents about how I want to work the rest of my trip. We ended up changing my flight back to the 1st of July. So I will be home in about 10 days. I just have to survive till then.

Then I decided to clear my head and took the metro up to Piazza del Popolo. Beautiful. I walked through the main shopping district down to the Spanish steps and also saw the Trevi Fountain again. Got some gelato and walked back to the hostel to get to sleep. I was exhausted.

I woke up with Aydan, Kathy, and Louise for breakfast this morning where we met Sara from Boston who has been travelling around Europe after studying abroad for a semester. She was off to the Colloseum and we were off to the Vatican so we decided to meet up with her later for dinner.

Then A, K, L, and I left for the Vatican. Crazy huge. We walked in the main piazza and I couldn't believe my eyes. It is everything you would expect and more. But perhaps the best part was inside the Basilica. It is bigger than any building I've ever been in. Yes, even ResREc...you could easily fit 4 or 5 of them in here. And so intricate. Louise and Kathy left and Aydan and I went into the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel. I took TONS of video clips inside the Vatican museums. Unfortunately, no luck inside the Sistine, but the memory of it is worth is good enough. It really is almost overwhelming seeing everything in the Vatican in one day.

Afterwards, tired and nearly stumbling the streets outside the Vatican, we found some gelato and espresso and then walked around towards Castel Sant Angelo and down the Tiber, got lost, and finally found the Colloseum. Also amazing.

I'm finding that I am running out of adjectives because literally everything is breathtaking. It's so difficult to describe the culture. Around every corner there is a masterpiece of culture and history. It's a bit exhausting after a while.

We got back to the hostel. Showered. Talked with mom and G-ma and Dad. And also with Brian, another one of our roommates from Vancouver. Met up with Sara and headed to Trastevere for food. Delicious pizza, some liters of wine and fully belly later, we milled around the fun bar district for a bit and found to stop for a drink.

Couldn't stay long because Sara had to get up early. As do I but we did end up finding a bar and saw a bunch of Guido-americans being loud and obnoxious. Thanks. That's why we get a bad rap. Aydan did mention, however, that his perception of Americans is actually changed a bit because of Sara and myself. YAY! A little diplomacy and good manners can go a long way.

Now I'm sitting up at 5:20 in the morning. Can't sleep. Still have to pack. A little hungry. And posting to you lovely people.

Pictures soon.

EM