Okay, Vatican City was the best thing I have ever seen in my entire life. No question.

So we went on the metro at 7am, and we witnessed a fistfight between a japanese tourist and an italian woman, which was great, and then we almost got trampled sprinting up the stairs to St. Peter's. Italian people are hilarious, by the way. They are somehow all gorgeous, in a hurry, lazy, condescending, rude, and ridiculously nice all at the same time. The tourists make up most of the population that we see, though. Everyone was running down the street and then they all got there and the line was four hours long anyway, which was funny. But we took a tour, so we bypassed the line.

We walked in, and I saw the Pieta, and I started crying a little bit. I guess that's girly but sometimes, you know, you see beautiful things, there go the tears. So I was sort of trying to hide it, and wasn't paying attention, and lost the group. Then wandered Vatican Museum, which is RIDICULOUS, and if you spent one minute looking at everything, I learned, would take you 16 years to get through. The tour was awesome, great details, but it was a bit rushed, which was sad because every single thing was a masterpiece, even the walls and ceiling, and there were thousands and thousands of things. I walked through the sistine chapel without looking up, all the way down, down, waiting, and then when I got to the end I turned and looked up and EVERYONE in there, hundreds of people, were all just staring up. Completely mindblowing - I don't even understand how a human made it, let alone a boy for his first painting. Took a bunch of pictures, even though it was illegal - the Vatican sold the rights to the ceiling to a Japanese TV company. Biggest sellout EVER. The best part was the creation painting in the middle, that one where God's fingers are just about to touch Adam's. Incredible. You could stay in there for years and never notice everything. The funny thing was all the hidden messages -like how Michelangelo painted the pope stabbing everyone, God mooning people, Adam and Eve in these sort of various um, compromising positions, etc. The whole thing got him condemned to death, which I think is sort of harsh, but he escaped anyway I think so fine.

My uncle told me once that his definition of art is something that you look at and just know that you could never in a million years create it. Agreed.

Then we went to St. Peter's, which really honestly was the best thing I have ever seen in my life. I walked in and, of course, immediately started crying again (I know, I know) and lost the tour group again, so I got a chance to wander around for about a half hour alone, through the church, taking pictures, staring up. There are no words to describe that place - it sounds funny, but I really feel as though I'll be different from now on after I've seen it.

But I mean, everyone says that, I guess. I bought another fake purse because I was so happy. Whoops. The four of us - Vicky, me, Josh and Frieda, our new hostel crew (haha) also got an entire free pizza, which was nice. I don't even like pizza usually, but now I eat it for every meal. Go figure.

Florence tomorrow. I'm sure I will cry and overexaggerate and be changed for life again. But for now, bedtime, because Vicky and Frieda and I have to get up at 6 to take the train. Espresso, here we come.