Rome, Italy

July 1st through 3rd

"My most of my treasured memories of travel are recollections of sitting." -- Robert Thomas Allen

Let me start off by first saying that these past five days have opened my eyes and my heart in ways I never have anticipated. Rome is absolutely unbelievable. I felt as though I was walking through history rather than simply looking at it. I fell in love with the city here, and I know I will be back soon.

On the first day, I took a Semester at Sea tour called Highlights of Rome. We toured the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Coliseum. Walking through the museums, we were able to see frescos, statues, tapestries, and artifacts that dated far beyond Jesus' time, and into the 19th century. I absolutely loved all of the sculptures and seeing the different eras represented. I began noticing how one area of the Mediterranean clearly influenced another, like a nexus, and how the artwork depicted these influences, and many times told stories about trade, war, and empires. What I loved most about the museums was after a while, I began to realize that I was not simply looking at various artifacts and frescos, but the very building I was in was incredibly significant. I wasn't just in a hallow building where one item is brought and then shipped to another museum-- I was in the Vatican. The very walls have their own story, their own history to tell as well.

When I went into the Sistine Chapel, I couldn't help but begin to shake. I literally felt light headed. I was standing in the same room that Michelangelo once stood, and I was looking at the same walls that he looked at for nine years of his life. My eyes began to tear up as that idea resonated. Michelangelo spent four years painting the ceiling, and five painting the wall of The Last Judgment. Beyond that, the very ground I stood on is the ground in which some of the most influential and powerful people have congregated. Every single pope since the 15th century has been chosen in that room. That, my friends, can't be said for any other place on this planet. I truly do believe that that room is one of the most powerful in the world. I know this may sound weird, but despite all of the other tourists swarming about, I actually felt honored and rather unworthy to be there. I was very much impacted.

The piazza was awesome. It is incredibly huge. We took pictures for my mom of the West winds ba relief that is near the central obelisk (from the Dan Brown book Angels and Demons. She's a big fan). The central obelisk is actually very interesting. The five main obelisks in the city of Rome are actually pagan symbols and none are in their original places. The reason for this is a Pope Sixtus V in 1586 had the five obelisks moved to the five main Catholic places in Rome. The obelisks had crosses mounted to the tops of them symbolizing that Christianity had conquered the pagan way of life. The obelisk in the piazza is actually the only one that was not damaged at all in the moving. There is also a small sphere at the top that supposedly once held Julius Cesar's ashes and now holds pieces of what is believed to be Jesus' cross. These pieces of the cross were found by Constantine's mother in Jerusalem just outside of The Dome of The Rock which still stands today.

Saint Peter's Basilica is breathtaking. I had studied it in art history in high school, but no matter how much you know, there is no way to depict such a place with justice. Just one apse is the size of an entire church. If you look at a picture of the inside and you see a gold band with black letters tracing the perimeter, you would have no idea that each letter is actually six feet tall. You could actually fit the Statue of Liberty with its pedestal under the dome and still have room to spare! Michelangelo's Pieta inside was stunning. His Pieta was made when he was only twenty four. Can you imagine being commissioned by a pope at the age of twenty four to depict something as sacred as Jesus and Mary! Goodness I need to get my act together! It is actually Michelangelo's only piece of signed work. He actually had finished it, and it was in the Vatican, when two Belgium men claimed that it was the work of another man. When he got word of this, Michelangelo snuck in during the middle of the night and chiseled "Michelangelo made this" in Latin.

Some fun facts about The Vatican: The Vatican ATM is the only one in the world to have Latin as a language option. Bernini and Moderno designed the fountains in the piazza. The Euro is the official currency, but there is a Vatican Euro that is the rarest form of "living" currency, so if you get it, don't spend it. It's worth a lot more. Who would have ever thought someone could get holy money!

. The weather while we were at The Vatican was scorching hot. It was even worse that it was mandatory that our shoulders and knees must be covered while there. When we finally got in the air conditioned bus, we made our way over to The Coliseum we saw lightning and heard thunder off in the distance. We wished it would rain so badly. Ironically the second we got out of the tour bus at The Coliseum it did rain, but it didn't just rain, it poured. Each droplet felt like the size of a golf ball. Within thirty seconds of being outside we were drenched. We all ran and sought shelter under a tree. Oh course, leave it up the intelligent scholarly academics to find shelter under a tree while lightning is surrounding us! Brilliant… we ended up getting back in the bus and waiting twenty minutes for the rain to chill out and at least come back down to a drizzle. We have a theory that it was God's anger toward us for taking pictures and filming in the Sistine Chapel when we definitely were not supposed to. When we finally got in The Coliseum, we really enjoyed ourselves. Oh how I wish I was there to see the times when they would fill it up and have reenactments of ships and sea wars. I decided that when I become rich and famous I'm going to build a coliseum in the same fashion and hold pirate shows in them. It really is an epic site, and it was even more intense being in it while lightning and thunder surrounded us.

We got to spend a few minutes at the Arch of Constantine. That was pretty awesome because it was FREE! I also think it is cool because Constantine was one of the few emperors who's monuments still exist, because the Catholic church destroyed much of everything else of turned it into Christian symbolism. He was the first emperor of Rome to allow freedom of religion and was actually Christian himself.

After that, I met up with Samantha and our friends Erik, Lauren, and Shandra. Shandra's boyfriend, Josh, joined us for dinner as well. He actually flew from the states to Rome to be with her! He is incredibly nice and we enjoyed his company. We found a place to have dinner near the Spanish Steps. Mark my words—that was the best meal I have ever had in my life! We had caprese salads, wine (I had to mix it with fanta), and various pastas. Everything was absolutely impeccable. After dinner we got some gelato and sat at the Trevi Fountain and made some wishes.

While at dinner we were talking to Josh and he said that a lot of people were joking saying that he was supposed to bring a ring with him if he was going to fly all the way to Rome to meet Shandra. He totally fooled us all. The next day at the Trevi Fountain, he proposed to Shandra, his girlfriend of four years, and now they're engaged! The whole ship has heard about it and we are all so very excited for her!

On day two, Samantha, Erik, Lauren, and I, went to the Vatican. I was the only one who had already gone.This time we got to go into the grottos under the basilica and we saw many of the pope's burial sites.

Next, we were off to the Borghese Galleria to see some of Bernini's greatest sculptures. The ceiling paintings in that place were absolutely exquisite. They all depicted Greek gods and told many of their myths. I was able to see Benini's David, and many more of his works. What I found intriguing, however, was that some of his works depicted Greek mythology such as Apollo and Daphne, and yet he was one of the main artists for the Catholic Church (which you would assume, would not be acceptable through the pope's eyes). I'm curious to find out more and see how he was able to depict both beliefs without getting in serious trouble.

From there we ate dinner, and then took a train back to our ship in Civitavecchia and enjoyed the comfort of our familiar beds.

Day three we stayed in Civitavecchia, enjoyed the sun and the watermelon stands. We did some souvenir shopping and spent some time writing post cards. At 9pm our ship left port and made our way to Naples!

Rome was definitely an amazing place and I had some of the most memorable experiences in my life. I feel content knowing that I have made a promise to myself to be there again next summer. I simply cannot wait!