When in Rome...

After being completely wooed by David and all his charms, we got on a train back to Rome-- it took FOREVER to get back because we learned that we got on a city train which runs much slower and makes more stops. We finally made it back though and found the Trevi fountain, the most impressive fountain I have ever seen. Lights reflected off the marble figures and it was a star in the black night. People were everywhere-- taking pictures, sitting on the steps and listening to the water fall from all sides. Tradition says that if you throw a coin over your shoulder and it lands in the fountain that you will in fact return to Rome someday in the future. I turned my back to the fountain, took a deep breath and tossed a coin behind me. The girls said that it went in and I was so excited! I hope that I really do get to return to Rome! It was one of my favorite places of the whole trip!

We walked to the Colosseum to see it all lit up at night. As we walked around, I tried to picture it as it would have been back then. (I seem to do that a lot, I know..) It took me back to seeing Gladiator and movies like that-- we are so fortunate to have things like this left that give us an insight into their lives.

We saw the Arch of Constantine, which was on one of our slide tests. We always get excited when we get up close and personal with something we have been tested over-- it's like the confirmation that you need that the test was worth it.

We woke up early the next day to get in line for the Vatican. It has been a while since a Disney World analogy, so let me say that while walking through this part of Rome, I was in fact like a child that was taking in Disney World for the first time. I looked from wall to wall to ceiling to floor everywhere we went and was absolutely AMAZED. The ceilings were probably my favorite part because it seems like most of the time people don't spend much thought on how ceilings appear-- these people took time to intricately paint the ceilings with religious scenes. I also found animal paintings by Wenzel Peter that impressed me. They were so vivid, so realistic. Look 'em up sometime! Robbie Shackleford, the head guy at HUF, provided us with a sheet to guide us through important parts of the Vatican. Without this, we would have been aimlessly wandering because it was so huge. We finally ended up at the Sistine Chapel, what every Vatican wanderer hopes to end with-- the big finale. As if I wasn't already in love with Michelangelo for carving the David, this just pushed him to the top of my list. His judgment scene adorned one whole wall and different characters of the Bible were placed in different places throughout the ceiling. I think my favorite is the depiction of God reaching out his hand to Adam (or man). While most replicas just show the two hands meeting, this in fact is a full piece, with God represented as an older man with a flowing beard. Danielle pointed out to me that in another place on the ceiling, God is shown again but if you look up, it looks as if he is reaching down to you. It was so neat-- reminded me of the idea that if you feel like you are becoming far away from God-- it isn't him that is moving! His hand is always reaching out-- it's whether or not you are choosing to take it!

Most elaborate church of the whole semester goes to...dun dun dun...ST. PETER'S BASILICA!! When we walked in, I was in awe. Wow. One of the first things you see is the Pieta, Michelangelo's sculpture of Mary holding Jesus. It was magnificently crafted, with realistic emotions depicted. You could almost feel the pain that Mary felt as she held her son. You walk a little further and come to some of the dead popes. These, unlike all the others, are not downstairs in a special area, but are displayed for all to see. It was kind of creepy-- I'm not going to lie. The altar area was this huge spectacle, with an overhead canopy that almost reached the ceiling and a long table with candles lining it from one side to the other. We saw the statue of St. Peter, the one whose toes have been worn off with time since people rub his feet upon entering the church.

After visiting the church, we went back and saw the Trevi fountain in the daytime and went inside the Pantheon. Pan meaning "all," and "theon" referring to "gods," this was a temple dedicated to all the gods. It has a hole in the circular ceiling, and like all the others, has beautiful displays and artistry work.

I love the Audrey Hepburn movie, "Roman Holiday" so I was excited to see the Spanish Steps, where she sits and eats an icecream cone. I was fairly disappointed when we got there, though, because some Italian singer was taping a music video. Cameras were everywhere, the directors were giving instruction and some guy was shaking his hips and singing while the audience shouted. I made my way around the chaos to get some pictures on the steps and enjoy how beautiful the pink and white flowers were that covered the edge of the steps. Had time permitted, I would have grabbed some icecream and chilled on the steps.

We sat at a McDonald's to wait for our night train to Interlaken, Switzerland. There was a table of cute Italian boys next to us. Though in my unattractive free travel state, I occasionally made eye contact with one of them. Though in another life I might be one of those girls who bats my eyelashes and plays up a little international flirting, I was simply too tired to make an effort. Haha. The time finally came and we boarded our night train to Bern!