Oh look! A fire!

Ciao! 

Crazy adventures love to follow me around! For the past 3 weeks, there has never been a dull moment! Everywhere I have gone, something either funny, ironic, scary, or mind-blowing (in a good way) happens. So, I will tell you what happened today. Get ready... You're in for an adventure of your own!! 

First, I will say I am alive and well. Thankfully. I hit the floor running this Monday morning... Last night I rememebered that I had a very important meeting to go to, that being my fingerprinting appointment at the Immigration Office. ( Yes, I have been illegal in Rome for the past 3 weeks..all of us students have been...) 

So I thought my appt. was on Tuesday, so I wasn't thinking much about it. Then, last night my friend asks me if I was ready for tomorrow.  I responded confused and then it hit me that I was in for a treat a day early than I was expecting! Oh boy, I'm just sooo excited! Not! :)

All 12 of us had the same class before we went, so we got through that and started on what would end up being a 5 hour journey! We got to the immigration office and we saw our friend who was supposed to have his appt at 11am. Ours was at 12. He was still in line!!! And it was already 12. He didn't get through until almost 1. Then we got thru at about 1:45. Yikes. Oh did I mention that I haven't had food all day? Ya, smart move, Anne... While waiting I read a book because  I knew we would have to wait a while... Everyone else didn't think to bring anything- they thought it would go fast... Sorry but I just have to laugh at that one...nothing with government involved goes fast... Let's be honest here. It's the famous "hurry up and wait" game....

When I walked in, I felt like I was going into a prison!!...

The military official let us in and we turned the corner to find we had to wait in a security check line. Here comes the good part... The waiting seemed fast as we were occupied with the huge brush fire that had started a few minutes prior that was only about 100 yards away and coming closer.... WHAT!!!?! GET US OUT OF HERE! The quite alarming part was that NONE of the officials cared about it. They didn't move a muscle! Everything went on as if nothing was happening. See, if we were in America, we would have already been evacuated and 10 mi away from it! This is why we were a bit concerned for our saftey...At this point I say to myself, "I did not come all this way and go through all of this paperwork for the past 6 months to die in a fire!!! Move it along and make me leagal already, and take all of this paperwork off my hands. I am sick of it!" Welcome to Rome...? 

It's hard to see the fire but you can see the smoke clouds: 

We get upstairs and wait for our named to be called and I get called rather quickly  and get fingerprinted... I thought I was done after that. NOPE. I have to go through it all again in a different part of the office. This is the funny part... I was nervous for obvious reasons, tired because it was Monday, and hungry (ok that's my fault, I got it). The guy, who spoke English, looked at me and said, "RELAX, RELAX, RELAX". * Mom and Dad, are you suprised at that? I guess I didn't learn from last time in LA... Hehe* I gave him control of my hand and let him do the fingerprinting and "tried" to  relax. 

The best part... The line I have been waiting to hear for 6 months, " il fine, Bye Bye" ( all finished, bye bye)!!!! I'M LEGAL!!! The process is behind me and I don't have to deal with it anymore! Thank you Jesus!!!!! This is better than becoming legal in US when I turned 21! Haha! This is a process I will be glad to forget. I think I have a well- deserved Gelato with my name on it! :) 

This is called Frigidarium. It kinda tastes like cookies and cream, but 10,000 times better. Dipped in chocolate. A taste of Heaven. This place is located on the way home from Italian class... Uh oh. :P

Have you had enough yet of my crazy adventure stories!? I'm not! It keeps life interesting! 

Peace and Blessings!

 

R&R Part 1!

Ciao! 

Friday was quite the day! We had class out in the city. We had to be there at 9am and so we woke up at 7am and left at 8am. We met at St. Maria in Cosmedin, also known as where the Mouth of Truth is.   
We were able to be a "tourist" for a moment see and put our hand into the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth)...and then we went back to being a "student". 

Instead of looking in a textbook and seeing the pictures of what we were learning from 2,000+ years ago, they were right in front of our eyes. Woah. 

While on our class walk, we came upon many cats who own the area of 4 old temples. These cats are known to the city, and are taken care of by the people. They are adorable! No big deal... just some cats roaming around ancient temples calling it their home :)

After the tour, I had a meeting with a priest for Confession at St. Peter's. We were at the Pantheon, and it was 12:40pm. My meeting was at 1pm. It takes about 25 min to get there walking. I didn't have time to trust auto transportation, so I booked it and made it there at exactly 1pm, only to find that the priest was 5 minutes late!!! I can't say that I wasn't exhausted after that quick adventure. Thank God I love walking...  :)
Now, this part is so awesome that I still can't believe it happened. While he was hearing my confession, we casually walked around the walls of St. Peters. Only in Rome can you do that, and no one looks at you funny. It is a pretty common thing to see a priest blessing someone in the middle of the street (and I was one of them!) ONE OF THE BEST CONFESSIONS EVER.

By this time, I still had to walk 15 min to get home, and I was EXHAUSTED! TGIF!

Happy Sunday! Boy, this weekend has been great! What have I been up to? NOTHING. I have only left the building twice since Friday night. Why, you may ask? Well, I wore myself down pretty good with all that I have been doing in the last 3 weeks, so my body was starting to get sick because I wasn't giving myself proper time to rest. I wasn't feeling the best, so I unplugged from almost everything and just rested and relaxed (and did homework). Also a little gift- my roommate has been gone for most of the weekend with family, so I have had the room to myself! Sometimes its nice to have some alone time. It's good for the soul-this time has been very good for my soul. The same thing will happen next weekend, as my roommate will be in Venice for Honors trip, so I will be taking the weekend to see some of the sites I have not yet seen in Rome- after next weekend, we will not have much more time to do so because all the traveling begins! So I am making sure I get it in! :)

This week will be a busy one, but a blessed one!!! Oh my.....it's almost October!!!  I still can't believe this is my life right now...and to know I have 13 weeks left of these amazing adventures...La vita è bella!

Peace and Blessings!

Packed Sardines

Caio!

I was writing this as I sat on the floor at St. Peter's Square enjoying the beauty before me, as well as people watching. People watching is always the best...and watching the changing of Swiss Guards ( I didn't post this earlier as I didn't have time! Now, 2 days later I am getting to it!) 

So, for class, we were going to the Catecombs of Priscilla. We were to meet our professor by 8 at a Piazza and then get on the 8:15 bus to the Catecombs. Now, of course there has to be some sort of crazy adventure in the trip... And there definately was! Some of the class was a bit late. So we decided to leave them to find it on their own, as the tour started at 9am. As we were deciding to stay or leave, we saw the one bus we needed. My professor looks as me, and says' "should we run for it?" I responded, "why not! Andiamo! "(Let's go!)" So we did and saw that the bus was packed beyond belief and there were 20 of us..... Uh oh... 

We squeezed on the bus like a can of sardines, a bit close for comfort ( but thankfully we knew each other...) 

Too bad 5 of them didn't make it... And so they waited for the next one...cutting it a bit close! 

We get off the bus and my professor looks around and says... "Oops"... I say, "Dont tell me we are lost!!"  No, he said, we just got off 3 stops too early, so we will have to walk a bit more... Lovely. Just what I want to do at 8:30am. We walk and all of a sudden he says, " it's supposed to be here, where is it!?" Seriously, not again...! We finally found it, with 5 min to spare. Phew! Now, the kids that didn't get on with us called me and asked to talk to the Professor... I handed him my phone and be told is he would be back becuase he was going to go get them.... Ok then... Don't get lost and don't lose my phone, I said... Thankfully he made it back with them and we all proceeded on the tour... 

Our tour guide was super funny- as we walked along, at one point some do the group was talking over him and be says, "shut up!" A second later, dead silence. "Wow that worked, he said" we all laughed becuase we couldn't believe he just said that and he was like, " I could say it in Italian, but you wouldn't understand and it wouldn't do any good. 

Now, we weren't allowed to take any pics  ( you can look it up though and see pics...). Anyhow, the tour was amazing!!! The Catecombs go for 8 mi... ( you have to have a guide... Or you would get lost and they wouldn't be able to find you for hours... If at all). Very interesting and kinda scary as we saw many dark places and caves that we rather not know what was in there. Other than scaring my friend half to death, we made it out and had a nice adventure back home to make it to out next class at 11:15. We got back at 11am. Cutting it close, yet again. 

Later that night, a small group of us had Gelato with the amazing Seminarians at Pope Emeritus Benedict's favorite Gelato shop. Gelato never gets old and never disappoints. I feel fine eating it a lot because I walk everywhere 24/7, unlike a lot of my friends who take the bus and Metro. (I only use it if I have to) 

Today was a long and busy day, but pretty good. The weather is starting to change and clouds are coming more often. I don't like that- I need the sun! I'll live though, rain or shine :)

Tomorrow will be even longer. We have a 4 hour walking excursion out in the city with our class seeing many sites. This means I really need some rest now so I don't look like a zombie in the AM. :P Buonanote! (Goodnight)

Praying for u all- Peace and Blessings! 

A Whirlwind Weekend!

Ciao!

Wow, I can't believe I last posted on Friday! The weekend escaped me and now its Tuesday! Ahh time is flying by way too fast! So much Roma...so little time'a! (Lizzy Miguire: Gordo reference)...be prepared to read! :)

To begin, Friday night at the NAC with the Seminarians was amazing! We had a great 'American' meal consisting of chicken, mashed potatoes and salad-wine and water (WITH ICE CUBES! Restaurants here normally don't give you ice cubes with water, so having it that night was glorious, and it was a humid night so it made it that much better! The little things we take for granted is astonishing...)
While at the NAC, they took us to the roof, where they have one of the best views of St. Peters. After, they took us to get Gelato at one of the best places in Rome! what a blessed evening! Here is a pic!

We got back on Friday at almost midnight. I decided I was going to join my friends on a trip to MonteCassino, which is 2 hrs South of Rome by train. I asked what time we were leaving and they said 6am on the dot. I looked at my clock and it was already 12:45am. By the time I got to sleep, it was 1:15am. But, I woke up fine at 5:30am and got myself out the door at 6am and to the Metro (around the corner) we went. The train ride was beautiful! The sun was starting to rise, and we looked out the window and the sun had come up as we were passing some ruins. It was one of those moments where you are speechless and thankful to God for such a beautiful moment. Unfortunately I couldn't get a photo of it because we were going to fast.

We got to Cassino and were in for a great adventure! We felt like we were dropped off in the middle of a deserted place. It was a small town. We waited for the bus to take us up the mountain. There were NO bus signs anywhere. We didn't know what to do, so we just waited and as time got closer we were looking at every bus hoping we wouldn't miss it because it only comes twice in the day. Long story short, we got on the bus, and the driver was flying up the mountain! At first, there wasn't any seats for us to sit down so I was holding on to the bars for dear life because this guy was breaking so horribly, and then would gun it. I was falling into my friends and things were dropping on the floor... it was literally a struggle bus! I don't know how that guy has his license! Yikes! Thankfully we made it up the mountain alive and in one piece! Phew! This is where we went: MonteCassino Abbey: St. Benedict founded it) 

We were not "on" cloud 9, we were "in" Cloud 9....

                                                   The Basilica... such a peaceful place!

             mountain side view! Breathtaking! 

 

We walked around the groups for a good 2 hours, and looked from the balconies with awe and amazement in our eyes. We couldn't believe what was before us. Just greenery, clouds and beauty! It brought tears to our eyes! Below, there are pictures of my friends who I went with! They are amazing travel buddies! We left around 2:30pm and got back to Rome around 4:30pm. We were wiped out, so we canceled our plans and decided to take it easy for the night instead of go out to the Pub. What a adventurous day!

3 amici waiting for the bus to take us down the mountain! We were the last ones left.... We thought for a minute that we had to hitchhike ;)
**No, Mom, we didn't... we thought about it... but we knew you would kill us... especially being all girls!**





On Sunday, we went to a Mass at St. Agnes of Agone, where a Cardinal presided, and the Mass was in 3 different languages. If you think going to a Mass in a language you don't know if difficult, try going to one where they are 3 being spoken all throughout Mass..Now that is a challenge. I accepted it and was still able to say the responses in English! I was so proud of myself! What a brain-testing day! It was time for a nap...But not yet! We went to our favorite Irish Pub for lunch where we had a craving for some American food because we were feeling a bit homesick. Now, that was delicious! Then we got Gelato... obviously! So delicious! Now, time for a nap!! What a great weekend! :)
How can it be Monday already!?? (almost Tuesday as it is already 11:30pm) I woke up at 8:45am this morning... I had class at 9am...and I made it fine. :)
Time for some needed rest! Let the amazing adventure continue....Only God knows what is in store for me tomorrow... And I say, "LET'S LIVE IT UP!" :)

Peace and Blessings!

Anne

"Scala Sancta"

Ciao!!

First off, I want to thank you for your thoughts and prayers, as they helped me tremendously to get through this week! I am doing much better now that the week is over and I can rest!

So, last night, I had a wonderful dinner at a place called Spaccio Pasta with my roomate and had some amazing Gelato afterwards. It was a nice reward for getting through the week and doing well.

Today, we woke up at 8am and got on the Metro to San Giovanni, where the Basilica of St. John Lateran is (see pic below paragraph). I had to meet a friend at 10:30 so we "church hopped" for a while. We went into Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. I took a seat in one of the pews for some personal prayer time which was well needed, while my roommate explored the church. It was a peaceful few minutes. I will go back for class one of these days, so I will have plenty of time to see the church in depth.

On a faith note, It seems that I have been put into many situations recently that force me to get out of my comfort zone, and to completely let go of doubt and fear and put my faith and trust in God, that He will lead me safely to where I need to go, because I do not know where I am. This morning was another one of those times, as I had absolutely no idea where I was, and where I needed to go. I didn't know how to get to my friend, so I simply prayed this prayer on repeat: "Lord, I have no idea where I am but I know that you do. I ask you to lead me safely to where I need to go. You are asking me to trust in You leading me, so in faith, Jesus, I trust in You." Prayers like this seem very simple, but they work wonders in my faith life, because I recognize that I can do NOTHING without Christ, and that He is the One leading me through this journey called life. It may be scary at times to completely surrender and let Him take over, but in the end, it really is the best thing we can do as His children- to let Our Father lead us :)

You will be happy to know that I did arrive where I needed to meet my friend, and with 10 minutes to spare! I didn't get lost, I was guided directly there with no problems! (Thanks God... I knew I could trust you...and the GPS!)

Speaking of Doubt, Trust and Faith, I happened to come across a statue of St. Thomas the Apostle (Doubting Thomas)-see pic below

One of my favorite Scripture passages (something for you to reflect on)- "the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

My roommate was in the process of climbing on her knees the "Holy Steps" or "Scala Sancta" in a church nearby (these are claimed to be the very steps that Jesus climbed when going before Pontius Pilate during His Passion.  The 28 steps were brought to Rome by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great- and they are covered by wood to preserve them). Now, before one can do this, they have to go to the Sacrament of Confession and receive Communion. In doing this, it was stated by Pius VII that you gain an indulgence of nine years for each step. Then Pius X added that one must go to Confession and Receive the Eucharist. I will be climbing these Holy Steps in the near future. Beautiful!
                                            

Ok! Enough for now- it is time to get ready for dinner with the Seminarians at the NAC!!!

You are in my prayers!

Peace and Blessings!

Quiet Week

Ciao! 

This week has been one of difficultly for me, but still blessed in many ways. Nothing too exciting has happened this week, which is fine- it's soley been classes and homework. I haven't gone out much besides to dinner and Gelato which is right across the street (and it's dangerously delicious...!)

Today I was walking home from Italian class, and as I was crossing the bridge, I saw this, a beautiful blessing of a view of St. Peter's during a thunderstorm: 

The rest of the night has been sitting in my room peacefully listening to the thunder, and seeing the bright flashes of lightning as well as the pouring rain. I love falling asleep to the sound of falling rain! 

On Friday, some of us will be going to the NAC ( North American College-college for seminarians from the US) for dinner and fellowship. This should be a lot of fun! I am so excited...Something to look forward to! 

Please keep me in prayer- I need them! I will be praying for you as well. 

Peace and Blessings

Solo-Adventures

Ciao! 
Yesterday was a solo-adventure day. I wanted to go explore, so I decided that I would go to the Spanish Steps and the Franciscan Capuchin Crypt, which are within walking distance of each other. I used my map only once, and that was figuring out where the Capuchin Crypt was because there are no signs telling you where to go- other than that, I used my eyes and looked at the sides of buildings and signs that pointed straight, left, and right. It's truly amazing what not using a GPS does to your travel experience.  I came across Churches that I went into for a minute, and was able to really enjoy the life around me, instead of having my face glued to the phone. So, the Piazza I walked to first from my school was Piazza del Popolo (People's Square). I went into an Augustinian church called the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo. In there, I saw a exquisite painting of Pope Saint JP2, which I fell in love with! (both Piazza Popolo and painting below) 

From there, I made my way to the Spanish Steps. There were tons of people, but I made my way through them and up the many stairs. Once to the top, they were selling of variety of paintings which were fun to look at. I went into a French church at the top which was beautiful and very simple. When I got to the bottom, a man tried giving me a rose, which I declined, because if I accepted,  chances are that when I took it, he would scam me and tell me to pay up. I happened to get a photo of it. (Thanks to those of you who warned me about those guys... they are so weird) 

Now the more difficult part, (the part I had to pull up my Maps). I went down one street, and up another, then crossed over another, and then there it was! I was so proud of myself for finding it with limited use of GoogleMaps!! I had to pay 6 Euros to enter the Crypt, which was totally worth it! Unfortunately I could not take pictures while touring through the Crypt. I learned about how the Franciscan Capuchin Order came to be, stories of some of the Capuchins, and saw many of their relics. After the "reading" part of the tour, I entered the Crypt. Now, this Crypt is one of very different nature. It is one of all skeletons of the Capuchins from many years ago. Some think this is very weird and very disturbing, but the symbolism and behind the placing of them are very interesting. I thought it was beautiful actually, despite the many bones and skulls everywhere. If you want to see what it looks like, search it: Capuchin Crypt in Rome. Now, the reason why I went to the Crypt was specifically for a special intention. One of my religious friends who is a Franciscan Capuchin Brother, was being ordained a Deacon at the time I was in the Crypt. Although it is a place of burial and death, the intention was to pray for him and the future of his ministry to the Church. It may seem odd that I would go to a place such as this, but the good intention to pray for a friend is what really matters in the end. 

I made my way home, and took a nap, as I was exhausted from all the walking in the direct sunlight! After this glorious nap of mine, I went to dinner with 10 of my friends, where we celebrated a friends birthday. Then we went out to an Irish Pub near Piazza Navona, which was a very fun time! We got back at 1:30am, and walked across the bridge that had a perfect view of St. Peter's. It is so beautiful at night! I woke up this morning at 11:30am! (and yes, I feel fine... no hangover! This is one of the only times that I will drink... for special occasions such as this). HAPPY SUNDAY!

Peace and Blessings! 
    

A Jaw-Dropping Morning

Ciao! 

I have officially been in Rome for 1 week! I woke up at 8am to go to St. Peter's Basilica this morning. We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes, but that simply faded away from our memory once we got into the Basilica. I can't explain to you what the Basilica is like, for it is indescrible in my opinion. It's that beautiful. It's leaves you speechless and possibly tearful in a beautiful way, like it did for me. I probably looked funny as I think my jaw was dropped down to my chest and tears in my eyes. I simply couldn't help myself no matter how hard I tried. What I can promise you is that it is worth the money to fly out here and see it for yourself!! If your already saving money, good for you! If you haven't started...Start saving now! :)

My expierence at the Basilica was beautiful, put simply. I was on the verge of tears throughout my whole walk through. I could feel my eyes getting puffy, and I think at one point or another I actually shed a tear or two. Point being is that The Lord touched my heart in such a gentle and loving way this morning as I prayed at the tombs of Pope Saint John Paul II, St. Peter, among many others. I thankfully will have the chance to go back about 3 more times for sure, for class visits. One class visit, we will be going to a part of the Basilica that is not apart of the normal tour, opened to a select few. One of the perks of being at The Catholic Univeristy of America! I can't wait for that day! More pics will come later- I wanted to enjoy my first time there with limited pics. 

So... For class, one of our assignments is to go to a Mass at a church of your choosing and write a paper about the experience-what the church looked like, the Architecture of the church- on and on. I'm being graded on going to Mass! I think I can handle this! :)

Speaking of homework, I need to go read for Mondays class... As it's a big amount of reading... And for those who know me well, you would know that reading is not one of my strong suits.. But I am warming up to it... Slowly. I definately do not have my Dads genes when it comes to reading! 

It will be a quiet weekend here. Probably visiting churches around Rome and just resting after the week we have had! First week is always a little tough to recover from! After this weekend all the traveling begins... A Mozzerella Farm, Venice, Tuscany, Assisi then 10-day Fall break where I will being going to Croatia (Medjugorie) and Greece. Then Naples, Florance and finally Thanksgiving break to Spain!! And the adventure of a lifetime continues! 

Praying for you all! 

Peace and Blessings! 

Mapless Adventures

Ciao! 

( views from my room at sunset...)

Come tomorrow I will have been in Rome for a week already! Before I know it, I look at the time and it's 12am- time for bed! I often wonder where the day has escaped to. "Time flies when you're having fun" is so true!  We have done so much in just 1 week-pretty much all of it being indescribably amazing. Each day brings a whole range of adventures- ones that sometimes make me get out of my comfort zone (which is a great thing and I'm beginning to love when this is the case), and learn new things I never thought I could.  Some days bring me uncontainable joy and the confirmation that I am blessed. Wherever I go, I say a prayer at the beginning and throughout my journey of simply, " Father, I may not know where I am, but I know You do, and I trust in You. Please lead me and guide me in safety and peace".

I haven't used my map once. The reason being that I want to see where my adventures lead me. I have learned much more living this way-not depending on GPS to get me around. The way I do not get completely lost is that I memorize landmarks ( Piazza Navona, St. Peter's Square, Senate, Castel Angelo) and use my brain to connect where things may be in relativity to each other. For instance, just in the last 4 days, I know 4 ways to get to the Vatican from my school. From the Vatican, I know 3 ways how to get to my Italian class that is located in a building in the city. And from there, I know 4 ways to get home- so I have a range of ways I can go (all of which are walking)- and I will be learning many more with time. Who needs GPS when you got The Lord as your guide!?! No one. :)

My classes and professors are AMAZING! They are hilarious, upbeat and full of life!! Who knew class could be so fun!! It's going to be a great semester.

This weekend, my friend and I will be going to St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel and everything else that is in the Vatican Museums. ( since I didn't see them last time I was there). I am so excited!

My friend and I had a beautiful dinner out on the town last night and had yummy pizza! It's was nice to just sit and enjoy a meal without being rushed :) 

Praying for you all- Peace and Blessings

Anne

The firsts of many things!

Ciao!

Day 4. Today was the first day of classes here in Rome. I have 2 classes on Monday, and I love both a lot!!! We will be meeting at many historical places in Rome for classes, which is always fun- I don't have to sit in a classroom all the time! 

After my last class, which ended at 12:45pm, I knew I wanted to go venture out into the city I barely know at the moment( but I will get there, with time!)  There was one place I thought I could get to easily, which was St. Peter's Square. I have been wanting to go there for so long! Now was the first chance. A friend and I went together and walked about 7 blocks to Vatican City. Took about 10-15 minutes. Yes- we live that close!!! So amazing! 

When I turned the corner, I saw Saint Peter's Basilica in front of us. As we got closer, my heart started beating faster, and I got teary eyed at the fact that I was about to witness one of the most amazing places a Catholic can visit on Earth, that I had been hearing all about and patiently waiting for. As I walked into the Piazza, a beautiful, indescribable peace came over me and I was filled with joy! I know that Jesus is always with us everywhere we go, but this place I knew within an instant that He was right beside me like never before- His presence was overwhelmingly beautiful! It really is something you have to witness for yourself because it is just that powerful! 

Here is me at St. Peter's Square

And my friend and I...

After slowly walking around the Piazza, we decided to "try" and find the Sistine Chapel... So we walked and walked some more... And then we were walking along the Vatican City Walls. I told my friend I didn't want to use the Map- I just wanted to see where life took us (this is a big self-confidence builder). After walking up the hill a while we realized we wernt getting anywhere good so we turned back and went back to St. Peter's Square. Where is the Sistine Chapel? We knew it was somewhere super close to the Basilica, but where!?! We saw the Vatican museums building, and we saw we needed to get tickets. So we said we would save it for another day. Then we called it a day and said we would find the "hidden" Sistine Chapel another time. We came back to the school and found out that the Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican  Museums!!! So we were in the right place, just uninformed of how to get inside! So we will be going back hopefully later this week.

On our walk back to school, it started to thunder-rain. We didn't have umbrellas...We were testing our luck. Thankfully it didn't rain too hard on us- but we have learned our lesson! Then we got Gelato- which was amazing and ended that adventure! 20 mintutes later my roomate asked me if I wanted to go see a Church with her, just a few blocks away.  So we went and ended up walking into about 5 churches- which were all beautiful in their own way. On the way back we saw part of the sunset over the Tiber River

Now, it's time to rest! It was a long day- but so much fun and worth every second! 2 more classes tomorrow- including Italiano and Art and Architecture.  

Peace and Blessings! 

Anne